Planet Organic

Totally in love with this place. Would live here if I could. If you’re vegan then this place is wonderland and is especially refreshing if you’re travelling as I was! They label everything in store to say if it’s gluten free or vegan etc which makes my life alot easier. They offer a wide range of products, from cakes, to sandwiches, soup, drinks, salads, and fresh cooked meals. We came here a few times for lunch and it was always packed (in a good way) with everyone getting their food and whatnot. I over indulged pretty much everyttime we came here trying to taste as many things as I could lol the food baby was worth it

WHAT. Super Organic Grocery, Smoothie/​Greens Juice Bar, and Lunch Bar/​Deli.
WHERE. 42 Westbourne Grove, London W2 5SH [four other city+greater London locations; also grocery deliveries].
WHY. Planet Organic does Greens Juice right with the freshest produce-​presse, easy addition of a wheatgrass shot to the usual greens (and other superfoods), and their lunch offerings are fairly tasty too. The store is stocked with all the necessities for grocery shopping, and offer a wide selection of hard-​to-​find food products that Whole Foods might not necessarily carry. They also carry beauty products, eco-​cleaning supplies, little baby goods, and other great necessities.
Emily Rose Reeder

You can find health foods here that are very difficult to find which is great. The fresh produce is local and tastier than what you can buy at the supermarkets. HOWEVER this place is VERY expensive. We find its much better to buy organic local fresh produce at farmers markets (both in terms of quality and price).

This is THE place to get good QUALITY and ORGANIC and TASTY prepared food at a reasonable price (mostly vegetarian, but a few meat and chicken items). When I was in London for a week, I ate here often and it continually served up the best food, and for a lot less than any restaurant I visited. Served cafeteria style by very friendly and efficient staff. Also has a good grocery and produce section.

I wasn’t quite sure how to rate Planet Organic, because of the mixed experience we had there. The coffee was very good, and the store itself is very nice. I really liked the variety of health foods and vegan products. The produce was very nice, too. However, my husband and I also wanted to eat lunch while visiting. We saw that they were getting lunch ready, and asked about how long it would be before we could order. The lady said about 15 minutes. So, we left, walking back to our hotel because we forgot our camera (we were going sightseeing after lunch). It had been over 15 minutes when we walked back in. We walked to the lunch counter, and saw that she was still putting things out. We began pointing out to each other the delicious looking food, trying to decide what to order, when she turned to us and said, «Give me 10 minutes». I smiled and said, «Oh, we are just looking, trying to decide what we want.» She then looked at us and told us to go sit down, and she would call us over when she was ready. We couldn’t believe how rudely she said this. We were not in her way (there was a huge counter separating us), and weren’t bothering her in any way. We did not understand why she would shoo us away like that, so we left. If we lived in London, I would probably still buy groceries there and order coffee, but I don’t think I would get lunch.

Today was a dreadfully cold day but i still wanted to go and check out this little shop.
Not realising before i went, that it was a chain and i had visited another of their locations in Torrington Place, WC1E &HJ.
The store is quite a lot smaller than the store in Torrington Place, however still has most of the same products and lines.
There were free samples of fruit juices today, which were delicious, and the staff were friendly and welcoming.
I glanced through the ranges of chocolates, teas and nut butters, which are my favourite sections of the health food stores. They held an impressive range of nut butters, from coconut and pumpkin butter to traditional peanut butters. Slightly out of my price range for today, but was still interesting looking at all the types.
Today i purchased a raw food cake (which i am currently having a massive love affair with), some teas, and some chocolates. All were super delicious and something i will purchase again. The hot food section looked tasty, and the locals seem to love it there. All the tables were full.
I will definitely be visiting Planet Organic again, and i love that this one is a whole lot closer to where i live than the other one.

They sell some great brands like Solgar (I buy the omega 3−6−9 fish/​flax/​borage oil) and Barleans fortiflax (ground flaxseed). Granted they’re expensive, but I did my research on supplements and these brands came up frequently and are highly rated. My only annoyance is that once a guy working there asked if I required any assistance, and I mentioned I’d heard about Barleans fortiflax, and he gave me the container, but I didn’t check the date (I assumed that these products are usually good for a few months). Got home, opened it and then glanced at the expiry date and it was April 2012 (I bought it in May). I was surprised that their staff don’t properly remove out of date stock, but I went back for an exchange and the manager did apologise. I know to double-​check the date before I buy.

