Organic Living Guide
Welcome to our Organic Living Guide
For over 78 years the Soil Association has been championing organic values. Organic September is our annual celebration of all things organic – where we raise awareness of the incredible benefits of organic for human health, wildlife, soil, and the climate.
Did you know that long-term studies have found that soils on organic farms store more carbon than in conventional systems? That means that choosing organic can go a long way in combatting climate change.
We’re delighted to share this Organic Living Guide with you –packed with tips on how to live a life in harmony with nature.
Shopping organic is a brilliant way to vote with your wallet for the world you want. On pages 4-5 we explore how choosing organic animal products where possible can have benefits for nature, animal welfare, and for the climate. Put this into practice with a delicious recipe from eco-chef and sustainability champion Tom Hunt. Check out his ‘Roast Beetroot, Greens, Labneh and Cumin’ recipe on pages 16-17
Organic farming has massive benefits for wildlife – on average, organic farms have 30% more biodiversity. On pages 12-13 we share how you can grow your very own wildlife havens – with our guide to planting for pollinators.
Our complete guide to buying, planting and harvesting with the seasons on pages 6-7 will help you shop for local, seasonal ingredients which support growers planting with nature in mind. We also share tips for shopping more sustainably in our guide ‘how to spot greenwashing’ on pages 8-9
With events like Organic September, we’re working to make nature-friendly, organic products the affordable, accessible option for everyone. Find out other ways we’re working to make this vision a reality on pages 14-15. By downloading this guide you’ve taken a big step in helping create a more nature-friendly future. To find out more ways that you can champion food and farming systems which benefit the health of people and the natural world – visit pages 18-19
Thank you once again for supporting the organic movement – together, we can make a world of difference.
Sarah Compson Director of Organic Standards, Soil Association
Farming together with nature Animal welfare on farms
Organic farming aims to balance the health of everything on the farm, from the soil under our feet to the animals we raise and the food we grow.
All organic farming is rooted in the Organic Principles of health, ecology, fairness and care. Farming organically means working with nature, not against it, to farm in a way that maintains or enhances the health of soil, plants, animals and people.
This can include:
• Encouraging natural predators such as ladybirds and birds to eat pests such as aphids and slugs rather than spraying harmful pesticides
• Giving animals the space they need to graze and roam to reduce stress and avoid the need for preventative antibiotics
• Planting clover and cover crops to protect the soil and lock in nitrogen, rather than using artificial fertilisers
Farming in this way means that soils are healthier and store more carbon, wildlife is protected and can thrive, and animal welfare standards are the highest available in the UK.
Animal welfare is one of the most important aspects of organic farming.
On organic farms, animals are given plenty of space and fresh air and they are part of smaller herds and flocks. Conditions are carefully created that allow animals to socialise and express their natural behaviour - for example pigs can wallow in mud.
This reduces the incidences of stress and disease and removes the need for preventative antibiotics or invasive procedures like tail docking or beak trimming. On organic farms, an animal is only treated with antibiotics if they are ill. Several antibiotics that are critically important for human health – such as colistin – are banned for use on Soil Association organic farms, an important way to avoid the threat of antibiotic resistance.
Did you know?
We’re partnering with Ocado Retail to go one step further for animal welfare. We want all farmed animals to have a good life, not just a life worth living. Together we will build the evidence for better animal welfare. Click to find out more about this groundbreaking partnership.
The best way to help grow the organic movement and support nature is by joining the Soil Association. Click here to find out more.
Organic vs. free-range
- what’s the difference?
Egg labelling can be confusing and sometimes it’s hard to know which type of egg is the most ethical. So, what makes organic eggs different to free-range, caged and barn eggs?
Organic chickens are more than freerange. On organic farms, chickens live in much smaller flocks and they must have continuous access to a diverse outdoor range, allowing them to explore the plants and trees you see around you.
Organic chickens have higher standards of animal welfare. Reducing stress is one of the most important things to do to
4m²
Outside space per hen
keep an animal healthy. For chickens, this means that they are allowed to express their natural behaviours - including being able to roam around, dust bathe, hunt for worms and eat a varied diet.
