Website changes

We are upgrading our website over coming weeks. If you have any difficulties placing an order, please email us at Info@ellaskitchencompany.com and we would be happy to assist.

We have all seen the headlines; we need to look after our beloved planet. To completely transform our planet and rid it of all single-use plastics is of course, not going to happen overnight. However, as they say, “We do not need millions of people doing it perfectly we need millions of people doing it imperfectly”. This means, if we all try to swap out single-use plastics we can all help- just by making small changes. Here at Ella’s Kitchen Company, we wanted to create products that make it easier to cut out using plastics in your home.

 

Here are a few ways in which you can swap to start the journey to going plastic free:

 

Carry a reusable water bottle and coffee cup
In the UK we use over 35 million plastic bottles every day- how unbelievable is that?!  Carrying a reusable bottle is a great way to cut your plastic use and save money too! There’s even an app that tells you where you can refill your bottle for free- ‘Refill’. Also, carrying a reusable coffee cup means you can enjoy your coffee, on the go and plastic free!

Say no to Plastic Straws
Plastic straws are bad news for our oceans. Next time you order a drink, think about whether you need a straw – and if you don’t, just say no! There are so many options other than plastic straws now; try bamboo, paper or steel straws! EKC has the perfect storage box to hold all of your plastic free goodies- the ‘Neat and Nifty’ or the ‘The Stockpile’.

 

Turn it off

Energy conservation is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. Leaving your electricals on standby needlessly uses up energy – hit the off switch and you could see huge improvements, most noticeably in your energy bills!

 

Invest in eco-friendly technology
Make sure that the tech you have got is as energy-efficient as possible. This way, you’re using much less energy for the time that the product is on, saving money, and reducing your energy output.

 

Cutting out Plastic
Plastic seems to have found its way into every single aspect of our lives. However, giving it up isn’t as difficult as you might think. Bring a canvas bag with you when you go shopping, buy your fruit and veg loose and stop buying water in plastic bottles. Whilst at home, to cut down the amount of plastic you use, you can go to zero waste shops and measure out the amount of pasta you would like, straight into your container! Then when you pop back home, using the EKC ‘Stor Pantry’ or ‘Hus Pantry’ you can organise all of your dry goods into separate metal scoops- perfect for a stylish and plastic free kitchen.

 

Plant an herb garden

It’s good to have a reminder around of where our food originates, and this one is super easy. To get organised with all your seeds, for the kitchen and garden; check out Ella’s Kitchen Company’s ‘Bottle Bank’- the perfect way to stay organised and ready to grow all of your luscious herbs.

 

Use less water

Take shorter showers, try low-flow showerheads and use your energy-efficient dishwasher (which uses less water than traditional dishwashing) or switch up your dishwashing practice to leave the faucet running for less time. Only run your laundry if it’s a full load, don’t use heated water unless it’s absolutely necessary and only wash truly dirty clothing.

 

There are so many ways to start removing plastic from our lives and ultimately saving our planet. Remember, “We do not need millions of people doing it perfectly we need millions of people doing it imperfectly”.

The Friendly Soap Plastic plastic everywhere, on your skin and in your hair. But no more! Wash your hair the plastic free way with a solid shampoo

 

The Little Goat Soap This shampoo contains goat’s milk and neem (an oil from the Indian lilac tree), and is recommended for people prone to allergies and a dry scalp. The bar lathered up easily on application, producing silky suds. It rinsed off just as well, without leaving a residue. Hair felt softer and thicker, even without conditioner.

 

Bain and Savon Marshmallow & Chickweed Conditioner for Dry/Itchy Scalp, This Marshmallow & Chickweed oil liquid conditioner is an amazing option for those looking for lucious locks without the plastic bottles!

 

Wild Sage + Co Lavender & Rose Geranium Hair Conditioner – Wild Sage Co products are made with the best natural ingredients possible and are lovingly crafted at their cottage in the Herefordshire countryside.

