At Honestly Farm Kitchen, Carrick on Shannon, we serve brunch, chargrilled burgers, salads, sandwiches and soup, locally roasted coffee and freshly baked breads and desserts. We offer ethical carnivore, vegetarian and vegan, free-from and kids options.  We’re open 7 days a week, including Bank Holidays for Eat In, Take Away and Drive Thru.

Sustainability

At The Farm

• Our farm is certified organic, meaning no pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, chemical fertilisers or other nasties are introduced to our soil. We are certified by the Organic Trust, so we can be spot checked at any time!
• We are certified by the Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme.
• At the farm we rear native rare breed cattle, Dexters, which are smaller than conventional beef cattle. This means they have a lower impact on the soil, so we can manage our grasslands and cattle effectively.
• Our livestock is slow-reared, naturally fed, so we aren’t rushing to fatten them using industry concentrates based on a unsustainable systems of Genetically Modified feed.  Soybean and Wheat, grown on industrial sized mono crop systems, eliminate natural conditions and bio systems.  It’s bad for the planet and not good for the animals or for us!  The feed we use in winter must be non-GM, organically grown – so no nasties.
• Our 300 acre farm is full of natural hedgerows, forest areas and natural water access – these all provide habitats for native wildlife, encouraging biodiversity in the area.
• Our salads are grown naturally in polytunnels, using organic methods to protect them from the elements. We also use companion planting and natural substances like garlic to deter pests.
• We use animal manure and green manure to fertilise our land.
• No pesticides or herbicides means a high biodiversity of plant, insect & bird life and a healthy bee population.

At The Restaurant

Behind the scenes

• We promote our Bike to Work scheme so staff can get standard or electric bike tax free using government schemes.
• Low food miles – this is a longer story for another blog, but with ingredients for all our dishes coming from the farm 15 minutes away, we are always working to reduce our food miles.
• Where we do need to bring in ingredients (for example out of season veg) we keep this to a minimum, make sure it’s organic, and we are actively looking for alternatives.
• Our cleaning products are biodegradable and come in sachets added to reusable spray bottles. These cut down massively on plastic waste, lower emissions (by 95% compared to liquid bottles) and are kinder to skin and the planet.

For our Customers

• We have registered with the Conscious Cup Campaign – meaning we offer 20c discount for bringing a reusable coffee cup – cutting down on waste.
• We have registered with Refill Ireland – reducing plastic waste by providing a filtered water station where customers can refill bottles.
• Recycling – we separate all our back of house waste into Food, General and Recycling waste.
• We are working with the team to reduce food waste. So if there’s something in your meal that you don’t like, please let us know and we can leave it out – no tomato on the burger? No side salad with the halloumi fritters? No problem! It helps us all reduce wastage.
• Our packaging is compostable –so bring back your packaging next time if you’d like us to compost it for you.
• In our Farm Shop we sell keep cups and water bottles, as well as eco cleaning supplies (check out our Lilly’s range) and Irish Beeswax food wraps.