Unpackaged

Time Out says

Mon Dec 6 2010

At the end of the week, what’s left in your kitchen bins? It’s most likely food packaging: wrappers, containers, packets and mountains upon mountains of useless plastic. Step in Unpackaged. This nifty store allows you to buy only what you need (from local suppliers wherever possible), reduce what you use, reuse old containers and recycle all you can. It's the UK’s first zero packaging grocery and is the brainchild of the enterprising Catherine Conway. She invites customers to bring in their own jars, pots, Tupperware and bags, and fill them with fruit, veg and store cupboard ingredients – all organic, Fairtrade or locally sourced; alternatively, buy a reusable container from the store. Vats of olive oil are on tap for refills, and you can take your fill of the pulses, nuts, pasta, rice, loose teas, Neal’s Yard cheeses, herbs and spices, jams, chutney, honey and much more, all arranged in stylish square containers. An Amwell Street fixture for many years, the shop moved to new Hackney premises in December 2012 where there’s room for a café/bar (8am-11pm) that serve fresh, local and seasonal food on site.