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Oil Vegetable Cooking Refill

by Posted in 3.1 Disposables & Reusables, 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged , , , , 10 Comments

Vegetable oil is difficult to source plastic free. Buy in glass and the metal caps will have a little plasticized disc or plastic liner on inside and maybe a plastic seal. Plus the bottle will almost always have a plastic pouring widget in the bottle top.Like I can’t pour oil out of a bottle??? Buy in  cans and they have a plastic lid, perhaps a handle and the can is of course  lined with plastic. You can read more here

On Tap
But if you are very lucky you might find a place that sell oils on tap that lets you use your own refillable bottle. Do you need me to explain that? They sell oil from the can and you take your own bottle, which they refill with oil.

Whahey plastic free oil!

That said in 2015  Defra  banned ‘On tap’ olive oil. The following is taken form their website….”These oils mustn’t be sold ‘on tap’ in their pure form: extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, olive oil composed of refined olive oils and virgin olive oils, olive pomace oil. Today (2016) seems oil is back on tap. So,  for now you can buy olive oil on tap from a variety of store.

Using your own bottle?
It would seem that some stores allow you to refill your own bottle. Whole Food Market do and I refilled my glass bottle there.  But I cannot vouch for the others listed below! Any information on the subject is much appreciated.

Oil refills in the U.K.

The butchers St Agnes, Devon
Wholefood Supermarket Cheltenham & London

Demijohn – Victoria St, Edinburgh refill oil & vinegar (and spirits at Demijohn).

Olive oil Stoneygate, Leicester http://www.deliflavour.net/may also do refills but not checked
Sheena Hatton Claremont Farm in Wirral (oils and vinegars) and Spar in Llanfyllin.Åsa PamphilonHoland andBarrer in Chelmsford.” I havent yet refilled but it is clearly two different prices for their bottle and oil/vinegar or just a refill so I assume I will have no problems.

More

Or you could try lard. Other greasy options and ways to buy plastic reduced oils and spreads can be found here the edible oil index here.
And everything you need to know about fatty acids here

N.B.

lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Porridge

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged 4 Comments

When at home I have a milk man who delivers in glass bottles, but while in the van that is not really an option.

So this morning we had porridge made with water. I had never done this before as I think it sounds simply too workhouse for words. But needs must. So I made it as normal but with water instead of milk. However I added a banana – one per person and cooked it till soft and creamy. They added body to the oats and it all tasted fine.

Banana Porridge with water

Plastic free oats  & bananas bought loose

 

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Beer

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged , , , 2 Comments

Of course you can get beer in bottles but those metal caps have a plastic liner or small disc to prevent leakage. It’s a tiny amount but it is plastic.
Cans of beer  are plastic lined!
The only way to get plastic free booze is to use a refill service. Take your own flagon to the alehouse and get them to fill it. These are the ones I know of

Huddersfield

The Sportsman Huddersfield  will sell you your own reusable flagon. Yes its plastic but it will last you a good long time.
The Grove
The Head Of Steam ( also sells plastic flagons)
All sell great real ales and very reasonable priced. 

Magic Rock sell metal reusable flagons. Very stylish! Also sells  great real ales but they are more expensive.

If anyone else knows of other beer refill options please leave a comment below… many thanks.

London

Hi Kate, I have been out and about in Kentish Town again  A review of Clapton Craft – refill beers and wines. https://arefugefordaffodils.wordpress.com/2016/04/14/green-shopping-in-london-clapton-craft-in-kentish-town/

You can find other plastic free beverages here…

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Cheese

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged , 5 Comments

My plastic boycott started because I didn’t like the impact plastic packaging had on the environment – as I learnt more, I began to worry about the impact it might be having on me.Plastic contains phthalates which are (possibly) carcinogenic and cause the feminization of male animals exposed to them. They are found in the stuff used to wrap meats and cheeses.

Bisphenol A is known to cause neurological and hormonal damage to lab animals. This is found in plastic food and drinks containers. There are indications that these chemicals can leach into the plastic wrapped products.