 

Lush, Seanik This solid seaweed, sea salt and lemon bar gives great shine and volume, with an uplifting summer scent for that buoyant feeling. They’ve added a combination of Irish moss gel (made from bushy red seaweed), with protein-rich Japanese nori seaweed and fine sea salt to give hair some oomph. Lemon oil makes your hair shine, and added the heady tropical scents of mimosa, jasmine and orange flower essential oils.

 

Frama natural Apothecary shampoo has been crafted to cleanse, moisturize, and balance all hair types. This shampoo features the Collection’s signature scent, highlighted by aromatic notes of sandalwood, cedar, and ylang ylang.

Hello from Ella’s!

 

We’ve been busy down here at Ellas HQ.  Down at the farm we’ve been creating and painting lots of gorgeous pantries. We love it when people want to pick their own colours and make it their own. But even better It’s great to hear so many people are making changes in their day to day lives and are ditching the plastic and looking at how live more sustainability.

We’ve come up with some great tips on how to be more sustainable and eco conscious at home.

 

• Turn it off

Energy conservation is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. Leaving your electricals on standby needlessly uses up energy – hit the off switch and you could see huge improvements, most noticeably in your energy bills!

 

 

• Invest in eco-friendly technology

Make sure that the tech you have got is as energy-efficient as possible. This way, you’re using much less energy for the time that the product is on, saving money, and reducing your energy output.

 

 

• Try to cut out plastic

Plastic seems to have found its way into every single aspect of our lives. However, giving it up isn’t as difficult as you might think.  – bring a canvas bag with you when you go shopping, buy your fruit and veg loose and stop buying bottled water.

 

• Plant an herb garden.

It’s good to have a reminder around of where our food originates, and this one is super easy.

 

• Reuse scrap paper.  Print on two sides, or let your kids color on the back side of used paper.

 

• Donate to—and shop at—thrift stores.  You’ll be recycling perfectly usable items, you’ll be supporting your local economy, and you’ll be saving money.

 

• Use less water

Take shorter showers, try low-flow showerheads and use your energy-efficient dishwasher (which uses less water than traditional dishwashing) or switch up your dishwashing practice to leave the faucet running for less time. Only run your laundry if it’s a full load, don’t use heated water unless it’s absolutely necessary and only wash truly dirty clothing.

 

• Create your own compost

Don’t waste your kitchen scraps and leftover food – turn them into compost. You would be surprised how much of the food that you currently throw away can be recycled and turned into compost. Simply place a compost bin in your garden and fill it with any food waste. Coffee from the cafeteria is really good for this.

 

 

We would love to hear what you do at home to be more Green – or if you have any pictures of you’re pantries at home – do send them in we would love to see them!

 

Bye for now

 

Ellas Kitchen Crew

Zero waste shopping isn’t just for bulk-buying and doing ‘your bit’. Aside from the growing problem with single use plastic and packaging, did you know a fifth of your shopping bill goes on packaging?

The UK has an ever growing number of independent zero waste shops – is there one near you?

