Our Philosophy

We very much believe in using fresh, seasonal local produce and where possible supplied from small farms and farm shops in Herefordshire.

We have spent many hours researching our supplies and have compiled a comprehensive list of what foods are available, from which source to ensure that our ingredients are of the very highest standard.

With this in mind, we also concentrate on using as much organic produce as much as possible and even grown some of the foods used in the cooking ourselves, such as the herbs and fruit.

It is absolutely essential that as a Caterer, we work with local food producers who combine sound, sustainable farming practices with a passion for taste and a determination that they will not compromise in the pursuit of excellence.

By sourcing the food in the way we do, we believe that the food grown in this county is of such a high standard, that we have now drawn the line in using fruit, vegetables and meat from overseas and our menus reflect that. In addition, because we constantly look at seasonality of the food we use, to get the best flavours from the food, there are some products that will not be available all year round.

However with certain items such as orange juice, exotic fruits such as bananas and essential such as tea, coffee & cocoa, we will purchase only from Fair Trade Suppliers and are Herefordshire’s First “Fair Trade” Caterer.

With the suppliers we use and from the food we grow ourselves, using Apricot Catering will give you total peace of mind in the food you will be eating . . .

Food Charter

As part of our general philosophy, it had been suggested by an award winning chef friend of ours to write a Food Policy & Charter. Our thanks goes to him as this really focuses our minds when operating.

* Only safe and clean foods are to be used in our cookery.
* The season is always considered when selecting produce.
* Use only the best quality and fresh produce when producing dishes.
* Use only sustainable food resources.
* Strive to resource Herefordshire and British produce for our dishes where available, practical and of a good standard.
* Allow the natural food tastes to shine and the food taste of what it is.
* Dishes to be colourful, imaginative, attractive and creative wherever possible .
* Vegetarian and dietary requirements are always catered for.
* Our kitchen can be inspected by clients at anytime by appointment.
* Use Fairtrade produce for coffee and tea.
* Listen to our customers, their tastes, wishes, opinions and comments as well as our own.
* Menus descriptions must be honest and simple.
* Utilise all our skills, passion, training and traditional cooking skills to move the product forward
* Cooking methods are to be honest and either traditionally or classically based, depending on the dish.
* Not to use chemicals, additives, preservatives or food produced by unnatural growing methods.* Training will be on going to move the business forward.
* Nuts are present in our kitchen and we therefore cannot guarantee their exclusion in our cooking.