For me, this was a surprising little shop in a surprising location. The storefront is unimpressive, but the back opens up into a good-​sized health food market and café. The prices are what you would expect, with the produce being incredibly expensive. But the grocery area is decently priced and of decent variety, and I can see this being a huge asset if you have dietary requirements or need ***free beauty products (their ‘drug store stuff’ section is quite big). They also have a disproportionate amount of baby stuff, and that might strike someone’s fancy as well. The freezers have never been fully stocked, which seems odd to me, and there is an odd assortment of some dry goods (a variety of goods might trump 20 kinds of rice cakes and 50 kinds of tea?). I was slightly disappointed with their faux meat selection. They had the Tofurky feast, which I can’t imagine sells hotly, but only a few other faux items. Sure, that’s not everyone’s thing, and some of it is so bad for you it defeats the purpose, but that empty freezer space was beckoning for more.
They also have a small bakery section with a few kinds of breads, then some cookies, muffins, ect. For prepared food, there were four soups and a cafeteria-​style counter with hot foods and salads that are served box-​style, alongside a juice and coffee counter.
On my last visit, I was wandering the area for somewhere to do some reading and ended up staying for lunch and coffee. So…
Study spot requirements:
Plentiful seating: There are maybe 10 tables of differing sizes, spaced around the back of the store. From around 2p-​6p, there was never a shortage or overcrowding on space, but there was a steady flow of business and movement.
Locally owned: There are 5 stores around London, opening starting in 1995. They seem very open about their policies and practices, and their website has a very informative «about us» section detailing their sustainability efforts and philosophies. Very cool.
Relaxed atmosphere: Totally. It was florescent lighting and wooden tables, but the general feeling was very laid back and the customer base was super varied, from a mom with two kids, «Yeayyy!!! Rice cakes!!!», to single dudes having dinner, to a couple fighting, loudly. But generally it was fairly quiet and calm, ha. The staff came through to clean up occasionally, but I didn’t feel weird in the slightest sitting there for a few hours… no awkward glances, no judgmental stares.
Quality coffee: I had a soy latte, and it was alright. The coffee is FT & organic, which was cool, but pretty bitter. However! They do offer a «variety» of milks, which was pretty awesome and sort of like Christmas for those of us who don’t drink milk and are used to just soya. They had plain, vanilla and sweetened soya, and rice milk, as far as my quick glance could see. I meant to ask for the full variety but forgot on my way out. And at no additional charge, of course.
Snacks: I’m sure you could buy and eat anything in the store, but they also have a hot foods counter, some nicer desserts, and a little bakery section. I had a medium box (£6ish) with vegan shepherd’s pie, steamed broccoli, roasted potatoes and a pumpkin and butter bean salad. They have maybe 6 – 8 hot items and 6 – 8 cold items. Everything was pretty good and didn’t taste too «I’ve been in here all day».
Price: The boxes were £4−7 depending on size, a soup with bread was £3, the juices were £3−5 and coffees were in the £2 range
Wi-​fi: They have a free wi-​fi service that you have to sign up for (painless) and gives you 60 minutes.

I was really glad to find this in the neighbourhood, having taken for granted all the Trader Joes’ and Whole Foods Markets in North America, erroneously assuming that the English would be the same. No such luck finding health and beauty (paraben free) and laundry related items (no chemical brighteners) at the local Waitroses, Tescos, Sainsburys’, Boots’ and Superdrugs!
Stumbling upon this was fantastic — however the first time I stepped in here I found the attitude a bit haughty and suspicious. However, the subsequent times I returned I was treated in a really friendly manner — an off day perhaps?
Also for North Americans: don’t even try converting the prices of the products here from £ to $ or you might go insane.

