The Clean Up Cruelty Pledge

Clean Up Cruelty is a campaign run by Cruelty Free International to help raise awareness of animal tested household products such as cleaning products, dishwasher tablets, washing-up liquid and air fresheners. To test the ingredients that go into these products, animals such as rabbits, mice, hamsters and rats are injected, gassed, force-fed and killed. Whilst the law has recently changed meaning that new cosmetics cannot be tested on animals in the European Union, the UK government has failed to keep its promise to ban animal testing of household products.  

Rabbits, hamsters, rats and mice have traditionally been injected, gassed, force-fed and killed to test the ingredients that go into everyday household products such as washing up liquid, air fresheners and dishwasher tablets. - See more at: http://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/en/household-products#sthash.Fk5FFV4K.dpuf

Rabbits, hamsters, rats and mice have traditionally been injected, gassed, force-fed and killed to test the ingredients that go into everyday household products such as washing up liquid, air fresheners and dishwasher tablets. - See more at: http://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/en/household-products#sthash.Fk5FFV4K.dpuf

Rabbits, hamsters, rats and mice have traditionally been injected, gassed, force-fed and killed to test the ingredients that go into everyday household products such as washing up liquid, air fresheners and dishwasher tablets. - See more at: http://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/en/household-products#sthash.Fk5FFV4K.dpuf

There are many cruelty-free cleaning products available, proving that animal testing is not just cruel but unnecessary too. To be sure that the products you are buying are truly cruelty-free, you should only buy from companies that have been awarded the Leaping Bunny logo as this means no animal testing is conducted or commissioned for finished products or ingredients in any phase of product development by the company, its laboratories or its suppliers after a fixed cut-off date. Marks and Spencer's and the Co-operative's own brand cleaning products are certified as cruelty-free, as are brands such as Astonish, Method, Ecozone and Bio-D. Check the Go Cruelty Free website regularly for a full up-to-date list of cruelty-free companies. There are several things that we can all do to help end animal testing of household products: 1. Sign the petition to urge the government to implement the ban as soon as possible. Don't forget to share it on Facebook and Twitter to get your friends involved as well. 2. Send this tweet to the Home Office:@UKHomeOffice @CrueltyFreeIntl It's time to ban animal tests for cleaning products AND ingredients #cleanupcruelty http://bit.ly/14Me98u  3. Take the Clean Up Cruelty Pledge to only buy Leaping Bunny certified products for your home, and make sure you stick to it! Once you know which brands are cruelty-free and where to buy their products it really is easy to stick to the pledge. 4. Take the Clean Up Cruelty Pledge to only buy Leaping Bunny certified products for your workplace. Simply download the pledge form and guidance notes (which can be found here), complete the form stating which Leaping Bunny certified products you use and send it back to Cruelty Free International. In return you will receive a certificate which you can display in your workplace to let everyone know that you are cruelty-free! Before I set up my holistic therapy business I knew that I wanted to only use Leaping Bunny certified products in my treatments. I have to check the company list regularly though, as on a couple of occasions I discovered that I had been continuing to buy from companies that had had their certification revoked without me realising. I managed to find some even better products though, and when I found out about the Clean Up Cruelty Pledge I couldn't wait to apply for my certificate. As well as only using cruelty-free beauty products and essential oils, I also only buy cruelty-free cleaning products for my business. I am lucky that my treatment room is right next to a Co-op, so all my cleaning products, washing-up liquid, hand wash etc comes from there (Co-op clearly label which products are vegan too). I filled out the form and sent it off, and I promptly received my certificate which is proudly displayed in the waiting room.  

 I am really proud to be a cruelty-free consumer, and I have had new clients come to me because I am a cruelty-free and vegan business. I highly recommend making your workplace cruelty-free no matter what line of work you are in as it shows that you are caring and compassionate. Vegan/cruelty-free consumers would much rather give their custom to ethical businesses, so by taking the pledge you could be opening up your doors to new and loyal customers. Don't forget to like Cruelty Free International on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news and updates.

