Sam Anstey from Mildreds

TWEAKING your diet can have a major effect on your carbon footprint, the chief executive of one of Camden’s oldest vegetarian restaurants has told the New Journal.

Sam Anstey, head of the Mildreds restaurant firm which has branches in Camden Town, King’s Cross, Covent Garden and Soho, says the quality of vegan food today means even the most ardent carnivore can happily cut back.

He said: “I go to a lot of restaurant conventions and there is a lot of talk about sustainability – and it comes from a lot of big companies whose business model is all about animals and alcohol. They serve beef, beer and wine, which are all massive contributors to environmental destruction.

“They say they are trying to cut back on their impact, say they are doing some good, but the key issue is what they sell is bad for the environment.”

Studies show that taking up a meat-free diet – even if it is for a limited number of days a week – can have a huge impact on your carbon footprint.

Recent research by Imperial College found changing your diet was the best way to limit your impact on the environment, even ahead of travel or heating your home. The report revealed that if every UK family removed meat from one meal a week, it would have the same environmental impact as taking 16 million cars off the road.

Mildreds first opened in Lexington Street, Soho, in the 1970s and became a trailblazer.

“Doing good is not the only reason to eat here,” said Mr Anstey. “We have naturally become more plant-based and we are way ahead of the game but Mildreds is very much the place to take your meat-eating partner. We are accessible to everyone, and if you eat meat and are trying to cut back, we offer the perfect spot.”

Mr Anstey called himself a “flexitarian,” though he does not eat meat, fish or dairy products – he still enjoys eggs.

“We all have predominantly meatless diets and run a plant-based business,” he said. “It wasn’t always this way. When Mildreds opened it was a very different time. If you were a vegetarian the best you could hope for when eating out was a bean burger or a nut roast, and that was it.”