Aspen House, eco-friendly B&B with a twist
Aspen House, in the Welsh Border county of Herefordshire, has been run for the last nine years by the two of us, Sally Dean and Rob Elliott. Setting out to create the kind of B&B we would be happy to stay in ourselves, we applied our own green philosophy to the business from the outset, a philosophy which continues to evolve.
We take our environmental responsibility very seriously at Aspen House, and the usual green measures have been put into place wherever possible. Thus the use of low-energy lightbulbs and energy-efficient appliances, monitoring of energy and water use, minimising and recyling of waste, the creation of a wildlife-friendly garden, rainwater collection and a commitment to organic produce have been standard practice from the outset.
Image Credit: Willow, one of the double rooms available - © Aspen House
For us, though, there is more to it. Beyond such standard 'green' measures and the techno-fix gadgetry that is available to those who can afford them, we believe that going green ultimately requires a paradigm shift in thinking that will put us all into a different mindset. We are now on that path of change at Aspen House. What started with Rob being tested for food intolerances has become a journey of discovery that has led us to the irrefutable conclusion that our current globalised industrial food system is seriously bad for human health, for the ecosystems upon which we depend and ultimately for the wellbeing of the planet itself. Statistics reveal that it is a primary contributor to climate change.
Image Credit: Aspen House garden in spring - © Aspen House
The research and investigations that led us to this conclusion have resulted in the publication of two books, The Food Maze and How To Eat Like There's No Tomorrow. The first has been described as a highly readable personal account of our journey, and the second sets out our ethos of removing our custom from global economic systems, wherever possible, and transferring it to a localised economy. Our experiences in doing this are open to discussion here at Aspen House, where an increasing number of guests are coming to find out more about why changing the way we eat is the ultimate green statement. Changing our lightbulbs makes a contribution to the solution, but changing the way we eat changes the way we live, and we become the heart of the solution.
Image Credit: The River Wye in winter at Hoarwithy - © Aspen House
You are welcome to come and see what we are all about. If you can get a few friends together, you could even try one of our Real Food Discovery weekends. Whether you are on your own or with a party, you will experience the pleasure of the tasty, fresh, seasonal, nutritious food - the kind of food that has been effectively removed from the supply chain by the industrial food machine. We are not elitist; we just know what real food is all about. We will not offer you scarce and expensive luxury foodstuffs, just the very best of what is produced here in Herefordshire, generally within a 10-mile radius. You will be amazed by how good it tastes.
Contact:
Sally and Rob, Aspen House, Hoarwithy, Herefordshire, HR2 6QP, UK. Tel: +44 1432 840353
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Top Image Credit: © Aspen House
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