I’ve been mourning the closure of Whole Foods in Richmond for the past two years. It was my favourite place to shop for food. Much of the food was organic and, as someone who lives alone, it was great to be able to pick out one courgette, a handful of potatoes, etc., and not have to buy a pack containing more than I wanted. Most supermarkets have some loose vegetables and fruit, but rarely organic. Whole Foods also had a great variety of foods that I couldn’t easily get anywhere else.

When I passed BENS in Richmond yesterday, it wasn’t yet open, but I was pleased to see it was to offer ‘Fresh and organic fruit & vegetables’ and thought I must check it out. So when I passed it again this morning and saw it was open – its first day! – I had to take a look.

The first BENS opened in Westbourne Park/Notting Hill in 2014 and now the owner Serkan Ozmen has nine more stores. His intention when he opened was to ‘supply an unrivalled variety of fresh and organic produce to the local community’. His buyers visit markets and growers on a daily basis and BENS also offers a delivery service.

I was out quite early so everything was still quiet in Richmond. There were a few people in BENS though and the staff were really welcoming as I went in to take a look. Wow! Just entering the shop – which isn’t particularly large but still manages to stock a huge variety of produce – was exciting.

There was a wonderful variety of different fruits and vegetables; many different kinds of tomatoes, courgettes, potatoes, etc.

Everything looked in the best condition too.

Though most of the vegetables and fruit were loose, there were a few packaged things as well as some grocery items: dairy products, packets of pasta, tins of tomatoes and beans, some jars of the excellent Odysea produce. I couldn’t resist taking a photo of the wonderful mushroom mix (in the left photo below).

It’s great to have this new shop right in the heart of Richmond. Not everything was organic – and I do like to buy organic whenever possible – but there’s a lot of organic (I bought some organic fennel) and there were many things I wouldn’t find elsewhere, so I’ll definitely become a regular shopper there!