This article is part of a new series by Wicked Leeks, Sustainable Cities, exploring what sustainable food means to those living in the city.
Raymond Blanc, Asma Khan and Thomasina Miers are among chefs serving sustainable dishes as part of a campaign to give diners greener options.
Over 2,000 participating restaurants are spotlighting sustainable dining options, describing them as ‘One Planet Plates’ on menus.
The campaign by the same name is run by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) and hopes to inspire green eating habits by showing that you don’t have to sacrifice taste for the environment.
“What we eat has such a huge impact on our precious planet. The next time you eat out, use the fantastic One Planet Plate website to find hundreds of truly delicious dishes to enjoy that won’t cost the earth,” said Raymond Blanc, president of the SRA and chef patron of Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
“We only have one planet, so every dish that we serve in our restaurants must be designed to respect and protect it. Our future depends on it,” he added.
Participating venues range from well-known high street chains like Wahaca and Nando’s to David Pyle’s carbon neutral restaurant in Liverpool, Maray.
“Too often, diners are unaware of what sustainable food means,” said SRA managing director, Juliane Caillouette-Noble.
This is why the campaign has outlined five aspects of sustainability and chefs must achieve at least one to qualify as a ‘One Planet Plate’.
Chefs must create dishes that either use local, seasonal produce, eliminate food waste, feature more veg, source seafood from sustainable stocks, or have a low carbon footprint.
All the recipes are available online to encourage sustainable eating habits at home as well as at restaurants.
Seasonality, more veg, and local sourcing is at the heart of Asma Khan’s One Planet Plate serving up her beetroot raita at her London restaurant, Darjeeling Express.
Whereas Pyle champions seasonal cauliflower to show that plant-based dishes can be just as decadent and spectacular with Maray’s renowned ‘Disco Cauli’.
The campaign wants more chefs to submit their dishes to the website and reach five sustainable meals in 2022.
“Now, when awareness about the impact of food has never been higher, is the perfect time for every restaurant, pub and canteen kitchen to show the public what they’re doing to contribute to a better food future in the tastiest possible way,” said Caillouette-Noble.
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