Gourmet Girl goes to Earthy Foods for Bite Mag

This article appears in the November edition of Bite Magazine.

If you’ve found yourself walking around the supermarket fruit and veg aisle picking up the same ten items week in, week out, it’s time for a re-think on what is going into that trolley. Earthy Foods Market and its team of helpful ‘earthlings’ is definitely the answer to a tired food shopping routine. Their new store has just opened in Portobello, so I hopped on the Vespa to check the new place out.

You’re welcomed at the front door with the perfect autumnal display of veggies, enticing the eye and the appetite–no shrink-wrapped cabbages here! One of Earthy’s co-owners, Pete, took me on a tour of the store. Earthy’s suppliers are a tasty who’s-who of Scotland’s finest produce growers, dairy farmers and butchers. Local farms, including Phantassie from East Lothian, deliver daily. It changes with the season, with suppliers such as J&M Craig bringing in Clyde Valley tomatoes in summertime.

The autumn harvest should inspire any home cook. Think yellow and purple cauliflower, rainbow carrots, courgettes, squashes, potatoes, beets, celeriac and wild mushrooms. Try roasting some pink and golden beets in the oven with a touch of sea salt, pepper, olive oil and and garlic. Or seasonal soups like parsnip and apple, or cream of cauliflower. Autumn is apple-time and there’s plenty of choice of fruit for eating or cooking with. The shop also operates a no-waste policy so you’ll find £1bags of fruit and veg ideal for juicing or making stocks.

Organic meat comes via Hugh Grierson’s Organic Farm in Perthshire, and Peelham in the Borders, as well as free-range poultry from Gartmorn Farm near Alloa. Hugh’s Fish Fighters will be impressed with a wee corner devoted to sustainably-sourced fish, including canned tuna and mackerel.

Beyond the fresh produce, Earthy’s shelves are stocked with pantry essentials, mostly organic and fairly traded. From pastas and tinned tomatoes, to flour, oil, and fantastic herbs & spices. They’re keen to promote their value bulk-buy options, and, with a friendly message that eating well needn’t be expensive, the team are on-hand with recipe ideas.

Tucked just off Portobello High Street, the shop is already a hit; the locals are understandably delighted that Earthy has landed on their doorstep. With an in-house bakery, deli, tasting events and seasonal Meet the Producers markets planned, it’s inspiring a positive food culture. Their motto says it all: dig in!