Tag Archives: Organic

Did you know that some people still have to press and freeze tofu and then slice it to create a tofu fillet? They obviously haven’t heard of Taifun who take all the fuss out of creating a hunk of tofu … Continue reading →

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Posted on 31 January, 2012 by

Seed & Bean chocolate bars are packed with flavour

Posted on 27 January, 2012 by | 3 Comments

The Organic Seed & Bean company have brought out some of the most unique bars of chocolate I have ever come across. They are crammed with flavour & creativity and are the latest bars to hit the organic and Fairtrade ethical market! (In fact, they’re the best in ethical chocolate.) Take a closer look….

The best in ethical chocolate

The best in ethical chocolate...

Extra Dark Chocolate

In the “extra dark” range you will come across some taste-bud tingling chilli & lime, some tongue twisting mandarin & ginger and some sensual raspberry & coconut. Not to forget the lavender, pumpkin & hemp and smoked Cornish sea salt. I bet your mouth is watering already!

The “extra dark” bars range from 66% to 72% cocoa, they come in 85g bars and are all suitable for vegans. Just think, how many of your friends would love to try one of these?

Fine Dark Chocolate

For all those who just want pure, unadulterated dark chocolate then this is the one for you… it’s Seed & Bean’s original fine dark chocolate known as Extra Dark for its high cocoa content – that’s it – nothing added.

But for those that like a little twist then why not try these? Fine dark chocolate with lemon & cardamom or coffee espresso. Certainly something to sink one’s teeth into!

Ranging from 58% to 72% in cocoa, from unadulterated to flavour sensations, these 85g bars are a great gift for anyone, and all are suitable for vegans.

Rich Milk Chocolate

How will you choose choose?? I can’t. I am a real sucker for milk chocolate and when someone presents me with the choice between milk chocolate with raspberry or milk chocolate with tangerine I just can’t pick. They are quite possibly my 2 most favourite flavours. (I do also have a severe weak spot for lemon.)

These 3 bars are a lot lower on the cocoa scale, all being at 37%, so they are very creamy. Completely delicious if you ask me!

Creamy White Chocolate

My other weak spot. Lemon & poppy seed. Ahhhh… just thinking about it is making me melt. I love lemon. I love white chocolate. I LOVE this combination!

Chocolate Slabs

But you know… Sometimes a bar just isn’t big enough, so Seed & Bean have brought out the slab! These are great for if your having one of those “I need chocolate” days, and they are also great for sharing (yes, you can share chocolate). There are 4 fantastic flavours all of which are not available in the small bars so yes… there are 4 MORE flavours to taste! Fine dark chocolate with double ginger, fine dark chocolate with double chilli, fine dark chocolate with cherry and creamy white with blueberry & vanilla. Oh how do you pick?

Check out the whole Seed & Bean Range many of which have gained  Vegan accreditation too. (I’d get shopping quick if I were you.)

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Posted in Chocolate, Fairtrade, General Food, Organic, Vegan

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What’s the best tasting ketchup? Mr Organic’s of course

Posted on 11 January, 2012 by | Leave a comment

One of my favourite organic brands is Mr Organic – I guess it’s because I’m quickly able to associated that happy face on their label with unqualified good taste.

Basically, Mr Organic is a delicious range of Italian goodies aimed at the whole family.

Mr Organic ketchup tastes particularly fantastic

Mr Organic ketchup tastes particularly fantastic

Consider, for example, their Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It’s hand picked and immediately cold pressed which means that you get superior quality oil which they say you can even use for cooking with (which isn’t always easy with olive oil). And olive oil can make or break a dressing I think you’ll agree.

Then there’s Mr Organic’s Tomato Ketchup – it’s an award winner, and it’s not surprising; it’s definitely the best ketchup I’ve ever tasted. Mr Organic pack 600g of tomatoes into 100g of ketchup (that’s 5 times more than a certain well known other brand!)  It also has half the sugar so it’s better for you.  Not to mention that organic tomatoes have more lycopene content than non-organic ones (lycopene is a powerful antioxidant).

Once you become a fan, you’ll know nothing else compares to it.

(Incidentally, when it comes to tomatoes and recent reports of badly treated farm labourers in Italy, Mr Organic has been rated as very ethical because of their good practice by the Ethical Consumer guide.)

While we’re on the subject of tomatoes, I recommend you sample the Mr Organic Basilico sauce – a beautifully simple Italian classic.  Flavoured with fresh basil for maximum authentic flavour, Basilico sauce is perfect just brilliant with pasta.

Mr Organic also make other sauces such as Bolognese and Puttanesca, passatas, purees, peeled tomatoes and tins and tins of beans – just the kind of basic ingredients you need to make great organic family meals. It’s worth checking them out.

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Posted in Organic

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Breakthrough gluten-free, egg-free pasta

Posted on 6 January, 2012 by | Leave a comment

One of the big recent winners of the FreeFrom Food Awards was Rizopia Organic pasta made simply from wholegrain brown rice and water.