How to buy

There are three ways to buy plastic free (ish) cheese. 

Off the block:Find a place that sells large blocks of cheese and asked them to cut you off please. Be aware most large cheeses come wrapped in plastic so it’s not so much plastic free in total as plastic free for you. while the sensible part of me, (the part that wanted my hormones undamaged), said stick with it, the greedy me was lusting after a piece of phthalate ridden cheese.

Artisan:Find an artisan cheese shop that sells high-class cheese. Downside extremely expensive.

Wax wrapped cheeses:These are individual cheeses that come coated and coloured wax. The cheese tends to be rather nice but it is more expensive. And what actually is in that wax? Find out here

Note

none of the above are as easy as buying from a supermarket. So you might need to change your attitude to cheese. Make it more of a treat and luxury good rather than a staple. This has the added advantage of making you a little less animal products dependent.

And you get to eat some really good cheese.

However there is no denying it is very expensive and often inconvenient.

If you really can’t do without cheap cheese read our plastic free treats post and allow yourself a big block.

How/where to buy

Off the block

Markets: Sometimes sell loose cheese. It is not entirely plastic free – the large cheeses are packed in plastic and covered with Clingfilm but it is better than individually wrapped pieces – to my mind at least!

Huddersfield:Same with the Polish Deli on Wood Street in huddersfield

Supermarkets: have done this is Tescos and other supermarkets that have cheese counters. Again not entirely plastic free as the large block comes plastic wrapped.

Cheese Makers / Merchants

Find a local cheesmaker or specialist cheese shop. They tend to cut into the cheese as and when it is wanted. And traditional cheeses tend to come traditionally packaged. That is not plastic wrapped.

Take your own bags

Yorkshire Dales

Combining the best of all worlds. Plastic free shopping and cheese. Yes I visited the marvellous The Courtyard Dairy were they make and sell artisan cheeses from the UK and Europe. As well as the shop, there a cheese production room, a small museum with a display few cheesy artefacts and a café serving cheese-based cuisine.

But back to the shop. OMG!!! The cheeses are stacked in a glorious cornucopia of cheese wheels mostly unpackaged and free range.
Yes they are a bit pricey but it is cheese to die for. Take your own bags  to be sure, and you can bring back some luxury cheese that is also plastic free.

but don’t take my word! it is winner of numerous awards including the ‘Cheesemonger of The Year’ (at the Farm Shop and Deli Awards 2016 and separately at the World Cheese Awards 2013); The Best New Cheese Retailer (2013 British Cheese Awards), Best Cheese Counter (World Cheese Awards 2013) and was also a runner up for Yorkshire Food Destination of the Year (2013) BBC Food & Farming Awards (2014) and Observer Food Monthly Awards (2015).

This is top quality cheese.

Its located just outside Settle on the A65 heading towards Kendal, in what was the former Falconry Centre (LA2 8AS).

Find out more, here.

Bideford

If you live near Bideford, get yourself down to the farmers market held on the harbour on Saturdays. There is a cheese stall that sells proper home-made, unpackaged cheese. It’s good, really good! Remember to take your own bags….

Whitney

Gemma, Darren & Ian can be found at Whitney Market selling their unwrapped and totally delicious cheeses. They also have a website 

Monkland Herefordshire

You can cheese from the working diary or go one step further and learn how to make it yourself! Here’s the website

Utracomida Aberystwyth restaurant and delicatessen

Located a stone’s throw from the sea on Pier Street – our Aberystwyth deli and restaurant offers a wonderful selection of artisan food and drink.And wonderful cheese. Here are the details

Find speciallist cheese makers here

Waxed Cheeses

These are individual cheeses that come coated and coloured wax. The cheese tends to be rather nice but it is more expensive. Most supermarkets sell them. But you might want to consider what actually is in that wax? Find out here

Want more???? YES!

