It looks more like a hobbies shop catering to quilters, stampers and card makers. But dont be put off by the decoupage, it has recently upped its fabric game. I remember the range as rather limited and extremely synthetic – think dance fabrics. Now it has some really nice stuff; funky prints, subtle colours and a lot of natural fibres.
More plastic free
They sell paper patterns and cotton bias binding by the meter. They have some hessian and cotton ribbens that look natural.
Plasticless
They do 100% cotton thread but it comes on plastic reels. You can get cotton on wooden reels online (link below), but you to be well organised and plan ahead, skills I have yet to master.
The Button Box stocks metal zips in what looks like a polyester fabric.
General
They have all the other stuff you need to sew with but it comes plastic packed (for plasticfree sewing supplies see the link below).
They have a great range of ribbons and laces which look to be mostly synthetic.
Find
The Huddersfield store is located at the entrance of Queensgate Covered Market.
Samuel Taylor’s Button Box
4-5 Queensgate Market Arcade
Princess Alexandra Walk
Huddersfield
West Yorkshire HD1 2UJView on map
01484 435 235
About
Samuel Taylors is a family business that has a number of Yorkshire-based, fabric retail stores and an online shop. You can find them here…
Back home from the tropics and I desperately needed some new clothes. So I have been busy sewing. First off the production line is an enormous bell shaped skirt in black bombazine. I’m not sure it is bombazine but it looks as though it should be. Besides which I like the word.
The fabric is a heavy silk / wool mix. This is not so much clothing as architecture. It was made in Yorkshire. I bought it from Jacks, a small stall on Leeds Kirkgate Market. Right at the back in the new part.They sell end of line remnants of Yorkshire made wooden fabric. For very reasonable amounts. Anything from £5.00 to £12.00 a meter.
Bargain! Not only am I supporting a local fabric shop but this fabric was actually made in Yorkshire. How fantastic is that?
I made it using plastic-free, sustainable sewing supplies (you can find them here) but had to use a plastic zip.
I made the pattern up.
Sustainable Rating
Natural fibres
Homemade
Supporting local fabric shop
Made with plastic free sewing supplies
This counts as part of my fair share of global fabrics – a self imposed rationing system. You can read about it here #
“twool® twine is a strong, soft and subtle British wool alternative to imported jute. Wool is one of the oldest naturally occurring fibres around, it’s a practical material – it lasts, we grow it well in this country, it’s renewable, super sustainable and is currently an underused natural resource.”
“A versatile garden twine made from Dartmoor wool. Super sustainable, socially-responsible and environmentally sound twool twine is strong enough for traditional garden use yet soft enough for floristry, crafts and gifts.”
twool® twine is a strong, soft and subtle British wool alternative to imported jute. Wool is one of the oldest naturally occurring fibres around, it’s a practical material – it lasts, we grow it well in this country, it’s renewable, super sustainable and is currently an underused natural resource.
It’s made in the U.K.from British wool and comes in different colours. See the full range and buy from the website
Other String
Getting plastic free string can be hard work. It’s easy enough to get biodegradable plastic free string – go for jute, cotton, hemp, sisal, linen and avoid manmade fibers such as nylon and polyester.
Getting it unwrapped however can be a chore. Most big shops sell it plastic wrapped! As they sell everything plastic wrapped. I find it best to search out small hardware stores and market stalls. Even then it is scarce so whenever I see some I buy it.
NB check the bobbin. Once swooped triumphantly on some jute string only to realise later it had a blue plastic inner. How I missed that I don’t know!
My string collection now includes
white cotton from Marsh Hardware shop, Marsh, Huddersfield
brown jute from Todmorden Market
very nice string from a stationers in France.
Poundland
Think I am OK for now! However if I needed some more string I could go toPound land. I have seen these and they are plastic free. You can find a store near you via the website.
Fred Aldous Manchester
multicoloured #plasticfree cotton on cardboard tube form Fred Aldous. Check out their fantastic craft store and website
They also sell Nutscene string. You can buy this jute (?) string in a tin or loose. It comes in a range of vibrant colours.
You can also buy string in a tin from the shop at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. It comes plastic free and unpackaged.
If you can’t get to Yorkshire or Manchester, you can get it direct from the manufacturers (lovely website wide range of products), or from Amazon.
I have never bought on line so I don’t know if it comes plastic wrapped. Do check.
