Friday Favourites

Today's Friday Favourites features three ethical products, plus a special guest appearance from Strawberry the cat as quality checker / investigative cat journalist. 

Strawberry incorporates a stretch into his investigation

Meridian crunchy cashew butter

Toast, meet your destiny.

As a big almond butter fan, I was disappointed when it was sold out in the supermarket. I went for cashew butter instead, and I was wrong to think it was a second-best choice - it's wonderful! (I'm eating a piece of toast piled high with it as a write.) Its flavour is more delicate than almond or peanut butter, slight sweet and toasty. It has a silky texture, meaning I don't need to butter my toast. There's a smooth version too. I'm particularly fond of Meridian's nut butters because they contain 100% nuts, meaning they're healthier (more nuts = more nutritional benefits) and better for the environment (no rainforest-destroying palm oil). Yay!

£2.79 for 170g; available at most supermarkets, health food stores, and online 

Pukka supreme matcha green tea

My best days start with a mug of green tea

Hmm, this post has become about my breakfast...

I think this is the best tea I've drunk outside of China (and I had some amazing tea there). It's a blend of different green teas: sencha, oothu, suoi gang and matcha powder. There's a sweetness and depth to the tea, and I find it takes longer to become bitter than other teas I've tried, meaning I can enjoy a nice strong cup. As well as making an amazing cup of tea, Pukka are environmentally and socially responsible: their teas are fairtrade, organic, and soil association certified; plus 20p from each sale goes to the World Wildlife Association.

£2.39 for 20 sachets; available at most supermarkets, health food stores, and online

Burt's Bees almond and milk hand cream

Cow not included, sadly

Time to include some beauty! I absolutely adore this hand cream. It's luscious and thick and smells like marzipan. I use it at night as it's a little thick for daytime, and I wake up with much softer, smoother, younger looking hands and stronger nails. Its main ingredient is sweet almond oil, which moisturises and cares for the skin. It also contains beeswax, which locks in moisture; aloe vera juice, which soothes irritations; and grapefruit extract, which smoothes and brightens the skin. It's paraben- and alcohol-free, and certified cruelty-free by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (look for the leaping bunny logo). The pot looks beautiful on my bedside table. It's a little heavy to travel with so I keep a pot each at home and at my parents (which my mum frequently 'borrows'!)

£9.99; available at John Lewis, large branches of Boots and Waitrose, and online

Happy Friday!

Thanks for reading x