Frost doesn’t just review glamorous things, nope, we try to bring you the great and good for every part of life. Environmentally friendly products are our thing so we reviewed theses plant and mineral based cleaning products.
A lot of stuff people clean with is really toxic. Breathing it in does more harm than good. That’s why Ecover caught our eye, when we got sent some to review we were pretty happy. We used the Pomegranate & Lime Multi Action Wipes
are easy to use, smell great and makes cleaning an easy job, best of all the wipes are made with 100% biodegradable fabric. The plant-based formula wipes really work; they leave everything super shiny.
Their Washing Up Liquid with Lemon and Aloe Vera and Washing Up Liquid with Camomile and Marigold both smell great, They make washing up easier and clean effectively. They are also gentle on your hands and don’t have unnecessary chemicals; brilliant stuff.
Lastly, Ecover All Purpose Cleaner in Lemon de-greases and leaves everything sparkling clean, a little goes a long way making it making it purse friendly as well as Eco-friendly.
We’re a big fan of Ecover. Try it and see for yourself.
Ecover teams up with Rachel Allen to raise awareness of the ‘nasties’ lurking in everyday washing up liquid
Looking after your family’s health and well-being through the meals you prepare for them doesn’t end when you’ve finished cooking. . .
Washing up is an essential part of our daily lives, but have you ever spared a minute to consider the ‘nasties’ you may be inadvertently feeding your family through the washing up liquid you are using?
In a quest to help the nation’s washer-uppers’ ditch unnecessary ‘nasties’, innovative cleaning brand, Ecover has teamed up with chef and mother of three Rachel Allen, to support its initiative Eat Clean, Feel Good. Rachel is supporting the campaign by helping to encourage people to think carefully about the ingredients they use in both their cooking and washing up.
In order to do this Rachel has produced a series of Eat Clean, Feel Good tips which incorporate advice for both cooking and washing up. She’s also generated a series of mouth-watering series Eat Clean, Feel Good recipes containing seven delicious and nutritious meals, all made from fresh, seasonal ingredients.
Ecover know how much you value protecting your family’s well-being by ensuring they’re eating home cooked meals packed full of fresh natural ingredients and want to encourage people to apply the same logic when it comes to washing up. After all, you wouldn’t put ‘nasties’ into your family’s meal, so why would you wash your crockery and cutlery in them?
Rachel says, “As a mother and a chef, taking care of my family through food is at the heart of everything I do. The meals I prepare and the ingredients I choose are extremely important. I try to use as many fresh and seasonal ingredients as I can when cooking for my family, avoiding any hidden ‘nasties’, and apply the same principles when it comes to cleaning up after them. Using Ecover washing-up liquid is an easy and simple way to ensure that I am doing the very best I can for my family’s health and well-being every time I step into the kitchen.”
Ecover is passionate about using plant and mineral based ingredients in its entire range of cleaning products, including its washing up liquid. In fact Ecover washing up liquid is 20 times less toxic than other brands that, on average, contain up to 10 different, and completely unnecessary ‘nasties’.* Most of the ‘nasties’ won’t even be listed on the label, but remain on your plates, dishes and cutlery, even after rinsing and can lead to skin, eye and respiratory irritations, as well as leaving unnecessary residues in water supplies which is damaging to aquatic life.
So, if you want to ensure you are not exposing your family to any unnecessary ‘nasties’ make the simple switch to Ecover washing up liquid to clean up after mealtimes and why not try out some of Rachel’s delicious recipes that have been produced especially for the Eat Clean, Feel Good campaign, along with her top tips for cooking and cleaning.
Here’s one to try this seasonal baked summer garden vegetable risotto.
Ingredients:
4 tbsp. olive oil
250g of peas
100g spinach
950ml vegetable or chicken stock
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves peel and crushed
250g risotto rice
150ml white wine
100g finely grated parmesan cheese
75g butter cut into cubes
12 stalks of asparagus, ends trimmed and cut in half lengthways
Salt & pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 180’C. Heat the olive oil in an oven-proof saucepan; add the peas and spinach and cook, stirring all the time, for 2 minutes, until the spinach wilts. Add about 50ml of the stock and puree in a blender or food processor. Set aside.
