Organic food in supermarkets

Edwardia

Grass fed is supposed to be the best, yes. I'd heard of Donald Russell before, they are one of the suppliers to The Queen. I looked on the website and couldn't find anything on there saying the meat is organic and no EU leaf or Soil Association logo.

That doesn't mean the meat is terrible, just means it's not organic. If you use the Search function I think there was a thread about Donald Russell.

bornintoit

Edwardia wrote: »

Grass fed is supposed to be the best, yes. I'd heard of Donald Russell before, they are one of the suppliers to The Queen. I looked on the website and couldn't find anything on there saying the meat is organic and no EU leaf or Soil Association logo.

That doesn't mean the meat is terrible, just means it's not organic. If you use the Search function I think there was a thread about Donald Russell.

I have been reading the Primal Blueprint website and the author does recommend grass fed beef over other types of beef because although he is a big advocate of organic he would rather eat grass fed than a cow thats been fed grains. I understand that viewpoint from a primal stand point, I also imagine that with it being grass fed it does get a good amount of time outside in the field etc.

I'm torn because I want to be organic AND low carb in the end and that would obviously involve avoiding grains and chemicals etc.

I think that I will probably have grass fed and organic on my safe to eat list.

Thank you for replying Edwardia, I am always grateful for the advice and appreciate it.

Kirri

I find it quite sad that 'grass fed' is now used as a term where that used to be and should be the norm!

Was also shocked to read that only 8% of turkeys have been reared outside (that was on a food marketing site, not even a pro animal one!).


Some other places that may be of interest, hope ok to list as bit far off the thread title?! not all organic but should be better than supermarkets - have only been to first few in list - if anyone else has been to the others I would be interested to hear reviews.

Shabden Park Farm - Chipstead (mainly meat)
Fanny's Farm Shop - Merstham (mix of org and non org in the shop, tea room, fantastic quirky place)
Denbies farm shop, Dorking (small shop with some org items, local artisan foods, easy parking, next to the vineyard open to public)

Priory Farm Shop - Reigate (artisan foods/bakers etc)
Etherley Farm Shop - Leith Hill
Secretts Farm Shop - Surrey Hills somewhere!
Sussex Produce Co - Steyning (South Coast ish)
Macknade - Faversham

Edwardia

I agree with you about the grass fed Kirri, I don't suppose cows originally ate corn.:(

bornintoit - I went low carb then organic myself, I think it would be a tough challenge to do it all at once. That means learning a whole new way of eating x2 plus a whole new way of shopping perhaps as well.

As you do have a carby store cupboard to use up maybe you could start by checking out prices of lower carb organic replacements. If you're doing Paleo, the organic part isn't as important as the low carb and you could choose additive free rather than organic. Granted that means a LOT of label-reading but it might help the budget. Oh and I'm happy to help no probs. I'm no expert but I am doing it.

Mark Sissons Primal Blueprint www.marksdailyapple.com
The Paleo Diet Dr Loren Cordain MD www.thepaleodiet.com
Dr Andreas Eenfeldt MD www.dietdoctor.com
Dr John Briffa www.drbriffa.com
Dr Annika Dahlqvist has a blog with English pages and its a pain to find but I hope her name and low carb will find it, hosted on blogg.passagen.se as she was a pioneer of LCHF (low carb high fat)

Swedish doctors are very much leading the way on low carb in Europe and I noticed that when Alexander Skarsgard had to lose weight for his film 'Hidden' (in order to look like a starved apocalypse survivor) he said in interviews that he cut out bread and pasta and ate a lot of kale salads. The film was made in Vancouver and he was papped with Whole Food Market bags.

Kirri I know several of the places on your list but only one store and that's Macknades https://www.macknade.com It's a farm shop which kinda grew into a deli situated on the outskirts of a medieval market town on the northern coast of Kent, called Faversham. There's now a shop in the town as well. Faversham is the home of Shepherd Neame, family owned brewers since 1698 which does brewery tours www.shepherdneame.co.uk and brews Whitstable Bay organic ale amongst others.