Before moving over from L.A. I was heavily into a GADSY (Gluten, Alcohol, Dairy, Sugar, Yeast) Free organic diet. Yes, very L.A. of me, and very impossible in London. While eating out proves a challenge, I am still determined to do as much as I can at home while I cook and bake.
Upon finding Planet Organic I heard angels sing. Well not really, but close enough. I’ve been trying for some time to perfect the vegan gluten-​free baking recipes from the Babycakes NYC cookbook. If you haven’t been to Babycakes in NYC or LA it is WORTH the trip. The cookie sandwiches and Brownie cupcakes are good enough to cry, vegan or not. Anyway, as one can imagine the ingredients some of the recipes call for are highly specialized. Planet Organic is as close to a saving grace as I am going to get in London.
They have a great assortment of speciality gluten-​free baking flours and powders, alternative sweeteners, and dairy-​free products. Hooray!
When I couldn’t find a few products and perplexed the sales people with my requests for arrowroot and coconut flour (fair enough) they brought over the manager who was extremely helpful and tried a few internet searches to see what would be suitable substitutes.
In addition to my weird stuff, they have an awesome selection of oils, gluten-​free pastas and breads, and many many organic food products from crackers to ice cream, cheeses to meats, and a nice little make your own sushi section as well! They also have a fresh food section with different selections you can take home for dinner. Or if you’re in the homoeopathic mood they have a substantial homoeopathic section with a knowledgeable person to help you find what you need. I was horrified to find out two of my staples, Gaba and Melatonin are ILLEGAL here, but they pointed me in the direction of great substitutes.
Overall, I have to say I’m am absolutely stoked to have Planet Organic in my neighbourhood as whole foods left A LOT to the imagination. Even if you’re not into speciality foods, have a wander around this store and grab a few organic products. Your body will thank you for leaving out the additives.

It is more expensive than other organic shops that I go to, but there are a couple things that I like about this store in particular. One, it is quite spacious. Two, it is just the right size for me. Moreover, i like the fact that you can purchase eat in cooked food which does not break the bank. I think I unintentionally offended a customer today because I did not say sorry when I reached for something on the shelf that was very near her. She stepped back and glared at me. I ignored her, though I was tempted to say to it that I am not perfect! Oh, one last thing. They sell a particular brand of tofu at quite a low price.

Better than Whole Foods, but still quite pricey, Planet Organic stocks the finest alternative foods I’ve seen. Fresh produce greets you at the door (once you find it) as well as coconut water (so hot right now) and readymeals — all healthy of course.
Some of the best purchases I made here include:
— 2 little pots of raw vegan dessert (lemon cheesecake and pumpkin pie)
— sweet chai tea
— larabars!
— spelt pasta
— perfectly ripe peaches
— fentiman’s ginger beer
— cashew ice cream
I could have spent much longer perusing the aisles at PO but the store was closing and I didn’t want to be THAT GIRL.

Very expensive but the best organic shop in London

Although I am neither vegan nor vegetarian, almost all of my food shopping takes place in health food shops. Yes, I was blessed with allergies to both wheat and corn, which restricts what I can eat. Fortunately, I also prefer to purchase responsibly farmed fruit and vegetables, so shops like Planet Organic make the once mundane task of food shopping now seemingly effortless.
I have a special place in my heart for this particular Planet Organic, as it saw me through a rather awkward six weeks of my life after a plumbing disaster flooded my flat. I was forced to seek temporary housing in an unfamiliar neighbourhood I almost never ventured into. Even so, it was a pleasant surprise to find a familiar health food shop nearby, especially since this Planet Organic is their largest. Thankfully, it offered more than I could have imagined and I found myself popping in each morning on my way to the tube station for a fresh juice and again for a quick snack on my way back to my hotel at the end of each day.
all natural yogurts (soy, too)…creamy and delicious
refreshing juices and other healthy beverages
fruits and veggies… seasonal, local, and responsibly farmed
pasta…made from quinoa, spelt, rice, or wheat
wheat-​free biscuits… scrumptious and satisfying
nuts and seeds… fresh and flavourful
lotions…a nice variety of all natural and oil-​free products for face and body
hair care… all natural shampoos, conditioners, and colour treatments
dental care… Neem toothpastes, dental tape, and breath fresheners
There is too much more to mention, and some options will change with their seasonal availability. If you live or work locally, do pop in and have a look. Prices are fair and similar to other health food shops.
Planet Organic? Why, yes… I am a fan!

This is the perfect stop-​off if you love organic and healthy food! Or even organic non-​healthy food. Or actually even if you just like good food and don’t care whether it’s organic or not, which is probably about 95% of the population. This place is full of, well what you’d expect, everything organic. It’s a brilliant place for lunch — great soups, salads and hot buffet choices yummy cakes, brownies and naughty things (all organic and honest though, of course), and good coffee, smoothies and juices.