Poco is a multi-award-winning Bristol restaurant serving daily changing seasonal menus which celebrate the bounty on our doorstep, and champion the hands that grow it. When it comes to sustainable operation, at Poco we’re on a mission to be not only be Bristol’s best restaurant, but also to be at the forefront of the sustainable movement, nationally and internationally. We’ve made real and transparent commitments to operating as sustainably as possible which has seen us crowned 2016 & 2018 Sustainable Restaurant of the year, as well as Best English and Best Independent Restaurant at the Sustainable Restaurant Association awards and Best Ethical Restaurant at the Observer Food Monthly Awards. For a sense of what we’re doing to achieve this, you can read a report detailing what it is that won us these awards here or scroll down to read our green policy and the manifesto we operate by. Sustainability
Our Green Policy
As a member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association each year we’re objectively surveyed and accredited on a wide range of criteria from energy consumption and proportions of organic produce used, to water usage, treatment of staff and other community initiatives. We were given the highest scores ever achieved by a member restaurant, an impressive 93%, something we’re deeply proud of. Here’s some of how we did it…
Suppliers
Our chefs source food for its quality (freshness, flavour, archetypal representation of the ingredients heritage) and ethics. Our food and ingredients are chosen for their traceability, buying direct from farms and producers wherever possible, because of the close relationships and trust that creates. Because of this our menus are always seasonal and evolving to reflect what is at it’s best and of the moment. If we buy from a distributor or importer we buy fair-trade certified ingredients when applicable. Our fresh produce is 100% seasonal without exception. 90% is British and the vast majority is sourced within 50 miles of the restaurant. The only fresh ingredient we import is organic, unwaxed citrus from Europe. Our dry goods and sundries are first sourced from the UK if they are available. Our imported ingredients are chosen for their absolute quality and impeccable ethics. More than 50% of our produce is organic and certified by the Soil association. If we include other suppliers of ours who do farm organically, but don’t have certification for reasons of scale, then that figure rises to over 70% We believe organic and biodynamic farming is the foundation of a healthy, biodiverse and sustainable future food system. Our fish is selected by using the Marine Conservation Society’s online guide. We only serve fish that is recommended to eat and given the highest sustainability rating by the MCS. We will not serve fish that is under question or threat. This means omitting many restaurant favourites from our menus like skate, monkfish and plaice. We always have bivalve molluscs, like Mussels and Oysters on the menu, as these are the best possible choice when it comes to sustainable fish, given the overwhelmingly positive impact they have on ecosystems. Our bar menu is equally strict. We serve predominantly organic, natural and small production w**es. Several of our w**es are English, one of which we helped to harvest. We’ve made collaborative beers with local brewery’s and make a great many homemade liqueurs and infusions using foraged and herbal ingredients with english grain spirit as a base. These form the basis of a lot of our house cocktails. We’ve also recently developed our own gin with a local micro distillery, Psychopomp, using the leaves and peel from the lemons we juice as lead botanicals alongside Sea Buckthorn & Burdoch root. Food Waste
Nearly 100% of our waste is composted and recycled
Based on the principles of a circular economy, all our products are chosen so they can be re-used circulating at a high quality or reenter the biosphere safely, either by being eaten, composted or renewed safely. We order ingredients daily and allow dishes to run out in order to keep food fresh and avoid an excess of produce. The chefs and waiters weigh our bin bags each day, keeping a record of what and how much we are wasting so that we can analyse and reduce it in the future. If plate waste is returned from the tables frequently the specific dishes or elements of the dish are recorded and communicated to the chefs. Our recipes have built in rescue-recipes that turn surplus or bi-products into delicious dishes e.g. If we sell less mackerel than we expect, the chefs will notice the excess in good time and make an escabeche. We order products with little to no packaging, if a product isn’t available from any local supplier without packaging we will only purchase it if the packaging is recyclable. If a supplier brings a product with non recyclable packaging we ask our supplier to take it away and re-use it. We have formed a cooperative with our local restaurants in Bristol for our waste scheme in order to compost and recycle all of our waste. Communication
We have a monthly meeting with the staff to introduce the new seasonal menu, discuss the ingredients, their provenance and any notes about their sustainability. We often invite our suppliers to come and talk at these meetings as well as organising regular trips to the farms that supply us. We publish our green policy and manifesto online outlining our efforts and beliefs. Tom Hunt organises events with organisations such as Slow Food, Fareshare and Feedback to highlight issues in the food industry through celebration and dining. Tom is also a food writer for the Guardian and other publications. He writes recipes and articles focussed around sustainability view-point. Bricks & Mortar
Few industries are more resource hungry than construction which is why we’ve designed and built both our restaurants ourselves (not without a little help though) to minimise our impact wherever possible. We used recycled materials, reclaimed timbers & local materials. Natural stones and natural paints. We use LED lighting throughout and draw all our power from renewable energy. Some of the initiatives and charities we support and work with:
The SRA
Soil Association
Slow Food
Marine Conservation Society
Action Against Hunger
Feedback
Fareshare
Bristol Food Producers
Chefs Manifesto
