Environment

Jamie Oliver’s former right-hand man plans ‘sustainable restaurant’ in London

Published

11 years ago

March 4, 2014

Blue & Green Tomorrow

Jamie Grainger-Smith, who was Jamie Oliver’s right-hand man at Fifteen, is setting up a London restaurant that has sustainability at its heart.

Grainger-Smith’s latest venture is Think.Eat.Drink (TED), a membership scheme for accredited ethical and responsible businesses that he launched in 2012.

Speaking to Blue & Green Tomorrow, he said the new restaurant – located on Caledonian Road, near King’s Cross, and expected to open in early June – will “change the food and drink industry for the better”.

He added that the TED restaurant would be ethical and “know exactly where all the ingredients in the supply chain come from”.

Grainger-Smith’s idea behind TED is to revolutionise the hospitality industry, which comes all too often under fire for food waste issues or food scandals.

It already has some big names on board, including Ecover, Fresh Direct and Divine Chocolate. Grainger-Smith explained in an interview in August that if someone was keen on opening a hospitality facility, he or she would find inspiration and suggestions in TED’s list of accredited responsible suppliers.

However, the TED scheme is not just a virtual enterprise. The launch of the new restaurant in the heart of London signals Grainger-Smith’s latest foray into eco-friendly food, having already set up and managed the UK’s first eco-friendly restaurant: Acorn House in London (pictured), which relocated to its sister restaurant Waterhouse in 2012.

His new restaurant will have an open kitchen, a dining area and a bar, as well as some cosy booths.

“People will love the idea of a sustainable restaurant”, Grainger-Smith said.

“Sustainability is climbing on the top of the agenda and so is ethics in food and drink. This is why the TED idea is so great. People are going to know where things in the kitchen, food, chemicals and everything else come from.”