  • N.B.
    lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x
Join our Facebook group here

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

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Cucumbers

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged

Any one living plastic-free knows that naked cucumbers are hard to find. The plastic coating makes them last longer, giving shops more time to sell them. Useful when you are importing from abroad, rubbish if you hate plastic.

You are more likely to find them unwrapped in Summer making them a seasonal treat. I have seen them in the veg shop on the causeway head Penzance AND in the supermarket in St Agnes.

BUT……..

Mini Cukes

If you don’t want a huge beast of a cucumber then your best bet is to try foreign food shops. asian shops almost always sell them unwrapped.

Back in Huddersfield, Khadims sells on Blacker Road sells them.

Also The Hut, the Polish deli on wood street.

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Rapeseed Oil

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged ,

Rapeseed (Brassica Napus) or rape, oilseed rape, rapa, rappi, rapaseed is the bright yellow flowering plant grown in swathes all over the U.K. It is grown for its oil which is obtained from the tiny black seeds. It grows very well and is the only reliable vegetable oil crop we can produce in large quantities.

And yet it is new to our landscape and our diet. Before vegetable oils became popular and we bagan importing them in large quantities, most of our fat came from animal sources in the form of lard.

While rapeseed has long been grown as soil conditioning crop it was not harvested for oil because the older strains of plant contain around 40% of erucic acid. Euric acid is extremely toxic. Not suprisingly these strains were banned and some desperate genetic modifying went on. The old sort. Plants were cross bred with each other till the erucic acid was reduced to less than one per cent

“In 1977 a law was also brought in limiting the erucic acid content of foods to no more than 5 per cent of the total fatty acid content in products that contain more than 5 per cent fat. In truth however, most British produced cold pressed rapeseed oils contain less than 0.5 per cent. ”

Quick rapeseed facts…

The oil comes from the seed.
It is used in food and cosmetic products.
Also as lubricants, penetrating oils, fuel, soap, biofuel and paints
It has emollient and potential anti-oxidant properties for the skin (Source: British Journal of Nutrition, May 2002, pages 489–499).
it is found in facial moisturizer/treatment, bar soap, anti-aging products, body wash/cleansers, shampoos, conditioners, sunscreens, moisturizers, facial cleansers and baby soaps
It is generally classified as non-toxic or harmful. Even the EWG says so.
is also called ‘Canola’ which stands for Canadian Oil, Low Acid.

Extracting The Oil

Solvent extraction
Most commercially produced oils are solvent extracted. This involves a chemical solvent like the petroleum-derived hexane and heat up to 500 degrees. Once the oil is dissolved, the solvent is removed by distillation.
This technique is used for most of the “newer” oils such as soybean and cannola oils. Many of these products do not give up their oil easily, it has to be forced from them.
For this reason I would reccomend you go for a cold pressed oil. Read about the importance of cold pressing here

Buy Oil

Plastic Spoiler
It is available in supermarkets (certainly Tesco’s), in glass bottles with plastic lids and security seals. I have yet to find it plastic free but like the fact it is grown and processed in the U.K.

You can buy it in 5 liter cans online.

More

Go back to the oil index to find out about the plastic free oils and butters we use

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Food and Drink Plastic-free product Index

by Posted in 00 Featured Post, 3.1 Food & Drink, 5 Blog Social Media & Map 3 Comments

So you want to cut your plastic in your food. Well the trick is to buy loose, unpackaged products and take your own bags, boxes and wrappings. Easy peasy. Well maybe! Finding loose food and people prepared to use your own packaging can be a challenge but it can be done. Eating fresh is fairly easy it gets more tricky when you want dried pasta or rice. But I can proudly say we got almost everything covered. Visit the links for more details.

Drinks

Water

  • Tap water in the U.K. & Abroad
  • Bottled Water – some facts and greener options
  • How to sterilise water
  • Refill schemes
  • AND Other watery stuff
  • Go to the water index to see all posts on water

Carbonated Water, Fizzy Drinks & Sodas


Fizzy drinks / sodas How to make your own pop and mixers

Alchohol

Always trouble with alcohol but here are your best plastic free options

Hot Drinks

Tea

  • Plastic Free Tea Bags Yup. The actual bag that you thought was paper, does in fact contain plastic. Read more HERE.  
  • There are plastic free teabags. You can find then here
  • Loose tea – buy far the best option. buy some here
  • How to make plastic-free tea – it’s all in the tea balls.

