Catch at The Old Fish Market, led by Chef Patron Ben Champkin, is very proud to announce it has been awarded the highest possible sustainability accolade: a three star rating in The Sustainable Restaurant Association’s Food Made Good Standard. An exceptional score of over 90% places Catch at The Old Fish Market among the leading restaurants globally working to serve food responsibly. Their approach to sourcing seafood is particularly strong - in fact, they achieved the highest score worldwide in the “Source Seafood Sustainably” category.
The Food Made Good Standard is the leading sustainability certification for hospitality worldwide. To date, over 11,000 kitchens have been certified in 40 countries across six continents. The assessment evaluates businesses across three critical pillars: Sourcing, Society and Environment. Achieving a three-star rating signifies industry-leading performance and a profound dedication to tangible, measurable and transparent sustainability practices.
Catch now stands among a select few, demonstrating that world-class dining and environmental responsibility can go hand-in-hand.
Catch's exceptional performance right across The SRA's Food Made Good Framework is testament to its pioneering approach:
● Sourcing: Catch champions direct, supportive relationships with the local Weymouth fishing community, sourcing from owner operated day boats that land their catch just a few steps from the restaurant doors. Chef Champkin has eliminated high food-mile ingredients, such as citrus, in favour of UK-sourced ingredients. The restaurant's partnership with The Veg Lady, based on regenerative and organic growing practices further underscores its commitment to local, seasonal produce. It even has its own beehives.
● Society: Based in Weymouth’s historic Old Fish Market, the restaurant plays a vital role in supporting the local community and maintaining the town’s longstanding fishing heritage. As well as supporting the local fleet, by driving local tourism and providing year-round employment, Catch strongly supports the local economy.
● Environment: Catch has implemented an expansive circular economy model, including a strict plastic free policy. Its ‘whole-fish’ philosophy repurposes every part of the catch - anything that can’t be turned into an ingenious recipe is returned to the fishermen for bait. Energy efficiency is also paramount. The restaurant operates on 100% renewable electricity, 30% of which is self-generated by solar panels, with an air source heat pump for heating and hot water.
This achievement is even more impressive given the overall performance of the hospitality sector in relation to sustainability. The industry is a significant contributor to environmental challenges, responsible for up to 15% of the UK's total greenhouse gas emissions - an estimated 15m tonnes of CO₂ annually , largely stemming from its typically complex supply chains. Commercial kitchens are notoriously energy intensive, consuming up to ten times more energy per square foot than other buildings . Furthermore, the sector generates around 920,000 tonnes of food waste each year, with 75% being avoidable .
In this context, Catch’s three star rating reflects more than a score and shows what is possible when a restaurant takes a thoughtful, thorough approach across its operations.
The SRA, under the presidency of Raymond Blanc OBE, noted in its report: "We were impressed by Catch’s holistic approach to sustainability, deeply rooted in community, provenance and respect for local ecosystems. The restaurant’s commitment to serving locally caught seafood through close, direct relationships with small scale fishers, alongside an almost fully UK sourced, plant-rich menu, showcases an exemplary model of sustainability in practice. This is a fantastic result and a clear reflection of the dedication put in by the team at Catch at The Old Fish Market to benefit both people and planet."
Chef Patron Ben Champkin added, "At Catch, we firmly believe that a truly great restaurant must also be a sustainable one. We’re incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made. The three-star rating reflects the team's dedication and hard work - but sustainability is a journey, and we’re really just getting started. We have ambitious targets to reduce our carbon footprint even further and develop our own growing space by the time we are next assessed by The SRA in 2027."