The judges commented that, “This pasta has great texture and a really nice bite. It’s indistinguishable from ordinary wheat pasta – a triumph of manufacture.”

Nutritious healthy pasta

Nutritious healthy pasta

The advantage of this pasta is that its ingredients make it gluten-free and vegan without any compromise on the quality of their food. It cooks just like normal pasta (ie. it doesn’t dissolve if you overcook it) and the brown rice gives it an excellent texture flavour and high nutritional value – it’s enjoyed by coeliacs and non-coealics alike.

There’s a big range of styles of pasta too: Penne, Spaghetti, Lasagne, Fusilli Fettuccine, Fantasia (fun shapes) and Elbow macaroni – which is fantastic news if you’re a pasta fan. Check out Rizopia and complete your cooking experience today.

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Posted in Coeliac (Gluten-Free), Vegan

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Frankenstein’s pets

Posted on 16 December, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Super moth - the GM insectGenetically Modified insects? Does that sounds like an Alfred Hitchcock thriller and too far fetched for reality?

Don’t be so sure. I’ve just heard about a proposal the Government are considering at the moment – the  release of millions of genetically modified insects into the countryside of the UK.

Why ever would they do such a thing? Well the theory is that these GM supermoths would destroy the insects that are well known food crop pests.

GM insects flying around a neighbourhood near you

The proposal is for the ‘open release’ of a Genetically Modified strain of the Diamondback moth, developed by a UK company. Diamondback moths attack broccoli & similar crops. With the GM strain a lethal gene is inserted into the male so that when they mate with wild females their offspring die almost immediately, causing the population to crash. The company, Oxitec, based in Oxford, wants to begin trials next year. Some are objecting saying that the untested technology could threaten wildlife & human health.

What if it all goes wrong? Where is the control? How do you wind back GM?

Dr. Helen Wallace, director of GeneWatch UK, said “Mass releases of GM insects into the British countryside would be impossible to recall if anything went wrong. Changing one part of an ecosystem can have knock-on effects on others in ways that are poorly understood. This could include an increase in different types of pests. Wildlife that feeds on insects could be harmed if there are changes to their food supply. GM insects that bite animals or humans could cause allergies or transmit diseases & new diseases might evolve.”
Well said Dr Wallace!

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Posted in Organic, Uncategorized

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Inner warmth and natural wholesomeness from Amy’s Kitchen Soups

Posted on 15 December, 2011 by | Leave a comment

As I sit here I’m enjoying spoon after spoon of Amy’s Kitchen Lentil Soup.

If you haven’t heard of Amy’s Kitchen yet you really should have. They make all natural shop bought meals and soups and their popularity is increasing.

Organically sourced ingredients

Organically sourced ingredients

When you taste something with completely natural ingredients you know that it’s good for you. And this lentil soup is warming, filling and wholesome, full of flavour – just what I need for the winter months.

What is interesting is that, because Amy’s Kitchen originally started in the USA, even though many of their ingredients are now grown in the UK without pesticides, they have to say that their ingredients are ‘organically sourced’. However, the best news is this is all due to change in 2012 as Amy’s Kitchen come up to UK organic standards.

The soups, entrees and burgers sold at GoodnessDirect continue to be cater for sensitive diets, often vegan or gluten free or nut free, so it will be good to see ‘organic’ added to that list.

Also from Amy Kitchen:
■ Black Bean Vegetable Soup
■ Chunky Tomato Soup
■ Lentil Vegetable Soup
■ Vegetable Barley Soup
■ Curried Lentil Soup

And much more…

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Posted in Coeliac (Gluten-Free), General Food, Vegan

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See our most popular products at GoodnessDirect’s Facebook shop

Posted on 13 December, 2011 by | 1 Comment

At GoodnessDirect we sell a huge variety of products for those interested in organic or vegan, healthy or restricted-diet food, and for those who care about eco friendly products too.

If you’re looking for a sample of our most popular products then you can find them listed on our Facebook pages in the Shop section, if you’re after something gluten-free, dairy free or fairtrade or raw, it could well be there.

Facebook shop - GoodnessDirect

See our bestselling items on Facebook

It’s a great way to find out what everyone else loves, so take a look…

■ Body & Hair Care
■ Drinks
■ For Baby
■ Freezer
■ Fridge
■ Grocery
■ Household
■ Supplements

There’s such a lot more going on with GoodnessDirect on Facebook – you can make friends with people following a similar lifestyle, you can share tips and recipes, you can find discounts and news and information and competitions and more. So it’s worth joining in.

(There’s even a GoodnessDirect fan page to have a giggle at.)

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Posted in Eco/Environmental, General Food, GoodnessDirect

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Let Yogi Christmas tea warm you up this winter

Posted on 6 December, 2011 by | Leave a comment

If you are a fan of tea, especially Yogi herbal teas, then their Christmas Collection is likely to warm you – right down to the cockles of your soul.

