Review - @Angela's restaurant, Exeter

@ Angela's in Exeter was recently awarded a bronze medal by Green Tourism. They are part of Love the Flavour - a group of businesses dedicated to providing good quality local food and drink. BGI member Anne-Christine is a regular visitor and decided to find out more about their green credentials.

Why did you decide to go green?
Because we care! We have always had a conscience about green issues in business.

What did you do to green up your restaurant?

Taking into account that Angela and Richard do not own the premises they work from:

• Recycled or FSC-approved paper is used.
• Out-of-date menus are used as scrap paper.
• They use 100% recycled paper hand towels and 50% recycled loo rolls.
• They use Fresh Energy for their energy supplies.
• Low-energy lighting has been implemented wherever possible.
• No bleach used and is not allowed anywhere on the premises!
• Expensive professional equipment has been installed (such as oven/dish-washer/refrigerator) to limit heat/energy loss.

What other ethical choices have you made?
We use Clipper teas, and some organic, some zero carbon and some local wine. We also use local, ethical suppliers as much as possible.

How do you deal with waste?
We buy small amounts of fresh produce, keep the menu small and feed ourselves and staff if the food is near its use-by date. Most food waste is what customers leave on the plate, which has to be thrown away. Bones, etc., go into stock. Nothing comes frozen to the restaurant, and a lot of work has also been done to reduce the amount of packaging.

Considerations on the cost of fantastic food:
Local food is sometimes more expensive and a little more difficult to source, however, nothing tastes better! A lot of effort, time and skill are involved in each dish as well as its service - but this means that yes, it does cost.

@Angela's offers delicious and filling vegetarian options, but no vegan option:
the kitchen is so small that it would be impossible to guarantee no cross-contamination between vegetarian and non-vegetarian food during service.
To avoid cross-contamination between meat dishes and vegetarian options, vegetarian meals are often prepared in advance, which means that last-minute changes are not always possible. A vegetarian option would be warm Devon blue cheese and broccoli tart with wilted spinach and cherry tomatoes (this was very seasonal at the time of the interview).

Cooking locally grown, seasonal food implies a lot of planning. So bread is made on the premises, using mostly organic flours. They benefit from using local suppliers who provide small amounts of produce, to avoid wastage. Main dishes are served with a side of steamed vegetables and potatoes, which limits waste as well as cooking time.

What would be the most environmentally friendly dish you could serve?
Mussels would be the best dish all-round as it is totally local and cooked in minutes.

Anne-Christine

If you are in Exeter, have a look at their website to find out more: www.angelasrestaurant.co.uk

photos (c) Anne-Christine Favrod 2010