“It’s a stimulating environment where they can explore, forage for insects, scratch around in the ground, and bathe in the sun and dust”
Kate Still, Animal Welfare Specialist, Soil Association
What can I do? Where possible, try choosing ‘less but better’ meat and animal products. By choosing organic eggs when you can, you’re supporting a system where laying hens are raised to the highest standards of welfare.
10m²
Outside space per hen
Eating Seasonally
Seasonal food is food that is naturally ripe and ready for harvest in your local area at a certain time of year. Eating organic, seasonal food means we don’t have to import food from different climates around the world. It helps to make our diets more sustainable and reduces our carbon footprint.
Growing your own or even buying seasonal fruit and vegetables is a great way to help the environment. Discover what to buy, harvest and plant each month with our guide to seasonal food.
Getting a local organic box delivered to your door is a great way to eat seasonally and support farmers growing in harmony with nature. It’s also really convenient and can be a great way to eat and cook new types of veg!
From fruit and veg, to eggs, meat, herbs and honey, hundreds of organic farmers offer box delivery schemes across the UK - healthy, seasonal, organic food delivered to your door.
Spring
Vegetables
• Asparagus
• Purple sprouting broccoli
• Spring cabbage
• Cauliflower
Salads and herbs
• Spring onions
• Watercress
• Spinach
• Parsley
• Lettuce
• Radishes
Fruit
• Rhubarb
Sow in Spring
• Cauliflower and cabbages
• Courgettes
• Beans
• Peas
• Pumpkins and squash
• Tomatoes
• Sweetcorn
• Peppers and chillies
• Carrots
• Leeks
• Beetroot
• Chard
Summer Vegetables
• Artichokes
• Courgettes
• Broad beans
• Aubergines
• Chard
• New potatoes
• Onions
Salads and herbs
• Spring onions
• Watercress
• Spinach
• Parsley
• Rocket
Fruit
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Gooseberries
• Blueberries
Autumn Vegetables
• Root vegetables – parsnips, carrots and turnips
• Broccoli
• Leeks
• Chard
• Courgettes
• Cabbage, kale
• Celery
• Peppers
• Sweetcorn
• Cherries
• Peaches
• Blackcurrants and redcurrants
• Plums
Sow in Summer
• Salad crops – lettuce, rocket and fastmaturing radish
• Brassicas – kale, pak choi, winter and spring cabbages
• Radicchio, swede, celeriac
• Beetroot
• Leeks
• Fennel
• Carrots
• Peas – including mangetout and sugar snap peas
• Winter squash and pumpkins
• Potatoes
Salads and herbs
• Onions
• Garlic
• Cucumbers
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Fennel
Fruit
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Figs
• Pears
• Plums
Sow in Autumn
• Broad beans
• Fruit trees
Winter Vegetables
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage - kale, red cabbage and savoy cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Leeks
• Potatoes
• Root vegetablesparsnips, carrots and turnips
• Swedes
• Celeriac
• Jerusalem artichokes
Salads and herbs
• Spring onions
Fruit
• Apples
• Pears
Didyouknow?
Our survey revealed 76% of consumers feel misled by some labelling on beauty products.
Sustainable Shopping: fashion and beauty
Conscious consumerism is on the rise – people care about the potential impact their purchases have on their health and the environment.
More and more people are looking for sustainable options, whether that’s genuine organic and natural beauty products or organic textiles. While the demand for certified organic products is on the rise, many brands claim to be natural or organic but are actually anything but!
How to avoid the greenwash
When it comes to fashion and beauty, the terms ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ aren’t currently regulated like the food and drink industry, meaning brands can use minimal quantities of organic ingredients and claim that it is organic – otherwise known as greenwashing. Even for well-informed shoppers, it can be confusing to make the right choice when confronted with so many organic and natural claims or logos.
When buying organic beauty or wellbeing products, look out for the COSMOS or Soil Association logo on a product. Or,
if you’re looking for organic fashion and textiles, keep an eye out for the GOTS or Soil Association logo. Our standards do not allow the use of certain ingredients in products due to their potential human and environmental impact, and you can buy with confidence knowing genetically modified ingredients or products tested on animals can’t unwittingly sneak into our home.
