Kassel: Organic eateries and restaurants

If you are on the outlook for a cafe serving at least a limited selection of organic drinks and have no idea where to go, modern and art museums usually are a good bet. This algorithm also works in Kassel: The cafe cum restaurant of the Grimmwelt, a museum dedicated to the lifes, works and influence of the Brothers Grimm, dubbed Falada (like the horse in the fairytaleThe Goose Girl) serves coffee drinks with organic milk, organic burger from the local Biometzgerei Armbröster, and organic eggs. Their home-made cakes are also made with organic eggs and milk. You can have an organic white or red wine, tea, organic gin (by The Duke) and fruit juices with sparkling water ("Schorle"). The place is organically certified; breakfast is being served until noon.

Come hungry if you want to have a burger as a big helping of fries is included. The fries actually are chips (half-slices of potatoes) and very nice. The chicken burger was made with organic chicken, but unfortunately the juicy meat had a dry and hard (instead of light and crispy) cornflakes coating.

During the warm season and when the weather is nice the museum sports a beautiful beergarden, Grimms Garten, run by the same caterer. Unfortunately the 2024 season is already over.

If you want to eat outdoors on nice weather days in autumn, the fully organic pizzeria Solo has garden tables on the footpath in front of it. Traditional Italian pizze or carefully selected modern topping combinations like salmon, zucchini and pine nuts on extremely nice (that is: both, soft and crispy) pizza bases make up for about half of the menu, and the pizza arrive in minutes after I placed my order. The other half of the menu consists of Italian starters (soups, salads or antipasti) and pasta. The menu also offers one traditional Italian second course, served in the German tradition with fixed add-ons. Even if you aren't hungry simply step by for a relaxed coffee or aperitivo.

On the other side of the street you'll find the city's organic butcher Armbröster. I haven't been there during the shop's opening hours, but I suspect that you can get a sandwich or even lunch there: Most artisanal butchers server sausages or grilled meat with bread or potato salads. Whether you'll find something suitable for vegetarians or vegans, I however don't know.

Most organic supermarkets of the Denns Biomarkt chain offer freshly made sandwiches and coffee drinks from their bakery tills in the entrance area. But the Biomarkt at Königsplatz is something special: The supermarket is located on the premises of the former Kaskade-Filmpalast cinema, a protected historial monument from the 1950ies, famous for its illuminated fountains in front of the screen. The cinema was revived for a short time during the documenta (13) contemporary art exhibition in 2021. Now you can have a view at both, the cinema's gallery, and the fountain pipes protected by a glass floor, in the rear of the supermarket. You may also take your coffee, sandwich and (in the summer) pre-packaged Cortina ice-cream upstairs to a cafe area with a view at the cinema's chairs and ceiling. The stairs are located opposite the bakery till, to the right from the entrance.

Travellers arriving at or leaving from the long-distance train station Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe will find a small farmshop cum delicatessen only a few steps from the station: The Urgeschmack-Hofladen Jausenstation offers organic cheeses and other dairy products, but first of all cured meat and sausages from a farm run according to the principles of organic agriculture but not certified organic. Unfortunately the shop was closed when I found it, but it seems to provide you with picnic food and travel provisions as long as you are an omnivore.

• Falada, Weinbergstr. 21, Tue–Thu,Sat–Sun,PH(Fri) 10–18(20), closed Jan, 1st
• Grimms Garten, Weinbergstr. 21, Tue–Fri(Sat–Sun,PH) 15(12)–22, closed during the cold season starting Sept 8th, 2024 and bad weather
• Solo, Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 118, daily 11:30–21:30
• Biometzgerei Armbröster, Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 143, Mon–Fri(Sa) 8–18:30(13)
• Denns Biomarkt, Königsplatz 53, Mon–Sat 9–20
• Urgeschmack-Hofladen Jausenstation, , Tue–Fri(Sat) 10–18(14)

When I tried to get myself a coffee from the Danish cafe Frokost hos Line (Norwegian/Danish for "breakfast at Line's") I found the place busy but closed for the general public. So I cannot say how much organic ingredients they use in their Danish sandwiches ("smørrebrød") and cakes. They used to have organic coffee and milk, and I hope that Line is going to continue with a strong organic focus after re-opening.

