Greengrocers

British supermarkets have improved beyond measure when it comes to meat, cheese and international essentials in recent years, but they remain absolutely feeble when it comes to greens. Giant, glossy, identical strains, flawless and flavourless, dominate the shelves, and the organic sections are seldom better. Wilting herbs and dying vegetables are pre-chopped and packaged, ensuring they cease to be edible within a couple of days of purchase (disastrous over the festive season), while fruit is habitually and hopelessly underripe. Markets - especially farmers' markets - are the best place to find really tasty veg, but there are also an increasing number of shops sourcing interesting varieties from small producers, with flavours that remind you just how your satsumas, roast potatoes and sprouts ought to taste.

Daylesford Organic Pimlico

44B Pimlico Road, SW1W 8LP
Lady Carole Bamford’s ‘Daylesford Organic’ is an impressive organic superstore, with a café attached. You could do all your Christmas food shopping here, and be sure of getting great puds, meat and cheese from happy, healthy animals, and even pick up a few beautifully-presented gifts on the way. The true highlight, however, is in the fruit and vegetables section, where seasonal produce comes straight from their kitchen garden. It’s here that you'll find the kind of earthy, amusingly-shaped veg that EU regulations and squeamish supermarkets came close to eliminating from UK tables, and that makes you realise that most people live their whole life without finding out what a real potato tastes like.

More info: Daylesford Organic Pimlico Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Andreas Georghiou & Co

35 Turnham Green Terrace London, W4 1RG
You can get your entire Christmas sorted on Turnham Green Terrace if you’re careful, with a world-class butcher, fishmonger and deli (alongside brilliant gift shops, a proper traditional toy shop, a master-chocolatier and a branch of Waterstones just up the road). Still the stand-out must be this miraculous, organic greengrocer, whose dedication to the finest-tasting produce will revolutionise your sprouts, roasties and chestnut stuffing. With an emphasis on minimising packaging and low carbon footprints they can also help keep Christmas guilt-free.

More info: Andreas Georghiou & Co Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

The Natural Kitchen

77-78 Marylebone High Street, W1U 5JX
Hand-planted organic vegetables from Sunnyfields Farm (the supplier of choice for Jamie Oliver's Fifteen, among others) arrive at The Natural Kitchen every morning, to be sold to the well-heeled residents of Mayfair - and to plenty of other people who are more than happy to travel for food of this quality. They specialise in British, seasonal veg - in other words just the kind of thing you'll want to put on the Christmas table. The spacious shop is also a delight, and they hold regular events where you can talk to chefs and suppliers about why the food tastes so good, and how you should prepare it.

More info: The Natural Kitchen Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube