Daylesford Farm and The Captain's Galley have been named joint winners of this year’s Sustainable Restaurant award 2015 presented by Raymond Blanc, President of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, at last night’s ceremony; although 700 miles apart both share the same commitment to sustainability.
The winning restaurants demonstrate perfectly the democratisation of sustainable dining, offering diners the chance to eat well wherever they live and whatever their budget.
Jim Cowie worked as a fish trader for more than 30 years and had never so much as boiled an egg before opening his harbour-side restaurant in Scrabster, Caithness. He refuses to serve popular seafood items in his 18-seat restaurant, unless they are in season and in plentiful supply. This autumn, he is organising a sustainable seafood festival to help people better understand which fish to eat and enjoy.
Both restaurants launched in same year, 2002, with a mission to serve high quality food from ingredients produced with principles on their doorstep. Daylesford’s 2,000-acre organic farm provides the majority of the ingredients for its three cafes, in Kingham in Gloucestershire, Notting Hill and Pimlico, while the ocean outside the Captain’s Galley doors in Scrabster, serves as its larder.
Daylesford’s 2,000-acres organic farm provides the majority of the ingredients for its three cafes, in Kingham in Gloucestershire, Notting Hill and Pimlico. It shares the same passion for increasing public awareness about sustainability and has established its own foundation to educate children and young people in sustainable food, growing and farming.
Meanwhile, Star Bistro has been named The People’s Favourite, topping a poll of five restaurants shortlisted from more than 850 nominations. Rob Rees, who founded Star Bistro, said: “This is an incredible endorsement of what we are doing at Star Bistro.
“This recognition is a huge motivator. And it’s fantastic to know we’re not alone – all of the restaurants on the shortlist are doing amazing things and it encourages me that this really is becoming the norm.”
Tom Kerridge, who worked as sous chef under Rob Rees at The Country Elephant for two years in the 1990s, said: “I’m so pleased for Rob and the team from Star Bistro, what a fantastic achievement all round, I know how much hard work and dedication these guys put in to make the business such a success.”
At the Sustainable Restaurant Awards gala lunch at Oval Space in East London, Raymond Blanc said: “These awards are for me as important as Michelin Stars. They represent what everybody who is passionate about food should regard as the perfect ingredients: good ethics, an understanding that food touches every part of our lives and a desire to ensure that future generations will be able to experience from it the same pleasure as we have.”
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall was this year’s recipient of the Raymond Blanc Sustainability Hero award for standing out as ‘the person who shows the greatest connection to seasonality, sustainability and traceability.’
The Sustainable Restaurant Awards honour and celebrate those hospitality businesses planning for the future as well as catering for the present. Fifteen of the 19 awards are decided on the basis of the scores achieved by businesses in their SRA Sustainability Rating, across the three pillars of sustainability – Sourcing, Environment and Society.
Full list of winners
SRA Award for Sourcing
Sponsored by Reynolds
WINNERS: ODE-dining, Devon
River Cottage HQ, Devon
RUNNERS-UP: The Pig, Hampshire
Poco, Bristol
SRA Award for Society
Sponsored by TUCO Ltd
WINNERS: The Brookwood Partnership
Carluccio’s
RUNNERS-UP: Boston Tea Party, South West and Midlands
Geronimo Inns, South East
SRA Award for the Environment
Sponsored by Specialist Waste Recycling
WINNER: Arbor Restaurant at The Green House Hotel, Bournemouth
RUNNERS-UP: The Captain’s Galley, Caithness
Bistrot Bruno Loubet at The Zetter Hotel, London
English Sustainable Restaurant of the Year*
Sponsored by Eureka Search & Selection
WINNER: Daylesford, Gloucestershire and London
RUNNERS-UP: THE PIG, Hampshire
ODE-dining, Devon
Scottish Sustainable Restaurant of the Year
Sponsored by Speyside Glenlivet
WINNER: The Captain’s Galley, Caithness
RUNNERS-UP: The Bay Fish and Chips, Aberdeenshire
Cafe St Honoré, Edinburgh
Welsh Sustainable Restaurant of the Year
Sponsored by Action Against Hunger
WINNER: The Gallery, South Wales
RUNNERS-UP: The Clink, Cardiff
Enochs Fish and Chips, Llandudno
Irish Sustainable Restaurant of the Year
Sponsored by Hospitality Action
WINNER: KSG, Cork
RUNNERS-UP: Made in Belfast, Belfast
Two and You, Dublin
International Sustainable Restaurant of the Year
Sponsored by Mensa Heating
WINNER: Les Orangeries, France
RUNNERS-UP: The Lodge, Verbier (Virgin Limited Edition) Switzerland
Azurmendi, Spain
Sustainable Small Group of the Year
Sponsored by Yealands Family Wine
WINNER: Lussmanns Fish & Grill, Hertfordshire
RUNNERS-UP: Drake & Morgan, London
Hawksmoor, London
Sustainable Large Group of the Year
Sponsored by Chapman Ventilation
WINNER: D&D London
RUNNERS-UP: Carluccio’s
Wahaca
Boston Tea Party, South West and Midlands
Sustainable Pub of the Year
Sponsored by Mr. Lyan
WINNER: The Truscott Arms, London
RUNNERS-UP: Orwells, Oxon
The Imperial, London
Sustainable Restaurant of the Year
WINNERS: Daylesford
The Captain’s Galley
Sustainable Hotel Restaurant of the Year
Sponsored by Gram UK
WINNER: THE PIG, Hampshire
RUNNERS-UP: Bistrot Bruno Loubet at The Zetter Hotel, London
The Jetty, Dorset
Sustainable Caterer of the Year
Sponsored by Space Catering
WINNER: bartlett mitchell Ltd
RUNNERS-UP: Lexington Catering
Artizian Catering Service
Most Improved Sustainability
Sponsored by Paper Round
WINNER: Ceviche, London
RUNNERS-UP: The Akeman (Oakman Inns), Hertfordshire
Bingham Hotel, London
The Montpelier, London
The People’s Favourite
Sponsored by Bookatable
WINNER: Star Bistro, Gloucestershire
RUNNERS-UP: The Bay Fish and Chips, Aberdeenshire
The Eagle and Child, Lancashire
The Real Junk Food Project, Armley, Leeds
Silo, Brighton
Sustainable Innovation Award
Sponsored by Costa
WINNER: Wahaca
RUNNERS-UP: Boston Tea Party, South West and Midlands
Silo, Brighton
Best Food Waste Strategy
Sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions
WINNER: Bennett Hay
RUNNERS-UP: The Roebuck, London
The Brookwood Partnership
Raymond Blanc Sustainability Hero
Winner: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) is a not for profit membership organisation helping restaurants become more sustainable and diners make more sustainable choices when dining out.