Tag Archives: vegan

Andalou Naturals Cosmetics

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andalounaturalcosmetics, andalou,natural,cosmeticsAndalou Naturals is the number 1 selling natural skin care brand in the US and Canada. I have never used any of their products before but I was very impressed by the literature: Key plant powered antioxidants and the best in Non-GMO, Cruelty-Free, Gluten-Free, Eco-Friendly, Certified Organic, Fair Trade, Vegetarian, Vegan, and Clinically Proven Ingredients. Sign me up. I love organic, fair-trade and natural products. The brand uses Fruit Stem Cell Science and has clinically proven results. I have used their products now and I really believe they work. There is nothing to not love about this brand. Consider me sold.

I particularly love the Moroccan Beauty Oil, A Path to Light Lime Blossom Hand Cream, 1000 Roses Body Lotion, BioActive 8 Berry Fruit Enzyme Mask and their fab Get Started Brightening Kit which has 5 skin care essentials for normal & combination skin. The Get Started Brightening Kit is a great introduction to the brand.

They say: At Andalou Naturals we believe that beauty is a choice; it’s about how you think, feel and behave. Not only is this true for individuals, it’s also true for companies. As an organization we want to create products that are in accordance with who we are and so we set out to not only commit to but to CHAMPION our beliefs and ultimately, lead the way for others to follow suit.

In order to achieve Non-GMO Project Verified status, our Andalou Naturals team, in cooperation with manufacturers and suppliers, had to rigorously confirm that over 200 source ingredients, as well as the manufacturing process for each ingredient, did not include GMOs of any kind. In 2011, Andalou Naturals became the first personal care brand to achieve 100% Non-GMO Project Verification on every single product and today we are the #1 selling facial skin care brand in the natural channel (SPINS Oct, 2016).

We believe that GMOs, and the dependency on pesticides that they create, are in conflict with the wellbeing of the planet and the wellbeing of every single person. To fully protect our soil and our children, it’s not enough for companies to say they use Non-GMO ingredients, to truly stand up to the multinational corporations that are destroying our land and experimenting with our health, we need to verify it, label it and shop accordingly.

While the Non-GMO Project Verified process is a rigorous one—involving a huge commitment of time, capital and corporate transparency to segregate, trace, assess risk and continually test major GMO risk ingredients and their derivatives—it is a wholly worthy commitment and one that should be done.

We take a stand on issues that matter to us, regardless of cost; we always have, and we always will.

We CHAMPION: Cruelty Free, Eco-Friendly, Vegetarian and Vegan, Fair-Trade, Gluten-Free, Natural, Organic, and Non-GMO Project Verified ingredients.

http://andalou.com
Andalou Get Started Brightening Kit – 5 Pieces is available here.

Pizzolato Showcase their Honest Organic Produce

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PIZZOLATO WINERY AND VINEYARDS 2015 (1)

Our favourite West London Italian, Pizzicotto famous for their wholesome, organic and sustainable produce and of course their activated charcoal pizzas invited us back once more for an afternoon of cheese and wine. With such a focus on the quality of their products, it made sense to introduce us to the company behind their beautiful organic wine, Pizzolato. Served alongside some traditional Italian Fayre and in good company, we were able to get an insight into how special Pizzolato’s wines really are. With a combination of a wholesome, family run business and exceptional quality produce we were taught about how the organic wines served here are a cut above the rest.

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Contrary to popular belief, the ambassadors from Pizzolato explain to us that the art of winemaking was by and large an organic process as chemicals did not arrive until after the 70’s. The Family however decided to keep the wines organic which then further developed into sulphite free wines in 2007. In the case of their prosecco, this produces a much riper fruit and has much of a similar quality to it’s French counterpart Champagne. The outcome is much more complex than your average supermarket prosecco with a shelf life of just around 2 years, the prosecco is enjoyed young, fresh and a pure test of the grape is in a sulphite free wine. If we want to get into the nitty-gritty of why this wine is especially spectacular, we must look at the fact that grapes are picked by hand and the fact that a sulphite free wine has much more clarity than a natural wine which is not filtered. Another reason for the unbelievable drinkable and pure prosecco is that the minerals from the prosecco comes from stones from the Dolomites, the mountain range near to where Pizzolato produce their liquid gold. If that wasn’t enough reason to switch to Pizzolato’s selection of fantastic organic wines, we then learn that they all have a vegan certification meaning that absolutely none of their products come from animal origin as in the case of many wines, the addition of bentonite which produces clarity does carry this source.

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With a host of wines to try from the winery, it is not only their prosecco which is outstanding, they also produce a selection of red wines, white wines and dessert wines which ooze an incredibly mineral, fresh and what can almost be described as without the alcoholic taste. Special mention goes to The Barbarossa, the rich intense flavour of this wine comes from the fact that it is produced like the Amarone, one of the finest, richest red wines to come out of Italy. This of course is dry and chocolate and perfect with a big bowl of Pizzicotto’s mouth-watering meat dishes. Now, if this hasn’t made you run for the door to grab some cheese to go with your Pizzolato wine, consider this; Did you know the reason strong cheeses are a good accompaniment to wine is that it brings out the body of the wine due to it containing natural glutamate, which are the natural salts.

Pizzicotto is open Tue-Sun

www.pizzicotto.co.uk 

For more info on Pizzolato and to purchase visit

www.lacantinapizzolato.com

Have a LUSH Christmas and give back this Winter.

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Whether you’re a customer of LUSH or not, everyone with a functioning nose who has ever walked down a high street cannot mistake the welcome and familiar fragrance of a LUSH cosmetics store. Well be prepared for the smell to turn festive just in time for Christmas when LUSH introduce their Winter Range.

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The appeal of LUSH is not only in their lingering and innovative scents, we love them because they don’t test on animals, they’re 100% vegetarian their products are made fresh in store, and they practice ethical trading. In fact we learnt a lot about LUSH and we think you’ll be just as impressed as we are.

Like many other Fair Trade or Eco traders which seem to be on the up, LUSH can tell you exactly where the ingredients are coming from and where your money is going. The incentive has been dubbed The Sustainable Lush Fund or The SLush Fund which has the idea of moving their ethical buying practices beyond simply buying fair trade ingredients but to develop supportive partnerships with the communities that produce them. LUSH donate 2% of the amount spent on raw materials and packaging to the Fund, the money is then used to start sustainable farming and regenerative community projects. To date, the £1.2 million raised has supported the development of 32 projects in 19 countries.

Some of the materials attained in these communities can be found in some of your tried and tested LUSH favourites and also the gorgeous new LUSH products such as Moringa Oil in the Lush Gardener Cold Pressed Soap, Fair Trade Shea Butter in the Santa Baby Lip tint and Ylang Ylang Oil found in the Peeping Santa Bubble bar.

If that’s not enough convincing as to why you should shop at Lush this winter, here’s our round up of our Winter Top Picks;

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LUSH Gardener; £4.50

This cold-pressed soap not only contains the refreshing scents of Bergamot and Sage, after use, the soapy water can be re-used on your prized flowers due to it’s aphid-discouraging ingredients. This is an absolutely cracking gift for any green fingered family members.

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BIG BANG bubble bar; £3.75

A magical mix of 23 of LUSH’s finest ingredients including softening Avocado Butter, Zesty Grapefruit Oil and Refreshing Lemon Myrtle Oil. Luxury in a one fruity scented package.

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Toothy Tabs; £5.95

With five different varieties to choose from, nibble one of these while brushing and you’ll give your teeth an extra bit of sparkle. Our favourite was the Bling variety these include Papain for that extra bling and Guarana seed for that extra buzz. Best of all, they’re suitable for Vegans.

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First Snow sparkly dusting powder; £5.95

This sparkling powder leaves the skin looking like its been kissed by twinkling snowflakes and what’s more, the smell is just heavenly. This has to be our ultimate winter favourite and an essential stocking filler.

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Santa’s Lip Scrub; £5.50

A moisturising cola-flavoured lip scrub that leaves your lips scrubbed and primed and welcome for kisses under the mistletoe.

