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BE SUSTAINABLE
Your monthly Newsletter from the SRA: Issue 11
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Greetings!
There's been lots to celebrate this month at the SRA: the fabulous weather, fantastic new Members, the launch of our Roadshow, our Sustainable Safari Supper (bloggers in action above!), a myriad of food waste surveys and Waste Workshops (read all about these in our SRA News round up below), River Cottage mutton burgers and Hedgerow Handbooks at the Port Eliot Festival... Plus it seems to be the season for awards ceremonies with Cateys handed out to the brilliant Roy Ackerman (Lifetime Achievement Award), 'Mr British' Mark Hix (Chef Award), meals-on-wheels inspiration Apetito (Sustainable Business Award) and game-loving Corrigan's Mayfair (Menu of the Year); and Compassion In World Farming Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards going to Waitrose (Most Compassionate Supermarket), the Metropolitan Police (Good Egg Award) and Virgin Trains (Good Egg Award). Great to see so many people and organisations being rewarded for their commitment to sustainability and great food. The deadline is also looming for the FARMA Awards (3 August) so make sure you get your vote in for your favourite Local Food Retailer, Food Market, Food Producer, Drinks Producer and Retail Initiative! Now we're gearing up for another month of sustainable food heaven, baking Real Bread for Local Loaves for Lammas, hunting down the best places to eat grouse for the Glorious Twelfth and hopefully tucking into some spicy Caribbean flavours and seasonal sweetcorn at the Notting Hill Carnival! Read on for a round-up of SRA, food and general sustainability news (from government reforms to new cycle lanes and Mitch Tonks' guide to the best eateries in Devon and Dorset for seafood), the pick of seasonal ingredients and events for August (plenty of local food festivals to visit), plus more about the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) - one of our brilliant expert advisors - sustainable recipes from The Three Stags and discounts from SRA supplier, the fabulous Jekka's Herb Farm. Once you've grown your own organic herbs from Jekka's amazing farm, you'll never want to buy herbs from the supermarket again! Until next month...
Simon Heppner
Managing Director, Sustainable Restaurant Association
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"WE'RE AT THE TABLE":
All the latest SRA and Member news
 The sweltering summer continues but that's not the only good news! We've signed up some more fantastic new Members including the Soho House Group, Fifteen London, Konstam, Criterion and Moshi Moshi and GoodCorporation are set to carry out a Sustainability Audit at both Hawksmoor and The Green House. We're also in the process of carrying out a Food Waste Survey with Member restaurants in the capital, have been talking rubbish at the Great British 'Waste' Menu Event, brushing up on our Reducing, Reusing and Recycling Skills at the Why Waste Workshop, launching the SRA Roadshow in Newcastle, eating squid and toasting Birmingham's first Green Restaurant Awards at Taste of Birmingham and went on a Sustainable Supper Safari with some of the UK's top food bloggers! Further, the SRA is launching a series of helpful new materials including the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Guide, advertising for a new Managing Director and organising events with Training for Life / Prue Leith and a sustainable cookery demo with Rob Shenton of Due South at the Brighton & Hove Food Festival in September. All in the name of making UK restaurants global leaders in sustainability! Last but not least don't forget to check in with our new Facebook and Twitter pages - just click the links at the top of this Newsletter.
Read all about it>
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WE TRAWL THE WEB SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO:
A round up of food and sustainability news from July
 July has seen more sweeping changes through government departments with several green bodies facing the axe - including the Sustainable Development Commission and many shaken up and given new roles or guidelines - including the FSA. To save you trawling the web for information we've gathered it all in one place! On a positive note, we were pleased to hear about the launch of the new Barclays Cycle Superhighways and Cycle Hire Scheme in London. Look out for a blue lane or hire bike near you. We've also been raising a toast to the 500th Fairtrade Town, checking out the new Google Earth Climate Change Map and reading about the new Earth Observation Hub, which should help monitor data on the environment. Plus we've got lots of ideas to help diners get involved and be more sustainable, including supporting the Real Bread Campaign, finding out where and how best to forage courtesy of River Cottage Handbooks and creating a sustainable pizza for the Pizza Express design a pizza challenge.
Finally it's inspiring to see the winners of the Cateys and the Good Farm Animal Wefare Awards - whether you're looking for the best restaurants, menus, sustainable business models or sustainably-minded supermarkets. Read on for details....
Read all about it>
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WE'RE EATING THE SEASONS:
Looking forward to August...
'Eating the seasons' has to be one of the most inspiring and exciting ways to be sustainable. We advise our Members to use the School Food Trust's seasonal calendar to help plan their seasonal menus and Eat Seasonably and Eat The Seasons are great for home-cooked recipes and interactive ideas. Here's what's best in show this month:
Apples (Bramleys Seedling). Apples (Discovery)** . Cherries* . Loganberries* . Plums** . Raspberries* . Strawberries* . Beans (Broad) . Beans (French) . Beans (Runner/Flat) . Beetroot . Broccoli (Purple sprouting) . Broccoli (Calabrese) . Cabbage (Red) . Cabbage (Savoy) . Cabbage (Spring Green) . Cabbage (Summer) . Carrots . Cauliflower . Courgettes . Endive . Fennel . Marrow** . Onions . Parsnips** . Peas . Potatoes (New) . Spinach . Sweetcorn**. Turnips . Celery . Cucumbers . Lettuce (Cos) . Lettuce (Curly)** . Lettuce (Iceberg) . Lettuce (Little Gem) . Lettuce (Round) . Radish . Rocket . Spring Onions . Tomatoes . Watercress . Chard . Beef . Lamb* . Cod (MSC Certified from NE Arctic) . Coley (combined NE Arctic and N Sea stock) . Haddock (NE Arctic) . Herring (MSC certified from the N Sea, E English Channel and Norwegian stocks, and from fisheries in the Celtic Sea) . Mackerel (MSC Certfied from SW or E English Channel)
* Last of season - catch them while you can!
