Something I feel very passionate about when buying food for my family that it is organic. I know it then has fewer pesticides, is better for the environment and is GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) free.
This is also the reason all the ingredients I use for my cakes are organic. Sourcing non organic ingredients would certainly make more sense from a financial perspective but it would go against my beliefs and the way I try and live my life. Therefore it is a compromise I'm not willing to make for my business.
Sadly organic food can be so much more expensive which is why I wanted to share some of my top tips which I hope will be helpful.
Local vegetable boxes
Buying local where possible truly fills me with joy. Not only am I supporting another small business (win), I also know the food I'm buying has not travelled halfway across the world. It is so fresh therefore contains the most nutrients possible (double win).
I always unpack the box with my kids which does encourage them to try new foods for sure, they may not always like what they are trying but I'm happy they give it a go.
It is much better value than buying the items individually and you aren't left with a pile of packing that can't always be recycled as when buying from the supermarket. Finding your closest supplier couldn't be easier, just use the soil association link below.
https://www.soilassociation.org/organic-living/buy-organic/find-an-organic-box-scheme/
Shop local
Brighton and Hove have some brilliant health food shops which stock mainly organic food with a great range of local produce. As organic food doesn't contain pesticides (to give them longer shelf life) they regularly discount fruit and vegetables that need to be eaten pretty sharpish. I often buy fruit and freeze it in batches to use in smoothies at a later date. They also use recyclable paper bags which again avoids all the wastefulness of plastic.
Buying in bulk
Rather than buying smaller packets in the supermarket if it's something I use a lot of i.e. porridge oats, plant milk, dried fruit, I buy in bulk and it's sooooo much cheaper.
These are a few of the wholesale shops I've used below, I mainly use infinity foods as it is actually based only a few miles away from Brighton in Shoreham.
https://www.infinityfoodswholesale.coop
https://www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk
Ditch the tins
Something that I do regularly is cook my own lentils, beans and pulses. I buy them dried, soak overnight, cook and then place them in bags in the freezer (flat to stop them sticking) until I need them. It works out so much cheaper than buying tins and a lot less wasteful. It also works out great to be able add a handful of chickpeas or black beans to recipes without having to open a full tin.
We have also been very lucky in Brighton and Hove to have the amazing Charlotte's Cupboard recently start delivering in our area. They are the UK's first packaging free shop on wheels! Their aim is simple, produce less waste, be kind to the plant and shop more efficiently. You place an order online (most of their products are organic) and they can either deliver to your door or have regular local weekly collection points. You can then take your order and store your food in jars (my favourite are these Ikea options), tins, old glass jars, reusable cotton sacks or whatever takes your fancy.
Lastly when it's not possible to buy organic I always try and stick to avoiding the dirty dozen.
Hope this helps and I'd love to hear your tops tips?
