Organic & Natural

I love, love, love, love LOVE this café. It ticks all my boxes for of things that I adore in a nearby eatery. It’s been around for several years (more than 5 I think) and long may it continue. If it ever closes down I will be sad for weeks and weeks.
–Local independent business TICK
–Healthy, fresh, filling (generous portion sizes), vegetable-​y *tasty* food (all vegetarian) — perfect for post night out nutrition boost TICK
–Sub £7 for a meal (w/​out drink) TICK
–Friendly, helpful service (lovely, lovely people work here — I once got lent an umbrella during a long torrential downpour, on the vague promise that I bring it back in the next week) TICK
–No frowns when you ask for a tap water — instead, offered gladly! TICK
–Sweet little garden area at the back — perfect for sunny days and taking your time with your meal perusing a weekend paper TICK
The most popular option seems to be a warm main (usually vegetarian lasagne, moussaka or a stuffed pepper) with 3 salads (which could be mushrooms, greek salad, lentils, chickpea and spinach or a dozen other beautifully seasoned and sauced options) — the halloumi wrap is also worth a try.
It really does seem a little out of place (there’s a greasy kebab shop next door!) in Clapton, but I guess the area’s changing and the market for that kind of food is growing. Good stuff too! The café sells health food bits and pieces, drinks and fresh bread so you can pick up some staples to take home.
If the criteria I listed appeals to you, I would urge you to visit if you’re nearby :) Let me know if you like it!

This is a good sized organic food store smack dab in the middle of the old murder mile. As other reviews have stated the prices are a little higher than average, but I guess that’s to be expected from a organic store. I mostly go there to buy a few staples I can’t get easily elsewhere (e.g., miso, veggie sausages, vegetarian toothpaste). However, they do offer lots of other items (organic wines and beer; fruit and vegetables; bread; pasta; even vitamins). Also there is a cute little café with a great outdoor garden and free wifi, and with lots of vegetarian options down the back of the café. Worth the visit if you live locally.

This is a little gem in the middle of Hackney — I was quite surprised to find this shop here, surrounded as it is by cheap off-​licences and take-​outs. They sell all essential organic/​vegan staples (from tofu and soy cheeze to Japanese cooking ingredients, shampoo and beauty products) and have a charming café with a lovely outside patio/​garden seating area and free wifi in the back. Well worth a visit both for a relaxed lunch/​afternoon coffee or for some shopping. Prices tend to be on the higher end, but then that is to be expected.

It seems the organic whole-​foods stores are popping up across London like crazy: every area seems to have one almost per block, all crammed with stroller-​mummies intent on taking up entire aisles with their vehicle, superior because they are in fact, with child.
The Organic & Natural in Hackney is no exception. Stocking all the classic organic good — fruit & veg, cheeses, breads, a deli, dry goods, it’s like entering another world which is the polar opposite of Tesco’s. Yes, the prices aren’t cheap but that’s come to be a given in this strange world of organic. Delightful, fresh and convenient.

Its a strange choice of location for an organics and wholefood shop: after all, lower Clapton road, I’m told, is known as ‘murder mile’. Why, and by whom exactly, is another matter. The point is that most Londoners don’t expect areas as run down as this to boast much beyond a kebab joint and a couple of Turkish food & wine shops.
Well Organic & Natural is sandwiched by one of each of these, but when you enter its easy to forget the environs outside. The shop has a nice wood-​panelled interior and a selection of excellent organic baked bread by the door — I’d recommend the white bloomer.
Then a good variety of fruit & veg is on display, although freshness and price is an issue. There’s a good selection of cereals, Japanese food, a deli, leather sofas, free WiFi and outdoor decking and garden area. There’s also sustainability-​focused homewares and a good variety of shampoos and homeopathic healthcare.
The owners could learn to smile a bit more, to reduce the prices a bit and, to take a little more notice of sell-​by dates. Then again, the last time I dropped in to grab some bread, I was unexpectedly short and they let me off over 50p — and not for the first time either. So if you live close by, and want an alternative to the monotony of Tesco and the drudgery of the ‘food & wines’, try it out.

Clapton is not always the nicest area. Though it has some very nice houses around, it also has a main street with many run down and in some cases derelict buildings, and some of the local pubs have a very bad reputation. Recently there’s been moves made to bring it up to scratch: the overhaul of Clapton Pond being one.
Organic and Natural is either desperately out of place, or a foretaste of what’s to come. It’s the sort of shop you might expect to find in posh Islington. A very fine wholefoods store, selling not just the basics, but stuff you might also find in an upmarket delicatessen. As well as the dried beans and meat-​free stuff they also sell organic meats (including a sausage that’s apparently been voted second best in the world), an incredible range of seasonings, fresh breads and premium chocolate truffles.
They also have a snack bar in the back, selling coffee and baguettes (e.g. one with thick slices of proper brie and grapes. I always think brie looks like what you get on the top of a cup of a milky drink forgotten in a teenager’s bedroom, but those who do like it may want to take note).
Prices are not cheap, but favourably compare to what you’d pay in Islington. I think I may be heading up to this shop for a few presents this Christmas