Organic House wins award

Organic House of Market Street, Hebden Bridge has recently won an award from the The Natural Trade Show. The awards are designed to celebrate outstanding independent retailers of organic food.

Organic House grew out of a long-established Hebden Bridge Food Cooperative. For 15 years, one day a week, Caroline Duke and her team of helpers would serve hundreds of people who wanted to eat locally-grown and organic food. It was this co-op which formed the basis of the business for Organic House which opened in the summer of 2001

The shop and café are in a beautiful old building in the centre of Hebden Bridge and is run by a business partnership of three, two of whom Ellie and Heidi Rushton work full-time in the shop.

As well as a wide range of food, there are wines and beers, organic cotton baby clothing and skincare products. Local sourcing is still one of the ideals at the heart of the business, so eggs are from ‘Uncle Ted’s Organic Eggs in Halifax, much of the fresh produce comes from Bracken Farm also in Halifax, there are cakes from a Todmorden baker and even the wooden bowls for serving salad are made from local sycamore by a local woodturner, while a potter in Hebden Bridge makes some of the ceramics for the café.

Although Hebden Bridge has a reputation for being an old ‘hippy’ town, the partners wanted a shop that was modern and stylish but also warm and welcoming. So organic house has the sort of informal atmosphere which encourages customers to come in, meet friends, enjoy a coffee and some of the cafe’s delicious goodies or just sit and make their shopping list with the help of a cookery book from the organic house ‘library’.