Coffee

Tea & Coffee Merchants

Cocoa & Chocolate HERE

Milk

Milk delivered in glass

Food


Bakery, Buns & Biscuits
Beans & Pulses dried that is. For fresh see fruit and veg.
Deli Counter
Dried fruit & Nuts
Dairy
Fast food
Frozen Food
Fruit and Veg a guide to buying, picking and growing.
Groceries
Herbs, spices, salt & peper
Oils & Spreads


 
Meat & Fish
Sweets, Snacks and Nibbles

More

Bags & Packaging
Shopping plastic free means taking your  OWN PACKAGING. Check out the plastic-free shopping kit here.

Local Shops
Try your local shops first. One of the joys of living plastic free is mooching round the local shops seeing what you can source. You might be suprised. Asian Supermarkets and Polish Delis are particularly good.
And of course you are putting back into and improving your own community. Read more HERE

Supermarkets & Chainstores 
Because sometimes we have to shop there and yes you can get plastic free and zero waste stuff. Read up about them plus eating for a week, plastic-free, only from supermarkets  a case study.

Loose Food A to Z
Find out if a shop near you sells bulk food loose. This is stuff that that normally comes plastic packaged ie rice, pasta and salt. And yes these shops do exist in the U.K. There’s just not many of them.

Heres a list of towns with shops selling loose food.

Online


This is an interesting option that allows you to buy basic foods on line plastic free.
You can even use your own produce bags. Read more
HERE

Food Related
The three levels of plastic free food

By Recipe
How to cook plastic free The Cookbook

N.B.

Lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com
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Spices including pepper

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged , ,

Dried and ground can be bought

Loose

The Nut Shop Leeds Market HERE

If you cannot get to Leeds you can try
health food shops
Wholefood Market a supermarket chain
Weigh & Save shops a UK franchise

Loose Food A to Z

Find out if a shop near you sells bulk food loose. This is stuff that that normally comes plastic packaged ie rice, pasta and salt. And yes these shops do exist in the U.K. There’s just not many of them.
Heres alist of towns with shops selling loose food.


 Packaging

While these shops provide bags and they are almost always plastic ones. You will need to take your own plastic-free /reusable bags.

In Jars & Tins

Spices in tins

These guys use tins for their spices. Yes the tins are most likely plastic lined and I am sure there will be a plastic seal but it is much reduced. They also do mixes for curry so you dont have to buy hundreds of different products.

The Bart Ingredients Co. Ltd.,
Bristol,
England,
BS3 4AD.
Packed in: United Kingdom
Packaging Tin

You can buy them in Sainsbury’s.

Pepper Corns

I have yet to source and totally plastic-free, ready ground pepper so I have to buy peppercorns and grind it myself.

These can be bought  loose in Todmorden indoor market,  Todmorden. They do black, mixed and pink peppercorns.

If you  do go down this route you will need to get something to grind them in.

Many people like to use a pepper mill. There is are a huge range available in non plastic materials but I cannot really advise. I am way too impatient to use a peppermill especially for cooking so I smash the peppercorns to bits in a stone mortar and pestle. I suppose I could buy an electric grinder (definitely not plastic free), but I like smashing them to bits. You need quite a heavy one – stone is best.I got a marble mortar and pestle from the Asian Supermarket.

Check out this Pinterest page for inspiration

More

Want salt? You can get it here….

Sea salt

Can be bought from the Weigh & Save in Penzance and possibly at the other branches of this strange  store

Normal Salt

What do you call this – cooking salt? Budget and in a box from Lidles

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Tonic

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged , 4 Comments

I still drink tonic because I still drink gin. Of course I still drink gin! I could barely get through  if it wasn’t for gin! But no matter how pressing the need I will not drink tonic from plastic bottles.

