My organic directory

Lately there are lots of places you could get organic products, from food to skincare, you can even find organic cotton t-shirts in some high street stores. Still I like to do things my own way, and shop at stores that are more specialised. This is in no way a comprehensive list, and I do like getting things from specific brands directly, but I've tried to include destinations that I shop at most frequently, plus a few establishments I've been wanting to visit for a little while.

Food.

It is my personal view that eating well is the biggest investment in your overall beauty and wellbeing. Also food production has such a huge impact on our environment and the lives of people that produce it. This was the first step of my organic journey, so it feels appropriate for it to be the first section of this directory. However most places don't sell just food, so you can stock up on other things like skincare and eco friendly cleaning products at the same time.

Online:

Able & Cole - fruit & veg weekly delivery boxes, also all the food stuffs you could find in a supermarket, even cleaning products, all delivered once a week on a day specific to your area. You can decide how often deliveries are made: every week, once a month, once in a blue moon.

Riverford - fruit & veg box scheme that I personally use at the moment, and it was the first one I tried. You can read my review of them here.

Online + brick and mortar:

Planet organic - this is where I tend to get things like nut butters, canned beans and chopped tomatoes for the cupboard, and delicious raw pesto. They also have a range of beauty products but I only have used them once for skincare. The physical shops are a bit of a journey for me, so I tend to stock up online.

As nature intended - this is pretty much a mini super market, they sell things online but not any of the fresh produce. I tend to pop in if I'm in the area to pick up some groceries, and have a browse of their beauty shelves.

Brick and Mortar:

Whole foods - there are a few of these around now, but if I'm in High Street Kensington I make a point of going in. It is their flag ship store, and also has the best beauty section. I tend to stock up on coconut water, kombucha and get some exotic fruit. Also the food hall upstairs is lovely.

Food for thought - is probably my most favourite independent health food store. There are only two, one in Guilford and one in Kingston. Whenever I'm in the area I make a point of going in. The range of plant foods for the cupboard is comprehensive, plus they also have a nice choice of beauty products (but I mainly go here for food).

Under the skies:

Farmers markets - this is a directory of all UK farmers markets, and how I found my local one. This is my favourite way to shop for fresh produce, but as the ones local to me are only held once a week, I can't always make it, so this is when my veg box comes in.

Beauty.

I have yet to come across a stockist that only sells certified organic skincare and makeup (actually I think the Hive is one such stockist but I haven't shopped with them yet), it is normally a mixture of natural and organic brands. The list below are the ones I shop at most, but naturally there are lots of others. All of these are online stores (with the exception of one that has a physical store as well).

Content beauty and wellbeing - this is no surprise to my regular readers, I'm a huge fan of this place and it happens to be a boutique in central London and an online store. I try to pop in for events, but most often I shop online with them. They have a section for 'certified products' to make it a little easier to find organic products.

Love Lula - I believe this was the first website that I bought organic skincare from, until I came across this website I was getting things from health food shops. They have changed a lot since the time I first started using them, and I admit I miss those special Love Lula cards with encouraging messages. They make it extremely easy to find organic skincare, you can select a specific certifying body and it will bring up all the products that qualify.

Naturisimo - These guys have a huge range of products and very good offers, however you need to know your brands as there is no handy tool to find organic products specifically.

Amazingy - I absolutely love these guys, some of the best customer service around, and they are always generous with their samples. You can easily shop by choosing the type of certification that most reflects your needs.

Fashion.

This is still a tricky one for me, I went through a period of time when I was very aware of all the stores that sold organic clothes, to this period of time that I don't actually buy much clothes. I have never been fully organic with my clothing, but I have been shopping at People tree for many years. I will be doing a fashion specific post to share where I shop, but no I don't only shop organic clothing, I feel the issue is a little more complex than simply switching (but when it comes to cotton yeah absolutely, from now on I choose organic).

Herbs.

I like herbal teas, and I used to mix my own health blends (with the guide of a book, so not my own random recipes, when it comes to herbs you need to know what you are doing). I still use simple single herbs like chamomile or calendula for face steams, or hair rinses from time to time. When my skin was freaking out I would use an infusion of chamomile to wash my face with. There is only one place that I get my herbs from, Neal's Yard. Their herbs are either organic or wild crafted, and the selection is amazing (even though the listing is a bit obscure on their website)

Wanderlusting.

So these are the places that I think are really cool, and all of these are on my personal "must visit" list, but I have never actually been, so I can't vouch how awesome or not they are (hopefully very soon I will be able to tell you guys for sure).

Trill farm - they have some interesting activities, and I really want to stay at their B&B. Seems like an idyllic country getaway.

Tanya's caffe - this amazing raw and organic food destination has been on the list for an eternity, and I have been meaning to go many times, but my plans to eat there always had to change at the last minute. Still I am determined that next time I'm in Chelsea I will go!

The Duke of Cambridge - the only certified organic pub in Brittain, need I say more? I think this is one of those rare places that appeals both to Mr RF and I equally.

The hive wellbeing - this looks like a pretty unique destination, you can have some food, fresh juice, wine and even pick up some skincare? It looks like you can order skincare online as well and as far as I can tell they only stock certified organic. I admit it has been years since I've been to East London, but I'm more than a little tempted to make the trip to have a look around this place.

So this my whittled down list! Anything you would like to add? Let me know in the comments!