Vintage glasses, organic candles and eco kimchi

A round up of the best sustainable things I’ve found this past month.

I bought new workout shorts this week—the scrunch cycling shorts from T/ALA. Sustainably made from recycled polyamide and polyester. They are so comfy! I’ve recommended T/ALA before but this is the first time I’ve tried them. I would recommend them to anyone looking for workout shorts, definitely squat proof.

The roses in my garden are blooming! I never knew I needed big lilac roses until this year. I brought five rose bushes into the garden this summer and the lilac has been the most surprising. The fragrance is overpowering. I’ve also planted a damson tree, it’s pretty small but I’m hoping it grows tall and fruitful by next year.

I recently came across this rental company. They design and produce pregnancy clothes in Europe. The clothes can be rented or you can buy them outright. They also have a small preloved section. The clothes are cute and comfy for pregnancy. I particularly love this linen dress.

These glasses! (below) I found them in a vintage shop in the Cotswolds. They are vintage Babycham glasses – a drink which I’m glad to hear is still available. In the meantime, they are being used in my kitchen for wine…

I found the gladiolas below in a corner of Marks & Spencer. It was only £3 for the bunch, I’m assuming because they are home grown, I wouldn’t like to think how much cost is added to imported flowers. I also found Scottish grown cherries the same day. Disappointingly in plastic but definitely the best cherries I’ve tasted. And from only a few miles down the road!

I’ve been on the hunt for natural candles, and it turns out that when you start looking – they are everywhere. This Daylesford candle is great because you can reuse the jar. However, I bought it for the scent. It smells like a tomato greenhouse. The website is a haven of natural and organic candles. Good luck trying to pick one.

This basil and mandarin candle is glorious. It’s a soy candle, hand poured in Derbyshire. It’s inspired by the plants grown in the kitchen garden of Chatsworth Estate in England. I’ve visited the gardens and can see how they took inspiration from it. It’s the most beautiful kitchen garden I’ve seen. The lemon basil and mandarin scent is lovely, it reminds me of walking past a Lush shop (in a good way), strong and fruity.

The Bee Good To Yourself candle isn’t available online. I bought it in a small shop where they make the candles themselves. It’s beeswax and essential oils. The beeswax scent really comes through, it’s lovely.

I’ve committed to reading a book every month with hopes of reading twelve in a year. I find if I divide the number of pages by the days of the month it gives a good indicator of how many pages I should read per day. It’s usually about ten, which is doable. This past month I read ‘Four Seasons in Japan’ by Nick Bradley. It’s about a family in Onomichi, a small city in Japan I now want to visit!

And finally, I came across Veo, a new online shop that sells lots of great sustainable buys. They have everything from clothing, homeware beauty etc. I will be trying out some of their kimchi varieties, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many different ones. (Note; I have a great brussel sprout kimchi recipe if anyone is interested!) However, the pièce de résistance is the sustainable hot water bottle selection. I can’t decide between recycled faux fur, fleece or teddy bear fabric!

Fancy more reading? What about puffy coat?

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