Organic Product Review: Bath Ales - Organic Wild Hare

As a British native, I spent a number of years in my early 20's learning to love real ale. As part of a small group of friends I used to search out small 'Free House' pubs and large beer festivals in search of new ales to taste.

My love of real ale has never subsided and I always look forward to trying some new brews when I am in the UK. My last trip resulted in me bringing home at least 20 bottles, two of which were organic. The first to be tasted was 'Wild Hare' which I bought in the town where it is brewed; Bath.

When I opened the bottle it smelled really good and my first sip revealed a good full hoppy flavour. Much to my disappointment the hoppyness was replaced by an extremely bitter aftertaste which became almost unbearable by the end of the bottle.

I'd like to give this beer the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it's better enjoyed with a good pie than by itself, or maybe it needed to breath a bit longer, or maybe it's just not to my taste. I just hope that there are better organic ales out there for me to taste. I have a bottle of Sam Smith's Organic sitting in the cupboard which I am pinning my hopes on!

Wild Hare is certified organic by the Soil Association

Why are organic dried apricots brown?

Dried apricots are one of my favourite dried fruits. I like to eat them straight from the bag, sprinkle them on my muesli or porridge and bake with them. They work particularly well in the fruity flapjack recipe below. But have you ever wondered why organic dried apricots you find in health food shops are brown instead of orange?

If you look closely at the label on your non-organic apricots you will find SO2 listed as an ingredient . This refers to sulphur dioxide which is used to help the fruit retain it's colour. This process is banned in organic production. The lack of this additive is what gives organic dried apricots it's brown colour and caramel taste. Give them a try they are yummy!

Recipe: Fruity Flapjacks

I have recently started stocking Rossinver Organic Porridge Oats and have found they work really well in this recipe. I also stock the vanilla sugar, if you can't get your hands on any you can always use a tea spoon of vanilla essence in it's place.

Ingredients:
2tbsp Vanilla Sugar
140g Organic Porridge Oats
140g Chopped dried fruit of your choice
85g Butter
2tbsp Golden Syrup

Pre-heat the oven to 180c/Gas Mark 4.
Melt the butter, vanilla sugar and syrup in a saucepan.
Remove from the heat,tir in the porridge oats and fruit and mix well.
Spread evenly into an 18cm square, greased cake tin and press down until firm.
Bake for 25 minutes.
After cooling for approximately 15 minutes slice into rectangles, I made about 8.
Do not remove from the tin until completely cool.

Organic Product Review: Two By Two - Organic Vanilla Biscuits

I bought these biscuits when I was in Whole Foods Market in London. I was attracted by the packaging and was interested because they were an organic luxury biscuit aimed at Children. Inside the rustic cardboard packaging these handmade biscuits are well sealed in a foil packaging. Although hard to open the packaging has preserved the biscuits so perfectly that they make an audible 'snap' when broken. This may suggest that they would be hard, brittle biscuits but being an all butter biscuit they melt in the mouth. The vanilla is not overpowering but subtle and adds a softness to the flavour.

The biscuits themselves are shaped like owls and pussycats and carved with feathers and fur patterns. Children will love these both for the way they look and the way they taste. As a children's product they are quite high in sugar (20.2g per 100g) and saturated fat (14.9g per 100g). On the positive side they contain no hydrogenated or trans fats.

I really enjoyed these biscuits and will definitely be trying to stock these in my new hamper range.

Two by Two Organic Vanilla Biscuits are made by Artisan Biscuits and are certified organic by the soil association.

Travels In Britain Part: 3. Whole Foods Market

I was really looking forward to visiting Whole Foods Market. The store, which opened recently on Kensington High Street London, is the first of the American chain to trade on British soil. Over the last few years I have read a lot about Whole Foods, which is best described as a massive health, local, speciality and organic foods supermarket, and have been intrigued by it's combination of good foods on a large corporate scale.

As I stepped in the door there was, luckily, a leaflet telling me 'How To Shop The Store'. I say luckily because as I looked around me I was surrounded by masses and masses of food. There were towers of beautiful bread, piles of fruit and veg, a serve your self deli counter as long as a double decker bus and a cheese room that, enclosed in glass as it was, was the size of a small Dublin bar. There were isles and isles of grocery products and I was delighted to find some organic products that I hadn't encountered before on the shelves (I will review these at a later date). Without the guide I may never have found my way out!

