Green Michelin Star restaurants for zero waste week

This week is zero waste week which focuses on raising awareness about the impact of environmental waste.

This year marked a significant change in the fine dining industry as the Michelin Star guide added a new category, the Michelin Green Star.

This distinction highlights restaurants who are at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainable practises, including their ethical and environmental standards. This takes into consideration the work that the restaurant does with sustainable producers and suppliers to avoid waste, reduce or remove plastic and non-recyclable materials.

These restaurants who are awarded the star may work directly with growers, farmers and fisherman or they may grow their own plants and use regenerative methods such as no-dig vegetable gardens. The star also takes into consideration the quality of life that the staff of the establishment are able to have whilst working there.

Since being launched in January of this year there has already been 22 restaurants awarded this rating from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England.

We've rounded up three of those restaurants to tell you a little bit about them in honour of zero waste week.

You can find out more about them below.

A Restaurant Where The Light Gets In

Based in an old coffee warehouse in Stockport, Greater Manchester is A Restaurant Where The Light Gets In. The restaurant works directly with farmers and fishermen from all over the isles to create a seasonal menu with their own touch, cooking everything in their open plan restaurant and kitchen.

James Galton, who has been general manager at WTLGI for over a year, said: “The Michelin Guide is moving with the times and recognising the importance of sustainability. It also takes into account how the restaurant treats their staff, including factors such as a four-day working week and mental health

“At our restaurant we not only recycle, but cut plastic out of our supply chains, and constantly strive to do more through the long-standing relationships we have with our suppliers. New ways to be sustainable often come about through different treatment of our leftover products. This could be anything from dehydrating fish skins to make seasonings, fermenting or salting last season’s fruit, or even using vegetable peelings to dye fabrics like our napkins. To put it succinctly, zero waste is the target.

“We are also lucky enough to have our own local outdoor growing space which we helped build with MUD (Manchester Urban Diggers) as part of a community project. Although because of the weather at the moment, we just have fennel and some of the hardier herbs growing.”

Find out more: www.wtlgi.co

Photo credit: WTLGI

L'Enclume

Located in the sleepy Lakeland village where Cartmel sticky toffee pudding is produced in a characterful old smithy is Simon Rogan's L'Enclume restaurant.

It is described in the Michelin guide as having its menu at one with nature as much of the produce comes from the restaurants 12 acre farm.

As well as its Michelin Green Star for gastronomy and sustainablily the restaurant has also been awarded two Michelin stars for the dish quality and flavours.

Simon Rogan was quoted by the Michelin guide saying: "At L'Enclume we use ingredients from our 12 acre farm, which was designed by chefs, for chefs; along with local suppliers for meat and fish. We have continually developed preserving methods over the past decade to enable us to extend the time we can rely on our own growing."

Find out more: www.Lenclume.co.uk

Petersham Nurseries Café

Based in London but inspired by nature and its protection this cafe produces menus with a slow food ethos, sticking to seasonal fruit and vegetables. The farm they use in Devon, Haye Farm, ran by the son of one of their founders supplies meat, eggs and produce. They use a agro-forestry and regenerative method of farming, using waste from one part of the farm as fuel for the other, the cycle continues and little waste occurs.

Any waste that the restaurant produces is recycled as much as possible, they use a aerobic food digester last year which odourlessly turns food waste into water.

"We always look for ways to reduce our footprint, protect the environment and give back to the community. This approach is integral to how we operate and we hope to demonstrate to others that businesses can succeed in a natural, environmentally correct way."

— Ambra Papa, quote taken from Michelin guide

To find out more about the Michelin Green Guide visit here

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Born out of passion for wine

Wine pairing is an age old tradition with food, in early times it was paired with food because water was deemed unsafe to drink however now wine is a huge industry and fine wine is sought after by guests enjoying a well cooked meal.

Born out of a passion for wine is the Polish restaurant Bottiglieria 1881.

Founder of the restaurant Robert Gumuliński thought about opening a winery for many years following his inspiration and enjoyment of trips to Italy. His first idea was to open a wine bar, but as his idea grew he decided to combine wine with cuisine.

In 2013 Bottiglieria 1881 opened its doors, serving hundreds of wines with diversified taste, aroma and uniqueness. From classic to simple to more sophisticated each wine is cared for by professional sommeliers and stored in special, temperature and humidity appropriate conditions.

The kitchen provides high quality local products which the chefs work with to achieve distinctive tastes, with their efforts maintaining dishes naturally and through traditional techniques. Their focus is on freshness and authenticity, using trusted farmers and local fishing.

When guests visit the restaurant which is in a 19th century building, decorated with authenticity and quality, they are seated in view of the kitchen. Each dish prepared in front of them with the chefs focusing on visually pleasing, artistic presentation.

In 2020 the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star, we spoke to head chef and co owner of the restaurant Przemysław Klima.

Przemysław Klima

You can read our interview below:

How did you end up becoming a chef?

I’ve finished a culinary school in Cracow. After that I’ve started to work in the most world famous restaurants.

How has it been being a chef during this time?

"After we get a Michelin star nothing has changed. Just my dream came true"

How do you make sure that the wine compliments each dish?

We have a professional sommelier that makes the wine pairing with me.

What can guests expect when they visit Bottiglieria1881?

We want to share our passion and knowledge with the guests, making each visit here exceptional at all measures.

Dish from Bottiglieria 1881

Do you have a favourite wine, if so which one and why?

I love wines from Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia because they have diversified tastes and aromas.

If you had to pick one dish to serve, what would it be and why?

Beef tartare served with tarragon mayo and picked cucumber because it’s one of my favourite Polish dishes.

What ingredients do you prefer to work with?

Local seasonal vegetables that come from bio-eco farms.

