Mulled wine is one of the best things about Christmas in my book *hic* and the Black Cat site is a fittingly charming place to buy scrumptious organic mulling spices.
Based in West Sussex, Black Cat is a one-woman business owned by Austrian-born Catherine Kubillus, whose mother taught her the secrets of spicing hot wine and gingerbread. She also sells the gingerbread making kit complete with cookie-cutters as well as all the spices you'll need here. Everything you'll find here is organic.
Natural Collection may be good as gold when it comes to ethical credentials, but they want to tempt you over to the dark side with this scrummy organic Chocolate Covered Ginger by the Chocolate Alchemist - it's pure, organic chunks of crystallised sweet root ginger generously covered in delicious dark organic chocolate.
It's about this time of year that one of our biggest shopping challenges comes into view: the winter coat. Finding such a garment poses all kinds of dilemmas; do you forgo style in favour of warmth, sustainability for value or throw caution to the wind an shell out on something that ticks all of these boxes at once? Let's face it, it's going to be a long winter, so you'll need to be sure you make the right choice. And the recently-launched range from the Organic Coat Company from Pardess seems to get the balance just about right.
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It may be a little early to start thinking about Christmas, but the London & Scottish International have got me all excited about Christmas parties (or any Friday night for that matter). And the reason why? Their award winning organic spirits.
Top of the bunch is the classic Juniper Green Gin. This smooth-as-can-be gin is made with delicate herbs, including juniper and coriander seeds, for a taste that is so pure and clean that only the finest of mixers (if you must) will do. I recommend sweetener-free Fever Tree Tonic.
For a gold star vodka martini (or bloody mary), get your hands on their UK5 vodka. It doesn’t leave you with any icy harshness in the back of your mouth - instead it’s gently but perfectly potent.
Both drinks are made from organic grain, natural yeast, and fermented the old fashioned way without any chemical enhancers, glycerol or carbon filtering.
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They may not be widely available (just yet), but Goodkaarma's soaps are like washing with the very raw ingredients of the natural world. Each bar is handmade in Estonia using organic cold pressed oils, fats (think extra virgin olive oil) and organic herbs, spices, petals, fruits and sea mud.
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Love food, love skin care? If so, give three cheers for The Skin Deli. All products are based on 100% natural, organic foods and plants such as avocado and grape seed oils and shea and carrot butters. With such wholesome ingredients, The Skin Deli’s face oils, body oils and pomades (body and face balms) are wonderfully nutritious for all skin types and conditions. But this is no lentils and brown rice range of skin care - each product is beautifully, subtly scented with essential oils and divided up into three delectable menus. Choose between Banquet (for skin that needs to be nourished), Gourmet (the luxury range for mature skin) and Délice (for problem and sensitive skin).
And with no unnecessary packaging (all products are sold in glass jars), synthetic preservatives, perfumes, stabilisers, colourings, petrochemicals or animal products, The Skin Deli is as kind to the environment as it is to your skin.
With their clean, neat cuts and simple loom hemp cloth, Turkish company Perma Organik are the modest creators of no-nonsense yet idyllic styles. Case in point: their yoga trousers, which are so elegant and comfortable it seems a waste just to wear them for sun salutes.
As well as creating great clothes, Perma Organik pride themselves on doing it the old fashioned way. Their hemp cloth is organic and made using a traditional hand loom technique by women in small, remote villages in the northern tip of Turkey. “By doing this we try to bring back the ancient technique and support the local community, especially the rural women”, said Gulenay Pema Antep of Perma Organik. Perma Organik are also strong believers in working with respect for the environment and trading fairly - what more can a fashion hungry girl want!
The Soil Association website is giving away three adventure-packed family breaks on Soil Association certified Stonyfield Farm organic farm in North Yorkshire. You can also win one of three romantic breaks for two at Penrhos Court Hotel in Herefordshire.
It’s all courtesy of Stony Yoghurts, an American company now launching in the UK. They're the world’s leading organic yoghurt producer, making delicious and organic yoghurt desserts produced ethically and in an environmentally-friendly way. Founded by Gary Hirshberg, President and CEO of Stonyfield Farm, have a taste of Vanilla the Hun, Sustainably Strawberry and Natural High - they sound as good as they taste. Maybe you could be eating a pot, while relaxing on one of those free holidays – it’s got to be worth a try!
I have to admit when I found September Organic Dairy's website I had to clear the drool off my keyboard! They have a fabulous range of ice cream which is made using only the finest organic ingredients. The mouth watering flavours include delights such as brown bread, butterscotch crunch, cafe latte, plus seasonal ice creams such as Christmas pudding. The company are an independent family run business based in a small village in Herefordshire. Their name was chosen as September is the month of harvesting, plus it was the month they made their first ever organic ice cream. Mmmmmm.
