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We
take a lot of time and care in choosing who supplies raw produce
to the Victoria. As a company we aim to be as environmentally
friendly as we can and this in turn is a demand we make of
our suppliers. |
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We also look for suppliers who take an ethical view of their
business. Much of our meat and what farmed fish we use is
RSPCA ‘freedom food’ accredited, we also use both
Fair Trade and Rain Forest Alliance products. |
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Very
little of our produce comes from the ‘big 3’ markets
(Billingsgate, Smithfield and Covent Garden) who have traditionally
supplied most London restaurants. Nowadays the trend is to
get products from ‘much closer to source’. |
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Bread |
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We
make all our own bread at The Victoria. The flour we use is
made from organic wheat milled at Claybrook Water Mill in
Leicestershire – one of the few remaining working water
powered stone mills in the country. |
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Meat
& Poultry |
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Several
farmers and small family butchers supply us direct with meat.
Our beef is reared in the West Country - the breed is called
a South Devon. Our butcher selects the animals he intends
to supply us with whilst they are alive in the field. They
are fed on grass right through their life (This is unusual
in colder parts of the British Isles where they are brought
inside and fed on grain.) |
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After
slaughter the carcass is hung untouched for 21 days before
being butchered into primal joints and sent to us. |
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We
also use Rose Veal on the menu. Our veal is organically reared
in Oxfordshire and is a by product of the dairy trade. |
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Our
Pork comes from a farm not far from Colchester. The breeds
are Saddleback and Gloucester Old Spot. The pigs are kept
in an area of Oak woodland. |
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Fish
& Shellfish |
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Nearly
all our fish is purchased from 2 harbourside markets - Brixham
and Falmouth. Some of the fish we use, such as Bass, is line
caught but the fish that is trawled comes from sustainable
stocks. |
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The
Crab we use is caught in Start Bay in the West Country and
our mussels are from the Norfolk coast. |
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We
use 2 varieties of oysters. Our rock oysters (Crassostrea
gigas) are farmed in the Royal Bay of Gruville on the
Island of Jersey in some of Europe’s cleanest water
and our Native oysters (Ostrea edulis) come from
Loch Ryan in South West Scotland which is the largest bed
of wild oysters in Scotland. |
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Fruit
& Vegetables |
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The
vegetables we use are nearly all grown in this country on
a small farm in Surrey. We have regular contact with the farmer
who makes sure we are using the best available fruit and vegetables
in any given season. |
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We
also make use of a professional forager! We are sent occasional
deliveries of wild seaweed, cobnuts, nettles, wild mushrooms
and woodland herbs amongst other wild hedgerow delicacies
from around the country. |
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Our
oil |
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Our
cooking oil is all stored and recycled into bio fuel by a
local company specializing in this area. The rest of our rubbish
is recycled where ever possible. |
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