Ethical Dining: The Food Spots Giving Back
By Ellie Smith
5 months ago
Food for good
There’s no shortage of great eateries in London – but finding one with a social conscience takes a bit more digging. Here we highlight a handful of food spots who are doing their bit, from a social enterprise helping asylum seekers to a rehabilitative initiative inside a south London prison. Read on for the best ethical restaurants in London.
Ethical Restaurants & Cafés in London
Luminary Bakery
While volunteering in East London back in 2013, Alice Williams met homeless women who were caught up in the sex industry – women who had so much potential, but few opportunities available to them. The experience inspired Alice to launch Luminary, a venture designed to help disadvantaged women. It uses baking as a tool to take women on a journey to employability, equipping them with transferrable skills for the working world. There are branches in both Camden and Hackney, both offering a beautiful range of celebration cakes – flavours include almond, cherry and chocolate; lemon and blueberry; and sticky toffee. Gluten-free and vegan offerings are also available.
47 Chalk Farm Rd, Chalk Farm, London NW1 8AJ and 71-73 Allen Rd, London N16 8RY, luminarybakery.com
Waterhouse Restaurant
Canalside restaurant Waterhouse is run by Shoreditch Trust, a charity which works to empower deprived communities in Hackney. A special training programme provides chef training and support for young people who have faced challenging life circumstances, with proceeds from the restaurant going towards the cost of equipping, training and supporting young chefs. It’s also kind to the environment, with rooftop solar panels providing the kitchen’s energy supply and flooring made from recycled rubber. Much of the produce in the restaurant is Fairtrade too, with a seasonal menu of breakfast, lunch and sweet treats on offer.
10 Orsman Road, N1 5QJ, shoreditchtrust.org.uk
Brigade Bar + Kitchen
Chef Simon Boyle spent the early days of his career working in high-end restaurants – from the Savoy to Chewton Glen hotel. But in 2004, his path took a sudden turn. Watching the devastating effects of the Indian Ocean tsunami unfold on TV, Simon set off to Sri Lanka to set up a relief camp, hospital and school. Upon returning to London, he was compelled to create something with a social purpose there too, and so Brigade Bar + Kitchen was born. Located in Tooley Street’s fire station, the ethical restaurant works with homeless and education charity Beyond Food Foundation to offer training opportunities for vulnerable people or those who have fallen on hard times. The menu is focused on live-fire dishes – think grilled chicken with Mediterranean herbs, slow smoked short rib and platters of barbecued vegetables.
139 Tooley St, London SE1 2HZ, thebrigade.co.uk
Social Pantry
Gigi Hadid, David Attenborough and Hilary Clinton are all among the clientele of London caterer and café Social Pantry, founded in 2011 by Alex Head. Seasonal, fresh food is the core focus: an example menu could include whipped ricotta to start followed by roasted sea bass, with a dark chocolate mousse for dessert. Aside from the impeccable food, the business has a positive impact: Alex works closely with London prisons, charities and enterprises to recruit ex-offenders both from behind bars and on release.
170A Lavender Hill, SW11 5TG and 65-67 Peckham Road, Peckham, SE5 8UH, socialpantry.co.uk
Sohalia
A rebrand of Pimlico’s Ebury by Fat Macy’s, Sohalia in Shoreditch is one of the city’s most impressive ethical restaurants. As well as serving up a delicious Middle Eastern-inspired menu, the eatery also provides employment, training and support to people who have been living in temporary accommodation. Trainees learn from professional chefs and help to run the business, gaining valuable skills as they transition into independent living. Diners, meanwhile, are treated to colourful dishes like fried halloumi with honey and za’atar, crispy lamb shoulder with broad beans, and spiced beef and ricotta meatballs with pickled radicchio.
232 Shoreditch High Street London E1 6PJ, sohailarestaurant.com
Breadwinners
Not only does Breadwinners dish out some of the best artisan bread in town, it’s for a good cause. A social enterprise operating across markets all over London, the forward-thinking company offers both work experience and employment to asylum seekers and refugees, helping them gain vital employability skills for life in the UK. You can donate to the cause here.
Various locations, breadwinners.org.uk
The Clink
Brixton isn’t short of quirky restaurants – but The Clink offers something entirely unique. Housed inside the walls of HM Prison Brixton, the initiative serves as a training establishment for inmates. Food is both cooked and served by prisoners who are working towards gaining qualifications, designed to help them find employment once they’re released. The charity – which began with outlets in High Down and Cardiff – is now in its tenth year, and has one of the lowest reoffending rates in the UK. Over the next few years, there are plans to roll out the initiative in prisons across the country.
HMP Brixton, Jebb Ave, Brixton Hill, London SW2 5XF, theclinkcharity.org
Fair Shot Cafe
Founded by Bianca Tavella back in 2019, Fair Shot Cafe was designed to help young people with disabilities by providing them with hospitality training. It began in Mayfair, but recently moved to a larger site in Covent Garden, allowing more space for diners to enjoy the all-day dining menu. Currently 94 per cent of adults with learning disabilities are unemployed, but Fair Shot aims to change this, promoting inclusive employment and disproving stigmas. Each year, 12 young adults are enrolled into the programme, spending four days a week at the cafe and one day at their partner college to carry out the educational side of the course. In terms of the food, brunch is the key focus, with standout dishes including overnight oats, portobello mushroom toast, and roasted beetroot salad with feta. Guests can also tuck into freshly made focaccias, toasties and salads, alongside specialty-grade coffee from Curious Roo.
3 Slingsby Place, London, WC2E 9AB, fairshot.co.uk
Luminary Bakery
Luminary Bakery is a social enterprise that helps women across London through the joy of baking. Over the past ten years, the bakery has helped more than 200 women, providing 343 apprentice placement and over 4000 hours of one-to-one support – with 89% of the team now successfully placed in employment, education, volunteering or training. Donate to this award-winning initiative, or pop in and buy some treats – festive goodies including their shortcrust mince pies and Christmas cakes are on sale now.
47 Chalk Farm Road, Chalk Farm, London, NW1 8AJ, luminarybakery.com
Main image: Ebury by Fat Macy’s
