Inspired by Dan Barber's wastED pop-up concept, we delve into discovering London's most sustainable, ethical and conscientious establishments.

Spring

One of Britain's most respected and acclaimed chefs, Skye Gyngell, offers a 3-course £20 'scratch menu' at her excellent restaurant, Spring. Dishes are created using 'waste' produce and ingredients that are often overlooked, with many being provided daily by a select group of farmers, producers and chefs who share Skye’s philosophy. The name is derived from Skye’s native Australia and the expression “Scratch Tea”, where one would delve into the fridge to produce something using scraps that would have otherwise gone to waste. The menu (using what they have to hand) is not designed to be fancy or complicated, rather, think organic and seasonal ingredients such as beetroot tops and potato skins turned into simple soups, the trimmings from their house-made pasta, baked with a little leftover cheese or yesterday's bread transformed into warm bread pudding served with a spoonful of last years fern verrow gooseberry jam. 

The Clerkenwell Kitchen

Tucked away in the heart of Clerkenwell, The Clerkenwell Kitchen tries to be as ethically sound as possible, sourcing ingredients locally, cooking seasonal dishes and using organic and free-range produce. Every weekday they prepare six lunch dishes and a selection of sandwiches freshly made to order. Before opening The Clerkenwell Kitchen, one of the passionate founders had previously worked for Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at River Cottage in Dorset and the other was the head chef at La Fromagerie in Marylebone. The foodie principles and ethos of good home cooking are clearly reflected at The Clerkenwell Kitchen, which focuses on simple and well-prepared food, with jams, chutneys, pastries and breads and fresh lemonade all made on the premises. Dishes such as watercress soup; char-grilled squid with roast potatoes, green beans and marjoram and poached pears and pannacotta have recently featured on the menu. They also use only biodegradable packaging and recycle most of their own waste. 

The Duke of Cambridge 

The Duke of Cambridge (in Islington) is unusual in being Britain’s only certified organic pub. After 15 years of successful independent trading, The Duke of Cambridge teamed up with Riverford, the hugely successful family-run farm known for its organic vegetable box scheme and farm shops. The Duke’s founder, Geetie Singh, married Guy Watson, the man behind Riverford, and their businesses followed suit. The menu of good honest food celebrates exceptional organic cooking using ingredients of impeccable provenance with a menu that changes twice daily and is 100% organic. Dishes include: asparagus & kalette salad with Parmesan & garlic breadcrumbs; pollock with braised white beans & fennel, kalettes, garlic butter & whelk and Rhug Estate lamb with artichoke puree, sauce vierge, broad beans & spring greens. 

Scout

Scout is the latest project from Matt Whiley, the creative brain behind Peg + Patriot in Bethnal Green and co-founder of Purl and the Worship Street Whistling Shop. This eco-friendly bar in Hoxton is dedicated to cutting food waste and celebrating the best produce from the British Isles. The 35-seat ground-floor bar offers a short, regularly changing menu of 10 cocktails with an emphasis on seasonal and foraged ingredients alongside a short snacks menu which also works towards Scout’s zero-waste goal by making use of every last part of any produce that comes through the door. 

Trawler Trash

This 50-cover restaurant (in Islington) is the latest project from Fork & Blade, which also runs Covent Garden coffee shop The Black Penny and Fitzrovia’s Piquet replacement, Firedog. Inspired by the Great British tradition of fish & chips, Trawler Trash also takes cues from contemporary dining trends as well as concentrating on the ‘trash of the sea’ - the fish and seafood that’s often overlooked, less popular and therefore more sustainable which get caught up in a catch. Expect sea-to-plate dishes forming a seasonal menu inspired by global flavours, which changes daily depending on the catch. There are small plates, plus larger dishes, with examples including beetroot cured ling (a cod-like fish), kipper carbonara and ‘trash pie’.

Cub

Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr Lyan) and his team have partnered with friend and collaborator Doug McMaster, of Brighton’s pioneering zero-waste restaurant Silo, to launch Cub at the former White Lyan site. Sitting above the basement bar Super Lyan, Cub offers a unique luxury experience for diners presenting the pair’s own modern interpretation of a restaurant. Marking an inaugural moment for both parties, it is Mr Lyan team’s first full foray into the world of dining, and Doug McMaster’s first venture in the capital. Working with input from Dr Arielle Johnson – former resident scientist at Noma and current flavour scientist and Director’s Fellow at the MIT Media Lab - the venue has become its own ecosystem with experimental ingredients grown on site as part of a program to research the effects of environment on food growth and flavour.

Ideal For

Eco-credentials