Did you know your skincare routine might have a hidden environmental impact?
Organic and skincare advocate Sian Louise founded Obvs Skincare in 2021. Sian is champion for sustainability and is passionate about dispelling myths within the organic skincare world.
“The skincare industry generates a surprising amount of plastic waste, contributing to the growing problem of microplastics. These tiny plastic fragments, often invisible to the naked eye, contaminate our environment and have even been found in our food and water. Studies suggest the average person might ingest microplastics equivalent to the weight of a credit card each week - a concerning reality.
At Obvs, we tackle plastic waste head-on by using innovative, plantbased packaging that completely biodegrades. This eliminates the risk of microplastics leaching into the environment, unlike traditional plastic packaging that breaks down over years, leaving behind a legacy of pollution.
Many beauty brands claim to be organic, but a closer look often reveals a mere sprinkle of organic ingredients amidst a sea of synthetics. That’s why Obvs champions transparency – our products are adorned with the COSMOS Soil Association logo, a trusted symbol that guarantees the highest quality organic ingredients.”
The best way to help grow the organic movement and support nature is by joining the Soil Association. Click here to find out more.
Obvs Skincare is certified COSMOS Organic by Soil Association Certification
Obvs stands for Organic | Biodegradable | Vegan | Sustainable
The best way to help grow the organic movement and support nature is by joining the Soil Association. Click here to find out more.
Celebrating our organic champions!
We want to shine a light on the incredible organic champion Phil Haughton whose organic journey started at a young age, when he became a member of the Soil Association aged 14.
Phil Haughton, founder of award-winning Bristol-based organic retailer Better Food, received an MBE in 2024 for his life’s work to create a better and fairer food system.
Fighting for food justice, supporting our organic farmers and producers and producers, and advocating for the balance of food and nature, have all been part of Phil’s mission and his passion for over 40 years.
“When I think about what has always got me out of bed, it’s really simple. Justice. I hold a huge passion to see justice done, for our soil, our farmers, our children and all communities.”
Phil Haughton
Phil Haughton’s organic journey
1974 Began working the land, farming organically in a community in Scotland.
1981 Moved to Bristol and worked at Windmill Hill City Farm, teaching children and adults about food and farming.
1992 Better Food was born as ‘Phil’s Better Food Campaign’, an organic delivery box scheme.
2002 Set up Better Food in their current home and first store in St Werburghs. Three more Bristol stores followed, expanding Phil’s mission of bringing a fairer and more sustainable shopping experience to many.
2021 Released his first book, Food for Thought, filled with fascinating stories, tempting recipes and helpful tips — sharing his journey to where he is today.
Phil has served on the Soil Association Council, was a founding member of The Community Farm in Chew Magna and has helped support several other Bristol-based food and farming projects.
He has long been a key player in farming, business and the community in the South West and has devoted his life to building a society engaged in creating a better, fairer and more sustainable world for all.
Bring the buzz
Organic farms are havens for wildlife and provide homes for bees, birds and butterflies. In fact, organic farms have on average 30% more biodiversity! Why is that?
Organic farmers use fewer pesticides and instead rely on a whole ecosystem to keep pests under control, where animals like beetles and birds feed on pests such as aphids and slugs. If organic practices were to replace pesticides, this could reverse the decline in insects!
Plant these bee friendly herbs and flowers at home and help our pollinators thrive.
Common Poppy
Poppies can bloom from early summer, right up until October giving bees months of pollen.
Lavender
Bees can see the colour purple most clearly so this is another great plant for a range of bee species.
Evergreen Clematis
These plants are great climbers – why not use them to brighten up a wall, or drape them over a pergola to provide shade during the summer?
Foxglove
Bees absolutely love foxgloves, and on some days it seems like they’re almost queueing up to crawl inside their many petals.
Teasel
Teasels are a 2 in 1 solution – bees love them when they’re flowering, and birds such as goldfinches love them when they’re seeding.
Nasturtium
Nasturtiums are easy to grow and come in many different varieties. For ultimate ease, make sure to buy a perennial variant to avoid having to re-plant each year.
