The Supermarket With No Packaging…

One of the things that really gets my goat when it comes to food shopping is unnecessary packaging. I HATE seeing fresh veggies so shrink wrapped in plastic that you have no idea of the freshness of the product.  Not to mention all the waste! That plastic is getting dumped and therefore polluting our water, our soil, our oceans and harming wildlife. There is just no need for it!

So it was great to see this video (below) about a supermarket in Germany that’s done away with disposable packaging.

Now, let’s be honest, this isn’t a unique idea. Our grandparents didn’t have to contend with masses of plastics when buying their food.  They bought it direct from the source, at farmers markets or local shops. I remember there being a fabulous shop in Newport when I was a kid (not that long ago – honest) that served loose flours, cereals, nuts and dried fruits, so you only had to have (and pay for) what you needed.

So back to  Original Unverpackt, a supermarket whose ethos is to enforce a zero waste policy by not selling anything in disposable bags, jars or boxes. Take a look at these before and after shots – definitely food for thought…

BEFORE

AFTER

Like I’ve said, it’s not a new concept but it is one that needs to be revived and made mainstream. What do you think?

Foraging; A quick post with recipes

One of the great things about my job is having the opportunity to do exciting and different things.

The other week I was invited to go foraging for wild edibles with The Hedegerow Guru; Adele Nozedar.

I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t sure whether I’d like it. I mean, I like the idea of it, natural living and poking around in natures larder but I just wasn’t sure – something which Adele herself talks about.

Until I went. I had the most fabulous time, learned so much and now I’m hooked and can’t wait to try some of Adele’s recipes.

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Adele has produced the most beautiful book (you know what I’m like for books!), she’s given me permission to share some of her recipes but first let me tell you about The Hedgerow Handbook: Recipes, Remedies and Rituals

It’s the perfect size for throwing in your bag, it’s illustrated by the very talented Lizzie Harper and at £8.96 from Amazon it’s definitely worth getting a copy. Especially with summer fast approaching.

The book gives you the low down on the best known plants in the British Countryside and  it’s illustrations help you suss out what it is you’re looking for.  The book produces old fashioned recipes with a contemporary twist. The kind of things your grandmother would have made.

The great thing about Adele is her passion for the undiscovered. She is also a fascinating woman; she’s been a pr exec, a record label manager, lead singer in a cult band and now she’s an author, speaker and taking her message on the road (check out her foraging walks!) Her interest in the history, folklore, culinary and medical uses of the plants right under our noses is infectious. Trust me, one look of this book and you’ll be hooked!

Adele doesn’t class herself as a professional forager, she does however share the same ethos as many of us. She discusses in her book how the world is becoming more “samey” and how we’re all so used to having our food perfectly packaged and delivered to us (literally) on a plate that we’re losing the art of knowing what’s out there, right on our doorstep.

I have to tell you about one experience we encountered whilst we were out. We found a perfectly formed sprout. Adele reckons that’s not a normal foraging find so we either have discovered something very special in the Clydach Gorge or someone was definitely messing with us.
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Anyway, back to the food…obviously you need to buy the book for recipes from Turkish Delight (YES REALLY) to Elderflower Champagne but here are a few you can get started with…

RECIPES

Blackberry Sorbet

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