Kirri

^ with the bonus that S/Neame are vegan too I think I read the other week. It's a bit of a day trip for me to that one so will wait till warmer weather..!

Edwardia

My new discovery.. it's a free-to-join wholesale club whose stock seems to be based on Bookers.

Not much organic and no Ecover products either but Heinz organic biscotti 6 x 60g works out at 97p each bag instead of 1.09 most places - however when stocked Lidl may still be cheaper.

Whitstable Bay organic ale 8 x 500ml is 13.34 and there are several organic ciders too.

Minimum order £40 and delivery is 3.99 in catchment area, 5.50 elsewhere. Looks like they are based in Wimbledon.

Edwardia

Kirri wrote: »

^ with the bonus that S/Neame are vegan too I think I read the other week. It's a bit of a day trip for me to that one so will wait till warmer weather..!

There's a station in the town and last time I was there a proper independent cinema and a market plus a proper hardware store of the real old-fashioned type.

Quasar

I do eat almost exclusively organic. Only the fruit that I have to peel such as bananas, clementines etc, I don't mind buying conventionally grown. All the rest is organic.

Living in a fairly central area of London, I have access to all supermarkets most of which do sell a fair variety of organic produce. I use ONLY Waitrose for meat and poultry as I only trust their Duchy brand for organic genuineness and proper animal feeding/treatment. They also have a good range of organic vegs, fruit (both fresh and frozen), pastas etc. Morrisons, Sainsbury and Tesco also do organic produce, and it's all a matter of preference.

I can also get to the Wholefood shop in Kensington, which is quite pricey but ok for the odd item now and then.

Cost only matters up to a point to me, as I'd rather forego that dessert or drink and have safer food on my plate.

I would add that my reason for eating organic is not so much the nutrient content of the food, as what is NOT in it: untold and badly tested pesticides and chemical fertilisers on produce that penetrates thin skins or leaves and won't all wash off, and hormones/antibiotics fed to animals.

Edwardia

www.spicesofindia.co.uk

It's been a while since I've ordered and I was just looking at ghee and noticed Netherend Farm organic ghee 300g 9,95 Previously I bought quite a few tins of the Khanum pure butter ghee without ethyl butyrate 500g 5.45 but as I'm mostly using Aberdeen Angus beef dripping (sorry Kirri) and organic EV olive oil now I might give this a whirl.

Cha organic teas sold various varieties too.

Quasar, welcome to the thread and I agree with you, eat organic for the same reasons basically.

Netherend Farm has a website www.netherendfarmbutter.co.uk

Quasar

Edwardia wrote: »

www.spicesofindia.co.uk

It's been a while since I've ordered and I was just looking at ghee and noticed Netherend Farm organic ghee 300g 9,95 Previously I bought quite a few tins of the Khanum pure butter ghee without ethyl butyrate 500g 5.45 but as I'm mostly using Aberdeen Angus beef dripping (sorry Kirri) and organic EV olive oil now I might give this a whirl.

Cha organic teas sold various varieties too.

Quasar, welcome to the thread and I agree with you, eat organic for the same reasons basically.

Netherend Farm has a website www.netherendfarmbutter.co.uk

Hi Edwardia and thanks.

I've been eating organic for years, and have honed my search-for-the-best skills to a fine(ish) art. As I say, it's easy in a large city like London. I do not buy online, as I cherish the going to the shops experience when it comes to food.

Having had the good fortune of being given some kefir grains in early October, I'm now making my own probiotic drink of hig quality, and organic milk is a MUST for this. Luckily this is not hard to come by, but Duchy is still the one I trust the most. Failing that it would have to be goat's milk which is not my favourite, but if needs must...

This Wholefood in Kensington has absolutely everything but as I said it is expensive. It is the only place where I buy my extra virgin olive oil though. Another shop, As Nature Intended, is also quite good and carries a fair range. There are a few branches around London.