About
Cafe St Honoré is one of Edinburgh’s best-kept secrets. Hidden down a cobbled lane in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town, just two minutes from Princes Street, Cafe St Honoré serves the very best Scottish produce in an authentically Parisian-style bistro interior.
Chef Director, Neil Forbes, and his kitchen team pride themselves on producing everything in-house using ingredients sourced from local producers and suppliers thus supporting the local economy and reducing food miles in line with their ‘Slow Food’ philosophy.
The à la carte menu changes daily, reflecting the seasons and is supported by a Cafe Classics menu, as well as separate gluten-free and dairy-free menus.
Members of the Sustainable Restaurant Association since 2009, Cafe St Honoré have been awarded the highest accolade of 3-star ‘Food Made Good’ champion status since August 2012. They were the first restaurant in the UK to be granted the Soil Association’s ‘Organic Served Here’ status.
Commitment to sustainability
Cafe was the first Scottish restaurant to join the Sustainable Restaurant Association in 2009, blazing a trail. Since 2012 they’ve maintained 3-star champion status, with the highest score in Scotland.
Sourcing is of the upmost importance at Cafe. Whole carcases are bought in for 4 reasons: it supports local farmers; it’s more economical; Neil can teach his team how to butcher and pass on a skill that’s diminishing in kitchens; and Cafe can ensure the whole animal is used in the food they make – and anything that isn’t, is responsibly disposed of. Sourdough bread, including a unique gluten-free variety, is baked on a daily basis.
The menus at Cafe are dictated by what’s available, and producers will let them know when they have a glut of something that needs to be used up. They thoroughly research all suppliers, taking into consideration: environmentally-positive farming; local and seasonal produce; sustainability; ethical fishing; and Fair Trade credentials. Honesty is very important to the kitchen team as Cafe has many loyal customers who trust them, so it’s vital they do their best to supply and serve the best produce possible.
The vast majority of waste produced by Cafe is recycled – just one carrier bag of non-recyclable waste is thrown away each week. Everything else is as energy efficient as possible – including equipment, general resources and the water supply. Last month they replaced a large gas-burning stove with induction.
We’re achieving these goals
- Actively working to reduce carbon emissions
- Reducing food waste
- Reducing plastic packaging
- Using food produced to higher, environmental, social or animal welfare standards
- Using local suppliers
Standards/Accreditations
- Fairtrade
- Free range
- Leaf Marque
- MSC Certified fish and seafood
- Pasture for life
- RSPCA Assured
- Soil Association Organic