The MIC Hotel and Conference Centre is committed to offering the highest standards of ethical hospitality so that all guests can eat, meet and sleep confident that the sustainable use of natural resources is at the heart of the social enterprise that is MIC. This ethical commitment draws on the spiritual basis fundamental to the Methodist Church and the inspiration for Hilda Porter, the founder of MIC.

A key element of ethical hospitality is the food served to guests. These days restaurants and hotels are thinking more about sustainable and ethical sourcing. At MIC the use of fair trade, local and organic ingredients to provide menus that make the most of local and seasonal food, has been the guiding principle.

To take this further MIC have started an exciting development project, working with acknowledged sustainable restaurant pioneer Barny Haughton and organic food expert Christopher Stopes to further develop the food sourcing and menus to meet the highest possible ethical standards, consistent with the spiritual purpose that lies behind the vision of MIC.

Working closely with the excellent and committed MIC kitchen and front of house staff we are reviewing current suppliers and working on seasonal menus that build on what the best suppliers can provide and that make the most of what they produce, whether they are 20 or 2000 miles away. Examples of key priorities include the highest animal welfare and making the best of cheaper cuts of meat; the greatest respect for the seasons and making the most of what is locally available. Key to all this is building our relationships with the suppliers so that the MIC’s guests know who the farmers are and what they are producing whether it is the beef, the carrots or the spices.

Workshops and demonstrations, farm visits and hands-on experience for MIC staff will help bring the reality of ethical and sustainable food to life. MIC wants to be able to strengthen links with producers and make these links visible to guests. We want to provide ethical hospitality that demonstrates MIC’s faith commitment through our food, spiritually based on values and ethics. The food development project will help us deliver this vital promise and enable MIC to offer something that is distinctive and special – a real benchmark for ethical hospitality. We will keep you updated on our progress in future editions of the newsletter.