'I Like To Think This Is The Future'

The man behind the UK’s first zero waste restaurant wants to change the way we think about food

Brighton is famous for many things – its iconic pier, the eccentric, Indian inspired splendours of its Regency Royal Pavilion and its laid-back, cosmopolitan atmosphere. But now the town can boast another claim to fame – it’s home to the UK’s only zero-waste restaurant.

Tucked away down a side street not far from the seafront is Silo – the only restaurant in Britain where the bin men never call because they’re not needed, even though day after day, week after week for the past three years, contented customers have been munching their way through the various dishes on Silo’s menu.

‘It’s not easy, but it’s so worthwhile,’ says Douglas McMaster, 30, the brains behind the venture. ‘The way I see it, waste is a failure of the imagination and the waste of an opportunity.’

And when it comes to his restaurant, Douglas’ imagination has been working overtime. ‘Food comes from our suppliers in reusable crates which they take back,’ he says, ‘and we make as many items as we possibly can on the premises ourselves, from scratch. We buy in bulk and we get wheat a ton at a time to store in the basement and mill ourselves to bake fresh bread and rolls. We roll our own oats and we have milk delivered in 25-litre drums, so we can make our own butter, cheese and yogurt.