By Andrea McVeigh.

Green Living enjoyed a jaunt to Helen's Bay recently for the Root & Branch Organic open day.

There's nothing we like better than supporting local businesses, so when we found out that Helen's Bay Organics was undergoing changes, we jumped at the chance to see what it was all about.

And since they were offering music from the fabulous Belfast bluegrass band, White Mansions, as well as festival-favourites Katie and the Carnival, plus free food and drink tastings we were there quicker than you could say 'box scheme'.

While Helen's Bay Organic is still the name of the gardens, the business has had a major revamp, got itself a funky new website and has lots of exciting plans for the future.

By teaming up with local organic farmers, their plan is to bring you locally-sourced produce via its box delivery schemes, its farm shop and its stall at Belfast's St. George's Market.

We went home with a bag full of the most delicious tomatoes - remember how the tomatoes of your childhood used to actually smell and taste like tomatoes? - as well as yummy broad beans and eggs.

Check out the fabulous recipes section on the website, at www.rootandbranchorganic.com, like the facebook page and get shopping.

As the folk at Root & Branch say: "The more people who buy organic through our scheme, the more produce we can have produced locally, the less we will have to import, the fewer carbon miles we will have to begin with, the more jobs we can create and the more competitive our prices can be. This helps our environment, our economy and our right to better tasting food. Here's to more tasty, local, organic food!"