Courtyard cafe, My Polish Kitchen, St Peters, and Earthworks

Have you discovered The Courtyard Cafe (11 Hatfield Road, St Albans next to the Yoga Hall)? Julie and Michael have been running this pretty cafe for a couple of years now, and it has an excellent local reputation for good food. You can often find Michael in the kitchen cooking the food himself, and his food reflects the seasons in a way the chains just can’t. His fresh soups are delicious (served with local Redbournbury Mill bread), as are the hearty breakfasts. Cakes are baked locally, and must be among the best in St Albans – heck they might be the best – go and try and see what you think! They do a fab afternoon tea too, and you can book the pretty backroom for private tea parties.

 

Situated right next to The St Albans Museum and The Yoga Hall, this is a lovely part of town, just tucked away near St Peter’s Church. You can sit outside on a warm day and enjoy the garden, planted with the help of Transition St Albans.

 

To celebrate all the acitivites that go on in and around the cafe, they are hosting a mini-festival “Inside Out Day” on Saturday (25th May) from 1-6. You will be able to explore The Yoga Hall and find out about the classes and therapies on offer, and there will be entertainment from buskers and The Ver Players Ukelele Band. The Ver Players often practice in the cafe on a Saturday morning, and you can hear them from time to time, but this is a chance to hear it all put into action! There will be a Story Tent for the children.

Do go and have a look at the painting and artworks inside the cafe – they have some very good work by local artists, which are often excellent value. You can also pick up vintage and upcycled homewares particularly cakestands and teasets, and lovely handmade gifts such a tea cosies. There will be outdoor stalls too, giving all the crafters more space to show their work.

 

The event will also raise funds for Mind in Mid Herts, an innovative and experienced provider of Mental health services.

 

EARTHWORKS OPEN GARDEN AND PLANT SALE

 

Also on Saturday (11-3) is the annual Open Garden and Plant Sale. You can pick up affordable and often unusual varieties of plants including vegetables, herbs and flowers. Earthworks have had a tough year with rebuilding the site and I am sure your support will be very welcome. You can find the site off Hixberry Lane, St Albans. Parking is very limited but it is an easy walk from nearby Highfield Park and the Alban Way.

 

 

MY POLISH KITCHEN

 

Food writer Ren Behan held a delicious pop-up kitchen at the Poggenpohl showroom in St Albans last week, featuring Polish food. Guests enjoyed rye bread canapés with Polish charcuterie and Farmer’s Cheese with chives and dill, Kasza – buckwheat risotto with wild mushrooms, Bigos – Polish Hunter’s Stew with pork, smoked meats, mushrooms and sauerkraut, Kotlety Mielone –  mini meatballs, and Mizeria – cucumber and sour cream salad. A light plum and poppy seed bake was pud, and was delicious. Mokoko designed cocktails to go with each course, and took the opportunity to use interesting ingredients such as dill and plum – the Polish Plum Martini was so popular they are going to include it on their specials menu, so do look out for that. Guests also enjoyed a tasting of flavoured vodkas – the honey flavoured Krupnik was a huge hit. Look out for more pop-up kitchens with Ren in the future, and one is planned for the Food & Drink Festival. You can follow Ren on twitter at @renbehan.

 

 

 

HEALTHY EATING WEEK

 

I had a lovely trip to St Peter’s School this week as part of their Healthy Eating Week. I talked about local, seasonal fruit and vegetables and asked children to identify rhubarb and unusual varieties of tomatoes. I was really pleased to hear that some children are growing radishes and carrots at school, and a few have allotments nearby. We talked about the pick-your-own fruit farm Hawkswick on the Harpenden Road, and I explained that strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and gooseberries should be ready to pick in the summer holidays. The school council asked me to help judge a poster competition for designing a tasty, healthy lunch to go in a lunch box – it will be fun to see what the children come up with!

 

The Fairy Food Mother

Oh my goodness, I wish I had known Lauren Gayfer, aka The Fairy Food Mother when my two children were babies. It would have been fabulous to have someone wave a magic wand and restore my energy levels and help me through the “witching hour”!

