Eat Your Greens
June 25th, 2007
If you have a truly green heart, is it possible to eat out in a sleek London restaurant without waking up the next day with a guilty conscience? Isn't sustainability about itchy woollen jumpers and rock-hard homemade linseed bread?
Welcome to Acorn House, a restaurant that pulls off the unlikely marriage of fine dining with a zero-waste policy.
The Cutting Edge
Head chef Arthur Potts and manager Jamie Grainger-Smith, both formerly of Jamie Oliver's restaurant Fifteen, decided to turn Acorn House into London's greenest eatery. The restaurant buys fair trade where possible, never uses airfreight, recycles or composts all kitchen waste and only uses biodegradable takeaway packaging. It even has a bio-diesel van that collects produce to reduce emissions.
But Acorn House's eco-mission goes way beyond serving meals made from local farmers and other sustainable sources. The building itself is an organic part of its surroundings (pardon the pun). Windows maximise natural light, walls are covered in organic paint, seats are made from reclaimed wood and lamps are powered by green electricity.
Oh, and the water? It's purified, straight from the tap. Did I mention the lack of pretence?
But that's not all it does to sustain the local community - it also provides healthy 'breakfast club' and 'lunch box' schemes for school children. And like its fellow Oliver-inspired outposts Fifteen and the Hoxton Apprentice, Acorn House trains 10 young chefs each year, turning out the next crop of avant garde green gastronomy.
A Seasonable Trend?
Like most people, I was tempted to find fault Acorn House, which seems to have exclusive rights to all the good-doing in the world. But don't bother trying to expose hippy-trippy self-righteousness - common sense powers this restaurant. What Potts and Grainger-Smith want isn't outlandish. It's just a sensible project that comes with a good portion of enlightened self-interest.
Take Potts' pet subject of seasonality, for instance. The Slow Food Association member said that in-season produce gives you the best quality at the best price, a point you'll have to concede if you think of that
three-quid punnet of strawberries you bought last December, which tasted of, well, nothing.
But Can You Eat It?
If you expect a menu of herbal teas, rye crackers and watery green soups you'll be proven wrong by Potts' hearty 'modern London' creations. Grainger-Smith, who wears the second hat of sommelier, has even compiled an impressive wine list that includes several English bottles.
The menu currently sports 'duck confit' and 'sustainable prawn risotto' with anchovy pangratatta - but if this makes your mouth water, go now. The menu changes each month to ensure only the freshest ingredients are sourced.
And in addition to takeaway, there are vegetarian and gluten- and sugar- free options. You can also request dishes in different portion sizes, paying only for what you'll eat while reducing kitchen waste.
Yet what makes Acorn House even more likeable is its popularity with the locals. Far from being an elitist joint that caters exclusively for green foodies, the restaurant is casual enough to easily turn into a breakfast and lunch place during the day, serving juice, coffee, and freshly baked bread to all comers.
A Rubbish Idea
Potts' slogan that the menu is 'based on rubbish' - referring to its waste management policy - might not be as appetising as the food, but he's making a point that's more than fair.
Restaurants do create a lot of waste, especially in a place like London with its zillions of eateries, and strategies to reduce it are becoming increasingly imperative, but also easier. Working towards the magic zero-waste standard can involve the simplest of measures. Ever considered that a brightly painted dining room saves on lighting costs? And you can only imagine the impact if half London's restaurant staff cycled to work. Acorn House is well worth a visit to catch a glimpse of the future - and possibly a member of the Jagger clan, who are regulars.
69 Swinton Street, WC1
Tel: 020 7812 1842
Lunch £12, Dinner £30 (for one)
Image: Courtesy of Acorn