And of course; you’re going to want all of your precious cargo wrapped up in one super, multi-functioning, Eco-Friendly…

Knot Wrap; from £4.50

Give two presents in one with the ultimate re-usable gift-wrap. LUSH Knot Wraps are available to wear, use and most importantly, display proudly under a Christmas Tree, so purchase one this winter for a loved one…or yourself.

For those of you looking for a ready to buy option, LUSH have got their most impressive gift box range yet for you to get your hands on this Christmas. From budget to premium they have got it fully covered;

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Budget

Secret Santa; £9.95

Features our two favourite Christmas bath products the Dashing Santa bath bomb and the Peeping Santa bubble bar all tied up in a Santa Knot Wrap.

Mid-Range

Magic Carpet; £38.95

Wrapped in a beautiful Magic Carpet Knot Wrap, this gift set includes the best bits of LUSH including, Fairy Dust dusting powder, Gorgeous moisturiser and Pearl massage bar as well as a few other popular goodies!

High-End

Under the Mistletoe; £79.95

We cannot wait to crack open this one just in time for Christmas, this super-duper loaded gift set have 16 of LUSH’s best including old favourites such as Sex Bomb bath bomb, Ro’s Argan body conditioner as well as brand new soon-to-be favourites, Santa’s lip scrub, Snow Fairy shower gel and the super festive and sparkliest of them all, Five Gold Rings bubble bar.

Before we leave you thinking we haven’t given you any more reason to shop at LUSH, did we mention the LUSH Spa…?

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With three locations across London and five other Spas nationwide, LUSH Spa will ensure you will leave with the ultimate blissed out vibes. You can check out a selection of their treatments here as well as product info and online shop;

https://www.lush.co.uk

Organii : Organic Shea Butter Shower Gel | Beauty

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organiishowergelWe reviewed Organii : Organic Shea Butter Shower Gel. Organii is not very well known but is an organic brand created by Pravera. The packaging is super cute, fun and stylish. Although it looked a bit like a smoothy and it made me want to drink it. At £5.95 for 300ml it is an affordable price point for something which is organic. It lathers well and becomes a slightly creamy foam. The shower gel comes in six scents, Aloe Vera and Bamboo, Argan, Liquorice, Peach, Shea Butter and Strawberry. We reviewed the Shea butter one.

The gel has a lovely scent and cleanses skin well. It doesn’t dry out the skin or irritate. As well as being organic, the gel is also vegan.

Have you tried the Organii range?

 

PHB Ethical Beauty Announces Relaunch…

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Ethical beauty brand PHB has relaunched with new formulas and packaging and announced changes to its vegan product offering.

In addition to reformulated and improved face masks and moisturisers with increased organic content, PHB has added brand new cleansers and face washes to their range.

All products are also now Palm Oil and Phenoxyethanol free with these ingredients being replaced by innovative and 100% natural preservative systems.

Their new-look colour-coded packaging is made from post-consumer recycled cardboard. The colours correspond to each of the five ranges within the PHB skincare family, which are as follows: Gentle Skincare (green), Hydrating Skincare (blue), Brightening Skincare (orange), Anti-Aging Skincare (red) and Balancing Skincare (purple).

www.phbethicalbeauty.co.uk
@PHBbeauty

Spiralizer Review: Is This The Coolest Kitchen Gadget?

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Spiralizer review

vegan bolognese courgette pastaI never thought I would be the type to write about a kitchen gadget but here it is: my love for my Westmark Spiromat 11332260 Spiralizer. My spiralizer was actually a birthday present from my brother. Even weirder for me, to ask for something domestic for my birthday. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not domestic. But if anything will turn anyone into a (one-time) domestic goddess it is the spiralizer. I made vegan bolognese with it. (Above picture)

So what does it do? Well it turns vegetables into noodles and pasta. Yes, that’s it. Why so good? Well it’s fun to use and instead of having carbs you can have courgette pasta. Which is absolutely delicious and very healthy.Frankly I am obsessed and I am not the only one. Blogger Deliciously Ella featured the spiralizer on her blog and it sold out on Amazon.