Lauren, a nutritionist based in Redbourn knows what it is like to raise young children and to deal with flagging energy and lack of sleep. She has combined this knowledge to bring friendly and helpful nutrition advice to local mothers, that is realistic for already busy lives. As Lauren explained to me as she sipped herbal tea (me coffee, eek…) there are so many resources for babies, but where is the support for the mums? Good food can nourish you, help you look fabulous, boost your health and wellbeing, help with hormonal imbalance, support you during pregnancy, reduce stress, and help you “get back on your feet” at a time when you have many demands. Lauren launched her local business at the beginning of this year and has already met lots of women who have benefited from her advice. One said “thank you for making me feel human again”, which I am sure has appeal for many new mums reading this. Lauren has talked at local NCT groups, and treated the Southdown Bumps & Babes group to home-made muffins containing ingredients to boost milk flow!

 

Lauren’s view is that eating well is not about giving up lots of foods, but about eating what your body needs. She told me about how important it is to eat regularly, and about having quick and nutritious snacks and meals to hand such as vegetables and nuts to stave off hunger. She gets asked “tell me what to eat” and Lauren’s approach is to dispel myths and give guidance for what does work  – quite simply “eat what you recognise”. Lauren explained that she doesn’t agree with the “low” fat approach of many diets and packaged foods, saying that it’s added sugar that is the real problem. Eating fresh food, that hasn’t been processed, will nourish our bodies without adding chemicals and toxins. Lauren says keep it simple – “eat what grew on a plant, or fed on grass”. It makes perfect sense, but I’m sure many of us make poor choices, especially when tired or stressed; having a gentle nudge can only be a good thing.

 

Lauren has worked with pregnant women, people trying to conceive, new mums, breastfeeding mums, and clients who need support to lose weight as their children get older. I was fascinated to hear about how food can help boost your immunity – as a parent with school-age children I have just had months of colds and bugs – Lauren’s sensible advice is just as relevant ten years after babyhood!

 

If you would like to talk to Lauren, you can book a free 15-minute nutritional evaluation (lauren@thefairyfoodmother.com 07710 151503). You can then work out together what will work for you. Lauren is running a “Spring Cleanse” package to help clients recover after the grotty winter we have just had. The course lasts for 4 weeks and includes a super food green powder that you add to smoothies to give a boost of nutrients. The cost is £89 – money well spent if you feel revitalized and ready for summer! For private consultations, prices are £60 for an initial consultation lasting 60-90 minutes. Follow-ups are £45 or clients can book a discounted package of two (£95) or three (£130) consultations in advance. At the moment there is 10% off packages and consultations. Lauren can come to your home at a time that suits you (and your children!) and can talk via skype if that helps!

 

Lauren has given us some tips that are perfect for new mums out there, but really are just as useful for any stage of life. Lauren looks sparkling with health – it works!

FIVE TOP NUTRITION TIPS FOR BUSY MUMS 

• Don’t leave house without a snack for yourself – a small Tupperware of mixed raw nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pumpkin and sunflower seeds will stop you for reaching for sugary snacks and drinks

• Be prepared for the witching hour – 4-5pm is a classic low blood sugar time of day. Make sure you have a little something to get you through it such some oatcakes with nut butter or wholemeal pitta with houmous

• Don’t be fooled by fat-free foods, they’re full of sugar and won’t fill you up – swap a fat-free sugar-laden yoghurt for natural yoghurt with sunflower seeds and honey

• Avoid the morning rush by making breakfast the night before. Soak porridge oats in apple juice with frozen berries overnight and stir in some natural yoghurt in the morning.

• Continual tiredness is not necessarily part and parcel of being a mum. You may need to get your iron levels or your thyroid checked.

ENERGY-BOOSTING SMOOTHIE RECIPE

Smoothies are a quick and easy a way of getting a high concentration of nutrients in one hit. This recipe is packed full of complex carbohydrates and essential fats which will keep you going for longer and antioxidants to boost immune system. Cinnamon has been proven to balance blood sugar levels which will help to avoid cravings.

 

1 small banana

Large handful fresh or frozen mixed berries

1 tbsp sunflower & pumpkin seeds

1-2 tbsp porridge oats

1/4 tsp cinnamon

250mls rice, almond, oat or coconut (Koko) milk

 

Blend all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and drink immediately. The kids will love this and have no idea how healthy it is!

 

 

Foodie events coming up!

