Best tasting strawberries ever!

It's strawberry time in the UK, and I love strawberries. However, it's always a bit of a hit or miss with taste. Sometimes they taste "waxy", soemtimes they can be quite tasteless, other times tart, when all I really want and love is fresh, juicy, sweet strawberries. At last I've found the perfect tasting strawberries. They are produced by Good Natured Fruit.

Good Natured Fruit are produced in Scotland. They are pesticide free. They are produced by a group of growers that have joined together and grow fruit, veg, salad and herbs under the innovative growing system developed by the Scottish fruit growers - Angus Lochy Porter, his father Willie Porter and cousin James Gray. They wanted to develop fruit that didn't use pesticides, that relied on biological pest control - letting ladybugs eat green fly for instance. They result is a delicious strawberry tasting strawberry, and other fuit and veg that taste exactly how you want them to taste, and how they should be.
Look out for these goods in main supermarkets, and grab them while they are in season. Once you've discovered the real taste of these delicious fruit, or indeed any of the other Good Natured products, you've want another make again!

Meet the Gang

I needed a little bit of distraction from the negativity of late, so I dug out my camera and decided to take some photos of my latest creations - sock monkeys! I had fun posing them, it doesn't take much to keep me amused. I really like making sock creatures, as they take on their own personalities as they become complete. I have listed these in my Folksy store, which is the UK's version of Etsy. After a lot of thought I'm going to close my etsy store when the listings expire, and give Folksy a go. I made some wonderful 'cyber friends' on Etsy and hope to continue their acquantances. I'll certainly still be shopping there, and supporting 'Handmade'. I just got to the point where I found it too competitive and BIG. A bit like Ebay, and unless you really got at it all the time, listing, renewing, promoting, etc you get nowhere. I'm not saying Folksy will be any easier or better, but i'll give it a go.

A weekend in Brighton.

Last weekend we visited Brighton. The main purpose was to attend the 2nd Annual Brighton Vegan Fayre , also to have a weekend by the sea. Brighton is a lively seaside town, which has a thriving political scene. As it has a University, the town has many students and ex-students, that just won't go home. It is full of tourists and typical English seaside tack, indeed one can find every kind of stick of rock and smutty postcard, should that be your thing. There is a grunge element that can look a bit on the rough side, but there is also a wonderful cafe society, with plenty of veggie food and drinks, where you can sit outside (weather permitting) and watch the world go by, there will always be plenty to of alternative fashions to look at, and as it's known as the gay capitol of Britain, plenty of flamboyant dressers to amaze you.

We stayed at Paskins Town House, which is situated in Charlotte street in Kemptown, about 15 minute walk from the centre, but worth the walk. Paskins is vegan friendly, although not solely vegan. It is decorated in Art Nouveau Style, and looks clean and uncluttered. Our room was clean and welcoming, although a little small, it was neat. A kettle and condiments were provided, and it was no trouble when we asked for soya milk and green tea. The owners are polite and attentive, and one really gets the feeling of being made welcome.

The Vegan Fayre was held at the Brighton Centre, a large multi-story venue. There was cookery demonstrations, talks and entertainers. there were lots of stalls selling everything vegan from food to clothing to cars, yes cars, there was an amazing electric car sales area, which was very informative and interesting, I just need the £13,000+ and I'd definitely buy one. There were plenty of food samples, which just goes to show how lucky vegans are, to have such a wide range of delicious and nutritious food easily available. I just had to try a vegan sherry trifle. It was sweet heaven. There were cosmetics, and lots of hemp- hemp clothing, hemp foods, hemp supplements, all backed up with lots of literature and info. Among the stalls selling wares, were stalls highlighting the plight of animals everywhere, and trying to do a bit of fundraising for their cause. The stall holders were friendly and chatted when we stopped to talk. I had planned for the weekend, and had enough money to be able to treat myself to some wonderful things. Hmmmm, lets see - some de-hulled hemp seeds from Hempish, which taste 'nutty' and are very good for you and go with everything, some wonderful soft face cream from Green People and some delicate, adorable Wild Rose Eau de Toilette by Lavera. A fabulous Vegan day was had by all.

We also spent some time wandering around The Lanes and the North Laines taking in the fabulous indie shops and designer shops. We saw amazing jewellery by Jewel Thief. And just had to visit Vegetarian Shoes , where I gave in to temptation and bought the Retread Mules. this is the description of them from their website:

"Simple unisex Slip-on shoes. Made with our super-soft Vegetarian Fake-suede uppers. Lined with fine fake suede micro fibre. Soft-lined padded insoles add to foot comfort. Car-tyre soles are super-hard wearing. Sole thickness is pretty uniform but sole tread pattern will vary from pair to pair depending on tyres used. Micro-cellular mid-sole adds to foot comfort. "

They are VERY comfortable and look very stylish. I love them!

These are also adorable and stylish, but alas not owned by me:

Throughout the weekend we ate at various establishments, and tried an assortment of food. Our first stop, to eat was Red Veg where we had a tasty and filling Hickory smoked vegan burger and fries, naughty but nice, well, we were on a weekend holiday after all - not a time to think about calories!

The next day we stopped by Iydea which had a fantastic menu with mainly vegan dishes, and lots of yummy vegan cakes. I would certainly go there again, the staff were friendly and the food was in abundance and very tasty.

On our last day we went to the George Pub which is well known amongst local veggies for their largely vegan menu and casual ambiance. it is an old style pub and is family friendly. The meals took a while to arrive, the food is ample in portion and would satisfy the hungriest customer.

The weather stayed sunny, we did lots of walking, and had a wonderful weekend.

A review of my Etsy purchases.

I am going to do reviews of my Etsy purchases, so that I can share the delights that I find.
My first review is an Etsy Shop called Karramandi
http://karramandi.etsy.com/

I came across this seller through one of my Etsy teams Etsyveg . http://etsyveg.blogspot.com/
Our team has posts on google and Yvonne from Karramandi introduced herself there, so I took a look at her shop. It is a wonderful Etsy shop, filled with vegan friendly soaps, creams and lotions among other luscious items. The seller is UK based, the same as me, so it cuts down on my carbon footprint if I buy 'local'. Yet another good reason to treat myself :)
After pondering which of the lovely sounding items I should buy, I decided on
Rose Otto and Frankincense Face and Body Cream
and Grapefruit, Ginger and Lime Shea Butter Soap.

The delivery time was quick, and the parcel arrived safe and neatly boxed.
As I opened the parcel, I could smell the wonderful scents arising from the packaging.
Firstly I opened the Rose Otto and Frankincense Face and Body Cream. It smelled divine. I had to try it immediately. The cream was light and delicate. I put a small amount on my hand and my skin devoured it with pleasure. It was easily absorbed, and left my skin feeling soft and lightly scented. I have since used it on my face, just before bedtime, and in the morning my face is very soft and feels wonderful. The consistency is just right, the aroma is perfect. I will probably use this cream on my face more than my hands, as it's such a wonderful find to have a face cream that actually doesn't leave a greasy face, yet still moisturises really well.

The Grapefruit, Ginger and Lime Shea Butter Soap, was beautifully presented. I could smell the fresh scent of lime as i opened the packaging. It was delightful. It almost seemed a shame to open the pretty packaging! The soap is delightful to use, and feels creamy on the skin, and leaves it feeling fresh. The smell is wonderful.

I also had a lovely surprise of a sample of Frankincense soap, which again, smells gorgeous, although I haven't tried it yet, I'm sure it will be just as wonderful.
I can truly recommend Karramandi as a fabulous shop for delightful creams and soaps.
http://karramandi.etsy.com/