Organic food in supermarkets

Edwardia

Kirri raised a good point which I just picked up on, about going organic in other ways.

Have to admit that havng started eating organic food in March, I am thinking about being greener.

So far I've switched to Ecover washing powder and conditioner, used in conjunction with Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda from an American store in London which is 100% natural and supposedly boosts washing powder performance by 40%. I have to say I'm very happy with cleanliness, softness and smell so I don't see myself going back to Formil from Lidl.

I found organic cotton stuff at Seasalt https://www.seasaltcornwall.co.uk
and buy certified organic Fair Trade cotton tshirts from Sainsbury's as well - when Sainsbury's has clothing events they can be as little as £3 each !

OH sticks to Imperial Leather soap but I've tried handmade all natural kalonji seed soap from a Muslim store and olive oil soap from a health food store and both were really good and only £1 each.

Last time I bought foil I opted for recycled from Abel & Cole. I have bought nouvelle recycled loo rolls but not impressed.

I don't use air fresheners, I buy scented candles but I have noo idea which types are greenest.

That's all I've done so far.

Would love to hear about others' organic/green non-food experiences !

Edwardia

Supermarkets ASDA, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose will all deliver organic food purchased online BUT what you get depends on the store serving your local area - not necessarily your nearest store.
www.asda.com www.sainsburys.co.uk www.tesco.com www.waitrose.com

Personally would only recommend Waitrose delivery service and Waitrose, Sainsbury's and ASDA organic food.

Ocado also delivers organic food and since it's a web-based operation, there's a lot more choice including both Ocado and Waitrose own-brand organic.www.ocado.com Total Savings Pass gets 10% off organic veg boxes.

Personally recommend Ocado both for service and organic food.

Abel & Cole www. abelandcole.co.uk not available everywhere. Way more than just veg boxes now.

Personally recommend Abel & Cole although delivery mistakes have been made, customer service very good.

Daylesford Organic www.daylesfordorganic.com Nationwide delivery and some of the range also available from Ocado.

Not used the company but have had their products via Ocado and the chicken is great.

French Click www.frenchclick.co.uk Big range of French food, some of it organic (look for bio or biologique)

Personally recommend service and range but not cheap.

Laverstoke Park Farm www.laverstokepark.co.uk
Some of their range available from supermarkets plus Ocado and Abel & Cole. Soil Association members get 10% off ordering direct.

Had their products via Sainsbury's, Ocado and Abel & Cole. Mixed views, some very good, others not.

Approved Food www.approvedfood.co.uk
Specialises in short-dated and past sell-by date food and drink. Some organic eg Heath and Heather, Clipper, Crazy Jack, Geo Biologica, Allinson, Eunatura, Organico, Dr Karg, Tillmann's of Sweden. Discount on first order.

Tried but wasn't impressed by huge box I could barely move, quite a few people have complaints about them see their thread.

Selfridges Food Hall www.selfridges.com
Some organic products available online, mostly Daylesford and Lov Organic

Can't fault Selfridges, personally.

Fortnum and Mason www.fortnumandmason.com
Fewer organic products than you'd think but they include own brand chocolate and Highgrove vodka and wine as well as organic Irish smoked salmon from 9.50

Great shopping experience doesn't do as well with customer service online in my experience.

Harrods https://www.harrods.com
Surprisingly small amount of organic products online, mostly Ambroso honeys and Harrods teas.

Customer service no better than any other store, prefer Selfridges.

Edwardia

Places on my list to try..

Planet Organic www.planetorganic.com
Soil Association members get 10% off online orders. Free delivery on orders over £30. Products marked FRESH only available for delivery in London, otherwise delivery nationwide. Also has shops see website.

Real Foods www.realfoods.co.uk
Scottish stores with nationwide delivery. Free delivery on orders over £24

Goodness Direct www.goodnessdirect.co.uk
Free delivery on orders over £35, discounts for multiple purchases eg 6 tins. Soil Association members get one £10 off order before end of December.

Buy Whole Foods Online www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk
Free delivery on orders over £50 Some discounts on bulk buys

The Natural Grocery Store www.naturalgrocery.co.uk
Lots of unusual things, couldn't find delivery info.

Ecogreenstore www.ecogreenstore.co.uk
Big range, free delivery orders over £40, current 10% off sale on selected products

Nigel's Eco Store www.nigelecostore.com
Non food organic. Free delivery on orders over £50

Harvey Nichols www.harveynichols.com
Some organic products eg LA Organics, The Organic Pharmacy.

Bio Spanish Food www.biospanishfood.com
Spanish food including organic, shipped from Spain. Website in English, prices in Euros.

Edwardia

Lakeland www.lakeland.co.uk
A few organic products including bread mixes and Booja Booja chocolates.

Excellent customer service. Kitchen products can often be found cheaper elsewhere.

Ecotopia www.ecotopia.co.uk
All food certified organic. Free delivery over £50

Fairer Planet www.fairerplanet.co.uk
Some organic prodycts including tea, chocolate, pasta, coffee, nuts, toiletries, cleaning products, honey, tshirts and socks.

