Eco-Friendly Food Of The Week

Now restaurateurs are taking more care with the Earth's precious resources - and the results are pretty tasty, says Andy Lynes

We don't just spend money when we eat in a restaurant; we're also spending Mother Nature's precious resources. It takes energy to fly food around the world and cook it, not to mention all those chemicals to clean the plates and linen once the diners have left. These days, chefs and restaurateurs are beginning to think more about the impact their business has on the environment.

No need to worry about food miles at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, 630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills, New York, (001 914 366 9600; bluehillfarm.com). The fast-food philosophy at this restaurant on a working farm in Westchester County is the speed at which ingredients make it from field to plate.

Bordeaux Quay, V Shed, Canons Way, Bristol (0117-943 1200; bordeaux-quay.co.uk) is a recently opened restaurant with some lofty eco-credentials. Not only is the food sourced within a 50-mile radius of the kitchen, but the restaurant has its own head of sustainability.

Denis Cotter looks to local growers and cheesemakers for ingredients for his vegetarian menus at Café Paradiso, 16 Lancaster Quay, Cork, (00 353 21 4277939; cafeparadiso.ie) that include dishes such as pancakes of roast pepper, puy lentils and Bluebell Falls goat's cheese with fennel.

The actor Paul Newman is helping to revive American regional cuisine at The Dressing Room, 27 Powers Court, Westport, Connecticut, (001 203 226 1114) - the Yankee pot roast and Iroquois white corn soup are all made from locally grown, organic ingredients.

The Peasants Feast, 121A King St, Newtown, Sydney, (00 61 2 95165998; peasantsfeast.com.au) prepares all its organic produce with double-purified filtered water, ensuring that its dishes such as organic duck with sausage, orange, pistachio and spicy Morrocan cabbage are as healthy as possible.

Michel Nischan brings his passion for the organic to Pure, Taj Lands End, Band Stand, Bandra, Mumbai, (00 91 22 6668 1234; tajhotels .com), which translates into dishes such as a dessert of "eight pure flavours of organic chocolate".

The gardens at Sooke Harbour House, 1528 Whiffen Spit Road, Sooke, British Columbia, (001 250 642 3421; sookeharbourhouse.com) are not just for show. All the fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers grown on site are incorporated into dishes such as a walnut, wildflower and sweet cicely strudel.

They keep things as local as possible at Zachary's, Pezula Resort, Knysna, South Africa, (00 27 44 302 3333; pezula.com). Vegetables and herbs for dishes such as sugar-cured salmon trout with summer greens, pickled radish and preserved lemon are grown in the hotel's organic garden.