Marriott Hotels, Wahaca and Devon's Cafe-ODE among winners at Sustainable Restaurant Awards 2013
Cafe-ODE in Devon, which opened just nine months ago, was named Sustainable Restaurant of the Year by the organisation after it received the best sustainability rating from the SRA in the areas of sourcing, environment and society.
Owners Tim and Clare Bouget, whose restaurant ODE-dining, took the top accolade last year, had opened the beach-side sister restaurant with the intention of making it the UK's the most sustainable. The restaurant was built from mostly recycled materials and uses renewable electricity. Moreover, the couple recycle everything they can and work closely with the local community.
“To set out to open the most sustainable restaurant and achieve it is a terrific feat," said SRA managing director Mark Linehan, "To do it twice is extraordinary.
"Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of cafe-ODE’s success is that it is a very popular local restaurant, serving high quality, but simple, well sourced food in the heart of a thriving community. It epitomises the efforts and achievements of all the Sustainable Restaurant Awards winners.”
Sustainable dining
Marriott Hotels International, which operates 58 hotels in the UK and was the first large hotel group to receive a Three Star rating from the SRA, was named Sustainable Large Restaurant of the Year after it wowed judges with its Future Fish programme to promote responsible sourcing of fish, use of recycled and reclaimed furniture for its restaurants and its work with schools to help educate children about cooking and food provenance.
Wahaca, winner of Sustainable Small Restaurant of the Year at the inaugural awards last year, took the same award this year, with fellow small restaurant group Feng Sushi being awarded the Innovation Award.
In all 14 awards were given out with the SRA introducing six new categories this year - Pub of the Year, Hotel Restaurant of the Year, Most Improved Restaurant and three regional awards (Scotland, Wales and London) with Brighton's Preston Park Tavern, subject of BigHospitality's sustainability video report, awarded Pub of the Year and Dixcart Bay Hotel on Sark picking up Hotel Restaurant of the Year.
Babylon in London was awarded Most Improved restaurant in recognition of its improvement in all 14 of the SRA’s key sustainability areas. Most notably, the restaurant increased its commitment to responsibly farmed meat and dairy as well as sustainable fish, began measuring its food waste, introduced eco-doggy boxes and raised £120,000 for charity.
The Savoy hotel won the award for the Best Food Waste Strategy, supported by Unilever and open to any restaurant, not just SRA members, for implementing a 'food waste to renewable energy' scheme which has generated 216 megawatt hours of electricity and shaved off at least £200 per week from its waste bill.
Sustainable Restaurant Awards 2013 winners:
- Sustainable Restaurant of the Year - Cafe-ODE, Devon
- Sustainable Small Restaurant Group of the Year - Wahaca, nine sites in London
- Sustainable Large Restaurant Group of the Year - Marriott Hotels International
- Sustainable Pub of the Year - Preston Park Tavern, Brighton
- Sustainable Hotel Restaurant of the Year - Dixcart Bay Hotel, Sark
- Scottish Sustainable Restaurant of the Year - The Bay Fish and Chips, Aberdeenshire
- Welsh Sustainable Restaurant of the Year - Enochs, Llandudno
- London Sustainable Restaurant of the Year - Friends House, Euston Road
- SRA Award for Sourcing - River Cottage, Devon
- SRA Award for Society - Cafe St Honoré, Edinburgh
- SRA Award for Environment - Poco, Bristol
- SRA Award for Most Improved Restaurant- Babylon, London
- Best Food Waste Strategy - The Savoy, London
- Sustainable Innovation Award - Feng Sushi
- Raymond Blanc Sustainability Hero - Sheila Dillon
