EAST
Market Bistro, King’s Lynn
Norfolk producers are championed at this family restaurant with a top three-star rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
11 Saturday Market Place, PE30 5DQ; 01553 771483; marketbistro.co.uk
Lussmans Fish and Grill, St Albans
Provenance and sustainability are both key to the food served at the first restaurant group outside London to use only MSC-certified seafood.
Waxhouse Gate,AL3 4EW; 01727 851941; lussmanns.com
Rainbow Cafe, Cambridge
Vegan and gluten-free dishes, free organic baby food, and carrot cake endorsed by Nigel Slater.
9A King’s Parade, CB2 1SJ; 01223 321551; rainbowcafe.co.uk
Namaste India, Norwich
Indian vegetarian cooking, with gluten-free and healthier options.
2a Opie St, NR1 3DN; 01603 662016; namasteindiannorwich.com
Strattons Hotel, Swaffham
Hotel, restaurant and cafe in the Norfolk Brecks where commitment to reducing environmental impact is embedded in the business.
4 Ash Cl, PE37 7NH; 01760 723845; strattonshotel.com
LONDON
Grain Store, King’s Cross
Bruno Loubet’s sustainable restaurant aims to redress the balance of how we eat by serving meat and fish but giving vegetables the starring role in every dish.
Granary Square, 1-3 Stable St, N1C 4AB; 020 7324 4466; grainstore.com
Wahaca, Covent Garden
Thomasina Miers’s chain has put sustainability at the heart of its business from the beginning.
66 Chandos Place, WC2N 4HG; 020 7240 1883; wahaca.co.uk
Duke of Cambridge, Islington
Previously independently owned, Britain’s first (and only) certified organic pub is now part of the Riverford farm group. The ethical ethos is the same, but there’s a new look menu where fruit and veg are, unsurprisingly, the stars.
30 St Peter’s Street, N1 8JT; 020 7359 3066; dukeorganic.co.uk
Mildred’s, Soho
This Soho stalwart has been serving upmarket vegetarian food for 17 years. The takeaway salads are popular with carnivorous and veggie lunchers alike.
45 Lexington St, W1F 9AN; 020 7494 1634; mildreds.co.uk
Nama, Notting Hill
Raw restaurant – that’s food that’s meat, wheat, dairy and gluten-free and hasn’t been cooked above 42C – that also offers detox and juice cleanse programmes.
110 Talbot Road, W11 1JR; 0207 313 4638; namafoods.com
MIDLANDS
Warehouse Cafe, Birmingham
It began life as a soup kitchen and now serves vegetarian food made from local and allotment produce.
54-57 Allison St, B5 5TH; 0121 633 0261; thewarehousecafe.com
Kiosk, Nottingham
Locally sourced menu? Check. Dining room that used to be a shipping container? Check. Upcycled furnishings including a chandelier made from old jam jars and reclaimed school furniture? Check, check. Kiosk has it covered.
1 Winchester Street, NG5 4AH; 07514 625697; kiosksherwood.co.uk
Alley Cafe, Nottingham
European-style cafe and bar serving creative vegetarian and vegan food and showcasing a different local artist every month.
1a Cannon Court, Long Row W, NG1 6JE; 0115 955 1013; alleycafe.co.uk
Tamatanga, Nottingham
This independent but slick Indian restaurant is committed to recycling, using its waste oil and food for renewable energy, and always using sustainably sourced produce.
The Corner House, 12 Trinity Square, NG1 4DB; 0115 958 4848; tamatanga.com
Green Cafe, Ludlow
Run by Slow Food accredited chef Clive Davis. Pop into this riverside café for tea and cakes or a three-course meal – all seasonal and local, of course.
Linney, Mill on the Green, SY8 1EG; 01584 879872; ludlowmillonthegreen.co.uk
NORTH
Topaz Cafe, Ashton-under-Lyne
Five times a runner-up, this cafe uses organic vegetables from its own allotment to make its hearty dishes and is run in conjunction with the local Mind charity.
216-218 Katherine St,, OL6 7AS; 0161 330 9223; topazcafes.org
Hansa’s, Leeds
Gujarati and East African food made by an all-female staff. The restaurant has a strong record of charity fundraising.
72/74 North St LS2 7PN; 0113 244 4408; hansasrestaurant.com
The 8th Day, Manchester
Every aspect of this workers’ co-op is run with ethics in mind: all food waste is composted and organic and Fairtrade products are used as much as possible. The café’s wholesome offerings include popular daily bakes (Mediterranean potato and spinach or mushroom and nut wellington).
111 Oxford Rd, M1 7DU; 0161 273 4878; 8thday.coop
Greens, Didsbury
Simon Rimmer’s vegetarian restaurant supports a range of charities, including the Christy Charitable Fund.
41-43 Lapwing Ln, M20 2NT; 0161 434 4259; greensdidsbury.co.uk
The Feathers Inn, Hedley
Northumbrian pub that takes sourcing seriously, only using produce from small-scale farmers from the north-east, whether it’s North Sea lobster cocktail or Haydon Bridge oxtail and kidney pudding.
Hedley on the Hill, Stocksfield, NE43 7SW; 01661 843607; thefeathers.net
NORTHERN IRELAND
Camphill Holywood Cafe, Holywood
The organic bakery and cafe are an integral part of the Camphill community, and are staffed by people with learning difficulties, co-workers and young volunteers.
8 Shore Rd, BT18 9HX; 028 9042 3203; camphillholywood.co.uk
Made in Belfast, Belfast
All the meat comes from Northern Irish and Irish farms at this sustainability-focused restaurant where skip-foraged furniture adds an individual feel.
