President

Raymond Blanc OBE has been President of the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) since 2012. Chef patron of Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and founder of Brasserie Blanc restaurants, he has always been a passionate champion and campaigner for sustainability and food ethics. While his restaurant has retained two exalted Michelin stars for over 30 years, 30 of his protégés have gone to achieve Michelin stars themselves. During his term as President, Raymond has helped oversee a significant expansion in the SRA’s membership, and wider increase in interest in sustainability both in the UK and globally, including the whole Belmond hotel group.

Vice President

Dame Prue Leith

Prue Leith began her career in catering with Leith’s Good Food. Her Michelin Starred Leith’s Restaurant shortly followed, as well as Leith’s School of Food and Wine. She has been deeply involved in food education, founding and chairing the charity Focus on Food, which promotes cooking in the curriculum, and the Hoxton Apprentice, a not-for-profit restaurant training disadvantaged long-term unemployed young people. She was the Chair of the School Food Trust, which was largely responsible for the improvement in school food. She is Patron of the Prue Leith Chef’s Academy in her native South Africa.

Director

Inspired by his mother (Restauranteur, teacher, chef), food has played a fundamental part of Giles’ life. This culminated in opening The Good Cook, in 1998, the first ‘social’ restaurant in the uk. This continued alongside his consulting business, Good Business, that worked for some of the world’s largest food businesses in helping them on their sustainability journey. These experiences inspired the thought that we could help all restaurants on their sustainability journey and so the idea of the SRA was born.

Director

After an early career managing restaurants in London, Simon became involved in offshore and remote location facilities management, deploying accommodation vessels to East Timor for the UN in 1999 and to West Africa for Total and Agip. Simon took responsibility for the increasingly demanding sustainability requirements under these contracts before joining Good Business, Europe’s leading corporate responsibility consultancy, in 2006 to pursue this aspect full time and co-founding the Sustainable Restaurant Association in 2010. Simon is a resident judge for the Mercury awards and lives in Stroud with an unruly menagerie of children and animals.

Director

Hospitality industry veteran, Mark Sainsbury has worked in restaurants and hotels in London for 25 years. He opened the multi award winning Moro restaurant, alongside Sam and Sam Clark in 1997. In 2004 Mark opened his first hotel, the 59-room Zetter Hotel with his partner Michael Benyan. The Group then went on to open Bistrot Bruno Loubet, The Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell, Grain Store restaurant and in 2015 The Zetter Townhouse Marylebone. Mark co-founded the Sustainable Restaurant Association and serves as a trustee on his own charitable trust the Mark Leonard Trust, the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy and the Linbury Trusts.

Managing Director

juliane@thesra.org

Favourite #OnePlanetPlate “This One Planet Plate is exactly the kind of food I want to eat all day every day. Seasonal, veggie forward, and bloody delicious”

PR Manager

tom@thesra.org

Favourite #OnePlanetPlate “What other dish can you think of that smells and tastes of where it comes from, acts as its own cutlery and have a minimal impact on the environment? Nothing rivals mussels and Cafe St Honore’s classic recipe with garlic, shallots, cream and tarragon is hard to beat. Yum!”

Senior Project Manager

louisa@thesra.org

Favourite #OnePlanetPlate: “I love the Barley risotto – sustainable when meat free and made with so many healthy vegetables, while also involving all the food groups!”

Project Manager

emily@thesra.org

Favourite #OnePlanetPlate: “I just love tucking into a veggie coconut curry – it’s the ultimate comfort food! Indian or Thai flavoured, there are several OPP recipes to choose from”.

Content creator

emma@thesra.org

Favourite #OnePlanetPlate: “Having grown up in SE Asia, Thai food is my go-to comfort food because it reminds me of home, so I find this beautiful curry even more comforting knowing that it’s sustainably-made!”.

Junior Climate Analyst

kate@thesra.org

Favourite #OnePlanetPlate: “A daiquiri is close to the perfect drink and bringing in crisp British apples adds to how refreshing this tipple is. Making sure the apples are locally sourced and organic ensures that any guilt you may have over the drink subsides, especially by your second! .”