Waste not, want not

As the party season lumbers into sight, those keen to be at the forefront of gastronomic trends start desperately flicking through the food-porn mags in pursuit of the latest wonder ingredient with which to stun their guests. The hottest party trend this year is not some South American super-berry; au contraire, chic hosts are confining their canapé ingredients to a 50-mile radius of the party and insisting that the waiting staff arrive on bikes.

Spearheading the concept of slickly presented, carbon-neutral partying is the events organiser Urban Caprice (responsible for this year’s Serpentine Summer Party, among other glamorous bashes). Its menus can be written in water-soluble ink on recycled paper; if required and wherever possible, all food is organic and sourced from the UK (even the olive oil can come from Kent), ideally from farmers’ markets. The aim is to produce no more than four bags of rubbish in the run-up to any party, and when the staff clean up afterwards, they use ecofriendly products. “Events can be hugely wasteful,” says Matt Peat, creative director of Urban Caprice. “It’s common for carpet to be laid for an hour’s party and then thrown away. We do not advocate this, and we try wherever possible to recycle, to reuse or to demand ecofriendly alternatives.”

So, flash recidivists who insist on having kilos of beluga caviar flown in by private jet, be warned: quail’s eggs with herb mayo is a far better look, as well as being a lot better for the wallet – and the planet.

It’s no yolk

I’ve always felt that the egg-white omelette was one of the most joyless foodstuffs ever devised by health-faddy America. Those determined to achieve a Posh Spice-style lollipop silhouette will, I am sure, be delighted by the launch of Britain’s first free-range liquid egg white. It is fat- and cholesterol-free, and even fun-lovers can find a use for it to make meringues and cocktails without wasting all those delicious yolks.

Two Chicks Free Range Liquid Egg White, £2.79, from Selfridges London and Manchester Trafford; www.twochicks.co.uk

Take 3 ingredients

Tim Payne, executive chef at the new gastropub-restaurant Paradise by Way of Kensal Green, suggests this simple salmon supper.

Serves 1

2 vine-ripened plum tomatoes
50ml basil-infused extra-virgin olive oil
225g organic salmon

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on a plate and season. Spoon over half the oil and leave for 20 minutes. Season the salmon. Place in a preheated, nonstick pan and sear without oil (there is enough fat in the fish already) for 3-4 minutes each side. Once the salmon is cooked, place it on top of the tomatoes and spoon over the rest of the oil.

Accompany it with whatever you like.

Paradise by Way of Kensal Green, 19 Kilburn Lane, W10; 020 8969 0098

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