Upstairs there is a food hall. I was really looking forward to eating here. I once stumbled on one of these food halls in New York in the middle of the night and have always regretted not dining there. Unfortunately my expectations of fine food were not met. After having a quick look around the options seemed to be very limited. Organic pizza by the slice seemed to be the only option that even slightly appealed to my taste buds and as it was rather confusingly priced by weight rather than slice I decided to give it a miss.

My general impression of the store was good. I found the staff friendly and no one could fault the range of products. There were handy information leaflets and recipe cards everywhere, all printed on recycled paper.

On the downside, I was disappointed that there were not more organic foods available. Not all of the fruit and veg was organic and where it was, I would have liked it to have been easier to identify, maybe by some in house labeling system. The same could be said for the local produce. Another concern was the sheer amount of fresh foods. Surely this must lead to a great deal of waste? Finally what sort of impact does a store like this have on the small local organic and health food businesses?

Although I enjoyed the shopping experience I don't think I would have the budget to shop here on a regular basis. It also takes the fun out of finding things in tiny speciality shops, which is one of the pleasures of touring the UK.

If you read enough about Whole Foods Market you will find that it was born from good ideals. It is refreshing to find a company that has always been committed to the principals that so many are now adopting due to customer demand. There is even a Whole Foods Foundation whose mission, in it's own words;

'... is to create economic partnerships with the poor in those developing-world communities that supply our stores with product. Through innovative assistance for entrepreneurship (helping people help themselves), we seek to unleash the energy and creativity of everyone in order to foster wealth and prosperity in emerging economies.'

It is hard to find fault in a company that seems to be doing almost everything right. There is a part of me that is conditioned to believe that because they are a large American chain there must be something wrong with them, but to be honest aside from the comments above I couldn't tell you what it was.

Travels In Britain Part: 2.

I’m home, and it feels great. I’ve never been one of those people who would go on a relaxing holiday and our whistle stop tour of the UK, although great fun, was far from relaxing. We were very lucky with the weather missing all the floods and enjoying the sun for virtually the whole two weeks.

Although it’s great to be back, I can’t help being envious of the popularity of Organics within the UK. Almost every town I went to had a small shop or deli selling great local organic food and drink. There is such a wealth of locally produced organic foods both fresh and pre-packed to choose from in Britain and such an awareness of the organic way that there is plenty of business to keep these shops going. Brighton had by far the best for choice, with several organic café’s and even a supermarket sized health store, there is nothing that you can’t get an organic version of.

The other thing that I noticed was, that even since my last grand tour of the country two years ago, the amount of renewable energy being generated has grown at a terrific rate. There seem to be Turbines everywhere and they appear in the most remote spots. Out to sea and in the mountains the windmills seem graceful and beautiful. There is a certain amount of opposition towards the installation of them amongst the British people, particularly those living in the countryside. I suppose it must be hard for people living in the most unspoiled part of the UK , who never before would have had the threat of a power station being built near them, to accept these huge turbines. At the same time it is great to see Britain taking a step towards sustainable electricity generation.

Travels In Britain Part: 1. Hay-On-Wye

I am writing this sitting outside the Cinema Bookshop in Hay and Wye, ‘Town of Books’, Wales. Despite the early start it feels great to be away. For anyone who hasn’t visited this truly eccentric town on the border of England and Wales, I would encourage you to do so. Host to the annual Hay Literary Festival, there are around 32 bookshops stocking publications on every subject you can imagine.

During my last visit here I found a great little guide to organic wine., and today I have picked up a fantastic book ‘An Agricultural Testament’ by Sir Albert Howard. It was first published in 1940 and is probably the earliest publication relating to organic agriculture I have come across. I’ve just finished the introduction, It paints an idyllic picture of the way that Mother Nature has created the perfect agricultural environment. Where plants and creatures of all species can live together, each contributing to the system, creating no waste, giving back what they have taken as they die and become one with the soil. It then takes us through ancient farming methods, describing in detail the tiered fields of the Inca’s, the fall of the Roman small holding system and the continuing agricultural practices of the Orient. I can’t wait to read the rest.

I have also managed to pick up one or two organic foods for tasting including a local Welsh jam. I will review anything I pick up on this trip over the next few months.

