Eating paleo in the UK

[abyssinia]

I've recently moved to Scotland, having spent the last five years living in what is one of the most food-hippie towns in the US. I've been dabbling with paleo-style eating in the US, and was learning to navigate all the various food labels (natural vs. organic, free range, grass fed, etc). I don't eat everything organic, but at least in the US there were certain foods where I tried to go organic due to a higher likelihood of pesticide retention.

So far of the two grocery places I've explored (Morrisons, and a Tesco express) I haven't seen anything labeled "organic", etc. The closest I've found to any sort of that type of labeling has been for free range eggs (and one tiny section of gluten free processed food). I also know there are different regulations on food here than in the US so some of that may not matter as much.

Does anyone have any advice or resources for learning how to navigate food labeling here? Any good sources for local/organic/etc? [I've found they have a farmers market here once a month]. Any recommended UK (or Scot) paleo style bloggers?

thanks!

Comments

[rydra_wong]

You can buy organic food here, and it will be labelled as such. Most UK beef and lamb is substantially grass-fed rather than grain-fed anyway, and there are stricter restrictions on the use of antibiotics and hormones even in non-organic meat:

http://paleohacks.com/questions/205818/grass-fed-dairy-and-meat-products-in-british-super.html
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread55928.html

Some resources:

http://www.primalbritain.co.uk/paleo-directory/#Scotland

Googling "organic [your new town]" turns up a bunch of links for both veg and meat; you may have to shop around a bit or consider something like a veg delivery box for convenience, but you should be okay.

Tangentially: I gather that in the US it's illegal to sell wild game -- it's not here, so it's often possible to buy wild venison (culled to protect the evironment), game birds, rabbits, etc.., which are fantastic for a paleo diet and also delicious (IMHO).

[abyssinia]

Thank you! Lots of this is super duper helpful. And it looks like there are tons of options for veg delivery boxes which are way more flexible than the CSA I had in the states. I think I just need to learn to be more patient - it'll take more than 3 jetlagged days to figure out everything about my new home.

And I will totally keep my eye out for the wild game - delicious!

[rydra_wong]

And, Scotland! There should be lots of local venison. \o/

(Also, I can't remember if you keep kosher, but kosher haggis is available. Obviously not paleo because of the oatmeal, but it is tasty if you like offal.)

Hope the jet-lag lifts soon.

[moonreviews]

Not exactly paleo-focused but this blogger does seem to live in Scotland (search for "Edinburgh" in the search field on the blog's main page). May be useful for some shopping resources :)