1 | | It is a guilt trip inflicted on most | | | | |
| | children who leave sprouts or | | | |
| | cabbage on their plates. “Eat up,” | | | |
| | their mothers chide, “think of those | | | |
| | starving children in Africa who don’t | | | |
| | have such luxuries.” A few grimacing | | | |
| | mouthfuls later, the plate is empty. | | | |
| | Adults will be reminded of their youth | | | |
| | when they step into one Nigerian | | | |
| | restaurant in east London and are | | | |
| | faced with a £2.50 fine if they fail to | | | | played on the wall-mounted television |
| | finish what they have taken for dinner. | | | | screen. The restaurant’s name comes |
| | At the Obalende Suya Express | | | | from Obalende, the popular area of |
| | restaurant in Dalston, the penalty for | | | | Nigeria’s former capital, Lagos, which |
| | greed is donated straight to the local | | | | is famed for its suya: spiced meat that |
| | Oxfam shop. | | | | has been specially grilled on skewers. |
2 | | The West African barbecue eatery | | 6 | | Although it is the take-out part of |
| | attracts a full house every Sunday with | | | | the business, selling barbecued |
| | its Grill Greedy buffet, with trays and | | | | sandwiches and suya dishes, that |
| | dishes overflowing with steaming | | | | attracts the most diners on weekdays, |
| | meats and fried bananas. As customers | | | | it is the dining area that draws in the |
| | fill their plates, however, they can | | | | guests at weekends. “Our buffet |
| | hardly miss a big red sign warning | | | | regulars love the pounded yam, the |
| | them to make sure they eat it all up. | | | | jollof rice (steamed rice with tomatoes, |
| | Lara Odebunmi, who owns the | | | | onion, pepper and spices) and the |
| | restaurant with her husband Toks, | | | | barbecued chicken,” says manager |
| | says: “We realised a lot of people were | | | | Kenny Amuzu. At £13.95, the |
| | wasting their food rather than | | | | unlimited food deal is good value, |
| | finishing it, just because they could | | | | notwithstanding the possible £2.50 |
| | ‘eat as much as they liked’. They kept | | | | surcharge. |
| | on 23 but they were only ever able | | 7 | | The Suya Express isn’t the only |
| | to finish one plateful. At the end of the | | | | restaurant with charitable inclinations. |
| | night, we felt really bad dumping all | | | | Sandwich chain Pret A Manger also |
| | this food into the bin.” | | | | offers its remaining produce to charity, |
3 | | FareShare, a national organisation | | | | supplying FareShare with around 18 |
| | that redistributes surplus food from | | | | tonnes of ‘quality surplus food’ last |
| | restaurants and shops to local | | | | year. |
| | charities, believes that the food sector | | 8 | | Says Simon Hargraves, commercial |
| | accounts for more than a third of all | | | | director for Pret: “We still end up |
| | the waste produced in Britain. More | | | | throwing edible food away; we would |
| | than 12,000 people each day eat food | | | | like more charities to come to us and |
| | that FareShare has 24 restaurant | | | | pick up our excess food.” |
| | kitchens and shops’ chillers. But the | | 9 | | But it isn’t just a case of turning up |
| | majority of Britain’s tens of thousands | | | | and claiming free food. Government |
| | of restaurants simply bin the food they | | | | standards ensure no health and safety |
| | are unable to sell. | | | | rules are breached. FareShare insists |
4 | | The Odebunmis set up Suya | | | | any food it collects must at least be |
| | Express 10 years ago and run another | | | | within its use-by date and |
| | restaurant in Peckham. They hope the | | | | appropriately packaged. “It’s certainly |
| | buffet fine, introduced last year, will | | | | a lot more difficult to give food away |
| | make people think about how much | | | | now as there are more safety rules to |
| | food is wasted. “Lots of people in | | | | comply with – but for very good |
| | Africa don’t have the opportunity to | | | | reasons,” says Hargraves. |
| | see this amount of food, let alone to | | 10 | | Every Sunday at the Obalende Suya |
| | buy it,” says Toks. “We came up with | | | | Express, Lara Odebunmi is happy to |
| | the charge to make customers think | | | | see people queuing for the Grill Greedy |
| | about poverty. If only people could see | | | | buffet. The red sign doesn’t seem to |
| | how privileged we really are in | | | | have put anyone off. “At first, those |
| | England,” adds Lara. | | | | who hadn’t seen the notice were a bit |
5 | | Squeezed between shops on the | | | | negative but when they realised the |
| | Kingsland Road, the restaurant looks | | | | money was going to charity, they were |
| | more like a tiny take-away than a | | | | much more understanding,” she says. |
| | trend-setting eating establishment. | | | | “The response has been overwhelming. |
| | Customers have to walk through the | | | | Customers don’t waste food any more |
| | fast-food front to reach the softly lit | | | | – they appreciate it!” |
| | dining room at the back, where | | 11 | | There is only one snag to the |
| | brightly coloured paintings adorn the | | | | scheme: while the plates are being left |
| | walls and chefs work busily in the open | | | | empty, so is the Oxfam fine pot. |
| | kitchen. African music drifts out | | | | |
| | quietly as muted football matches are | | | | |