Organic food in supermarkets

Edwardia

blueyellowred wrote: »

No wonder my kitchen looks like a branch on Lakeland

My mother should have shares in Lakeland, she's forever buying useless gadgets there I've got a cupboard full of em now.

As an ex chef (college trained) I use Nisbets https://www.nisbets.co.uk Brilliant, can't praise em enough.

I used to do all the cooking, then OH (son of a chef) started cooking to unwind from doing battle on the M25 and even though he now snores on the train, he still takes over my kitchen !

bornintoit

Edwardia wrote: »

Ocado email re: Christmas.

Ocado will email 1st October to say when peeps can start booking Xmas slots. SmartPass holders will get first go then from 30th Nov twill be open to all.

Ocado Reserved will be suspended for Christmas Week 20th-24th December.

You can book max of two slots in Christmas Week 20th-24th Dec but only one of them can be 23rd or 24th.

Minimum order value for Christmas Week will be £90.

Personally I'll be doing what I did last year and ordering from Abel & Cole

That's an email I did recieve but not interested. £90 is far too much for me and my boy, I don't and can't spend that sort of money.

strandedinaber

This is a fantastic thread - so happy to find it! I try and eat organic wherever possible as I find non-organic foods (especially dairy) don't agree with me. But I'm also participating in the September Grocery Challenge (with a limit of £200) so trying very hard to keep the costs down. I also don't have a Waitrose in my area and they tend to have the most variety when it comes to organic foods, at least in my experience.

Do most people here go for organic/local veg boxes for their fresh food? I've gone with Abel & Cole in the past but was disappointed by how quickly the food went off, so I'm trying a new local provider instead and am hoping that they will be better. Other than that, I think I'll have to go with whatever I can get at my local Tescos. Growing my own food isn't an option for me as I don't have a garden and I don't get enough sunlight to grow things indoors.

Edwardia

Hi there strandedinaber welcome to the thread

Quite a few of us use Abel & Cole and Riverford, yes. Minimum order is 12.50 for both now - free delivery from Riverford and 99p from A&C. I don't by boxes from them myself but I love both.

Ocado - sells a lot of organic food including Waitrose, Duchy Originals, Daylesford and The Black Farmer but unless you can get a free slot then delivery is expensive ie up to 6.99 :eek: A SmartPass gives free delivery but means forking out up front. If you'll order regularly (especially at weekends), then you can save more than the cost of the pass on delivery charges. It also gives 10% off some products -not many organic but includes organic veg boxes. Minimum order £40

Sainsbury's - seems to be increasing it's range of organic food and has for example six 95% British organic pork sausages for £3 and 80 teabags for £2. It would be possible to buy much of your organic food in Sainsbury's these days I think. Miniimum order £40 I think

Tesco - well personally, though both the stores I use are 24hr, they have very little organic food.

ASDA - haven't ever found much but what I have had has been good quality and price. Cheapest place to buy organic Weetabix. You can buy a monthly delivery pass now £8 (£5 September) to get free delivery.

Lidl - seems to be carrying more organic food than it used to in some stores. You should find milk and carrots. Cheapest place for organic Fairtrade bananas.

Waitrose - you'll get the entire Waitrose and Duchy Originals ranges from Ocado - how much you'll find at Waitrose depends on store size but even small one I use has quite a lot. Superb quality but prices can be eye-watering. Minimum order £50 free delivery.

Morrisons - not much organic but you should find milk, some veg, tinned beans.

Aldi - organic milk only AFAIK

Holland and Barrett - double points on everything ends 11/09 btw - no fresh, quite a lot of food other than that. Can order online from website or by phone with free delivery on orders over £20

Kirri can tell you about Farmaround. If I'm missing other stores or delivery services with organic food please shout

bornintoit

Just to let you know I did not get the job I went after, she said it was a good interview so not to be put off. It is disheartening but also frustrating that I missed out due to only three points on their marking system. Oh well onwards and upwards....

Edwardia

Three measly points, that's rotten luck especially after you did a good interview big hug ((((((bornintoit)))))) definitely time to break out the chocolate OH had been looking in his current organisation for a couple of years and this was the first one he applied for outside it. All you can do is your best cos much of it is luck.

