Sugarvine

Surely restaurants must be some of the least eco-friendly institutions around - food waste, useless packaging, imported produce, water and wine (all those air miles), endless generators chugging out fumes. But there's a bright light emerging on the horizon -- a growing number of restaurants starting to take responsibility for their own emissions, taking the future of dining out in an entirely new, and carbon-free, direction.

The leading light so far has to be Acorn House, situated, of all carbon-crazy places, in King's Cross, which surely must speak volumes about the good intentions of the planners so far. Co-founded by the Shoreditch Trust and the Terence Higgins Trust, this is a combination of restaurant, chef's school and ecological powerhouse. To sum up the concept as succinctly as possible, the idea is to take 10 budding chefs from the community (à la Jamie) and train them alongside a full time team in the restaurant. But it doesn't stop there: the restaurant building itself is constructed entirely from recycled and/or organic material; the water is purified on site to save packaging and air miles; all the waste is recycled; the electricity is completely green; and if supplies do come from foreign shores, they are shipped by boat, not by air.

All this would be in vain, however, if the food wasn't up to scratch. Luckily it seems to be heading in an eclectic, but definitely tempting, direction. They open from breakfast through to dinner, 'to reflect modern London life', and, in another brilliant stroke of genius, the size of the portions vary, to minimise food wastage, so if you're starving, but your mate's barely peckish, you can mix and match to your stomach's content. The food ranges slightly in culinary influence, from roast shoulder of mutton with rosemary and quince; buffalo mozzarella with fennel, chilli and olives; fried (wild) salmon with barley broth; and even pheasant and pomegranate salad. The prices range from £8 to £14 per plate, which seems unbelievably reasonable, but is evidently the case. And it's not all hemp chairs and rope floors either: the interior is just a cool, neutral, modern space that retains a distinctly grown-up, and not at all worthy, air.

Of course, not everyone is quite there yet, but one of the easier options if you're trying to save the planet is to go local. In the case of Konstam at the Prince Albert again also, curiously, in King's Cross, Oliver Rowe, chef patron and late of Moro, couldn't have stayed more local -- all his ingredients, including most beers and wine, are sourced from within the M25, which, whether you can believe it or not, is true. Not only does this cut down on transport costs and packaging, but ensures that he only gets seasonal produce. Even the oil used in cooking and with the bread is rapeseed rather than olive oil, which is dedication to the cause. The ingredients are used in a modern British way, so think Norbury Blue cheese with honeycomb, a luscious combination; Waltham Abbey chicken with sage and onion sauce; or even nettle pierogi (one assumes that sometimes necessity, and a slight shortage occasionally, is the mother of invention). The restaurant itself is very patriotically British Racing Green, with low lighting and delicate chandeliers used to great effect. No doubt the television series has helped bookings enormously, but the atmosphere is buzzy and welcoming, and again, there is no leftover taste of worthiness.

Taking the Notting Hillbillies by storm, Bumpkin has become a one-stop shop for all-day deli and restaurant fun. Opened by the team behind Cocoon, despite the name, it's not so much Yorkshire farmer as Trinny-and-Susannah-styled rural peasant, but it's none the worse for that. Set over three floors, the ground floor is styled as a country brasserie and deli, featuring simple grills such as Gloucester Old Spot pork chop and very hearty pies, including cow pie, fast becoming notorious; the first floor is a more refined version of the same food (with concomitant price rise); and a top floor for private dining. The eco edge comes from their ingredient sourcing: the meat comes from the highly-regarded Frank Godfrey in Highbury, who in turn only sources traceable, organic, well-brought-up produce; the fruit and veg hail from Secrett's in Surrey, every chef's favourite veg supplier, completely pesticide and nasty-free. The ales are decidedly British, the cider is organic, and the fish is line caught or sustainable, which is a lot better than others are professing to do, and everything else is Fairtrade where appropriate. All of this may sound fairly standard by now, but it's still not across the board, so to find that more and more restaurants are proudly stating their affiliations can only be a good thing, and make it easier to eat in an eco-friendly and sustainable fashion.

Of course, vegetarians are always going to have it that bit easier when it comes to ethical sourcing, as there's none of that pesky meat to worry about. Vitaorganic Café in the Aveda shop in Marylebone has to be one of the most detoxifying experiences there is. The food is billed as organic, live and 'enzymatic' (which must be good, right?). They use no refined foodstuffs, and they use modern and ancient holistic principles to 'cook' their food. So, no temperatures above 100°C, no microwaves, no aluminium, or deep frying, so that everything is in its pure and natural state as far as is possible. According to Vitaorganic, they focus on UN - ultimate nutrition, ie raw foods; and ON - optimum nutrition, which means food cooked at a low temperature to prevent as much vitamin loss as possible. Not only is there all of this planet-loving energy-saving, but it's all gluten and wheat free. The dishes on offer run along the lines of orange and sweet potato dhal, or green vegetable and sprouted buckwheat soup, which are not only delicious but filling and inexpensive to boot. Unsurprisingly, the owner is a practising Buddhist.

It's impossible to have an eco-friendly list without mentioning the first and foremost runner in the eco-friendly stakes. The Duke of Cambridge in Islington remains one of the best and most ethically run gastropubs in the country, let alone London. It was way ahead of its time when it opened in 1998, pioneering seasonal, organic British food, using local sourcing, careful monitoring of food miles, buying direct from the farmers, and even now the beers are still brewed locally and the wines and spirits are organic where viable. The coffee is Fairtrade, and water is purified on the premises, and they have even installed wind and solar generated energy, along with strict recycling procedures and adherence to sustainable fish buying policies (which are so strict, they have been working with the Marine Conservation Society to make these rules more widespread). This has been a steady, ongoing development project over the last eight years, and it just goes to show that anyone can change their habits for the good, and still wow the diners (Won 2nd best bar in the UK 2006, as voted by Observer Food Monthly). The food remains rustic and true to its pub origins, with whole baked Camembert served with crudités and croutons or braised chuck beef with sweet potato mash.