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February 12, 2013

Eating pancakes. Lots of pancakes. #CookingwithHJ

Today is Shrove Tuesday. It’s reasonably well known that, historically, households would eat up all their ‘fun foods’ (my words, not the social history books’) before a lenten fast begins on Ash Wednesday. 

What I found out today, thanks to the BBC, is that the families feasted on the eggs and milk (and the meat and fish) because they are the foods that would go off during the 40 days to Easter. 

A few dots have just been joined together by a sticky line of marmalade. I had always thought it was like smokers on New Years Eve - desperately inhaling enough nicotine to at least get them through their crashing hangover the following morning - getting that one last hit of sweet delight, before beginning their supersrs fast. 

My recipe for newly enlightened pancakes: 

  • 115g of wholemeal flour
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 2 sizeable eggs
  • 200ml of semi-skimmed milk
  • 80ml water
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • Sift the flour from about 30cm above the mixing bowl - I like to use wholemeal flour, because it’s just as tasty as white - though, a pain in the backside to sift properly. Mix in the salt. 
  • In a jug, add the milk with the water and the vanilla essence.
  • Make a well in the middle of the flour, and crack the eggs into it. Break the yolk with a balloon whisk.
  • Gradually pour the milky mixture into the well and whisk in the flour - leaving you with a light, creamy and runny batter. 
  • Pour a 10p-size drop of sunflower oil in a hot griddle and coat the pan in the warming fat. 
  • Grab a soup ladle… and I’ll leave you do the rest. Serve with as many wondrous combinations of fridge-plunder as you can stomach before you suffer angina-by-way-of-pancakes.

My preference is to use organic ingredients, not least the eggs, because when you crack them into a well of sifted flour, are a gorgeous deep golden yellow.

This evening, I had a huge amount of fun throwing together the contents of my fridge’s condiments shelf (I’m not the only one that has a shelf dedicated solely for jams and chutneys - right?) 

Particular favourites of 2013: 

Mature (and heart-stoppingly blue) Stilton and Abel & Cole’s Orange Seville Marmelade

Brie and Halzephron Plum Chilli Chutney

Cheddar and Sweet Chilli Sauce.

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October 23, 2012

#CookingwithHJ - Archive

Some of my older followers will have already seen this, but I saw it by chance earlier this week and thought my active blog should be home to a post written over a year ago, but no less a favourite.

~

June 2011

For some time now, I have been trapped in a sort of long-term ‘Domestic Goddess Internship’; a bastard of a journey, long hours and unpaid - but ultimately, if you make it, a springboard into glory. 

Now, following that nicely shoehorned metaphor, I shall share with you some of my nuggets - nay, pearls - of wisdom that have been garnered by what can only be described as ‘cocking up a storm in the kitchen’. 

To set the scene, it was a quiet June evening. The Boyfriend was in bed with a headache, and I - having just devoured the latest copy of Waitrose Kitchen - was rallied with a false sense of potential and desire to offer something to relieve said headache of my beloved. 

Obviously, I felt the entire enterprise should be broadcast out via Twitter, 140 agonising characters at a time.

NB: Apologies to the The River Cottage for failing to faithfully follow their recipe for ‘Almond Tart with Strawberries’. 

Culinary supremacy does not come without its costs. Mostly to my pride and clean work surfaces.


HJ’s Twenty-Four Tweet Guide to Fucking Up a Flan.

1: Begin to prep pastry _before_ realising you not have a ‘flan’ tin-thing. Make do w/tin substantially lacking in diameter #CookingwithHJ

2: Since overcoming the recent battle to check full list of ingredients, begin to prep filling before checking the _amounts_ needed 

3: Get so engrossed in making filling, forget to take baking pastry from oven. #CookingwithHJ

4: Whilst Boyfriend headachy, begin screeching b/c usual oven gloves are in wash, & clean oven mats don’t open oven door. #CookingwithHJ

5: Hot ovens are hot. Avoid pushing tray back into oven with bare hand. #CookingwithHJ

6: Having salvaged mostly edible remains of pastry base, spill ‘shape-forming baking beans’ across counter and floor. #CookingwithHJ