Decided to do a Holland & Barrett order as double points and buy one get one half price. Got non-alcoholic mulled berry punch plus organic sparkling lemonade, organic cranberry drink and organic elderflower drink - all for my mother when she's here at Christmas. Organic brazil nuts, organic baked beans, organic noodles and Granovita organic herb pate for OH (have you had this Kirri ?) plus organic walnut pieces for salads/cooking. Got free delivery too.

Edwardia

Lidl offers from 12/09 - not organic but hopefully additive free !

• Bresaola della Valentina PGI 80g (air-dried beef slices) may be additive free as it has to conform to the PGI trad standard. Taste award winner 2013 was 2.49 now 1.99
• Simply Sumptuous special luxury fruit & nut muesli 750g was 1.69 now 1.49 Award winner Quality Food Awards 2011 and The Grocer Food & Drink Awards 2012 - so hopefully a pretty good standard and additive free.
• New Covent Garden Soup Co 600g Plum tomato and basil and butternut squash and sweet potato soups for 99p while stocks last. Checked these both additive free on website www.newcoventgardensoup.com

Approved Foods offers www.approvedfood.co.uk

Kallo organic veg stock cubes 59p or two for £1 best before 31/12/13
Natural House salad spa wash for fruit and vegetables 500ml RRP 4.99 now 1.49
Dilmah 25 organic teabags 50g RRP 1.99 now 69p or 2+ for 60p best before 31/01/14 max 50 per customer (so 100 = 2.40. Sainsbury's are 80 for £2)

Kirri

bornintoit wrote: »

Just to let you know I did not get the job I went after, she said it was a good interview so not to be put off. It is disheartening but also frustrating that I missed out due to only three points on their marking system. Oh well onwards and upwards....

Sometimes we miss out and something better comes along.. I personally despise the way the interview processes are these days - I have been asked some stupid questions, sometimes it seems more about who can answer these irrelevant questions more so than who can actually do the job...

Edwardia wrote: »

ThGranovita organic herb pate for OH (have you had this Kirri ?)

No, not tried that, let me know what it's like. I haven't had any pate since Cauldron used to do some good veggie ones in Waitrose many years ago. I did get some of the H&B organic brazil nuts the other day though.


Welcome strandedinaber - I order from Abel & Cole, Riverford, Farmaround and Ocado, I vary it each week - haven't found any specific problems with A&C veg going off quickly though occasionally have had issues with the odd item from all the delivery companies but not enough to stop me using any of them. Indie local box schemes do seem to usually offer more for your money though. Unless I go to Waitrose (Sainsburys were fairly good too when I lived near one) or a specialist organic shop I tend to get very frustrated trying to shop in a supermarket due to lack of choice. Are you in an Ocado delivery area? I supplement from an allotment as it saves me a lot of money - I am also doing organic on a budget.. a very miniscule almost non existent budget at that... but helps keep costs down being veggie. How many are you buying for in your £200 budget?

Interesting article on organic food cost and the pesticides in non org..

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/sep/08/organic-food-costs-expensive

blueyellowred

Ventured into Tesco extra in Corby at around 4pm and came out with loads of reduced organic produce:
Chestnut mushrooms £0.38x2
White grapes £0.90mx1
Blueberries £1.12 X1
Raspberries £0.90
Pointed cabbage £0.25
Figsx4 £0.49 x2
They had loads of more different things but there is no way I can eat all of that on my own + all the stuff I still have at home
Very rarely get to travel through Corby but will be stopping every time now- so much different stuff than in my local Extra(large sections of American, Portuguese, Thai and,of course, Scottish products) , fresh produce looks so much better. They even have hairdressers, nail bar and nice coffee shop. Oh, and loads of very upmarket toiletries, like Kings&Queens which I used to buy at Waitrose and they are Mineral Oil free and Paraben free and smell gorgeous.

smallblueplanet

strandedinaber wrote: »

This is a fantastic thread - so happy to find it! I try and eat organic wherever possible...

Try Real Foods for non-fresh organic & health foods, they have a good selection of their own 'packed by weight' and pre-packed stuff.

http://www.realfoods.co.uk/shop?promotion=true (link to the promotions page)