From Vegetable Treacle to Fruit Tonic: How The Lodge at Ashford Castle Achieved a 90% Reduction in Food Trimming Waste

Tucked away in the wild beauty of County Mayo, The Lodge at Ashford Castle is part of the prestigious Ashford Estate—an iconic destination where heritage meets modern Irish hospitality. As a member of The Red Carnation Hotel Collection, The Lodge is not only committed to culinary excellence but also leads the way in sustainable kitchen practice. Since implementing Winnow they have achieved a 90% reduction in food trimmings and 58% reduction in total food waste through innovative creations, inspired by data.

Executive Chef Jonathan Keane has been at The Lodge for over 13 years. Once driven by culinary prestige, he’s now equally motivated by purpose. “Now it’s about what kind of legacy we leave behind,” he reflects. Raised in a household where waste was never an option, Jonathan brings that same respect for ingredients into every dish.

Inspiration from Vojtech Végh: Winnow’s zero waste culinary advisor

A pivotal moment for Jonathan and his team came from a Winnow workshop with Zero Waste Culinary Advisor Vojtech. “His ideas are brilliant—like using watermelon rind in curries,” says Jonathan. Inspired, he set out to adapt these zero waste concepts to a high-volume kitchen. Guided by Winnow’s data, he identified his largest waste items and engineered impact-driven solutions tailored to a 200-cover environment. 

"It's not about changing the world on your own. It's about looking at your own impact. If
everyone did their bit, there wouldn't be a problem."

- Jonathan Keane, Executive Head Chef, The Lodge at Ashford Castle

Two Hero Initiatives

Vegetable Treacle: A rich, savory glaze made by reducing vegetable peel to a honey consistency. It stars as the glaze in his short rib dish, sold 250 times a week, and is also baked into homemade brown bread.

Fruit Tonic: Made from pineapple, orange, and melon peels leftover from breakfast prep. Served at breakfast, reception, and the leisure center, it offers guests a healthy alternative to juice—and significantly reduces fruit waste.

Together, these two innovations alone save 1 ton of food waste annually.

Other Creative Repurposing Highlights

Lemon Peel Purée: Leftover lemon peels are blended into a purée used to enrich sauces, adding acidity and depth—without extra cost.

Pastry Reuse: Leftover breakfast pastries are reused as bread and butter pudding


From Waste to Profit

The Lodge’s food waste reduction journey didn’t just yield environmental wins—it improved profitability. “The sauce for our short rib dish used to use veal bones, wine, and three days of reduction. Now? It’s a delicious treacle made from vegetable trimmings,” says Jonathan. The dish,  is now one of the most profitable items on the menu with incredible flavour. Jonathan also emphasizes that every kitchen must find what works for them: “Vojtech’s recipes inspired me, but I had to make them work at scale. Every chef can do the same—find your version of the treacle or fruit tonic."

Conclusion

At The Lodge at Ashford Castle, sustainability is not a trend—it’s embedded in the culture. Through data-driven insights from Winnow, Chef Jonathan and his team have redefined how waste is viewed, transforming scraps into standout dishes and cost savings.

From sticky vegetable treacle glazes to refreshing fruit tonics and zero clingfilm policies, The Lodge proves that when chefs are empowered and data is embraced, reducing food waste becomes not only achievable—but deliciously impactful.