Why should socialising always be at the expense of your health? This is the question we asked ourselves when we starting thinking up the idea of Redemption.
We identified a number of trends – that it was increasingly difficult to find a cool socialising space that was alcohol-free; that people are looking to make healthier choices; that there was a growth in people making vegan or plant-based choices.
Then we set ourselves the challenge: could we create a space away from temptation that still feels like a treat?
So what we’ve tried to create is arguably London’s healthiest restaurant, serving up vegan, sugar-free, and wheat-free food with an alcohol-free bar. Our two buzzy spaces in Notting Hill and Shoreditch are being described by many as the best vegan restaurants in London. Our motto is ‘spoil yourself without spoiling yourself’, and our ethos is rooted firmly in caring for the planet, its animals, and ourselves.
Our company is lead by two female entrepreneurs: Catherine Salway, who has a background in business at Virgin, and Andrea Waters, an experienced restauranteur, vegan and raw chef.
Andrea brings exciting and delicious menus to life in order to give people maximum nutrition and taste. We try to delight even the most sceptical meat lovers and to challenge the convention that healthy food is boring or lacking finesse. So, as well as our delicious alcohol-free cocktails, we serve a full range of fresh, super-healthy dishes, including raw desserts that are good for you.
Redemption aims to be a company with a ‘heart of gold’ – we don’t harm or kill animals to create our food; we source the highest quality fresh ingredients locally and where possible organically; we have a zero waste policy; we aim for a zero or positive environmental footprint. That’s not to say we’re holier than thou or boring. Rather than preaching to people about their lifestyles we’re just providing an alternative – a night out but a night off.
So even if you’ve been putting Keith Richards or Shaun Ryder to shame recently, we’ll have you back on top form in no time!
Find Catherine on Twitter: @CatherineSalway and Instagram: @catherinesalway
Find Andrea on Twitter: @Foodfox and Instagram: @andreawatershed