“We’ve been conditioned by supermarkets to think it’s okay to be eating asparagus all year round. It’s not!”

Church Road isn’t any ordinary neighbourhood restaurant. Aside from serving simple, harmonious and flavoursome food, the team - led by head chef Sam Astley-Dean - are truly dedicated to reducing their environmental impact in a real, practical sense.

The working philosophy at Church Road is ‘treading lightly on the planet’ and this impacts everything from choosing which suppliers they work with to cutting back on the amount of deliveries the restaurant receives.

Chef Sam (whose impressive CV includes stints at Simon Rogan at Fera, Chez Bruce and most recently Elystan Street) has packed his menu with punchy seasonal ingredients – some foraged, some farm grown, some wild. Diners will also find MSC-certified line-caught and sustainably farmed fish and shellfish and grass-fed, fully traceable free range meat sourced from British farms with proven track records of meticulous animal husbandry.

Daily deliveries have been cut down to reduce the damaging environmental effect and Sam works with a range of sustainability-savvy companies such as Waste Knot, Food Chain and Feast Fairly to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of Church Road.

One of his initiatives is the introduction of the lunchtime and early evening Little Sprouts menu, which offers a selection of dishes that use produce which, for whatever reason, would otherwise have gone to waste. It might be as simple as an imperfect ‘ugly’ vegetable or an undersized egg. £2 of the £22 for 3 courses is donated to The Friends of Barnes Common Little Sprouts, local charitable community project centred around food and learning.

Here he tells us more…

“We really need to take sourcing and seasonality seriously – it’s just not acceptable to be serving produce that has to travel a ridiculous amount of food miles or is out of season. For starters, it won’t have the depth of flavour of something in season. We’ve all been conditioned by supermarkets and restaurants for too long to think that it’s okay to be eating asparagus all year round and it’s not! I’m sure that people are getting wise to this. There’s so much about it on TV and on social media.

We need to be brave and start cooking with ingredients that are perhaps less run-of-the-mill. Like now, for instance, on the menu we have a butternut squash soup with a chestnut pesto, brown butter and trompettes, and venison with red cabbage and a wrap of glazed shoulder and pickled pear on our A La Carte menu, both of which have had rave reviews from customers.

Phil and Rebecca [Church Road’s owners – Michelin-starred chef Phil Howard and restaurant supremo Rebecca Mascarenhas] are really into giving young talent a chance to get to the top, and I’m thrilled to take up the challenge that they’ve handed me. One of the most exciting things about my job is finding suppliers that share our ‘treading lightly on the planet’ philosophy.

But, it’s not only the companies that we’re working with who are helping to make that difference, it’s also the attitude that we have in-house. It’s no good working with the likes of Waste Knot and Feast Fairly if we’re wasteful ourselves. So, the team collaborate closely to ensure that the way we work is as mindful as possible - be that in our attitudes towards each other, towards our suppliers and our customers, or in the way that we create a dish.

If we’re trimming something – are we using those trimmed-off bits elsewhere? If we’re cleaning something, are we using environmentally friendly products? If we’re using the gas burners, are we only using them when we need to? Are we looking after the team members, keeping an eye on their mental and physical health? Ensuring that everyone’s being supported and supportive of and by each other? These are all things that make a difference to working environments and help us to realise how important that is.”

Sam’s top sustainable suppliers

Waste Knot

Waste Knot helps make the connection between farms that have surplus produce that may not meet strict, cosmetic criteria and those who can put it to good use. The scale of this colossal problem has reached unthinkable levels. Jess Latchford, their founder, is a passionate advocate of sustainability and seasonality. I think what she’s doing is hugely important. wasteknot.org.uk

Food Chain

Food Chain are working to build a more sustainable, efficient and transparent supply chain that both chefs and suppliers love. Their mission is to bring high quality, fresh, and affordable food to everyone. joinfoodchain.com

Feast Fairly

Feast Fairly are a community of farmers with hard-to-sell ingredients. They’re putting underused ingredients onto restaurant menus to support biodiversity. Diversity in plants is security for our planet. instagram.com/feastfairly

FloGro Fresh

FloGro Fresh are sustainably producing prawns in Lincolnshire. The MSC (Marine Conservation Society) has given them their top rating for their methods of production and sustainability. flogrosystems.com

Wild Room

The wild room is a produce supplier specialising in wild mushrooms fresh truffles and foraged produce. thewildroom.com

Lake District Farmers

Lake District Farmers are specialists in their region and only support local farmers. The animals are all grass fed, breed specific and the meat is fully traceable and free range. Each farm they work with has a proven track record of meticulous animal husbandry. lakedistrictfarmers.co.uk

Flying Fish

Based in Cornwall, Flying Fish are experts in the sustainable world of line caught day boat fish and sustainable stocks elsewhere. All their stock is MSC-certified line-caught and sustainably farmed fish and shellfish. flyingfishseafoods.co.uk

Nature’s Choice

Nature’s Choice are committed to sourcing the finest produce available which has been grown using the most sustainable methods. They work closely with their growers and farmers, helping them devise growing plans and operating in the most environmentally-friendly ways possible. natureschoice.london