Sustainability
at side oven bakery
Side Oven is certified Organic with Organic Farms & Growers. We have committed to 20 years of being organic as we feel it is an important part of our passion for sustainability and a wider responsibility towards our environment. Our products are made wherever possible with ingredients and produce grown here on our family farm. Much of it is grown right next door to the bakery itself – food miles are measured in metres here!
Our aim is to only use sustainable packaging across our product range. This could mean either using recyclable, compostable or reusable packaging. Our products are all handmade in small batches often using traditional methods – the care taken in this process ensures we not only create a premium product in taste but crucially one that is sustainable. Any food waste is composted on the farm and is in turn spread back on the fields as organic matter to help put nutrients back into the soil to enable the next crop to grow. We use this cyclical approach to ensure our processes are as sustainable as possible and go hand in hand with organic farming methods used on the farm.
We are a small family business and we employ a small team of local people who help us in the bakery and on the farm. We work with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and have done for 20 years – helping to create the most sustainable habitat we can for both flora & fauna on the farm.
We are heavily involved with education and have hosted school visits here at the bakery and on the farm for many years. We recognise how important it is to teach the next generation where their food comes from and how it is made. We run Farm & Bakery Open Days here regularly throughout the year with various themes – these are free to the public and are aimed at reinforcing the message about where and how food is grown and also the skills used to create food from the raw ingredients.
Sustainable Packaging
Our aim is to only use sustainable packaging across our whole range of products. This could mean either using recyclabe, compostable or reusable packaging.
We know it can be confusing knowing how to dispose of some of the packaging so we have outlined below exactly what each of our products are packed in and how best to either reuse, recycle or dispose of.
Apple Juices and Cordial Range
We use glass bottles for all our drinks which are reusable for home use or widely recyclable. The plastic tops are reuseable or again widely recyclable.
Flour Range
All of our flours are in paper bags which are widely recyclable.
Muesli & Granola Range
Our Muesli & Granolas are in plastic lined resealable pouches. These pouches are not recyclable, BUT they are reuseable!
We have rigorously tested these and they hold liquid and are freezer friendly. They are ideal to freeze homemade soups, stocks, fruit and much more. Wash them out and they can be used time and time again. The outer paper might wash off in time, but the plastic inner is strong and will last many uses.
Fruit Loaves & Oatcakes
We do have to use a single layer of cling film to wrap our fruit loaves in to keep them fresh but the outer bag is a Natureflex bag which means it is compostable. The labels are paper based labels which will also compost in time.
Breadmix Range
Our Breadmix range come in paper bags with paper based labels so are widely recyclable.
Outer Packaging
We use cardboard boxes to pack our products in and cardboard dividers for our drinks – these are all reusable where possible or widely recyclable.
The packing filler we use to pack any items travelling by courier is compostable – it is made of potato starch.