Contemporary plate glamour sounds sexy, not the normal words associated with waste, zero waste that is. Well guess what, zero waste is not the norm, which is why Silo founder and chef Douglas McMaster's mission is always the first thing critics note. The taste however, is just as mind-blowing. Douglas hashtags contemporary plate glamour on Instagram, along with waste is a failure of the imagination. Sure, there's instant gratification, but these plates of food are not a wham bam kind of glamour, they feed your imagination.
 
Named Britain's best ethical restaurant, Silo is popping up at Salvo 2017 in Henley on Saturday 24th - Sunday 25th June.
 
Your menu has a mission, but we are taste seekers, what is it about your method that produces such incredible taste?
 
The secret is in the produce, if it's prepared simply and fresh from it's source, you can't go too far wrong.
 
What advice would you have given to yourself when you started this journey into zero waste?

Not to underestimate the magnitude of the mission...
 
Do you think, generally speaking, that attitudes to food waste are changing?
 
For sure, it's a trend now. There are 2 things that happen to trends; it drifts away and nothing becomes of it… Or it becomes part of the status quo. Lets hope its the latter.
 
Favourite libation?
 
16 year old Lagavullin aged in a sherry cask
 
Favourite dish as a child?
 
Oh don't ask… Nothing very good!
 
You did a stint as a vegan and veggie food at a gastronomic level has given the restaurant a distinct following. Academics at The University of Nottingham support the view that wild deer in Britain should be hunted for venison to drastically reduce their populations and support the re-emergence of our native woodland birds. Why did you personally go back to eating meat and why venison for the Silo at Salvo menu?
 
Fundamentally I believe that humans are frugivores, tho we have eaten meat as a needs to survive. Looking from a different world view - 'feedback loops' / 'Biodiversity… We have multiple issues with over dominant species (ourselves included) that need to be dealt with.
Culling venison is the right thing to do, respectfully. Not eating the dead animal is definitely very wasteful, especially considering the superiority of that meat opposed to livestock.
 
What is a good first step for people that want to move towards a zero waste life?
 
Choose natural packaging! Biodegradable coffee cups, paper bags instead of plastic, buying bulk food loose….
 
You have achieved so much already. What is next for Silo?
 
I would like to open Silo in London.
 
When describing his dream for Silo, London, Douglas told The Irish Times:
 
'I would like to have a restaurant where every single material choice was thought out in a way that it was almost going to last forever. And if it doesn't last forever then its good of the earth somehow.'
 
Let 's hope his dream comes true.
 
Pre-book chef Douglas McMaster's two-course lunch with special weekend tickets and sit back and relax in the restaurant styled by vintage furniture house Metroretro.
 
Choose Carnivorous or Herbivorous Calzone, made from freshly milled heritage flour and taste transatlantic emission free organic Pirate Chocolate fondant… Sailed from the Dominican Republic using only the wind and a crew of badass sailers (pirates). Washed down with your choice of Old Tree drink like bubbly or botanical infused vintage cider.