How real food got really sexy

In the basement Market Hall you'll find eco clothing, natural remedies and body-care products, and hand-baked organic treats for your pets. In the States the chain of stores has come to be known as "Whole Pay Cheque", a nod to their reputation for hefty prices. But 89p for an organic avocado, £5 for a caramelised apple and almond waffle, and £7 for a litre of organic olive oil sound reasonable to us.
The Barkers Building, 63-97 Kensington High Street, W8 (020 7368 4500)

Farm W5
This store's owners pride themselves on knowing their producers by name. Here you'll even find locally sourced Ealing honey; try it with healthy sheep's yoghurt from Ewe Tree Farm (£2.70/500g). The on-site café uses the fresh produce sold in the store, so if there's something you want juiced that's not on the menu, just say the word.
19 The Green, Ealing, W5 (020 8566 1965)

Daylesford Organic
The chicest of the lot: Daylesford Organic, pictured below, puts the glamour into organic shopping. The quality really is exceptional: cheese, milk and yoghurts from

Daylesford's own dairy; excellent bread (try sourdough for £1.99); sauces and pickles, including tomato ketchup (£3.95), and a fine organic meat range, including venison and Aberdeen Angus beef. Eco-friendly types adore the cleaning produce, including rosemary washing-up liquid, £1.75 for half a litre.
44B Pimlico Road, SW1 (020 7881 8060)

Fresh & Wild
Part of the Whole Foods empire since 2004, London's Fresh & Wild deli stores retain their own distinct identity. The Soho branch is great for grab'n'go lunch stuff such as

Poilane bread (£2.25/400g), Laura's Idea calzones and wedges of Fresh Eric's coffee and walnut cake. Upstairs are supplements and natural beauty items, including wonderful organic haircare products by New York's John Masters (from £16).
69-75 Brewer Street, Soho, W1 (020 7434 3179). Branches in Camden, Clapham and Stoke Newington

As Nature Intended
With branches in Chiswick, Ealing and Balham, this 95 per cent organic mini-chain, pictured right, makes the point that you can do your weekly shop in natural style. They regularly run pricechecks against the big supermarket players so prices stay competitive. Pick up basics such as Tushies nappies (£8.99 per pack of 40) and Ecover washing powder (£4.79/1.2kg) or seasonal produce such as English asparagus (£3.29/400g bunch) and strawberries (£1.79/250g punnet).
201 Chiswick High Road, W4 (020 8840 1404)

The Natural Kitchen
A gorgeous new Marylebone marketplace, pictured below, opened only a couple of weeks ago, pipping Whole Foods to the post. Its USP is wild food, not just organic. Fill your basket with mushrooms from the

New Forest plus a bottle of organic bubbly (£39) from Vintage Roots's wine vault in the basement.

Suppliers as diverse as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage, Paxton and Whitfield (for cheese) and the Well Hung Meat Company trade under their own banner. A meeting point for ecogastronauts, with a licensed café that will host evening workshops on subjects such as "How To Butcher A Lamb".
77-78 Marylebone High Street, W1 (020 7486 8065)

Planet Organic
This store, pictured right, is where yummy-mummies pile in for juice, cof fee and homemade muffins along with the weekly shop. Exclusives include Planet Organic's own olive oil from a single Tuscany estate (£10.59/ 500ml). The W2 branch has just introduced a new line of gourmet deli food; branches also on Fulham Road and off Tottenham Court Road.
42 Westbourne Grove, W2 (020 7727 2227)

Here!
What differentiates this friendly store from the field is its 100 per cent organic policy: it has even been nicknamed the "¸ber-organic supermarket" by food experts. Everything here, from the fresh meat counter to the fruit and vegetables and dairy, is guaranteed to be organic. Under the same ownership as the nearby Gossip restaurant, Here! produces its own bacon and hams in the kitchen there (if you see what we mean). Add the home-cured dry-cured bacon (£29.98/kg) to your fry-up to feel good about your hangover.
Chelsea Farmers Market, 125 Sydney Street, Chelsea (020 7351 4321)