For the first time in their four year history, diners will have their say at next month’s Sustainable Restaurant Awards. By nominating their favourite restaurant in The People’s Favourite category, the dining public can celebrate the restaurants that leave them with a happy heart and a great taste in the mouth, not just a full stomach.
People’s Favourite Award
The People’s Favourite Award, sponsored by Bookatable and being run in partnership with The Independent on Sunday, is a new category at the awards which will be presented at a gala lunch at Oval Space in East London.
Future Showcase
The theme of the event is the Future of Food and James Golding, Chef Director of The Pig, will be working with a team of graduates from The Clink Charity to prepare the meal for the 250 guests at the innovative and eco-friendly venue. Guests at the awards lunch, which is double the size of last year’s event, will be also able to view some of the most cutting edge initiatives in the sector in a Future Showcase.
The awards, most of which are decided on the basis of the scores achieved in the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s rating, will be presented by SRA President Raymond Blanc OBE, including his own Sustainability Hero award which honours those that have had a significant impact on sustainable food. BBC Radio 4 Food Programme presenter Sheila Dillon was honoured with this award in 2013 and last year’s winner was Jill McDonald, CEO of McDonald’s UK.
Best Food Waste Strategy Award
The Best Food Waste Strategy Award, sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions, which is also continuing its generous support as headline sponsors of the awards for the fourth year, is open to all hospitality and food service businesses. Previous winners of the award include The Savoy and The Belfry at Yarcombe, which impressed the judges with its policy of requiring customers to order at least 24 hours in advance, helping the chef use resources as efficiently as possible.
There are 18 awards in total and operators have until 23 January to submit entries for the Food Waste award and diners must nominate their favourite restaurant by the same date. Applications will be judged by a panel of senior representatives from the SRA’s network, Unilever Food Solutions and Lisa Markwell. Shortlists will be published at the end of January.
For more information about the Sustainable Restaurant Awards 2015 click here
Restaurants can enter the Best Food Waste Strategy Award here
and nominations for the People’s Favourite Award should be submitted here