Food Philosophy

The cooks at Pendle Hill see their job as a ministry of love and concern. We try to promote good health and a sense of well being by serving meals that are nutritionally balanced, using a limited amount of processed foods, especially those containing white flour, sugar, and salt.

Small planet, finite resources

Because we see ourselves as members of a very small planet where people are hungry every day, we try to eat as low on the food chain as possible. This means limiting our use of meats, which require far more acreage to produce a given amount of protein than is the case with the production of vegetable protein foods. We enjoy exploring the wide variety of delicious vegetarian foods available; many of the meals we serve are meatless. The meat and poultry that we serve is free range, without antibiotics or hormones. We continue to seek out sources for our fish with a concern for our oceans and rivers as well as the preservation of fish species.

Cooking from scratch

We cook from scratch as much as possible, making our own bread, granola, organic yogurt and salad dressings. Organic fresh fruits and vegetables are used extensively, including seasonal offerings from our garden.

Delicious, varied meals

Dinner menus are planned by all the cooks in a meeting once a month. We rotate entrees to include fish, fowl, meat and vegetarian dishes. For those who prefer to eat only vegetarian or vegan food, an alternative dish is available for every meal as well.