Doncaster herbalist shop committed to helping out the environment

A Doncaster shop is so committed to reusing and recycling that it only produces one bag of rubbish every fortnight.
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The herbalist health shop Jackson’s has a rich history in Doncaster, where it has been on Printing Office Street for over 80 years.

It was taken over by a young couple 18 months ago both who are passionate about herbalism.

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Lydia Lakemoore and Arman Mantella, both 26, live a very green lifestyle and bring eco-friendly practice into their shop.

Lydia and Arman in the shop.Lydia and Arman in the shop.
Lydia and Arman in the shop.

Arman said: “Here at Jackson’s we have a big belief in reusing and recycling when we can.

“All the brands that we work with have a big ethical standpoint when it comes to using reused plastics or trying to eradicate plastic from their packaging.

“We do try and look after the planet when we can.”

The shop only uses one big bin bag per two weeks at the shop because it tries to recycle as much as possible.

Jackson's shop shelves.Jackson's shop shelves.
Jackson's shop shelves.
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“We also take old bags from our customers and reuse them which means we don’t charge anyone to take one of the reused bags with their shopping,” Arman continued.

“We encourage customers to bring back their jars and supplement pots and then we recycle them on their behalf.

“We will happily send them back to the manufacturers who will take them back and recycle them.”

Everything is recycled – even the bubble wrap goes to their local postman because he sells things on Etsy.

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Arman said: “It’s your community and a lot of our customers don’t want to be creating waste.“They will refuse plastic bags and bring back jars.

“Our local honey man will take back glass jars and re-use them.

“He thoroughly cleans them out and sterilises them and brings them back to us when we restock.”

Jackson’s is an independent health food shop which sells products such as vitamins, herbs, and supplements.

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Lydia said: “Herbalism is a way of life that encompasses many rewarding skills such as gardening, harvesting, wildcrafting, medicine making, clinical work and cooking and everything in-between.

“We sell everything you might need to start on a path to herbalism from dried herbs and herbal tea to herbal body care, herbal remedies and more.

“It’s not just your ordinary dried lavender and chamomile flowers we’ve also got gems like damiana and mullein and ashwagandha.”

Their herb range has almost doubled since they opened.

In herbal medicine, there are about 200-400 herbs to work with but there are hundreds of thousands of plants out there in the world, meaning there are many uses.

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Arman said: “People come to us for all sorts of reasons including wanting to live a natural life, to take control of their diets and add variety.”

Both Arman and Lydia come from families with Mediterranean descent, and they say this has influenced their connection to herbs and the way they are used.

Lydia said: “We always had herbs in the kitchen. Grandma’s recipes were seen as better than anything else.

“Clove oil was used to cure toothache.”

The couple have also ventured into the world of natural soap.

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They founded the company Your Organic Soap Co which they run out of a soap-making factory in Thorne and sell their soap in Jackson’s and online.

“We wanted to make soaps that would not harm the environment, that could be used outside and that are biodegradable,” Lydia said.

“The packaging is biodegradable there is no palm oil and it’s organic.

The inspiration for the soap came from the time that the couple spends outside in Yorkshire’s rivers and natural spaces.

You can find their shop online at https://theherbalists.co.uk/.