Nada Zero Waste: January 5 2019
It was a gloomy day today so I decided to head into the town for some bright lights. Having nothing in particular to do, I decided to explore the Lanes, a higgledy-piggledy area of small streets and independent shops between the ancient (only 800 years old) Market, the High Street and St Martin's Square.
I'd been looking for Nada Zero Waste for a few weeks now, planning to go there as part of the #evergreendecember Challenge run by @phoenixwren but somehow, although I had been right by it several times before, I hadn't found it.
Today was different: I had no distractions or errands that I had to do and came across it straighaway. blissfully empty at that time of the afternoon, so I had the run of the place to take photographs.
It's a lovely pleasant space with a beautiful shopfront.
If you don't have any containers with you, there's a selection to get you started. Alternatively, you can have your goods wrapped in paper bags.
Nada stocks a wide range of dried goods and non-food items ... collapsible keep cups ...
... muslin bags, toiletries and sanitary products ...
... spices (five types of peppercorns) ...
... dried fruit and flours (the flours were available from dispensers above the dried fruit jars) ...
... cereals - I liked these enclosed dispensers. I had been worried about open tubs of food products. I wouldn't have been able to buy them ...
... vegetable oils ...
... I splashed out on 500g of red split lentils (I know!) ...
I spent a grand total of £1.50, the best I could manage as I didn't really want anything - my cupboards at home were full and groaning. I was just showing willing, really :) but I'll go back another time when I need to re-stock.
It's great to have a shop like this right in the heart of the city centre, easily accessible on foot and by public transport. Currant Affairs, one of Leicester's whole food shops, is just down the road, too. I popped in there for some yeast and a slice of lemon and yoghurt loaf. They also do wonderful samosas.
As I came out of Nada, I spotted St Martin's Coffee Roasters opposite and went in to fondle the coffee making machines lovingly and try their coffee. They have shavings of chocolate on top of their cappucino, rather than powder. Very nice. I picked up a leaflet about Leicester Jazz house, too.
Crafty Sew and Sew, Leicester's very own shop catering for people who want a #handmadewardrobe, is round the corner. I went to check their patterns and accessories ...
... range of fabrics ...
... wall of Brother sewing machines (you can try any or all of them) ...
... and workshop area. You can book private tuition sessions - earlier in the day a mum and dad and their two children had been in - or join a workshop. I was pleased to learn about the weekly sewing club, two hours on aTuesday or Thursday evening. The shop staff and I ended up reminiscing about Singer hand machines.
It was nearly closing time, but I had a few minutes to slip into Just, Leicester's Fair Trade almost-department store. There's sustainable toys, gifts and accessories on the ground floor, housewares in the basement and clothing and luxury foods (read: chocolate) on the first floor.
I had a quick look in the clothing department - I'd seen several items in the window that I'd liked ... I didn't have time to try anything on ... but I've earmarked a skirt to try next time ... :)
I'm going to add this to @dswigle's excellent #marketfriday for this week, there's a certain symmetry with her theme :)
It's not often I have time to just browse and investigate (I'm usually on a mission for a zipper or replacement pocket). It was a lovely way to spend a dismal post-Christmas afternoon. Also did a good few steps :)
Interesting shops I dont normally go into places like NADA as there is not normally much in there I would actually need, shame really as these places struggle @shanibeer
I have to ask: what are you eating? 😜
Lol it's not so much what I am I eating what I was meaning is the problem is there aren't any similar shops like NADA or Currant Affairs near me,like yourself if I am passing a store like that the cupboards are already stocked from the routine supermarket shopping which is 15 mins away from home I simply dont really have a need to go in one.
Ah yes, I see what you mean 😊.
I think Nada will be great for spices because of the variety and because I can buy a very small quantity at a time. I also liked some of their non-food items.
What a set of fabulous shops. Handmade wardrobe is a brilliant name! What are the prices like in Nada please?
