press releases...
Festive feasts and winter treats for health savvy foodies and fusspots alike
16 November 2007
The UK's largest organic and natural products retailer Planet Organic is proud to present its selection of sumptuous food hampers, artisan confectionary, fresh seasonal produce and organic toiletries as impressive gifts or charming stocking fillers for the fussy, the health savvy and the spoilt rotten in your life. From plump free range turkeys and rich cakes, to luxurious lotions and potions that soothe the mind and pamper the body. Planet Organic offers fabulous, wholesome gift solutions for even the most difficult-to-buy family member or friend. A nationwide delivery service takes the stress factor out of the annual Christmas shop too.
Chocoholic Heaven
Christmas - a time for ditching the diet and tucking into some truly indulgent, melt-in-the-mouth food. What better way to do this than with toe-curlingly delicious chocolate - the kind that kisses the palate like sweet velvety nectar and leaves you on a high that only a hug can give. Booja-Booja's award-winning organic vegan chocolate truffles are the Rolls Royce of confectionary. These sumptuous bite-sized parcels are gift-wrapped in gold, and ensconced in an opulent velvet-lined, hand painted wooden gift box. The intricate box design itself is painted by artists from Kashmir, providing them with the means to both exercise their craft while supporting their families in this war-torn region of North India. Booja-Booja's luxury hand-painted gift box retails at £39.99.
 
Other delectable delights for chocolate fiends include Montezuma's organic milk and white chocolate advent calendar, (£13.99, also available in dark chocolate) great for those who relish the prospect of scoffing their next-day sweet. Foil wrapped, ready-to-hang chocolate baubles (£7.99 for a pack of six) in milk, white and dark chocolate add a sweet finishing touch to any Christmas tree, but for out-and-out unabashed gluttony, Chocolate Alchemist's 600g slab of fine smooth chocolate (£13.50) is sure to satisfy even the most relentless of sweet tooths. Chunky white chocolate snowmen baubles (£4.99) are great to nibble on too.
 
Happy Hampers
If Christmas shopping leaves you befuddled and stressed, Planet Organic's extensive range of food gift hampers will take the pressure off planning a festive supper or an after-dinner tea. Carefully selected and tailor-made to suit vegans and veggies, organic foodies and gourmet carnivores. There's even a hamper to suit those with wheat and gluten intolerances, so everyone can have a slice of heaven on their plate this Christmas. Fine wines, handmade pies, succulent game and artisan sweets are just some of the mouth-watering goodies you can expect to find in a Planet Organic Hamper. Prices range from £50 to £300.