Cotton Wool
You can go to wool shop and buy knitting cotton.
Online
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.
If you can’t buy local please do check the links above to the suppliers and buy direct from them and support their online businesses.
If you can’t do that then you can buy String from Amazon – see a wide range here.
Amazon is a very dirty word at the moment and I thought long and hard before suggesting them. Heres why I went ahead….. No we are not entirely happy with Amazons recent history. However, we have always found their service to be good and their packaging usually compostable.
If you buy a product via this link we do get an affiliation fee for this. This is not why we do it.
Opened on April 6th 1970 the Queensgate Market Hall was built with a bespoke roof system of 21 asymmetric curved shells. The design allows for maximum light into the market and is considered to be the best example still standing of a retail market from the 1960s and 1970s.
In 2005 Culture Minister David Lammy listed the building as Grade II, stating, “It is an imaginative structure that combines innovative technology of its time to produce a dramatic space full of natural light with the striking focal point of the roof.”
The exterior of the building incorporates natural stone with exposed concrete and several art relief panels all individually sculpted by the artist Fritz Steller.
The Hall has been haled by local architecture expert Adrian Evans as “A spectacular combination of architecture, engineering and art.”
For further information and images visit Huddersfield Gem
Semi soft buttery oil. Read more about butter oils and waxes here.
Imported usually from Africa.
Has a soft velvety texture.
Can be used neat as a very rich moisturiser.
Mix with coconut oil to make a lighter body butter. Recipe here.
I love it added to home made creams and lotions.
Which Shea Butter?
Unrefined shea butter is going beige or ivory or ‘off white’
Bright white refined shea butter
Pale yellow may be shea from Nilotica (Viterallia Nilotica) and it’s natural
Deep yellow Shea Butter has been dyed originally with a natural dye from the Borututu tree or more likely now a synthetic dye.
Raw Shea Butter
In it’s natural form.
Unrefined Shea Butter
Some filtering allowed so remove larger particles.
Refined Shea Butter
Some form of processing which also removes its smell.
It can of course be bought online but here in Yorkshire we have a local supplier. Maya’s stall in Leeds Market. They specialise in black hair and beauty so if you don’t live near Leeds check to see if there is a similar store or even hairdressers near you.It does come in a plastic tub though.
PLASTIC SPOILER
Wether bought on line or locally there will be some plastic packaging either a bag or a tub. As I get huge amounts of product from one tub or bag I consider it a worthwhile compromise as it still represents a huge decrease in plastic consumption.
Polish deli on Wood street, Huddersfield. Sells cheese, salami, bacon, gherkins, bread and cakes and sweets sold #unpackaged
N.B. The cheese is in large blocks wrapped in plastic. The piece they cut off is plastic free. – You can find more cheese here
The gherkins are in a bucket and you help yourself. Was absolutely thrilled to find the latter. I love gherkins and I sometimes I buy them in glass jars. The jars have metal lids which are of course plastic lined so I have to count it as one of my guilty pleasures. I thought I had found a solution. Sadly I didn’t like the taste of them. Sigh.
The sweets are loose but wrapped in plastic or foil.
The butter looks like it is wrapped in paper. It is not! It is wrapped in plastic.
You have to take your own plastic free packaging. I took biobags.
Find towns beginning with w different letterhere …
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
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.
The Uk’s only Zero Waste, organic, bulk-buy, plant-based, wholefoods shop. Visit our family-run shop in Totnes, Devon.
http://thezerowasteshop.co.uk/
Todmorden
The Market
Local markets are a great place to find plastic free food and I love Todmorden Market. There is an indoor covered hall and outdoor stalls. You can get everything you need and some fantastic treats including loose
peppercorns
Coffee beans and tea
Tobacco for pipes.
There is a great hardware stall that sells loose screws, grass seed by weight and cotton boot laces
Biscuits The same as those in Huddersfield Market. You can read more here.
Meat
Hooks
Olives
CHEESE!!!! Opening Times
Indoor Market
Monday to Saturday (half day closing Tuesday)
9.00am to 5.30pm
Open Air Market
Wednesday, Friday, Saturday – General retail.
Thursday – Second hand.
Sunday – General retail and second-hand.
9.00am to 4.00pm
You can even shop online for selected goods from the market and get them delivered direct to your door.