Red lentils in the Co-op were £1.30 compared to Nada's £1.50 for 500g. Leicester Wholefoods are 93p, and organic for £1.83 (plus free home delivery on orders over £30, they have a wider range that includes fresh, frozen and tinned and packaged foods). I'm guessing Nada doesn't have the same buying power as the supermarkets or as an established small business like Leicester Wholefoods. Leicester Wholefoods is based in an industrial unit slightly out of town. It was a deliberate policy to have lower costs and to be able to offer a wider wholesale range. It's not easy to get to by public transport, though, and it's not a destination shop.
Thats great that wholefoods aren't bad. Still saddens me that to eat organically costs so much more. As a general rule, I don't buy organic food out of principle.
I was toasting and grinding sticky (glutinous) rice tonight to make some authentic 'Moo Larb'. The good lady is all potatoed out and so after doing some painting (the decorating type as opposed to Dali) I got back to cooking Thai; fried rice with prawns this evening.
Since we arrived back, it has been full on chauffeuring, shopping and DIYing. Not to mention getting in the middle of the usual family fallouts and trying to buy enough books to fill a pallet and two large suitcases.....
You mentioned a holiday ?
Oh, that Rye bread looked gorgeous :-)
PS I will have loads of treddle powered Singer sewing machine porn for you later, they are still widely used in Thailand including by Fon's Mum who makes do and mends in the old fashioned way :-)
I agree about the organic stuff being so costly although I do like the veg boxes I get delivered. Other than that, I mainly shop at the Co-op or the small independent fruit and veg in trendy Queen's Road. I hope Nada is sufficiently well-placed to make a living. Their location is very good.
I'm completely with your wife: even for just a week away I'm not used to my usual foods and long for plain English cooking. I hope she enjoyed her dinner.
It sounds like you've got your hands full. Where do you source the books? Enjoy yourself here in our lovely drab country and look forward to the Singers (the rye was great. I've got a fixation about cheese and onion now).
You know, I didn't really check that :) I was so impressed with the range. The lentils cost me £1.50 - I'll check how much a bag is when I go into the Co-op tomorrow.
Just noticed the handmade wardrobe bit of your comment ... I didn't realise it until this week, but myhandmadewardrobe is a thing. I'm taking it as one of my themes this year, although I've already blown that by picking out the skirt in the fair trade shop hehe. Hope your holiday is going well.
@shanibeer, so beautiful shops! Love your pictures!
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Thank you :)
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Wonderful bunch of shops there, very nice post.
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Yes, some of them, like the fairtrade shop, have been there for over thirty years. Good to see they have survived through good times and bad.
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What a great, sustainable resource to have those shops nearby!! I love it!
Containers vary a lot for bulk stuff here - sometimes they have those pouring ones, and sometimes open bins. I could tell you a horror story from when I worked in a health food store about a lady who reached in with her hand, tasted the flour, and then PUT BACK IN THE BIN what had just been in her hand, in contact with her tongue. We threw the whole bin out.
I still use bulk bins, no matter what, though. What the eye doesn't see ...lol.
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It's just my squeamishness :) some of the products will come into human contact, it would be hard to avoid (I'm just wondering how many people pinch some of the dried fruit while they're weighing out what they want to buy. I can't resist eating some when I open a jar in the kitchen). As long as our herd immunity is good, we'll be fine :) It is an incredibly clean shop, they must work hard to keep it like that.
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I'd say the silliest thing my store did was to put candy bins on the bottom. Every little kid reached in for a candy. You can't blame them. XD
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You would, wouldn't you? Be rude not to! 😜
Hello!!!! wonderful shops !!! I have not seen this in Israel. I especially liked the first store. I really understand you when you write about products in open bags and containers. In Israel, this is almost always the case :)))) Shop for handicraft amazing! a lot of sewing machines and a class for learning sewing skills. it's great!!!!!
Yes, I had a really enjoyable afternoon :) It's lovely to have the time to browse.
I apologize for not seeing this last week!! It didn't come up on the search, I have no idea why!!!
Can I ask you to drop the current link here so all the posts will be in the same spot! Much appreciated!
I cannot upvote this, so I leave you with a !tip
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Thank you, that's very kind.
Oh, I was so sad to see such a lovely #MarketFriday unread by me last week.
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