My Best Organic

Ethical Superstore are offering free delivery on all orders over £10 this Easter weekend. Offer ends noon 14th April. Enter code FSEW2009 at checkout to qualify.

This post was submitted by Susannah.

Ethical Superstore are currently offering £5 off when you spend £40 – Enter code at checkout to qualify – X5EGG (Ends 7th April 2009).
Happy shopping x

This post was submitted by Susannah.

We received a lovely big parcel yesterday, full of organic goodies. I was quite excited, as I had ordered a couple of new products. I did, however, feel a little guilty about having goods delivered to our door. What about the packaging? What about the environmental costs of the transportation?

I decided to have a look into the policies of a few well known eco/organic providers.

Abel and Cole are really great in that they collect all packaging from you and state that they reuse it (I even return the string). They also ‘experiment with alternative fuels for their vans’ and do not air freight. I wonder how many times a cardboard box can be reused - particularly as the vegetables are usually (and fantastically!) covered in soil. The reusable crates and ice-packs used for fridge and freezer items are a great idea.

Goodness Direct uses biodegradable or recyclable materials wherever possible, including the use of biodegradable corn chips which disintegrate on contact with moisture. I did an experiment to see if this was true, and they did need a bit of persuasion to disintegrate, but we got there in the end. Even the boxes for chilled and frozen items are 96% biodegradable.

Ethical Superstore use ‘fuel-efficient delivery organisations’ and give customers the opportunity to offset carbon emissions by donating £1.00 per order, which is used on eco-projects. I have also personally seen that their packaging is kept to a minimum and is recyclable.

These web-based businesses also don’t contribute to the issue of plastic bags, and should be more energy-efficient due to not running retail units. OK. My guilt has evaporated…particularly as I reuse all packaging myself too x

This post was submitted by Susannah.

As it’s Fairtrade Fortnight, our friends at Ethical Superstore are offering free delivery on all UK orders up until 6th March. It’s usually free if you spend more than £15, so if you’ve been eyeing up a couple of products, but were loathe to fork out for delivery, now’s your chance x

This post was submitted by Susannah.

Here are some of the best special offers currently available:

Ethical Superstore

• Suma Prepacks Organic & Fairtrade Brown Basmati Rice 500g £1.79
• Suma Organic Apple Juice Concentrate 400ML £2.88 (usually £4.10)
• Percol Fairtrade Organic Espresso Coffee 250g £2.75 (usually £3.45)
• Suma Prepacks Organic Omega Seed Mix 125g £0.89

Ecotopia

• Envirokidz Organic Koala Crisp - 325g £1.20
• Peter Rabbit Organics Peach & Apricot Fruit Puree - 80g £0.66
• Village Bakery Organic Four Fruit Bars - 45g £0.30

Goodness Direct
50% off the following

• Biona Organic Worcestershire Sauce 140ml
• Goodness Organic Sundried Tomato Halves 250g
• Kallo Organic French Onion Stock Cubes 6 x 11g
• Tartex Vegetarian Roasted Onion & Pink Peppercorn Pate

As the economic problems in the UK continue to hit harder and harder, I’ve started wondering which source of organic food is the cheapest. I decided to do a little comparison check, taking prices from some major supermarkets as well as online retailers…

1. Organic white basmati rice 500g: Tesco £1.60, Sainsbury £1.60, Abel & Cole £1.89, Ethical Superstore £1.79

2. Organic tinned red kidney beans (400g approx): Tesco £0.45, Sainsbury £0.62, Abel & Cole £0.95, Ethical Superstore £0.85

3. Ecover washing-up liquid 500ml: Tesco £1.48, Sainsbury £1.48, Abel & Cole £1.15, Ethical Superstore £1.29

4. Organic brazil nuts: Tesco £1.99 (150g), Sainsbury £2.69 (200g), Abel & Cole £3.35 (250g), Ethical Superstore £2.25 (250g)

5. Nairn’s Organic Oat Cakes 250g/same size similar product: Tesco £0.86, Sainsbury £0.84, Abel & Cole £1.99, Ethical Superstore £1.29

6. Chopped organic tinned tomatoes 400g: Tesco £0.56, Sainsbury £0.72, Abel & Cole £0.89, Ethical Superstore £0.99

7. Organic spaghetti 500g: Tesco £0.69, Sainsbury £0.89, Abel & Cole £1.39, Ethical Superstore £1.39

8. Camomile tea bags (20): Tesco £0.99, Sainsbury £1.19, Abel & Cole £1.59, Ethical Superstore £1.09

9. Organic extra virgin olive oil (500ml): Tesco £3.48, Sainsbury £3.48, Abel & Cole £4.79, Ethical Superstore £4.89

10. Organic pinenuts: Tesco £2.35 (100g), Sainsbury £2.35 (100g), Abel & Cole £3.49 (150g), Ethical Superstore £2.79 (125g)

Delivery Charge: Tesco £4.50, Sainsbury £4.50, Abel & Cole free, Ethical Superstore free

Total:

Tesco: £18.95
Sainsbury: £20.36
Abel & Cole: £21.48
Ethical Superstore: £18.62

Believe it or not, this took me hours to do! It was really hard to find products that all four sources sell. The difference in range of products is incredible…for me, the winners for best range are ‘Ethical Superstore‘ because they sell far more specialist vegan and ‘world’ foods. They also sell in bulk, so it’s great for stocking up.

One area that I haven’t compared is fresh produce. It would be impossible to make a fair comparison, as the box schemes vary from week to week.

How come I always seem to be writing about nuts these days?  If it persists much longer, perhaps I’ll seek some professional guidance…in the meantime, I shall merrily tell you about the great deals on nuts at Ethical Superstore.  They have a range of special offers at the moment - just click on the banner, then go to their ’special offer’ section.  (They also have Divine chocolates at half price…).

I’ve been looking into how to store nuts safely, as they can get nasty if left to their own devices.  Some really good airtight containers are an absolute must. I use glass jars with screw lids as I’d rather avoid buying more plastic.  Apparently nuts freeze well, too, and keep for longer that way.  Must make more room in the freezer, should have bought a bigger one.