Gazegill Organics, based in the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, is set to open an eco-restaurant at its 250-acre farm as the trend for sustainable restaurants continues.
The family-owned farm first announced plans for the project back in 2018. Now given the green light, the owners say the project will bring 10 extra jobs to the area.
Most of the produce due to be served at the restaurant will be sourced from the farm, while the remainder will be sourced from other local organic farms, cutting down on food miles.
The restaurant will be powered by electricity, generated on site through wind and solar power, and will be constructed out of green oak and glass.
Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph, owner of the farm, Emma Robinson, said: “We had a fantastic 2019 and, due to the growth in sales, we took on six extra staff to cope with the demand. In the last year we’ve taken on marketing and office staff as well as a fourth butcher.
“We are very excited about developments in the year ahead. We are planning to open two holiday lets alongside two off-grid luxury cabins. The eco-eatery sees us branching out into new territory. We expect it will create around 10 jobs and we are looking for people interested in working with us to get in touch.”
The farm has been in the hands of the same family for around 500 years and now specialises in raw milk and organic produce.
Robinson’s husband and co-owner, Ian O’Reilly, believes the vegan movement has aided their plight.
He added: “People think maybe they should be eating less meat generally, but they realise that it’s about having better quality meat – which is produced the natural way. I also think that the vegan movement helps us. People are not necessarily becoming vegan but are starting to question where the meat on their plate comes from.”
Gazegill is not the first to open an eco-focused eatery in recent months. Zero-waste restaurant Silo opened in Hackney last year and now runs alongside its sister site in Brighton.
Other eco-focused bars and restaurants include Ryan Chetiyawardana’s Cub in Hoxton, Thai restaurant Smoking Goat in Shoreditch, and Native in London Bridge.
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