The Sustainable Restaurant Association has announced and welcomed renowned chef Raymond Blanc OBE as their first President. The Chef Patron of the two Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and founder of Brasserie Blanc restaurants has always been a champion and campaigner for sustainability and food ethics.
The SRA said, ‘we believe Raymond Blanc is the perfect chef to continue our mission to help restaurants to be more sustainable and give diners the chance to choose restaurants that match their ethical and environmental standards’ and H&C News would certainly agree with the SRA’s sentiments.
Raymond Blanc believes that while British cuisine has undergone a transformation and should be proud of its standing among the best in the world, unless diners increase the pressure on restaurants the UK risks missing the chance to become the world leader in sustainability. So, he has written these letters to chefs, restaurateurs and diners asking them to join this movement.
The open letter to restaurateurs and chefs reads as follows…
‘I am writing to you as a fellow chef and restaurateur as well as in my new role as President of the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
For 40 years I have cared passionately about sourcing and serving the very best food, looking after my staff and the community and environment around me. In the last two years I have really sensed the beginnings of a movement in restaurants across this country to meet their environmental and social responsibilities. And it’s not just fine dining restaurants like mine that are moving in this direction. Restaurants of all types across the country are changing the way they manage their business.
Food connects with our landscape, our soil, our heritage, our health and what kind of society we are creating for tomorrow. Chefs, restaurateurs and consumers, can make the difference by embracing these values and in doing so create a better food chain.
Thousands of chefs in all types of restaurants, from the Michelin-starred ones to fish and chip shops are among those working with the SRA, demonstrating that good sustainability can translate into good business and this is very important to us if we are to capitalise on our reputation as one of the finest food nations in the world.
I accepted the SRA’s offer to be its President because I believe we are at a crossroads, on the verge of something genuinely magnificent. Already British food and cuisine are recognised as being amongst the best in the world. If we take the right steps now we can ensure this continues for generations to come. If we fail to adopt this way of working we will miss the opportunity of a lifetime and lose the chance to leave a significant legacy for chefs and diners.
I am asking you as a chef or restaurateur to think about the food you are sourcing, how you treat your customers, staff and local community as well as how you are addressing you environmental responsibilities. If, like me, you care about these things then I am asking you to show your support.
Since we have been a Member, the SRA has helped my restaurants improve their sustainability, reduce costs and reassured our customers that we are doing the right thing. I urge you to consider joining the SRA, but I hope all restaurants will at least show their support for these ideals.’