• Frokost hos Line, Wolfsschlucht 19

In the course of my upfront research I found the following place which I did not had time to visit. Let me know if you can confirm or deny its existance.

• Heidehof Bauernmarkt, Zentgrafenstr. 132, Tue–Thu(Fri) 10–15(18), Sat 9–13 (organic butcher's shop also offering organic cheeses, dairy products, eggs, bread and more organic food; organic lunch for a small price on weekdays from 12 am)

Kassel: Sustainable, organic and eco fashion

When I visited Kassel I didn't intend to shop clothes, so I did not do any upfront research in this direction. But then I passed two well-assorted organic fashion boutiques and decided to assemble a small post well aware of that there are most certainly more sustainable fashion shops in town which I do great injustice to by not mentioning them here.

The first one is Timeless, originally a skater's shop turned into an organic and fair streetware boutique offering a great selection of jeans and casual clothing for all sexes as well as a small assortment of hip, bike and travel bags and shoes. The predecessor of "Timeless" on this location was the sister branch of the "Fresh Lollipop" store in Göttingen.

Fresh Lollipop's current location is just a few corners away and offers more versatile styles. In addition to clothing you also find sustainably and fairly produced fashion accessories from scarfs to bags.

• Fresh Lollipop, Neue Fahrt 2, Mon–Sat 10–18
• Timeless, Wolfsschlucht 13, Mon–Sat 10–19

Kassel: Organic ice-cream

Kassel is a city consisting of many straight and very long avenues. One of them, the Wilhelmshöher Allee, connects the inner city with the train station Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe serving long distance connections, and Europe's largest hillsite park and UNESCO World Heritage site Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe with its impressive baroque monuments. Your way there is sweetened by two organic ice-cream parlours.

Vegans should stop at Frohnatur, a young and dedicated vegan organically certified ice-cream parlour. The flavours are made from a variety of plant-based drinks, supporting the name-giving flavouring ingredient. My favourite is pumpkin seed while less fatty, more subtle flavours such as tonka are missing a round and creamy note. All ice-cream flavours are served made into "spaghetti" or in classic German ball shape, according to your liking, and there's a sundae menu (among others sporting a popcorn sundae). You can get a proper Italian coffee drink and have waffles or a home-made cake. The wafer cones are also home-made, and small pieces are being served with your espresso.

If you like the classical West-German Italian ice-cream parlour with its greasy sundae menu and the brownish-red plastic-coated cushion seats (to name only a few prejudices) a visit to Eiscafé Cortina is a must. You probably wouldn't expect such a place to be 100 percent organic, but here you are, and if you have a fancy for less common flavours in an ice-cream cone on the go it takes a while to make a decision. Traditionalists, rest assured: you'll also find standard flavours, and most organic supermarkets in town and in the vicinity stock pre-packaged Cortina ice-cream in standard flavours. Needless to say that this ice-cream parlour is also a gorgeous place for the classical Italian coffee espresso shot.

• Frohnatur, Wilhelmshöher Allee 18, daily 12–19 (warm season), Thu–Tue 12–18 (autumn season starting mid of September), Thu–Sun 12–18 (cold season as of March 2024)
• Eiscafé Cortina, Wilhelmshöher Allee 134, daily 10–22

Göttingen: Sustainable, organic and eco fashion

I may be biased but I find it easier to spot sustainable fashion boutiques in smaller cities with a university than elsewhere, and Göttingen is no exception.

It's the only West-German city with a branch of the colourful Mrs. Hippie chain (the other branches are in Dresden, Erfurt, Leipzig and Magdeburg). As the name suggests, colourful loose-fitting comfort fashion made from fibres of natural origin dominates the shop. The prices here are moderate, but to be affordable for smaller purses the shop makes compromises: While fabrics made from organic cotton or linen are available, there's also a lot of viscose (usually not made with the eco-friendly lyocell process). Recyclability (which would require mono-materials) is not in the focus (many pieces contain rayon/elastane), but sustainable production, preferably in Europe, definitely is.

