Barons Eden, the collection of award-winning Spas including Hoar Cross Hall Hotel in Staffordshire’s tranquil countryside, have launched their own Honey from beehives on their grounds. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges affecting the world today and they consider the environment in everyday decision-making which has included re-wilding areas of the estates. They have committed to the UK’s target to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and continually evolve their sustainability promise as a Founder Member of Sustainable Wellness (Gold Award Winner 2023), Green Tourism UK (Silver Award Winner 2023) and recent recipients of Staffordshire Environmental Quality Mark.
Hoar Cross Hall has seen a £1.5 million investment to move from Kerosene to Biomass for their source of heating. This will see a remarkable 95% reduction in their carbon footprint for heating and the fuel for this comes locally from the National Forest. They are continually looking for greener sources of electricity whether through their suppliers or the feasibility to produce on site using solar panels. There are many other ways they are reducing energy usage and continually monitoring and reporting in an annually published ESG review. Hoar Cross Hall recycles where possible, including removing single-use cups and plastic drinks bottles as well as using plastic-free toiletries in the rooms with refillable shower gels to ensure they are a zero-landfill property.
To strengthen their sustainability promise, they have introduced twenty beehives across their properties, overseen by resident beekeepers. The Honey is used in many of the delicious dishes served on their menus, including at Breakfast with American Pancakes and blueberry compote, in Spiced Belly of Pork at Lunch, Honey Roast Ham finger sandwiches for afternoon tea and Hoar Cross Hall Honey and Gin Cured Salmon at Dinner.
HCH Honey can also be found in their tipples in the Long Gallery bar, boasting over 100 cocktails such as their Honey, Pear & Ginger Spritz with infused vodka or Prosecco.
Steve Clements, a Director of the Barons Eden collection, has a passion for sustainability and has steered many of the group’s recent projects. He added “We are proud of our ongoing work to make Hoar Cross Hall as sustainable as we can, and we will meet our 2030 commitment to halve our carbon emissions this year, 2023. Introducing the beehives onto the estate together with the re-wilding projects, allows us to continue making our grounds a thriving and welcoming place for wildlife and insects, as well as creating produce onsite which we can share with our guests.”
More information can be found at https://baronseden.com/sustainability-policy