Key points
- All 56,000 eggs used/year are local and free-range.
- All of the Hospital’s egg sandwiches are now made with free-range eggs.
- All milk is organic and from the Windmill Dairy in Bedfordshire.
- A farm in Wiltshire supplies the Hospital with organic 100% beef burgers and other meats.
The background
- They wanted to move to sourcing local free-range eggs as part of supporting government initiatives to make UK farming more sustainable and encouraging healthy eating and the promotion of nutritious food.
- Providing high quality, nutritious and high welfare food has always been important to the Royal Brompton Hospital.
The process
- The hospital catering department worked closely with Sustain and the Soil Association who help to source local free-range foods.
- They went directly to local producers in order to get the best deals.
- Because they are a large consumer with a predictable demand they found many local suppliers keen to win the contract.
- They secured a contract with Bank Farm in Kent who were able to meet their needs at a very competitive price.
- They saved costs by cutting out the middlemen.
Achievements
- The contracted local farm has greatly benefitted and expanded.
- Customers appreciate the free-range eggs and comment on their better quality.
- Mike Duckett, Catering Services Manager at The Royal Brompton was recently nominated as a BBC Country File Local Food Hero
- Prince Charles has visited the hospital to witness their success in bringing local, high-welfare food onto the menu.
Contacts / further info
- Sustain may be able to help you find local suppliers of free-range eggs and other products.
- The Soil Association can advise on sourcing organic products
- The Royal Brompton works with the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative to improve local procurement.