Organic Food · Eco-Chick

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The Duke of Cambridge: London's First Organic Certified Gastropub

Starre Vartan and Jennifer Lara Cross at The Duke of Cambridge gastropub in London

A few weeks ago I took a bit of a holiday and visited Jenn Cross, one of my best friends in all the world in her adopted hometown of London. I had a fantastic time as I always do, and one of the highlights was the amazing meal I ate with Jenn at The Duke of Cambridge, which bills itself as “Britain’s First Organic Certified Gastropub.” (A gastropub is a pub that serves food alongside delicious British and imported beers).

All food and drink is certified by the Soil Association, and aside from the food, the eatery does everything possible to lower its impact, including recycling building materials and furniture, kitchen waste, tin, paper, card, corks and glass. They compost food waste, and the pub’s electricity is solar and wind-generated. They clean with only nontoxic and biodegradable cleaning products and have gotten involved in food programs at local schools. Really, really impressive commitment to the environment, health and great food (which are, of course, inexorably intertwined).

Our menu changes twice daily, and our chefs create dishes according to what is at its peak of freshness and flavour. All our food is made at the pub – from the ice cream to the bread and pickles. You’ll always find two meat, two fish and two vegetarian main dish choices.
Our chefs buy produce directly from small independent local farmers, and they ensure that nothing goes to waste – for example, instead of buying individual cuts of pork (which is costly and wasteful) they buy a whole carcass and use every part of the animal. This way, the farmer gets a decent payment for his animal, nothing is wasted and you get to try a broad range of delicious dishes.

Our meal was fantastic; we started with a bottle of organic prosecco (top image), as a little bubbly was in order for our celebratory meal.

We shared an appetizer of rocket (arugula), poached salmon, cucumbers, radishes, and horseradish kohl rabi with fresh lemon (£8). Every veg was tasted as if it had been pulled from the ground, washed, and brought to us moments later (especially the radishes; I’ve NEVER had such a crunchy radish before!) and Jenn said the salmon was amazing.

My main dish was the white bean and coriander cakes with tomato sauce and carrot salad (£13) which was not only very filling, but nuanced with garden centric flavors. From the coriander and other fresh herbs mixed into the lightly mashed (but not evicerated) white beans to the tang of the (very generous) topping of tomato sauce, to the simple carrot and greens salad that underlay the bean cakes, every bit of the dish tasted of sunshine, good soil and clean water (the flavor of great veggies is connected to the quality of the land in which they’re grown).

Jenn’s whole herring (no kidding!) with day lentils, greens and black olive tapenade (£16.25) was, as she reported “very tasty, with a crunchy skin and a mellow white meat.” According to her, the fish didn’t need much seasoning, and it didn’t have much, letting the fresh fish’s own flavor shine through. The lentils were hearty without being too salty, even with the tapenade, which was (as they are meant to be).

The Duke of Cambridge is about great food, served simply, and while we were there, many of the day’s specials were erased from the menu on the wall, as their small quantities were eaten up by the full crowd at the pub, so I’d recommend eating earlier in the evening if you want to have the menu’s full choice. There are two meat, two fish and two vegetarian meals offered at lunch and dinner.

Unfortunately, Jenn and I had no room for dessert, and I enjoyed a (fair trade and organic) espresso and caught up with my friend at our wooden table under the skylight as passersby on the streets of Islington bustled by.

local, London, organic food

Housingworks Green Weddings Event with Leanne Marshall, Mary Cleaver, Danielle Venokur and Mireya Navarro

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by Starre Vartan · 04/28/09

Project Runway designer Leanne Marshall (Season 5) shows us the gorgeous ecofriendly wedding dress she whipped up for the event!

I had lots of fun at last week’s Green Weddings event put on by Housingworks in Manhattan. A lively panel discussion was moderated by author Mireya Navarro (who wrote the gorgeous new book, Green Wedding). Mireya was joined by Mary Cleaver of The Cleaver Company organic catering, Project Runway designer Leanne Marshall, and Danielle Venokur, of dvGreen sustainable events.

Old friends and new! Brenna McLoughlin of Elegant Bride magazine, Gloria Dawson of The Daily Green, Jessica Mischener of Portovert and Inhabitat and Rene Ebersole of Audubon Magazine.

Attendees included magazine editors, bloggers, ecofashionistas, fashion and graphic designers, brides-to-be, green enthusiasts and random passers-by, as well as the generous Housing Works staff and volunteers. Housing Works provides medical care, housing and legal assistance to people with HIV/AIDS who need help.

