BudBurst

With beers called "Eco-Warrier", "Freedom Organic Lager" and "Shoreditch Stout", this pub wears its credentials rather heavily and proudly states that it is the only Soil Association certified organic gastro pub in the country.

That's not a criticism though, the food is sourced locally and is Fair Trade where possible. Most of the beer is brewed in SE England helping the revival of the cottage industry that once famously thrived. Fish is from sustainable sources and a Pocket Good Fish Guide 2006 is on every table to educate the punters. This comes with a card (on recyled paper) explaining the company's values, the environmental responsibility it takes and the little things you can do at home that will make a difference as long as all the Islington yummies also club together and go to  Bicester Village in one Cayenne 4x4 together.

Being a working lunch I had a Luscombes Hot Ginger Beer which was authentically spicy and perfect for the chill of an early Winter day. The long list of organic wines looked promising and I will return one evening to try them.

To start we shared a Duck Prosciutto with walnuts, roast beetroot, shaved jerusalem artichokes and a red wine/port reduction. The duck was very good and full of flavour, not sliced so thinly that you didn't feel you'd got a proper mouthful. The rest of the plate was all kind of drowned out in frisée salad suburbia.

Then spaghetti with mussels and clams in white wine, chilli and garlic of which I am moved to say the clams were the best I have eaten in this country. Plump,  succulent, briny; easy to find and remove from their shells - I sometimes end up chasing a grain of sand round a shell wondering "is that it?" I think the kitchen might have forgotten to put any wine in the sauce because the spag was quite dry and flavourless but I was so thrilled with the clams that I didn't really mind. 

Herb crusted sole fillet with crushed roast parsnip, chard and herb caper butter was more rounded as a dish. The fish was tender and flaky with lots of lovely crunch on top and salty creamy butter licking its flanks.  The vegetables were well cooked and had real depth of flavour to them.

We were kept waiting an extraordinary amount of time for such straightforward stuff but they were surprised by the number of customers they got in on that particular lunchtime and there were only two members of waiting staff, one of whom was being trained. They were both very sweet, polite and apologetic though and you'd have had to have been pretty hard hearted to be really annoyed. Or late for the office maybe...

The menu changes daily and according to the seasons. I would recommend this place because despite any minor short-comings they really are committed to good food with all the principles that entails.

The Duke of Cambridge, 20 St Peter's St, Islington 020 7359 3066 http://www.dukeorganic.co.uk