A humble cup of coffee is usually transformed into a stylish and sophisticated cappuccino by adding frothed milk, which has been whipped up using an electric 'steamer'. But if you don't want a bulky and energy-guzzling device taking up space in your kitchen, a cool alternative is on offer at Ethical Superstore, which now stocks the 'Presso' non-electric espresso and cappuccino coffee maker. It has handles, a bit like a bottle opener, to create the necessary pressure to make these speciality coffees and more.
Still confused? So was I. Follow the jump to see a video of the Presso in action!
£88.95 at Ethical Superstore
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The opportunity to share the many benefits of a great tasting healthy cruelty-free lifestyle with the world is upon us once again - it's National Vegetarian Week!
If you're already vegetarian you could use this week to help spread the word! Let everyone know that it's not just about lentils, tofu and open-toed sandals any more (although there's nothing particularly wrong with any of those). There's a whole world of deliciously sumptuous delights awaiting those who are willing to take a small dietary step. You veggies are the living proof of the benefits of this lifestyle - so get out there and show yourselves off!
What to do if you're not already a veggie...
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Easter is on its way, and like any holiday, it brings with it a host of ethical dilemmas. If you're planning on tucking into a chocolate egg there are all the usual waste issues to consider, and are you're going to spend your hard-earned cash on fairtrade and/or organic eggs for you and your family this year? But even if you're going to stick to good old chuckie eggs, you're not off the hook, even if you always insist on buying free range.
Apparently, our greed for extra large eggs is causing untold misery and suffering to our national brood (and Lord knows hens seem to suffer enough already). The fairly obvious reason being that - as Tom Vesey, of the British Free Range Producers' Association put it,'it can be painful for a hen to lay a larger egg'.
Related: Free-range outsell battery eggs for the first time | Chicken Out: Would you buy battery again?
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Are you still getting a veg box delivered? When I started on this blog, I, along with most of my neighbours seemed to be having weekly shipments of organic goodness from Farmaround or Abel & Cole, but nowadays the green van seems to be visiting with much less frequency; presumably replaced by the discount shopping bag and can of baked beans.
But are we being fooled by supermarkets and their increasingly elaborate 'special discounts' into feeling like we're saving when we could be doing just as well on more wholesome food?
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The latest product to go fairtrade is one that I think marks a real sea change in the move towards more ethical trading practices in big business. It's one of the UK's best selling brands: Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate!
As the nation's best selling chocolate bar, Dairy Milk's switch to fairtrade will result in the tripling of cocoa sales under fairtrade terms for farmers in Ghana, both increasing Fairtrade cocoa sales for existing certified farming groups, as well as opening up new opportunities for thousands more farmers to benefit from the system. Where fairtrade chocolate was once hard to come by and not especially tasty, this move means that from July, millions of people will be buying fairtrade without even knowing it.
Related: Cadbury's to introduce 'fart free' chocolate | Cadbury's eco egg is greener than we thought!
Shrove Tuesday is here, and if you want to attempt something a bit more adventurous than sugar and lemon this year, why not experiment with some mouth-watering recipes for seriously special pancakes? I've found some great ideas for toppings today from the guys at Freedom Foods, including stewed rhubarb and ginger and cinnamon and rum-glazed bananas. Crikey. Is it lunchtime yet?
Follow the jump for the recipes!
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Divine make some of the scrummiest fairtrade chocolate around, in my opinion, and to mark the start of Fairtrade Fortnight, they're giving away a free bar to anyone who takes the time to fill out this form.
The reason Divine tastes so good may well come down to the quality of the cocoa butter that goes into the chocolate and I was interested to learn that Divine uses the very same melt-on-the-skin cocoa butter from Kuapa Kokoo as The Body Shop includes in its Body Butter products. Through trade with both organisations, over 50,000 small-scale farmers now receive a fair, above average price for their above average cocoa butter. The trade also contributes to Kuapa's social fund which is used to provide schools, wells, drinking water and medical facilities.
Related: Recipes with a heart from Divine Chocolate
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