Food and drink blog

by Tara Stevens

July 6, 2009

I was having lunch with a friend of mine last week who’s recently been sick. He was telling me about another friend of his who’d been suffering from exhaustion and his mother had given him a bar of Euphoria, an organic chocolate bar available from an elusive health food store in Badalona. What’s that, I asked. Chocolate, he said, before leaning over conspiratorially: he reckons it’s laced with something, you know, like maybe coca leaves or something. Really, I added, before making my excuses and dashing off to the first health food shop I could find to track some down. So far nada, so if anyone should know where I can find this Euphoria, please let me know.

Generally though it’s been a good week for shopping organically. While chatting with Isabelle Reymond at Be Organic (Flor de Lliri 4, 93 180 4477, www.beorganicbarcelona.com), who is something of a pioneer for organic eating and working to increase her stocks on a weekly basis, she reminded me of BioSpace (Valencia 186, 93 453 1573), Barcelona’s answer to US eco-organic megastore Whole Foods and which has the best selection of organic food stuffs in the city, including a big stock of choc.

Feeling somewhat poorer since I embarked on this scheme, I went for the cheapest I could find, and came away with a bar of the most creamy, silky dark chocolate with orange from Chocolate Solé (www.chocolatesole.com) ever for just €1.85. Eat your heart out Green and Blacks. BioSpace by the way is also good for fairly priced fruit and veg – a punnet of peaches for 92 cents, a quarter kilo of pear tomatoes for 48 cents; the shocker being a pint-sized pineapple for €8.18.

I’ve also discovered a couple of other box schemes: www.disfrutaverdura.com serves the whole country and is one of the easiest to use I’ve come across, with a simple and accessible online ordering, though it doesn’t tell you where stuff comes from. Nine kilos of oranges for €16 including delivery, an eight kilogramme box of mixed fruit and veg (good for 1-2 people) for €29 every 15 days, and a special kids' pack: 12 kg of fruit and veg that appeal to little mouths for €40 every couple of weeks.

If you want to shop more locally www.canperol.cat sources all its products in the Baix Llobregat. They charge a €15 minimum plus €4.50 delivery but you can choose your fruit and veg including some more exotic items like shitake mushrooms and basil on line. Their range also includes red wine, artisan breads and pastries, and meat. You can also go and buy direct from the farm. The site is in Catalan only.

Any more eco shopping tips, please send them in.

by Tara Stevens

July 6, 2009

Latest Comments

  • Fruit and vegetables in Catalunya

    When we come to Barcelona and visit other parts of the area, we are also so impressed at the quality of the '5 portions a day' that you can buy, compared with the UK. I am aware that prices are fairly comparable but quality is much greater. I am also intersted that when you eat out, there are always interesting fruit and vegetables on the menu. This is very different from our experience in France

    Posted by MAry July 24, 2009 18:57:56

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