Plastic-Free Shopping next to the River Otter

Getting back to some sort of normality, I headed off to Otterton Mill today. A short drive from my house in Exmouth through beautiful countryside I wanted to combine a need for food shopping with a little bit of an ‘outing’. I also wanted to avoid Exmouth town centre, though a lovely place it is actually quite busy and I felt a bit unsafe last time as it was impossible to even keep a 1 metre distance in the fruit and veg shop. This definitely wasn’t a problem in Otterton Mill this rainy Friday morning shortly after it opened.

I went with my normal attitude of not having a list (other than fruit, veg and bread) and buying what they had available plastic-free. The small food shop has baskets of produce outside, mostly unpackaged. I picked up a beautiful, multicoloured pepper (ideal to top tonight’s pizza) along with broccoli, leek, spring onions and a red onion all placed directly into the shopping basket. I have a couple of reusable produce bags that I carry around in my handbag which are ideal for smaller items; I filled these with cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. This is the first time I’ve been inside the shop since the pandemic, it’s small but the one way system and other customer’s willingness to wait outside meant I could have a look, get what I need and get out without feeling overwhelmed. The bread at the mill is delicious. I got a granary loaf for lunch and spotted some vegan ‘butter’ in the fridge. I’ve never tried any before, we tend to have actual butter because it’s plastic-free, palm oil free and we like it! I hardly ever use it myself and tend to drizzle rape seed oil on toast or in a jacket potato (yes it is nice!). This alternative to dairy butter by Flora is in paper packaging. It does actually contain palm oil but it’s sustainable palm. I’m always suspicious of sustainable palm as I’ve read that several leading charities say the rules aren’t strict enough (1). Also does it just mean the area was deforested in the past before a certain date? Sustainable palm means no primary forest can be cleared for it’s production (1). But was it just cleared previously for production of something else? However, it’s also most likely that the pasture the average British dairy cow is grazing used to once be part of the forested area of the UK. It is estimated that 75% of Britain was forested 6,000 years ago, now it has fallen to less than 12% (2). Plus palm oil is used in animal feed included food fed to dairy cows. My point is it’s an extremely complicated situation and I thought I’d give the vegan alternative a try!

Anyway, once I’d packed my shopping into my reusable shopping bags and taken them back to the car park I decided to do just a little bit of exploring. I headed into the gift shop and past where milling still actually takes place in this beautiful old mill. I needed a birthday card, but they were all packaged in plastic film so I gave them a miss. I headed back to my camper van and sat watching the river rush past whilst I refuelled with a quick banana and a sip of water from my reusable bottle, which I always try to remember to throw into my bag along with my reusable mask (think keys, phone, mask and if you’re me food and drink!). I don’t know what you’re like but I struggle to allow myself to relax and enjoy my surroundings, especially on a week day. I’ve internalised the capitalist ideals of production and society’s norm and expectation of working hard and not being lazy! Yes I really have, I imagine people who know me rolling their eyes at that last sentence! I have had to work hard at allowing myself to rest, relax, enjoy life. So, although it might seem different looking in from the outside, my inner self is actually still struggling, feeling like I must get home and get on with ‘important’ stuff! However, I give myself a moment to eat and drink and to listen to myself. Do I want to go home? Would I prefer to go for a walk? The barriers go up, I don’t want to put my wellies on, I don’t want to walk past people on the footpath. However, the truth is there aren’t many people about this rainy morning and my wellies are simply under the back seat in the van. I’m glad I paused for this short moment and got out beside the River Otter.

The rules of parking at Otterton Mill state that customers may only leave the site for a maximum of 30 minutes. That suits me. I’m struggling regularly from fatigue. Although my hospital treatments for cancer thankfully ended a few months ago I still haven’t regained my previous strength this coupled with a lot of ongoing stress means 30 minutes is actually a long walk for me now. In reality after 10 minutes of walking into a strong head wind I am very happy to turn around and walk back, although also revived a little by my walk.

Returning to the car park I fancy a coffee. I take my reusable cup to the cool looking, vintage horsebox selling drinks in the car park only to be told they don’t accept reusable cups. Surely it’s time to change this policy? My cup is clean and it could be moved around using a tray to achieve contactless coffee if required. I did mention this to the member of staff and also that I understood she was just following company policy. Over 100 scientists have actually stated that reusable cups are safe (3). This pandemic is adding so much to the problems of plastic pollution, I try not to dwell too much on this so not to spoil the benefits of my little ‘outing’. I decline to buy coffee and return home for my plastic-free cup of tea.

1: What is sustainable palm?, BBC News, 3 September 2019

2: British Forest Landscapes, The Legacy of Woodland Fragmentation, Quarterly Journal of Forestry

3: Reusable containers safe during covid-19 pandemic, say experts, The Guardian, 22 June 2020

Thank you so much to my fabulous patrons who support my work.
Become a Patreon member and help Rhubarb and Runner Beans grow! Learn More about how to become a member and about exclusive rewards such as access to all my newspaper columns or support on your eco-friendly journey.

You might also like: Plastic Free Walking, another blog post where I write about fitting in self-care around every day life.