Huddersfield and West Yorkshire Loose Foods

by Posted in 3.2 Shops & Businesses Tagged , 1 Comment

I try not to be bitter I really do but sometimes I think the yanks have it easy with their bulk buy shops. Sounds like you can buy just about anything loose – you scoop it what you want into a bag and then pay for it. Obviously this makes living plastic free so much easier. Why dont we have these in Engand WHY??????

Still no point wingeing …  heres a list of loose products I have been able to source round Huddersfield way. You have to take your own plastic free bags but you do get to make your own plastic free sweet mincemeat. Result

 

Huddersfield Queensgate Market

Queensgate Market has now closed. As it is an architectural landmark cannot be demolished but its future is uncertain. From Kirklees Council website Opened on ...
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T towns for loose food

Find refill stores in Tiverton Todmorden Totnes Find towns beginning with w different letterhere ... What Are Refill Stores? Bulk ...
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Tea Loose Leaves

For other tea & coffee posts check out our index. Where you will also find tea, cocoa and something stronger ...
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Cheese

My plastic boycott started because I didn’t like the impact plastic packaging had on the environment - as I learnt ...
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Spices including pepper

Dried and ground can be bought Loose The Nut Shop Leeds Market HERE If you cannot get to Leeds you ...
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Huddersfield and West Yorkshire Loose Foods

I try not to be bitter I really do but sometimes I think the yanks have it easy with their ...
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Bird Food

Feeding the birds can be a plasticky business but not for us happy Huddersfield folk. Up at Earnshaws saw mill, ...
Read More

The Nut Shop

Strolling round the delightful Gotham City like splendour that is Leeds Market I came across the NUT SHOP the most ...
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Frozen Food Loose

Pain Au Chocolat - home bake Pain Au Raisen - Home Bake Yorkshire Puds Fruits of the forest and other ...
Read More

Flat Breads and Maryam Bakery

Last year I gave up plastic wrapped bread - which was pretty easy, for English bread at least. However for ...
Read More
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York – loose foods and refill gin… hopefully

by Posted in 3.2 Shops & Businesses Tagged 7 Comments

Seems like a trip to York is in order… and not just because the Minster is lovely.

Ruth tells me of Alligatorwholefoods.com in York. They have bulk bins of Rice, museli base, plus fresh local veg and fruit etc and lots of vegan and organic provisions. Plus NO plastic bags only paper ones – encouraged to bring your own containers.More Loose Foods

You can find lots  more loose food outlets  here the loose foods list

Demijohn offer a spirits, liquor and other drinks refill service in

11 Museum Street
York
YO1 7DT

01904 637 487

And many thanks to Gersende for this extra info

There is the Scoop as well in york, a food coop in uni but open to none students. They are brilliant, stock really nice bulk food, washing liquid, reusable pads…. They also do bags of local organic veg. They are on campus open Wednesdays and Fridays Here is the link to there fb page if you are interested https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=320332916601

We are very interested.

You can find lots more unpackaged food outlets here.

 

U.K. All over Weigh and Save Shops

by Posted in 3.2 Shops & Businesses Tagged , , 34 Comments

Long time ago when I was young we used to visit the Weigh & Save shop in the precinct down the road. In it were a number of  big bins containing everything from beans to corn flakes. You  scooped what you needed into the bags provided, in the quantities you wanted then weighed and paid at the till. I loved it. But  then I grew up and moved away and never thought of it until I tried to go plastic free. I realized that this  was  exactly the kind of shop I needed right now. Of course I would have to provide my own plastic free bags  but….enough said. I eagerly returned to the precinct of my youth, Stretford it was, only to find the shop had shut up and gone.

So began the research quest….  and in conclusion, yes such shops still exist but they are bloody hard to track down. They go under a variety of names including Weigh & Save Scoop & Save Weigh House Weigh Inn. The  company  that supplies the products does not have a list of outlets they deliver to (!) but can help you set up a shop if you are interested. As far as I can tell, these shops operate as individuals. They are extremely idiosyncratic and vary greatly in presentation and  range.  Some go the whole hog with corperate green and yellow displays and a whole lot of stuff to choose from, others a are little more than a few dusty bins at the back of the shop.