• Viva Organic, Cardiff Viva Organic is a zero waste shop in Cardiff that does a great line in plastic free cutlery, hard bar shampoos and essentials for your zero waste kit alongside the fruit, veg and dried goods.
• New Leaf Co-op, Edinburgh New Leaf Co-op  sells loose dry goods that you weigh out into your own containers and plenty of gluten free, vegan and dairy free options, including some amazing plant mylks. The store acts as real community hub, with the staff getting involved in other waste less, recycling and upcycling programmes.
• Unpackaged at Planet Organic, LondonThe UK’s largest fully certified organic supermarket, Planet Organic are getting in on the zero waste act. Four of its stores now offer the Unpackaged zero waste way of buying veg grains, dry goods and so on with your own containers. Find them in Muswell Hill, Westbourne Grove, Islington and Torrington Place.
• The Clean Kilo, BirminghamBirmingham’s first zero waste has made a huge impact on plastic free people. The Clean Kilo is based in The Custard Factory in Digbeth and zero waste shoppers can look forward to plastic-free food, drink, toiletries and cleaning products. Take your own containers or pick up recycled ones in the store.
• Earth.Food.Love, Totnes, DevonEarth.Food.Love sells everything from dried goods to shampoos, you can grind your own peanut butter, pick up vegan chocolates and chat to Richard about all things permaculture. It’s a real community hub for the latest wave of city-escapers to Devon.
• Waste Not Want Not, Bridport, DorsetWaste Not Want Not is Dorset’s first zero waste shop. Go for plastic free shopping and buy organic, unpackaged, plant based whole foods as well as detergent and personal care refills and an expanding range of zero waste home and lifestyle products. Don’t have your own plastic containers? Pick up paper bags and organic cotton bags as well as glass jars. It is also planning a home delivery service WAHOO that sounds great!
• Zero Green, BristolBristolians are spoilt for choice when it comes to zero waste shopping. Zero Green in Bristol champions buying in bulk, buying plastic free ingredients and buying local. Pop in and weigh out dry ingredients, washing up liquid, shampoos and lots of other items. Many of their suppliers are local to Bristol and you can also pick up plastic free deodorants, water bottles, KeepCups, bamboo cutlery and stainless steel straws.
• Incredible Bulk, CornwallZero waste stores don’t have to be in fixed locations. Cornwall’s Incredible Bulk is a mobile zero waste shop that sells bulk dried foods, refillable home cleaning products and a mixture of lifestyle products that promote living life with less waste. It travels on a monthly schedule to serve the smaller, more rural communities of Cornwall.
• Wild Thyme Wholefoods, PortsmouthPortsmouth’s Wild Thyme Wholefoods is a worker-owned co-op with a large zero waste section, organic fruit and veg selection and a wide range of liquid cleaning and toiletries as refills. Plus all the packaging is plant based, there’s a juice bar and a takeaway counter.
• Charlotte’s Cupboard, SussexCharlotte’s Cupboard is the first plastic free shop on wheels. Acting like an old fashioned mobile store, the cute van offers dry goods, chocolate, tea, coffee, household essentials and lots more – most of them are organic with plans for that to be 100% very soon. Order zero waste deliveries to your door (in Sussex) or find the van at market days in Sussex including Haywards Heath, Brighton and Lewes.

Do you own a zero waste or plastic free shop? We’d love to hear from you and list you on our website. Drop us a line, we’re always on the hunt for likeminded folk.

You can win one of two great EKC prizes when you play Belvoir Bagatelle. Lucky winners will each receive a small 3 drawer kitchen cabinet and a bread bin, in a colour of their choice.

We’re also offering an exclusive 15% discount via the code belvoir15 that can be used in our online shop.

So have a go, and Good Luck!

https://www.belvoirfruitfarms.co.uk/win-things/bagatelle/

This is one of our especially made Storage Boxes and it neatly holds six of our glass bottles.

Keep it in the kitchen and use each bottle for a different spice, peppercorn or cake decoration or how about keeping it on your desk each bottle filled with paperclips, buttons and drawing pins and anything else you like to collect and keep to hand!

Box: 25 long x 18 deep x 10 high cm

Glass Bottle: 13cm high x 5cm diameter

Our Box is hand painted and has a little cut out so that you can peek through to your bottles.

The bottle lids are specially crafted and have an easy to open half-turn lid.

Coming back to our Christmas catalogue. Everyone loves popcorn, they are the new crisps!  So have fun, popping your own corn on a winter evening.

Use it on your open fire or log burner or buy as a gift to look forward to next summer on your garden fire pit.

This popcorn pan has an extra long handle so there is no worry about getting too close to the fire and with a practical mesh lid to stop the popcorn popping out!

It is a fun gift for the person who thinks they have everything!

Country Homes and Interiors May/June 2015.  Check out our Breadbin on page 2

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Look at p3 the ‘Food and Drink’ section.  A lovely article about our Kitchen Cabinet.

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