Vegan Yorkshire Pudding Recipe

In my house we have a roast dinner nearly every Sunday without fail. We don't always have Yorkshire puddings though so I completely forgot about them when I went vegan and it never occurred to me that you must be able to make a vegan version. That was up until a few months ago, when a lovely lady called Heather posted a recipe in a vegan Facebook group. Heather had played around with a non-vegan recipe she had found and discovered that mixing the egg replacer and water in a blender rather than by hand yielded the best results. Intrigued, I decided to give the recipe a go, and upon tasting the golden, crispy puddings I was hooked! My roast dinners just don't feel complete without a couple of these delicious Yorkshires anymore. 

  I've had a few requests for the recipe since I posted some pictures in a recent makes and bakes post, so without further ado, here it is. This recipe makes 6 large Yorkshire puddings, but you can halve the quantities to make 4 smaller ones.  Ingredients

♥ 100g plain flour
♥ 250 ml unsweetened non-dairy milk of your choice
♥ 4 tsp egg replacer powder such as Ener-G or Orgran
♥ 8 tbsp water

Method
1. Preheat oven to 230°C/gas mark 8.

2. Add a drop of oil to each section of your Yorkshire pudding pan and place in the oven to heat.

3. Whisk together the flour and milk.

4. In a blender/food processor combine the egg replacer and water until very fluffy.

5. Quickly fold the "egg" into the flour mixture.

6. Once the pan is very hot, pour the Yorkshire mixture into the sections and put back into the oven. The oil should sizzle when the batter is added to it.

7. After 15-20 minutes take the pan out of the oven (the tops should be starting to crisp at this point) and "pop" the tops with the back of a spoon to expose the centres. Put the Yorkshires back in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.

 The trick to successful Yorkshire puddings is to ensure that both the oven and the oil in the pan are very hot! If you try out this recipe I'd love to hear how your puddings turn out.

 

Restaurant Review: Wildebeest Cafe in Falmouth, Cornwall

Vegan cafes/restaurants are hard to come by. Sure, there are plenty of vegetarian restaurants that have a few vegan options, but there aren't many totally vegan ones. So imagine my excitement when I heard that a brand new vegan cafe was opening not far from me! Wildebeest is a new cafe/bar in Falmouth, Cornwall. They are open all day for breakfast, coffee and cake, lunch and dinner. The food takes inspiration from all over the world, and local produce is used where possible. Wildebeest also sell a selection of vegan beers, wines and cocktails. I couldn't wait to visit, so when my friends and I were deciding where to go for our next meal out, I suggested the Wildebeest. Although my friends aren't vegan or vegetarian, they are open to trying different foods and were just as excited as I was to go there! 

 

 The cafe is small but cosy. The menu is written on a big blackboard on the wall. What I love about Wildebeest's menu is that it changes regularly; it is nice to be able to have different options to choose from every time you visit a restaurant. Here was the menu on the night we visited: 

 I decided to try the gnocchi. I'd never tried it before and I wasn't disappointed. The pesto was so creamy and delicious - absolutely bursting with flavour. The cashew parmesan was really tasty too. 

 Both my friends went for the Mex Mix (minus the cashew cheese). Chloe has a nut allergy and Zoe is coeliac, so after discussing their dietary requirements with the lovely waitress, they were advised on which dishes would be suitable for them. It felt a little strange that for once I did not have to mention my requirements to the staff! 

 We all thoroughly enjoyed our main courses, which were really filling. But no matter how full you are there's always room for dessert, right? Zoe had the raw raspberry cheesecake with coconut whipped cream, Chloe had the lemon and blueberry cupcake and I had the chocolate brownie (warmed!) with a scoop of homemade chocolate ice cream. We all loved our desserts, and I can safely say (after sampling all three dishes!) that they were among the best vegan desserts I've had. I hope the raspberry cheesecake is available next time I go to Wildebeest as I wouldn't mind having a large slice of it! 

 

I really enjoyed dining at the Wildebeest. The food was excellent and very reasonably priced, and the staff were really friendly and knowledgeable. The cafe was fully booked the night we went, and I've heard it's always really busy. I think it's a hit with both vegans and non-vegans alike! I can't wait to go back :) 

Recent Makes & Bakes

I've been doing a lot of baking and dessert-making lately; at least once a week! I love baking and my family and friends (non-vegans) are always impressed with my sweet treats (I just wish I was good at cooking as well!). Here are some of the things I've made over the last few months.
 