We seem to be emerging from a grim, cold winter: the plants are waking up, the sun is breaking through, and the towns and villages are coming out of hibernation. It is a lovely time of year locally, with plenty of outdoor festivals, farmer’s markets and events to enjoy. Here is my round-up of some of the foodie highlights – I hope the weather gives us the opportunity for lots of picnics, barbecues and enjoying what we have to offer locally.

 

OPEN FOOD GARDENS

Last week Transition St Albans launched the program for this year’s Open Food Gardens at The Courtyard Cafe, St Albans. This lovely annual event is an opportunity to visit local gardens and meet like-minded gardeners and find out more about growing your own fruit and vegetables. Transition are an active local group, keen to share ideas on how we can all save money, and reduce our carbon footprints. Whatever the size of your garden (or lack of) there are plenty of things you can grow. The garden at the front of The Courtyard Cafe (Hatfield Road) is a terrific example. In a fairly small patch, Michael, with the help of the Transition team, has grown an impressive selection of vegetables and herbs, which he uses in his cooking for the cafe. You can sit outside the cafe and enjoy looking at the garden – and eat some of it too.

 

To visit the gardens, simple turn up (no booking needed). There is a suggested donation of £2 for over 16s, and they do ask no dogs except guide dogs, and there is restricted wheelchair access in all gardens.

 

* Sun 9th June 2 – 5 104 Marshalswick Lane, AL1 4XE

 

* Sun 11th Aug 2 – 4        21 Sherwood Avenue. AL4 9QJ

 

* Sun  8th Sept 2 – 4        24 Oaklands Lane, AL4 0HR

 

Transition St Albans also plan to run Grow your own Skills sessions this year, lead by two very experienced gardeners, Heather and June. I visited June’s garden last year and it is fabulous – June uses ingenious ways to fill her garden with fruit and vegetables, and uses sustainable gardening skills, such as using recycled materials and water recycling. The sessions will run on Saturdays from 20th April through to 28th September, and you can learn as you follow the gardening year, from sowing seeds and pricking out seedlings, through harvesting to making your own compost. For more details visit http://www.transitionstalbans.org

 

FARMER’S MARKETS

 

It was a beautiful sunny morning at the St Albans Farmer’s Market this month, and the stalls were doing a brisk trade. I bought delicious rhubarb from the Earthworks stalls (far cheaper than supermarket prices), delicious seeded bread from Redbournbury Mill, which stayed fresh all week (without preservatives). A friend raved about the joint of beef she chose from Foxholes – really excellent quality, with enough leftovers to make a chilli during the week. I often get asked when they are on, and here is my annual reminder! There is also a new website about the St Albans market, which plans to include more information about stalls http://www.stalbansfarmersmarket.co.uk.

 

* St Albans 2nd Sunday each month (8-2)

 

* Wheathampstead 3rd Sunday each month (10-1)

 

* Harpenden 4th Sunday each month (10-2)

 

KIMPTON MAY FESTIVAL

4-5th May for this very popular village festival. Look out for the delicious afternoons teas served outside on the recreation ground in the afternoons and the pubs do excellent barbecue food. There is a running race to burn it all off, and a fab art show in the church which is always worth a look. The theme this year is “Toy Box” and I imagine the carnival and floats will have fun with that theme!

 

FOXHOLES FARM AND SHOP OPEN DAY

 

Have you been over to Foxholes in Hertford yet? A little out of our area, but it is such a regular at the farmer’s markets, that I think readers would be interested. It is a lovely trip, especially if you have young children as you can visit the lambs, piglets, calves and chicks. The next open weekend is 18-19 May. You can also buy excellent food including their own beef and pork, bbq marinaded meats (let’s be optimistic), fresh fish, and baked goods and bread made by Simmons at the farm shop, which is open every day. http://www.foxholesfarm.com

 

HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY SHOW

 

This popular event is coming up soon – 25-26th May. It is a fantastic weekend, with plenty of entertainment, from wild west shows to a basset hound parade. It’s very interesting to see the animal competitions, even if you haven’t a clue about the different breeds, and you can spot the local farmers who sell at the farmers markets. There are also llamas, chickens, and lots of opportunities to find out how to rear these animals. You can also see vintage cars and farm machinery, traditional countryside skills such as weaving and spinning, and there are marquees full of local produce and food to buy.

 

WELWYN GARDEN CITY WORLD FOOD FESTIVAL

On Saturday 18th May there will be a street market in WGC town centre will food stalls representing food from around the world, along with music, dance and entertainers. It’s only 10 minutes drive from St Albans and could be well worth a visit.

