Probably the greatest week ever invented, “Chocolate Week”.  What better way to spend a week than indulging in great tasting chocolate?  Well this week you can.  At various places around the UK events will be taking place to celebrate Britain’s guiltiest pleasure.  From chocolate tasting to cookery classes everyone can be a Charlie Bucket, to see where these events are taking place visit www.chocolateweek.co.uk.

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For years now I’ve never worn a watch.  I don’t like the feeling of having a chunky timepiece strapped around my wrist, plus the same old designs bore me slightly; leather or metal?  So when I was first heard of and saw WeWood’s watches I was instantly intrigued.  Offering a healthy variety to choose from and each watch differing from the next keeping up the unique factor these watches possess, I can see why there’s been a lot of hype about them.

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We’re going away.

I love September, it’s definitely one of my favourite months of the year. The summer heat may have faded, but the nights are still light and the weather should still be warm enough to pad about a British “Staycation” city of your choice.

There are so many great places to stay around the UK and when the kids have gone back to school, the prices start to drop, it’s not so crowded – the perfect time to escape as a couple and enjoy “us time”.

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Wednesday, 19th September 2012 – Stadium of Light, Sunderland

Our Friends at Daisy Green Media and Events have partnered with Climate North East to host The Big Eco show – a large-scale event taking place on 19 September at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.

North East England is the most dynamic and exciting entrepreneurial region in the UK, and undoubtedly is leading the way on identifying and exploiting the extensive opportunities that tackling and responding to climate change presents.

This large-scale event will bring together some of these fantastic businesses and showcase the wide range of activity taking place across the region celebrating our ambitious, diverse and thriving business community who are contributing to our growing low-carbon and climate resilient economy.

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Nicola (and Caroline) think it’s worth it!…

Shampoos & Conditioners By Faith In Nature

Choosing a good shampoo and conditioner is a very personal thing.

Well tamed locks make you feel great, can make the difference between a great night out and a disaster and frankly a bad hair day can be enough to make you want to stay in.

There’s a lot to consider.  Fragrance, texture, hair type, cost and packaging all come into play (oh the workings of the female mind).

Over at Daisy Green HQ we’ve known about Faith in Nature for year.  The company was formed over 30 years ago by Rivka Rose who was on a mission to create superior natural personal care and beauty products.

Over the years, they’ve honed and developed a wide range of natural shampoos and complementary conditioners – something to suit every hair type.

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He may have got it wrong for the South coast’s 1987 Hurricane but he’s back supporting our favourite Eco T-Shirt suppliers Rapanui as they launch their new range.

Michael Fish MBE, the iconic British TV weatherman, has completed a B.A.S.E. jump from a London tower block to raise awareness of climate change.

Read the rest of Iconic TV Weatherman Michael Fish B.A.S.E Jumps for Climate Change »

Everyone Rush Outside!

I honestly didn’t think we were going to see hide nor hair of the sun this summer (and as I’m writing this blog most of the UK is in the middle of a heat wave but the Lake District most definitely isn’t!) and so eating Al Fresco just wasn’t going to be an option.  But in true Brit fashion, we’ll put the weather aside to host a massive family BBQ later on this month.

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Don’t Let The Weather Dampen Your Spirits

The weather has been absolutely atrocious for weeks now. If, like me, you are planning a last minute holiday somewhere a little warmer (and far less wet) you’ll be dragging out your suitcase and checking out last year’s holiday togs.

Buying clothes made to last, is a great way to maintain a more ethical wardrobe, but a couple of new purchases specifically for my jollies, always gets me a little excited!

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Our first attempt at Tessa’s coffee recipe.

On Friday we mentioned on Facebook about making the perfect cup of coffee. The blog post from Cafedirect gave detailed instructions of how to make the perfect cup using a cafetiere. The coffee drinkers were impressed and it caused some debate over how hot the water should actually be. But we were surprised when one of  our customers Tessa Connorton suggested the following method making coffee:

When I was a junior in a solictiors in London, I had to make coffee for the staff. I was shown by my superior how to make the perfect cup of coffee (taking into account this was 1964) no granules then! it was just plain old jar of ground coffee. This is how it went, add two teaspoons of coffee, 3 teaspoons of milk, beat for EVER with a spoon , when the mixture was smooth, add very very slowly hot milk beating all the time with a fork (still in the cup) the froth will be on top and now you have a cappucino, I had to do this 12 times 3 times a day lol )

Yeuch! we thought. But no says Tessa it tasted pretty good she assured us. There was only one way to find out – make a cup!

Our second attempt this time without the coffee grounds, and this time finished. Lovely cup of coffee.

So we followed the detailed instruction suggested by Tessa and we made a cup of coffee – the one you can see at the top of the page – using our favourite Cafedirect Rich Roast Fairtrade ground coffee. It tasted pretty good despite our initial misgivings. However, there was a lot of coffee grounds floating around making the coffee difficult to drink without a tooth pick! Ever resourceful we tried again and this time used a tea strainer to remove the coffee grounds. Now the flavour was very 1970s – took me back to the Misha Black-designed Kardomah Coffee shop in Manchester’s Albert Square when I, as a little lad aged 8, was just beginning to experiment with the “God of drinks”.

So, nice coffee Tessa – certainly option if you like your coffee milky!

Our friends over at Rapanui clothing have some fantastic news.  In partnership with the University of Isle of Wight, they have developed something monumental.  A product that will change the face of textiles for ever.  Check out their press release…

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