Following their contract win last year, the Seasoned team have focused on making sure that Cloisters Kitchen & Garden contributes to life at Chichester Cathedral through its local community approach and café and hospitality experiences. "Our teams always help influence and shape what we do and how we do it, so we encouraged them to put ‘social goodness’ at the heart of our food operation at the Cathedral" said Graham Turner, Managing Partner Venues of independent and mindful venue and event caterer, Seasoned.
All of the talented onsite Seasoned team are employed from in and around Chichester and create made-from-scratch menus in Cloisters Kitchen using fresh, seasonal and local ingredients, putting a smile on their faces and their customers alike.
General Manager, Lorraine Sneller and her friendly team focus on supporting local businesses and making a positive impact through their partnerships. “We have handpicked our local suppliers on their high-quality but we also ensure that they are aligned with our social and environmental values.”
“Our expertly crafted coffee and Cloisters Kitchen tea is locally roasted and blended in a Dutch barn near Arundel by family-run Edge Coffee and Tea. Our award-winning ice cream is handmade locally by Caroline’s Dairy made from the milk produced from Chalder Farm. We also offer local wines from the likes of Digby Fine English and local craft beers from family-run Arundel Brewery.”
Graham Turner said “We want to share these good feelings with our team, clients and customers, whether it’s perfecting our delicious freshly baked focaccia for our daily sandwich specials or showcasing our fabulous local suppliers and farms. We encourage our team at the Cathedral to play an active role to raise awareness for our environmental and social initiatives and influencing our customers and Cathedral community to make a positive impact simply by eating at our café.”
Seasoned has also created a partnership programme with two local charities, The Four Streets Project and the Aldingbourne Trust. To kick off the annual programme, Jess and Christian from the Seasoned team recently delivered 30 hot meals to The Four Streets Project team at St Paul’s Church to provide a hot meal for those sleeping out on the streets of Chichester which were gratefully received in these difficult times.
Graham Turner said “We are also about to launch a back to work programme with the team at the Aldingbourne Trust aimed to give those with learning disabilities and/or autism the skills, confidence and work experience necessary to find paid employment. The programme will give local people learning opportunities to spend a day in the life of a baker, chef, barista and manager at the Cloisters Kitchen & Garden.”
As part of Seasoned’s commitment to the Hospitality Wellbeing and Development Promise they also empower their team at the Cathedral to live and work mindfully which is why they created an annual volunteering programme for the team to commit to 40 hours of paid volunteering.