This month, my favourite product has to be Emergency Honey Pot. I was feeling run down and could feel the start of a cold coming on, so I tried just one teaspoon. Very soon after, I genuinely felt so much better and more like myself again.

Emergency Honey Pot delivers targeted immune support using a concentrated blend of raw Irish honey, vitamin C, propolis and traditional warming botanicals. I shared it with a friend who was feeling really unwell, and after taking it for a few days they noticed a big improvement. A customer also passed some on to a colleague at work, and he found it helped him feel better too. It has been lovely to see how many people have reached for it when they needed a little extra support. Review by Geraldine, Gill & Mark

Let us know which of our products are your favourites and why
Email Geraldine [email protected]

Zero waste does not always mean buying something new. Sometimes it is about seeing the potential in what already exists. This month we are delighted to share the story of one of our suppliers Natallia, who creates beautiful, practical door mats from old t shirts.

The process is simple but thoughtful. The t shirts are washed, cut into long strips and then knitted by hand into textured mats. What might have ended up in landfill is transformed into something useful and long lasting.

Each mat is completely unique, with colours and patterns shaped by the original fabrics. They are durable, washable and perfect for busy doorways. Some people also like to use them as bath mats, thanks to their soft feel and absorbent nature.

Products like these show how creativity can play a powerful role in reducing waste. By choosing reused materials and supporting local makers, we keep textiles in use for longer and give everyday items a second life.

Geraldine Fitzpatrick

I  was planning on making a vegetable soup, one made from onion, carrot and potato.
 
Discussing this with my mother, I mentioned something about adding a few red lentils to bulk it up. She replied,  “and they are full of protein and why not some sweet potato, they go well together ”.
 
When talking to my mother, we often discuss food preparations, as we have since I was a little boy, that is how I learnt to cook. Today, she is 92, a staunch vegan and still an avid cook. When she recommends something, I listen.
 
So, my soup changed to a ‘Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup’.
 
Enough here to feed 4 people at a sitting.
 
INGREDIENTS

• 100g red lentils (  ½ a cup )
• 1 onion - chopped
• 1 carrot - chopped small
• 1 sweet potato – cubed ( washed, unpeeled )
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 Litre of water
• Spring of thyme/pinch if dried
• 1 bay leaf
• A lemon
• Sea salt
• A drop of olive oil

 
 
METHOD

1.  Soften the onion and garlic in the drop of olive oil
2. Add the lentils to the onion and give it a minute
3. Now add the carrot, sweet potato, thyme, and bay leaf, along with 1 litre of water.
4. Bring to the boil, then simmer for approx. 15 minutes until carrots are cooked
5. Remove the bay leaf and the sprig of thyme
6. With a hand blender, blend it nice and smooth
7. Add ½ tsp of salt then taste it and see if you want more
8. Squeeze ½ the lemon and add juice to the soup. Cut the other half into wedges and serve with each bowl.

 
Serve with a few slices of bread sandwiched with a nice lick of Hungry Soul cream cheese!
  
Note – when peeling vegetables, I try to use organic vegetables as much as possible, so I simply wash the potatoes or carrots and use them as is. The outer peel has plenty of nutrients and also gives food a nice, whole-food taste.
  
HUNGRY SOUL … Making it easier and tastier to adopt that vegan diet the world needs!
 
Jacques Brennan 

Soup for breakfast? What a thought! But you would be surprised how common it is around the world. A nourishing broth though and I absolutely love this! Real beef broth is the secret!!! Here is the Sally Fallon Morell version from the Weston A Price Foundation. Irish measures.
 
Ingredients

• 4 to 5 red onions
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 litres beef stock
• ½ cup cognac
• ½ cup red wine
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot mixed with
• 2 tablespoons water
• sea salt or fish sauce and pepper

 
Instructions

1. Use your food processor to slice onions very thinly.
2. Melt butter in a large, stainless steel pot.
3. Add the onions and cook on the lowest possible heat, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours, or until the onions are very soft and slightly caramelized.
4. Raise heat a bit and cook a few minutes longer, stirring constantly. The onions should turn brown but not burn.
5. Add wine, cognac and stock.
6. Bring to a rapid boil and skim off any foam that may rise to the top. Add the arrow root mixture and season to taste.
7. Serve with round croutons and a platter of raw cheeses.

​Anne Maher

The Reason We Kiss by Forrest Maready 

“Syntropy is, in a way, the opposite of science. Science studies things. Syntropy studies the relationship between things. Science zooms in. Syntropy zooms out. It's an absolutely new way of looking at the world and all the life upon it. Even beyond the earth, in some ways. I'm really excited about this book—I think it may change the way many people think about health”
 
So says the author Forrest Maready who has become my latest interest. That description sums it up for me. We must think differently about health! The book is in stock here and I cannot wait to read it! Published at the same time as the Germ in the Dairy Pail I know it won’t disappoint! 

​Anne Maher

Not many people like January. It is long, busy and quite a chore. What a busy month we have had in January with visitors etc here at the Co-op! Many discussions and plans with the year beginning as The Urban Co-op is a magnet for good intention! It is also though a season of sickness and caring and reverting to the Mother role. The trend is obvious. Fill up with sugar from October to December and pay the price later. Christmas is a time that encourages parties and events. They are exhausting! Pressure to fulfill responsibilities to family and friends with gifts blah blah blah… January comes and the guard is down. But sickness creeps in. I have found this each year. I have learned to slow down and semi hibernate when I can. We joke that we cannot afford to get sick as we end up stepping in for those who are. I certainly feel a responsibility to stay well. Early nights to bed and seaweed baths have become my therapy.
 
But I also have learned to embrace the role of carer when the pre adults get sick and recognise it is an important time to knit family together. How many of us have felt very inconvenienced when the children get sick? Sales of Calpol tell a story. This is a conversation that has emerged lately here where the female energy is vital for co-operatives success. I can see why! So many mothers keeping the show on the road when the troops are sick.. honestly I don’t know how ye would manage with out us! 

​Anne Maher

I cannot explain just how excited I was when the updated Dietary Guidelines came out last month from the States. They were long anticipated and though a few months delayed it has been fun to watch the fallout. Like most entertainment on social media the reactions to the information presented are often more interesting!
 
The vibe is Eat Real Food… and the tables have turned on carbs and low fat. Key changes that will have a significant impact on health. But what has really stood out is the Real Food message and I realise that regardless of the detail we have to start at the very basics again. How many people/ children know what real food is?
 
More to the point what do we mean by food?
 
It depends on the context. A definition I found…
 
Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support, providing energy and essential nutrients necessary for growth and maintenance of life. It can come from plant, animal, or fungal sources and is typically ingested orally.
 
It gets tricky though as you delve into the types of “foods” and whether it’s a food supplement or not. Revenue have detailed the definitions from a tax point of view. Can we pay tax on it?
 
 
report-on-the-definition-of-food
 
From a food law perspective it allows any substance that can be consumed  including additives, flavourings, ingredients… including contaminants..so all the sprays allowed in the growing of same. A pesticide laden carrot can be considered safe to eat…?! A lab grown burger can pass as a food!
A nutritional science view says food provides nutrients and energy. We went right into the depth of this with calorie conversions to the point where we saw the calorie counts and not the food. How easily we have forgotten!
 
Its not as clear as  you might think and I do feel it is only right to bring our selves back to the fold and learn the basics..what is real food! 

Anne Maher

I tried this chai concentrate, and it is honestly the best chai I have ever had. It’s really warming and comforting, especially on cold days or when you just want something cosy.

It’s super easy to make. You just mix one-quarter chai concentrate with three-quarters milk and heat it up. That’s it.
​
I love that it tastes like something you’d get in a café, but you can make it at home in minutes. It’s definitely become a regular drink for me. Review by Ruby

​Let us know which of our products are your favourites and why
Email Geraldine [email protected]