 

 

 

Bill’s St Albans

Really like the Bills in Brighton so thought I’d check this out new branch in St Albans. Thoughts in no particular order:

* Huge improvement to this area – looks great – I bet the local shops are delighted. Large inside and plenty of space between tables so space for buggies, children, groups etc and we could have a good chat without being overheard (I think…).

* Lots of choice on the menu – not seasonal or local unlike the original in Lewes 13 years ago but it all sounded tasty.

* Service organised and quick if a little new and nervous.

* Lots of knick-knacks such as dried chillis, italian-stylee tomato tins everywhere – very decorating by numbers but it did make me want to buy marmalade and pink lemonade so it works. Were the overhead metal air tubes shipped in to complete the industrial look or were they actually part of the building?

* We chose a sharing mezze board with hummus, halloumi, babaganoush and bruschetta with feta and tomatoes. Mixing up the world’s ingredients and styles all over the place, but, hey it was healthy and tasty, and we enjoyed it. I’d happily go back with friends but it definitely has a chain feel, and other local places beat it for cooking, value and location. But a huge improvement to this spot in town.

What do you think?

The Foragers move to Hackney

I wrote about The Foragers at The Verulam Arms over a year ago, and they have been a real local success story. George and Gerald’s vision to cook great food with foraged ingredients has worked, and they have many regular customers, have employed and trained more chefs, and won an award at The St Albans Food and Drink Festival Awards. The chefs, lead by Tom Forrester have been given free-reign to experiment with local ingredients, and you can see how much the team take pride in their food. I read about their latest venture The Dead Dolls Club in Jellied Eel and popped in to The Verulam Arms to find out more.

The Dead Dolls Club in Dalston

We are used to restaurants and chain cafes opening in London, and slowly making their way out to the ‘burbs, but The Foragers have reversed that trend. They have taken the foraged food of St Albans out to The Dead Dolls Club, Dalston. What started as a pop-up cocktail bar for the winter has been such as success with fantastic reviews and press coverage, that it will continue through the summer. Open only in the evenings and on Sunday afternoon, TDDC can fit about 36 people at a time, so you have to book. The name came from a candle-making experiment that went wrong…

 

Try the grazing menu (a Brit tapas) and share plates of pigeon kebab, smoked mutton with hazlenuts and truffle vinaigrette. For veggies there are plenty of interesting things to try: filo parcel with nettles, dandelion, chickweed, and goats cheese, or jerusalem artichokes with hogweed creme fraiche. I’m delighted to see Childwickbury Goats cheese on the menu, served with honey from Hertfordshire, fennel and hairy bittercress.

 

Sunday roasts are the big thing at the Dead Dolls Club and they do sittings at 2, 4, 6, and 8 to fit everyone in. Choose from nut roast with foraged mushroom gravy (11.5), roast game bird (12.5), roast venison (14) and pollock with sea cabbage, sea purslane and anchovies (15). I’m keen to try the Strathdon blue cheese with ale and fruitcake for pud. I love fruit cake with cheese – it’s my Yorkshire roots. The team have had rave reviews on squaremeal, londoneer and yeahhackney, but I like to think, well, we knew about them first!

 

Tom explained that they have a tiny kitchen at TDDC, which is no bigger than the bar at The Foragers, so it is a challenge, but he seems to thrive on that. The chefs have a hectic schedule of working between the two sites. The chefs have also been making syrups from local plants and berries to go in the cocktails, so look out for woodruff, elderberry and mulberry cocktails. Cooks Ruin, made with grapefruit juice, woodruff syrup, gin and eggwhite sounds worth the journey alone.

To book a table at The Dead Dolls Club email the date, number of people, and your phone number to dalston@thedeaddollsclub.com. You can find them on 428 Kingsland Road, Dalston.

 

SHOREDITCH MAY DAY

The Foragers will also be serving food at the Shoreditch May Day Fete in the High Street on Sunday 5th May 12-9. On the menu at the moment are Venison Burgers with hedge garlic mayonnaise, wild pigeon pasties, and vegetable rolls with nettles, dandelion and goats cheese. There will be Morris Dancers, a maypole and fortune tellers as well as a competition to find the May Queen – you are encouraged to dress as eccentrically as you can. On May 9th The Foragers have teamed up with OneTaste theatre for a medieval banquet at Exmouth Market – more on that on the website!

