Lussmanns

• WHO: Andrei Lussmann, owner
• WHAT: Five local-driven restaurants with a focus on making ethical & sustainable dining accessible
• WHERE: Waxhouse Gate, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 4EW, plus other locations

“Lussmanns seeks out the very best in produce and where possible local. More than ninety-five per cent of the food at Lussmanns is grown or produced in the UK to minimize the impact on the environment and support ethical, British suppliers.

“Always fresh, our fish is caught by ecologically-friendly methods and certifed by the Marine Stewardship Council for sustainable seafood (first small restaurant group outside of London to receive the certification). Organic beef is certifed by the Soil Association and sourced from the award-winning Aberdeen Angus herd in Rhug Estate Organic Farm.

“We are proud to be founding members of the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), SRA three-star champions, two-time winners of the Sustainable Small Restaurant Group of the Year, as well as runners-up for Best Ethical Food Project in 2017’s Observer Food Awards. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do.”

To read more about Lussmanns, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

The Burger Shop

• WHO: Brothers Dorian, chef & Edwin Kirk, visionary
• WHAT: A passion-project focused on inspiring change in the food industry
• WHERE: 32 Aubrey Street, Hereford, HR4 0BU, plus other locations

“We're passionate about ensuring that every decision we make has a positive impact on the environment and community around us. Running a restaurant in today's climate means that we have a responsibility and duty to look after the world around us. This is why we use the best seasonal ingredients which are sourced ethically, sustainably and responsibly. Our use of pasture-raised livestock is a prime example of this. In addition, we have pledged to give one per cent of our turnover or ten per cent of our profit to support soil biodiversity.

“Our vision is to have our own farm. This will enable us to grow all the fruit and vegetables needed to sustain our restaurants in order to achieve our goal of them being one hundred per cent organic by 2023. Small changes made by many people will impact and support the sustainability of our food industry – in people there is power. Making the change to use only planet-friendly cleaning chemicals, biodigesters to make use of all food waste, air-source heat infinitives in all of our establishments, ethical energy providers and responsible banking with Triodos. This will enable us to go further – waste will be reduced by fifty per cent this year and there will be zero waste by 2020!”

To read more about The Burger Shop, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

The Burger Shop (Hereford, Herefordshire, UK)

Spring

• WHO: Skye Gyngell, restaurateur
• WHAT: Celebrating food for its conviviality & the joy of sharing seasonal produce
• WHERE: Somerset House, New Wing, Lancaster Place, London

“Our cooking at Spring is heartfelt, wholesome, produce driven, and cooked by a team of people who are passionate about what they do and who feel truly privileged to work with beautiful ingredients.

“The dishes on our menu change with the seasons as Spring is all about ingredient-led cooking. All of our produce is seasonal and ethically sourced – our menu is based entirely on what produce we receive from Hertfordshire farm, Fern Verrow, which supplies all our fruit and vegetables. Our partnership with Fern Verrow means we are responsible for sustaining the entire farm.

“We have a daily 'scratch' menu which was launched in 2016 to raise awareness on food waste. This delicious three-course menu is created out of the scraps or leftover ingredients. Following on from this, we were inspired to take the initiative further and create a new challenge for the restaurant. After attending a talk by Sian Sutherland, the founder of grassroots organization A Plastic Planet, and watching Netflix documentary Plastic Ocean, we decided to target the overwhelming use of plastic in the restaurant industry.” To find out more about Spring’s plastic campaign, click here.

To read more about Spring, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

Spring (London, UK)

Gourmet Goat

• WHO: Nick & Nadia Stokes, founders/owners
• WHAT: Eastern-Mediterranean dishes using sustainable British ingredients
• WHERE: Borough Market, Rochester Walk, London

“Every dish served at Gourmet Goat is a flavour memory connecting us with the past and giving our future a chance, because what we do and what we believe in is cooking in harmony with our environment. Nadia was born and lived the majority of her life in rural Cyprus and her village background has influenced our ethos: delicious and sustainable eating with respect for the environment. All of our ingredients are thoughtfully sourced, with most of our vegetables coming from Forty Hall Farm in London, and everything is made by us fresh each day – including our sauces.