Healthy Supplies www.healthysupplies.co.uk
Organic products include quinoa, nut butter, oils, juices, millet, oat drinks, dried fruit. Brands include Infinity Foods, Rice Dreams, Biona, Delivery is 4.99 or 7.99 for urgent.

Wai Yee Hong www.waiyeehong.com
Organic ramen, soba and udon noodles and lots of Chinese and other Asian food. One of the good things about this website is that it goes into great detail about ingredients. So while there is almost nothing organic, you can easily avoid additives.

Valvona & Crolla www.valvonacrolla-online.co.uk
Well established Scottish deli which does nationwide delivery. Surprisingly little organic, just port, whisky, lager, wine and drinking chocolate.

Brindisa www.brindisa.com
Spanish restaurant with shop and online store. Carries organic olive oil, pancetta, chorizo, lomo, salchichon, fish tinned in organic olive oil. Free delivery on orders over £100

Edwardia

Morgiel Fine & Organic Foods imports organic food from Poland, mostly juices, preserves, vegetables it seems like. There's a PDF catalogue on the website, no minimum order, all customers get first order with free delivery.

The website doesn't specifically say wholesale only as far as I can see so it might be worth having a chat if you're Polish and missing organic food from home.

https://www.morgielfoods.co.uk

Edwardia

Abraham Natural Produce www.organic-halal-meat.com
Organic Halal meat and poultry online as well as organic sheepskins.

Biblical Foods www.biblicalfoods.co.uk
Organic Kosher chickens are sold via stockists listed on website. One of the companies, Just Kosher, doesn't seem to be selling them online just in shops but does have a handful of organic kosher products on the website
www.justkosher.co.uk

Kirri

Non food - I went organic on toiletries not long after food many years ago now. The more I went organic the more chemical smelling things seem and people caked in chemical perfume smell really overpowering these days! I use a mix of mostly organic and natural brands now, they have various levels of organic ingredients.

Laundry/household cleaning - all Ecover, not been so impressed with some other brands - Bio D toilet cleaner looked like someone had been sick in my toilet, was all yellow lumps! Not sure if the product was off though?!

I use Jason Natural for shower gel, shampoo & conditioner. Essentials London (great shop based near Covent Garden or next day free delivery from website if spending certain amount) are cheapest for Jason Natural. They were doing a BOGOF recently on the shampoo/conditioner, not sure if still on. Do a lot of great deals generally.

Also use Lavera (love the Basis Sensitiv range for face wash, hand and face cream), Green People (Gentle Tone is the most amazing gel type toner), Dr Hauschka (mascara is rose scented and amazing, great face masks, foot cream, body oil), Weleda (fab cellulite oil and products smell amazing, lovely skincare), Burt's Bees (pomegranate lip balm), John Masters Organics (orange body lotion), Avalon organic for skincare (great toner). Lavera do a great lip gloss. Make up wise I like Dr Hauschka. It's been very trial and error but I have found some fantastic products.

Fake tan - Lavera is a really natural one with no fake smell, is quite a light tan.
Suncream - Love the Green People one, no skin reactions and don't burn with it, no nasty fake smell. Also sold in some shops ie Waitrose and was on offer on Ocado recently.

Toothpaste - Green People mainly or Lavera (mint contains fluoride though)

Natracare - sanitary items - read about non organic tampons... less risk of TSS with these too. They do a big range now. I've bought cases of them from Natural Collection though are sold in Waitrose/Ocado though not the full range.

Hair dye - not using organic which is bad! have had an organic hairdresser in the past but I was a more natural shade back then!!!

Cotton buds - Ocado do a good priced box. Also available in Body Shop but much more expensive.

Edwardia

Thanks Kirri ! Really really useful post.

My basic skincare tips would be:
1. Drink water, cleanse and moisturise gently
2. Don't sunbathe and wear sunscreen
3. Avoid London, Paris and L.A.

I have been using moisturisers from Clarins or Nivea Visage and a cleanser from The Body Shop. Don't wear make-up often, usually Clinique. I've got Burt's Bees lip balm as well from the US, present from a friend. Must confess that if I have an important mtg or lunch or something I get my makeup done professionally first.

The organic cotton buds in the Ocado catalogue 1.99 don't seem to be available.

I've always used Johnsons Baby Shampoo, myself. Have to start thinking about all this stuff.

bornintoit

I've enjoyed reading through this thread. I've been wanting to go organic for quite a few months but I am on a very strict budget (even more so at this time of year) so I have been struggling to make the transition. Hopefully I can make it work in the near future.

frugal_shopper_2

Edwardia wrote: »

So far I've switched to Ecover washing powder and conditioner, used in conjunction with Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda from an American store in London which is 100% natural and supposedly boosts washing powder performance by 40%. I have to say I'm very happy with cleanliness, softness and smell so I don't see myself going back to Formil from Lidl.

You could save yourself a lot of money by switching to Dri-Pak soda crystals they are identical to Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (both are 100% Na2CO3) but the Dri-Pak soda crystals are readily available for £1 per kg or less whereas the Arm & Hammer ones are £6.99 for approximately 1.6kg which is over 4 times the price primarily because they are imported from the USA.

Currently 90p a pack in all the supermarkets.
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/#/waitrose-price-comparison/laundry/dri_pak_soda_crystals_1kg.html