Feelgood Organic Hampers is For Sale

Hello everyone.  It seems like a long time ago that I last tapped the keyboard for Organic Yum Yum and some of you must have been wondering what had happened so here's the story.

Last September I set up a new Business 'Spiderworking.com' helping small businesses drive traffic to their websites and promote their brand online using social media.  By January it became clear that running the two businesses together was too much for one person (even superwoman) and it's really taken me this long to realise, or accept that Feelgood Hampers would have to go.

I love running the new business and I'm continuing to live the goodlife, although the garden is a bit less productive this year.  I'm even able to be a bit more eco friendly, as I don't need to take a hamper everywhere I am able to utilise public transport a lot more.  In fact I'm on a train writing this at the moment.

But enough about me!  Feelgood Organic Hampers is for sale.  I'm not looking for big money but I think it would be a shame to see the brand die so if your interested please get in touch. All my contact details are on the new website: www.spiderworking.com

Recipe - A Vegan Christmas - Lentil Loaf

This month our recipe of the month featured an ideal Christmas Dinner for a vegetarian.  But if you have a Vegan coming to dinner don't panic!  Organic Yum-Yum is here to help with this delicious and easy to make lentil loaf.

Ingredients

A handful of mixed seeds 
250g green or brown lentils
hot vegetable stock 
2 bay leaves
1 clove of garlic crushed
1 tsp ground sea salt
4 shallots finely chopped
2 thick slices of bread made into breadcrumbs
1/2 a tin of tomatoes blended until smooth
2 tbsp mixed fresh herbs
A handful of mixed seeds
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 


Method

Pre heat the oven at 180C, 350F or Gas Mark 4


Line a loaf tin with parchment paper and grease with vegan margarine.

Sprinkle the base of the tin with the mixed seeds until it is covered. 

Wash the lentils and then place in a saucepan with the bay leaves and garlic, cover with hot vegetable stock and simmer until tender.  This can take between 20 and 30 minutes. A few minutes before the end of the cooking time add the salt.

Drain the lentils and mix in the remainder of the ingredients.  If the mixture is too moist add more breadcrumbs, if it is too dry add more tomatoes. Season to taste.

Press the mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the oven for an hour. 

Allow to cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a serving dish. 

Organic Yum-Yum will be back in January.  


From all of us at Feelgood Organic Hampers have a great Christmas and New Year.

Green Gifts for Christmas

 

OK so it is possible that you may want to buy people something as well as a Feelgood Organic Hamper for Christmas! But don't forget that last orders for Christmas delivery are only 12 days away on Sunday 20th December at midnight.  Don't miss out!

 After you have placed your order with us here's some other great green gifts you could buy.

There are 4 days left to get a gift from organic t-shirt company 'Hairy Baby'. Great t-shirts with very Irish slogans, you can even have a CSI hoodie or t-shirt made with the name of your town on it.  I know someone who might like a CSI Athy shirt.

The Cultivate Centre in Dublin City Centre has lots of great gift ideas from books to eco-gadgets.  You can pop in or shop online.

The Arboretum Life & Garden Centre in Carlow offers trees delivered to your door.

Or if you prefer you can have a tree planted on your behalf by the WWF.

Another Carlow based company Greenside Up are offering gift vouchers for their gardening courses and design services.

Although not based in Ireland a special mention has to go to Who Made Your Pants one of the most ethical companies I've ever come across.  These ethically produced knickers would make an ideal gift for me (hint hint!). 

And finally gift vouchers for interior design by Earth Balance Interiors.

If I've missed out on any great green gifts I'd love to hear your suggestions.  Please leave a comment below.

  

Why Feelgood Organic Hampers for Corporate gifts?

Today I realised I had been blogging for over two years yet hadn't told you why a Feelgood Organic Hamper is a perfect gift, what makes us tick, what our aims are.

We believe our job at Feelgood organic hampers is all about giving people the feelgood factor. 

• We can help you make your clients and customers Feelgood
• We can help you make your staff Feelgood
• We can help you make your friends and family Feelgood
• Best of all we can give you that feelgood feeling which only comes from giving a special and appreciated gift.

• We help our suppliers feel good by supporting small local artisan producers as much as possible.
• We endevour to source fairtrade products which make workers in the developing world feelgood.
• Everything we sell is organic which means we make the earth feel good.

How can all this good Karma rub off on you and your business?

If your in business ask yourself:

Do you value repeat custom? 

Of course you do!  When a client or customer gets a gift from you it could be the one thing that makes them pick up that phone and place an order.  I have sent out small gifts to clients and potential clients and have received emails, phone calls and orders virtually immediately. For the people that weren’t ready to order at that exact moment, the gift made it a lot easier for me to talk to the right person the next time I called.

By showing your customers that you value them you are inspiring loyalty.

Do you value word of mouth?

Of course you do! An improptu gift can become a talking point. When you finish a contract with someone, leave a gift behind as a surprise, soon enough they will be talking about you and the surprise gift you left them.

Do you want to improve staff morale?

In the current climate it is easy for staff to feel deflated, many are just waiting to hear bad news and a deflated staff is an inefficient staff.  To combat this run a competition, set a target and offer rewards to the winners.

We can work on a gift solution for you from as little at €5 which could cause that customer to pick up the phone again,

That could cause that customer to tell their friends about you.

That could make your staff member work extra hard to be rewarded.

If your not in business and just want to buy someone a great gift:

You can choose from our range of hampers online or we can tailor a gift to your specific needs.  We offer delivery throughout Europe.  Order online or call us on +353 (0) 59 863 8999 or contact us through our website: www.feelgoodhampers.com

My name in lights - Feelgood Organic Hampers first video.

