When you need to cater for a gallery event or the like, you can make sure that the food and drink on offer is as eco-friendly as every other part of your operation.

London-based eco cuisine has a strong sustainability policy.  It sources meat from Suffolk, Devon and Norfolk farms, fish from sustainable stocks off Cornwall as recommended by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), uses local and seasonal fruit and vegetables, and promotes Fairtrade products.  Its deliveries are made in a zero-emissions van and it uses biodegradable, compostable trays and lids, plates, cups and crockery – or you can hire china as an alternative.  Its menus include vegetarian and vegan options.

Elysia is another London-based catering company with a focus on sustainability, and whose food is made using seasonal surplus produce from local artisans; and all deliveries are made either on foot or by bicycle.  Because all its ingredients are sourced from the unwanted supplies of other caterers, it is contributing to the circular economy, claiming to have so far stopped 10.5  tons of artisan food going to waste, while saving four tons of CO2 through its green delivery model.  All the usual gluten-, dairy-free and vegan options are available.

Eden Caterers, again based in the capital, claims to be ‘one of the UK’s most sustainable caterers’, boasting a 3-star rating (the highest possible) from the Sustainable Restaurant Association.  It sends no waste to landfill, sources MCS-certified fish, prioritises seasonable and UK produce, and uses plant-based PLA, or, if necessary, recycled, plastic.  Eden also keeps its own bees, and has a policy to ‘repair rather than renew, buy second hand when possible’.

For bigger events, international group GIG donates the leftover food from its Eat to the Beat catering arm to a community project in Chesham, run by food redistribution outfit Hubbub.  It has a strong low-waste, low-energy and recycling policy, and engagement with sustainability issues and solutions in relation to its business operations.  It sources local and seasonal produce, sustainable fish and seafood, and uses organic produce and products that meet the RSPCA Freedom Food and Red Tractor welfare and quality standards.

Specifically for soft drinks – not everyone attending a drinks reception will want a glass of Champagne – Pip Organic is a Soil Association-recognised supplier of fruit juices.  Its Cold Pressed range comes in bottles made up of 75% recycled plastic and 25% bio-based plastic, which can be recycled up to five times; the packaging is 100% recyclable, and it makes deliveries in an electric van.  As its name suggests, the company promotes organic farming.

If you are preparing your catering in-house, but still need to source receptacles for it, try BioPak, which makes cups, plates, food containers and cutlery (as well as straws, napkins and janitorial products) made with paper from sustainably managed plantations, ensuring everything is renewable and biodegradable.  The company has won a number of environmental awards and is a member of the Ellen McArthur Foundation, with a commitment to donating a percentage of its profits to circular economy projects.

When you need to cater for a gallery event or the like, you can make sure that the food and drink on offer is as eco-friendly as every other part of your operation.

London-based eco cuisine has a strong sustainability policy.  It sources meat from Suffolk, Devon and Norfolk farms, fish from sustainable stocks off Cornwall as recommended by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), uses local and seasonal fruit and vegetables, and promotes Fairtrade products.  Its deliveries are made in a zero-emissions van and it uses biodegradable, compostable trays and lids, plates, cups and crockery – or you can hire china as an alternative.  Its menus include vegetarian and vegan options.

Elysia is another London-based catering company with a focus on sustainability, and whose food is made using seasonal surplus produce from local artisans; and all deliveries are made either on foot or by bicycle.  Because all its ingredients are sourced from the unwanted supplies of other caterers, it is contributing to the circular economy, claiming to have so far stopped 10.5  tons of artisan food going to waste, while saving four tons of CO2 through its green delivery model.  All the usual gluten-, dairy-free and vegan options are available.

Eden Caterers, again based in the capital, claims to be ‘one of the UK’s most sustainable caterers’, boasting a 3-star rating (the highest possible) from the Sustainable Restaurant Association.  It sends no waste to landfill, sources MCS-certified fish, prioritises seasonable and UK produce, and uses plant-based PLA, or, if necessary, recycled, plastic.  Eden also keeps its own bees, and has a policy to ‘repair rather than renew, buy second hand when possible’.

For bigger events, international group GIG donates the leftover food from its Eat to the Beat catering arm to a community project in Chesham, run by food redistribution outfit Hubbub.  It has a strong low-waste, low-energy and recycling policy, and engagement with sustainability issues and solutions in relation to its business operations.  It sources local and seasonal produce, sustainable fish and seafood, and uses organic produce and products that meet the RSPCA Freedom Food and Red Tractor welfare and quality standards.

Specifically for soft drinks – not everyone attending a drinks reception will want a glass of Champagne – Pip Organic is a Soil Association-recognised supplier of fruit juices.  Its Cold Pressed range comes in bottles made up of 75% recycled plastic and 25% bio-based plastic, which can be recycled up to five times; the packaging is 100% recyclable, and it makes deliveries in an electric van.  As its name suggests, the company promotes organic farming.

If you are preparing your catering in-house, but still need to source receptacles for it, try BioPak, which makes cups, plates, food containers and cutlery (as well as straws, napkins and janitorial products) made with paper from sustainably managed plantations, ensuring everything is renewable and biodegradable.  The company has won a number of environmental awards and is a member of the Ellen McArthur Foundation, with a commitment to donating a percentage of its profits to circular economy projects.