Chefs must use their influence to guide consumers towards more sustainable ways of eating, Andrew Stephen, CEO of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, said this week.

He was speaking at a sold-out dinner hosted by Peter Harden and Raymond Blanc, president of the SRA, at the Belmond Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, and attended by a food-loving crowd including Sheila Dillon, presenter of Radio 4’s Food Programme.

Légion d’Honneur winner Blanc, who had created a locally sourced meal for the occasion stressed that he now dislikes doing business with any supplier where he does not know the origin of the food, while showing off the mind-bending forms he forces his kitchen team to complete monitoring provenance.

“Eating out has never been more significant,” observed SRA CEO Stephen. “Chefs can change the world — chefs, restaurants and their staff must lead as well as feed. The planet as well as our individual waistlines are being pushed beyond their capabilities by our diets, so the health of the body and of the soil are linked by the need for a sustainable food system.”

The four-course dinner using only sustainable ingredients to demonstrate the SRA’s values was preceded by a reception featuring sustainable UK wine from the Nutbourne Vineyard. All the wines at the dinner (including a red Pinot Noir) were English.

Harden’s were the first guide to introduce sustainability ratings into a restaurant guide: the forthcoming 2017 editions carry the SRA rating wherever an establishment has been accredited.

(pictured : Peter Harden,  Raymond Blanc, Giles Gibbons – Founder, SRA)