7: Realise you have started on a 3 hour baking mission at 8pm. #CookingwithHJ

8: Mid-mixing, realise you lack enough key ingredient. Run out into street covered in flour & wearing polka-dot pinny. #CookingwithHJ

9: On street, remember you’re still wearing slippers, & forgot your purse, before haring up to corner shop for ingredient. #CookingwithHJ

10: At corner shop, be greeted by, “Oh god, what are you cooking now?! Going badly, huh?’ #CookingwithHJ

11: Substitute unsalted butter w/salted butter. Hope for best. #CookingwithHJ

12: Once bastardised version of River Cottage’s strawberry & almond flan in oven, completely forget what time ‘baking’ began. #CookingwithHJ

13: Wipe icing sugar off face. Review wreckage of kitchen counter, inc. washing pile. #CookingwithHJ

14: Open gin bottle. Forget everything. #CookingwithHJ

15: Drop iPhone in leftover mixture. Lick iPhone. #CookingwithHJ

16: Where possible, work with ancient and cantankerous gas oven, which doesn’t keep a constant temp. thru-out. #CookingwithHJ

17: Return to gin glass. If it wasn’t meant to rise, it has now. #CookingwithHJ

18: When checking on progress, absent-mindedly turn off gas. Sit down for 20 minutes. #CookingwithHJ

19: On opening & reheating oven, allow smoke to pour into kitchen. Start fanning back-door furiously, to avoid smoke alarms/boyfriend going mental. #CookingwithHJ

20: Stand back, and enjoy stifled choking and forced murmerings of ‘Mmm.’ #CookingwithHJ

21: (Stood alone in kitchen) Consistency test: “It’s crunchy. Flans aren’t meant to be crunchy.” #CookingwithHJ
(From @richxphotog: if it’s crunchy, it’s gone past flan; it is now a tart.)

22: If in doubt, take most edible slab (salvaged from charred entity) & take to the office w/ an air of effortlessly victorious domestic goddess. #CookingwithHJ

23: Cover creation with two punnets of strawberries in a valiant effort to hide colour/texture inconsistencies. #CookingwithHJ

24: In office, pass round single cream to ‘take the edge off’ crunchiness. 


And there, reader, you have it. Total incompetency, stubborn determination and a feigned expression of delight at end result is all you will need to recreate this crunchy fruit tart. 

To close, I should share with you this gem from @richxphotog: 

@HJFantaskis Sounds like you’ve invented your own genre of pudding. A fruit quiche niche, if you will. 

Praise indeed. 
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October 18, 2012

The Tavistock Tunic - a review for @SeasaltClothing

#OrganicCotton #SustainableFashion 

Last week, an email from Seasalt appeared in my inbox.

Hello,

A little while ago you purchased some lovely things from Seasalt and if you haven’t already, we’d like to invite you to write a review.

*Rolls up sleeves, rubs hands* Right then. 

The item in question was the Tavistock Tunic.

Now, anyone who knows me, knows I love a tunic. I fell completely in love with them a couple of summers ago, when I spent a long weekend in Paris dressed in a combination of tunics, cropped trousers, pumps, enormous sunglasses and disdainful look at grockles. For one glorious, fleeting moment in a cafe, I was mistaken for a Parisien. I have never looked back. 

Seasalt - as I explain in a blogpost I wrote for Greenhouse PR - is my bread and butter ethical fashion label. I buy my (organic) jersey cotton tops from them (they are, it appears, as big a fan of a good stripe as I am).

So when September’s payday joyfully arrived, I was straight on their website, browsing the Autumn/Winter womenswear collection.

The Tavistock Tunic is 100% organic cotton, with a seriously flattering boat neckline, with contrast cuffs. It’s pretty typical of Seasalt - relaxed, practical, and has quickly becomes a wardrobe favourite. 

It’s warm, it’s comfortable and it is a perfect addition to my wardrobe. It’s slightly oversized, which works in my favour. The cut around the underarm is loose - very loose - which means that I’ve been able to wear this a few days (though, I admit, not in a row) before putting it on a cold wash.

Laundering is the biggest portion of a garment’s carbon footprint during its active service, so I’m doing what I can to reduce this. Buying a tunic that’s not close fitting around my underarm has already proved to reduce the need to be launder after every wash. 

