BaxterStorey gain FFLSH Bronze at Queen Margaret University

Image:Soil Association Scotland's Sue Mcvey presents the Food for Life Served Here Bronze certificate to Brenda Pryde, Allan Scott and Nicola Frew of BaxterStorey – QMU

BaxterStorey caterers at Queen Margaret University (QMU) are celebrating after gaining the Food for Life Served Here (FFLSH) Bronze certification for food outlet Guthrie’s Kitchen. The certification reflects the commitment of BaxterStorey and the university to scratch cooking, reducing food waste, and sourcing local and seasonal ingredients.

Caterers at Guthrie’s Kitchen serve around 200 fresh, local and sustainable meals each day. While the location has a strong history of scratch cooking, gaining FFLSH Bronze has led the team to rethink their food larder and look at what they’re selling in greater detail. All meat served at Guthrie’s Kitchen is now farm assured, including Specially Selected Pork supplied by Linlithgow’s Campbell Prime Meats. Eggs used at the location are now all free range, milk is supplied by Scottish dairy Graham’s, while the team source fresh and seasonal Scottish produce from wholesaler Mark Murphy’s, including potatoes and Arran cheddar cheese.

Seasonal ingredients take pride of place on the menu, with the location’s salad bar featuring a selection of six composite salads that rotate with the seasons. As students return for the new academic year, they can select from options including black bean and pineapple salad, roast cauliflower and courgette tabbouleh, and spicy cucumber and watermelon salad. Looking ahead, autumn dishes will include quinoa, squash and broccoli, and harissa tahini noodles with roast vegetables.

The catering team work with Waste Knot, a company that supplies surplus fruit and vegetables from farmers’ fields, incorporating this produce into their dishes, which helps reduce food waste. Products containing certain artificial additives and sweeteners have also been removed from the menu, to align with the FFLSH Bronze standards. Caterers say that working with the Food for Life Scotland team to gain the certification has made them more conscious about the food that they’re selling and opened their eyes to changing things for the better.

The Food for Life Scotland (FFLS) programme, led by Soil Association Scotland and funded by Scottish Government since 2012, provides a framework through which local authorities and public sector sites can ensure they are serving good food. This is done by meeting a set of standards to achieve the FFLSH certification at bronze, silver or gold level.

Food for Life Served Here certification holders must follow a set of standards. Holding the bronze certification, BaxterStorey caterers at QMU ensure that a minimum of 75 percent of dishes are cooked from scratch from unprocessed ingredients. Meals are also free from undesirable trans fats, sweeteners and additives, and use free range eggs, higher welfare meat and ingredients from sustainable and ethical sources.

In 2022, FFLS launched the Food for Life Scotland Public Sector Expansion Pilot, with the aim of scaling the programme to bring the certification to other public sector sites across Scotland. In 2024, this wider public sector focus has become a core part of the Food for Life Scotland programme.

Sarah Duley, Head of Food and Co-Director, Soil Association Scotland, said: “Huge congratulations to the BaxterStorey team at Queen Margaret University. It’s fantastic to see more sustainable, Scottish produce on the menu at Guthrie’s Kitchen, and great that students have access to fresh and seasonal produce while at university. The catering team are showing what can be achieved in public sector catering and we commend them for all their hard work in gaining the FFLSH Bronze certification. We're delighted to see more Higher and Further Education sites achieving the FFLSH certification. The Food for Life Scotland team can offer support to public sector caterers across Scotland to develop their own commitment to sustainable catering.”

Nicola Frew, General Manager, BaxterStorey said: “At BaxterStorey Queen Margaret University, we are proud to have achieved the Food for Life Served Here Bronze certification. This is a recognition of our commitment to serving fresh, seasonal and sustainably sourced food. We champion local ingredients where possible and its part of culture to create food with purpose that our students and academia enjoy. Being part of the Soil Association community means we are contributing to a healthier future for people, and we are ready to grow and evolve in partnership with the team at Food for Life Scotland.”