Organic food in supermarkets

sams247

Edwardia wrote: »

sams247 hope you are over tonsilitis, mine seems to have gone

I do seem to be much better thank you! Antibiotics kicked in and all was made well. Rest of family have it now...............

Got some amazing veggie pies and burgers from theFarmers Market yesterday, I wanted details and ingredients etc but the seller had no card and no website. Surely these two things are essential if you're seting up a buisness that sells? Ah well, the pies were delicious

lindseykim13

Slightly OT
Can I ask you lovely lot about cleaning? I'm anti chemicals as I assume most of you will be, I have been using water/vinegar mix in a squirty bottle for pretty much anything. I'm finding though with the bath especially it still looks grubby. What do you all use?
Bad limescale problems too!

Edwardia

sams247 - you got antibiotics out of GP blimey - I have diabetes and GP won't give me them I had to make do with Chloraseptic spray and sugar free lozenges. Glad to hear you're much better sorry your family not good seems lots of flu & tonsilitis about.

lindseykim13.. see page 78 but here are some links

ASDA Eco Friendly toilet cleaner 1.50
http://groceries.asda.com/asda-estore/search/searchcontainer.jsp?trailSize=1&searchString=ASDA+Eco+Friendly&domainName=Products&headerVersion=v1&_requestid=410114

there's also washing powder, fabric conditioner, bathroom spray, kitchen & hob spray, multi-surface spray

DP white vinegar trigger spray £1 (cheaper than Amazon price0
http://www.wilko.com/surface-cleaners/dri-pak-white-vinegar-500ml/invt/0247282

DP liquid soda crystals trigger spray £1 (cheaper than Amazon price)
http://www.wilko.com/surface-cleaners/dri-pack-liquid-soda-crystals-multipurpose-cleaner-500ml/invt/0213684

Kitchen Spray Away trigger spray 2.99
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/23235/Kitchen-Spray-Away

HG Eco Multi purpose glass cleaner 3.49
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/23468/HG-Eco-Multi-Purpose-Glass-Cleaner

DP Soda Crystals 1kg £1 (Ocado has at same price)(cheaper than Amazon)
http://www.wilko.com/surface-cleaners/dri-pak-soda-crystals-1kg/invt/1229940

Clear and Natural sodium bicarbonate 1.50
http://www.wilko.com/surface-cleaners/clear-and-natural-bicarbonate-soda-500g/invt/0264235

BioD
http://www.biodegradable.biz/

Grumme Gron Sapa (I use this on floors)
http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Grumme-Gron-Sapa--Liquid-Green-Floor-Soap/79232011?from=search&tags=|20000&param=grumme+grun+sapa&parentContainer=SEARCHgrumme+grun+sap_SHELFVIEW

Grumme Gul Sapa
http://www.totallyswedish.com/en/webshop/food/household-beauty-products/grumme-yellow-all-purpose-cleaner

One organic beeswax polish
http://www.scottsofstow.co.uk/Organic-Beeswax-Furniture-Polish/Product1_22051_-1_264653_10551

Wheelers Natural Products
http://www.homecareessentials.co.uk/acatalog/Wheelers_Natural_Products.html?gclid=CICOjZODyLYCFdHMtAod5DEAdg

Ecover toilet cleaner on offer Tesco 2 for 2.50
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=253545336
(same offer Sainsbury's to 21/05)

I have noo idea how to tackle limescale, I've tried Diet Coke, distilled malt vinegar, Viakill and one of those pumice stone scrubber things.

I put Arm & Hammer washing soda in my 4 month old washing machine and when I run out bought DP soda crystals to try.

Personally I use Ecover and Bentley Organics stuff also Grumme Gron Sapa and other than limescaled loo which conventional stuff hadn't shifted, I haven't noticed a difference other than no horrible synthetic smells. OH went out and bought all the ASDA Eco Friendly he could find to try. Will get the vinegar and soda crystal sprays when next near Wilkinson.

Some Ecover stuff on offer at Waitrose ATM.