The panel, l to r: Mireya, Leanne, Mary and Danielle

Food was a hot topic for the panel, with Mary Cleaver telling the audience about how when she got her start, it was hard to find local food in NYC. “Food came from California, even in the summer. There’s been a tremendous growth in growing locally in the last 3-5 years. It’s not just the impact of shipping the food, it’s the flavor that’s so much better with local,” she said. She recommended Alice Water’s “The Delicious Revolution” to those who were new to the local/organic/seasonal food table. All the panelists agreed that local, seasonal food was the way to go for a wedding dinner.

Local, seasonal food was also served by the Housing Works Catering Company, who provided yum hors doeuvres

Danielle Venokur of dvGreen agreed that for some parts of a wedding, going green means it will cost more, but there are ways to integrate sustainability for a lower price tag. “You might have to be a bit more creative, or do more legwork, but sometimes it will actually cost you less–photography for example. Going digital and only printing the images you really want will save money and paper waste. A wedding website will cut down on paper and shipping,” said Danielle. Then you can use those savings towards more ecofriendly transportation options.

“For anything that’s a part of your wedding, you should be asking ‘Where did this come from? Where does it go when I’m done with it?’ If I can’t get to the bottom of these questions,” Danielle said, “I don’t want to get involved with it.”

When it comes to the dress, Leanne suggested borrowing was an ecofriendly and economical way to go, in keeping with the ‘something borrowed’ theme of the old bridal advice quartet. “A lot of brides want new dresses though, and there are some great ecofabrics out there to design with,” she said.

The panelists came together to give a list of the three most important “To Do’s” for greening a wedding:
1. Food (local, seasonal, organic, veggie/vegan)
2. Flowers (local, seasonal)
3. Invites (recycled paper, websites, soy or nontoxic ink)

In addition to the panel, there were a number of NYC-based vendors who showed their wedding-appropriate wares:

Maryanne Loverme of Wabisabi Jewelry

Wabisabi Jewelry up close- this necklace is made from upcycled pennies with recycled images adhered to them.

I loved Lovely Day Designs’ soy candles that are poured in vintage teacups- they make perfect party favors and are upcycled to boot!

business, ecofashion, organic food, wedding

Deplasticize Your Life!

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by Starre Vartan · 08/18/08

This movie from the 1950′s shows Disney’s “House of the Future” which is totally kitted out in plastic EVERYthing. Ironic that here I am from 2008 writing about how to get plastic out of my life!

I haven’t picked up a plastic bag in weeks now*, and I’m looking for a new eco-challenge. I think a wholesale elimination of ALL plastic from my life could be a worthwhile next step towards the continuing greenification of my life.** Why plastic? Yes, it CAN be great (plastic medical devices save lives and plastic helps reduce the weight of cars so they’re more fuel-efficient), but mostly, it’s evil.

Reason 1: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area TWICE the size of the continental U.S. that’s filled with floating plastic debris. The smaller the plastic gets, the higher in the water column it floats, with marine life choking on the stuff. The source of the debris? North America and Asia (that’s you and me).

Reason 2: Plastic is made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource that we’re spending millions of dollars and the lives and well-being of our fellow humans to obtain. Eight percent of oil worldwide goes to make plastics. My use increases demand.

Reason 3: Many plastics (we’re not even totally sure which ones yet) leach toxic chemicals into our environment (and us, especially fetuses) when they’re created, and into our bodies when we use them for food and beverage storage. Life is toxic enough without adding to it.

Instead of plastic storage containers, try: Glass ones. There are all kinds, from traditional round-shaped ones from Pyrex, but I like these square versions with frosted tops even better.

Instead of plastic produce bags try: Cloth or reusable ‘green’ bags (or none at all). Naturally-protected produce like bananas, oranges, apples, limes and avocados don’t need a bag- I never use them and my veggies aren’t suffering. Only leafy stuff and small fruits and veggies (cherries, brussels sprouts) really need to be bagged. I use the Evert-Fresh bags (but several companies make these now) because they keep produce fresh in the fridge way longer than supermarket produce babs. You can bring these to the market for those items that demand a carrier, and you can just rinse and reuse these. (I’ve had mine for four years now.) A friend of mine likes different-sized cloth bags which she throws in the laundry every now and again, so that’s another option.

Instead of plastic wrap try: A dish! (My father who lives in Australia actually taught me this one-thanks Dad!) Instead of putting plastic over a plate of leftovers, just use another dish of the same size or smaller. Want to be able to see what’s under there? Use a clear glass plate. For bowls, use teacup saucers (you can find these a goodwill for pennies. Food will stay moist and protected sans plastic, and the plates are reusable forever.

