Accidental expert: Experiments in sustainable restaurants and food retailing

Abstract

Drawing on a vision of more environmentally aware, locally-based and less wasteful businesses, the author describes two restaurants he designed and ran: Acorn House and Water House. The paper continues with a description of The People’s Supermarket in Lambs Conduit Street, London — founded by the author as a not-for-profit, cooperative, social enterprise, members’ supermarket. It is an initiative that echoes Government thinking on both Localism and The Big Society, with the emphasis of the business being to create better local food distribution. Members receive a 10 per cent discount at the tills in return for 4 hours a month voluntary work at the supermarket.