SUSTAINABILITY
As part of our sustainability special, we learn how Cambridge Cookery has become the city’s first zero-waste cafe
ow more than ever, the scale of our problem with food waste looms large in the media
committed to the One Planet Living concept, so this was one step towards becoming completely sustainable.” A practical, straightforward framework for ‘living happily within the Earth’s resources’, One Planet Living sets out ten principles that cover all aspects of social, environmental and economic sustainability. It is, according to Tine, an ‘ingenious’ movement, and her number-one recommendation for anyone looking to adopt a waste-free approach to food in their own lives. Once the decision had been made to go waste free, the first step was to choose ingredients wisely and ensure they were being fully utilised. “As an example, our Norwegian apple and yoghurt pot has a rye crumb on it, using the edges we cut off our handmade Scandinavian rye loaves,” she says. The next step involved CC becoming a hub for locally grown, organic produce that was about to become waste or pig feed. By taking in tens of kilos of (great-quality and organic, but no longer absolutely fresh) produce and adding it to CC’s existing waste, it allowed her chefs to create 30 cooked meals each week for Jimmy’s homeless shelter. And progress continues: “Our most recent step has been to join the green coffee scheme, which means we don’t throw away our used coffee sump, but send it to be converted to green biofuel. Of course, we ceased to stock plastic straws or bottled water a long time ago.” The part most challenging part of going waste free? “It is the one bit we can’t fully control and that is food left on the plate by our guests,” says Tine. “There isn’t a lot of it, but it pains us when sometimes customers leave all
and public consciousness. Estimates suggest more than a million tonnes of food are thrown away by hospitality and food businesses annually in the UK alone – a statistic thrown into even sharper relief when you consider around 8.4 million people in the country are struggling to afford to eat. Determined to lead by example and make a stand for sustainability, Cambridge Cookery has adopted a radical approach to combating its own food waste. The popular eatery, found on Purbeck Road, joined the Taste Not Waste campaign run by the Cambridge Sustainable Food network to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and as a result, towards the end of last year, became the city’s first zero-waste cafe. “We started as a cookery school and have so much skill from our team of professional chefs and love for good produce, we have always been very frugal with our ingredients,” explains owner Tine Roche on what prompted the move. “As the owner, I have
© DAISY DICKINSON
the gorgeous food on the plate and we have to scrape it into the bin…” Overall though, the effects on the business have been fantastically positive and far-reaching, concludes Tine. “Both my wonderful front-of-house team and the chefs derive a real sense of pride in our stance on sustainability – and our guests have reacted positively to this, giving us heaps of praise.”
We joined the green coffee scheme, which means we don’t throw away our used coffee sump, but send it to be converted to green biofuel"
You can find out more about Cambridge Cookery at cambridgecookery.com
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