Bouget’s Devon establishment cafe ODE picked up the prize for Sustainable Restaurant of the Year for the second consecutive year at the awards ceremony in London today. His restaurant, ODE dining, won the prize in 2012.
Cafe ODE, opened in 2012 by Bouget and his wife Clare, is located in an old stable building which has been renovated with almost entirely reclaimed and recycled materials. The café has a grass roof to attract wildlife, electric car charging points and bike racks to encourage sustainable transport and an on-site micro-brewery run by the Two Beach Brewing Co.
Bouget serves up a seasonal menu and has a strict sourcing policy, buying almost exclusively from local farmers with the highest animal welfare standards. He avoids all factory farmed meat, genetically modified ingredients and farmed fish.
Other winners
Other winners at the awards, which were presented by Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) president Raymond Blanc, included Lussmanns Fish & Grill, which picked up the prize for Small Group of the Year, and the 35-site pub group Geronimo, which was named Large Group of the Year.
Streatham pub The Railway won Sustainable Pub of the Year, while Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons took the prize for Sustainable Hotel Restaurant of the Year.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s restaurant at River Cottage HQ was given the SRA Sourcing Award for the third year running, and contract caterer barlett mitchell won the Sustainable Caterer of the Year award.
Carluccio’s won the Innovation prize for being the first restaurant to post all of its menus on the Good Food Talks app, which helps the visually impaired read menus, while the Belfry at Yarcome won Best Food Waste Strategy for insisting customers order their food at least 24 hours in advance.
SRA managing director Mark Linehan said: “Competition for these awards is getting stiffer every year, as more restaurants respond to increasing consumer demand for a sustainable dining experience.
“And, as the number of restaurants, pubs, hotels and caterers entering the awards increases, so the standard also rises, which can only be good news for diners.”
Sustainability hero
Jill McDonald, chief executive of McDonald’s UK, was given the Raymond Blanc Sustainability Hero Award in recognition of the company’s efforts to improve sustainability in recent years.
Blanc said he decided to give McDonald the prize to recognise the ‘commendable improvements’ the business had made over recent years, and to encourage it to go ‘even further’ in addressing sustainability issues.
“Ten years ago I would have said that McDonald’s UK would struggle to exist as a business unless it completely changed its ethics,” he said.
“Since that time it has made significant changes to the food it sources and how it manages its environmental footprint.”
Blanc pointed out that McDonald’s UK now sources free-range eggs, Marine Stewardship Council certified fish, organic milk and Freedom Food pork from British suppliers.
“These are really important improvements, all made on British soil, which benefit British farmers and celebrate British produce,” he said.
“In reality, McDonald’s is affecting the eating experience of millions of people at all levels, creating fast food which is not only affordable, but also sustainable.”
Jill McDonald said the award was a “fantastic accolade” for McDonald’s UK
“We don’t pretend to have all the answers but we will continue to work hard with our staff, our supply chain and the communities in which we operate to adopt responsible sustainable business practices,” she said.
Full list of winners
- Sustainable Restaurant of the Year - cafe-ODE
- Sustainable Small Group of the Year - Lussmanns Fish & Grill
- Sustainable Large Group of the Year - Geronimo Inns
- SRA Award for Sourcing - River Cottage
- SRA Award for Environment - The Bay Fish and Chips
- SRA Award for Society - James Miller Room
- SRA Innovation Award - Carluccio's
- SRA Award for Best Food Waste Strategy - The Belfry at Yarcombe
- Scottish Sustainable Restaurant of the Year - Iglu
- Northern Irish Restaurant of the Year - Made In Belfast
- Welsh Sustainable Restaurant of the Year - The Gallery
- London Sustainable Restaurant of the Year - Grain Store
- Most Improved - The Gate
- Sustainable Pub of the Year - The Railway
- Sustainable Hotel Restaurant of the Year - Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
- Sustainable Caterer of the Year - bartlett mitchell
- Sustainable International Restaurant of the Year -Les Orangeries