Arthur Potts Dawson, the chef behind London’s latest foodie hot spot, Acorn House, in King’s Cross, says he is “a London boy with country roots”. And it is at his parents’ rambling 17th-century cottage, with its spectacular views of Glastonbury Tor, that you glimpse the origins of his earthy, good-to-the-planet approach to food. His mother, Kari-Ann, is a former model who appeared on the cover of Roxy Music’s first album. She now teaches yoga and nurtures a brood of Yokohama chickens, whose eggs she swaps locally for honey and cheese. His stepfather, Chris Jagger (the brother of Mick), fills our glasses with Somerset cider and reminisces about cooking aduki beans and rice – those staples of 1960s health-food fans – for the boys. Robert, Arthur’s younger brother, remembers desperately wanting an unhealthy birthday party as a child, but is now as keen an advocate of a responsible approach to food as the rest of the family.

Arthur has built his business on a passion for good, wholesome food. Acorn House is a chic urban canteen that has, since last autumn, been offering delicious, simple, seasonal food. It’s exactly what you would expect from a chef whose back catalogue includes stints at Kensington Place, the River Café and Fifteen. But Acorn House is hitting the headlines for more than its menu: its USP is that it is London’s first truly ecofriendly restaurant, aiming to make every aspect of the business, from design to delivery, environmentally aware or sustainable.

Arthur’s passion for what he does is heartfelt and infectious. And he shows the same contagious energy when he cooks for his family, bounding around the kitchen with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old (he is 36). Although the kitchen is the antithesis of a professional cooking space, Arthur is totally at home. Amid the clutter and chaos (13 adults, 8 kids, dogs, cats, sheep and chickens), he manages to rustle up the same delicious food you would find at Acorn House.

It is all unpretentious: new potatoes dressed with olive oil and garden parsley; a salad of baby turnips and English beans tossed with fair-trade tahini and home-grown red basil; organic raspberries with ewe’s milk yogurt and Exmoor heather honey.

Arthur Potts Dawson

Arthur Potts Dawson, 36, is head chef at sustainable restaurant, Acorn House, near King's Cross, London

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“I’m not into cheffy food,” says Potts Dawson, whose aim is to bring home cooking into the restaurant arena, rather than the other way around. His girlfriend, Paloma, and children, Aron, 3½, and Tuula, 8 months, provided inspiration for the menu and ethos at Acorn House. “I want to make things they can eat,” he says. “Simple, unadulterated, good food.”

Acorn House, 69 Swinton Street, W1; 020 7812 1842, www.acornhouserestaurant.com

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