One of the latest and greatest trends to triumph in the restaurant world in recent years is the sustainable approach.
As fresh innovative and stirring trends come and go, lets hope the conscientious and highly inspiring takeover of sustainability is here to stay.
Although some fashionable advertising phrases such as “farm to plate” “locally foraged” and sourced within “100 miles” are not as new to the restaurant world as some may think, there is no doubt that they inspire and create great awareness. For this we can look to our industry experts and thank them for leading by example.
In this three part blog series we aim to shift your focus to, not only offering delicious food to your family or at your next event but to do so sustainably with a focus on locally sourced produce.
Years ago our elders would tend to their allotments, share and swap home grown veggies with the neighbours or trundle down to the local grocer and dictate what’s for dinner by what was on the shelf.
We can learn from the way things used to be done and take it back to basics in order to reduce our carbon footprint. Growing at home, street corner veggie swaps and urban gardens are all the rage. Its an exhilarating era for sustainability, the snowball effect is taking place and the more folk that jump on board – the better!
One simple approach to becoming more sustainable when shopping is to take some time to think about seasonality. Supermarkets often boast an all year round stock of blast-frozen supplies. With their vibrant colours, wide selection and the convenience factor, the majority of the public will often opt for this out of season overpriced produce.
So why do we keep going back to the supermarket?
The truth is we can be lazy.
We know from experience that a crunchy in season Granny Smith apple or some crisp, peppery wild rocket from the local grocer will pack way more punch. Ultimately leading to much healthier and more flavoursome cooking.
Buying locally offers many benefits – not only are you greatly reducing your food miles, but in-season fruits and vegetables are packed with way more vitamins, nutrients and minerals. That, along with the fact they should save you a few dollars, leaves it a no brainer!
To encourage shopping locally, use seasonality as inspiration for your dinner party menu. Dictate your weekly shop by what’s available at the nearby grocer. Supporting your local growers offers them sustenance long term, helping their produce flourish, creating a healthier supply.
Our “At Your Table” Chefs commonly use some of the following resources to help create seasonal menus. By using these tools you can find a good seasonal and sustainable breakdown for anywhere in Australia.
Find
is a great website, it offers guides for where to buy, why to buy and how to buy. It has a wealth of useful information and supports ethical and local shopping.
http://seasonalfoodguide.com/
The seasonal food guide is an easy to use website, great for quickly checking what’s in season and sustainable at the moment.
Another great way to be more sustainable when it comes to your fruit and veggies is to grow your own. Picking produce from the garden really is taking it back to basics, it’s a great way inspire cooking at home and learn about seasonality.
Please, any questions, go right ahead and leave a comment below and we will be sure to get back to you,
Don’t forget to check in next week for part two of our Sustainable series,
“Good Fish Bad Fish”
Chris Wright
16/06/2019