Cash-strapped shoppers are maintaining their appetite for organic food, according to growers, producers and retailers.

They said that when the recession bit, organic foods were among the first items to be ditched.

But many in Leicestershire now believe that the rot has stopped with sales no longer in decline.

Some are even starting to see the green shoots of recovery.

One company starting to prosper again is the Naturally Good Food Shop, in Cotesbach, near Lutterworth, where sales for the first half of 2009 were up 10% on last year.

Cathal McGrath, who runs the business with wife Sue, said there were signs that people's shopping habits were changing.

He said: "There is a hardcore of organic enthusiasts and environmentalists who will always buy organic but some of the more casual buyers we are perhaps not seeing so often.

"A lot of people are not buying as regularly but are buying larger quantities."

The shop has seen an increase in sales of cheaper organic goods which can be bought in bulk, such as dried foods.

In addition more people are buying refillable bottles of shampoos and washing up liquid which help cut down on waste.

Mr McGrath said: "The key is if you can find something that is good for the environment and saves money, that has got to be a good thing for everybody."

Cesca Beamish runs Corner Plot Vegetables, in a field near her home in Thurmaston, providing organic vegetables which are boxed up and sold.

She said that sales were now starting to pick up again, with people keen to get some home-grown greens on their plate for their weekly Sunday roasts.

She said: "Last year it was the first thing to go but it has stabilised now and over the last month I've been getting more enquiries.

"The things that people want mostly tend to be traditional vegetables like greens and cabbages so I have steered away from more exotic produce."

Sales of organic food at supermarket giant Tesco have risen since the start of the year, according to recent figures, with red onions up 88% since January, broccoli up 32% and asparagus up 30%.

Environmental charity the Soil Association welcomed the news.

Deputy director Roger Mortlock said: "Tesco's rise in organic sales confirms the Soil Association's continued optimism that organic sales will weather the recession and that in the long term people won't give up on shopping ethically."

However, independent growers said they believed the increase might be down to artificially low prices.

Picks Organic Farm Shop, in Barkby Thorpe, said its sales had halved in the last year.

They said a lot of customers now only buying organic vegetables and meat for special occasions.

Tim Pick, who co-runs the business with his cousin, said: "People want organic food but they are having to be more careful about how they spend their money.

"Some people have stopped coming in and are now buying their organic foods from the supermarkets where they can afford to sell them as loss leaders – we cannot do that, we have to sell them at the real prices."