Now, enough about footprints, and ecologically-friendlier fabrics. I LOVE this outfit. 

The Tavistock Tunic, pale skinny jeans, a yellow scarf (one of those impulse purchases which turned out to be bang on the mark - with a Mostly Blue wardrobe it contrasts perfectly), and my trusty jungle red heels that send me well over 6ft.

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October 16, 2012

3 months on: @ArthurandHenry

#SustainableFashion #Menswear

Since Arthur&Henry arrived earlier this summer, my outlook on the direction of ethical menswear has vastly perked up. 

I caught up with Clare Lissaman, co-founder of Arthur&Henry, to see how they were getting on.

It’s been an incredibly busy few months for the team, and Clare tells me the response to Arthur&Henry’s launch has been fantastic. ”We always knew that there were eco-minded men out there who were desperate for something they could wear to work or for smart occasions, but we weren’t expecting the customers who were simply looking for a decent shirt. It’s been brilliant - and we’ve already had customers returning to order more shirts.”

Arthur&Henry are passionate about organic and Fairtrade cotton. It’s a socially and environmentally sustainable option for producing their incredible line of shirts, but it’s not without its difficulties. “It’s quite a challenge making shirts of this quality in organic and Fairtrade cotton,” Clare says, “There’s a reason why no-one has done it before!” Rising prices of raw materials and set against an economy in recession, Arthur&Henry are among the first to create a beautiful menswear product that is affordable, and accessible. 

If you’re interested in the cotton textile industry, and the impacts (both positive and destructive) of organic and conventional cotton, I recommend you check out the Soil Association’s Have You Cottoned On Yet? report.

Talking about the future, Arthur&Henry will be launching their winter collection soon, but adds that - as part of their efforts to be a better kind of menswear brand, they’ll not adhere to rigid ‘seasonal’ collections. It adds too much pressure to the factories, and the garment workers are almost always the victims. “So while we will introduce new fabrics and shirts, we’re not going to be beholden to a cycle that is good for neither customer nor producer.” This, for me, is the kind of game-changing thinking the ethical fashion movement desperately needs.

Arthur&Henry will be appearing in some Christmas fayres, including the Fair Christmas Fayre, and the Festive Feast Indoor Christmas Market in Stoke Newington. 

As a special treat for our Ethical Fashion Blogathon followers, use voucher code ETHICALBLOGATHON to receive £15 off their favourite shirt of the collection, the Blue Floral Shirt.

This post was published as part of the #EthicalFashionBlogathon, led by Ceri from Style Eyes. You can also read other blogposts in this short series.

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October 10, 2012
The True Cost of Cotton, by @EJFoundation

#EthicalFashion The Exec. Summary is very, very much worth a read, even if you don’t have time to read the whole (excellent) report. 

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October 09, 2012

#SustainableFashion @FinisterreUK and The Cligga Shirt

I should point out now that 1) I am Cornish and 2) I am exceptionally biased towards any labels who are a) ethical and b) based in Cornwall. So it will come as no enormous surprise to find that Finisterre is one of my favourite ethical fashion labels. 

[Actually, we could stop there, but I’ve got about 300 words of subjective adoration and coo-ing cocked and ready to spaff all over the page, and I’ve just gone on my lunchbreak.]

Take a look at this beauty: 

The facts - 

The website: www.finisterreuk.com

The price: £85

Now, it’s no Arthur & Henry shirt, but it’s pretty bloody lovely - and spot on for Finisterre’s target market. 

Speaking to one of the chaps in their HQ in St. Agnes (approximately 12miles from where my Granny & Grandpa are sat in their conservatory doing the crossword), he told me that the shirt - and, indeed, Finisterre as a brand - was created to challenge the Big Four surf brands. These four focus on cheap t-shirts and shorts. 

‘There’s a surfer out there,’ he went on, ‘that wanted more from their clothing. They wanted a surf brand who offered good quality, well-made, warm clothing.’ Excellent. 

Now, enough about the why and the who. This shirt is gorgeous. Observe: 

I’ll keep it brief, but it’s 100% heavyweight organic cotton and the fabric is very tightly woven, making it especially warm - but it will relax with each wear and wash.

