London

Allplants.com
Ready-made vegan meal delivery service, its environmental credentials extend to packaging that is recyclable, compostable or reusable.

Rubies in the Rubble, various retail
Turning fruit and vegetables rejected for being ugly or overripe into jams, chutneys and the cult Banana Ketchup.

Cook for Syria
The supper club/bake sale/cookbook/restaurant takeover that has raised more than £500,000 for war and refugee relief is last year’s winner and a charity juggernaut.

East

Foodcycle, Cambridge
Surplus produce from grocers and markets is turned into nutritious meals, sold for a £2 donation, three times a week. Also in Arbury and Barnwell.
Wesley Methodist Church, Christ Pieces, CB1 1LG

Cambridge Sustainable Food
This umbrella organisation promotes sustainable food systems through campaigns, festivals and workshops.
97 Hills Rd, CB2 1PG

Cafe in the Park, Rickmansworth
Predominantly organic shop promoting independent suppliers and farmers. Offers an “unwrapped”, BYO jars programme.
The Aquadrome, Frogmoor La, WD3 1NB; 01923 711131

Midlands

Warehouse Cafe, Birmingham
Sharing space with the city’s Friends of the Earth, this green cafe recycles, uses bicycle couriers to get food from soil to kitchen in less than an hour, and has a new veg-box scheme using donated produce.
54-57 Allison St, B5 5TH; 0121 633 0261

The Real Junk Food Project, Birmingham
A freegan box scheme, where fruit and veg, bread and other groceries destined for the bin are collected, packed into boxes and distributed for a donation. Also catering.

Loaf, Birmingham

Bringing back real food is this cooperative’s slogan, which they do with cooking classes and a community bakery that works with Real Junk Food.
1421 Pershore Rd, B30 2JL; 0121 458 7682

North

Harissa Kitchen/Food Nation, Sandyford
Profits at this relaxed Mediterranean kitchen are fed back into sister organisation Food Nation to fund food clubs and education courses for schools, kids, carers and businesses.
31-33 Starbeck Ave, NE2 1RJ; 0191 261 5501

The Real Junk Food Project, Manchester
This initiative has closed the doors on its acclaimed pay-as-you-feel restaurant, but is now launching a city-wide catering company, using good food that would otherwise be destined for the bin.
85 Oxford St, M1 6EQ; 0161 478 2526

The Real Junk Food Project, Leeds
Feeding children not bins – here food that would otherwise be thrown away is turned into free breakfast for kids.
Grangefield Industrial Estate, Pudsey LS28 6LF; 0113 256 5614

South

Silo, Brighton
From churning butter to making almond milk, upcycling furniture to composting waste, the team at Silo is all about creating an ethical, sustainable business – and delicious food.
39 Upper Gardner St, BN1 4AN; 01273 674259

Terroir Tapas, Bournemouth
From the bar top made from compressed coffee-cup lids and growing produce through aquaponics, to minimising waste and maximising grey water use, the planet always comes first at this predominantly vegetarian restaurant.
81 Southbourne Grove, BH6 3QX; 01202 259933

Hisbe, Brighton
Supermarket with a carefully chosen range of products from responsible, independent brands for a fairer price – for customers and suppliers.
20-21 York Pl, BN1 4GU; 01273 608028

West

Riverford Organic Farm, Devon
The premier veg-box scheme, now delivering almost 50,000 boxes a week.
Buckfastleigh, TQ11 0JU; 01803 227227

Community Farm, Chew Magna
This box-delivery service and “adopt a crop” programme is co-owned by more than 500 locals, dedicated to providing therapeutic and development opportunities for vulnerable people.
Denny Ln, BS40 8SZ; 01275 295029

The Ethicurean, Wrington
Access to a bountiful garden means food doesn’t get fresher, and the menu at this earth-to-table restaurant changes twice daily.
Barley Wood Walled Garden, Long Ln, BS40 5SA; 01934 863713

Wales

Plum Vanilla Cafe, Narberth
Organic, fair-trade and local produce is the key to the success of this cheery Pembrokeshire cafe, as is recycling.
2A St James St, SA67 7DB; 01834 862762

Clink, HMP Cardiff
Prisoners cook and serve meals here, while working towards their NVQs and reducing recidivism (by 40%). Look to the menu for how it all works – seared fillet of grey mullet with braised fennel helps students learn filleting and work towards passing catering NVQ unit 220, while cooking it helps them achieve unit 227.
Knox Rd, CF24 0UG; 029 2092 3130

Wasteless Suppers, Cardiff
Creating feasts from surplus food and stimulating conversations to reduce food waste.
029 2183 2110

Northern Ireland

The Edible Flower Supper Club
Pop-up hosts who run classes in cooking, brewing and growing, plus suppers exploring the future of food and challenging disposable culture.

The Dock, Belfast
No menu, no prices, just drop something in the honesty box for the volunteer-made soups, scones and cakes loved by community groups.
2k Queen’s Road, Belfast BT9 3DT

Broughgammon Farm, Ballycastle
After seeing that male goats in the dairy industry were being put down at birth, Broughgammon Farm decided to buy them and raise them for meat boxes. They now also offer rose veal – and butchery classes. Farm shop by appointment.
50 Straid Rd, BT54 6NP

Scotland

Social Bite, Edinburgh
On a mission to end homelessness in Scotland, six social-enterprise cafes employ people who have struggled with it, operate a pay-it-forward system, feed anyone who wants to be fed, and fund a housing programme. Winners in this category in 2016.
0131 220 8206

Locavore, Glasgow
A deli/shop that’s also building a more sustainable food system through a variety of programmes including emergency food aid, gardening for profit and waste reduction.
349 Victoria Rd, G42 7SA; 0141 328 3303

Henderson’s, Edinburgh
Wholesome vegan and vegetarian food made from local organic ingredients has been the philosophy since 1962.
92 Hanover St, EH2 1DR; 0131 225 6694