Montpelier: 0117 942 6687
Open 7 days
Evenings: 6pm - close
Daytimes: Closed
Totterdown: 0117 933 2955
Open 7 days
Evenings: 6pm - close
Daytimes: Closed
Easton: 0117 951 4979
Open 7 days
Evenings: 6pm - close
Daytimes: 10:00am - 6pm
(Closed Monday Daytime)
Clifton: 0117 974 3793
Open 7 days
Evenings: 6pm - close
Daytime: 10:00am - 6pm
(Closed Monday Daytime)
We believe that everyone regardless of their income should have access to good quality and wholesome food. We also believe that businesses must act responsibly and be led by their values not just by profit. It is from these two core values that we are guided in the decisions we take in running our company.
With over 30 years of combined catering experience, we quickly realised that we had to do something radical if we were to avoid following the same wasteful practices that occur in the food industry. During our time working in the food industry we often witnessed perfectly good food was regularly thrown away, nothing was ever recycled and the buying of fair trade products seasonal produce was unheard of.
Determined to combine our love of creating engaging social spaces and introducing new and exciting food to the public, we wanted to set up a business that could thrive without harming the environment, bringing delicious and healthy food to its customers, and educating them about authentic Indian cuisine.
OUR BUYING POLICY
We source all our food responsibly, favoring suppliers, growers and producers who are small, local or independent. By placing regular orders with small enterprises, we are enabling them to expand and develop their businesses in turn.
We never air freight anything, and we make sure our suppliers get their produce to us in the most efficient way possible. Wherever possible we don’t buy any packaged goods unless they are biodegradable or recyclable.
We…
• Monitor food miles
• Monitor modes of transport
• Strive towards British seasonal ingredients
Next steps…
• Eliminate use of transported bottled water
• Buy directly from small local farms
• Eliminate all airfreight
• Use only British fruit and vegetables if possible otherwise European
OUR FISH POLICY
Our oceans are suffering from depleted stocks of fish as a result of destructive over-fishing and commercial fishing methods – 70% of the world’s fish stocks are over-fished, some stocks at such low levels that they are in danger of collapse. In the North Sea alone, many once plentiful species such as cod, common skate and plaice are now over-fished, or in some cases, virtually extinct. We use lesser-known species of non-endangered fish for many years, such as Pollack, which currently benefits from plentiful stock levels.
A staggering one third of all fish caught globally is thrown overboard. The use of massive trawler nets, which catch everything in their path, are extremely damaging to marine habitats and species, trapping mammals such as dolphins. Commercial fishing also has a devastating effect on small fishing communities around the world, disregarding the sustainable fishing methods that they rely on. We feel it is of up most importance to support small, local fishing communities, and never buy anything from commercial fisheries.
We have an extremely strict fish buying policy. Here is a summary of our criteria.
Our fish is…
• Sourced from guaranteed wild stock.
• From managed and controlled fisheries.
• Caught with little or no by catch.
• Sourced from mature stock, which has been able to reproduce several times depending on the species.
• Caught using hook and line or pots where available, never sea bottom trawling.
• Caught using old local techniques that cause little or no damage to the seabed of surrounding environment.
• Packed in biodegradable bags to help protect the environment.
• Not and will not be caught during the spawning seasons.
Next steps…
• Find a sustainable British fish stock
OUR MEAT POLICY
A recent report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that meat eaters are one of the biggest contributors to today’s worst environmental problems. It has been predicted that global meat production will more than double by 2050. The report looked at the whole production chain and estimated that livestock are responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions including carbon dioxide due to crops being grown as feed.
Methane gas that cows give off when they let off, and nitrous oxide, bi-product of manure have the potential to warm the atmosphere even more than carbon dioxide. Livestock raised for us to eat also takes up 30% of our entire land surface according to the report, including land used to grow animal feed. This has lead to deforestation and a degrading in quality as land becomes overgrazed, compacted and eroded.
Water resources are also being diminished as a result of meat production, and antibiotics and hormones, chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides are contributing to water pollution, damage of coral reefs and marine life.
Therefore we limit the meat option on the menu to just one dish which allows us to take better responsibility for people’s environmental and health choices.
RICE
Rice is the world's most important staple food crop. More than four-fifths of the world's rice is produced by small-scale farms in developing countries. More than half of the world's population relies on rice as their major daily source of carbohydrates and protein.
UN Food and Agriculture Organization FAO experts say;
‘The current approaches to intensification of rice production have caused considerable damage to the environment and related natural resources, including the building up of salinity/alkalinity, water pollution and health hazards caused by excessive use of agro-chemicals and emission of important greenhouse gases.’
(Source Food & Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations website)
We feel as rice is of such significance to millions of people that the support of organic and traditional production methods is off utmost importance.
Next steps…
• Go Organic
• Introduce brown rice as a healthy unprocessed alternative
DAIRY PRODUCE
Organic farming practices, like the use of farm manures and natural methods of disease and pest control, have been shown to produce considerable environmental benefits over non-organic farming. Even though they are regulated, the vast range of artificial chemicals that are used on non-organic farms can be harmful to wildlife and the environment generally. The Soil Association has recently compiled evidence to show that organic milk production is a low user of energy compared to other livestock products and that it is 38% more energy efficient per tonne than non-organic milk
Organic cows are not fed and managed in ways that attempt to push them into production levels beyond their natural capacity. Organic farmers believe that the stress imposed on animals by unnatural and intensive regimes such as feeding high levels of inappropriate protein to stimulate rapid growth or milk production, intensive housing or the routine use of antibiotics and other drugs can all cause health problems. No GM, urea, solvent or animal derived foods are permitted. BSE is thought to have resulted from the feeding of animal products. There has never been a case of BSE in an organic born and raised dairy cow.
