Raithwaite Sandsend, near Whitby, shortlisted for award in 'Oscars of the hospitality world'

Raithwaite Sandsend, near Whitby, has been shortlisted in the Sustainable Hotel of the Year category of The Catey Awards – the Oscars of the hospitality world.
Raithwaite Sandsend is in the running for the Sustainable Hotel of the Year category of The Catey Awards.Raithwaite Sandsend is in the running for the Sustainable Hotel of the Year category of The Catey Awards.
Raithwaite Sandsend is in the running for the Sustainable Hotel of the Year category of The Catey Awards.

The prestigious Catey Awards, considered the benchmark in excellence, recognise the very best operators and individuals in the industry.

The Sustainable Hotel of the Year award shines a light on those who’ve taken the most innovative steps to embed sustainability into their business.

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The new team at Raithwaite Sandsend have been working hard behind the scenes, during the lockdowns, to reimagine the business.

Having introduced the Three P’s policy, Raithwaite ensures all businesses decisions consider how to best support its people, the planet and deliver pleasure for their guests.

MasterChef semi-finalist, successful food author and owner of the UK’s most sustainable pub Ollie Hunter is Raithwaite’s new Food, Drink and Sustainability Director who is overseeing the hotel’s new direction alongside Head Chef Ryan Osborne.

Ryan has previously led kitchens at Greens of Whitby and at The Star Inn The Harbour, under esteemed Michelin star chef Andrew Pern, and is passionate about provenance.

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Together they bring a wealth of culinary expertise and a deep routed enthusiasm for sustainable food practises – and have already made fantastic environmental improvements and are working towards zero waste status by 2023.

The hotel now uses seasonal and organic produce and are working towards sourcing 80% of produce from within a 30-mile radius, to better support local growers and deliver customers the tastiest flavour – while also working with global FairTrade for specialist items.

And they’ve also introduced local organic suppliers to each other so they’re able to share transport for deliveries, to further reduce CO2 emissions.

In the bar they’ve invested in a new cellar system called Cask Widge which reduces ale waste to almost zero – and the introduced a new staff uniform made from Tencel, a sustainable material made from trees that uses less water and sequesters carbon.

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Another new initiative is The Green leader Programme which equips each department with Green Leaders – so the team is empowered to lead the conversation to further positive environmental developments.

In the coming months Ollie is leading a development in the hotel’s 100-acre grounds to introduce a variety of new kitchen gardens, patches and polytunnels, to grow organic fruit and vegetables designed to feed the hotel throughout the year.

Alongside the introduction of 50 fruit trees, as part of an initiative to create a Forest Garden – creating a self-sustaining woodland, using a permaculture design, to produce fruits, nuts, perennials, and herbs –and in partnership with Sapling Vodka, introducing a tree planting programme to plant for tree for each bottle sold.

Ollie Hunter said: “We know that now is the time action and as industry leaders we have an exciting opportunity to reimagine how to use business as a force for good, for positive change – that is both restorative and regenerative.

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"We’re very proud to be shortlisted for our sustainability work by The Catey’s and are thrilled to be representing Yorkshire on a national level.”

The winners will be announced at a glittering ceremony on November 19 at London's Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel.

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