Sustainable Gastronomy Day calls for a celebration of all things food-related. From organic produce, to sustainable kitchenware and natural wines — the kitchen is by far, one of the easiest places to make a significant change in your home. And gathering with close family and friends is a perfect way to start off on a more sustainable path. 

We believe in the power of home-cooking to bring people together. The power to be mindful of what you eat and how you cook. That is to say, start making thoughtful choices when it comes to your eating habits.

Wine is at the centre of any dinner table, passed along from glass to glass and paired to enhance the flavours of a wholesome meal. A good wine is the first and last step to ensure a good evening. All the more important to make sure it’s a sustainable option. 

Natural winemakers Dido and Jurriaan founded Vinyes Tortuga after travelling the world from vineyard to vineyard to learn the craft of winemaking from the best winemakers around the globe. They swapped their original hometown of Amsterdam to settle in the foothills of the Catalan Pyrenees. Where their 9,5 hectares of vineyards are nestled in the natural reserve of Albera; where strong winds and rocky floors create a unique climate. Their wines  are, much like themselves, down-to-earth and unique.

“ Life’s too short to drink bad wine.”

They spent their initial year pruning and healing the earth around their vineyards. As well as turning an old shed into a sustainable home from which to enjoy life together with their cats and mastiff pup, Bowie. They decided early on that they wanted to celebrate grapes in their purest form. So all their wines are produced organically, following biodynamic farming principles resulting in fine natural wines: wines made without any additions, and without filtration or fining.

After opening a bottle or two, mindful cooking calls for another key ingredient: olive oil. This golden liquid has been used for centuries in mediterranean kitchens. Its fruity flavour and health-boosting properties are praised for good reason. So treat your olive oil with the same reverence: invest in organic, cold pressed oils like the ones by Aceites Alguijuela. These southern-Spanish olive oils really embody slow-living. No part of the production process is rushed and they  bring together all the aspects of climate, soil and olive varieties to create premium virgin olive oil.

Don’t forget to complement your meal with thoughtful table-dressing. Give your get-together ambiance to enjoy the company and make sure to savour every minute. Create a warm and welcoming atmosphere with hand-thrown ceramics and natural wooden tableware by Secret Barry. These wooden spoons and tableware are hand-crafted in Barcelona by Barry, who is a maker pur-sang. While he was majoring in arts he couldn’t pick one direction, so he did them all: woodworking, film and even lithography. Over the course of his life, he learnt that the act of creating something beautiful gives life meaning:

“Everyone has a dormant creativity inside of them. Creativity is a way of living life; we all have a story to tell.”

Don’t let the moment end after all the feasting has taken place. Treat everyone to a heartwarming cup of single-origin coffee. Coffee is one of our most common pantry items and deserves to be of good quality while also actively making the world a better place.  SlowMov has pledged to do just that. Their organically-grown coffees come from remote corners of the world, products from specific microclimates and areas, farmed using careful production processes. Their coffees change with the seasons, making the beast of each bean.

After all the wine bottles have been emptied and the plates scraped clean, it’s time to unwind. Scrub your kitchen to its former glory and take some time to look back on what made it an evening to remember. We hope to have inspired you to embark on a more sustainable journey. Taking time to create a conscious meal and placing care and attention on creating a more sustainable dining experience will create a memorable, fulfilling experience. Or, as Barry likes to say:

I’ll take my time enjoying the beauty of things, and the rest will flow.