These days, every chef and their mother is raving about their use of local, seasonal produce; and good on them, because eating with the planet in mind means we gluttons can keep on consuming for longer. But how does one differentiate between these and the restaurants really pushing the boat out when it comes to sustainability? We’ve done the heavy lifting for you.
The world’s first zero-waste restaurant, Silo in Hackney Wick, is the wacky one you’ve likely heard of, where Douglas McMaster is serving innovative dishes made from invasive Japanese knotweed. Meanwhile, at Chantelle Nicholson’s modern, fuss-free Apricity, the fourth and most recent London recipient of the Michelin Green Star, even the chairs are made from recycled Coke bottles. Plus, at city stalwart Native, Ivan Tisdall-Downes and Imogen Davis have concocted a new tasting menu, which at £72 for seven dishes, is the most affordable, guilt-free, long-form meal around.
East London boozer The Culpeper’s menu boasts ingredients grown on the pub’s roof. Likewise, Richmond’s Petersham Nurseries Café serves organic produce from its own Devonshire farm, while also offering visitors fermentation workshops. Further central at big, bold, macho powerhouse Fallow, a basement mushroom farm gives chefs Jack Croft and William Murray’s grub some serious eco-credentials. And finally, at Acme Fire Cult, waste not want not is the mantra, resulting in its very own ‘marmite’ made from 40ft Brewery byproducts and a sourdough mole made from leftover bread from neighbouring Dusty Knuckle bakery. Consider your halo polished.
