The certification reflects the commitment of BaxterStorey and the university to scratch cooking, reducing food waste as well as sourcing local and seasonal ingredients. Caterers at Guthrie’s Kitchen serve around 200 fresh, local and sustainable meals each day.
All meat served at Guthrie’s Kitchen is now farm assured, including Specially Selected Pork supplied by Linlithgow’s Campbell Prime Meats. Eggs used at the location are now all free range, milk is supplied by Scottish dairy Graham’s, while the team source fresh and seasonal Scottish produce from wholesaler Mark Murphy’s, including potatoes and Arran cheddar cheese.
As students return for the new academic year, they can select from options including black bean and pineapple salad, roast cauliflower and courgette tabbouleh, and spicy cucumber and watermelon salad. Looking ahead, autumn dishes will include quinoa, squash and broccoli, and harissa tahini noodles with roast vegetables.
The catering team work with Waste Knot, a company that supplies surplus fruit and vegetables from farmers’ fields, incorporating this produce into their dishes, which helps reduce food waste. Products containing certain artificial additives and sweeteners have also been removed from the menu, to align with the FFLSH bronze standards.
Caterers say that working with the Food for Life Scotland team to gain the certification has made them more conscious about the food that they’re selling and opened their eyes to changing things for the better.
Nicola Frew, general manager at BaxterStorey said: “At BaxterStorey Queen Margaret University, we are proud to have achieved the Food for Life Served Here bronze certification. This is a recognition of our commitment to serving fresh, seasonal and sustainably sourced food.
“We champion local ingredients where possible and its part of culture to create food with purpose that our students and academia enjoy. Being part of the Soil Association community means we are contributing to a healthier future for people, and we are ready to grow and evolve in partnership with the team at Food for Life Scotland.”
Food for Life Served Here certification holders must follow a set of standards. Holding the bronze certification, BaxterStorey caterers at QMU ensure that a minimum of 75% of dishes are cooked from unprocessed ingredients.
Sarah Duley, head of food and co-director at Soil Association Scotland, added: “It’s fantastic to see more sustainable, Scottish produce on the menu at Guthrie’s Kitchen, and great that students have access to fresh and seasonal produce while at university.
“The catering team are showing what can be achieved in public sector catering and we commend them for all their hard work in gaining the FFLSH bronze certification. We're delighted to see more higher and further education sites achieving the FFLSH certification. The Food for Life Scotland team can offer support to public sector caterers across Scotland to develop their own commitment to sustainable catering.”