When we say people and the planet come first, we mean it. Sustainability means ensuring the long-term futures of the wonderful producers we rely on.

OUR FISH AND FARM

At the end of last year and the start of 2023 we started two similar initiatives that we hope will change the way local restaurants and producers interact in Margate and the wider area, and in doing so, help secure the long-term futures of two of our wonderful producers.

TOM

Tom is the youngest boat owner in the slowly dwindling Ramsgate fishing fleet. We have partnered with him in order to buy fresh, locally caught seafood direct from his boat. This initiative has a dual purpose, getting both sustainable day-boat fish with the most traceable provenance and, just as importantly, offering a different economic model for Tom and help him work directly with people and business’ in the local area. This system allows Tom to receive a fixed higher price for his/her catch, removing the instability of selling only to intermediaries and the price fluctuations that come with it.

This project was initiated by Angela's and it has proven to be very successful for us both, and we are now helping other restaurants in Margate to do the same. This allows Tom to make a more sustainable long-term living by ensuring if something happens to one restaurant, he is still able to sell directly to other restaurants, spreading the risk.

Selling direct to restaurants and consumers may seem like normal practice in places like Cornwall where there are bigger fleets that are directly accessible, but in Ramsgate and in many other smaller fleets around the country, this is not happening. We would like to see this replicated in many more areas and help, even if it is just a little, in reviving ever shrinking fleets that are so important to our coastline and communities.

JACK

Jack is an agricultural student and now our head grower. We have partnered with him, and Nonnington Farm just outside Canterbury, in order to grow vegetables that are farmed with the utmost respect for the soil and provide a young, talented grower with the opportunity to create a long-term sustainable business.

Jack started growing on a small piece of land directly outside his house, and after a chance conversation with his Dad (our local roadsweeper), we tried some of his wonderful home-grown produce - needless to say his never-ending quest for better soils and outstanding vegetables won us over. So when Jack met the wonderful James and Emma at Nonnington Farms and suggested a partnership we jumped at the chance to create a new way for us to work. We now have two acres of land that will provide produce for the restaurant, which in turn allow us to reduce our plastic and our reliance on transporting vegetables from further afield.

The idea is to grow each year to produce more for our restaurant but also to allow Jack to widen his business to ensure his long term viability. Much like working with Tom, this is not for us to hide our suppliers, it is for us to share them with the local area and help provide a more sustainable way of working for us all.