Daylesford and the Captain's Galley share Sustainable Restaurant of the Year accolade
Two restaurants have been named joint winners of the Sustainable Restaurant of the Year.
In a first for the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) awards it handed its top gong jointly, to Daylesford, which operates three organic cafés in the Cotswolds and Kensington, and seafood restaurant The Captain's Galley in Scrabster.
The Captain's Galley owner Jim Cowie worked as a fish trader for more than 30 years and refuses to serve popular seafood unless it is in season and plentiful supply in his 18-seat restaurant. Meanwhile, Daylesford sources much of the ingredients for its three cafes from its organic farm.
The winners received their award from SRA president Raymond Blanc, who also handed his Sustainability Hero Award to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
"His commitment to seasonality and production of food is incredible," Blanc said. "He has single-handedly challenged small and big business to change production practices."
On a good day for contract caterers, Bartlett Mitchell was named Sustainable Caterer of the Year, the Brookwood Partnership won the SRA Award for Society alongside Carluccio's and Bennett Hay was recognised as having the Best Food Waste Strategy.
Bennett Hay director Anthony Bennett said: "It is a credit to our chef teams who have really made sure that our clients place food waste at the top of their strategic business agenda.
"One of our legal clients has totally embraced our food waste initiative and now include a weekly slot in their board meeting to keep the focus on continually reducing their waste impact. We now plan to roll out the initiative across our business to maintain the momentum and focus."
Meanwhile, Star Bistro in Ullenwood, Cheltenham, a restaurant which enables young people with disabilities to gain real life work experience, won the People's Favourite award. The SRA said it secured the majority of the public's 10,000 votes.
Star Bistro founder Rob Rees said: "This is an incredible endorsement of what we are doing at Star Bistro. Sometimes, with the challenges we have with our supply chain and with the people we are employing, we are on our knees and have to remember why we are doing this. 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."
Other winners included Wahaca, for its use of insects as an alternative protein source, D&D London, which won the Sustainable Large Group of the Year award and the Pig in Brockenhurst, which Brockenhurst was named Sustainable Hotel Restaurant of the Year.
Speaking at Oval Space in East London - where the Pig chef director James Golding prepared lunch served by a team of graduates from The Clink Charity - 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."
The Sustainable Restaurant Awards winners in full
Sustainable Innovation Award
Wahaca
Sustainable Small Group of the Year
Lussmanns Fish & Grill
Sustainable Large Group of the Year
D&D London
SRA Award for the Environment
Arbor restaurant at the Green house hotel
SRA Award for Society
The Brookwood Partnership
SRA Award for Sourcing
ODE-dining and River Cottage HQ
The Raymond Blanc Sustainability Hero Award
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
The People's Favourite Award Star Bistro
Best Food Waste Strategy
Bennett Hay
Most Improved Sustainability
Ceviche
Sustainable Caterer of the Year
Bartlett Mitchell
Sustainable Pub of the Year The Truscott Arms
Sustainable Hotel Restaurant of the Year
The Pig
International Sustainable Restaurant of the Year
Les Orangeries in Lussac Les Chateaux
Scottish Sustainable Restaurant of the Year
The Captain's Galley
Welsh Sustainable Restaurant of the Year
The Gallery in Barry
Irish Sustainable Restaurant of the Year
KSG
English Sustainable Restaurant of the Year
Daylesford
Sustainable Restaurant of the Year
Daylesford and The Captain's Galley