In the same saucepan, heat the remaining olive oil, add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and sweat over a gentle heat until soft but not coloured. Add the risotto rice and stir it around in the saucepan for a minute, then add the remaining stock and the wine. Stir and bring it up to the boil, cover with the lid and place in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is just cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed. Vigorously stir in the vegetable puree, parmesan and butter and set aside.
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil; add a good pinch of salt and the asparagus. Boil for 2-3 minutes or until it is just tender, then drain. Serve the risotto into warm bowls with the asparagus arranged on top and sprinkled with the grated Parmesan.
Rachel Allen’s ‘Eat Clean, Feel Good’ Top Tips
“Being a mother and a chef, taking care of my family through food is at the heart of everything I do. The meals I prepare and the ingredients I choose are extremely important which is why I try to use as many fresh and seasonal ingredients as I can when cooking for my family, avoiding any hidden ‘nasties’ and applying the same principles when it comes to cleaning up after them” says Rachel
A recipe for mealtime success
Always try to source fresh and seasonal fruit, vegetables and meat from a local butchers, green grocers or farm shop. This way you can ensure the ingredients you are using are not only fresh but you know the produce will have been well-looked after and free from ‘nasty’ pesticides or additives
As a mother, watching what my children eat is vital. To ensure that they do not consume unnecessary quantities of salt, additives, fat or chemicals, everything I feed them is homemade. Whilst it can take more time, the reward of knowing exactly what’s going into their tummies makes it worthwhile
A good habit I’ve got into is planning our weekly meals in advance. This helps me to ensure minimal wastage on food and take a bit of the stress out of mealtimes. That said, if there are leftovers, I have a number of fail-safe recipes to use up any bits and bobs. For instance, if, like me, you often have a Sunday roast with your family, why not boil the carcass of your chicken to make stock, you can then freeze into ice cube portions to be used at a later date
My top three cupboard/fridge essentials would be fresh herbs like basil, thyme and dill, balsamic vinegar and Irish butter as these are key ingredients that will always help enhance the flavour in any meal
How to make the most of your ‘washer-uppers’
Taking care of my family’s well-being is at the forefront of my mind, so we always use Ecover’s Pomegranate and Lime washing-up liquid, which is made from natural plant based ingredients. Not only does it make my hands feel lovely and soft, but it also gives me peace of mind that I’m doing everything I can to protect my family’s wellbeing
Although it sounds slightly unusual, in my house we soak our oven trays and shelves in the bath using Ecover Oven and Hob cleaner. This breaks through grease/ grime without the use of any nasty toxic chemicals and they fit perfectly in the bath so can be totally submerged
If I’m washing smaller items in the sink, I will always use the water from my washing-up bowl to feed my plants. As Ecover leaves no unnecessary ‘nasties’ residue in the water, it’s gentle enough to put directly onto plants
Rachel Allen’s grilled or pan-fried mackerel fillets with parsley,
mint and anchovy sauce, served with pomegranate, lime and
pistachio couscous
Mackerel may be my favourite fish; perfectly fresh it has a rich strong flavour that goes well with
other strong flavours such as this parsley and anchovy sauce. The recipe makes a large amount of
sauce so you will have some left over and it also goes well with lamb or chicken.
Serves 4, preparation time 20 minutes
For the sauce:
Large handful of parsley leaves
Handful of mint leaves
2 tbsp capers, rinsed
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
6 anchovies
200ml extra virgin olive oil
For the butterflied mackerel:
4 large mackerel fillets, gutted
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the couscous:
400g cous cous
Seeds from one pomegranate
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
500ml boiling chicken or vegetable stock
4 tbsp pistachio nuts (shelled), toasted
2 tbsp chopped coriander
First make the sauce. Place everything but the olive oil in a food processor and whiz for 3 – 4 minutes
until the herbs are finely chopped. Then add the olive oil to mix. Set aside until needed or place in a
jar in the fridge. If storing for more than a few hours cover your sauce with a good layer (about half a
centimetre) of olive oil. It will keep in the fridge for about a month.
Place the couscous and pomegranate seeds in a bowl and mix in the olive oil and lime juice. Pour in
boiling stock or water and season. Allow to sit in a warm place for 5 – 10 minutes until the liquid is
absorbed. To serve, stir in the toasted pistachios and chopped herbs and season to taste.
Meanwhile, place a cast iron griddle pan on a high heat – if you don’t have a griddle pan you can use
a frying pan. Brush with oil (or put 2 tbsp oil in the frying pan) and allow it to get quite hot. Season
the skin side of the mackerel with salt and pepper and place on the griddle skin side down. Season
the other side and cook for 2 – 4 minutes until the skin is golden and crisp, turn over and cook for a
further 1 – 2 minutes.
Put on plates and serve immediately, drizzled with the parsley, mint and anchovy sauce and the lime
and pomegranate couscous
Rachel Allen’s bacon and bean broth
A warming broth that is as comforting as it is nutritious. The sugar really brings out
the flavour of the tomatoes.
Serves 4, preparation time 1 hour 20 minutes + 6 hours soaking time
Ingredients
225g dried haricot or cannellini beans
½ onion
1 bay leaf
1 carrot
200g bacon, cut into lardons about 1x2cm
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper
225g curly kale, stalks removed and thinly sliced
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Soak the beans in plenty of cold water for about 6 hours or overnight, then drain, and place in a
large pan with the bay leaf, onion and carrot. Cover with fresh cold water and place on a medium
heat. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer for 45 to 60 minutes (it may take longer) or until
tender, they should easily squash against the pan if pressed with a spoon.
Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a large casserole dish and place on a medium high heat. Add the
bacon and cook for a few minutes until golden. Next add the garlic, cook, stirring continuously for a
minute or so until golden, then add the tomatoes, stock, sugar, salt and pepper and simmer for 10
minutes.
Drain the beans and discard the carrot, onion and bay leaf. Add the cooked beans to the stew along
with the cabbage and cook for a further 4 minutes until the cabbage is cooked. Stir in the herbs then
taste for seasoning and serve
Rachel Allen’s broad bean and asparagus salad
Serves 4-6, preparation time 15 minutes
Ingredients
For the salad:
400g (14oz) shelled fresh or
frozen broad beans
16 – 20 asparagus spears, woody end
snapped off and discarded, then cut in
to roughly 5cm pieces
2 handfuls of rocket leaves
For the dressing:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper
First make the dressing by mixing together all the ingredients and seasoning with salt and pepper.
Next bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the beans and boil ½–1 minute or until
they are just cooked, then drain but reserve the water. If the beans are quite big, peel them at this
stage (they’ll pop out of their skins easily); this isn’t essential but I think it’s well worth it as the skins
can be tough.
Add some salt to the water and bring back to the boil. Tip in the asparagus and cook in the boiling
water for 4 – 8 minutes or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Drain immediately. Add the
asparagus and broad beans to a bowl and toss with most of the dressing. Place on serving plates,
then in the same bowl add the rocket leaves and gently toss with the rest of the dressing and divide
between serving plates.
Rachel Allen’s pan-grilled chicken breasts with lemon and marjoram aioli and
roast cherry tomatoes
For the roast tomatoes, try to get hold of cherry tomatoes or small tomatoes that are still attached
to the stalk. These look good and the stalk can be cut with scissors into portions before cooking. If
the tomatoes are off the stalk, you can cook them whole or cut in half.
Serves 4, preparation time 40 minutes
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
3 tbsp olive oil
For the roast cherry tomatoes:
About 20 small or cherry tomatoes
Olive oil, for drizzling
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Lemon and marjoram aioli:
2 cloves of garlic, finely crushed
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
175ml sunflower oil
50ml extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp chopped or dried marjoram
100ml chicken stock (or water)
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6. Place the tomatoes on a baking tray (if they are cut
in half, place them cut side up), drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook in the
oven for about 10 minutes or until the skin is a little blistered and the flesh soft on the inside. Take
out of the oven and keep warm until serving – they will sit happily for up to half an hour in the oven
with the heat turned off.
Place a cast-iron griddle pan or a frying pan on a high heat and allow it to get quite hot – it should be
just smoking. Rub the chicken breasts with the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place the
chicken in the pan skin side down and cook for 4 – 5 minutes or until the one side is a deep golden
colour or has good scorch marks (if using the griddle pan). Turn the chicken over and reduce the
heat, continuing to cook for 8 – 12 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (it should be
opaque in the middle).
Meanwhile, make the aioli. Place the garlic, marjoram, egg yolks, lemon juice and mustard in a bowl.
Place the oils together in a jug and pour into the egg yolks very gradually in a very thin stream while
whisking constantly. Continue to add the oils, whisking all the time until all the oil has been added
and the aioli is thick. Transfer the chicken to a warm serving dish and keep warm.
Deglaze the pan by placing the roasting tray on a medium heat and pouring in the stock (or water)
and using a whisk to dissolve the delicious juices stuck to the tray. Bring up to the boil, then pour
into a jug and allow to sit for a minute for the tart to float up to the top. Spoon off the fat. Reheat
the liquid if it has cooled down completely, pour into the aioli gradually, whisking constantly.
To serve, place the chicken breasts, whole or sliced, on warmed plates, spoon some sauce over the
top or around the edge and place a portion of cherry tomatoes on the side
Rachel Allen’s baked dover sole with herb butter served with
broad bean and asparagus salad
This is how the gorgeously fresh flat fish is often cooked at Ballinasloe – just simply baked in the
oven then drizzled with a herb butter and a squeeze of lemon juice. All flat fish can be cooked in this
way such as turbot, brill, plaice, flounder and lemon sole.
A Dover sole, or black sole (as it is often called in Ireland) is usually large enough for a good main
course, sometimes even for 2 people, but something smaller like a lemon sole might be just right for
a starter or a small main course.
Serves 4, preparation time 40 minutes
Ingredients
4 very fresh dover sole, on the bone
Salt and pepper
For the Herb butter:
75g butter
1 heaped tbsp which is a mixture of two or
more of the following chopped herbs,
parsley, fennel, thyme, lemon balm and
chives
4 wedges of lemon for serving plus 1 more
wedge for squeezing into the juice
For the salad:
400g (14oz) shelled fresh or frozen broad beans
16 – 20 asparagus spears, woody end snapped off and discarded, then cut in to roughly 5cm pieces
2 handfuls of rocket leaves
For the dressing:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180C. First remove the head from the fish, if you wish! Wash the fish well and
lay it on a chopping board white skin side down. Using a sharp knife and as neatly as possible, cut
through the skin right round the fish just where the fringe meets the flesh, finishing in an ‘x’ at the
tail. Prepare all the fish in this way.
Pour 50ml of water on each baking tray, this is to create steam in the oven. Lay the fish in a single
layer (cut side up) on the baking trays. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for
15 minutes (for a small lemon sole type fish) to 25 minutes (for an average sized sole). A brill or
turbot may even require us long as 35 minutes. The fish is cooked when the skin lifts easily off the
flesh of the fish from the tail end, and the flesh should be opaque white with no trace of pink. When
the fish is cooked it will sit quite happily in a warm oven (with the skin still attached) for up to half an
hour.
While the fish is cooking in the oven, make the salad. First make the dressing by mixing together all
the ingredients and seasoning with salt and pepper. Next bring a large saucepan of salted water to
the boil. Add the beans and boil for ½ – 1 minute or until they are just cooked, then drain but reserve
the water. If the beans are quite big, peel them at this stage (they’ll pop out of their skins easily); this
isn’t essential but I think it’s well worth it as the skins can be tough.
Add some salt to the water and bring back to the boil. Tip in the asparagus and cook in the boiling
water for 4 – 8 minutes or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Drain immediately. Add the
asparagus and broad beans to a bowl and toss with most of the dressing. Place on serving plates,
then in the same bowl add the rocket leaves and gently toss with the rest of the dressing, then
divide between serving plates.
Before you are ready to serve the fish, make the herb butter. Melt the butter in a pan then add the
herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Keep warm.
Remove the cooked fish from the baking tray and carefully place on warm serving plates, pull the
skin from the tail end and peel it off gently (if you want to serve this off the bone, remove the four
fillets from the bone now with a fish slice; but I usually serve this on the bone). Pour the hot herb
butter over the fish, place a wedge of lemon on the plate and serve.
Rachel Allen’s rack of lamb with mustard mash and minted peas
A rack of lamb makes for a perfect and luxurious roast. It is a delicate cut that looks beautiful both
whole and when cut in to chops. It’s also extremely quick to roast. The sweet flavour of lamb needs
only a little encouragement with this herb and garlic paste.
Serves 2 – 3, preparation time 50 minutes
Rack of lamb:
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
1 rack of lamb
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed or finely grated
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas
mark 7. First, prepare the lamb – remove the papery skin if it is still attached, then score the fat in a
criss-cross pattern with lines 1–2cm (½–¾ inches) apart, trying not to cut into the meat.
In a bowl, mix together the rosemary, mustard olive oil and garlic and rub the lamb all over with this
mixture. Season with salt and pepper and place in a roasting tin and cook in the oven for 25 – 35
minutes, depending on the weight of the lamb and how pink you like it to be. Remove from the oven
and allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before serving, then cut between the chops and give each
person 2–3 each.
Mustard Mash, preparation time 50 minutes
500g potatoes (new potatoes are too waxy for this)
25g (¾ oz) butter
100ml (3 ½ fl oz) milk, or 75 ml (2 ½ fl oz) milk and 25ml (1 fl oz) cream
1 ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
I find this is the best way to cook good, fluffy floury potatoes. Clean the potatoes and put them into
a saucepan of cold water with a good pinch of salt. Bring the water up to the boil and cook for 10
minutes. Pour all but 4cm (1 ½ inch) of the water out and continue to cook the potatoes on a very
low heat. Don’t be tempted to stick a knife into them, the skins will break and they’ll just break up
and get soggy if you do. About 20 minutes later, when you think the potatoes might be cooked, test
them with a skewer: if they’re soft, take them off the heat.
Peel the potatoes while they’re still hot and mash them immediately. To peel them while they’re
hot, hold them in a tea towel (not your fancy ones). Add the butter, but don’t add any milk until
they’re free of lumps. When the potatoes are mashed, add boiling milk (or milk and cream). You
might not need it all or you might need more, it depends on the potatoes. Add the Dijon mustard to
taste and some salt and pepper. If you want to make this in advance, add a little extra milk, as the
potatoes dry out as they sit. It will keep well in a warm oven – just keep it covered
with a lid, plate or tin foil.
Minted peas, preparation time 4 minutes
25g (¾ oz) butter
1 tbsp chopped mint
A small squeeze of lemon juice
225g (1/2 lb) peas, straight from the freezer if you like
Melt the butter in a hot frying or sauté pan. Add the mint, lemon juice and the peas and cook on a
high heat for about 2 minutes until the peas are cooked.
Rachel Allen’s sweet and sticky pork with vegetables and noodles
I adore Asian food, it’s full of big bold flavours like ginger and fish sauce that aren’t shy, so must be
carefully balanced as they vie to be centre of attention. The marinade acts as a brine to give the pork
both flavour and moisture and is worth doing the day before if you’ve time.
Serves 4–6, preparation time 25 minutes + 4 hours marinating time
Ingredients
400g (14oz) lean pork, cut into thin strips
1 tsp salt
400g (14oz) medium Chinese egg noodles
400g (14oz) button mushrooms, quartered
150g carrots, peeled and finely sliced at an
angle
1 tbsp soy sauce
4 large spring onions, trimmed and cut
into 2.5 cm (1 inch) pieces
For the marinade:
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely
chopped
2 tsp finely grated root ginger
3 tbsp groundnut oil
1 tsp soy sauce
3 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
3 tbsp caster sugar
Place the pork in a bowl or re-sealable food bag and add all the ingredients for the marinade. Toss
the pork to coat evenly and cover the bowl with cling film or seal the bag and leave
to marinate in
the fridge for at least 4 hours (or overnight if possible).
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the noodles and cook for 3 – 4 minutes or
follow the instructions on the packet until tender. Drain and return to the pan, then cover and set
aside to keep warm.
Once ready to cook, place a wok or large frying pan on a very high heat and, once hot, add the pork
and the marinade. Stirring constantly, fry for 4 – 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Remove
the pork with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce the heat so that the marinade is simmering, add
the mushrooms, carrots and soy sauce and continue to cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the spring onions
and stir fry for a further 2 minutes. Finally, tip in the cooked noodles along with the pork. Cook for a
further minute, tossing everything together. Divide between warm bowls and eat with chopsticks if
you wish.
Will you try the cleaning products or one of the recipes?
by Daniel & Jason Freeman (Pearson) is out now, priced £10.99, from Amazon and all good book shops.
