Environmentally-minded culinary explorers are diving deep to find alternatives to our standard veg. In some cultures, seaweed is a staple, but it is currently inspiring chefs globally to find new ways to put it on plates.
Not only is the growth of sea greens sustainable, the plants are often full of vitamins, essential minerals and protein, and they can pack a briny, umami-filled punch, making them gastronomic gold to the plant-based chef.
Seaweed soda bread with seaweed butter. ‘Essence’ bowl, £384; cutting board/platter, £75, both by Jenkins and Uhnger, for Lundhs Real Stone. Marble surfaces (throughout), from a selection, by Diespeker
Kelp noodles, which are gluten- and grain-free, are gaining traction in the allergy-afflicted West, while sea plants such as dulse, kombu, Irish moss and samphire are working their way into breads, salads, broths, and evendesserts (leave it to the neo-Nordics to come up with dulse ice cream, an invention of Copenhagen’s Nordic Food Lab).
Pork buns are given a salty injection with seaweed at London’s On the Bab, and plankton is worked into risotto at London’s Boro Bistro. And, while seaweed butter is being used to season bread and potatoes, it is also worked directly into pasta at New York’s High Street on Hudson, where you can enjoy seaweed bucatini served with lobster coral. Dive in.
-
Cambridge Audio's new earbuds offer premium performance without denting your pocketThe Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 earbuds demonstrate just how far affordable audio tech has come in the last decade
-
A European-style café opens next to London’s Saatchi GalleryDesigned by Dion & Arles, Cafe Linea serves fresh pâtisseries, global dishes and sparkling wines in a stunning Grade II-listed setting
-
Home is where Beethoven Market is – a joyful Italian restaurant in LA’s Mar VistaIn Mar Vista, a historic space is reborn as a modern-day gathering spot, an Italian-infused restaurant where rotisserie chicken, handmade pasta and tableside tiramisu welcome you like family
-
The sustainable farming innovator delivering to London homes and restaurantsSustainable farming innovator Crate to Plate is pioneering fresh produce in London with the support of Michelin-starred restaurant Hide
-
PriestmanGoode’s planet-friendly takeaway food packagingOne year since the conception of PriestmanGoode's takeaway food packaging solution ‘Zero’ for Wallpaper* Re-Made, we find out how the project has developed
-
Cooking Sections: visualising a responsible food industryTurner Prize-nominated Cooking Sections explore how we can create and consume food more sustainably. Priya Khanchandani, head of curatorial at London’s Design Museum, talks to founders Daniel Fernández Pascual and Alon Schwabe about the politics of food, and fixing broken structures of consumption.
-
Snarkitecture rethinks Pharrell Williams’ portable dining podMade from recycled CDs, Pentatonic and Pharrell William’s mobile dining kit is back with a stylistic update, courtesy of New York practice Snarkitecture
-
Sustainable water bottles aiming to cap plastic wasteOur picks of the best sustainable water bottles pair aesthetics with utility for sophisticated sipping
-
Eat up Ancillary Equipment's radical food storage solutionsNot only providing innovative alternatives to food storage, Ancillary Equipment is a manifesto to our uncertain, dystopian future
-
Cook sustainably with SPACE10’s design lab recipe book -
New York City revamps the mini-mart, mindful of the modern snacker