It’s a perfect cup of Christmas with its range of warm restful flavour and exotic spices. And there are so many to choose from, its ideal to share with friends.

Yogi teas - share a little love

Yogi teas - share a little love

Each Christmas Collection box contains two of the following tea bags: Classic Rooibos, Sweet Chilli, Choco, Licorice, Jamaica, Bright Mood, Heart-warming, Ginger Hibiscus, Ginger Lemon, Bedtime and Black Chai.

It’s a selection that should meet anyone’s desire for herbal tea, and it makes a nice little gift too.

But, if the purist in you makes you more choosy about the teas in your cupboard then perhaps one of Yogi’s  latest organic creations might interest you:

■ Ginger – ginger with lemon grass, liquorice, peppermint and black pepper
■ Pure with Lemon – lemon grass with dandelion, ginger, cinnamon, liquorice, lemon myrtle, lemon peel and peppermint
■ Ginger Orange with Vanilla – ginger with liquorice, lemon grass, black pepper, orange peel, peppermint, vanilla extract, orange extract

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Posted in General Food, Organic

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Cheese and crackers after dinner – simple

Posted on 28 November, 2011 by | Leave a comment

It’s eight o’ clock. What do you serve guests as an after dinner treat?

Some people might immediately think of mints and chocolate, or perhaps a light biscuit to go with coffee, but distinguished diners might prefer a Port, whiskey or some after dinner liqueur.

Cheese and crackers will make a great accompaniment to the digestif drink. Even after a meal full of amazing taste and exquisite dessert, I will always still have room for the delight of a good cheese full of flavour with a dry cracker to tease and cleanse the palate.

After dinner delights

After dinner delights

For the best cheese you have to go for organic. Simon Weaver make some wonderful brie and Lye Cross cover a full range: cheddar, double gloucester, red leicester, wensleydale, blue stilton, caerphilly.

However, if you want something truly distinctive then Calon Wen’s  extra mature cheddar simply has to be sampled for its creamy powerful flavour.

As for the crackers, I prefer the softness of an oatcake, especially now they come in all sorts of flavours (try Nairn’s or Paterson’s). However, sticking to the organic theme, Clearspring and Village Bakery have the edge. Village Bakery also bake an appetising Savoury Seed Biscuit.

If you are concerned about coeliac diners then it’s worth noting that Trufree provide gluten free crackers and Nairn’s a gluten free oatcake.

Also, there are a good variety of vegan cheeses out there so you can cover all eventualities without compromising on style.

Bon appétit.

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Posted in Coeliac (Gluten-Free), General Food, Organic, Vegan

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Don’t stop me now… vegan chocolates crack the milk-choc flavour recipe

Posted on 11 November, 2011 by | 2 Comments

A new chocolate is breaking all the rules.

Vegan chocolate has to be dark – that’s the rule. Anything which tries to taste like milk chocolate ends up too oily or watery to compare.

Then came Moo Free and it shocked the world. One television review summed it up…

We don’t know how they’ve done it but Moo Free have created a milky-tasting bar without any dairy content.

It was dairy free, lactose free, gluten free, wheat free, egg free, casein free and vegan. Moo Free’s advent calanders sold out – suddenly parents of children on restricted diets were able to give their children something they would love.

The ingredients were simple and organic : sugar, cocoa butter, rice powder, cocoa mass, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin) and natural flavouring.

MooFree have 3 new flavours

MooFree have 3 new flavours

So where has the milk gone? It seems to be something to do with using rice powder as an alternative although, of course, the true recipe is a closely guarded secret.

There is a social context to this. Leading chefs like Chris Horridge are regularly finding new ways of improving the flavour of foods while cutting back on sugar, dairy and gluten in an effort to feed a rapidly expanding free-from market. It is opening up a whole new world of food experiences and products, introducing ingredients like rice flour, which Moo Free has been able to take advantage of.

Meanwhile, other chocolatiers are working hard to catch up. Organica have produced a much raved about Vegan Milk Chocolate Couverture – it too uses rice as a major substitute ingredient. And another challnger for great tasting vegan milk chocolate may be ‘Celtic Chocolates’ though, personally, I have yet to get my hands on these. Chocolates from Booja Booja and Montezuma are excelent too of course, but here we are firmly back in the dark lands of plain chocolate goods.

Now Moo Free are upping the ante with three new dairy free flavours: Organic Banana Chocolate (Can you imagine? Though, currently, the honeyed glaze isn’t vegan.) Organic Cranberry and Hazelnut Chocolate or Caramelised Hazelnut Chocolate.

Finally, a bit of conspiracy, if you check Moo Free’s facebook page it should be the case that you could see how popular the new flavours are – unfortunately, someone hacked their details and they had to start again – not everything is love and fairness in the world of fairtrade vegan chocolate.

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Posted in Chocolate, Coeliac (Gluten-Free), Uncategorized, Vegan

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