It is also the first Catering Mark accreditation for The Lindley Group.
The catering operation at Malvern Theatres has received the Silver Food for Life Catering Mark for serving fresh and healthy meals that only use sustainable fish and meat which is Farm Assured at its Scene Bistro venue.
Lindley Heritage is the specialist arts, leisure, heritage and visitor attraction division of The Lindley Group, which earlier this month became part of the global hospitality provider Centerplate.
The accreditation recognises the commitment of both parties to ensuring that the Scene Bistro menus focus on high quality, freshly-prepared food using British and locally-sourced seasonal produce which includes local cheeses from the Cheese Cellar; salmon smoked at the Severn & Wye Valley Smokery; the award-winning cider produced from ‘blossom to bottle’ by Knights Cider Co at Crumpton Oaks Farm at nearby Storridge; and Holywell Malvern Spring Water.
The organic cheese and bread offered at the Scene Bistro have also played a key role as serving organic products is a pre-requisite of being awarded the silver standard.
Lindley has been the catering partner at the prestigious West Midlands arts centre since 2005 and following a £4m contract extension in 2011, Lindley Heritage invested £50,000 in converting the Malvern Theatres Restaurant into a contemporary 80-cover dining area which was re-branded as Scene Bistro.
Anna Standen, Lindley’s corporate social responsibility manager, said: “This really has been a team effort achieved through a partnership approach between Malvern Theatres, the Lindley Heritage team, and local suppliers and producers.
“We are extremely proud that Malvern Theatres is not only the first venue in locality to receive the Food for Life Catering mark, but that it is actually the first UK theatre to achieve this.
“Work is also well underway at a number of our other partner venues to achieve the Food for Life Catering Mark and we have certainly been spurred on by this success.”