In a town full of great dining options, it takes something a bit extra to turn a one-time customer into a loyal regular. At Big Fig, it’s not just plates full of delicious food and a nice vibe that keep people coming back — it’s the deeper connection we’ve built with our community through our loyalty programme, the Big Fig Locals Club.

According to non-profit organisation Love Food Hate Waste, Kiwis waste $3.2 billion worth of food every year. Food is the single largest waste item in our landfills.

Formal structure for weddings is out, casual is in. Elopement weddings, barefoot weddings, call them what you will – they’re popping up on beaches, backyards and in baches all over the country

Yes, it really is a thing.

So why are our rich and succulent pomegranate beef cheeks turning people flexitarian (ok, the clue is in the question) and why are they our most asked-for recipe? No, we’re not giving you the recipe right now (‘cos, cookbook … maybe … one day), but … here are all of its secrets.

In 2009, I was travelling in Lebanon with my partner Caroline and four of my 10 siblings. Near our hotel in Beirut was a tiny farmers market with a sign that read ‘Slow Food’ in English. I was as attracted to those words as I was to the heaped up tomatoes and shiny aubergines and sheaves of flat-leaf parsley. I now think of it as a message from my future.

In the many moving parts of Big Fig, here are some of the ways we’re trying to be a more environmentally responsible business. It’s a constant work in progress.