We use…
• Organic milk and butter from local farms
Next steps…
• Go organic on the yogurt
DRINKS
We carefully choose beverages that compliment the food that we serve. We make as many of these in house as possible to limit energy consumption and food miles and ensure freshness. Wherever possible we buy fair trade products. We have always served organic European wines in our restaurants even before it was trendy to do so!
We serve…
• Local organic Ales
• Fair trade coffee and hot chocolate
• Our teas are supplied by independent tea distributors sourcing directly through estates in India, China and Sri Lanka
• Organic European wines
• Bio Dynamic wines
• Making our own fruit cordials to avoid water being transported and plastic and glass waste
Next steps…
• Purify our own water on the premises to eliminate ‘water miles’ and wastage of glass and plastic
• Charge customers 50p for in house purified water which will go directly to a water charity in India
• Find an alternative to straws or stop using them altogether
HEALTH & NUTRITION
Our menus are based around fresh and wholesome ingredients. Our Thali meals are designed so that they include all the elements of a well balanced diet. We also monitor our salt and oil in the dishes, which are notoriously overused in most Indian restaurants.
Next steps…
• Have our food assessed by a nutritionist who looks at our ingredients, portion sizes and cooking methods.
TRADING FAIRLY
Fair Trade means better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By asking companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fair Trade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, and therefore weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.
The movement advocates the payment of a fair price as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods.
We serve…
• Tea sourced by independent distributors dealing directly with tea estates
• Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance Coffee
• Fair Trade Chocolate
Next steps…
• Find a Fair Trade sugar supplier
• Use only Fair Trade spices
FURTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS
We are passionate about treating the environment with respect and try to limit the impact of our business on it as much as possible. We use methods that are unconventional and innovative within the restaurant trade. We recycle and re-use building materials, furniture, kitchen waste, tin, paper, card, corks and glass. We compost all our food waste through an outside composting company and with the local garden centre situated a stones throw from our kitchen, and use recycled furniture and green cleaning products as well as keeping a careful eye on all our energy use.
The core of menu concept is based around communal eating, from a varied and diverse set menu using very little processed or packaged food. The beauty of this concept is that there is very little food waste, nothing gets left to perish in the storerooms and fridges and turnover means food is always fresh.
When it comes to eco-takeaway services we are second to none with our Tiffin Takeaway Scheme. Tiffin's have wiped out the need for unnecessary packaging and reheating. The food is kept warm in the insulated steel pots for around two hours, saving on further gas and electricity use. We even encourage customers to bring in their own jam jars so that we can refill them with our homemade chutneys.
We…
• Recycle all glass, paper, cardboard, wood, cork and plastic
• Compost all food waste
• Send our oil to a Waste Oil Converter for use in cars and machinery
• Use stainless steel Indian lunch boxes called Tiffens for takeaways
• Use bio-degradable takeaway packaging wherever else necessary
• Encourage Jam Jar refills for our chutneys
• Monitor all other energy use
• Use energy saving light bulbs
• Disposing of office equipment through charities that reuse
• Reclaim and recycled building materials
• Furnish our cafes with recycled/refurbished furniture
• Use eco-friendly cleaning products
• Only use chemical products when absolutely necessary
Next steps…
• Switch to Green electricity provider
• Organic palm oil table candles
• Electric hand dryers (less impact than paper towels)
• Use email for all internal paperwork within organisation
PEOPLE
The Thali Café couldn’t be the success it is without showing due respect for the people who have helped us on our journey. Our staff, customers, and suppliers have been instrumental in getting the business to where it is. We value their input and actively encourage them to input into key decisions. Every customer has the opportunity to feedback on our service after every meal.
We…
• Actively train and promote from within our workforce
• Have ethically responsible employment policies
• Let customers feedback at every opportunity
• Have always paid our staff above minimum wages and they have always received 100% tips
• We offer bonus schemes, and holiday and sick pay where applicable
COMMUNITY
We deliberately choose not to be in the increasingly corporate owned city centres of the UK instead we prefer to be part of real communities and encourage people to interact with each other in a more purposeful way. Whether it is relaxing and enjoying a meal with a friend or participating on a special event night there are many ways that we want to contribute meaningfully to a the local area.
We believe that a business shouldn’t be purely about making money -there should be a strong element of social responsibility too. We always try to give something back; one way we do this is by providing a space that locals can use to develop their creativity. We invite local musicians, performers, photographers and artists into our space and provide them with financial help (and food!) in return. From cabaret to music, film nights and puppet shows to dancing salsa on the tables we feel lucky to have hosted some really special evenings within the four walls of our cafés. We consequently give artists publicity on our website and through music listings in relevant publications.
The Thali Cafe isn’t just a great place to enjoy food and drink – we work hard to foster strong with local residents and schools. Our chefs have provided dishes to Easton Primary School for the teachers to promote healthy food and discuss food from other cultures. The cafes are annually used as focal points for local Art Festivals and Street Parties.
ETHICAL BUSINESS AND BANKING
We are 100% independently owned and the choices we make are not fuelled by shareholders wants but buy our own morals and ethics. We believe that running a good business is impossible without ensuring that high ethical standards are practicsed at every level of the company’s day-to-day running. We think that businesses should act responsibly with a moral code of conduct – driven by strong values and a sense of contribution towards society, not just focused on money, growth and greed.
We...
• Bank with the Cooperative Bank for savings
Next steps…
• Switch to an ethical bank for everyday banking
• Find an Ethical insurance company
TAKING SUSTAINABILITY SERIOUSLY
We are constantly looking for innovative and new ways to improve the way we operate as a business and minimising the impact we have on the planet.
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