London chefs offer taste of the Good Life

London chefs are bringing a sprinkling of the Good Life to their restaurants as diners become more aware of the origins of their food.

Restaurateur Tony McKinlay, owner of Platform restaurant at London Bridge, is a shareholder in the farm which supplies his meat, while the Paternoster Chop House near St Paul's has its own butchery.

Michelin-starred chef Shane Osborn is adding a bee-hive to his rooftop garden at Pied-à-Terre in Charlotte Street for honey. Meanwhile, Waterhouse restaurant in Shoreditch, Odette's in Regent's Park and Viajante restaurant in east London, run by El Bulli-trained chef Nuno Mendes, grow their own herbs.

Osborn planted his six by four metre garden on the roof of Pied-à-Terre last year, with almost 250 plants. He said: "We are not making ourselves self-sufficient by any means, but this is a small drop in the ocean to help."