I like to think one of the reasons three Scottish chefs have, for the first time, been invited to cook the meal for this year's Sustainable Restaurant Awards in London (hosted by Raymond Blanc and attended by the great and good of the foodie world) is because Scotland has at last embraced the concept of sourcing local, seasonal, sustainably produced ingredients in its restaurants, cafes and bars.
That is allied to saving water; being energy efficient; using environmentally kind cleaning materials; recycling and reusing to reduce landfill; and, not least, disposing of waste properly instead of slewing it down the drain to block our sewers.
Carina Contini of the Scottish Cafe and Restaurant and Neil Forbes of Cafe St Honore, both Edinburgh, plus Calum Richardson from The Bay Fish & Chips in Stonehaven - and a number of their suppliers - have been honoured partly because this is the year Scotland will host so many high-profile sporting, political and social events.
It's an opportunity to show the rest of the UK culinerati what we do.
So, at Roast restaurant at Borough Market on February 17, the chosen three will present canapes made wth Biggar cheese and organic haggis bon-bons from Peelham farm; main dishes to include Sascha Grierson beef stew with Scottish kitchen garden herb dumplings; Arbroath smokies, Cullen skink; Forfar bridies and smoked pigeon; and for dessert Neil Forbes will whip up a "millionbere" shortbread, made with Orkney barley. The food is undeniably sustainable: local and seasonal, with a low carbon footprint to boot.
Actually, all three Scots chefs are particularly forward-looking when it comes to sustainability. The Bay Fish & Chips is the Scottish Sustainable Restaurant of the Year and the Scottish Cafe, which like Cafe St Honore has three stars from the SRA, grows most of its veg in its own dedicated kitchen garden and recycles its food waste as compost.
This year's awards ceremony will be bigger than before as the SRA continues to expand its membership of restaurateurs determined to change the shaming statistic that for every meal eaten in a UK restaurant, almost half a kilo of food is wasted through preparation, spoilage or leftovers on the plate; the equivalent of a double decker bus-load of waste for every restaurant each year, most going to fill up scarce landfull space. A third of that comes off diners' plates. There is to be a global launch of SRA's Star rating scheme, and a new contract catering membership category.
There are more than 20 SRA members based in Scotland. Apart from the nationwide chains Carluccio's and Prezzo, who have a presence in almost every town and city, the majority are independents, such as Ondine in Edinburgh, Gamba in Glasgow and the Aberdeen pub and restaurant The Mains of Scotstown Inn, which claims to be making £8000 of yearly savings by encouraging guests to take away any uneaten food in a 'doggy box' made of recycled cardboard, and consigning food waste to a wormery located in the grounds of the pub.
The wormery creates excellent compost, which is then used on the pub's herb, fruit and salad garden. Any waste beer or cider from line cleaning is used to water the herb and salad garden.
The SRA says Scottish restaurants and chefs are at the forefront of the sustainable food movement, but I'm surprised that there aren't more Scottish members, because much of this kind of compliance is now unavoidable.
Sustainability is set to become one of the hottest topics in the next few years and the first phase of Waste Regulations came into force on January 1.
These stipulate that all food businesses producing more than 5kg of food waste per week must have a separate food waste collection.
Urban food businesses such as restaurants, pubs, cafes and canteens which produce more than 50kg of food waste per week must present that food waste for separate collection by arrangement with their local authority or with a private contractor - and failure to comply will incur a fine of up to £10,000.
Regulations for businesses with less than 50kg per week and NHS premises, and the use of macerators for disposal to sewers, come into force in January 2016, while the landfill tax will continue to rise to £80 per tonne by April 1 and will not fall below that rate before 2020. There will be a ban on biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill from 2021.
It behoves restaurateurs to shout about their commitment on windows, doors and menus. According to the SRA, customers are actively choosing where to eat according to a restaurant's sustainability rating.
So why are we being so slow to make them sign up? Suggestions gratefully received.
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