On the first day food was served at a new cafe in Bingham, chef Rik de Raynor was taken aback by how many customers walked through the door. Serving what he considers to be a 'niche' plant-based menu at The Sustainable Kitchen he expected uptake to be slow but instead it was a sell-out success.
"I did three days worth of prep which is standard but it went the same day. I've spent a lot of time opening places and having seen the footfall for the first two weeks when we were only open for drinks, I really thought we might do double or triple the amount of people if we were lucky but it's been crazy, exceeding our greatest hopes."
Rik creates the recipes while his fiancé Tim Novak is behind the counter at the business located in Church Street, in what was once The Chesterfield. Back in 2020 it was looking like the boarded up pub - with an interesting history - would be converted into apartments, but it never happened.
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One end became Domino's earlier this year, while The Sustainable Kitchen opened at the other. "Queen Victoria stayed here overnight on her way to Belvoir Castle. This building was the largest pub in the area and was used for court proceedings as well," said Rik, who has done more than just create the menu. The bark-edged beech wood tables were also crafted by him.
The cafe's ethos is ethical and environmentally conscientious, as the name suggests. There's no plastic except where absolutely necessary in some of the fittings. As part of the dedication to green living, an array of plants decorate the cafe both inside and out in the courtyard. They also have their own reusable range of coffee cups on sale.
There's no meat, fish or dairy in the dishes, making it vegan but Rik said they prefer to describe it as plant-based as "the word vegan scares people."
He said: "I'm the target demographic of this business really. People that aren't here to go fully vegan but they just want to do their best to reduce their carbon footprint or reduce their meat consumption for health reasons and maybe look for inspiration from these plant-based dishes and know that it's been constructed by a chef and a nutritionist."
Almost everything is made in-house with the exception of bread from Hambleton Bakery and cakes from the Pudding Pantry. Breakfast is available from 8am to 11am with overnight oats and croissants filled with eggy scrambled tofu and wilted spinach.
From 11am sandwiches, salad bowls, the soup of the day and a signature 'sausage' roll are served. Customers can look forward to gourmet sandwiches such as grilled Mediterranean vegetables and smoked harissa hummus on focaccia and plant-based blue cheese with plum chutney and toasted walnut on artisan sourdough.
Curried cauliflower, charred aubergine and sesame and orange blossom glass noodles are amongst the salads. Alternatives to cow's milk accompany the hot drinks, which include banana matcha latte and tea from Nottingham company Bird & Blend in flavours such as strawberry lemonade and rhubarb and custard.
Rik, who worked as a chef for 22 years in London at private members clubs before returning to his home county in 2018, is a qualified nutritionist and is keen to make sure the dishes are balanced. For example the cheese is nut-based meaning it contains protein.
He said: "Even for me I find eating plant-based food quite difficult It's either junk food or it's a salad you can add chicken to for £2.50 but that's the source of protein so they're not actually nutritionally considered dishes. It's hard to eat well and I thought if I find it difficult the general public must find it so much harder.
"It's heart healthy fats and I'm trying to stay away from the fine white carbohydrates but, having said that, with plant-based nutrition you don't want to go really far down everything being wholegrain and wholesome because sometimes they're not the flavours people are accustomed to and if you're trying to step away from eating meat you still need to be able to enjoy your meal so it's about finding that balance."
While the demographic most in tune with sustainability and plant-based nutrition is the younger generation, some of the more mature locals in Bingham have not been afraid to give it a try.
Rik said: "We've had a very positive reaction. The vicar said Bingham has become ever so bougie - he'd just seen two 90-year-old women walking down the street with iced matcha lattes. A demographic that historically are more reluctant to change are suddenly embracing this venture, trying the matcha. You see a generation you'd never expect to see drinking these ancient Japanese drinks, that are bright green, but they are loving it.."
The cafe has been closed Monday and Tuesday this week to give the duo chance to catch their breath after such as busy week. However they are hoping to taken on another chef and more staff in the future. Current opening hours are Wednesday to Saturday 8am to 6pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm.
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