I started the Duke of Cambridge in Islington out of a passion for sustainable, artisan food and also felt there were people out there like me who wanted to feel they were having a positive effect on the environment or, at the least, a minimal damaging effect.

The challenge was trying to get a landlord to commit to leasing us a pub. I had to have a free house, because otherwise I wouldn't be able to sell my organic beers, wines and spirits.

I still am very puritanical about it. I won't stock anything that comes from a big multinational. 

I wrote an extremely good, 60-page business plan. I knew what I was talking about. I had a fabulous site, so it wasn't hard to sell it to people [for funding].

There aren't any other organic pubs in the country—I'm the only one. I see myself as a bloody good gastropub.

The Soil Association mark gets us a lot of press interest but the amount of administration involved is laborious. But it's all part of our story. We have these deep core values about sustainability. It goes beyond a green electricity terrace. We work with local schools teaching the cooks and helping them to source more sustainable food.

All business needs to have a philanthropic aspect. Businesses rule the world and if they don't take the time to give a bit back to the society from which they're reaping their profits and joys, then society will be in big trouble.

A lot of businesses do it instinctively in the way they look after their staff. If you treat them badly you're not going to get much out of them. Think in the same way about your suppliers, and your local community: What impact is this going to have beyond my pocket? That way, you can improve your business and make it more successful. It makes your customers loyal.

Values-driven business isn't new—it stems right back to Cadbury and Bourneville. Anita Roddick was an inspiration. She was loud about the values behind her business. Because of people like her, I was able to raise money.

You have to financially motivate people to be good. You also have to have a moral motivation to do what we're doing.

If I were prime minister I'd invest money in children. They need to learn how to cook and grow food. It's about life skills. You can't keep throwing parents in prison for not looking after children properly.

My father has been a great business mentor. My mother and stepfather are mentors from a values point of view. It stems from the the fact that until the age of 17 we lived in a commune in the Midlands that was self-sufficient in organic food. It was a values-driven society.
Our menu is dictated by what's available from the local farms. All the vegetables come from the Home Counties. Our food's organic and seasonal, as well.