Posts by twanna

These are exciting times. We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve joined forces with Natural Collection, our companies are merging to create a single combined business to offer ethical consumers the very best in eco-friendly, organic and fair trade products. The combined business will continue trading under both names using both online and mail order catalogue to reach our customers.

Natural Collection, founded in 1999 by Julian and Joanne Spector, is a pioneering mail order retailer who offers consumers natural and organic products through the pages of its catalogue and online shop. A three-time winner of The Observer’s Ethical Awards and positive voice for change in the sector, www.naturalcollection.com has blazed a trail on ethical retail even before it became fashionable.

Here at Ethicalsuperstore.com, we’re the younger of the two companies, founded in 2004 by Vic Morgan and Andy Redfern, as the one-stop shop for fair trade, organic and eco-friendly products.  With a range of over 5000 products, our aim is to empower producers both locally and globally.

“Joining forces will enable both companies to build for an exciting future and to steer a good path through the challenging retail environment.” commented Andy Redfern, the CEO of the merged business. Joanne Spector, co-founder of Natural Collection added “Our new partnership creates great energy as we join together in our drive to promote fair trade and ecological products, which is especially important during a time when producers need the most support”.

With a shared mission to put the ethical consumer first, the combined organisation will continue to empower consumers to play an even greater role in defining the future of shopping. Pioneering a new era of information-intensive shopping we will enable shoppers to make more sustainable decisions.  “‘Hippy’ has evolved into ‘hip’ as ethical products now range from eco-gadgets to fair trade gourmet coffees.” added Vic Morgan, co-founder of the EthicalSuperstore.com “Despite adverse economic climate this team has no intention of being held back.  Together we are stronger”

Julian Spector said “We see tremendous growth opportunities in the UK market. Both companies are perfectly aligned with a common vision; by working together we can offer a blend of expertise which means we can be relied on as a one-stop-shop for all your ethical needs.”

I question whether or not my lunches will ever be the same after last week’s cook-a-thon.  For five consecutive work days me and four of my ambitious colleagues set out to cook up a lunch storm.  Starting last Monday and ending Friday our goal was to cook soup for five on a budget using ‘ethical’ ingredients – the winner to be judged on taste, ethics, and value for money.  In a mouthful, it was a yummy success and although the winner has yet to be announced – I couldn’t care less.  The fact that I was served a lovely bowl of soup every day last week, saving me in the region of £15.00 which I normally spend buying food lacking in all things good and healthy, made me a very happy woman indeed.

However the real point of this blog is to highlight my soup, the only green and non-vegetarian soup of the week – Twanna’s Easy-peasy Pea and Smoked Bacon soup. A delicious, hearty soup/meal, ideal for lunch or dinner and it doesn’t break the bank. It’s perfect for those of us on a budget during these credit crunching times.

You could say my soup recipe is a little like that of Innocent Smoothies, nice and simple yet not nearly as expensive (sorry Innocent no harm intended just telling the truth – as I see it).

So here it goes – ideally all ingredients are organic and where possible local and/or Fairtrade:

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It’s amazing how quickly I fell in love

Firstly this isn’t my first time as an ‘owner’, I grew up with pets (mainly dogs because my mum wasn’t a cat fan) but this is the first time I’ve rescued one.

For the past several months I’ve been going on and on about getting a dog. I talked about it so much I think my friends and colleagues were getting rather bored with me not taking the plunge and just doing it.  Frankly I was getting fed up with myself.   However I did have good reason for taking so long to make up my mind.  The decision to add an additional member to any family – well, it’s a big deal and ultimately I had to convince my partner who wasn’t 100% sure it was a good idea.  We both work full-time which means we’re not home during the day for at least 8 hours and even with a dog walker to take it out – it wouldn’t be fair.

Whilst intellectually I knew getting a dog was a bad idea, this didn’t stop the emotions of really wanting one, so much so, I had even picked out the breed.  Several years ago I came across a Vizsla and immediately fell in love, it was a chance encounter in London’s Portobello Market, which I still remember vividly.  I won’t bore you with all the details but I have to say I met the most beautiful and well behaved creature that day.  The dog and owner appeared to be made for one another, something rather enviable in its own right.  The owner and I had a chat and from that point on my dog of choice was Vizsla. Similar such encounters would follow, all serving to reinforce my feelings.

Keeping logic on hold I began to research and went looking for my Vizsla.  It would take me nearly two years to come to an acceptancethat it would have been wrong for us to take on the responsibility of a dog while working full-time. I was gutted but knew it was the right decision.

and then along came Charlie. Just when I’d given up looking, he found me thanks to a friend who was trying to find a new home for him.  Charlie’s previous owner was no longer able to care for him – she was unfortunately in hospital.  My friend had her own cat and he wasn’t taking kindly to the new lodger.  Without nearly as much thought as I put into getting a dog, Charlie was welcomed with open arms.

It’s amazing how quickly I fell in love with not only another breed but another species all together.  What can I say about Charlie, he loves to sleep, is very cheeky, playful, loud (nothing ninja about him), always hungry and likes his cuddles.  The best part about Charlie is that we rescued him.  But we’re the lucky ones. He wasn’t going to have a problem finding a home, not with that face.

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