The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) – a not-for-profit Harden’s has long endorsed – has launched a new campaign called Food Made Good led by Chevalier in the Légion d’Honneur, and professional Frenchman Raymond Blanc. The aim is to educate diners about sustainability, help people find truly ‘good’ food (ie food that is good for you, good value and good for the Earth) and to stamp out the notion that value means we as consumers should wave goodbye to the ethical treatment of staff and livestock.
Food Made Good offers a simple way to find information about a restaurant’s sustainable credentials and make an informed decision about where to eat out. Their Diners’ Guide (which also appears in all Harden’s guides) rates over 5,000 venues with one, two or three stars.
Monsieur Blanc, president of the SRA, will officially launch the campaign at the Abergavenny Food Festival on 19 September. To mark the occasion the organisation is asking people to make a pledge to good food using the hashtag #MakeFoodGood. At a press launch in London’s Newman Street Tavern this week Blanc not only enthused about his passion for seasonality and supporting local producers, he also got a lesson in how to produce the best sustainable scrambled eggs!
Newman Street Tavern’s young head chef/patron, Peter Weeden, taught the old dog a new trick as he whipped up organic eggs from Rookery Farm, West Sussex, with butter from Netherend Farm, Gloucester, using a technique that so impressed Mons Blanc that he vowed to teach it to his chefs at Le Manoir. For those who would like to try this at home please find the recipe and method to Peter’s scrambled eggs here.
Harden’s sustainability survey
Backing up the logic behind this campaign is a recent study carried out by Harden’s on behalf of the SRA. Back in July we asked our readers to complete a survey to compile an accurate picture of what sustainability means to diners and over 1,000 of you responded. And the results were rather surprising.
An astonishing three quarters of respondents said they value sustainability over price, preferring to eat at a sustainable restaurant rather than getting a 10% discount on the bill. The survey also revealed that more than 90% (including those who had never chosen a restaurant because of sustainability before) would be more likely to dine at an establishment that told them about the provenance of their food, their impact on society and the environment.
Tweet #MakeFoodGood
Some tweet suggestions for those wanting to take part in the #MakeFoodGood campaign from 19 September. Feel free to post your pledge with a picture to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
• I pledge to ask if the fish is sustainably sourced #MakeFoodGood
• I pledge to ask who gets the 12.5% service charge on my bill #MakeFoodGood
• I pledge to eat less meat, but better quality #MakeFoodGood
• I pledge to ask for a doggy bag for leftovers #MakeFoodGood
• I pledge to ask if coffee is Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance #MakeFoodGood
