Organic food in supermarkets

Edwardia

Feeling tired today cos my mother insisted on visiting Scotney Castle in Kent which was quite a long trek for her let alone me. Discovered that they sell produce from their walled garden - old varieties - and it was cheap (surprisingly). So if you live near/visit a National Trust property might be worth checking. This garden had courgettes, squashes, pumpkins, shallots and onions.

We had to go on a big detour and er went the wrong way. My mother was doing a U-turn in a farm track when I spotted a stall laden with jam and an honesty box. We got this year's blackberry jam so that's another source to consider for food. If it's a truck/van parked up it's probably sprayed stuff from a farm or market, but if it's a few things outside a cottage eg eggs, runner beans, courgettes it's likely to be unsprayed and additive free.

Another variation on that is ye olde boot fair or village fete. Sometimes you'll see people with home-grown beans, tomatoes, potatoes etc and jars of jam and chutney and maybe a marrow.

Stopped in her local Budgens to get stuff for a very late lunch (5pm) and got Cauldron organic vegetarian falafel and New Covent Garden Soup Co minestrone. The falafel were great (we had them hot), just the right size and just spicy enough. The minestrone soup was additive free, really tomatoey, nice thick soup, could hardly see the pasta though (maybe why only 2.6g carbs per 100g).

blueyellowred well done on your bargains !

bornintoit

Thank you for your kind words Edwardia and Kirri, I did get that feeling also. They may as well have put me in a room with a question and answer sheet and left me to fill in the blank spaces because I get the impression that personality doesn't count which seems crazy to me as I'm applying for customer service and team work jobs. Surely how you engage and interact with customers and colleagues should be an important part of the process.

Anyhow for anyone that is interested Cauldron are now selling their organic smoked tofu again at ASDA for the introduction price of £2, normally £2.50 I believe? I know many vegans who were sad when this was discontinued so hopefully this may be useful to someone.

Edwardia

Thanks for that bornintoit, I haven't tried smoked tofu. I lurve the Taifun organic basil tofu though mmmm so far only seen this in Waitrose in my area. I eat it sliced like cheese.

Good idea to go for customer services type jobs because personality is sure to be more important. Peeps on the Sainsbury's Careline always sound cheerful.

To get 50p off organic Rice Dream go to
www.mydairyfreedream.com/campaigns/coupons

Just been reading Waitrose Kitchen (1.20 in-store, free with a myWaitrose card) and there's a recipe for blackberry and apple crumble plus video at www.waitrose.com/tv If you go blackberrying there's a Blackberrying thread in The Money Savers Arms at the moment with recipe links.

Got an email from The Higgidy Kitchen and The Higgidy Cook Book is out today. Here's the piece in their local paper in Sussex.
http://www.shorehamherald.co.uk/news/top-stories/latest/higgidy-pie-queen-creates-first-cookbook-1-5460278

The book is available from WH Smith, Waterstone's, Amazon (11.55 + free delivery), Sainsbury's, Tesco (£7 + free delivery), Waitrose.

Edwardia

Lidl is doing A Taste of Poland from 19/09 and one thing I've noticed from browsing in Lidl and in my local Polish shop, is that instead of using preservatives in jars of goulash/stew-type things, they will often be pasteurised ie briefly heated to ultra high temperature, to kill any bacteria. So this could mean that if you check labels, you could pick up some cheap, additive-free and filling autumnal meals.

Edwardia

Within Food Shopping & Groceries, people often ask for recommendations for products in particular supermarkets, because they've moved home, a new store has opened or a delivery service has expanded

So it occurs to me that though we've often reviewed various things, I don't think we've ever (please correct me if I'm wrong) over the last 102 pages listed things we like from specific supermarkets, delivery services and independent stores. Thinking of keeping costs down they should be additive free, can be vegetarian, vegan or neither or wild eg fish, game, samphire .. not forgetting organic - which I just did oops !

A thought just occurred to me, for those lurking..if you're thinking about going organic, it's not like becoming a vegetarian and having to learn new recipes. You can use your grandmother's cake recipe for example and you don't have to give up Weetabix, baked beans, frozen peas, oven chips, pizza, ketchup, brown sauce, mayonnaise, corn flakes or cola either there are organic versions of all of these.

How about it ? We could start with Abel & Cole product recommendations.

Kirri

Edwardia wrote: »

We could start with Abel & Cole product recommendations.

A&C branded or any brand from them?

I love the Early Bird crispy muesli £2.80 (though Ocado stock this as well|).

or if own brand, (pre the Hen Nation Farmaround eggs I now get) I loved the Petite eggs £1.70 ish? (good if on an organic budget)


Also on the budget theme, I've started pricing up the odd recipe in the freezer thread, though they are obviously cheaper due to having home grown stuff.

Scotney Castle sounds good, like the sound of the produce there. I also like looking at those stalls outside people's gates. (I'd have my own if I had a house!).

Edwardia

A&C or branded from A&C, doesn't matter Kirri.

Kirri

Anyone watching the BBC2 Harvest prog? They briefly touched on organic wheat, with one farmer (who isn't organic) claiming you couldn't feed the world on organic wheat due to half the amount of yields..

They didn't say just how often they spray though... though yesterday they did say the potatoes were sprayed weekly last year /two weekly this year..

Callie22

Don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but Sainsbury's have got some of the Higgidy quiches on offer at the moment, down to £3 each from £3.90ish. They had two varieties on offer - bacon and cheese, and spinach, feta and red pepper.

Edwardia

Thanks callie22 !

Way of using up kohl rabi ..peel, chunk, boil, drain and mash with butter. Stir in grated cheese and it tastes just like cauliflower cheese