Lindley Venue Catering, the catering partner at Bristol City FC, has achieved the Silver Food for Life Catering Mark for the League 1 club’s hospitality and event menus, making Ashton Gate the first sports stadium in England to receive the prestigious accreditation awarded by the Soil Association which is also head-quartered in Bristol.
The Silver Food for Life Catering Mark assures guests dining at the Ashton Gate hospitality facilities that the menus feature fresh and healthy meals that only use sustainable fish and seafood, and meat which is UK Farm Assured.
The accreditation recognises the commitment of both parties to ensuring that the menus focus is on high quality, freshly-prepared food using British and locally-sourced seasonal produce which includes: local and organic cheeses from the Cheese Cellar; smoked produce supplied by the Severn & Wye Valley Smokery based at Westbury-on-Severn; locally sourced fruit, vegetables and dairy produce from Bristol-based supplier A David; traditional hand crafted beers brewed locally by the Butcombe Brewery in Wrington; and BELU mineral water – an ethical British water that gives all profits to WaterAid that funds water projects in developing countries
Malvern Theatres’ Scene Bistro
Lindley Venue Catering – the specialist sports stadia catering division of The Lindley Group – has been the catering partner at the Ashton Gate Stadium since 2001. This is the second Soil Association Silver Food for Life Catering Mark to be awarded to The Lindley Group, and it marks another major ‘first to market’ break-through for the caterer.
In April, Lindley Heritage received the Silver Food for Life Catering Mark for the menus it has developed for the Malvern Theatres’ Scene Bistro, making the West Midlands arts centre the first theatre in the UK and the first venue in Malvern to gain the Soil Association’s Food for Life Catering Mark award.
Importance of the Catering Mark
Explaining the importance of the Catering Mark, Rob Sexton, Chief Executive of Soil Association Certification, says: “The Silver Catering Mark is a fantastic achievement which recognises the vital role that fresh, local and organic food play in healthy, planet-friendly menus. Serving menus to Silver Catering Mark standards supports local businesses and reassures customers that all meals are free from GM ingredients.
“The Food for Life Catering Mark brings together all of the issues people care about – health, climate change and animal welfare. It recognises restaurants and caterers who serve fresh food which is free from controversial additives and better for animal welfare. More and more, people want to know where their food comes from and how it was produced. The Food for Life Catering Mark offers a guarantee that fresh food you can trust is always on the menu, so customers can tuck in with a clear conscience.”
