La Locanda leads the way in sustainability
La Locanda, an award-winning traditional Italian restaurant located in the heart of the Ribble Valley, is pioneering sustainability in the culinary world with its innovative and eco-conscious approach which has led to an 85% food waste reduction, becoming gas free and a £3,000 per year saving in energy bills.
Celebrating over 20 years of exceptional dining, the highly regarded restaurant has become a blueprint for environmental responsibility by integrating eco-friendly practices across its entire operation.
It was recently awarded Highly Commended for its sustainability efforts in the national PAPA Awards.
Owners Maurizio and Cinzia Bocchi want to inspire other businesses to follow its lead.
It starts with the food
Located on Gisburn’s Main Street, La Locanda operates a ‘zero miles’ ethos and the restaurant’s location enables the team to locally source free range meats, game, dairy, fresh vegetables and poultry from Lancashire, reducing the carbon footprint associated with food transportation. The other 20% comes from carefully chosen Italian suppliers, ensuring 100% supply chain traceability. The restaurant proudly highlights the origins of the ingredients for each dish within the menu.
By cooking seasonally, Chef Maurizio, who is passionate about the concept of ‘Slow Food’ creates a changing menu celebrating the flavours, aromas and textures of the freshest seasonal ingredients he can source.
Food waste has been reduced by 85% through smart portioning, repurposing of surplus ingredients, and collaboration with organisations like ReFood to recycle cooking oil and convert food waste into renewable energy. This equates to a reduction of 1088 kg of food waste over two years, and 585.9 kilowatt hours of renewable energy created with 1 ton of Co2 displaced.
Steps like freezing egg whites, turning coffee grounds into fertiliser and using water saved from wine buckets and leftover on tables to water plants are just some further examples of the attention that the team pays to ensuring minimal waste.
Energy reduction
Chef Maurizio and Cinzia have worked with the Making Carbon Work (MaCaW) project at UCLan to reduce the restaurant’s CO2 carbon footprint. This has included the installation of new induction technology in their kitchen, making it one of the few gas-free kitchens in the region. Adding eco-friendly fryers, LED interior lighting and solar panels have further reduced energy consumption.
The restaurant is heated with a Biomass boiler which uses ecofriendly pellets and the decision to air dry all uniforms, towels and table linen has saved up to £3,000 per year in electricity.
The restaurant’s electricity is sourced from 92% renewable energy sources.
No more waste
General waste has been reduced by 99%, with the restaurant achieving 0% non-recycled waste numerous weeks throughout 2024.
La Locanda’s journey has been supported by Rosebud, which is part of Lancashire County Council’s Business Growth Service, with two loans of £95,000 in 2022, and £15,000 in 2023, which have enabled Chef Maurizio and Cinzia to push forward many of these environmental efficiencies.
For more information about La Locanda’s sustainability practices, visit www.agrichef.co.uk/sustainability/.
Maurizio Bocchi, Head Chef and Owner of La Locanda said:
“At La Locanda, sustainability is our way of life. Our ethos revolves around protecting the planet while celebrating the rich culinary traditions of Italy. From sourcing over 80% of our ingredients locally from Lancashire to ensuring that sustainable practices are embedded in all areas of the business, we’re proving that sustainability and traditional cuisine can go hand in hand.”
“We are immensely grateful to Rosebud for their partnership, which has been instrumental in making La Locanda the renowned Italian dining institution it is today.”
Cllr Shaun Turner, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change at Lancashire County Council, said:
“La Locanda is an exceptional example of a business that is fully embracing sustainability. The restaurant demonstrates how even fine-dining establishments can operate without compromising their environmental values. Beyond the restaurant, their practices stand as a shining example for other small businesses seeking sustainable transformation.”
Martin Emmott, Fund Manager at Rosebud added:
“Rosebud is delighted to support La Locanda as Maurizio and Cinzia continue to make their restaurant one of the best in the region.”