Finisterre clocked that there weren’t many shirts on the market that ticked the following boxes: Organic, and Good. 

It is clear, I think, that the Cligga shirt has been carefully thought about. There’s been lots of attention to the fit and the cut, and Finisterre’s producer partners in Portugal are specialist shirt manufacturers. 

‘It’s not a run of the mill job,’ Nice Chap from Finisterre says. I agree by nodding - I assume he hears this, because he continues, ‘Yep, we wanted to make a really well-tailored shirt.’

Other notable features: reinforced stitching throughout, two colourways, contrasting inner collar and 2 utility chest pockets. Mm. Lovely. 

If you’re interested in their story and their cracking Traceability Programme, you can take a look at their i-spy.

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October 08, 2012

For Sale: World’s Most Sustainable Suit

@MandSpress #SustainableFashion - 

Way back in the beginnings of the summer, I wrote a fairly verbose post describing (in bullet points, no less) my absolute delight at the news that M&S were launching the World’s Most Sustainable Suit. 

At the end of August, M&S posted this rather nice looking graphic, announcing the launch to the wider audience of consumers. 

(A snapshot of the main graphic from social.marksandspencer.com)

This morning, I discovered that the suit is now available to buy online and in store AND you’re now offered the opportunity to buy the suit as a whole, or as separate jacket and trousers (this wasn’t noted in the press release) - which can help folk spread the cost, and fit into their working wardrobes as appropriate. A very exciting moment in mainstream fashion. 

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October 07, 2012

Shwopping - @MandSpress launch Shwop Coat

#SustainableFashion

Earlier in the year, Marks & Spencer (fondly known in my books as ‘Marks & Sparkles’) launched their Shwopping campaign, announcing the splendid Joanna Lumley as their new ambassador, and famous face for the campaign. This was part of M&S’ Plan A - a scheme I have previously championed.

I’ll leave you to do your own (brief) reading if you haven’t come across the campaign, but in its essence, Marks & Sparkles have partnered with charity Oxfam and encourage shoppers to donate their old, unwanted M&S clothes. Oxfam then resell, reuse or recycle the donated textiles, with the admirable objective to raise funds for those in desperate poverty. 

For those Social geeks reading, it was also a remarkable campaign, because they used Facebook as an integral part of building buzz and encouraging Fans to Share the good news.

Today, I woke up to read that, from the phenomenal donations people made through M&S’ stores & Oxfam, Marks & Sparkles are to launch their Shwop Coat - made from shwopped wool. 

The coat is made exclusively from donations made from the Shwopping campaign, and M&S notes that it’s ‘better for the environment, and cheaper for our customers; it is half the cost it would be if made from virgin wool’. 

This is fantastic news. I am particularly interested in their note about the pricing. Prior to M&S’ efforts, recycling wool for new garments has (as far as I am aware) always resulted in a more expensive garment. I am, of course, looking solely at price, and not the value added in such a garment - but this is a key development in the move towards a more sustainable fashion industry.* For customers where sustainability is not (or cannot, due to price) be a decision factor, M&S has done a cracking job of overcoming this obstacle. Now, customers only have to base their purchasing decision on quality, aesthetics and requirement - the Sustainability Premium has been removed.

It’s in stores and online from 10th October, at a very reasonable £89. 

*I wanted to add a closing note, but not in the main body of the post. This is not, unfortunately, the answer. The textiles used in the Shwop Coat have been donated and, therefore, if not ‘free of charge’ (consider marketing budgets, logistics of managing donations and R&D), the textiles are unlikely to be at ‘market price’. However, I would like to stress that it is still a huge move in the right direction, and I will be looking to be ordering one for a loved one as soon as they are in store. 

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July 25, 2012

Ship Shape & Bristol Fashion

#SustainableFashion #Bristol 

Back in January, I was commissioned by Aardman Animation’s internal Environment Group to put together a crash course introduction to ‘Ethical Fashion in Bristol’. I enjoyed writing it so much, the original draft is over 2000 words. Here’s the final (thankfully, abbreviated) version. 

Bristol is one of Britain’s greenest cities - but what has it got to offer for alternative approaches to fashion? 

