Plymouth restaurant is most sustainable in the UK

River Cottage Canteen and Deli Plymouth has been awarded the accolade of most sustainable restaurant in the UK by the Sustainable Restaurant Association after less than a year of business. Not for profit organisation the SRA called the Canteen ‘outstanding’ and ‘an inspiration’. As part of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s growing River Cottage family following in the footsteps of his Park Farm HQ and Canteen & Deli in Axminster, the Plymouth Canteen now leads the way nationally in restaurant sustainability.

Located in a grade 1 listed Brewhouse building in historical Royal William Yard, the Canteen was judged in the three key areas of sourcing, society and environment pulling in an unrivalled total score of 89%.

The SRA were impressed with the Canteen’s insistence on sourcing high quality ingredients from local suppliers with exceptional standards of welfare and daily menu changing to reflect seasonal ingredient availability. Almost all the produce purchased for the Canteen is grown and farmed locally with staff paying visits to meat suppliers farms and butcheries to check the standard of animal welfare and the quality of produce. Beyond this the restaurant has a strong awareness of the society around it and is proud to be part of the Plymouth community, supporting local charities and initiatives and working with Plymouth University. The SRA also praised the Canteen for its exemplary attitude to the environment including not using air freighted ingredients and coordinating with suppliers to limit the number of deliveries made, sharing collections where possible. A serious commitment is displayed towards energy conservation with both the kitchen and the restaurant being energy and water efficient. Recycling is key with no waste going to landfill and all food waste going to a waste management company for composting.

River Cottage HQ (87%) and the Canteen in Axminster (84%) have both scored highly and gained three stars from the SRA. All of the businesses are committed to improving and achieving greater sustainability going forward and leading the way for future River Cottage Canteens to thrive sustainably and contribute to the communities they are in.

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Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall says, “We try to ensure that sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at River Cottage, so we are thrilled that this has been recognised in our latest Canteen venture in Plymouth. Being the most sustainable restaurant in the country is a great accolade – and it’s an award we’ll do our very best to hang on to. We’ll also be aiming to match or surpass our own standards in future RC Canteen ventures.”

Rob Love, MD of River Cottage says, "We're delighted to be recognised by the SRA as the UK's most sustainable restaurant, it is a position we set ourselves as the least we should expect and will continue to learn and grow. We would like to congratulate the SRA for their work in this area. In particular for their recognition of our wider sustainability work in the community, with our employees and our approach to energy and recycling, well beyond just what we deliver onto the plate. The award for the Plymouth canteen certainly puts the pressure on our other operations to beat them next time round! We look forward to the challenge."

Plymouth Canteen head chef Joe Draper said: “It’s really nice to have been part of the restaurant from day one, and to have all our hard work recognised. It’s a great achievement for the Canteen, and we’re proud that we are helping to build a sustainable future for Plymouth. We won’t be stopping now though, there’s still a lot more that we can do and achieve!”