Just a passing thought; I feel that this for want of a better word franchise are marketing themselves all wrong. They are presenting themselves as a way to save money and the whole shop screams budget from the ugly cardboard bins to the scrappy signage.  I think they should look at attracting the eco customer by installing better dispensers, promoting waste free shopping and using funkier imagary (see Wholefoods Market for inspiration).

Shops Reviews

Barmouth Good

Bridlington – good.

Brixam (grim but does pet food)

Croydon – great write up by Kake who gives this shop a very good press

Exeter – Devon Weigh CLOSED

Horsham – great write up by Kake

Invernes CLOSED

Kingsmouth Devon Free local delivery – spend £7.50 and we will deliver free – within a 7-mile radius of Kingsbridge. Great for bulk buys. Nice!

Penzance

Whitby NOW CLOSED

Wick – CLOSED

Worthing – closed

Emsworth in Hampshire  – Pantry Weigh. Thanks to Emma for this info “There’s a small shop called Pantry Weigh in Emsworth in Hampshire  https://www.yell.com/biz/pantry-weigh-emsworth-763392/

More

Loose Food Fill lists all the shops (not just the above) that sell  loose, food of the kind that normally comes plastic packaged ie rice, pasta and salt.

REMEMBER

Take your own plastic free bags and refillable pots.

Find more plastic free stuff  with  the  A-Z plastic free index

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Bird Food

by Posted in 3.1 House, Office & Garden, 3.1.7 Wo/M/animals Tagged , , ,

bird food featuredFeeding the birds can be a plasticky business but not for us happy Huddersfield folk. Up at Earnshaws saw mill, a place better known for their damn fine timber products, they sell a whole range of bird seeds loose – everything from nigra seed to peanuts. If you don’t know your linseed from your sunflower they  have a chart telling you what seed will attract which bird.

After that its really easy.

Take your own plastic free bags (and I find biobags are the best for bird seed because you can knot them – some of those seeds are tiny), fill em up and take them home.

happy birdies all round.

And this was seen up on Facebook

B&M are doing a great deal on Fat Balls for birds – £8 for a box of 150 balls, no netting and no plastic! Made in Britain.

Wiggly Wigglers do different kinds of birdseed, packed in a thick paper sack which can be composted. The seed is very good quality.
RSPB do 12.5kg paper sacks delivered with 20% off at the moment. Expensive though.

What to feed when

Advice on how to feed birds when and on what can be found (along with the expensive bird seed), at the RSPB web site.

W – Plastic Free Places that start with the letter W

by Posted in 3.2 Shops & Businesses Tagged

Watford
Vicky has this to say about  Bon Appetite in Watford “that had loose nuts and dried fruit. Can’t find the original post now but anyway finally remembered to see what it is called – Bon Appetit – on The Parade in Watford. Sells world foods in bulk ( mostly in plastic but large quantities ) , loose fruit and veg, large paper bags of flour, loose nuts, dried fruit and some fresh food counters where you may be able to take own containers ( haven’t tried).

Wimborne
Spill The Beans, Wimborne, Dorset. As they sell loose spices, dried fruit and nuts. Plus eCover refills, Faith in Nature and other solid soaps – all package free. HTH . From Liz Hodge http://spillthebeanswimborne.co.uk/

Winscombe
“There is a wonderful little shop called Scoop and Spice, in Winscombe (a little village) in North Somerset. I think it still also has another shop in Yatton (a commuter village in North Somerset). You can take your own containers, or they provide paper or plastic bags. They have all the basics (rice, pulses, nuts, herbs, muesli, oats, dried fruit, pasta) and coffee beans. They also do Ecover refills. And I was delighted to be able to buy dark chocolate coated brazil nuts (and other yummies) in a paper bag the other day! They also sell cardboard deodorant sticks, loose soaps, shampoo bars. They are increasing their range all the time and it is an absolutely amazing place, notwithstanding it is a small shop in a small village. It is family-owned and they are lovely people. Definitely worth supporting.”

Worcester
“Pack It In – Zero Waste Living in Worcester Pack It In – Zero Waste Living in Worcester
Pack It In
Unit 7,8,9
The Gallery
(The Old Market Hall)
The Shambles
Worcester
WR1 2RD”

XYZ
York

What Are Refill Stores?
Bulk buy or refill stores are places you can buy food loose.You take as much as you want/need from a larger container and you can usually use your own packaging.
Packaging
While these shops provide bags and they are almost always plastic ones. You will need to take your own plastic-free /reusable bags, tubs and bottles.

