Cast Iron Waffle Press + Oat Flour Waffles
Breakfast ideas, Eco + Conscious Living
A year ago I put my non stick waffle iron in the garage and told myself it wasn’t coming in again. I have a very real waffle addiction and…
Each year I LOVE putting together a list to help you shop the way I would without the stress of having to think of options yourself. I curate this list from companies, products and people we personally have experience with rather than just ideas that look wonderful. I research hugely before I buy anything and I really believe in the power of where we spend and how we gift in the power that it has to do good, so here are some ideas for those in the UK to help you shop.
My book aka The Green Edit: Home
First up, I wrote a book so you could gift it to everyone! But really, I wrote this for you. It’s not just a list of things to do, it’s a walk through a no judgement zone of a journey towards a more ethical sustainable home without being complicated. It’s £9.99 and available at all major bookstores and makes a perfect stocking stuffer or gift for pretty much anyone, green minded or not.
Evolve Beauty: Radiance Heroes Gift Set
I LOVE this UK low waste and well formulated skincare brand! Their Holiday sets are done so well, packaged beautifully and prices so well. This Radiance Heroes gift set is £34 and has two of my favourites in it – a bio-retinol face oil, and a gold bio-retinol mask. SUCH a good gift for anyone with “maturing” skin, which starts in our 20’s when it comes to skin!
Cabby’s Rum + Gin
Everyone needs a go to Gin right? This is ours and a favourite find since moving to England. Made by a London cabby, with kind and personal customer service, gorgeous branding… and just great London gin.
Black owned. UK made. Find it HERE.
For kids: HAZEL VILLAGE Dolls
I’ve researched dolls more than I’d care to admit and this is the one item I couldn’t bring myself to get second hand. These dolls and animals are the winner for me with organic materials, ethical production, a reasonable price (for this kind of item, trust me), they look gorgeously human, and they stock multiple skin tones.
Find them HERE with a UK supplier, a smaller range than the US but still stunning and we have 2 of them.
Agnes London Tencel Apron
I’ve been following Agnes LDN and her stunning, low waste, deadstock (fabric that would have gone to waste) items for a while. All simple but gorgeous and hand made made with sustainable well sourced materials. I love everything and they make gorgeous affordable gifts. The tencel apron, DIY scrunchie kit below, and scrunchies are my top picks and the would make a great gift too!
Evolve Bio Retinol Mask Gift Set
I’ve spend the year diving into UK skincare and makeup brands and Evolve has come out as my top choice for skincare. This COSMOS Organic certified mask with bio-retinol (one of my favourite skincare ingredients for helping maturing skin!) is such a giftable favourite!
It’s got Argan and Rosehip Oil to moisturise your skin, and Bio-Retinol to help signs of ageing without irritation or the potential irritation of retinol.
PHB Ethical Beauty – Lipstick
“What shade lipstick is that?” This is the makeup item that gets asked about the most on instagram! Its not a usual Beautycounter go to but a British made fave! I have the “Passion” and it’s a perfect terracotta edged red I LOVE! And it’s all the things I want, fair trade and ethical sourcing, thoughtful formulation, no animal testing or synthetics dyes and a lot more. One of these would make a great gift at £14 or if you’ve been wanting to switch your makeup – this is a great brand to ask for for a gift!
Find them and the whole range HERE.
Patagonia backpack recycled
Jared has a Patagonia backpack for uni and he loves it. A high proportion of their range this year is made from recycled materials and this is one of the recycled material pieces. Patagonia is another B Corp we love really focused on having a light footprint and it’s a place we love to shop.
B Corp. Recycled Materials. Find the backpack here
Sancho Shop: Egos Slippers
We got these fairtrade made wool slippers for so many people last year. They’re handmade using eco friendly dyes and contain lanolin, making them resistant to moisture, grime and giving odour reduction – they’re perfect. Sancho shop has a fantastic range of ethically made and well sourced items with so many great gift ideas too!
Black owned. Female founded. Fair-trade. Find them HERE.
Sancho Shop: Yala Jewellery Hoops
These are a higher end option to the People tree ones, made of recycled brass and gold with a bit more detail, and a 9 ct gold bar. Free of lead, nickel and cadmium and from a black owned B corp jewellery brand at their workshop just outside of Nairobi, Kenya.