Address: Todmorden Market, Burnley Road, Todmorden OL14 5DJ
Telephone: 01706 819731 Todmorden Market WebsiteYou can see a some of the stalls listed here
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…
You will also find a list of tea and coffee merchants
Online
This is an interesting option that allows you to buy food on line, plastic free in compostable packaging. Read more HERE
They sell a wide range of teas including herbal.
Supermarkets
PG Tips are selling tea in a cardboard box. In supermarkets! Way to go PG.
PG Tips is “Unilever is a British-Dutch transnational consumer goods company co-headquartered in London, United Kingdom and Rotterdam, Netherlands. Its products include food, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products. Wikipedia”
Whittards
Whittards are. U.K. wide chain that will sell you tea loose.this from twitter “Hi there, yes if you visit our store with your own container, we can fill it with either tea or coffee.” They have over 50 shops. You can find one one here. NB you will have to take your own plastic free or , better still, reusable packaging. See below for links.
“The company was founded in 1886 by Walter Whittard. It expanded in the 1980s and 1990s, and was bought by the Icelandic Baugur Group in 2005 for around £21 million.”
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
Of course you can get beer in bottles but those metal caps have a plastic liner or small disc to prevent leakage. It’s a tiny amount but it is plastic.
Cans of beer are plastic lined!
The only way to get plastic free booze is to use a refill service. Take your own flagon to the alehouse and get them to fill it. These are the ones I know of
Huddersfield
The Sportsman Huddersfield will sell you your own reusable flagon. Yes its plastic but it will last you a good long time.
The Grove
The Head Of Steam ( also sells plastic flagons)
All sell great real ales and very reasonable priced.
Magic Rock sell metal reusable flagons. Very stylish! Also sells great real ales but they are more expensive.
If anyone else knows of other beer refill options please leave a comment below… many thanks.
My plastic boycott started because I didn’t like the impact plastic packaging had on the environment – as I learnt more, I began to worry about the impact it might be having on me.Plastic contains phthalates which are (possibly) carcinogenic and cause the feminization of male animals exposed to them. They are found in the stuff used to wrap meats and cheeses.
Bisphenol A is known to cause neurological and hormonal damage to lab animals. This is found in plastic food and drinks containers. There are indications that these chemicals can leach into the plastic wrapped products.
How to buy
There are three ways to buy plastic free (ish) cheese.
Off the block:Find a place that sells large blocks of cheese and asked them to cut you off please. Be aware most large cheeses come wrapped in plastic so it’s not so much plastic free in total as plastic free for you. while the sensible part of me, (the part that wanted my hormones undamaged), said stick with it, the greedy me was lusting after a piece of phthalate ridden cheese.
Artisan:Find an artisan cheese shop that sells high-class cheese. Downside extremely expensive.
Wax wrapped cheeses:These are individual cheeses that come coated and coloured wax. The cheese tends to be rather nice but it is more expensive. And what actually is in that wax? Find out here
Note
none of the above are as easy as buying from a supermarket. So you might need to change your attitude to cheese. Make it more of a treat and luxury good rather than a staple. This has the added advantage of making you a little less animal products dependent.
And you get to eat some really good cheese.
However there is no denying it is very expensive and often inconvenient.
If you really can’t do without cheap cheese read our plastic free treats post and allow yourself a big block.
How/where to buy
Off the block
Markets: Sometimes sell loose cheese. It is not entirely plastic free – the large cheeses are packed in plastic and covered with Clingfilm but it is better than individually wrapped pieces – to my mind at least!
Supermarkets: have done this is Tescos and other supermarkets that have cheese counters. Again not entirely plastic free as the large block comes plastic wrapped.
Cheese Makers / Merchants
Find a local cheesmaker or specialist cheese shop. They tend to cut into the cheese as and when it is wanted. And traditional cheeses tend to come traditionally packaged. That is not plastic wrapped.
Combining the best of all worlds. Plastic free shopping and cheese. Yes I visited the marvellous The Courtyard Dairy were they make and sell artisan cheeses from the UK and Europe. As well as the shop, there a cheese production room, a small museum with a display few cheesy artefacts and a café serving cheese-based cuisine.