Dish from Bottiglieria 1881

Where do you get your inspiration from?

From the nature around me and our guests.

What can people expect when they visit your restaurant?

We want to be authentic and share our mastery and passion with our guests.

Dish from Bottiglieria 1881

What’s been your best experience as a customer?

Visiting Geranium, three star Michelin restaurant in Denmark.

Advice you can give to a chef who wants to work at your restaurant?

Keep focusing and hard working.

If you could give any advice to your younger self what would it be?

Keep working even harder.

What has been your most challenging moment as a chef?

To become a real chef.

What has been your best moment as a chef?

Getting a Michelin star.

Dish from Bottiglieria 1881

Visit www.1881.com.pl for more information and bookings

Dining with fire

Have you experienced the art of fire dining?

Stripping back the cooking experience to its primal elements, the team at Elemento based in Portugal are offering a unique, fiery experience to customers.

Owner of the restaurant and creator of the concept Ricardo Dias Ferreira describes the idea by saying: “Imagine how human beings did it primitively, without technology, without gas, without electricity, and only with one element… fire. This is cooking's true root.”

We recently spoke to Ricardo to find out more about Elemento, exploring the concept deeper and finding out what those dining at the unique Michelin Plate restaurant can expect.

Photo credit Elemento

What inspired Ricardo to develop the concept of open fire dining?

Ricardo shared where the idea came from he said :”I wanted to rebel from what everyone was doing and do something different. I want to show what I have in my deep mind, that’s why I gave up on a normal and perfect career I was building in Sydney, Australia and came back to Portugal to open my own Business.

“I have a love for the element of fire, it’s a rebel and difficult like me.”

When did Ricardo know he know he wanted to be a chef and why?

Ricardo who states that his biggest inspiration is his team said: “I was a young troublemaker on the good way of course, I couldn’t see myself with an “normal” job from the 9am-5pm Monday to Friday, I chose the hardest way. I'm a hands on job guy and the kitchen can give me that with a lot of creativity and study.”

What’s the concept behind the restaurant?

Ricardo explained how the restaurant has been stripped right back to before technology, he said: “Elemento it’s a fire dining base concept, without any technology we cook just with the power of fire and embers, the first of this kind in Portugal.”

Photo credit Elemento

How do Elemento curate the menu, what do you look for in ingredients?

The staff work on a daily basis changing the menu to find out what is available for the next day, Ricardo explained: “We try to find out what’s available from our suppliers for the next day, what is in season, what’s new and different and what we can cook over the fire. Then we design the menu. “It’s a day to day job but it gives us a unique way of creativity.”

Where does Ricardo get his inspiration from?

Ricardo spoke about how nature inspires the dishes, he said: “In the products, we try to follow what the animal eats, because we change so many times the menu it’s a daily work of everyone, all chefs gives an opinion of what we could do, this gives them the opportunity to be part of the whole process as well as cooking.”

In the past three years the restaurant has created more than 400 different dishes, Ricardo said: “It’s insane the dishes we create. One of my favourites is from the first day which is Duck Breast from a farm near Tomar with Bearnaise sauce and grilled lettuce, people loved it!”

Ricardo, who was raised in a small fisherman village called Pedrogao Beach said: “I love to work with fish and seafood, I go out at 2am to find a good spot for fishing, I have had a huge connection with the ocean since I was a kid.”

What can people expect when they visit the restaurant?

When you visit the Michelin star restaurant in Portugal you will expect to find a unique menu and dining experience, Ricardo added: “We have fresh products, some different to what people will have tasted before. We have a really good vibe as well, we don’t want to be like traditional fine dining restaurants, and we don’t serve traditional Portuguese cuisine.

“We are something different, a casual vibe with world wide techniques with Portuguese Products.”

Photo credit Elemento

What types of wood do they use and why?

Ricardo said: “We use Oak for the fire pit and after for the service to make embers. To start with we use the oven with acacia wood and some secrets behind it!”

How do the Elemento staff ensure that guests have the best visit?

Elemento offers a casual fine dining experience with a relaxed vibe, Ricardo said: “We have good service but a casual and relaxed vibe. “We serve good and organic wine, different to what you will find anywhere else, there’s also a nice wood smell throughout the restaurant.”

He added: “Technology was created when we did the first fire Pit thousands of years ago, and it's possible to cook like that inside of a restaurant serving 60 guests per night with an eight moments menu, we want to be one of the restaurants who can show isn’t all about technology.. we don’t need convection ovens, we just need a good fire and embers do the same, and that is what makes Elemento Special.”

Photo credit Elemento

Ricardo's advice to a chef who wants to work at his restaurant?

If you’re looking to work at the unique and exciting restaurant, Ricardo offered his advice: “You will burn your arms and your hands, you will be in stress during service to keep your fire perfect, you will work in a hot environment, but in the end of the day you will do something out of the box, you will be more hard core chef then your friends chefs, you will be proud of your scars, you will have life balance and a strong team with you.”

As a restaurant what are the key components to running smoothly?

Ricardo offered his advice to other restaurant owners, he said: “You have to be there almost most of the time to keep the team confident and see everything that’s happening, at the same time I know I can be out as well because my team its strong and do the best work and effort possible. They trust me and I trust them.”

What does the future hold for Elemento?

Sharing what he hopes for the future Ricardo said: “I don’t want the restaurant to be everywhere I want a low profile but with good numbers and a good quality of customers. Elemento is Elemento and that’s what makes it different.”

Photo credit Elemento

His advice to his younger self…

Finally Ricardo added his advice to his younger ‘rebellious’ self, he said: “Do not change anything, you will do what you like with a lot of sacrifices in life but will give you the opportunity to be in direct contact with the world.”

Visit www.elementoporto.com for more information