Restaurant Ramble
On 28th September 2010, Islington and Clerkenwell will play host to a special event showcasing the best seasonal British ingredients through a four course dinner split across four top venues.
Find out more and book your place now
Ethical eaters have long been offered a cornucopia of sustainable foods in London's shops and markets - but until recently, when they ate out, they had to leave their principles at the restaurant door. In recent years, though, a growing number of restaurants and catering businesses have started to use more local, seasonal, organic and Fairtrade produce.
With Britons now spending more on out-of-home meals than on grocery shopping, and some research showing we’re eating more out-of-home meals than any other country including the US, the potential market for sustainable dining is huge.
A network that knows
London Food Link has established Ethical Eats, an informal network of London restaurants and catering businesses that care about sustainability. Through the network, businesses can share experiences, promote good practice and identify practical steps that they can take to become more sustainable. We organise several meetings a year to tackle slippery issues such as sustainable fish, animal welfare, energy use and waste. We also run ‘meet the producer’ events and visits to local farms.
Get in the loop – it’s FREE!
- Businesses: Restaurants, cafes and caterers interested in joining the Ethical Eats network can contact Kirsty@sustainweb.org or Charlotte@sustainweb.org on 020 7837 1228.
- London residents: keep up to date with ethical foodie news by following us on Twitter: @ethicaleats. Don’t tweet? Sign up as a Friend of the Sustainable Restaurant Association: for news, reviews and offers on sustainable dining-out options.
- Local Authorities: contact Kirsty@sustainweb.org on 020 7837 1228 to find out how you can help food businesses go green in your borough.
What we do
London Food Link’s Ethical Eats team advises businesses on using and promoting sustainable ingredients. Drawing on our extensive directory of local suppliers (http://www.localfoodfinder.org/), we suggest practical ways in which sustainable ingredients - such as local and seasonal fruit and vegetables, high welfare meat, sustainable fish, organic and Fairtrade produce - can be incorporated into menus. Do get in touch with us if you have any questions on buying sustainably.
Download “Serving up sustainability: How restaurants and caterers can provide greener, healthier and more ethical food” as 247kb PDF.
Who we do it with
Ethical Eats is proud to be supported by the Big Lottery's Local Food scheme. As well as advising businesses on buying sustainable ingredients, we’ve teamed up with the Greenwich Cooperative Development Agency, Carbon Descent and LRS Consultancy to help catering businesses embed sustainability in business planning, conserve energy and water, reduce waste, and recycle materials such as glass, food and used cooking oil.
Introducing…the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA)
Since 2006, London Food Link and the Ethical Eats team have been investigating the feasibility of creating a mark or standard to identify ethical food and drink catering businesses. We are delighted to now be working closely with the newly formed Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA). As well as providing members with a nationally recognisable mark, the SRA will be a one-stop-shop for sustainability advice, training and support. To join the SRA or find out more see http://www.thesra.org/ or contact Ed Franklin, Sales and Marketing manager, 020 7479 4221 or ed@thesra.org.
Confused about sustainable fish?
Check out Good Catch, a joint initiative of three marine conservation organisations and Sustain, which aims to help chefs, caterers and restaurateurs to buy, serve and promote more sustainable seafood. Good Catch was launched at Billingsgate Market on 16th September 2008 – read the press release here
NEW!!! Download the guide for navigating seafood sustainability.
Download Good Catch…the essentials as a 5704kb PDF.
One Planet Dining
London Food Link’s publication, One Planet Dining: London’s growing market for eating out sustainably, provides a snapshot of what people think – and do – about sustainability in the catering sector. This report, the result of a year of research into London’s restaurant, hotel and catering trades, features many examples of good practice, showing how restaurants around the capital such as Leon, Acorn House and Konstam have incorporated sustainability into their purchasing. It also shows, however, that many of London’s restaurants are missing out on a booming market for local and ethical food, and suggests that those that are already using sustainable ingredients could do more to communicate this effectively to their customers.
Want more?
Contact Kirsty@sustainweb.org or Charlotte@sustainweb.org on 020 7837 1228.