Tonic options are
Tonic in tins which are of course are plastic lined.
Glass bottles with metal plastic lids. (N.B. even metal lids have a plastic lining cap.)
Tonic syrups glass or plastic. Greener as the concentrated syrup means no water and so massively reduce transport costs of tonic. But you have to source some fizzy water.
I recently got myself a Soda Stream which means I can make my own  carbonated water

So while there are some plastic elements, all of the above represent a massive reduction in plastic.

Tins

Yes I know tins are plastic lined…..but I need that gin. Only joking under 18s. Hardly touch a drop.
Another downside is that the cans are rather small and I have a lot of very thirsty lady friends. It can get pricey.The plus side is, that if like me you only have a very small snifter, very occasionally, your tonic is always fresh!

Other advantages include
Tins are light to carry
They have a high recycle value.

So I used to buy Schweppes  tonic in cardboard packs of 6  tins. At least I did till that happened…. Yes that is plastic wrapping. So I moved onto Tescos own brand which is not too bad. Same deal – 6 tins in a cardboard box. You can get a similar tonic package from Sainsburys – bigger cans but not so much to my taste. And now Schweppes have reappeared unwrapped.
But I have other problems with Schweppes. They are owned by Cocoa-Cola I am trying to only buy British/Buy local So back to Tescos own. You can find other British owned supermarkets here.

Bottles

You can buy tonics in glass
But bottles are heavy.
And have a low recycle value.

Fevertree are good. You can find out more (including where to buy) from their website. But they are pricy – way too pricy for me.

Syrups
Add fizzy water to tonic syrups. Where do you get plastic free fizzy water. I got a Soda Stream that makes fizzy water, and I have been experimenting with tonic syrups.

Syrups are great because you are only transporting the concentrated syrup and not all the added water. this makes it a much greener option.

In Plastic

Sodastream do their own tonic mix but it comes in a plastic bottle.

Heres some blurb from the website
“One 500ml bottle of sodamix will make up to 12 litres of fresh soda, equal to 33 cans.Plus, it contains up to 50% less sugar and carbs than leading (store bought) drinks. Make it the way you want, more or less bubbles, more or less sugar, it’s your choice!”
At 2.50 its a bargain but you have to buy online which probably involves more plastic!
read more and buy here.

In Glass

You can get tonic syrup in bottles with metal caps. Metal caps of course have a plastic liner or small disc to prevent leakage. It’s a tiny amount but it is plastic.

These luxury tonics are extremely expensive but boast spectacular credentials.

Jack Rudy Tonic 
“An intriguing cocktail ingredient for mixologists, the Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. Classic Tonic Syrup is made using a quinine distillate, along with a subtle selection of botanicals and a touch of cane sugar for sweetness”. £12.80 for 500ml.

buy online see below

BTW Tonic Syrup
A concentrated tonic syrup, created by Nick Crispini from London gin bar 214 Bermondsey and fellow gin lover Lawrence Mason. BTW Tonic Water is made to be mixed with carbonated water, allowing you to make a tonic water to your own tastes. It can also be used in cocktails to impart a daring kick of cinchona bark bitterness.
Made in the Uk but rather pricy at £18.31 for 500ml

Try before you buy
The gin experts at BTW run their own gin bar in Bermondsey (214 Bermondsey, on Bermondsey Street). They know the secret to making the best gin and tonic.
Relaxed, underground bar with reclaimed wood furniture, offering dozens of gins plus cocktails.
Address: 214 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3TQ
Hours: Open ⋅ Closes 11PM
Menu: 214-bermondsey.co.uk

Buy online see below

Jeffreys Tonic
We come from and live in Chester and currently make Jeffrey’s Tonic Syrups in the NoWFood Centre at The University of Chester. We hope you love it as much as we do!
The Original recipe is where we started – in the Far East, actually! It was our first foray, which was so well received we were encouraged to do more. Cassia, nutmeg, and allspice.. works great with a nice clean London dry gin, or even with whisky and ginger!
Original Recipe – 250ml
Price£8.75 Buy on line – see below