Instead of plastic baggies try: Wax paper bags or a cloth napkin.
This is a toughie. Sometimes there’s nothing like a sealable plastic bag- for something mushy or potentially messy- if I have to, I use mine over and over until they die so I don’t buy more than a box of these every couple years, if that. But for drier items (sandwiches, fruit, cut veggies) a wax paper bag will keep moisture in and it will eventually biodegrade (unlike plastic). I use a cloth napkin for short-term transport of homemade burritos, sandwiches and veggies which won’t leak much but need a bit of protection. I can use it as a napkin while eating; plastic, not so much.

Instead of plastic silverware, try: Bringing your own.
I carry my own utensils- or I should say utensil- with me: the Aussie splayde is perfect, but a spork works too, so I never need to use plastic. You could also try a set of collapsible chopsticks (I find a need a spoon more often than a fork, but think about what you eat and what works for you).

*The key to avoiding plastic bags is to carry an oversized bag so you always have a place for small items, keeping a fold-up reusable bag like Envirosax in your bigger bag, and leaving your canvas bags for grocery shopping in the car so you’re always prepared.

** So far I’ve switched to 75% organic food in my home, I drive only on the weekends, I’ve gotten a super-efficient furnace, use only low-VOC paints, compost food scraps, grow my own veggies and herbs, buy from my local farmer’s market from April-October, adopted all my animals, buy more than half my clothes and shoes from sustainable companies (see my blog, Eco Chick for a listing), take the train instead of flying, switched from a desktop to a laptop (they use 90% less power), bought a water and energy efficient new washer, and line-dry my clothes whenever possible. I’ve been vegetarian for 15 years, so that’s not recent, but it still counts!

Amazon, Animals, Australia, bags, BPA, car, cars, clothes, eating, Eco-Chick, Energy, epa, farm, farmer's market, Food, fruit, fur, garbage, Home, homemade, local, News, oil, Organic, organic food, paper, plastic, plastic bags, plastics, plates, produce, reduce, reuse, shoes, Shopping, sport, sustainable, Tea, vegetarian, water

Miessence: Organic Food for My Skin

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by Ann Benoit · 06/24/08

My personal quest to find a skin care line that isn’t toxic like most conventional skin products and WORKS is finally over! I recently discovered a brand, Miessence owned by Australian based company, ONE (Organic and Natural Enterprise) Group that perfectly fits those 2 needs.

Since that time, I’ve become a true Miessence addict! Their price range is comparable to something you would buy from Aveda or Origins, but the ingredients are sooo much better. Miessence has signed the The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, and their products are certified USDA Organic, Australian Certified Organic, and certified by the Biological Farmers of Australia.

Miessence® is currently the only skin care product on the planet that has submitted to, and complies with, the rigorous processing and labelling requirements for certified organic food products.

So, in my book if it’s good enough to eat, then its good enough to put on my face! And more importantly, all of their products are amazing and make my skin look + feel great.

Right now I’m in love with their Balancing Line (for combination skin) of face products. I would recommend ordering a bunch of their samples to try out all their lines to see which one works best since their sample sachets are only $1 and that way you don’t have to commit. In additional to a traditional skin care line, they also sell shampoo and cosmetics (I’m going to try these next). Right now they only sell online. If you’re ordering from the U.S. go here.

Australia, book, car, cosmetics, farm, Food, Home, Organic, organic food, Shampoo, skin, Skin Care, Tea, USDA

On the Menu: Super Cute Tees

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by Olivia Zaleski · 04/26/08

Need a way to remember to eat your veggies? I know I do . . .
Check these out! FoodTee Market’s (by DietDetective.com) line of adorable 100 percent organic cotton t-shirts. They just might make it easier to remember our daily 5-8.

These tees are cute and did I mention they’re available in organic cotton too?
But that’s not all the goodness. DietDetective.com will donate a portion of the profits to:

1) Two Angry Moms, an organization, set up by . . . yes . . . two angry moms, that fights for better school food. The goal is to better our children’s nutrition while raising awareness to the overwhelming connection between good food, good health and a student’s ability to learn effectively.

2) The Food Studies Institute, a non-profit devoted to helping children through proper nutrition and education.

So get clicking. You can order your organic tees through DietDetective.com’s FoodTee Market website (www.foodtee.com). There are over 20 fruits ‘n veggie designs to choose from. All are available in a range of wears: fitted, long-sleeve, short-sleeve, boy-tank, even a sexy bikini-strap style. Of course silhouettes come in sizes for both men, women, children, toddlers and itty bitty baby—the onesies are adorable! Don’t forget to check out the yoga bags, reusable tote bags (perfect for BYOB) and aprons too. Mother’s day is right around the corner and what yummy mommy wouldn’t want one of those?