A Swaffham luxury hotel is a green cut above the rest after scooping one of the country's most coveted tourism awards.Strattons has been declared the greenest in the land, receiving gold for its relentless war on waste and efforts to support the local community.

A Swaffham luxury hotel is a green cut above the rest after scooping one of the country's most coveted tourism awards.

Strattons has been declared the greenest in the land, receiving gold for its relentless war on waste and efforts to support the local community.

The hotel's obsession with recycling - only 2pc of its waste goes to landfill - has impressed the judges who awarded the accolade at a ceremony held at St George's Hall in Liverpool on Wednesday.

“Being a winner of the Sustainability category in this year's national Enjoy England Awards is a wonderful endorsement for the whole team at Strattons, our suppliers, our customers, the community in Swaffham and the wider Brecks area,” said Vanessa Scott, owner of Strattons.

“It is tremendous to have sustainability recognised at such prestigious awards and we would especially like to thank our staff who audit and reduce the diverse waste streams at the hotel as well as targeting reductions in all natural resources. We are so proud of the effort in maintaining landfill waste at under 2pc of our total waste, and finding and building such great relationships with local suppliers whilst understanding the importance in not only investing in our fragile rural economy, but also appreciating the unique visitor experience that such actions produce.”

The 10-room hotel in a Grade II- listed villa, once home to Howard Carter who discovered Tutankhamun's tomb, earned its name and a clutch of similar environmental and excellence awards for its sensible husbandry and green ethos.

Everything makes sense at Strattons - from growing the hotel's own vegetables, using old cardboard to make laundry labels, buying fresh produce from the local butcher or baker to recycling plastic bottles and fitting toilets with cisterns which save 20pc of water on every flush.

But Mrs Scott believes that being sustainable also means working with the community and whipping up enthusiasm for all things local.

“Very often people admire other places away from their homes. But this is like admiring the emperor's clothes. One has to look no further than Swaffham and the surrounding areas to see what a beautiful part of the world this is. How rich and diverse,” she said.

The boutique hotel has been working to reduce its impact on the environment since its opening in 1990.