TONIC syrup in a bottle at Waitrose
“Bring something new to the party
For a different take on a G&T, try these handcrafted tonic syrups from Montreal. The Tonic Syrup is made from natural cinchona bark, the ingredient that gives tonic water its appetising bitterness, and makes a great G&T mixed with soda water and your favourite gin. Try shaking up a cocktail, or simply add a splash of syrup to sparkling water to enhance the flavour”Read more.
Canadian made, (I think). But not plastic packed – see below.

Buy

I bought on line from Masters Of Malt who have a great selection but dreadful packaging.
Next time I will go to Waitrose.

More

You can find other plastic-free boozes and  related items here

N.B.

lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

SaveSave

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Loose Food On Line

by Posted in 00 Featured Post, 3.1 Food & Drink, 3.2 Shops & Businesses Tagged

One of the joys of living plastic free is mooching round the local shops seeing what you can source. And as the plastic movement grows there are an increasing number of zero waste shops and even the supermarkets are getting onto the act.

But here’s another option

Buy Plastic Free Food Online

Veg & Fruit Boxes

If you still can’t find them loose in the shops you might want to consider getting a veg box delivered. many schemes are plastic aware. Take a look here

Coffee

Coffee roasters pack their beans in compostable #plasticfree packaging and post out in cardboard boxes helping you to enjoy your daily grind Read more here

British Grown Quinoa, Pulses & Beans

Hodmedods – do British Grown Beans, Grains & Pulses and Quinoa in mostly #plasticfree packaging available online @homedod Visit the website HERE.

Dried Foods and a lot else….

Real Plastic Free

We sell Real Foods brand packed in biodegradable cellulose bags
We will pack your order using only paper-based materials We are committed to reducing all waste
We partner with Real Foods who have been selling natural, organic wholefoods (packed in cellulose) in Edinburgh for over 40 years Real Foods brand is fully accredited by the Soil Association so you can buy our organic products with confidence

Visit the website

Plasticfree Pantry

Plasticfree pantry is a UK based online shop sells pantry staples.

The onward packaging consists of cardboard boxes and shredded paper is used to protect the goods.
Packaging tape is heavy duty paper. N.B. They reuse boxes so some might come with existing plastic tape.

Visit the website HERE.

More About Food

You can see the rest of our our food, and other doorstep deliveries HERE

Read more about produce bags here HERE

Packaging tape is heavy duty paper. If you want to try, you can buy some HERE

Buy other stuff On Line


These shops sell plastic free products and send them out in plasticless packages. Find them HERE

N.B.

lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

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Cocoa & Drinking Chocolate

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged

Honestly you search for years to find some loose cocoa and then two come along at once!

Visited Weigh To Save and yes they did loose cocoa. This stall has just recently opened at

1 Metropollian Centre May Day Green, Barnsley S70 1SX
Closes 4:30PM
01226 772239

“Unique Market Stall selling a range of dried products, choose your amount & weigh to save.Products include, Nuts, Dried Fruit, Cereals, Rice, flours, sugars, other baking products, washing powder, herbs and spices all at reasonable prices.
Helping to save the planet with no unnecessary packaging, you can even bring your own reusable containers. see for yourself in Barnsley’s inside market, Unit 13 Market parade(old semi open market under multi storey car park).”

Photos diary of my visit here

More cocoa…
An old favourite in Leeds Market, the Nut Shop has expanded its range of loose foods and it now includes cocoa.

