Organic UK on a plate

Taste Yesterday, the Soil Association published a damning report on the food at Britain's tourist attractions. Here director, Patrick Holden, offers a few tasty alternatives
  
  

The Eden Project
Welcome to the gastrodome ... The Eden Project, Cornwall. Photograph: Barry Bachelor/PA Photograph: Barry Bachelor/PA

Best tourist attraction The Eden Project, Cornwall

The Eden Project came top of our survey mainly because in each of their eateries they offer fresh fruit and healthy cold drinks. They also buy most of their organic food from producers in Cornwall and the south west and take their educational role on food seriously. Of the attractions we surveyed, they were leaps and bounds ahead.

edenproject.com, 01726 811911.

Best seaside restaurant

The Whitehouse Restaurant, Argyll

The Whitehouse is in a stunning setting in the village of Lochaline - just by the ferry that crosses the Sound of Mull. They combine a simple approach with high quality ingredients, and they have a deep commitment to sourcing locally: fresh prawns are delivered by local diver and fisherman, George. You feel you've entered into the spirit of the place through its food.

whitehouserestaurant.co.uk, 01967 421777.

Best country house hotel

Penrhos, Herefordshire

Penrhos is an organic hotel in an ancient manor house on the Welsh border. The hotel and restaurant were the first to be certified organic. In one of the more intensively farmed areas of England, it is gratifying to see a determination to build a local food culture.

penrhos.co.uk 01544 230720.

Best city restaurant

Quartier Vert, Bristol

Barney Haughton, who runs Quartier Vert, is one of the greatest unsung food heroes of them all. Menus are seasonal and the meat is always organic. Some of the finest meals I've ever eaten have been here including a great risotto and a wonderful fish soup. Barney's latest venture, Bordeaux Quay, opened this week on the Bristol Harbourside. It combines restaurant, brasserie, bakery, cookery school and cafe.

quartiervert.co.uk, 0117 9734482; bordeaux-quay.co.uk

Best farm restaurant

The Field Kitchen, Riverford Organic Farm, Devon

This is a new project from Guy Watson, the organic box scheme impresario, who decided he wanted to offer visitors great food from the working farm. The chicken and leek pie, and parsnip and squash au gratin, were memorable dishes.

riverford.co.uk 01803 762074

Best museum cafe

Scottish National Museum of Country Life, East Kilbride

The Sheilings Café uses seasonal, organic and local ingredients where possible and does a great baked potato with roasted vegetables, and delicious home-made soups. Not a museum with national profile but blazing an important trail with food.

nms.ac.uk/country 01312 474383.

Best B&B

Hindon Organic Farm, Somerset

Wonderful location looking out over the Exmoor coast and countryside. Penny and Roger Webber do a great organic cooked breakfast and provide a complementary organic and local produce hamper if you're self-catering. They even have their own spring water.

hindonfarm.co.uk 01643 705244.

· Organic Fortnight is September 2-17. For lists of events near you, go to soilassociation.org

 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*