Stepping inside London’s first zero-waste restaurant Silo

Silo opened in 2014 as the world’s first zero-waste restaurant.

Social Pantry and Silo have a lot in common when it comes to zero-waste cooking. Doug McMaster opened the world’s first zero waste restaurant Silo in Brighton, 2014, and relocated to London in 2019. In 2021, Silo received a Michelin Guide Green Star for Sustainability and has maintained this status for the 3rd consecutive year. Social Pantry is on a mission to becoming the first zero-waste events catering company. Therefore we are thrilled that several of our chefs have had the opportunity to undertake stages in this groundbreaking restaurant kitchen. Our brilliant Junior Sous Chef Grace – who is also our designated ‘OLIO champion‘ – is the latest to spend time at this hub of zero-waste culinary inspiration and innovation. We spoke to Grace to find out what the experience taught her about operating a green kitchen.

Social Pantry CDP Grace is the latest team member to complete a stage at zero-waste restaurant Silo in Hackney Wick.

Where did you complete your stage?

My stage was at zero-waste restaurant Silo in Hackney Wick. The chef and owner Doug McMaster also wrote the Zero Waste Blue Print – A Food System For The Future book. And he launched the Zero Waste Cookery School during the pandemic! Hence everything about this stage was geared towards zero-waste innovation!

The Zero Waste Cooking School is Doug McMaster’s latest project with free online courses in sustainable zero-waste cookery.

Where does this stage sit in the context of your career?

This was my first time doing a stage. Though I have intentionally worked in an extremely varied selection of restaurants across my career so that I can learn as much as possible and find out what I enjoy most. I’ve previously worked in a restaurant that is very similar to Silo: The Sherwood in New Zealand. I worked as sous chef there in 2019 and they were championing zero waste ahead of it becoming ‘cool’! The Sherwood placed featured in Expedia’s most sustainable hotels in the world That was a great introduction to sustainability in hospitality.

Silo has won awards for ‘Britain’s Most Ethical Restaurant,’ and ‘Britain’s Most Innovative Restaurant’ at the Craft Guild of Chefs Awards.

What were you most looking forward to at Silo?

I was really looking forward to meeting new chefs and finding out about their backgrounds and ambitions. No two chefs’ careers are ever the same. `I was really looking forward to meeting new chefs and finding out about their backgrounds and ambitions. No two chefs’ careers are ever the same. 

How did the food and working environment compare to Social Pantry?

The food served at Silo had lots in common with the food at Social Pantry. Produce-led, zero-waste, refined, ambitious and thinking outside the box. In terms of working environment, communication was really effectively built in to the daily routine. That’s something which has given me food for thought about how I organise those around me too. They always made time in the day to sit and talk through the service ahead. Therefore everyone knew what was going on. This is something I want to focus on in the future to optimise the way we work at Social Pantry.

The menu at Silo sets out to create zero waste and close the loop on food production processes.

What were some of the differences between Silo and Social Pantry?

Restaurant kitchens are often more segmented than my experience of a catering kitchen like Social Pantry. Therefore my work was less varied and more specifically focused on a particular task or part of the dish. 

In 2023, Silo retained its Michelin Guide Green Star for Sustainability for the 3rd consecutive year.

What was your favourite dish you learned to make?

I spent a lot of time building Silo’s signature ice cream sandwiches! (The best kind of sandwiches in my eyes!) This inspired me to design my own version to incorporate in Social Pantry’s International Women’s Day supper club.

Did the stage meet your expectations?

It was a big change stepping back into a restaurant kitchen. It made me realise some unique features of working in a catering kitchen that suit me and my current career goals.

The zero-waste ethos means everything from the furniture to the plates is made with recycled materials.

What will you take away from this experience and carry forwards into your role at Social Pantry?

The biggest takeaway from my stage wasn’t about the cooking – it’s about how you treat people. Kitchens can take care of their staff by keeping the workload varied, interesting and manageable. Facilitating genuine relationships and good communication. Feeding them nutritious meals. Paying fair wages. Respecting their downtime and ultimately providing conditions for them to thrive – and want to stay!

The dining bar is wrapped in recycled leather and topped with a counter made from reconstituted food packaging.

Where would you like to undertake a stage in the future?

Since Social Pantry’s work with ex-offenders is such a key part of the business, I would love to work in a prison kitchen. I would love to see how they feed so many mouths on a low budget. And whether I could use my knowledge of zero-waste cooking to make ingredients further and help raise the quality of food in prisons. It would be great to know what ex-offenders who come to work with Social Pantry have been eating in the past. And how this might shape their expectations and understanding of food. Logistics wise, prison food is a huge operation. It would expose me to a whole other level of organisation. I think it would be a really interesting opportunity to marry different areas of the business and my professional experience and interests!

Social Pantry looks to Silo for inspiration as part of its mission to becoming the first entirely zero-waste catering company.

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