Chocolate Chip Oatie Biscuits

Iced Lemon Loaf Cake (my mum actually made this one!)

Chocolate Trifle (Mum made this one too)

My brother's birthday cake: I made a chocolate sponge with buttercream and decorated it to look like his Staffy, Rhino

Triple Chocolate Cookies

Yorkshire Puddings!

Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Bars

Chocolate Raspberry Semifreddo

Chocolate Fudge Cake (Served with Raspberry Swedish Glace)

Honeycomb

Chocolate Fudge Pudding (our Boxing Day Dessert!)

  Let me know if you'd like me to do any recipe posts!

The Vegan Kind #TVK4

There are now lots of monthly food and beauty product subscription boxes on the market, and the only reason I had never signed up to one before was because generally most of the products are not vegan or cruelty free. Late last year, when I heard that fellow cruelty free blogger Karris was launching her own 100% vegan and cruelty free subscription box The Vegan Kind, I wasted no time in signing up!I have received all four boxes so far (I would've reviewed all of them but I had a little blogging break), and I have loved every one of them. You get a good mix of items in each box (5-8 products) ranging from food, toiletries, cosmetics, cleaning products, accessories and household supplies - plus a recipe card - all for just £10 + £2.95 p&p. 10p from the sale of each box goes to a different animal charity every month! February's chosen charity is the Society for Abandoned Animals in Manchester, who care for and rehome unwanted cats, dogs and rabbits.
The recipe inside this month's box is bean sushi by Self Sufficient Cafe. Though I'm not really a fan of Japanese cuisine, this recipe does look good - maybe I will try it out sometime! Here's what was inside February's box: 

 

Jack having a sniff!

 inSpiral Kale Chips 30g (RRP £2.19)I've heard good things about kale chips and have been wanting to try them for ages. inSpiral's chips come in 5 different flavours; I received baobab & onion. I haven't got round to trying these yet but hopefully they will be a good replacement for regular potato crisps (my weakness!).  Sweet Freedom Choc Shot, 320g (RRP £3.59)A liquid hot chocolate that can also be used on ice cream or toast, in porridge and milkshakes etc. I opened this straight away and used it as a topping for some chocolate chip pancakes I made for breakfast one Saturday (and topped with raspberries and hazelnuts!). It is so divine! It's 100% natural so you needn't feel too guilty about smothering everything in this dreamy chocolate sauce. I haven't tried it in hot chocolate as I don't really drink it, but I did use it to decorate the plates when I made an amazing chocolate raspberry semifreddo for our Sunday dessert last week. The choc shot went really well with the richness of the dessert - so well, in fact, that I could've even poured some more over the top!

 Organic Surge Sugared Almond Shower Gel, 250ml (RRP £4.35) I haven't tried this yet but I hope it smells as good as it sounds! This shower gel is 98.89% natural, which is great as I prefer to avoid chemicals as much as I can. It also contains palmarosa essential oil, aloe vera and glycerine to nourish and hydrate the skin. 1066 Cake Stand Cinder Toffee, 50g (RRP £1.50)I love honeycomb/cinder toffee, and I am looking forward to dipping this in chocolate, or perhaps crumbled on top of some cupcakes. This took Jack's fancy as well! 1066 Cake Stand are a vegan bakery in Hastings. They have a separate wheat and gluten free kitchen, perfect for people with allergies.  

 Braw Pressed Fruit and Oat Bar, 35g (RRP 99p)These healthy snack bars come in four different flavours (I got blackcurrant) and count as one of your five a day. All the bars are 100% natural, contain no added sugar and are gluten free. Again, I haven't tried this yet but I'm sure it's delicious. I love these kind of bars as they are so handy to keep in your bag for when you need a snack on the go.Jack and I can't wait for next month's box!

Mum, what do you mean I can't have any of it?

 

PHB Ethical Beauty Skincare Review

I recently decided to change the product range that I use in my facial treatments. I have a strict range of criteria when it comes to buying personal beauty products, but even more so for my business. Firstly, the products must be vegan (goes without saying!), and secondly, I prefer to buy from companies that carry the Leaping Bunny logo. I also only desire to use natural products on my clients' skin - there are far too many harsh chemical-based products out there. Lastly, I prefer products that have little or no fragrance so that I can add different essential oils to them depending on each client's needs. The company that ticked all my boxes was PHB Ethical Beauty. Having already tried (and loved) their mascara and lipstick, I had confidence that their skincare products would be just as brilliant. I bought a selection of products to try out for myself first. I opted for the 'gentle' range which is aimed at sensitive skin and therefore not heavily scented. 

