1. Denttabs
An article in 2021 found that 300 million toothpaste tubes go to landfill every year in the UK. Denttabs are a solution to that problem. Small tablets with the same cleaning power as toothpaste, sold loose so you can avoid the troublesome tubes. At £2.40 for a month’s worth, it’s an inexpensive way to make a difference. We’ve been using them since early 2018.
2. “Wild and accidental” mustard seeds
Gathered from mustard plants that sprouted unplanned – except by nature - in a field of organically grown fava beans. Grown by Mike and Sam Stringer in Yorkshire, sent to us by Hodmemods, by the kilo in paper bags, then refilled into your spice pot. This beautiful accident has a transparent, clean supply chain from farm to plate.
3. Tiger and Float’s Oat Milk
Tiger and Float use a special variety of oat, distributed by Hodmedods and grown on a single farm in Lincolnshire; a farm named Turners of Bytham. This makes their products taste naturally milkier than most. It’s made in Bristol and delivered in reusable glass bottles that you return for reuse!
Our favourite product in the shop, bar none... and now you know this list is in no particular order!
4. SESI’s cleaning products
SESI, from Oxfordshire, are true pioneers and champions of the Circular Economy, always pushing to supply more products where the delivery containers are repeatedly reused. Crisps, rapeseed oil, sea salt (from Chesil beach in Dorset)! Their primary offering is a whole suite of cleaning products, so don’t throw out that washing-up liquid bottle, refill it!
5. Wogan Coffee
We sell Ethiopian and Honduran options from Wogan Coffee. They deliver it to us and their other customers in the South West in plastic tubs, collecting the empty containers when they deliver new, full ones! You’re getting the Circular Economy picture by now.
Wogan have also been fully solar powered for six years now, generating as much electricity as they use every year. They also negotiate fully ‘Direct Trade’ relationships wherever possible, with farmers and families on the ground to ensure they’re paid a fair wage.
6. Chocolate from Chocbox
Handmade by local professional chocolatier, Greg Macalla. Again delivered in tubs that are reused and sold into your own choice of vessel. Or, if you want to gift someone some nice truffles, you or they will get a free truffle when returning the hand-decorated box and string. Greg’s chocolates are organic, vegan and free from artificial sugars and emulsifiers (he uses date syrup). And let’s not forget his “Porridge Bombs”, a decadent treat to spruce up your porridge where the chocolate ball melts to release a gorgeous mix of fruit, seeds and nuts!
7. Organic, British porridge oats
The ZOE Science and Nutrition podcast recently covered the topic of organic food. There was lots of interesting research but chief among it, perhaps, was an explanation that porridge oats are grown in damp countries and non-organic ones are sprayed with pesticides and herbicides just before harvesting to dry them out. They can retain five to ten times more chemicals than other grains and cereals, so if there’s an organic food to look out for, it seems like porridge oats are the one! Strawberries too, though we don’t sell those!
Delivered to us in 25kg paper bags so some recycling is needed here.
8. Druce’s Juices
Apple juice and apple cider vinegar picked, pressed and bottled locally. We have joined Donna at the orchard previously and this season (August/September harvest) we’ll be joining all three stages! The bottles, except the lids unfortunately, are returned by customers to us and then to Donna for cleaning an reuse.
9. Organic, British chia seeds
The FIRST EVER British grown organic chia seeds. These are the result of five years of crop trials and developments by John and Alice Pawsey in Suffolk, and make great additions in salads, in baking, or on your cereal. Most chia seeds you see would have travelled from South America.
10. Organic, British quinoa
Grown organically in Britain as opposed to being imported from South America. Hodmedod’s began working with growers to distribute quinoa in 2014, and now there are 12 big growers in the UK, led principally by the British Quinoa company. The amount is dwarfed by what the UK imports from Peru and Bolivia and we feel very grateful to be able to support the crop being grown more locally.
11. Aeithalis olive oil
A bonus product comes from our olive oil suppliers, Aeithalis. Their olives are grown on a grove which is over 200 years old in Greece that, unlike many others, is watered naturally by rainwater and is thriving with wildlife and floral diversity. The grove is a healthy ecosystem and they hand harvest their olives whilst making sure to protect birds nests. The trees being old, strong and healthy significantly contributes to the quality of the oil, as suggested by their ‘Great Taste’ award. Not only that, but you guessed it, they run on a circular economy basis too; we send back the empty containers for their continual reuse. Below is a photo from the Aeithalis (“Evergreen”) grove.