Supermarkets, Prince Charles and Food Miles

It seems Prince Charles’s carrots aren’t pretty enough for the supermarket. British supermarket chain Sainsbury have stopped stocking organic produce from his farm. Another producer to fall victim to the supermarket chains cull is Patrick Holden, the head of the soil association. Read more here. It seems that the major problem with the produce was one caused by food miles.

I think it is fantastic that organic produce is readily available in our supermarkets and on an island the size of Ireland any food grown here can be considered local, this means that food miles within our country are kept to a minimum. And let's not forget that Ireland had a tradition of buying locally even before it became trendy.

Unfortunately this isn't the case in the UK. A couple of years ago I visited an organic farm shop near Perth in Scotland. As I arrived the farmer (and shopkeeper) was coming in from the fields with a basket of freshly picked parsnips. I was delighted to be able to buy such fresh organic produce. We talked a bit about our joint love of everything organic. I was in the midst of setting up my hamper company at the time and soon our conversation turned to my frustration at not being able to source Irish organic gourmet foods. I told her that I felt that stocking local products would be very important to my customers. The farmer was envious of the Irish loyalty to local produce. She hoped that people in Scotland would soon become more aware that buying local and organic was important not only for environmental and health reasons, but also for the economy. Two years on I hope her dream is coming true. Food miles seem to be talked about everywhere now. They were even the topic for a row between Ken and Deirdrie on Coronation Street recently. Thanks to television programmes like 'River Cottage' and 'The F Word' the popularity of local food seems to be growing.

So what was the problem with Charlies local carrots? Well apparently he shared the same issues as Patrick Holdon who explained his story on BBC Radio Five Live. Apparently Mr. Holdon's carrots were being sent by truck from his farm in Wales to a packing plant in Peterborough. Once wrapped, they were then delivered back to eight Sainsbury's stores local to his farm via a depot in Bristol. All the handling, washing, polishing and packing meant that the produce was arriving at the store battered and, according to Sainsbury's, sub standard.

I am sure this rejection by a major supermarket is a blow to the farms in question, but think about which carrot you would prefer to eat. One that since it had been picked had travelled the length and breadth of the country over a period of a few days, or one that has been plucked from the ground by a local organic farmer in the last 24 hours?

Product Review: Glenisk Raspberry Yoghurt

Glenisk the Irish organic dairy have recently re-branded. I have long been a fan of their organic milk. The full fat version, which until now has been the only cows milk available, is gorgeous. I don't usually use full fat milk but this one is sooo yummy that I just have to treat myself now and then. I started using the yogurts a little while ago and although they were tasty enough I was always disappointed that they didn't have any chunks. Part of the pleasue of a yogurt is to bite into the fruity chunks, it's the best bit just like the orange centre a Jaffa Cake.

At first sight the new packaging doesn't really do it for me. I liked the old fashioned style graphics that used to adorn the milk cartons. One bonus however is that the milk now comes in a regular 1 litre size, the smaller 750ml cartons used to run out way too quickly. Another improvement is the new low fat version, this means I can use it all the time.

I buy the single portion sized yogurts to bring to work with me, that only flavours available at my local supermarket were natural and raspberry. So I bought the raspberry. At 11am I sat down for my tea break and peeled back the lid. To my delight the new improved Glenisk yogurt now included chunks! The yogurt itself remains the lovely creamy satisfying flavour that it always was and although raspberry isn't really the best flavour to judge chunks on, it was great to have them there. I can't wait to taste the other flavours.

It is also worth mentioning that the yogurt is described on the packaging as low fat. I often find that low fat yogurts contain gelatine and as a vegetarian this is a big no no. I was pleased to find that the Glenisk yogurt was marked as suitable for vegetarians and was completely gelatine free.

Glenisk products are available in health food shops and supermarkets country wide. Their products are certified organic by IOFGA

What A Nice Man

I subscribe to the British magazine: Natural and Organic Products. It is an industry publication and usually just a little bit boring. This month however I was delighted to find this article by regular columist Craig Sams.

It's not often you will find somone so positive about Ireland. Maybe it takes a visitor to appreciate what we really have.

Recipe: Organic Blueberry Muffins

With the wide variety of organic ingredients now available in our health food stores and supermarkets it is now quite easy to bake your own organic goodies.