PRESERVES

Back at The Verulam Arms, the team have been busy with new ideas. The next project is to continue to build a larder of preserved ingredients that the chefs can use year round. Tom and team are experimenting with preserving favourites such as hogweed shoots and plantain buds which they use on tasting plates or with terrines and cheeses. Apparently hogweed shoots are similar to artichoke hearts and you serve them as you would olives or cornichons, and plantain buds taste like mushroom. When I was in the team were experimenting with birch sap to make syrups to go in desserts and drinks. I tried woodruff cream when I was there in January and it had a delicious deep fruit flavour, similar to sloes.

 

It seems a novelty to try these ingredients, but the irony is that they have been growing all around us for generations, with us having very little knowledge of what they look like, and how to use them. If you would like to know more, book onto a foraging walk which will start again at the end of April and are on the last Wednesday of each month. There are also plans for more wild food cooking demos, and day-long wild food expeditions further afield. You’ll spend a whole day in the woods with The Foragers and the Woodland Ways instructors and take part in workshops on foraging, game preparation, carving and bushcraft skills. The day will end with everyone gathering around the fire for food prepared by chefs in the wild – and you’ll eat it using the cutlery you learned to carve earlier in the day! The website http://www.the-foragers.com has more info and prices.

 

STICKY FINGERS

Sunday nights can be a dead time for eating out, but save your appetite for Sticky Fingers at The Foragers, where the menu is all about American-style food, cooked by chef Ben Brown. You can get pulled venison (rather than the ubiquitous pork) and Southern-fried Rabbit legs. There is the same emphasis on wild, foraged ingredients, and Ben makes his own spice rubs to go on the meats. It would help to stave off Sunday night blues for a little longer.

 

Gourmet dog treats!

 

Don’t the Chocolate and Honey muffins in the photo look delicious? They are hand-made with delicious, fresh ingredients by Blanche Daulton from Kimpton.

 

Well I’m very sorry, but you aren’t allowed any – they are for dogs only!

I first met Blanche at the Kimpton May fair last year when I was wandering around the recreation ground looking for cake. Blanche had a crowd around her “My Faithful Friend” stall and was doing a brisk trade to dog lovers buying snacks for their pets. I know there are a huge number of dog lovers locally and I thought our readers would love to read about Blanche and her products so I went over to Kimpton ahead of this year’s fair to find out more.

 

Blanche makes every dog treat herself in her lovely country kitchen using excellent quality ingredients and if you wanted to eat her dog biscuits, muffins and scones, then you could without coming to any harm. Fresh herbs, chicken, turkey, tuna, salmon, cheese, oats, carob, peanut butter, carrots, olive oil, honey, banana, spinach – Blanche only uses ingredients she would eat herself, and she has tasted everything she bakes. I very much doubt the same could be said of the manufacturers of the bestselling commercial snacks…

 

Unlike many dog treats that you buy from large pet shops, Blanche’s treats do not contain any preservatives or weird ingredients. They are gluten-free and low-fat to make them suitable for dogs. As with food for people, you need to keep them in an airtight container or a fridge, but they will last up to three weeks. You can freeze them if you want to buy plenty in one go.

 

Blanche loves to experiment and create new combinations, and has a fantastic sense of humour too. When I visited, Blanche had made Frog biscuits, made green with fresh spinach and shaped like a squashed frog. “Chocolate” Frog Biscuits made with carob (as dogs can’t eat real chocolate) would be very popular with Harry Potter fans. Easter Chicks were a golden yellow, coloured only by the carrot in them. The bestsellers are bone-shaped (of course!), but rabbits and tiny hearts and stars are also very popular, particularly with smaller dogs. Liver fudge is also available, as are dog-friendly birthday cakes, which I can imagine would be hugely popular for the dog who has everything.

 

You can find My Faithful Friend at some local Farmer and Craft Markets, such as Whitwell (4th Friday of each month) and Sandon (3rd Saturday of each month). As these are indoors, they work well over the winter months, and Blanche has lots of customers who come each time to stock up. As the weather improves Blanche plans to have lots of treats for sale at the Kimpton Horse Show at the end of July and at the May Fair. Blanche will also make anything to order including cakes, Christmas stockings and birthday bags, and you can contact her by texting her mobile +447973619570 or emailing blanche.daulton@hotmail.co.uk. This year’s Kimpton Fair is 3-6 May and the theme is Toys. It is always a fab day out for the villagers and friends. Pop it in your diary now.

