Using local produce is a regularly promoted thing in the hospitality business and for good reason. It makes sense to support business and farming in your surrounding area, food is fresher and there are less miles travelled making a lower carbon footprint. There is also a lot of 'kidology' on using local produce by places that are just jumping on the band wagon so to speak but the Rose & Crown does have a genuine commitment to local suppliers but this goes hand-in-hand with quality, provenance and animal welfare.
Buying with these factors in mind means you are not buying the cheapest, in fact, it can be the opposite. Good quality produce made with care and consideration normally increases the price you have to pay but this is something that we are always prepared to do. The owners of the Rose & Crown are from a family who have been farming in Teesdale for four generations so they have an excellent understanding of this. Cheap produce from intensive farming with questionable animal welfare is definitely off the menu.
We have a great relationship with suppliers such as Peats Butchers of Barnard Castle who guarantee full traceability back to the farm on all meet as well as responsible sourcing. Our fish comes from Hodgsons of Hartlepool which is on our closest coastline. This family business has been in operation for over 100 years and delivers to leading hotels and restaurants including numerous Michelin starred establishments. Our coffee literally comes from up the road, about 3 miles away to be precise, from Longton Coffee in Mickleton who are a family business focused on sustainability and roasting coffee to the highest standards. Our coffee is delivered package free in re-useable Kilner jars. One of our most popular cheeses on the menu is Cotherstone from a farm near this neighbouring village and most of the other cheeses are from Teesdale Cheese Makers near Butterknowle. Dairy and eggs also come from the dale.
It is not just food but also drink that we like to try and keep local when possible. Our main cask ale that we sell is Black Sheep which is brewed in Masham, North Yorkshire about 35 miles away. We also use wine merchants, Firth & Co from Northallerton in North Yorkshire (though we can't claim that our wines are grown locally!!) and we have a potato based artisan vodka from a local farmer friend called Nine Tines as well as other local drinks such as Filey Bay Yorkshire single malt whisky and Durham Gin.
Our staff are all local as well which means that they have a good knowledge and appreciation of this fabulous area. Most of the team have been at the Rose & Crown for many years and are a key part of what makes the place. We also use local businesses in Teesdale for things like furniture making, building and maintenance works amongst other things.