Tare

The weight of the container may make a difference at checkout. Some shops  subtract the tare weight but other don’t. The tare weight is the weight of the empty container.

Shops

Watford
Vicky has this to say about  Bon Appetite in Watford “that had loose nuts and dried fruit. Can’t find the original post now but anyway finally remembered to see what it is called – Bon Appetit – on The Parade in Watford. Sells world foods in bulk ( mostly in plastic but large quantities ) , loose fruit and veg, large paper bags of flour, loose nuts, dried fruit and some fresh food counters where you may be able to take own containers ( haven’t tried).

Wimborne
Spill The Beans, Wimborne, Dorset. As they sell loose spices, dried fruit and nuts. Plus eCover refills, Faith in Nature and other solid soaps – all package free. HTH . From Liz Hodge http://spillthebeanswimborne.co.uk/

XYZ
York

More

Find other loose food stores here

Find A Milk Delivery Service With Glass Bottles Here 

Supermarkets
Sometimes supermarkets can surprise you – check out the plastic-free and reduced packaging products here.

Help Me

Please add any shops you know of in the comments below and I will incorporate them into the post.
Links to reviews particularly welcome.
Dont have a blog? Love guest posts…

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You can find a list of all other plastic free products over at the A to Z

More

You can find more loose food outlets here These shops provide bags and they are almost always plastic ones. You will need to take your own plastic-free /reusable bags. You can find a list of all plastic free products over at the A to Z

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The Nut Shop

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged , , ,

Strolling round the delightful Gotham City like splendour that is Leeds Market I came across the NUT SHOP the most fantastic stall where all manner of cake related stuff from hundreds and thousands to candied peel and silvered almonds are all sold LOOOSE.

  • Raisons and dried fruit
  • Candied Peel
  • Nuts
  • Spices
  • Decorative things and sprinkles

    • AND cocoa!!!!

    You can see a photo record of some of their loose products here

    Packaging

    If you want to buy loose, you will need to take your own reusable packaging – produce bags, tupperware even compostable disposables. You can find them here.

    Leeds Market

    You can  find stalls selling loose

  • sweets
  • meat and fish
  • veg

    • Read more about it here….

    Don’t live in Leeds?

    Loose Food

    As the plastic movement grows more shops are selling naked food; stuff that that normally comes plastic packaged ie rice, Some sell pasta. Heres a list of towns with shops selling loose food.

    Buy Online

    But loose food shops are still few and far between, Don’t despair. It is possible to buy food online loose and plasticfree. You can even use your own cotton produce bags for some things. READ MORE HERE.

    Packaging

    If you want to buy loose, you will need to take your own reusable packaging – produce bags, tupperware even compostable disposables. You can find them here.

    More

    Supermarkets & Chainstores
    Because sometimes we have to shop there and yes you can get plastic free and zero waste stuff. Read  our supermarket reviews here.

    Better Plastic
    Many products like dried fruit come packaged in lovely looking, printed, laminated plastic film.  Or to put it more simply several layers of plastic each with different properties stuck together. Because they consist of different plastics bonded together it is difficult to know what they are and how to treat them and separating the films is tricky and so very expensive. Films therefore often don’t get recycled but burnt or landfilled.
    Simple polythene bags are easy to recycle. You can read more about that here.
    Check the recycling info on the package to find out more.

    Feel guilty buying plastic packed food? So do we but sometimes you have to so we apply the special treats rule. read more about the three levels of plastic free food

    See all our food posts via the food index

    N.B.

    lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

    And before you go…

    If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project.

    Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

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    Frozen Food Loose

    by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink, 3.2 Shops & Businesses Tagged , , , 1 Comment

    Pain Au Chocolat –

    home bake Pain Au Raisen –

    Home Bake Yorkshire Puds

    Fruits of the forest and other soft fruits

    Roast veg – peppers to potatoes

    Uncooked Vegetables – Peas!!!

    Fish Cakes

    Just some of the frozen stuff sold loose at Emly Moor Farm Shop.

    Here is the company who supply them – Field Fare. They supply shops nationwide. There is a postcode locator here which tells you where your nearest retailer is.

    The Emley Moor shop doesn’t stock the full range, but it will give you an idea of what’s available.