I made these yummy muffins this evening and we have polished off quite a few already! I stock the organic vanilla sugar and found it a good alternative to the muscavado sugar that I usually use. The only ingredient that I couldn't find an organic version of was the baking powder.

Ingredients:
350g plain white flour
1 tbsp baking powder
175g Vanilla Sugar
50g Softened butter
3 Large Eggs
150ml milk
I carton of blueberries

Preheat the oven to 200c/400f/Gas Mark 6. Line a muffin tray with 12 muffin cases.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, mix in the vanilla sugar. Whisk in the butter eggs and milk until the mixture is smooth.

Stir in the blueberries.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Bertie, The Greens and GMO

It seems to be big news all over the Irish sites. Some of my favourites are reporting it yet it refers to just a small section of the Green Parties programme for government. I for one am going to watch progress closely.

Fianna Fail have agreed that in partnership with the Green Party they will work to keep Ireland a GM (genetically modified) free zone. I am cautiously enthusiastic and will keep you posted on any developments.

I am in the middle of a document outlining the main concerns with GM food but in the mean time you will find plenty of information on GM Free Ireland.

For information on the programme for government have a look at the Green Party website. And for the press release in full check here.

Product Review: Meridian Organic Tomato & Chilli Pasta Sauce

To be completely honest, I love this sauce so much, and eat it at such a speed that I find it almost impossible to describe.

Spaghetti Bolognese has always been a firm favourite of mine and over the years I have tried many pre-prepared sauces as well as making a few of my own. This sauce, in my opinion is the best of the pre-prepared sauces. I always like to have a jar sitting in the cupboard for that emergency pasta urge.

I like a bit of spice in my food and this sauce provides it in bucket loads. The heat of the sauce is well balanced with the tomatoes and a good dose of herbs. Don't worry if spice isn't your thing, there are a variety of flavours available including tomato and herb, tomato with mushroom and tomato with Spanish olives. It is worth noting that although I use this sauce for my Bolognese it is intended to be heated through and served on it's own with pasta.

The one downside for me is that as it contains no added sugar it can seem a little bitter. I always add a teaspoon or so of organic sugar to counteract this.

It can be found in most good health food stores and is certified organic by the Soil Association.

Why Organic Cotton?

Organic cotton seems to be really hot this year. I sell organic cotton baby clothes both in my hampers and at my market stall in Stillorgan, Dublin. I have been stocking them for just over a year, and they have always been a big seller . The trend seems to be spreading. One of the local shopkeepers in the Stillorgan shopping centre was telling me that they were particularly pleased with their new organic cotton range. It had only been on the rails for just over a week but were already selling really well. If you are in Stillorgan on a Wednesday pop by my stall and I will point you in the direction of her shop.

I am often asked how cotton can be organic. I think we often forget that our clothes come from plants too. In fact, according to The Guardian's Green Living Guide: "More than 10% of all agricultural pesticides are used to grow cotton, even though it makes up less than 3% of the worlds crops" Also most of these crops are grown in developing countries where the environmental impact and damage to human health that these chemicals cause is most damaging. Imagine a country with very little water, then imagine polluting that water source. The best source of information on organic cotton that I have found is PAN UK

The advantage for us? The baby clothes I sell are noticeably softer than the non-organic alternative, they are gentle next to the babies skin, and in my opinion less likely to flare up any allergies that a child may have. For the adult it's the same. There are great brands of organic socks and underwear out there. As for organic cotton fashion items, you can feel good about wearing them as well as looking great.

So where can you buy organic cotton? In Ireland of course you can buy from me. Also try Unicorn Designs or Oxfam and I know there are a lot more that you can get mail order from the UK.

Another reason to eat Organic

With all the recent hype about global warming it seems that one of the largest contributors is being ignored. No I am not talking about Methane from farting and belching cows.

Nitrogen which is used to create chemical fertilsers, pesticides and animal feeds has a 300 times greater effect on the global warming epidemic than Co2.

Of course organic crops are grown without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides so choosing the organic option is not contributing to global warning in this way.

Find out more about nitrogen here.

Organic Yum-Yum

I love organic food and I want you all to love it as well.

I'm hoping that this blog will help you find out why organic food is better, which organic foods taste best, and where to buy it.
I will do my best to find the answers to all the common questions about organic stuff.

Throw in the odd rant about whatever happens to be bothering me at the time and you've got Organic Yum-Yum. So here goes...