The Duke of Cambridge Organic Pub Review

Posted: 14 February 2008 by Rikke Bruntse-Dahl

The Duke of Cambridge in Angel, London, is the role-model for any company that aspires to be green and ethical. It's the first pub to get the Soil Association certification and you can feel its pioneering spirit.

This pub hasn't gone organic just because it's trendy or good business to do so. It's organic because its founder Geetie Singh really believes that's the only way to go. The attention she's paid to green and ethical details is not something you see every day.

There's a little card on every table with a timeline outlining the pub's ethical and sustainable progression, showing how much has been given careful thought -- from banning air-freighted products and only sourcing British organic fruit and veg,to being on a green electricity tariff and having organic tampons in the dispenser in the ladies' loo.

We dined in the pub's restaurant section, which has mismatched tables and chairs that, like the saucers for the organic palm oil candles, are clearly second generation. Whether it's done to create a friendly ambience or to be eco-friendly we don't know, but it fulfills both goals very nicely.

Our starter, a watercress salad with smoked sprats, beetroot, apple, and a boiled egg with horseradish sauce, sounded more exciting on the menu than it was to eat. It was tasty, but not delicate enough for us. We would have liked the flavours to mix more.

The main courses, on the other hand, were both delicious and incredibly filling -- beef and root veg pie with Savoy cabbage and a leek risotto with Comte cheese and green leaves.

The risotto was full of flavour and cooked to perfection and the pie had a good crust with lovely lean and tender bits of beef and flavoursome potato and parsnip underneath. The gravy could have done with more seasoning, but it was still a very nice pie overall. Continue reading...