 

Prices are very reasonable; a bag of ten training treat-sized biscuits are just £1. It is the same price at the moment for 4 medium-size biscuits or small muffins, or for two large biscuits, scones or muffins. Bags are tied with ribbon and make perfect presents. I think that is terrific for the quality of the ingredients – perfect for a birthday or Easter treat!

 

But the final word has to be to my willing dog testers. Frankie (labrador, age nearly 3) particularly enjoyed an Easter Chick and a Chocolate (carob) Bunny, and was keen to hoover up any stray crumbs on the floor and to show that she would like another. Beau (Golden Retriver, age 8) enjoyed the Fishy biscuit and “gnawed happily away and definitely smiled between chews”. So a definite hit.

 

 

 

 

PHOTO INFO

 

Blanche Daulton with George

 

Stall at Kimpton May Fair last year

 

 

 

Fair play to traders who are making an effort

I spend a lot of time writing about buying local and seasonal and supporting your local businesses. And that is definitely important, as the recent horsemeat scandal has reminded us. But until we can grow bananas, coffee and cocoa beans in the fields around Harpenden and St Albans, we do need to import food too.

 

The sales of Fairtrade foods has grown by 19% so UK shoppers are getting the message, and are trying to do their bit. We know that buying Fairtrade is one way to give farmers a fair deal. I am still amazed that not every supermarket and market stall makes it easy. One of our large local supermarkets this week had piles of bananas and I could not find any labelled ‘Fairtrade’. This is a supermarket that prides itself on its sourcing and shiny new fruit and vegetable department.

 

When I compared prices of bananas last year, it was a matter of pennies per banana difference to buy Fairtrade and I am sure all supermarkets can absorb this, as can many shoppers in our local area. Fairtrade bananas in the “smart” supermarkets, were in fact, cheaper than some non-Fairtrade bananas in the largest supermarkets.

 

We can all do our bit by choosing one or two Fairtrade products each time we shop, over the alternatives. Our excellent market stalls are not great at labelling where goods come from, but I am sure if people ask, they will tell you. If they know people want to buy Fairtrade, it will have an impact on sourcing, and the more we buy, the more affordable it should become.

 

FAIRTRADE CITY STATUS

You might remember during Fairtrade Fortnight last year I mentioned a team of local people and businesses trying to regain Fairtrade City status for St Albans. This was achieved last week (WELL DONE!), and I was delighted to see the new certificate on display at the Fairtrade Stall in the market last Saturday. I think the Fairtrade Steering Group managed this with very little input from the local council – it just shows what people can do when they feel strongly about an issue. There is even more to do, with the Fairtrade Steering Group wanting to hear from schools, cafes, shops, restaurants and businesses about what they are doing to support Fairtrade. If you already sell Fairtrade, and would like to register what you do, or would like more information about local projects and initiatives visit http://www.fairtradestalbans.org.uk. Put up a sign to show your customers that you support Fairtrade – it’s great marketing, and reminds people to support Fairtrade. I wonder if the council will spend some money on a new sign to celebrate this achievement? Or are there any local food businesses that might be able to?

 

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT

During Fairtrade Fortnight Taysir Arbasi spoke at Trinty United Reform Church about Palestinian Olive Oil (Zaytoun), and its journey from the farm to the table. Guests at the talk shared snacks made with Fairtrade ingredients such as Divine chocolate brownies, cakes baked with “Tropical Wholefoods” mango, pineapple, and raisins. Date flapjacks and Cashew and mushroom cous cous showed what can be cooked with Zaytoun products. You can find Zaytoun products in local Oxfam shops (along with a terrific range of Easter eggs). New Fairtrade foods make their way into our shops all the time, so keep a look out new ideas, that can add a delicious international dimension to your cookery.

 

Fairtrade foods to buy (BOX FEATURE)

Sales of Fairtrade goods in the UK rose last year by 19%! Here are just some of the goodies you can buy:

Bananas

Chocolate

Coffee

Tea

Dried fruits

Nuts and peanut butter

Wine

Fruit juices

All delicious!