SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability sits at the heart of our business. Here’s an insight into the way we work and why it’s important to us:

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN

MEAT


We have a long-standing partnership with a master butcher, based in Smithfield Market (one of the last remaining produce markets in London). We are proud to work with one of the oldest premier butchers in the city, whose success in the Great Taste Awards as well as the FreeFrom Awards has meant they received the highest rating for many of their products. They have built a long standing business with a great reputation by being extremely  selective with the rearers and farmers they work with, ensuring the surroundings and lifestyle of animals is excellent. This guarantees the highest standard of produce.


Our beef is bred on the green farmland pastures of Wexford Valley on the Irish coast. This herd's stress free lifestyle and fine diet makes for an extra tender cut of beef. 


Our whole Chickens are farm reared and sourced from North East France, and are fed on a natural diet of rich local corn. From morning to nightfall the chickens are free to explore the fields surrounding their houses, incorporating natural goodness into their diets to compliment the locally grown and milled cereals they are fed. Similarly our chicken portions (thighs etc) are fresh, European farmed, and fed on a rich diet. They too are selected for their quality and flavour. 


FISH


Fish is locally sourced. Our supplier has links with NGOs such as MSC to develop and market sustainable alternatives. Minimum food miles means maximum freshness. Our fish is ordered to be delivered on the day we send it out ensuring that it is as fresh as possible. 


FRESH VEG


We champion local produce - our vegetables are sourced from a variety of high quality home-grown suppliers, including New Covent Garden Market, less than 2 miles away from our kitchen. Delicious vegetables sides and vegetarian dishes are available on our menu.


WASTE REDUCTION


We work hard to minimise our waste. Not only is it important from an environmental perspective; it also helps us keep costs down for customers.


Rather than producing food en masse, our production process begins once a customer has placed an order. This approach minimises waste and guarantees consistency and maximum freshness.


During the initial product research and development stages of MR. WILDE’s menu, our team experimented with ingredients, testing different varieties of shape, size, colour, and presentation. In order for us to manage stock levels and reduce waste, specific measurements and weights were assigned to an average portion for each meal. We provide a substantial serving which ensures you are left feeling full - but you do not need to throw away much away much at the end (waste). However if you wish to reduce your portion  size,  we advise that you split up the ingredients prior to cooking, and only cook what you wish to consume. Wrap up any remaining food tightly and refrigerate. Please be mindful of the use by date listed on each of the items. Waste not want not!




SEASONAL INGREDIENTS

We plan to change and update our low-waste menus seasonally. As a brand, we are true advocates of seasonal produce and using as much of it as possible in order to waste as little as possible. With a focus on local ingredients (where possible) seasonality plays a big part! This helps us reduce our carbon footprint, support local suppliers, buy fresh, and not end up with tired jet lagged food -  WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN!


PACKAGING + RECYCLING

All paper products and vacuum bags are recyclable. 


Cooling products, sauce jars and butter tins are reusable. Pop the ice packs back in the freezer - they might come in handy keeping things cool (summer picnic anyone?!). We personally believe that reusing is a better way of saving the planet than recycling. As a nation we massively overuse and over buy, let's try to stop that learned behavior, reuse where possible and if you can't reuse, recycle! Our sauces arrive in beautiful glass jars, yes they look good but we chose them not purely for how they look, we also know if they are nice looking they will be kept rather than chucked - we know they will live a nice long life in your home too rather than in a landfill!


WASTE + ENERGY CONSUMPTION

As a business we produce to order. By implementing this JIT (Just - In - Time) production system it means you are getting fresh food every time, and at the same time we are able to minimise our food waste and are consuming less water and energy. We only use what we need!


At MR. WILDE we designed our menu to ensure that a great quality product is received by our customer every time. We don't operate from big fancy factories full of robots and conveyor belts, so to ensure we deliver continuity and consistency our chefs have to be super precise using accurate cooking techniques and hi-tech equipment that allows us to cook your food exactly the same every time. By maintaining an accurate temperature / time / moisture levels etc, this means we don’t send out food over/undercooked or food that has dried out. This also means that we are consuming the lowest levels of energy possible and not using energy unnecessarily. Equipment burns high levels of energy when it is overworked, and when settings are altered as the machinery has to work hard to achieve the new levels set. By cooking consistently and often “low ‘n’ slow” our food has a nice relaxing journey and our machines are not overworked, therefore water and fuels are not wasted!



MR. W's TIPS FOR REDUCING WASTE AT HOME

1. Don’t overbuy – too many people buy for the week or month, only buy for a few days ahead as this will help with stock wastage and produce spoiling.

2. Ensure that you “stock rotate”, if you are tempted by a great deal in the shops or buy products with longer shelf life in bulk you must rotate your stock as if you were a supermarket or restaurant - FIFO {FIRST IN FIRST OUT). This will ensure you minimise spoilage and therefore reduce your waste.

3. Bear FIFO in mind when you are buying food too, try to rummage around and dig deep for food with the longest “use by” date, they will probably be right at the back. The shops will put the oldest stuff at the front to reduce their waste, so if you are not paying attention you will pick up your groceries and realise you don't have long to consume them. 

4. Buy fresh – buying fresh and regularly you will ensure you buy the best, in-season produce at a good price and the shelf life will be longer.
Plan your meals – we all struggle sometimes with finding the time to plan meals and cook, but planning can ensure that you reduce waste through using surplus ingredients for your next meal in a different way.

5. Reduce your portion sizes – a well-balanced meal will fill you up and make you feel great. In terms of health avoid basing your meal around starch or protein – we need a balance between carbohydrates, protein and fat to create a magical balance.

6. And lastly, make food fun and enjoy it – food brings emotions to us all – by making it enjoyable and fun and the impact this has on your household is important. Eat together in a relaxed environment with no pressure and talk. If you have children, involve them as this will increase their awareness of food waste and their enjoyment of food.