Leaving Only Little Footprints

We only want to leave the good kind of footprints behind – the ones from our muddy boots after farming, foraging or returning from a wander. When it comes to our carbon footprint, we’re taking steps now and for the future to reduce it.

Our focus over the next three years will be to establish our baseline carbon footprint and our mid- and long-term net zero targets. This will allow us to measure and monitor the emissions reductions we make each year as we work towards these overarching targets.

Time to Re-Energise

We love change because it means we’re evolving. We question everything and are always looking for ways to improve our day-to-day operations, increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions. Here are some of the reduction initiatives we’ve already introduced across our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

Scope 1

• In 2013, we installed biomass boilers at both our Monachyle Mhor and Mhor 84 sites. These provide hot water and heat for both establishments, as well as most of our team accommodation.
• Our biomass boilers now operate using locally sourced wood chippings, replacing the pellets previously used. The wood chippings come from the surrounding forests and are dried in our own onsite kiln.

Scope 2

• All our premises are fitted with insulation and LED lighting to ensure heat and energy efficiencies are optimised.
• We’ve also installed energy-efficient appliances at Mhor Bread, including a Tom Chandley electric oven and a prover/retarder to improve our bakery production processes.
• We purchase our electricity through Ringlink, a rural trading business co-operative. To improve efficiency and better monitor our energy use, we’ve also reduced the number of electricity meters across our Monachyle Mhor and Mhor 84 sites.

Scope 3

• Our remote location means deliveries need careful planning. We work closely with local suppliers to optimise deliveries and reduce travel emissions.
• At Mhor Bread, we work with approved suppliers who share our environmental values. We plan to extend this approach across the wider business as we continue mapping the environmental credentials of all our suppliers.

Living With the Land

As a working farm, we celebrate agriculture and all that it provides us with. Our remoteness demands resourcefulness, and the whole idea of Mhor is to use the land around us in the most resourceful way possible.

We source directly from the land, keeping our kitchen completely in sync with the seasons, so there’s a natural flow from our farm to our front of house.

Respect For Our Resources

We have a variety of animals on our farm, including breeding stock pigs, 500 Scottish Blackface sheep, as well as 40 breeding cattle.

The animals reared on our farm are used for seasonal food sources at Monachyle Mhor and Mhor 84 Motel, as well as retail produce. Raising our own animals means that we know our livestock very well – their direct heritage, where they have lived, what they have eaten and, most importantly, that they are properly looked after.

Our close connection to our livestock means that butchering is respectful of the animal. Our butchering takes place on site, which also reduces the travel emissions typically associated with this process.

Through our meat produce, we follow a ‘nose to tail’ policy, where we aim to use 100% of each animal and ensure that nothing goes to waste. We produce our own sausages, cure our own meats and use leftover bones and offal as a basis for our stocks and sauces. We also frequently forage ingredients from our land, which provides a wealth of mushrooms, herbs, sorrel, nettles, wild garlic and dandelions.

You’ll also find beehives across our estate, which are looked after by our friends at Plan Bee.

At Mhor Instore, we’ve recently installed an Apothecary where we create our own candles and soaps. It also has a dehydrator for drying fruits and flowers.

Scottish Born & Bread

Our procurement policy follows a three-tier system – local farms first, within a 30-mile radius, then Scotland, followed by the wider UK.

Game produce for our fine dining, including venison and pigeon, is purchased from local gamekeepers and stalkers.

At Mhor Bread, our policy is to only purchase Scottish-milled flour for our white, wholemeal, rye and seeded sourdough breads, cakes and pastries. We also only use Scottish meat for pie and sandwich fillings.

For both Monachyle Mhor and Mhor 84, we purchase several ethically produced wine ranges, including organic, biodynamic and natural wines.

Taking It Full Circle

One person’s waste can be another person’s cattle feed. Just ask our resident Highland Coo, Donald.

Our resourceful approach is inherent across our operations, right through to the way we manage our waste. We’re always looking for ways to reduce, reuse or recycle materials through circularity initiatives that we implement from the outset, to minimise the amount of waste we send to landfill.

Some of the circularity initiatives that we have in place are pretty cool:

• Using waste grain (draff) from local whisky distilleries to feed our cattle.
• Using milk whey from waste cheese production to feed our full-size pigs.
• Producing kimchi and chutneys from our vegetables, which are preserved, pickled and fermented on site.
• Supporting our bees with wildflowers grown on site.
• Using eggs from our Rhode Island Red chickens for our guest breakfasts.
• Reusing glass bottles for condiment bottles and candle holders.
• Hiring glassware for our events when required, such as weddings or wine and whisky safaris, and never buying single-use plastics.
• Using bamboo forks and plates for our outside catering events – no single-use plastics are ever used.
• Upcycling old kitchen equipment for use in our outdoor cooking area.
• During the refurbishment of Mhor 84 Motel, we reused equipment and furniture from Monachyle Mhor that were no longer in use.

Wherever possible, we always make sure our waste goes to a good place. Across our establishments, we have the following waste reduction and recycling systems:

• All our waste is segregated so that it can be disposed of properly, including glass, paper and plastics. We also have a cardboard compactor onsite to minimise bulk.
• We aim to keep food waste to an absolute minimum and are actively looking for ways to further reduce this.
• Our oil waste is recycled by Olleco, which uses it to create quality biofuels for transport.