Related: Organic Treat of the Week: Rocombe sublime organic ice cream | B’Nice Vegan Ice cream | Mackies of Scotland Ice Cream
Creative Nature is a great online resource and shop for ethically-traded products of all sorts, but being a true foodie, I found out about it through my stomach when I sampled some of their delicious cacao products. Cacao nibs are little pots of organically grown Peruvian cacao seeds, which can be added to all sorts of recipes to give a rich, chocolately flavour.
Cacao is naturally bitter on its own, but when mixed with something sweet (banana works very nicely) the delicious rich taste of pure dark chocolate is unmistakable. It's less fattening though, and extremely rich in antioxidants. You can also try it in cereal, yoghurts, smoothies or anywhere else you might want to add a bit of goodness. And if it's still not sweet enough, Creative Nature's new Cacao Kapow bars will be - I was addicted from the first bite! It's not chocolate, but it's the best rival I've found so far.
It's beer garden time again, and even for the most dedicated wine drinkers among us, it's time to give the grain another go as the seasonal drink of choice.
Cool Blonde Lager is an organic pale beer that would go perfectly with a slice of lemon and a sunny day, and it's brewed in Sussex for a delicious alternative to Belgian beers which are usually flown in. The beer has a floral note, and the purity of its flavour is protected by meticulous cold filtration. It's served at top vegetarian restaurant Demuths in Bath, which is the highest seal of approval as far as I'm concerned! But you can also buy it by the bottle for just £1.29 at Vintage Roots, or why not get a case to keep chilling in the fridge for those unexpected scorching days, or for barbeques with buddies. It's £30.96 for 24.
Thought you'd had enough of chocolate for one year? Well, for many of us Easter has simply stoked our latent addiction for the stuff, and while on a sugar high this weekend I discovered the goodness that is the Chocolate Alchemist.
This isn't the sort of chocolate you dip absent-mindedly into your coffee, and nor is it a comforting cure for PMT: it's powerful chcolate with a twist. All handmade in Sussex and completely organic, this magical chocolate manifests in many forms: 'spicy bars' are peppered with exotic spices, there are jars of chocolate-coated fruits to be had, and you can even get your fix with the Alchemist's range of drinks and spreads. You can contact the alchemists by phone on 01798 860995.
It's a day for new beginnings here, and what better way to celebrate beginnings than with a bottle of bubbly?
Why, with an organic bottle of bubbly, of course. There's quite a lot of organic wine to choose from now, and it's getting more affordable and interesting, but organic champagne is harder to find. I stumbled across this one at The Green Shop, where you can order online. At the moment, they're selling Brut Carte d'Or Jose Ardinat organic champagne for £26 with a free pack of Roccoco organic artisan chocolate in a choice of flavours.
If it's a more exclusive bottle you're looking for, there's also a selection of fine organic champagnes on the site, starting at £55.
How cruel of me to do this before lent is over! But for one reason or another (let's blame hormones) I'm feeling very in the mood for chocolate today. In fact, a slice of one of these stunning works of art from the Organic Chocolate Cake Company would be my idea of heaven just now.
The cakes, which are all certified organic, are made with organic chocolate containing 72% coco solids, and there are some even more spectacular creations that would make a fantastic centrepiece for a green wedding.
Last week, in the blazing mid-March sun, I speculated on where we'd be climate-wise in a week's time. And what a week it's been! Since then, we've had hail storms, sudden gusts of wind, rain and snow (in Brighton, apparently). And my poor body can't cope it seems, as I now have a stinking cold.
Assuming I'm not the only wuss who can't handle the sort of temparature rollercoaster we'll all have to get used to, I've suggested a vitamin-packed drink for this week's organic TOTW. Soma's super smoothies are absolutely bursting with goodness to kick-start your immune system and delicious fruits to make you feel better. Soma's site also has a helpful stockist finder facility to help you track down your drink of choice.
Since global warming has forced us all to adopt behaviour more suited to summer, I thought I'd choose something appropriately refreshing and decadent for this week's OTOTW. It didn't take long for a winning candidate to emerge: Rocombe organic ice cream, 'created for discerning bohemians' came out on top.
Related Stories: Ben & Jerry's Fairtrade ice cream
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The week's kicked off somewhat bleakly, and as ecologically-aware types, I guess we should be glad to see winter still raging in March. But let's face it - nobody really likes the cold, so let's do our best to embrace the good things about winter while it's still hanging around, and enjoy all those stodgy, heavy meals that will soon be replaced by salads.
This week's organic treat is perfect for those blustery days: Clive's organic pies.
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Don't mistake us for romantic fools. Yes, it's yet another bloody V-Day promotion, but this one isn't only for couples. In fact, Green & Black's chocolate is so scrummy I'd advise keeping this one to yourself whether you'll be coupled-up or steadfastly single this Wednesday!
The green chocolate gurus are running a competition to win a valentine's hamper, crammed with tasty treats, including a luxury chocolate box, some decadent bars, cocoa dusted almonds and their trademark Dark, Milk and White Squares. Good luck, folks!
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