“We like to shine a light on British ingredients such as rose veal from high-welfare UK dairy farms. We choose to employ techniques used in the past that can improve sustainability now such as using mature halloumi and making pickles from waste vegetables.”

To read more about Gourmet Goat, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

Gourmet Goat (Borough Market, London, UK)

Mexko Cocina Regional de Autor

• WHO: Iván Fernando Del Razo Carrillo, chef proprietor
• WHAT: Showcasing the traditional cuisine of Tlaxcala & Mexico
• WHERE: Av. del trabajo s/n 90640 Santacruz Tlaxcala, Mexico

“We source free-range or organic eggs and chicken and use the whole animal – sourcing directly from farmers gives us the opportunity to know what the animal ate and how their life was on the farm. We use hydroponic lettuce, baby carrots, sprouts, vegetables, tubers and roots as well as the consumption of insects such as chinicuiles, toritos and vinguinas. Using local products in a sustainable, organic way makes us more responsible and we learn more about the product and how best to give it a nutritional use.

“Mexko has been integrated into The Slow Food Chefs’ Alliance since 2009, which ensures we do not forget our link with the earth which nourishes us and will continue to nourish us. We also participate in ‘culinary recycling’ – an initiative founded by Peruvian chef Palmiro Ocampo called Ccori which promotes the optimization of food in our society in a sustainable manner. The idea is to use our knowledge of gastronomy, including research of ancestral and modern culinary techniques, making the most of our ingredients when cooking, thus avoiding food wastage.”

To read more about Mexko Cocina Regional de Autor, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

Mexko Cocina Regional de Autor (Santa Cruz, Tlaxcala, Mexico)

Le Chique

• WHO: Jonatán Gómez Luna Torres, executive chef
• WHAT: Avant-garde Mexican cuisine, where tradition meets modernity
• WHERE: Carretera Cancún-Puerto Morelos km 27.5 Mz 37, Smz 12, 77580 Riviera Maya

“We’re passionate about Mexican cuisine and its ingredients; the creation of a dish – applying different techniques, serving and explaining it, the expressions of satisfaction when seeing, smelling and tasting the dish we created.

“We practice sustainability by using local, seasonal produce from small producers and have our own orchard, growing ingredients which we use in our dishes. In the restaurant we reduce the use of paper and plastic as much as possible.

“Le Chique also contributes to a community of indigenous women who create passionfruit jams. We then create a recipe using this jam, thereby helping the foundation.

“At Le Chique we think about future generations – for this reason eighty per cent of our kitchen team are students from all around the world – learning in our kitchen and gaining a clear vision of where they want to go.”

To read more about Le Chique, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

Le Chique (Cancún, Riviera Maya, Mexico)

Arturito

• WHO: Paola Carosella, chef/owner
• WHAT: Mediterranean-inspired food, made with local ingredients, almost all organic from local farmers
• WHERE: Rua Artur de Azevedo, 542, São Paulo

“We feature a small menu that changes very frequently – we love to believe that all of them represent our food philosophy.

“Food provenance is important to us at Arturito. We source fresh, seasonal and sustainable fish and seafood, our chicken is free-range and eggs are organic. We work closely with everyone that provides ingredients for our menu – particularly Cooperapas, a group of organic smallholders who provide all the vegetables and herbs on a daily basis from the edge of São Paulo. We have been working closely with these families for the past four years in a very strong, collaborative manner. Our flour comes straight from the farmers – an organic cooperative in southern Brazil. Oranges and cornflour come from a very small family farm outside São Paulo, and most of the wine on our small wine list is organic and biodynamic.

“Our staff eat only organic food – as well as our diners. We consider that if we aim to serve the best for our diners, there is no way we wouldn’t do the same for us.”

To read more about Arturito, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

Arturito (São Paulo, Brazil)

In the know…

OXO Tower Restaurant, Bar & Brasserie

Very special congratulations goes to Executive Chef Jeremy Bloor and the team at London’s OXO Tower Restaurant, Bar & Brasserie – worthy winners of the National Restaurant Awards 2019 Sustainability Award.

Read all about the background of this award and discover the incredible initiatives OXO Tower Restaurant are working on here.

Executive Chef Jeremy Bloor