Organic food in supermarkets

Edwardia

Hi Quasar and yes Happy New Year everyone.

Personally, I'm not always convinced that a well-known brand is better -that I see Lanson advertised more widely than Taittinger, doesn't mean that Lanson is a better champagne.

I low carb and husband has just decided to do it also. So we both use beef dripping, duck fat, goose fat and lard as well as ASDA or Sainsbury's SO organic extra virgin olive oil.

Morrisons had Borges organic Extra Virgin olive oil 50 % off to 31/12/12 so although we don't usually shop there, husband nipped up there for me as it was 2.34 I think. Borges is Spanish, established 1896 https://www.borges.es

When I looked at prices per 100ml on Ocado, Organico organic Extra Virgin was 20p per 100ml cheaper than the Filippo Berio organic I've used on bread before. The Organico is also first cold press and names the three varieties of Spanish olives used and the growing areas. So I may try this.

Costco members can pick up Kirkland Signature Filippo Berio organic extra virgin olive oil 1.5 litres for 6.29. If ordering online though there's a minimum order of 2 bottles.

System

Make sure you get cold pressed olive oil as this means it has not been heated/refined, made using mechanical means ONLY

also yeo valley organic yogurts 2 for £2 at Tesco, usually £1.50 each, but they are not fat free

bornintoit

bornintoit wrote: »

Monsanto are here in the UK at Sainsburys and Waitrose selling Bellaverde® Sweet Stem Broccoli under their sister company Seminis.

http://www.seminis.com/global/uk/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/tell-sainsburys-and-waitrose-no-monsanto-products-in-uk-supermarkets

http://www.facebook.com/Say.No.To.Monsanto

Sorry for anyone who doesn't know about Monsanto I will edit this post tomorrow when I have more time with the full story about Monsanto.

Just thought I would mention that while searching for organic on the Sainsburys grocery website one of the things it brought up for the key word 'organic' was Sainsburys Taste the Difference Bellaverde Broccoli. This is not organic and comes from Monsanto, a massive pusher for GM products.

Edwardia

bornintoit, I've noticed before that Sainsbury's search engine seems to think Taste The Difference is organic. It used to be that you got brand or own brand then brand, own brand and value. Now there seem to be premium own brands, niche premium own brands eg Butcher's Selection at ASDA and value brands. I'm soo not convinced that Extra Special/Finest/Taste The Difference is actually any better.

Special GRRRRR for Monsanto !

Going organic certainly cuts through the confusion.

berbastrike thanks I lurve Yeo Valley yogurt :Tmmm

Quasar

Edwardia wrote: »

Hi Quasar and yes Happy New Year everyone.

Personally, I'm not always convinced that a well-known brand is better -that I see Lanson advertised more widely than Taittinger, doesn't mean that Lanson is a better champagne.

I low carb and husband has just decided to do it also. So we both use beef dripping, duck fat, goose fat and lard as well as ASDA or Sainsbury's SO organic extra virgin olive oil.

Morrisons had Borges organic Extra Virgin olive oil 50 % off to 31/12/12 so although we don't usually shop there, husband nipped up there for me as it was 2.34 I think. Borges is Spanish, established 1896 https://www.borges.es

When I looked at prices per 100ml on Ocado, Organico organic Extra Virgin was 20p per 100ml cheaper than the Filippo Berio organic I've used on bread before. The Organico is also first cold press and names the three varieties of Spanish olives used and the growing areas. So I may try this.

Costco members can pick up Kirkland Signature Filippo Berio organic extra virgin olive oil 1.5 litres for 6.29. If ordering online though there's a minimum order of 2 bottles.

As an Italian born and bred, I'm very fussy about olive oil. The trusted brands I mean are not the ones you find in supermarkets but rather obscure, expensive ones using exclusively Tuscan or Ligurian olives (the highest qualities), and with an organic certification. You can spent up to £20 for a 1litre bottle. Ok that is a bit TOO fussy, I'll admit, but I can get a good oil for £10-12, it's just that I have to trek around to find it.

Berio I wouldn't touch with a bargepole, neither would I Bertolli, because they use olives from any old source and some of them are not good quality.

Kirri

While we're on the subject of olives, I'm just sat here eating olive pizza.. (had to use them up because of the date). I normally hate olives, really hate them but I had the Riverford ones in the hamper win and they are actually ok, nice even! They looked nicer as they were done in oil stuffed with herbs and garlic - I've just cobbled together a few toppings, made an organic pizza base in the breadmaker and topped with vegan mozarella... Riverford olives, chilli flakes, Sainsbury's organic cherry toms (didn't look great but pets gave them a thumbs up taste wise and they are very fussy) and a red pepper. I was expecting to pick the olives off but I've eaten them all!

When I watched that Ch4 food prog a few months ago they showed the quick way of producing olives commercially, soaked in all sorts of stuff to speed it up as the traditional way took too long, they said they were not eatable fresh as they were picked. Not sure how organic olives are produced..

alphabet_soup

Tesco are also buggars for putting their 'Finest' range under results for 'organic' - bloomin' annoying!!

Thanks for all the info about olives - I hadn't a clue about most of that!

Edwardia

I've got three small but rapidly growing olive trees in my garden - one from Wilkinson, two from Lidl. I got one black olive in 2011, I was soo excited. So yes they do go black when ripe but you still have to prepare them.

http://www.bigplantnursery.co.uk/olivepreparation.html
I live in hope of getting enough to do this

Kirri the pizza sounds great !

Kirri

Edwardia wrote: »

I've got three small but rapidly growing olive trees in my garden - one from Wilkinson, two from Lidl. I got one black olive in 2011, I was soo excited. So yes they do go black when ripe but you still have to prepare them.

http://www.bigplantnursery.co.uk/olivepreparation.html
I live in hope of getting enough to do this

Kirri the pizza sounds great !

That's quite quick, think the prog said they used green ones and coloured them black?!!

Good luck with the trees, I'd have no idea how to look after them! Did you prep your lone olive?!

Edwardia

No, I was a sad case and photographed it for posterity. I'm thinking about doing a piece on olive oil for my blog now and I may stick the photo up on that.

I've had better luck with my fig tree, it;s about 8 yrs old now and got first really good crop of Brown Turkey figs this summer - organic of course.