Marriott Hotels, the signature brand of Marriott International, has announced a partnership with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage to celebrate and support local and sustainable food. New seasonal menus will launch at Hollins Hall in West Yorkshire from 14th October, and at Cardiff Marriott from 21st October, before being rolled out to more of Marriott Hotels’ 50 UK properties.
River Cottage has proved an invaluable partner for Marriott Hotels, facilitating the introduction of key local suppliers and sharing advice on sustainable sourcing and daily menu planning. The new menus will feature local and seasonal produce, including organic Welsh lamb from Graig Farm in Newton and beef from Swillington Farm near Leeds.
Osama Hirzalla, vice-president of brand marketing and ecommerce for Marriott International in Europe, says: “Culinary enjoyment is a crucial element of any travel experience, and the partnership with River Cottage will not only enhance the guest experience but hopefully encourage local people to try our restaurants too.”
In addition to Marriott Hotels’ Future Fish programme, which aims to select and serve fish and shellfish from sustainable sources, the partnership aims to increase the percentage of food sourced by each hotel from within a 60 mile radius to 80%. The number of times the restaurant menu changes will increase from quarterly to daily, and all meat used will be organic. The hotels aim to further reduce food wastage from a current level of 5% and improve their Sustainable Restaurant Association rating.
The chefs at both hotels have undergone rigorous training at River Cottage’s recently-launched Chefs’ School and obtained City & Guilds accredited certificates in a range of competencies, from procuring sustainable food to butchery and nutrition.
Chris Griffin, head of education at River Cottage, adds: “This is an exciting project for River Cottage because of the substantial changes we can help Marriott Hotels make in procuring and cooking food. The new menus embrace our SLOW philosophy – Seasonal, Local, Organic and Wild – and we are delighted that local food heritage is being celebrated at each hotel. This is the first phase of a project that we hope will grab the attention of the hospitality industry.”