Distilled malt vinegar - I use this for cleaning up old floorboards and it works !
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chefs-larder-distilled-vinegar-5L/dp/B0091K2XCS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_d_49

Edwardia

Video tips from Dri-Pak eg making own washing powder, using white vinegar as fabric conditioner (heh I have 10 litres distilled malt vinegar under the stairs)
http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/tip-videos.html#.UWwk78olLNM

Quasar

Another disappointment for me today. Went to Wholefoods in High Street Kensington for good beef, and at the beef counter I spied a great bit of chuck for my slow cooker. I assumed it was organic but I still asked the butcher who said it was free range but not organic. Not very pleased.

Callie22

smallblueplanet wrote: »

Ta. It's very difficult to find. Just seen Swindon Pulse sell some

http://www.swindon-pulse.co.uk/?cat=8

will try and find their shop next time I'm Swindon way.

Just saw this and wanted to add a thumbs up for Swindon Pulse. I live in Swindon and regularly call in. It's just a small shop but it has loads of interesting stuff, and a great selection of flours, pulses and general ingredients. It's a short walk from the town centre, along Curtis Street, but it's fairly close to the town centre car parks. They're also a pick up point for local veg boxes, which is handy. All in all it's a great little shop

Fire_Fox

lindseykim13 wrote: »

Slightly OT
Can I ask you lovely lot about cleaning? I'm anti chemicals as I assume most of you will be, I have been using water/vinegar mix in a squirty bottle for pretty much anything. I'm finding though with the bath especially it still looks grubby. What do you all use?
Bad limescale problems too!

Vinegar is only a VERY mild acid when diluted with water, it's not a hardcore cleaning agent and won't cut through everything. Try neat vinegar or lemon juice for limescale and leave it to soak, but if it's bad you will probably want a thick acid-based product that will cling. I have used eco toilet cleaner before as well as 'proper' descaling products! If you want to get creative you can easily get hold of citric acid (from lemon juice) crystals, they are usually used for appliance descaling.

Depends what the grubbiness is in the bath: if it's grease based you might well get it off with baking soda or washing soda and a little hot water because they are alkaline so will saponify (turn to soap) the fats, if it's scum and product build up a surfactant based (foaming) product might be more effective. If you don't want to purchase something new you might just use whatever body wash or shampoo or washing up liquid you have in the house. Fundamentally the surfactants in all of them do much the same job.

I don't stick with one brand as such: sometimes I buy what is on offer from the eco supermarket or eco brands at Wilkinsons, sometimes Stardrops anti-bac sprays, have had Bio-D washing up liquid and toilet cleaner in five litre containers, ditto NaturallyThinking shower gel. Stopped having Ecover when they were sold out. I don't tend to use a different product for every task, one spray and one foaming product does many tasks. Do use vicious chemicals for drains and the oven tho.



Slightly off topic but I like Green Sacks at Wilkinsons, made in the UK from recycled material, very sturdy. http://www.thegreensack.co.uk/

Edwardia

Callie22 - thanks for recommending a local shop, any more you know of in Wiltshire ?
the only thing I'd add to your post Fire Fox is that whatever ya do peeps, don't attack soap residue with bleach. Whatever the reaction is, it produces an acrid smell and makes the residue go brown. OH tells me it's toxic so I shan't do that again

dasophster

Not organic AFAIK but made from natural ingredients and vegan/cruelty free, the astonish oven and cookware cleaning paste is safe to use on baths (though perhaps not the best thing for acrylic baths as it is very abrasive) and really does work to remove limescale and all kinds of dirt. It used to be marketed as an all purpose cleaning paste and in the directions for use it still gives a nod to this. They also do a more hardcore one with bleach but I prefer to avoid anything like that xx

Callie22

Edwardia wrote: »

Callie22 - thanks for recommending a local shop, any more you know of in Wiltshire ?

I've heard good things about Purton House Organics, which is just outside Swindon. They do veg boxes and have a farm shop. There's also Three Trees Farm shop near Chiseldon, and I think there's a pick-your-own place just outside Swindon, called Lotmead Farm. I've never visited so I don't know much about either of those, or how organic they are. North of Swindon, near Highworth, there's Coleshill Organics - again I've heard good things about them and they also have a shop and do veg boxes. And the Organic Farm Shop, up near Cirencester, is supposed to be very good - I think they've won awards for their meat and they apparently have a very good cafe. Must try to get up there this year!