Organic food in supermarkets

Kirri

Edwardia wrote: »

Unrepentant egg lover here.. I was a lacto-ovo-vegetarian ie included dairy and eggs, for 11 years. My favourite veggie recipes came from The Cranks Cook Book and Rose Elliot but I never did like lentils much

Just done Riverford and Abel & Cole orders.. A&C has organic mature Cheddar on offer as well as organic beefburgers.

I could never imagine changing back like you did! I feel guilty eating dairy - but I do love YV tropical yoghurt pots and spreadable butter.. I also found some vegan foods to be more processed with less organic options but eat more and more vegan meals these days, it just involves a lot of cooking.. I never used to eat tofu, pulses or barely any veg.. I LOVE puy lentils now as well as yellow split peas, beans etc. Never seen the Cranks book.

I've got a Riverford order this week - couldn't resist trying the tomatillos, padron peppers and harissa as well as a few bits I've had before.

I want organic fenugreek, Crazy Jack do one but not stocked anywhere I order from so will have to try an indie org shop probably.

sophlowe45

Mr Organics baked beans are my favourite.

http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Mr-Organic-Baked-Beans/73535011?from=search&tags=%7C20000&param=mr+organics&parentContainer=SEARCHmr+organics_SHELFVIEW

So delicious.

I use clipper teabags

http://www.ocado.com/webshop/getSearchProducts.do?clearTabs=yes&isFreshSearch=true&entry=clipper+organic

Teapigs teabags are so expensive.

I did not like the Biona coconut palm sugar.

Kirri

sophlowe45 wrote: »

I did not like the Biona coconut palm sugar.

Any reason?? I have it on my order out of curiosity, not sure whether to get it or not!

Miroslav

Tesco's reckon their light choice baked beans are organic. Are they right?

I also use clipper teabags, albeit fruit teabags.

I tried the Weetabix Organic - tasted very different to normal Weetabix - hopefully a good thing?

I'm aiming to try and go vegetarian in the future - when my last cat has sadly passed on - still going for now. It will be easier then as she eats fresh meat, so giving it to her means I can't resist

Edwardia

Cranks cook book
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cranks-Recipe-Book-Vegetarian-Restaurants/dp/185797140X

Cranks website
http://www.cranks.co.uk/

I didn't go back to meat overnight, it was a gradual thing over several years. I still won't eat offal. I would be happy to be veggie but it would be really difficult for me on a low carb diet to do that.

My favourite Clipper teabags are Earl Grey and fennel.

Kirri.maybe you could grow fenugreek, it's a Meduterranean climate plant I think. Methi is fenugreek if you live near any Asian stores - I've seen it fresh in Edgware Rd

Kirri

The Cranks books get great reviews, may see if the library stock it.

I'd probably feel ill at the thought of eating meat again!

Miroslav - I had to learn a whole new way of cooking when I changed.. though giving up the meat itself was easy for me.

Didn't think about growing fenugreek, will investigate. Did get I think it was cumin to try growing next year. I have home grown coriander seed though that was an accident.. but flavour still excellent when crushed and that was harvested 2-3 years ago.

I've been looking at recipes for Boston Baked Beans - and how difficult it is to source the ingredients, which are fairly normal items I thought... Didn't realise treacle contained sulphites too, well the one stocked on Ocado does. Can get Meridian molasses but only from H&B. The maple syrups listed on Ocado are not marked as veggie either, not sure why. Meridian do one that is vegan but that means a trip to an indie org shop or else Ocado do org maple agave (with varying reviews). Also want haricot beans, dried, but can only see tinned on Ocado and found dried ones from Suma but they are from China. A&C don't have dried so specialist shop again.. and chipotle tabasco - looks like have to go conventional on that.. Seriously I've spent about an hour on this one recipe as I didn't want to buy conventional if I could get the organic version and now I've missed my order slot on Ocado!

Kirri

How disappointing, Wilkos appear to have stopped stocking Ecover! Shop had all been changed around and it had all gone.. not even spaces on the shelves for it.. real shame as it's hard to get where I live and they had some cracking offers on it over the past year.

Went to H&B this morning and seems they only stock the organic molasses online... they had a lot of Meridian stuff in store but in the non org lines. It can be so frustrating trying to shop!

Edwardia

Meridian does organic maple syrup which is vegan. This link will tell you where you can buy Meridian stuff in your county.

http://www.meridianfoods.co.uk/index.asp?section=Where%20to%20Buy

Currently Holland and Barrett is doing BOGOHP (buy one get one half price) plus if you order online, orders over £20 get free delivery.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/23/maple-syrup-grades_n_1167767.html
Maple syrup grades

Jakemans maple syrup got voted best in Canada (which produces 80% of the world's maple syrup) http://www.themaplestore.com/ but I haven't seen it in UK.

The Canada Shop in Covent Garden closed in April and so has the website so no genuine maple syrup available by that route.

Can't remember the brand we used to buy in Canada except it came in a glass bottle. Unusual taste but can be horribly sweet.

Clark's maple syrup is available at ASDA and Sainsbury's but the cheaper ones contains fruit syrup.

Vertmont maple syrup is supposedly 100% Canadian maple syrup, packaged in Canada but manufactured in Denmark ????

NB Boston beans are made with navy beans the same type as used in Heinz organic baked beans

Edwardia

Kirri I understand your shopping frustration because pre-Ocado, A&C and Riverford I would be running round three supermarkets every week just to try to get some organic food. It's part of the reason I started the thread.

Since then, I've found that Sainsbury's in my town has increased the range of organic stuff it sells. We have two branches though and we have to go to one to get bread for OH and the other for veg !

Kirri

^ Mostly the reason why I rarely go into shops these days! Going in two Sainsbury's just to get the basics isn't great! I can get the bulk of what I want from A&C with occasional Ocado shops or bits from Waitrose if I'm passing, but this latest batch of ingredients calls for a trip to a specialist organic shop I think but to get to a decent one means travelling 2-3 zones.. I tend to add things like that to a list and just go every now and again to save on travel.

The Meridian link is good, just discovered a new health shop on there, almost within walking distance, I didn't know about :T

I've no idea what navy beans are actually, there was an article in the Metro the other week with the recipe and they pulled the best bits out of a lot of different takes on the recipe and suggested haricot. I hate normal tinned baked beans but had something that might have been boston beans when in America and loved them (and I was a meat eating non bean eating person then!).