We at Home of Juniper have a passion for food. This passion usually revolves around eating… but when we do have time to get in the kitchen the creativity that can go into cooking can be pretty wonderful.
Perfect for this time of year, and great to do with children, is making sugar-coated flowers.
With Easter around the corner we decided to catch up with one of our sweetest producers. Sweet Virtues is a wonderful London based chocolate company whose innovative and delicious flavours have become increasingly popular. Part of the reason for the popularity of these products are the fact that they are organic, vegan and beautifully packaged. Any one with special dietary requirements (or who shops for someone with dietary requirements) knows how hard it can be to find deluxe products at a affordable price, that are vegan and organic. These are a fantastic, sweet treat.
Last month we stumbled across a rather wonderful craft gin … Tea flavoured!
Based in Yorkshire, this company’s gin was so lovely we have decided to share it with you, incase you haven’t heard of it before. One of the first things that caught our attention with this gin was the flavours…they make a lavender addition and a tea addition, two of our favourite things! Read more
I first met Anna in September last year, speaking to her about her beautiful cushions and scarves you can tell immediately that they are the produce of a lot of love and knowledge. She cares not only what they look like, but also how they feel and who made them. As our celebration of International Woman’s Day (8th March) we have taken a bit of time out of Anna’s busy schedule to talk to her about her business and people that work with her. Read more
Our sterling silver ballerina necklace, by our lovely jewellery producing mummy, Vicky
Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent. Historically Mother’s Day in the UK was a day when children who had gone to work as domestic servants were given a day off to visit their mothers and other family members. Some were even allowed to make a cake to bring to their family, this is where the tradition of cake making for Mother’s Day comes from. Everyone we know has different traditions for Mothers’ Day. I remember picking Daffodils in the cold March air….
With Mothering Sunday this month we have decided to tell you about some of our lovely producers who mix creating beautiful things for us with bringing up the children.
As it is Fair Trade Fortnight in the UK, we have decided to tell you a little more about some of our wonderful Fair Trade makers and the companies and organisations that work with them. Fair Trade is synonymous with conscientious consumerism, something that we endeavour to project in our little business.
The World Fair Trade Organisation has simplified the most important aspects of Fair Trade in 10 Principles of Fair Trade: Opportunities for disadvantaged producers; transparency and accountability; fair trade practices; fair payment; no child or forced labour; No discrimination, gender equity and freedom of association; good working conditions; capacity building; promote fair trade; respect for the environment.
‘Would you like an adventure now…or would you like tea first’ Lewis Carol in Alice in Wonderland.
Tea can be a mini adventure these days as the choice is growing.
We like to think of tea as a British tradition, but it was our Portuguese queen, Catherine of Braganza (who married Charles II) who initially made tea drinking fashionable, in the 1600s. Whilst it was once a pleasure reserved for the highest ranking people in the land, it has become accessible to all. Another difference between tea when Catherine was queen and tea now, are the options involved. Not only is there a lovely array of blends and brands, but also a choice in how you receive your tea. There are some wonderful brands keeping tea fashionable and interesting. We have spoken to the owners of three such brands. Read more
Bumblebee on Cosmos
I remember my grandfather telling me about the importance of bees, since then they have always been extra special to me. This is why BBCT is the first charity we are partnering with. To celebrate our partnership with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust from February this year, we are announcing our collection of Bee Gift Sets. What better way to start 2017 than supporting a charity like this one. Though relatively small in size The Bumblebee Conservation Trust has a big heart. The trust was set up with the aim of conserving and spreading knowledge about these wonderful little creatures. We had a chat with them and asked them a few questions:
Provence to Pondicherry by Tessa Kiros
We at Home of Juniper love food. Food is very important. Food holds memories; memories of a grandmothers cooking, recollections of travels abroad, reminders of meals with friends and family… This is something food writer and chef Tessa Kiros understands. Her recipe books are intertwined with history of the food, the links to herself, her past and the world around her.
In her latest recipe book, Provence to Pondicherry, Tessa takes the reader on a journey from Provence to Guadeloupe, Vietnam, Pondicherry, La Reunion and then to Normandy. Throughout this book, as well as wonderful recipes, Tessa tells the reader about the countries the food is from, and the influence of French food in all these beautiful countries. We were lucky enough to catch up with the ever talented Tessa Kiros to ask her about food, travel and inspirations.
As the sound of Auld Lang Syne fades and we start settling into 2017, we have to shimmy through January. January is the month universally acknowledged to be the worst in the year. It is cold, Christmas is over, you have eaten too much and you have written a list of resolutions you don’t really want to keep… With this in mind we are dedicating our first blog post of the year to the best parts of January.
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