Units 1 and 2, Wellington Buildings, Wellington St, BT1 6HT; 028 9024 6712; madeinbelfastni.com
Common Grounds, Belfast
This café with a conscience (and Belfast’s only community garden) has given more than £60,000 to charity in the last 11 years.
12-24 University Ave, BT7 1GY; 028 9032 6589; commongrounds.co.uk
Home, Belfast
The upcycled furnishings at the permanent home of this ex pop-up restaurant are available to buy, as is the displayed work by local artists.
22 Wellington Pl, BT1 6GE; 028 9023 4946; homebelfast.co.uk
Mourne Seafood Bar, Belfast
Fresh local seafood at an affordable price. Mussels, oysters and cockles are sourced from their shellfish beds at Ballyedmond on Carlingford Lough.
34-36 Bank St, BT1 1HL; 028 9024 8544; mourneseafood.com
SCOTLAND
Earthy, Edinburgh
“Eat well, live well” is the motto at this restaurant and grocery (one of three outlets in the city).
1-6 Canonmills Bridge, EH3 5LF; 0131 556 9696; earthy.uk.com
Henderson’s, Edinburgh
Originally opened in 1962 to sell farm produce, this Edinburgh institution has several arms – bistro, bakery, deli, gallery – and serves contemporary vegetarian food at canteen-style prices in its basement restaurant.
94 Hanover St, EH2 1DR; 0131 225 2131; hendersonsofedinburgh.co.uk
Mono, Glasgow
Adventurous vegan food (smoked tofu banh mi), in-house brewed ginger beer and ethical locally blended coffee, plus a roster of live entertainment.
12 King’s Court, G1 5RB; 0141 553 2400; monocafebar.com
Cafe St Honore, Edinburgh
Gallic-Scottish cafe that’s been awarded an exceptional sustainability rating (merits include a profit-share scheme for staff). Daily changing gluten- and dairy-free menus.
34 North West Thistle St Lane, EH2 1EA; 0131 226 2211; cafesthonore.com
The Gardener’s Cottage, Edinburgh
Seasonal food – wild Scottish rabbit, say – is in store at this happily positioned restaurant in a listed building designed by William Playfair. In a break with tradition, the six-course set dinner is eaten on long communal tables.
1 Royal Terrace Gardens, London Rd, EH7 5DX; 0131 558 1221; thegardenerscottage.co
SOUTH
Silo, Brighton
Dine off plates made from recycled plastic bags (what else?) in a zero-waste restaurant/bakery/coffee house. It also brews its beer in the basement, and uses electrolysed water instead of soap.
39 Upper Gardner St, BN1 4AN; 01273 674259; silobrighton.com
Terre à Terre, Brighton
This much loved Brighton restaurant has been championing ethical and sustainable (and vegetarian) cooking for more than 20 years.
71 East St, BN1 1HQ; 01273 729051; terreaterre.co.uk
The Cafe in the Park, Rickmansworth
Café that puts into practice its belief that (good) food can unite a community, hosting music, yoga, and cookery classes and offering an introduction to the workplace for adult volunteers with learning difficulties.
The Aquadrome, Frogmoor Lane, WD3 1NB; 01923 711131; thecafeinthepark.com
Food for Friends, Brighton
Gourmet vegetarian food and third time runner=up in this category.
17-18 Prince Albert St, BN1 1HF; 01273 202310; foodforfriends.com
Turl Street Kitchen, Oxford
Social enterprise whose profits support the work of Oxford Hub, a charity promoting student volunteering .
16 Turl St, OX1 3DH; 01865 264171; turlstreetkitchen.co.uk
WALES
Milgi, Cardiff
Plant-based dishes, seasonal, organic, sometimes foraged.
213 City Rd,, CF24 3JD; 029 2047 3150; milgilounge.com
Penylan Pantry, Cardiff
Neighbourhood café/deli and hub promoting local producers.
72 Kimberley Rd, CF23 5DN; facebook.com/PenylanPantry
The Gallery, Barry
Choose from Welsh beer and organic or biodynamic wine at Wales’s Sustainable Restaurant of the Year.
2 Broad St, CF62 7AA; 01446 735300; the-gallery-restaurant.co.uk
Treehouse, Aberystwyth
Organic restaurant and shop committed to fresh, local Fairtrade produce, and reducing food miles, waste and unnecessary packaging.
14 Baker St, SY23 2BJ; 01970 615791; treehousewales.co.uk
The Potted Pig, Cardiff
The French and American inspired menu is built around independent and locally sourced seasonal ingredients.
27 High Street, CF10 1PU; 029 2022 4817; thepottedpig.com
WEST
Riverford Field Kitchen, Totnes
The restaurant arm of the farm and veg box business has a long list of ethical commitments, including cooking organic school dinners for children at nearby Landscove primary school.
Wash Farm, Buckfastleigh, TQ11 0JU; 01803 762074; riverford.co.uk/restaurant
Folk House Café and Bar, Bristol
“Helping to create a more sustainable, wholesome and joyful world, one bowl of soup at a time.”
40A Park St, BS1 5JG; 0117 908 5035; folkhousecafe.co.uk
Ethicurean, Wrington
Food doesn’t come any more connected to the land than the dishes served at this idyllic kitchen garden restaurant.
Barley Wood Walled Garden, Long Lane, nr Bristol, BS40 5SA; 01934 863713; theethicurean.com
Romy’s Kitchen, Thornbury
West Bengal-born chef and owner Romy Gill gives talks and demos in schools on the importance of eating seasonally, and the impact of food on the environment.
2 Castle St, BS35 1HB; 01454 416728; romyskitchen.co.uk
Poco, Bristol
90% of the food is locally sourced, and they recycle 95% of their already minimal waste at this former category winner. New branch at Broadway Market, London.
45 Jamaica St, BS2 8JP; 0117 9232233; eatpoco.com