Although the Spiralizer looks hard to clean, you can just pop it in the dishwasher. It comes with a few different attachments for variety and it is very easy to use. Because it is fun to use you use it more, therefore you eat more healthy. I should stop now as it is ruining my street cred to gush so much about a kitchen appliance but I really do love it. Vegetable noodles and pasta are great and less stodgy than the real thing. I still love pasta but I do find it heavier and more filling. This gadget is also perfect for the gluten intolerant.

 

You can buy a spiralizer here.

 

 

One In Eight British Adults Are Now Vegetarian

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Leek And Lentil Hotpot Recipe Vegetarian FoodcookingSomething is afoot. A change in our eating habits which has become more than a trend. Sparked by people becoming more environmentally conscious and not wanting to contribute to the damage that cheap meat causes. More people are becoming vegan, pescetarian (eats fish but no meat), vegetarian and flexitarian (has a mostly plant based diet but occasionally eats meat. I would put myself at the end. I have tried vegetarianism before but it never worked out. The first time I got really ill and when I started eating meat again I always made sure it was organic, free-range meat and that the animal had had a good life). To be honest the thing that most put me off vegetarianism was, and is, aggressive vegetarians. There are few things worse in life than an aggressive vegetarian who is always getting on their high horse and telling everyone else what to eat and how to live their life. Debate is fine, not lecturing. My husband is now mostly pescetarian, we eat mostly vegetables at home. This has been a learning curve when cooking meals and has also been a trial whilst pregnant and constantly craving meat. My husband and I are not alone however.

According to Mintel, around 12 per cent of people now follow vegetarian or vegan diets – rising to 20 per cent of those aged between 16 and 24. Millions more are flexitarian. A staggering one in eight British adults are now vegetarian. The truth is, we are all eating less meat. The meat-free market is now worth £625million a year and growing all the time.

That is quite something. We will be doing more vegetarian recipes on Frost and will also be doing a lot of cooking videos on our YouTube channel. So watch out for both and let us know what you think.

Leek And Lentil Hotpot Recipe | Vegetarian Food

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My husband has stopped eating meat, which means I have had to develop something of an imagination when it comes to cooking. I came up with this dish after being inspired by a lentil and tomato dish I had at an Italian restaurant in Putney called The Italian Boys. This is completely different, but I was greatly inspired by the combination of tomato sauce and lentils. So here is my take on it.

I have called it a hotpot after my husband suggested it. It tastes amazing, if I do say so myself.

Leek And Lentil Hotpot Recipe Vegetarian Foodcooking

Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

Leek And Lentil Hotpot Recipe

You will need:

3-4 Leeks.

A tin of chopped tomatoes.

Lentils (150-200g)

3 carrots

A tablespoon of olive oil

A dollop of butter

La Rosmarina sauce. (We get ours from Fattoria La Villa but you can buy it from somewhere else or make your own. The ingredients are tomatoes, extra virgin oil, fresh rosemary, garlic, salt and hot chilli pepper. Only use a tiny amount of the hot chilli pepper, you want a slight kick, this is not a spicy dish).

 

Leek And Lentil Hotpot
Leek And Lentil Hotpot Recipe | Vegetarian FoodLeek And Lentil Hotpot Recipe | Vegan

Method

Thoroughly clean the lentils and then add them to a pan. Pour cold water over them and then bring to the boil. Cook for 20-30 minutes. Next clean and chop the leeks and the carrots. Then take a frying pan and add a dollop of butter or spread. Add the leeks and the carrots and sauté them for 10 minutes. Add a tablespoon of olive oil. When the leeks and carrots are cooked add the lentils and then the rosemary sauce. Finally, add the tin of tomatoes. Stir it all together and make sure it is all hot. Job done: Leek & Lentil Hotpot. It is quick and easy.

If you can’t get your hands on some La Rosmarina sauce, although I recommend that you do, add some fresh rosemary, a clove of garlic, a touch of salt and a very slight amount of hot chilli pepper to the dish. The hot chilli pepper can be taken out altogether if you do not want any spice, or add a little more if you are so inclined.

Leek And Lentil Hotpot Recipe Vegetarian Leek And Lentil Hotpot Recipe Vegetarian Food

This is an amazing dish that really locks in the flavour and is very healthy. If you cook it for yourself, let me know what you think.

Leek And Lentil Hotpot Recipe Vegetarian Foodcooking