I would say it depends on your interests and values, but it may also require a revised perspective. 

As the menswear specialist in the sustainable fashion sector, and as an individual alarmed at our ‘throw-away’ culture, I tend to look for brands who are creating interesting designs from upcycled fabrics or materials - especially those destined for landfill. 

My favourite accessories brand (for men, in particular) is Elvis & Kresse. Next time you to go to buy yourself a washbag, what about buying one made from decommissioned fire hose, lined with military-grade parachute silk? Tip: You can get one here.

 

WTF? (What Type of Fashion?) 

In terms of fashion, there are many words used to describe the burgeoning movement of designers, creatives and industry professionals who are looking for an alternative to the current, and highly unsustainable, fast-fashion model. 

I should say now, that by “fashion”, I mean, “clothes bought to wear, bought ‘to be fashionable’ or not.”

These alternative approaches to fashion have been greeted with some skepticism from the press (and industry peers) because there is no one single answer to the problem of fast-fashion.

At its simplest, ‘ethical fashion’ is: 

When environmental and social justice during the design, production, distribution, and/or laundering processes are considered as important as the aesthetic of the product.


How to Dress, Better

This “12 Rules To Dress By” is a really helpful guide to some alternative approaches. 

One particularly useful mental tool is to consider ‘cost-per-wear’. Think about what you are wearing right now. How much did you pay for each item? 

Next time you are shopping, think before you buy: “how often will I wear this?”

If your answer is ‘not very often’, is it worth spending less or buying it second hand (or renting)? If you think you’ll wear it very often, is it worth spending more for a higher quality version? 

Tip: Veronica Crespi at RE:Wardrobe specialises in this Slow Fashion approach. 

(My favourite shirt from Bishopston Trading Company)

The other and more regularly klaxon-sounded option is: can you find what you’re looking for in a charity or vintage shop? 

It’s been said before that the ‘greenest product’ is the one that has already been made. Charity and vintage shops are undergoing a massive revamp with many wisely investing in a visual merchandising specialist who advise on appealing window displays and refreshed interiors - making it easier for the customer to find bargains and a few treasures. Gloucester Road and Bedminster Parade are exceptionally good Bristol hotspots! 


Finally, look at your wardrobe. What do you wear most often?

Are there any garments that you paid eye-watering amounts for and now, wincingly, realise you’ve not worn it for over a year (or more)? What are you holding on to, but, really, won’t wear again? Do you think, if you found the right garment or accessory that could bring together several outfits, you could keep and wear what you’ve already got? 

Tip: before you stride off into Cabot Circus & throw your credit card at the nearest sales assistant - or have a frenzied clear out, leaving yourself with a single polka dot dress and wedged sandals - it might be far more cost effective get in touch with Niki Whittle.


So to close this crash course in Bristol’s ethical fashion, here’s my selection of retailers who offer an alternative approach to buying and trading your clothes in Bristol and Bath. Have at ‘em: 

Amulet Boutique - Bristol

Bishopston Trading Company - Bristol

81 Queens St - Bristol 

Rag Trade Boutique - Bristol

Mint - Bath

Shop Dutty - Bristol

Pink Lemons - People Tree

John Anthony - Nudie Jeans & Monkee Genes

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July 21, 2012

Pants to Poverty - birthday gifts

#SustainableFashion @pantstopoverty

NB: I am definitely not perving on male models in their Fairtrade undercrackers, this is serious fashion journalism. Mostly.

For me, the summer is a busy time of year. Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and whining about the weather. 

I bloody love Pants to Poverty. Their Pants for Life gift, is literally the gift that keeps on giving.

Buy a Pants for Life package for £170 and get twelve pairs of Fairtrade, organic cotton bottom-huggers in fabulously bright colours, delivered to you four times throughout the year. 

You’ll be getting them at a discounted rate (25% off their full price) and £15 from your order will go straight to their charity working to prevent child labour in India. Win! 

And - on a final note - speaking from experience, they are exceptionally comfortable and wash brilliantly well (colours ain’t run yet).

NB: Putting in requests NOW for my own birthday. 

Tags: Pants to Poverty underwear organic cotton Fairtrade mens underwear