A lush English rose garden in winter
Available at Planet Organic is a range of skin treats, toiletries and fragrant candles to unwind and pamper without slathering yourself in synthetic chemicals and man-made impurities. Figs & Rouge's luscious Rose Garden body care gift set uses nourishing botanicals from the traditional English Garden to replenish the skin and de-stress the mind. The natural rose candle encased in a handmade glazed pot is made to burn whilst soaking in a Rambling Rose Bath, and is the very essence of sublime relaxation. Once the candle has burned out, you can sprinkle the Figs and Rouge seeds into the pot to create your own little bathroom garden. Gorgeously presented in vintage style packaging, the Rose Garden gift set comprising of 50-hour candle, Rambling Rose Bath Soak (300ml) and Seed Pack retails at £25. Also available are the Jasmine Candle gift bag (£16.95) and Luxury Garden gift set (£30).
Gifts from the Fairy Godmother
Neal's Yard Remedies - harbingers of organic skin care and natural treatments - have also introduced a range of 'feel good' gift boxes filled with their best-loved products. The Gift of Sparkle (£15), containing invigorating Juniper and Blackberry Pepper Hand Wash (200ml) and Juniper and Blackberry Pepper Hand Lotion (200ml), awakens the senses and makes you shimmer with health, while The Gift of Happiness (£7.50) with its Geranium & Orange Soap, Lavender & Tee Tree Soap and Calendula Soap will give you a heavenly uplifting smell every time you wash your hands. Other box sets include the Gifts of Joy, Delight, Comfort and Radiance, which all contain a selection of organic toiletries that detoxes, relaxes, nourishes and cares for your skin whatever its type. Prices range from £7.50 to £55.
"Apart from being a time of family get-togethers, Christmas is a real feast of the senses, and here at Planet Organic we love to celebrate this in a big way," said founder Renée Elliott. "Good food, good drink and good company are what this season is all about. Our vast range of delicious products and natural gifts will help create a very special and memorable Christmas."
Nationwide deliveries 0207 221 1345 or deliveries@planetorganic.com.
Notes to editors
About Planet Organic
Planet Organic (www.planetorganic.com) was the UK's first fully certified organic supermarket of its kind when it first opened its flagship store in Notting Hill, London, in 1995. It revolutionised the retail scene by offering only natural and organic food, drink and lifestyle products which are kind to the environment and promote fair-trade. Each item is hand-picked and carefully chosen; great consideration is taken on the quality of ingredients and how the produce is grown and consequently transported. Every customer can have good faith in the fact that, when they buy from Planet Organic, they are not only contributing to a genuinely healthier and happier lifestyle, but an environmentally friendly and ethical one too.
Planet Organic is also the first (and, so far, only) high-street supermarket to launch a new, entirely compostable and biodegradable plastic-free carrier bag, which - upon its first week of being introduced - decreased the volume of carrier bags used in all of its stores by 75%. Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, praised Planet Organic for "setting a prime example for other retailers to follow" and for "tackling a key issue in society today".
Food chains are responsible for one-third of all goods dumped in landfills. Planet Organic prefers to send its surplus food to people in need via the charity Fareshare. This enables socially committed organisations to release budgets for important work and rehabilitation programmes that will make a real difference to the community.
Planet Organic has won many awards including: Soil Association Independent Organic Retailer of the Year 1997 and 1998; Highly Commended Store Award 1999 and 2000; Retail Design Award 2001; Natural Products Annual Industry Award for Best Large Store 2004, and the Soil Association Organic Industry Awards for Best Large Organic Store 2005.
Planet Organic sells all natural foods, 90% of which are fully organic and all of which are additive, GMO and hydrogenated fat-free. These include:
fruit and vegetables
artisan confectionary
wheat and wheat-free bread and cakes
wild, line-caught and organically farmed fish
fresh, free-range and organically reared meat
luxury food gift hampers
wines and fresh juices
dairy and dairy-free yoghurts, ice-creams and milk
baby products
paraben and synthetic-free beauty products
books covering everything, from nutrition to juicing
delicious, freshly-prepared food to eat-in or takeaway at the in-store café
eco-friendly household products
Planet Organic also offers:
One-to-one health and body care consultations
A well-informed team to answer any questions
Food deliveries to either your home or workplace, anywhere in the UK, with next day delivery for customers residing in London.
Service and delivery charge for orders over £100 within London is £3.50. All other orders are £7.00. For call deliveries, mail order and hampers call 020 7221 1345.
In the pipeline, Planet Organic will be:
Opening further stores in London
Hold monthly in-store talks by local therapists and health experts on how to lead a healthier lifestyle
Host mother and baby coffee mornings to bring the local parenting community together.
About the founder
Planet Organic was founded in 1995 by former American wine journalist Renée Elliott, whose passion for natural food combined with a staunch sense of responsibility for the environment and the indigenous communities commonly exploited by the conglomerate trade, became the very basis upon which the UK's first ever organic supermarket was built. Today, Planet Organic has grown to be the UK's largest independent organic retailer.
Renée has worked in the organic industry for 14 years and is an elected general member of the Soil Association council since 1999. Such is her expertise that she previously acted as government advisor on contentious GM issues. Renée is also a member of the Multiple Retailers Working Group and continues to act as an advisor on organic issues to a major US fund. Since her appointment to the government's Organic Action Plan Committee in 2004, the UK has seen a 46% rise in organic produce. Renée also co-authored The Planet Organic Cookbook - Naturally Good Food (DK Organic, May 2001).
Renée says: "Shopping, cooking, and eating the Planet Organic way is as much about pleasure as good health. We celebrate food. My life is dedicated to healthy eating and sustainable agriculture whether I'm at work or it's my day off."
Born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, in the deep south of America and brought up in Massachusetts, Renée, 43, is married, pregnant and lives with her two children in West London.
For more information, food samples, high-res photography and other press enquiries, please contact: Christian Konig, email Christian@samphireul.com, Ana Catarina de Neiva, email catarina@samphireuk.com, or Andrea San Pedro, email andrea@samphireuk.com, Tel (+44) (0) 207 6168484, Mobile: (+44) (0) 7710 146740