Scotland cooking and cultural vacation

Planet

All laundry and personal hygiene products that we use at the cooking school and the guest accommodation have been carefully chosen to adhere to ecological and sustainable standards. laundry is kept to a minimum and guests are encouraged to re-use towels throughout the week making use of the energy efficient hydro electric storage heaters and good old wind power and sunshine (line drying!).
We are committed to phasing out single use plastic and have invested in environmentally friendly alternatives such as beeswax covers and multiple use containers recycled from original use.

We are in an area of outstanding natural beauty and lead through example when selecting the walks, cycles and day visits our guests can enjoy. We have many guides and books about the local history and the special diversity of the flora and fauna in the area and we encourage our guests to take a look at these during their stay.

We buy Scottish grown food wherever possible and organic and grass fed wherever possible. We use small local suppliers of dairy, fish and meat from independent traders and farmers markets when available.

All of our food is bought locally and wherever possible we buy from small, independent retailers like the local smoked and wet fish shop in town, the butcher and the general grocery store. We use an organic vegetable box scheme which is delivered to the church weekly during the summer months and we grow a small amount of our own organic produce in our garden.

This vacation is designed to encourage little car use and to maximise the opportunities to walk, cycle and take advantage of local buses.

People

All accommodation used by us for our guests is owned and serviced locally. Cleaning and personal hygiene products used in the accommodations are sourced for their environmentally sound credentials and are sold in local businesses in the nearby town and we use refill schemes wherever possible. We always use small, independent suppliers over larger chains. When it comes to free time, we encourage our guests to visit the local towns and villages which are within easy reach on foot, bicycle and by local bus and advise on places to shop and eat that will most benefit the community and also give the best impression of the natural produce, crafts and industry.

We make sure that we provide information on the work of local charitable trusts who are working hard to preserve historic sites and monuments and wildlife initiatives such as the Heart of Argyll Wildlife Organisation.

We like to include providing an evening meal with our close neighbours as part of our guests’ experience of meeting the locals and giving an insight to our close-knit Highland community.