Bronze Fennel
Bronze fennel is not only a beautiful ornamental plant that looks perfectly at home in your flower border and is a great plant to support bees – it also tastes great. Pick the smallest new shoots in Spring for a burst of aniseed flavour, which works fantastically in salads or herbal tea.
Top tip: cut the plant back to the ground in midsummer to get fresh new growth.
Green Coriander Seed
Coriander is a staple herb for lots of dishes and is easy to grow in pots on your windowsill. It does have one small problem, though: it goes to seed easily, making the leaves quite tough and bitter.
Don’t throw the plant out at this stage, however – you can grow it on and harvest the seed. The unripe seeds have a flavour between the fresh leaf and the dry coriander seed. You can scatter the soft seeds in salads, add them to pasta dishes or throw them in smoothies for an unusual tang.
To be sure flowers are actually bee-friendly, we recommend ensuring they are certified organic. Look out for the Soil Association Organic logo
The best way to help grow the organic movement and support nature is by joining the Soil Association. Click here to find out more.
Chive Flowers
Chives are almost indestructible but keeping a supply of fresh leaves isn’t easy – especially when the weather gets hot and dry. But don’t worry – the leaf isn’t the only part of the plant you can eat. The young flowers are also delicious. They taste of onion and can be quite powerful, so make sure to use them sparingly. And don’t forget to leave some for the bees, who love them!
the garden or on the windowsill. It’s also a particular favourite of our buzzing friends. There are lots of different thymes, and lemon thyme combines the familiar punchy aroma of thyme with fresh lemon overtones. Cut the fresh young sprigs when they’re flowering, and you also get a peppery note as a cheeky bonus.
Basil
Lemon Thyme
Thyme is one of the most well-known herbs, and really hardy. It suits a range of growing spots, doing equally weIl in borders, pots in
If you’re a fan of home-made pizza, having a fresh supply of basil on your windowsill or in your garden is a must. Basil isn’t too hard to grow from seed and can thrive either in pots or in a greenhouse. In a sunny year you can even grow a good crop outdoors.
Organic for All
by Sarah Compson
We know that organic food is better for our health, as well as for wildlife, nature, and the climate. But right now, organic food is out of reach for many of us – and we think that’s an outrage.
We should all be able to buy food which is good for us and the planet. That’s why we’ve launched Organic for All – a new vision for the UK organic sector with the aim of making organic food affordable, available and accessible for everyone in society.
We need more support for UK organic farming
Did you know that only 3% of our farmland is organic, compared to over 10% on average across the EU? We’ve got a lot of catching up to do when it comes to nature-friendly farming.
We’ve stepped up our work promoting stronger support from government for organic farming, so that more farmers are incentivised to switch to organic and farm in harmony with nature. We’re also increasing demand for organic food by linking up organic producers with places like schools and hospitals – putting healthy, sustainably grown food in the places it’s needed most.
In Scotland, we’re working with our friends at Sustain to link local organic farms with schools in Aberdeenshire to provide organic peas for a whopping 8,000 school meals
a day. It’s a win-win situation – providing healthy, nutritious food for school children, whilst providing local organic growers with a steady demand for their produce. Together, the schools and farmers can thrive. We need more initiatives like this to ensure organic farmers can continue to grow – with our Organic for All campaign, we’re making this happen.
Organic food shouldn’t be a privilege, it’s a right
Four out of five people think everyone should have healthy food, but less than one in ten think it’s affordable to most people. It’s simply wrong that we don’t have access to food that doesn’t harm our bodies or the planet – and the stats show that public appetite for better food is growing.
The UK may not be a frontrunner when it comes to organic, but our ‘Organic Market Report’ released in February 2024 showed that organic sales are growing faster than organic land area is in UK. It’s time we stepped up organic production in the UK and made sure everybody can access healthy and sustainable food.
We have the power to vote for the world we want to see, through our food
It can feel daunting to go out and protest, or to buy an electric car, but we all eat. By making small changes in our shopping habits – and choosing organic products when we’re able to – we can vote for the world we want to see. A world where food is produced without pesticides that harm our native wildlife, and without fossil-fuel fertilisers which pollute our air and rivers.
