The Polgooth Inn is a sustainability champion because they have shown commitment to running a sustainable business. They have shown that they are actively involved in energy reduction, waste reduction, sustainable procurement, as well as pushing for customer and team engagement to being sustainable.

The Polgooth Inn is a traditional 16th Century pub run by our 2018 Licensee of the Year Award winners and BII Ambassadors Tanya and Alex Williams.

There has always been something growing at The Polgooth Inn, whether that be vegetables, herbs or fruits, but it wasn’t until 2015 when Tanya and Alex took growing produce to the next level. With the help of Sam Corfield, The Polgooth Inn expanded their pub garden to include greenhouses and more. It didn’t take long until they were growing enough produce of their own and in the summer of 2017, all 2000 cucumbers used that summer were grown right in their garden, cutting food miles and costs.

Since the growth of the garden, they now have two polytunnels, a large herb bed, orchard and numerous raised beds. The garden influences their menu heavily with a big focus on herbs, fruits and salad produce.

The team at Polgooth have weekly management meetings, communicating best practices around sustainability, as well as having a Facebook page for staff to engage with.

“Our Pub is about remembering its roots. In addition to our homegrown produce we have 6 beehives, a Wildlife pond, pig, chicken, goats and cows. We are a country pub, I want to highlight that in everything that we do. We also have designated ‘horse’ parking and bike parking.”

Future plans for the Polgooth include installing electric charging points for customers and staff members and they are also expanding the garden to include a pumpkin patch. Finally, customers will get to partake in a “Dinner in the Dark” night, aiming to highlight the electricity and energy crisis whilst giving diners a special treat.