To mark Food Waste Action Week, Hilton London Heathrow Airport is putting sustainability at the heart of its conference and events offer. The hotel, which holds numerous conference and events every year, has had a huge focus on how sustainability is incorporated into its offer, particularly when it comes to food – in line with Hilton’s ESG strategy Travel with Purpose.
As part of conference and events packages, delegates can enjoy plates that incorporate produce like fruits and vegetables, grown in the hotel’s very own garden. The team also goes to great lengths to repurpose as much as possible. For example, all glass water bottles from events are recycled and unused water is used to help grow herbs, fruit and vegetables in the garden. Leftover fruit, vegetables and coffee grounds are composted to fertilise the growth of new produce, including tomatoes, apples and strawberries that are then served on site. To further reduce food waste, the kitchen team work on optimising portion sizes, which helps minimise the effects of overconsumption.
Delegates at Hilton London Heathrow Airport can play their part in supporting the local biodiversity by planting trees in the hotel’s garden or orchard. The hotel’s garden is home to 100,000 bees and delegates have the opportunity to tour the garden and learn about the life of the bees and their benefits to the local biodiversity, which also provide the honey for the entire hotel and its guests.
The hotel’s kitchen team prioritises locally sourced produce within a 50-mile radius. Executive Chef at Hilton London Heathrow Airport, Phillip Clarke has a passion for sustainable culinary and works to create a seasonal and sustainable menu for guests. Clarke encourages his team to extend their environmentally friendly practices beyond the kitchen, emphasising the importance of reducing food waste at home, as well as at work.
Clarke comments: “Our team is passionate about sustainable food solutions and we’re constantly evolving our initiatives to reduce the hotel’s environmental impact.“Over 70% of the ingredients in the hotel’s signature OXBO salad come from the hotel’s garden, while the honey gathered from our own beehives is used in a variety of dishes, including the honey roast chicken. We aim to utilise every single part of our produce – if we have any unused tomatoes prepared for breakfast, those are transformed into a delicious soup for the evening.
“As we look ahead, we will continue implementing new food waste reduction initiatives while spotlighting this important topic not only within our team, but also with our guests.” Hilton London Heathrow Airport sees sustainable touchpoints across all 15 meeting spaces and the Concorde Atrium. Thoughtfully designed to sit on the same floor for convenience and collaboration, the space can hold up to 350 delegates.