Barmouth Weigh & Save

Saves the day – loose cocoa in my own bag 

This now means that all my hot drinks are plastic free. Check out my hot drinks index HERE

A History

Morrisons used to do freetrade, plastic-free, cardboard-packaged cocoa The cocoa came in a box lined with paper. Supergreen. Ok, the paper was possibly (probably) lined with plastic, but it was the best I could do.
For a while life was good then yesterday I took a special trip to Morrisons to buy some more and there was none to be had. They hadn’t just run out but there was no space for it on the shelves

So do Morrison’s still do Fairtrade cocoa? Well according to the Fairtrade website yes they do.Is it just the Huddersfield store that has decided not to stock it? Was I just unlucky in cocoa that day?

Latest News On Asda 

Asda may do cocoa in a cardboard box with paper liner. Yet to check that out!

The Joker Box Of Shame

Then Mother got involved. She burst into the house flushed with pride.“I dont know what all the fuss is about”, she carrolled handing me a box of cocoa from Sainsburys. How many times have I told her “Squeeze and listen!” for the tell tale crackling of the plastic bag inside. Sure enough the cocoa was further packed in a plastic bag – and not even one we can recycle. You can find other other sneaky plastics here.

More

Find more refill stores here 

Drinking Chocolate

I found this on Todmorden Market . The deli stall sells real drinking chocolate wrapped in paper and foil. You buy it in bars, bash it into bits and melt it in hot water or milk, (or my personal fave half / half mix), to make drinking chocolate. Or you can chuck a chunk in a shot of espresso in to make a funky, monkey mocha. It tastes good but there is a downside – it  is not cheap and you can’t use it to make chocolate cake!

Another downside. the deli has stopped doing it. all I can tell you is that it does exist.

N.B.

lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

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Water – Index

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged , , 1 Comment

You’re in the right place for information on 

Tap Water U.K.
Refill Schemes – in the U.K.
Carbonated Water  Make your own from tap
Office water
Bottled Water – some facts and greener optionsplastic-free, refillable options here
Water Abroad
Is it safe? Find out here.
How to sterilise
Some refill schemesOther watery stuff

U.K Tap Water

If you are lucky enough to live in a country where the water is safe to drink the easiest way to access plastic free water is from a tap. You can do this at home. In which case you will need a refillable water bottle to take out with you.
Read up about U.K. Tap water here 

Refill Schemes

But what happens when you’re out and about and away from the kitchen or you’ve forgotten your Steripen

Refill Schemes in the U.K. 
The U.K.  is one country lucky enough to have safe drinking water BUT sometimes when you are out and about it can be hard to access tap. These worthy schemes  aim make safe, free, tap water available.

Carbonated Water

But I like fizzy water? Make your own from tap 

Office Water

Want plastic free water at work – try these water filters 

Bottled Water

Tap is best but what if you need bottled? Some plastic-free, refillable options here

Unsafe Tap Water/ Water Abroad

Tap water in many countries the water is actually safe to drink. In others sadly it is not. You can find out here… Can I Drink The Water?
Visit this super cool website to find out if you drink the water. Just pick the country you want and read the result.
Yes? Hooray – all you need to take is your refillable bottle. Fill it with tap water and no need to ever buy bottled.

Sterilise Your Own Water
When the tap water is not safe we still don’t buy bottled water. Instead we sterilize tap water using a Steripen. Been doing this for years all over the world.

Refill Abroad

Many countries offer a refill service where you can buy filtered purified water
Find A Refill Service
S.E.Asia Thailand & Malaysia
Phillipines
India
China

More Water Posts

Off Grid?

Make your own water from air. Have a look at this interesting machine. “Our smallest machine, the Water from Air™ AW3 makes up to 32 litres of great tasting, purified water straight from the air. Our largest, scalable machines (WFA100+) make up to 1500 litres per day, per unit – for example, if the need is 6000 litres per day, the configuration will require 4 stackable units.” Visit the web site.

Water Bottles

For both of the above you will need a refillable, reusable bottle. You can get these anywhere

Other Drinks

And if you can’t stand the filthy stuff, check out our our drinks index here

More Travel Tips

Why and how I backpack #plasticfree. Homemade suntan lotion and a steripen are 2 of my favourite on the road  #plasticlessproducts. Rummage in my pack here

N.B.

Lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

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