The Black Horse Carbon Hoofprint

With the news stories from around the world, Greta’s moving speeches and Sir David Attenborough’s insightful documentaries it’s hard to ignore the changes happening to our planet due to the adverse effects caused by our use of resources and output of emissions.

That’s why it’s so important, now more than ever, that we start assessing our individual carbon footprint.  Here at The Black Horse we’re striving to do our ‘bit’.  In 2017 we invested in environmentally friendly solar panels to help reduce our use of power station produced electricity. We have limited the use of harsh chemicals wherever possible, using natural cleaning products. We recycle where we can, including all our glass and food waste.

Fresh Food & Drink

We have championed the use of local produce for decades. Surrounded by amazing farms, our chef’s devise menus showcasing the best Bedfordshire and neighbouring counties have to offer.

As a small family owned and run restaurant we believe in building up great partnerships with other family businesses around us, that’s why we’re proud to use local family-run farms, growers and butchers wherever possible.

Our artisan cheese is made by English farmers which we use in many of our dishes or served with Hertfordshire honey – made by local bees! – on our tasty Cheese Board.

Our tea is from Teapigs and our coffee from local roasters Wooden Hill, both environmentally conscious companies producing ethically sourced and sustainable products that not only do good, but taste great too!

We work closely with our supplier Ellis Wines to offer a fantastic range of organic and biodynamic wines – this is wine made with a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to farming, using all components of the vineyard as one whole entity, eliminating the use of chemicals and using natural materials and composts.

Our seasonal vegetables are from Hillside Market Garden, a local Bedfordshire growers with a philosophy based around organic principles and biodiversity to encourage healthy crops grown without the need for chemicals and fertilizers.

Sinfield Fruiterers, a Bedford-based family-run fruit and vegetable business with over 100 years experience, also provide our chefs with fresh, quality produce that help make our dishes so delicous!

From tasty steaks and burgers to our delicious Sunday roasts, we source our meat from Mimram Valley Butchers and Peterborough Game, both Hertfordshire-based, independent butchers, whose meat, game and poultry is free-range and reared in Hertfordshire pastures, such as lamb from Tewinbury Farm, who proudly ensure the highest welfare standards are maintained.

Our fish comes from independent family-owned GCH Fishmongers based in Bedford and Marrfish, a family business with over 150 years in the fishing and trawling industry.  Both affiliated to many of the bodies representing the industry – focused on sustainable sourcing, diversity and fishmongery skills.

This is to mention but a few of our countless local ingredients that make up our delicious dishes.

Our Continued Mission

As a family with children and grand-children of our own, we will not stop looking at ways to help towards a healthy planet for their future and have made it our mission to continually look at how to reduce our carbon footprint wherever possible, whilst still delivering the quality fresh food and high standard dining experience we’re proud to offer.