What sustainability means to Sonya at Sonny's catering service.
Before moving back home to Cornwall, I ran eco cuisine in North London. A corporate catering business with some great clients over the years. Google, Lego, Greenpeace, Friends of the name eco cuisine is derived from "eco" meaning "living things in relation to their environment” and "cuisine" meaning "a style of cooking primarily influenced by the ingredients that are available locally or through trade”.
The meaning of sustainability: "capable of being maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage."
The restaurant industry has a huge impact on the food chain: restaurants account for almost half of what the British people spend on food, and if we behave more sustainably, this will eventually trickle down through the food production system, with enormous consequences on the way we farm and eat.
Please see our sustainability policy below.
PROCUREMENT
In practice this means we:
Provide healthy and sustainable options on all menus.
Provide meat, poultry, dairy and eggs from sources using practices that conform to high environmental, social and animal welfare standards.
Source meats from farms in Cornwall, with free-range as a minimum standard.
Use fish from sustainable stocks, promoting fish recommended by the Marine Conservation Society(MCS).
Provide local and seasonal fruit and vegetables, wherever possible.
Promote Fairtrade products and increase the provision of Fairtrade goods where possible.
Use local smaller niche suppliers such as Juliette's at Perranarworthal.
We cook everything from fresh ingredients.
We do not use artificial colourings or preservatives.
We do not purchase products that have been transported by air e.g. we will not use asparagus unless it is in season in the UK.
Deliveries of food to you are made using biodegradable, compostable trays/lids to avoid plastic and also avoiding unnecessary mileage of picking up metal/china.
Seasonality is key in our menus, therefore we may make changes with our lovely fresh, local British produce each season.
SUPPLIERS WE TRUST
One of my aims when we set up eco cuisine was to serve food that we would eat at home and never to use suppliers I would not be happy to use myself.
Sourcing traditionally farmed free-range meats from farms in Cornwall such as Juliette's Dexter beef, Perranarworthal.
Free-range eggs from Colin Carter.
Any fish or seafood we use is from sustainable shoals fished by Cornish day boats out of St Mawes and supplied by Rob Wing.
Fruit and vegetables are locally sourced and seasonal.
I look to use seasonal British produce in our menus
All our eggs are free-range, including any egg used to make muffins, tarts, cakes etc.
We buy fair trade and/or organic products for events such as conferences: tea, coffee, milk, biscuits, sugar.
We do not buy any air-freighted or hot-housed products.
We currently source 90% of our produce from this country and feel proud to make that statement.
Seasonal PRODUCE
Using seasonal produce is why Sonya will create a menu for you using what is available in the month of your event.
Energy and carbon reduction
We actively minimise energy and water consumption through efficient administration, equipment selection, usage and disposal, food storage, preparation and cooking. Our deliveries are made in our zero emission van, incorporating our staff in the drive for sustainable development.
Waste
Where there is unavoidable waste that we are unable to reuse, we will provide and encourage use of facilities for recycling and ensure that dry waste (e.g. cardboard, paper, metal) is kept separate from wet waste e.g.food).
We encourage customers to use crockery instead of disposables and provide reusable/recyclable/biodegradable products. We will actively look at ways to reduce the amount of waste material we generate by engaging with our suppliers regarding packaging and encourage suppliers to adopt re-usable crates.
