HELLO THERE!
It has been too long since our last newsletter and we hope everyone had a great summer. Maybe you are like us and are actually pretty excited for winter eating to begin - hearty soups and curries, yes please. You know it's definitely Autumn when Tuesday nights are exclusively for watching The Great British Bake Off.
It's been a great month for us as WE TURNED ONE this September 🎉 2022 has been a pretty crazy year for us so far. As some of you may know we have been busy renovating our new home on top of running the store. But after surviving our first year in business and moving into our little house we have taken some much needed time to celebrate and appreciate how much we love running our own business. The current economic climate is pretty tough right now and without all of you we wouldn't be able to do what we do.
In this newsletter you can find the launch of our new campaign, information about our next community event, be the first to sign up for a Christmas workshop, and learn about some new products we have in store.
Rosie and Alex
We are so incredibly grateful to everyone who shops with us - without you our beautiful shop would not be here. However, we know there are people following us who would love to start refilling some of their home goods but either haven't found the time to pop in or don't know where to start.
We totally get it. Life is busy and sometimes new things seem daunting and get pushed to the bottom of the list. But for the month of October we are asking you to refill JUST ONE thing. Grab a jar, bottle, tupperware or bag in your home and just pop in. It may seem small, but refilling one thing would mean the world to us and to our planet. If you decided to refill that one thing every month, and ninety nine other people did the same, that would be 1200 pieces of unnecessary packaging every year saved from being burned, shipped overseas, dumped in landfill or blowing in the wind on our streets or in our waterways. Imagine if next year you went to two? Go on, give it a go - JUST ONE!
WHAT'S NEW - SHORT GRAIN BROWN RICE
Due to popular demand we are delighted to now stock short grain brown rice. Short grain rice contains more starch that long grain, which means that the grains are plump and sticky when cooked. It goes really well with Asian dishes and can be used to make rice balls, rice pudding and sushi.
How to cook short grain brown rice:
Measure 220g of short grain brown rice into a fine-mesh strainer, and rinse under cool running water until the water runs clear. Combine the drained rice and 400ml water in a small saucepan, and add salt to taste. Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the water is absorbed. This can take 40-45 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
WHAT'S NEW - ECO HOMEWARES
We always listen to your suggestions for new products, and we now have six new eco homewares in store.
LOCAL HONEY FROM TOM TONER
We now stock local honey produced by Tom Toner in Belcarra. One of the great benefits of local honey is that it is unprocessed and pure. The honey you find in the supermarket is often boiled and then rapidly cooled to prevent it from becoming granulated on the shelves. However this high heat kills most of the enzymes, vitamins, minerals and amino acids which removes many of the health benefits of honey. The purer the honey, the stronger its benefits, such as helping to fight allergies and potential anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.
Supporting local honey also helps the bee population. Since bees are now classified as endangered, it’s more vital than ever to support local bee farmers who are helping raise and maintain healthy bees.
Adding honey to smoothies, on top of cereals and porridge, or mixing into salad dressings are some great ways to use honey everyday.