If sustainable brands are important to you, you'll find a lot of both, established and less known brands at Fresh Lollipop. All pieces here are fairly produced, both, with respect to the working conditions of the growers of natural fibres, the producers of the fabrics and the textile workers. The fabrics are either mono-materials, recycled and/or certified organic, to work into the direction of cradle-to-cradle processes. In the few cases where polymere mono-materials are used in washable textiles, only new PE and nylon is used to minimise microplastics abrasion in the washing machine. Apart from clothes and shoes for all sexes, bags, rucksacks and other accessories are being sold on two floors. There's a second shop in Kassel.

For organic clothes for babies, toddlers and younger children simply cross the street where you find Sperling Mode & Natur. The crammed, yet cosy shop has a long history: It was established in 1983. It also sells a small selection for women and uni-sex accessories. If you come with smaller kids, there's a small table where they can draw and colour.

Whether you are generally prefering long-lasting artisanal (and as a consequence more expensive) clothing made from natural materials of highest quality or simply like to spend time in a carefully curated boutique for the distinguished bourgeois, take a break at Woggon. Clothes, shoes, bags and other accessories are beautifully presented in a wood-and-brick showroom with a beautiful staircase, everything nicely arranged with carefully choosen details: a book here, a typewriter there. The service is impeccable, and as another customer exclaimed: "It's difficult not to buy a nice thing here." The shop also serves as a beautiful venue for concerts and readings.

Long-lasting clothes from natural fibres, often organic and often made from mono-materials can be found at the outlet of the Freiburg-based sustainable web and post order shop Waschbär – at least until October, 31st 2024 when the shop is going to be closed.

Fairly traded accessories and jewellery of beautiful and long lasting quality can also be obtained from the Contigo fair trade boutique.

• Mrs. Hippie, Zindelstr. 8, Mon–Fri(Sat) 10–19(18)
• Fresh_Lollipop, Rote Str. 12, Mon–Sat 10–18
• Sperling Mode & Natur, Rote Str. 30, Mon–Sat 10:30–18
• Woggon, Barfüßerstr. 1, Mon–Fri(Sat) 9:30–19(18)

Göttingen: Organic ice-cream

Little is more comforting in the warm season than a stroll with an arisanal ice-cream in a wafer cone. Unfortunately this fairly innocent pleasure has almost become a luxury due to the significant increase in price we've seen in the past years. In the inner city of Göttingen a scoop of ice-cream made from organic milk comes at 1.90 EUR in 2024.

My favourite comes from Helados Inti, the ice-cream bar of Café Inti, next to the Bioladen in der Burgstraße which is less sweet than its competitor. Apart from the usual flavours they offered a delightful cottage cheese ice-cream. Needless to say that they also offer several fruit sorbets as a vegan option. You should however don't come (too) late: By 10pm the staff will have prepared everything for closing, and the ice-cream seems to disappear first.

While nothing at the "Helados Inti" shop hints the use of organic ingredients, the ice-cream shop of the Preferita pizzeria cum cafe in the Kurze-Geismar-Straße pedestrian zone proudly advertises the use of organic milk. However, without this I wouldn't have guessed the main ingredient was organic as the flavours are not allowed to speak for themselves but are drowned in sweetness, and the flavouring agents are definitely not organic. However, the ice-cream doesn't seem to be "enhanced" with "magic powders". In additions to the milk-based ice-creams there are vegan fruit varieties. The cafe itself offers organic juices and even an organic amaro.

Next to St. Nikolai church opposite the "Weltladen" a small almost invisible ice-cream parlour offers "ice-cream from [whitespace] milk". The whitespace grasped my attention, so I asked the owner who hesitatingly hinted that not only the milk but also the sugar would be organic. However, since his shop dubbed Smiles doesn't have an organic certificate he isn't allowed to advertise this. He seemed to have experienced an unpleasant situation with the authorities related to the attribute that in the past had filled the void.

His ice-cream comes in unusual flavours like "something with fruit and ananas" or "orange biscuits". It's 10 cents more expensive than the shops described above and also a little too sweet to my taste. But the red-white whisper phone at the entrance is worth this little extra! It leads to a plastic playground booth inside the shop where children are invited to play ice-cream seller and receive the "orders" via the phone.

• Helados Inti, Burgstr. 17, Mon–Sat(Sun/PH) 9(10)–21:30
• La Preferita, Kurze-Geismar-Str. 11, daily 11–20
• Smiles, Nikolaistr. 21, Tue–Sat(Sun) 12(14)–19(18)