 Gentle Facial Cleanser, £12.95This is such a gorgeous, luxurious cleanser - my skin felt really clean and smooth after using it. It is rich and creamy, and gently melts away your makeup (even waterproof mascara). Organic cucumber helps to cool and refresh the skin.   

 Gentle Facial Tonic, £12.50This toner is made with organic rose water and it has a beautiful aroma. It left my skin feeling refreshed and calm. You can either spray it directly onto the skin or apply with cotton pads. 

 Gentle Moisturiser, £15.85This moisturiser contains coconut and vitamin E to soothe and nourish the skin. It is quite a rich moisturiser but it is easily absorbed. I suffer from dry skin in the winter so this moisturiser is perfect for me (I do still get an oily nose and chin, but it didn't make those areas look greasy). My skin felt really soft and supple after using this. 

 Gentle Poppy Seed Exfoliator, £12.50 I love using a good exfoliator to slough away dead skin cells, but often they can be too harsh. This product is made with natural poppy seeds (as opposed to plastic beads which harm the environment) to gently exfoliate the skin without causing irritation. It also contains olive and argan oils to leave skin looking and feeling radiant. I loved this exfoliator as it left my (sometimes) sensitive skin feeling fresh and smooth. 

 Gentle Face Mask, £16.75 Out of the whole range I would say that this is one of my favourite products. It just feels so nice on your skin - soothing and cooling. What I also love about it is that it is thick, creamy and non-setting. Setting face masks can often leave your skin feeling tight and dry afterwards, but this one leaves it feeling smooth. It is also so much easier to remove than a setting mask! Avocado and camellia are added to help to soothe, nourish and rejuvenate the skin. 

   Organic Aloe & Strawberry Firming Eye Treatment, £13.80This eye gel left my eye area feeling soothed and refreshed. It is easily absorbed and contains vitamins and amino acids to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.  

 I have started using the products on my clients and they love them too. I am really impressed with PHB's skincare range; it is so nice to find products that are as natural as they claim to be (I often see 'natural' products that still contain one or two chemical nasties). Whilst the products aren't too expensive, they aren't cheaply priced either. However I definitely think that it is worth paying a little bit more if you want natural, high-quality, ethical products.Have you tried anything from PHB's skincare range?

 

Gooey Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gooey, chewy chocolate chip cookies are easily one of my favourite sweet treats. Before I went vegan I used to buy the packs from supermarket bakeries and eat two or three in one sitting. It occurred to me this morning that I have not indulged in the fudgy delight of these cookies for well over a year, since I've yet to find a ready-made vegan version. But home-baked goods always taste ten times better anyway, and as I had a friend coming over for the afternoon I decided to whip up a batch of cookies. I dug out an old recipe and easily veganised it. I used a packet of dark chocolate chunks and also some vegan white chocolate which I roughly chopped up. These cookies are also great with raisins and/or nuts in, and maybe even some cocoa for a double chocolate version.  

 Ingredients♥125g vegan margarine♥100g light brown sugar♥125g caster sugar♥1 tablespoon sunflower oil♥2 tablespoons water♥1 teaspoon vanilla extract♥225g self-raising flour♥½ teaspoon salt♥2 teaspoons baking powder♥200g chocolate chips
Method1. Preheat oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Lightly grease a couple of baking trays. 2. Cream together the margarine and both sugars until well combined and fluffy. 3. Add the oil, water and vanilla extract and stir to combine. 4. Sift in the flour, salt and baking powder, then add the chocolate chips and stir until a soft dough forms. 5. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, place on the baking trays and flatten with a spatula. If the cookies rise up slightly during baking just flatten them again whilst they are still hot. 6. Bake for about 7-10 minutes depending on how gooey you like your cookies.  7. Once out of the oven, leave the cookies to harden on the trays for a minute then transfer to a wire rack to cool.  

 These cookies are delicious when eaten warm from the oven!