What ‘locally sourced’ actually means to us

“Locally sourced” is one of those phrases that's easy to print on a menu and hard to actually mean. We try to mean it, so here's what's really behind it — the good, the awkward, and the bits we can't pretend about.

We can name our suppliers

For us, local means we can tell you who grows the food. The eggs come from Hadley Farm, about twenty minutes out, where the hens have room to roam. The greens come from the market two streets over. The coffee is roasted across the river. When we can choose close, we do.

It isn't dogma. Our bananas have a passport and our chocolate has crossed an ocean — some things simply don't grow down the road, and we'd rather be honest than precious about it.

It changes how we cook

Buying close means the menu moves with the seasons. When the market berries are at their best, they're on the pancakes; when they're not, we don't fake it with something flown in. A few specials change week to week for exactly this reason.

It costs a little more, and it's more work than ringing one big supplier. But there's something worth protecting in being able to point at a plate and say precisely where every part of it came from. That's the trade we're happy to make.