The Holcombe near Shepton Mallet, has launched an initiative focused on making its operations as sustainable as possible.

Sustainability has been key to owner-operators Alan Lucas and Caroline Gardiner, who relaunched The Holcombe last year following an extensive renovation, and while their focus to date has been on sustainable food and interior offerings, they have now taken a deep dive into their operation ensuring The Holcombe is as sustainable as it can be.

The initiative sees the installation of a new insect wall in the garden alongside new beehives with the bees arriving to take residence this month. The Holcombe also has edible hedgerows for the bees and pollinators and a second for the kitchen. 

A beehive

Several other sustainability initiatives are also underway including a significant focus on recycling. All glass is recycled, dirty oil is recycled for fuel and eggshells, coffee, fire ash and teabags all go to the compost. Dead hedges have also been created from all the pruning to create a natural environment for local wildlife. 

The Holcombe also ensures it consolidates deliveries to site to limit use of fuel and reduce environmental impact.

Commenting on the sustainability focus, owners Caroline and Alan said: "On purchasing The Holcombe, our vision was for it to be a beautiful country Inn that offers affordable luxury with a genuinely sustainable focus. 

"We know how important sustainable travel is to our guests and sustainable operations are equally as important to us and driving our decisions on The Holcombe's offering.  

"Our insect wall is now the proud home to many bugs, having been introduced last month and we are excited for the imminent arrival of our bees to take up residence in our newly installed beehives.   

"We are excited to continue introducing sustainable offerings and certainly hope visitors to The Holcombe can have an unforgettable stay with us knowing their stay is as kind to the environment as it can be." 

Both Caroline and Alan, along with their team, are passionate about sustainability and are focused on reducing food waste by using as much as they can of everything they purchase. They source local, free-range produce, and work with suppliers to reduce as much of the plastic packaging as possible, encouraging everything to be packed in paper. 

They pickle, brine, and preserve food to be able to utilise at a later date and create seasonal menus with local producers and try to make as much as possible themselves. Further supporting their locally sourced ethos, The Holcombe have also recently partnered with a rapeseed oil company just outside Bath.

The key focus of The Holcombe is the kitchen garden and 42ft polytunnel which occupies most of the gardens. Alan and Caroline are both trained chefs, and their passion has always been to grow more and deliver a fantastic garden to plate experience. They are both passionate about growing food, sourcing food locally from artisan producers and protecting the environment. 

The Holcombe's RHS trained gardeners work tirelessly, alongside Alan, to deliver ingredients that make for a great menu. Alan and Caroline endeavour to use as much from the garden as possible and always aim to use all produce - if it's not on guests' plates it will be added into stocks. Homemade infusions for gins and vodkas are also produced using ingredients from the garden. 

After 30 years spent running successful London based catering & event companies, Alan and Caroline decided to "escape to the country" and bought The Holcombe Inn in November 2019. COVID-19 restrictions forced their closure just a few months later and whilst closed, they took the opportunity to renovate and rebrand as The Holcombe.  The Holcombe has an award-winning restaurnat, and 11 hotel rooms.

For more information about The Holcombe please visit: https://theholcombe.com