Well, it looks more like a five-leaved clover in the picture, but that's the accolade that Chapters Restaurant has just received. That's because it's a Green Star, awarded for gastronomy and sustainability.
When Chapters first opened (and gosh, was it really only in 2019?) their aim was to support local producers and small independent businesses locally, with a seasonal menu. They offer a set menu, to reduce the possibility of food waste (always a big issue for food outlets), and booking is essential - and if there is anything left over, it is either eaten by the staff, taken home to eat later, or as a last resort, put into the compost bin to go to their restaurant garden, which they work with a no-dig approach and a commitment to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The garden is eight miles from Hay, and includes fruit trees, interesting vegetables (they want to use heritage varieties, and are fans of Jerusalem artichokes), and they don't use chemicals (though they do seem to have a slug problem!). They have also incorporated wild flowers, and are trying to grow vegetables for winter storage, as they have found it more difficult to source these from suppliers.
They also recycle as much as they can in the restaurant - plastic, glass and tins are collected by the Council, and soft plastics are collected by a company called Capital Valley Plastics, where it is turned into roofing tiles. Corks from the wine bottles go to Wine Corks, a social enterprise which re-uses the corks and sends a proportion of their profits to charity.
At the beginning of this year they also signed up to the Business Wales Green Growth Pledge, which helps businesses take steps to improve their sustainability
That approach has certainly paid off for them. The Michelin sustainability award was only created last year, and so far only thirty one restaurants in the UK have been given it, only two of those being in Wales.
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