** First of season - get inspired by the new...
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TRICKS OF THE TRADE FROM OUR SRA MEMBERS:
THE THREE STAGS, Kennington, SE1
Tomato and Chard Salad followed by Posh Penny's Rose Veal with Lemon Gremolata
By Richard Bell, Owner, The Three Stags
SALAD INGREDIENTS (Serves 2):
2 leaves of Swiss chard (fibrous stalk removed)
1 endive
2 tomatoes (ideally Yellow Heritage)
1 hard boiled egg
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
SALAD RECIPE:
1. Slice chard and blanch in boiling water. Remove and cook gently in the olive oil for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool.
2. Wash endive, remove outer heads and slice into cm long pieces. Place in bowl with sliced tomatoes.
3. Peel and grate egg and add to the bowl.
4. Scatter over chard, which is now a puree. Season and serve.
VEAL INGREDIENTS (Serves 2)
2 rose veal chops
Fresh sage (about a soup spoonful)
Zest of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
Olive oil
VEAL RECIPE:
1. Make a gremolata of lemon zest and garlic. Cook until soft in the oil.
2. Pan fry the veal with fresh sage.
3. Serve with broad noodles or mash.
For more recipes from The Three Stags email contact@thethreestags.org
Calling all expert and budding chefs! We're hoping to create the biggest bank of sustainable recipes in the UK... If you've got a sustainable recipe and want to share it with SRA Friends and Members in our Newsletter, just Get In Touch!
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GET INVOLVED: EVENTS AUGUST 2010
Do real bread for Local Loaves for Lammas, source sustainable fish for National Marine Week, get gamey for the Glorious Twelth or go local at a food festival near you...
For more events see our online Events page at www.thesra.org
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ON OUR WAVELENGTH: MARINE STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL
 This month we're flagging up the Marine Stewardship Council - an invaluable source of expert advice for the SRA...
The MSC is the world's leading certification and ecolabelling programme for sustainable seafood working with partners to transform the world's seafood markets to a sustainable basis. With experts it has developed standards for sustainable fishing and seafood traceability and ensures that MSC-labelled seafood comes from, and can be traced back to, a sustainable fishery.
SRA Members are now benefiting from MSC advice including guidance on Sustainable Fish Sourcing Policies, which fish to eat and which fish to avoid. They offer sound business support as the MSC and as part of the umbrella organisation Good Catch. But diners can benefit from MSC knowledge and experience too - by looking for the blue MSC ecolabel when dining out (left) or buying fish from shops, local suppliers or supermarkets. There's also tons of helpful and inspiring information on the MSC website to help diners cook, eat and enjoy.
Find out more including guidance on 'fish to eat', sustainable fish recipes and where to shop: Visit www.msc.org/cook-eat-enjoy
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Find out more @ www.thesra.org
Join today!
News & Events
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Members 2010
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details check our Restaurant Directory
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Bistrot Bruno Loubet @ The
Zetter Hotel
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Le Manoir Aux Quat'
Saisons
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Mezzanine @ The National
Theatre
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No. 20 Restaurant @ Sanctum
Soho Hotel
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Norman's Coach and
Horses
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Petrichor @ The
Cavendish
- Spectrum (Park Plaza County Hall)
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The Felin Fach Griffin
Inn
- The Real Eating Company Restaurants (Hove & Lewes)
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The Thomas Cubitt (Cubitt
House)
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Vacherin @ Whitechapel
Gallery
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Offer
of the Month:
JEKKA'S
HERBS*
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Love cooking with fresh herbs? Why not go one step further and grow your own so you have a plentiful supply all year round, with a little help from Jekka's Herb Farm...
Founded by 'Queen of Herbs' Jekka McVicar in a small back garden in Bristol over 25 years ago - her passion rooted after her mother taught her to make fresh mint sauce - Jekka's Herb Farm now grows over 600 herb varieties organically for mail order from its present location in South Gloucestershire: "When I first started growing herbs organically, I was thought eccentric" recalls Jekka "but now more people are aware of the benefits of foods grown free from pesticides and other harmful chemicals." The farm is now certified by the Soil Association and has achieved over 60 RHS gold medals, including 14 at the Chelsea Flower Show. Organic herbs are available to the public as plants or seeds, bought online via mail order. There's also a Contract
Grow Service for hotels and restaurants, supplying ready-to-plant herbs pots from 8cm
up to 20 litres, to give a constant, sustainable
supply of organically grown herbs plus a Garden Design and/or
planting service. *SRA Members: A discount is available to SRA Members depending on size of order. See the SRA Supplier Directory at www.thesra.orgDiners: Order your herb plants or seeds online from www.jekkasherbfarm.com or browse the collection on 3, 4 and 5 September - a real treat as the farm only opens to the public five times a year! |
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