But back to the shop. OMG!!! The cheeses are stacked in a glorious cornucopia of cheese wheels mostly unpackaged and free range. Yes they are a bit pricey but it is cheese to die for. Take your own bags to be sure, and you can bring back some luxury cheese that is also plastic free.
but don’t take my word! it is winner of numerous awards including the ‘Cheesemonger of The Year’ (at the Farm Shop and Deli Awards 2016 and separately at the World Cheese Awards 2013); The Best New Cheese Retailer (2013 British Cheese Awards), Best Cheese Counter (World Cheese Awards 2013) and was also a runner up for Yorkshire Food Destination of the Year (2013) BBC Food & Farming Awards (2014) and Observer Food Monthly Awards (2015).
This is top quality cheese.
Its located just outside Settle on the A65 heading towards Kendal, in what was the former Falconry Centre (LA2 8AS).
If you live near Bideford, get yourself down to the farmers market held on the harbour on Saturdays. There is a cheese stall that sells proper home-made, unpackaged cheese. It’s good, really good! Remember to take your own bags….
Whitney
Gemma, Darren & Ian can be found at Whitney Market selling their unwrapped and totally delicious cheeses. They also have a website
Monkland Herefordshire
You can cheese from the working diary or go one step further and learn how to make it yourself! Here’s the website
Utracomida Aberystwyth restaurant and delicatessen
Located a stone’s throw from the sea on Pier Street – our Aberystwyth deli and restaurant offers a wonderful selection of artisan food and drink.And wonderful cheese. Here are the details
These are individual cheeses that come coated and coloured wax. The cheese tends to be rather nice but it is more expensive. Most supermarkets sell them. But you might want to consider what actually is in that wax? Find out here
Want more???? YES!
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
If you cannot get to Leeds you can try
health food shops
Wholefood Market a supermarket chain
Weigh & Save shops a UK franchise
Loose Food A to Z
Find out if a shop near you sells bulk food loose. This is stuff that that normally comes plastic packaged ie rice, pasta and salt. And yes these shops do exist in the U.K. There’s just not many of them.
Heres alist of towns with shops selling loose food.
Packaging
While these shops provide bags and they are almost always plastic ones. You will need to take your own plastic-free /reusable bags.
In Jars & Tins
Spices in tins
These guys use tins for their spices. Yes the tins are most likely plastic lined and I am sure there will be a plastic seal but it is much reduced. They also do mixes for curry so you dont have to buy hundreds of different products.
The Bart Ingredients Co. Ltd.,
Bristol,
England,
BS3 4AD.
Packed in: United Kingdom
Packaging Tin
You can buy them in Sainsbury’s.
Pepper Corns
I have yet to source and totally plastic-free, ready ground pepper so I have to buy peppercorns and grind it myself.
These can be bought loose in Todmorden indoor market, Todmorden. They do black, mixed and pink peppercorns.
If you do go down this route you will need to get something to grind them in.
Many people like to use a pepper mill. There is are a huge range available in non plastic materials but I cannot really advise. I am way too impatient to use a peppermill especially for cooking so I smash the peppercorns to bits in a stone mortar and pestle. I suppose I could buy an electric grinder (definitely not plastic free), but I like smashing them to bits. You need quite a heavy one – stone is best.I got a marble mortar and pestle from the Asian Supermarket.
Is a hard oil which has a very low melting point.
When the weather gets warm it will get liquid.
I use it….
to remove eye make up and clean crusty eyes.
as a conditioner. I have very oily hair so I rub it on my hair before showering, leave for 5 minutes then shampoo off. Afterwards my hair is lovely and silky. Village boy has very dry hair so he applies a little after showering. His hair is nice and smooth.
as a general moisturiser. Just slap it on, it is nice and light.
in my homemade creams
as an after sun treatment use it neat or with a few drops of lavender essential oil to help heal sun damage
as a lubricant with these biodegradable condoms
I buy mine great big glass jar at Kadims, the Asian Supermarket on Blacker Road Huddersfield. You can also get it in a glass bottle from Tescos and of course on line. You can get organic coconut oil from the Half Moon Health shop in Huddersfield.
NB Not quite plastic free as the lid is plastic lined, but as close as you will get.
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. But sometimes you can’t buy local so I have put together an Amazon catalogue.
Yes we do get an affiliation fee for this, and no we are not entirely happy with Amazons recent history. However, we have always found their service to be good and their packaging usually compostable.
Getting plastic free string can be hard work. It’s easy enough to get biodegradable plastic free string – go for jute, cotton, hemp, sisal, linen and avoid manmade fibers such as nylon and polyester.
multicoloured 
