“A woman should wear fragrance wherever she expects to be kissed”-Coco Chanel
Laura Reynolds looks at some of the cheapest beauty products available
Alligator Wholefoods (104 Fishergate) is here to change your view. Not only is their produce affordable and high quality, but it’s also not limited to just fruit and vegetables. For the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at the various different shops out there in York, doing their bit for the environment and largely unacknowledged by most of us on campus. Alligator, an independent organic grocer first opened in 1972, is first on my list.
Alligator certainly ticks all the boxes in terms of what you’d expect from an environmentally friendly shop. It’s the only shop on its block to have bike parking facilities outside, for a start, so you can easily cycle there and back. Where it’s possible, they’re very economic with their packaging. The shop offers a wide range of different rice, pulses, herbs and spices; you can help yourself, as the shop provides brown paper bags instead of the plastic bags and tubs you’d get from supermarket stocks. There’s an added advantage to that, of course - you can take how much or how little you like, so if you need something specific for a recipe, it’s ideal.
The shop obviously sells a fair variety of fruit and vegetables, in its capacity as an organic greengrocer. Don’t be put off by the unusual shapes and sizes of their veg; Alligator don’t have any rules on conforming to preconceived ideas of what a carrot or a courgette ought to look like, so unlike many major supermarkets, they don’t turn away massive amounts of food just because it doesn’t look like you’d expect. They’re still tasty, I promise – their organic credentials are spotless, because their fruit and veg isn’t.
More than that, though, Alligator also sells just about everything else you would need in a weekly shop and it’s all organic! You’ve probably seen the aisle of organic products in Costcutter – organic washing-up liquid, energy saving lightbulbs, and organic clothing detergent are all obvious things you’d expect. Did you know though that you can also get organic deodorant? What about organic toothbrushes and toothpastes? Their range is extensive and covers a lot of options you’d be surprised existed, which work just as well as anything you’d get in a normal shop.
Finally, if you’ve got any dietary requirements, Alligator is essentially heaven on a very well-protected earth. In addition to having an extensive range of organic goods, they also supply products for vegetarians and vegans, and for gluten-free, lactose-free, and anything-else-you-can-think-of-free diets. Their range of soy milk is extensive in itself, and though most people are instantly put off by the thought of it, I can vouch for what Alligator has to offer. Along with the standard kinds, they also have various different flavours.
Seriously – vanilla soy milk is what makes the world go round. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. In fact, don’t even knock it then, because I won’t believe you. Go and try it at Alligator, and I defy you not to be impressed.
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