    Heres how it works. Using the little scoop you shovel what you want into the bags provided. Of course the bags provided are plastic but take your own bio bags (corn starch bags – made from vegetables they are fully compostable)  and the plastic bag problem is solved. Bio bags are fine to use in the freezer.

    The Range – a chain of home & garden shops

    by Posted in 3.2 Shops & Businesses, 3.2.3 Supermarkets & Chains Tagged , ,

    Loose pet food, home wares and some loose sweets.

    Being committed to local shopping, I prefer to buy that way whenever possible. I would encourage you to do the same. One of the joys of living plastic free is mooching round the local shops seeing what you can source.
    Sometimes though there is no option but to use

    Supermarkets & Chainstores

    And yes you can get some plastic free and zero waste stuff there but YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE YOUR OWN PACKAGING. Check out the plastic-free shopping kit here.

    The Range

    This is new to me. It replaces Homebase on Leeds Rd, Huddersfield HD1 6ND.

    It is one of 120 U.K. stores.

    It sells  paints, crockery, bedding, art supplies and some garden stuff.

    AND……..

    Pet food & Bird Seed

    It gets my plastic free vote for it’s loose bird seed and pet food. You can see pictures here.

    There is

    • bird seed,
    • rabbit,rat and chinchilla feed,
    • dog chews and sweets
    • And other stuff

    all sold loose.

    Of course they only supply plastic bags for your purchases but you could take your own reusable produce bags. If you have forgotten them, then they sell compostable plastic bags similar to biobags. You can compost these.

    There is more animal feed in paper bags.
    I don’t have pets so cannot speak from experience how good this is but well done for offering plastic free.

    Other Stuff

    Includes enamel cups – very pretty!

    Get There

    Directions to the Huddersfield Store
    Phone:01484 534707

    Hours:

    Wednesday 9am–8pm
    Thursday 9am–8pm
    Friday 9am–8pm
    Saturday 9am–8pm
    Sunday 10:30am–4:30pm
    Monday 9am–8pm
    Tuesday 9am–8pm

    Other Stores

    Check out the Website

    Shopping Tips

    If you want to buy loose you will need to take your own reusable packaging – produce bags, tupperware even compostable disposables. You can find them here.

    For the plastic free freak metal lids to glass jars are of course plastic lined .

    Tin and cans including those for cosmetics are also plastic lined

    For products that are packaged in plastic choose to buy simple plastics that can easily be recycled

    Do remember not all stores stock all products. It might be wise to check ahead if you are making a special visit.

    Don’t Like Supermarkets?

    Other places to buy unpackaged food are listed here

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    Tea & Coffee Merchants

    by Posted in 3.2 Shops & Businesses Tagged , 1 Comment

    Here are some independent Tea & Coffe merchants. You may need to take your own bags

    Leeds The Teapot has  coffee beans and leaf tea from all round the world. Really lovely stall in the food hall. Also makes coffee to drink. See what else the market has to offer, here.

    Nottingham Coffe roasters. Will also post out plastic free and you can order on line 

    Aberystwyth great tea and coffee shop

    Huddersfield
    Coffee Evolution fantastic

    Lancaster
    Lancaster tea merchants http://www.thecoffeehopper.com/
    Leaminster Nitty Gritty Wholefoods  do loose spices and tea.

    TodmordenLoose tea can also be found on Todmorden Market.

    WHole Food Market used to sell Tea & Coffee beans and are happy for you to use your own bag. http://plasticisrubbish.com/2014/07/21/whole-foods-market-revisited/

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    Flat Breads and Maryam Bakery

    by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged , ,

    Last year I gave up plastic wrapped bread – which was pretty easy, for English bread at least. However for middle eastern breads it’s a different story -pitta breads, lavoche and other types of flat bread are not to be bought in anything other than plastic wrappings. The husband hails from far off lands and often gets a yearning for the flat breads of his youth. It felt a little unfair to deny him the pleasure of a properly wrapped kebab, so I supposed that a special dispensation would have to be made for foreign bread.

    But no more thanks to the arrival of Maryam Bakery on Blacker Road Huddersfield. They do four nan breads for a pound. They call them nans but they are in fact more of a Kurdish style flat bread. They are freshly baked and better than any plastic wrapped pittas or dusty dry lavoche.

    And they come wrapped in paper… but you have to ask specially for that.

    Find more yummy baked things at bread, buns and biscuits