Rose Ashby, Spring
Rose Ashby, Director of Development and Projects at SPRING in London, tell us about the restaurant’s relationship with your vegetable farmer.
– Her name is Jane Scotter, and she runs one of the greatest biodynamic farms in the UK. It’s located quite far from us, but we have been visiting several times anyway. It’s important not to isolate the farmer, but to maintain a great dialogue and communication. For example, if Jane has something in abundance, she lets us know and we can adjust our menu to reflect that. Also if Jane has a vegetable that she is not happy with, for example holey spinach, she will offer it to us at a lower price for our Scratch menu. I would say we have quite a unique relationship. We even gave her a loan, to help her business grow and flourish so that she can reach her full potential. We have made a financial commitment to spend a set amount every year, to relieve the stress and uncertainty facing a lot of farmers today.
How do you ensure that your staff shares your sustainability values?
– We make regular staff trips. This year, we’re going on educational trips to our butcher and several farms. It’s important to for example learn where our cheese comes from. We also offer volunteer opportunities, every year they get the chance to take part in charitable work, such as to feed the homeless or make food for less fortunate children. I’m happy to say that we have a diverse yet balanced team of roughly fifty percent women and fifty percent men.
Photo: Kristin Perers
On photo: Rose Ashby and Skye Gyngell visiting Jane Scotter
