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Warner Edwards: Give the Gift of Nature
Do you know an eco-conscious gin lover?
If so then I may have found them the perfect gift this Christmas….
Warner Edwards, founded by Tom and Tina in 2012, is a family-run gin distiller that creates an exquisite variety of gins on Falls Farm in Northamptonshire. Entirely committed to keeping nature in mind at every step of the process, Warner Edwards certainly do things a bit differently.
Using homegrown botanicals and natural spring water from the farm, every batch is small and lovingly made. Take the Elderflower Gin for example – the flowers are picked just once a year and, capturing the very essence of summer, find themselves from field to bottle in just a mere couple of hours.
Even the honey that goes into making the Honeybee Gin is collected from Warner Edwards’ own beehives!
These beehives actually serve a wider purpose on the farm – not only do they provide honey for infusing the gin with a gently sweet flavour, but they also support the UK’s bee population, a declining species that desperately need our help.
In fact Tom and Tina are so passionate about bees that, with every bottle of Honeybee Gin, you also get a lovely little packet of wildflower seeds so that you can create your very own bee sanctuary at home!
Now in their second year of beekeeping, Warner Edwards decided to take things a step further by launching The Gift of Nature Edition Box in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society.
This has been an especially exciting launch for the brand with every bottle sold going to help support the work of the RHS. What’s more – the 70 cl bottle of Warner Edwards Honeybee Gin comes in a box which has been thoughtfully designed for upcycling!
It could become a bird box, a planter for your wildflower seeds or even a bee hotel – let your imagination run wild (literally!).
At first I thought about using mine as a bird box – it’s the perfect size for nesting tits in the spring.
But then I decided to upcycle it as a planter for some hyacinth bulbs which needed repotting!
How would you upcycle yours?
And after all that don’t forget to enjoy the gin – you can find Warner Edwards’ delicious recipe for Buzzeco here.
PLEASE NOTE THAT WARNER EDWARDS KINDLY SENT ME THE HONEYBEE GIN GIFT OF NATURE EDITION GIFT BOX TO REVIEW FREE OF CHARGE.
6 Ethical Stores for Christmas Shopping Online
The festive season is here again and with everyone beginning to frantically search for the best gifting ideas I decided to compile a list of online stores where you can shop ethically this Christmas!
A lovely little start-up that launched last month, Edge + Company sell ethical products that are handmade by those living with disabilities, mental health conditions, homelessness and addiction. Their mission is to break the stigma associated with such conditions through ‘radical giving’. Every product you purchase, from dainty homewares to organic teas and gorgeous greeting cards, will provide employment opportunities for those living with challenges.
The founders Milly and Steve kindly sent me a pair of their hand-rolled beeswax candles – made by the Campbell Village Trust, a home for people living with disabilities.
The Ethical Gift Box sells gifts that “give twice” – to both people and the environment. With their beautiful range of tailored gift boxes, you can be sure that each box has been created with such thought – not only for the receiver, but also for the maker. Incorporating local traditions, handcrafted work and recycled materials, you can either purchase a pre-made gift box or personalise your own!
I was delighted to sample the ‘For Her’ box. Thoughtfully packed with scented bath salts, a handwoven flannel, fairtrade soap and an upcycled coaster – I can’t wait to put them all to use.
One of my favourite online stops for ethical gifts (they also have a fab store in Surrey) – you’ve probably seen them featured in my 2018 Valentine’s Day and 2017 Christmas gift guides! Arthouse Unlimited is a collective of artists living with complex disabilities. These artists create artworks that are then developed into products for sale such as gift wraps, cards, chocolates and more. I especially love their tea towels – you can shop them here!
4. Etsy
In November I went to The Etsy Good Store, a pop-up in London to showcase the entrepreneurial and independent makers at the heart of Etsy. In the evening I listened to a talk on Shopping for a Sustainable Future with Lucy Siegle and Kate Arnell. They were also joined by Sarah, the founder of Little Beau Sheep, who spoke about her very cute and eco-friendly tumble dryer balls! It was great to hear the real life story behind one of Etsy’s many makers and know that you really can support craftsmanship and entrepreneurialism through shopping their online store.
5. Oxfam
I think Oxfam’s online shop falls a little under the radar despite the wealth of wonderful gifts and goodies you can find on there! With every purchase helping the charity to fight poverty around the world, you can be sure that proceeds from your gift will go towards life changing work. I especially love their charity gift cards which you can buy and in turn give a goat/ safe water/ food/ education to those in need!
Earlier this year Oxfam kindly sent me this gorgeous recycled sari bag from their brand new Sourced by Oxfam store. Handmade from recycled saris by a fair trade organisation in Delhi, each bag contributes to improving economic and social welfare in the region.
6. Acala
Acala is an online store that offers a range of natural, organic and vegan health and beauty products from market leading brands. Opened earlier this year by Hana, one of my first friends in the eco-blogging community, I have been so pleased to watch Acala become such a popular destination for ethical beauty lovers in only a short couple of months! For the festive period why not check out their gifts page where you can buy some gorgeous zero waste gift sets!
PLEASE NOTE THAT I WAS KINDLY GIFTED THE EDGE + COMPANY BEESWAX CANDLES, THE ETHICAL GIFT BOX ‘FOR HER’ GIFT SET AND THE OXFAM SARI BAG TO REVIEW FREE OF CHARGE.