We've just made our first video starring... Me! I promise not to get all big headed and abandon my friends!

It's produced by Hedgehog Productions and is designed to promote the newest hamper in the Feelgood Organic Hampers range: "The Snack In A Box"

Keep an eye on our brand new YouTube channel for further videos.

Cool Earth at the Festival of World Cultures

Feelgood Organic Hampers has been asked to participate in this year's Cool Earth exhibition at the Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures.

Run by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown CoCo's Environmental and Culture Department, the event takes place this Saturday and Sunday the 29th and 30th of August on the concourse of Dun Laoghaire County Hall between 11am and 6pm. It is the third year that it has been run and it aims to illustrate 'simple ways to reduce your carbon footprint'.

Speakers include Trevor Sargent , Evelyn Cusack from MET Eirann and Kieran O'Brien from UNICEF Ireland. There is also entertainment including music from environmental folk singer Enda Reilly, a mixture of Japanese and traditional Irish music from Philip Horan and Junshi Murakam and comedy from the hyper eco-aware MOMO Theatre company.

There will also be plenty of family friendly activities including making bird feeders and plant pots.

We will be there with a selection of the best Irish produced Organic Food, the Irish made skincare range from Flourish Organics a selection of organic cotton baby clothing and of course hampers. Other stall holders include the Amnesty Freedom cafe, Coolfin Gardens Organic Bakery, Glenisk, The Native Woodland Trust.

For more information check out the Cool Earth website.

Feelgood Organic Hampers Shortlisted for CSR award

I'm delighted to announce that Feelgood Organic Hampers have been shortlisted for a Carlow Chamber of Commerce Business Award for their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility.

The awards will be announced at the gala dinner taking place in Carlow on Friday 17th of April.

It may sound corny but it really is an honor to have been nominated, this blog and our readership was part of our submission so the nomination is also partly for all the people who read, comment and take action here.

We all have our fingers crossed and I'm off to find a posh frock to wear on the night.

Announcing our new product range.

The Midnight Feast

The Jacob Marley

This week has seen the launch of the new range of organic Christmas hampers, occasion gifts, new baby gifts, and corporate gifts from Feelgood Organic Hampers. It seems like we have been working on this new collection for ever and it is great to finally see the new products online.

Some of the most exciting additions to our range this year are the products by 'Bambu'. Created on fair trade projects around the world the bowls and servers are made from certified organic, sustainably grown bamboo. Bambu is a stunningly good example of a company founded on corporate social responsibility (CSR), looking through their website it is clear that no stone has been left unturned in creating the guiding principles of the company. The products themselves are beautiful and we are delighted to welcome them to the Feelgood Organic Hampers family.

Another welcome addition to this years hampers are the Natural House certified organic household cleaning products. Produced from fully biodegradable organic ingredients the 'dish spa' and 'surface spa' are guaranteed to have the least environmental impact possible. As well as being certified organic by the Soil Association they are also Vegan Society approved. We have included them in this years 'New Pad' hamper.

We've only been online with the new range for a couple of days and already the Christmas Hampers are selling well. We are once again stocking the ever popular puddings and cakes by Village Bakery and as we speak several cases of the best brandy butter I've ever tasted are on their way to us.  

If you are interested in ordering a gift, be it for Christmas or any occasion have a look at our website. I'd be happy to talk to any of you about your gift requirements. 

Remember to order your Christmas gifts early to avoid disappointment.

Celebrate Organic Week

Organic Week is on it's way. This year Bord Bia have decided to run the event earlier and it will fall between the 15th and 21st of September. This means that it will co-inside with Organic Fortnight in the UK, it also means that there will be far more opportunity for you to enjoy farm walks and seasonal produce.

For a full list of the events scheduled throughout the week log onto the Bord Bia website.

At Feelgood Organic Hampers we are running our own event in collaboration with Healthy Living Health Food Store and Wellness Centre, Vendemia Organic Wines and Moyleabbey Organic Kitchen.

Have you ever wanted to know more about organic wine?
Have you ever been unsure of what to cook for a guest who is Vegan or has allergies?
Do you want to taste some of the foods that Feelgood Organic Hampers has to offer?

Then join us at Healthy Living, 54 Leinster Street, Athy, Co. Kildare on Friday 19th of September at 7pm.

The evening will combine organic wine tasting, organic antipasti, organic, macrobiotic, vegan, wheat free and sugar free cookery demonstrations, a three course meal, entertainment and a chance to win a Feelgood Organic Hamper.

Tickets priced at €25 are available by
- Calling me at Feelgood Organic Hampers on 059 863 8999
or from
- Healthy Living, 54 Leinster Street, Athy, Co. Kildare,
- The Moyleabbey Organic Farm Stall at the Athy Farmers Market
- Café del Vino, The Butterslip, Kilkenny
- The Feelgood Organic Hampers Stall at the Naas Farmers Market

Tickets to this event are very limited so please make sure you book in advance to avoid disappointment.

New Hampers - (a bit of an ad...)

Feelgood Organic Hampers is proud to present it’s 2007/2008 collection: www.feelgoodhampers.com.

This year we are able to offer you an even larger range of organic goodies. As more of our luxury foods are now produced locally in Ireland, the ‘Bosca Mór Glas’ and ‘An Bosca Beag Glas’ are our first hampers to be stocked entirely with Irish products. Budding masterchefs will also appreciate the handy recipe cards included in many of this year's hampers, providing quick and easy guides to making the best of your organic treats.

As always, we are happy to tailor a gift hamper to your specific needs. Just give us a call or drop us an email and we will create a hamper just for you.

If you would like us to send you a brochure email us at amanda@feelgoodhampers.com. Or give us a call on: 059 863 8999.