Together, we can make organic affordable, available and accessible to all, with huge benefits for climate, nature, and health.
Click here to find out more about our vision for Organic for All.
When you buy an organic product, you’re not just supporting a producer growing in a way that supports nature. You’re contributing toward a set of principles – working with nature, being fair to one another, looking after our natural world, and taking care of future generations and the environment.
Cook seasonally with
Tom Hunt’s Roast Beetroot, Greens, Labneh and Cumin
Celebrated eco-chef and sustainability champion, Tom Hunt shares a favourite Organic September recipe. Delicious as part of a mezze or served simply with a green salad, this recipe will have you eating with the seasons.
“When beetroots are plentiful and sweet, I love to eat them with cumin and yoghurt, so I created this recipe to combine those flavours in a salad. It is really easy to make your own labneh. Simply strain thick, full fat yoghurt in a piece of cheese cloth or in a tea towel. Tie a knot around the top of the cloth and tie it up to let the whey drain away. Leave overnight. In the morning you will be left with a soft curd type cheese.” Tom Hunt
Waste not
Put a bowl under the labneh as it strains and keep the whey as a drink or lassi. Add a spoon of the labneh back into the whey and stir. Its lovely with a little pinch of salt and cumin or if you prefer a pinch of sugar. For an even bigger burst of flavour, blend with a mango.
Ingredients
• 3 medium beetroots, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 pak choi or any greens, trimmed and cut in two
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 200g full fat yoghurt, strained the day before to make labneh
• A pinch or two of cumin, toasted
• Olive oil
• Lemon, zested and squeezed
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C
First roast the beetroot in the oven. Toss the wedges in olive oil, salt and pepper, cover with foil and pop in the oven. After half an hour, remove the foil to allow them to take on a little colour. After another 20 minutes or so the beetroot should be soft. Allow to cool.
Sear the pak choi in a wok or frying pan for just a minute, then add the garlic, a squeeze of lemon and a little seasoning. Remove from the heat.
Season the labneh with a squeeze of lemon, a teaspoon of lemon zest, olive oil, salt, pepper and a little cumin, adjust to taste.
Combine the beetroot and pak choi, add the rest of the lemon zest and adjust the seasoning. Spoon onto a serving plate.
Place spoonfuls of labneh among the beetroot. To finish sprinkle sesame seeds and cumin over the top.
Didyouknow?
If you can, look for certified organic yoghurtthis means the milk comes from cows grazing freely in pastures with no chemical fertilisers or herbicides
Earlier this year, Tom Hunt collaborated with nutritionist Michaella Mazzoni and organic farmer Ben Andrews, to devise a ‘Happier Meal’. This delicious, gut-friendly recipe combines organic, grass-fed beef with protein-rich black beans. So you’ll be eating less, but better meat and upping the plant content in your meal - win win!
Click here to read Tom Hunt’s recipe for organic beef & bean burger with kimchi & purple sweet potato fries
Together we can Save Our Bees
As you read this, 35 species of UK bees face extinction.
Our bees’ disappearance will trigger a devastating cycle of events for our wildlife, environment and the food we eat. At the Soil Association we’re doing everything we can to stop this happening. But as a charity we need your support.
We’re reversing wildlife decline at Woodoaks – a farm donated to our charity - by planting trees and allowing wild plants to flourish. This provides the food bees need and creates habitats for wildlife.
We’re helping farmers grow their crops without the pesticides that have been killing bees in vast numbers.
We’re also calling on the government to support farmers to use naturefriendly farming methods, which don’t rely on dangerous pesticides.
species of UK wildlife currently face extinction 1 in 6
Join the Soil Association today, and together we can transform the future. Membership starts from just £5 a month and you can look forward to:
✓ A monthly newsletter updating you on how your support is helping and the campaigns you’ve made happen
✓ Receiving your exclusive member’s magazine three times a year
✓ Joining a community of thousands of people standing together for nature
With your support, we can create a future which supports farmers, nature and wildlife.