Black owned. B Corp. Recycled materials. Find them HERE
Upcircle Skincare Coffee Eye Cream
I tried this brand in my search for UK skincare brands I love this year and it’s a fantastic brand taking waste products from use food industry and using them in simple, zero waste, vegan skincare. I put a lot of this in stockings and gifts last year! And it’s priced so well!
Agnes London DIY Scrunchy Kit
Jared bought me this and it was the perfect relaxing activity for a night with a great end product! Female founded. Small business. Plastic Free. Recycled materials. Ethically made.
Find the range fabulous Agnes range HERE.
Top tip! Use Ethical superstore for easy stocking stuffers
It’s my Amazon alternative with a whole host of phenomenal ethical and eco products. You can search by certification like recycled/fairtrade/vegan etc or by item, or just browse. Use it for chocolate stocking stuffers, and easy gifting with more purpose and care. Look at the range of chocolate gifts like giant Divine chocolate coins, recycled plastic vehicle toys we love, home and garden items, Tony’s chocolate and so many other things.
YES SHE CAN Embroidery Kit
Sewing is therapeutic to me and I know I’m not alone, I’ve bought this for people this year and I love it! A design is inspired by Suffragettes and the protest embroideries and banners that they produced – a fun activity then beautiful wall hanging.
Find it HERE on Ethical Superstore
Ethical Superstore: GreenToys
Fun toys made from recycled plastic! We’ve owned many of these, gifted lots, and love them as an alternative to toys made from new plastic. They have vehicles, stacking toys, beach toys and a few more and they’re a simpler aesthetic than lots of coloured plastic toys which I like!
Find the whole range HERE
Ethical Superstore: People Tree Earrings
These are the perfect small gold hoops made from brass. They’re hand-made by People Tree Fair Trade producer partner Bombolulu, Kenya, who provide opportunities for people who have physical disabilities. Love love love.
Ethical Superstore: Tony’s Chocolate and other fairtrade brands
I use Ethical superstore to do a big shop for stockings – they have free shipping over £50 so I plan and get lots of stocking stuffers in one go. You can search by “fair-trade” or “vegan” so it’s easy to find what you want and get lots of fun new brands for a good stocking selection.
Shop the site HERE and see a few above.
Goldrick Bamboo Laundry Peg Airer
I have lots of the kids art pieces hanging this in our living room and I love it! Use it for laundry, art, drying herbs. The whole of the Goldrick shop is giftable and I love it all!
Lucocoa Chocolate Range
Chocolate is a great stocking stuffer, dinner party host gift, or smaller gift any time of the year but not if people are not cared for in it’s creation. Ucocoa is a small independent chocolate company in London making gorgeous bars of delicious chocolate, hot chocolate and gift bundles.
Small company. Black owned. Fairly traded. Find it HERE.
Bebambu collagen
I searched for so long for a collagen I was happy with. Not in plastic, sourced well, tested for heavy metals… #allthethings. And I found it in Bebambu. It’s marine collagen and my favourite is the strong one which has a slightly sweet taste – I pop it in my black coffee at 5am to give me some protein while I’m working before breakfast!
Female founded. Black owned. Small business. Low waste. Great ingredients. Find it HERE.
Refillable Fountain pen
A life long, waste saving, handwriting enhancing friend and a great gift to ask for a receive! I like ones that have refillable cartridges rather than where you need to buy cartridges but the ones we have are adjustable and can be used for both. They come in a range of prices so they can be an heirloom larger gift or a more everyday item that still lasts forever.
Waste saving. Cost saving. Find it HERE.
Flamingos Corn Waste + Bamboo Shoes
I bought these for Jared’s birthday when he said “I want Vejas, but high tops.” They have a few different styles, vegan and ethically made with corn waste and bamboo! I was so happy and impressed reading about them and Jared loves them.
Find the full line HERE direct, or a few styles HERE at Sancho’s.
Ceramic Compost Caddy
Plantbased dyes and plastic free packaging, this made in the UK alternative to the normal and a bit easier than making your own when you don’t want to! These come in a few colours and are hand made with British clay. And you’re helping someone compost, win win!
Panda bandaids
A great stocking stuffer! Honestly I’ve taught my kids there needs to be a lot of blood to get a plaster so we don’t use a ton of them, but when we do, this is what we reach for. No Parabens, pthalates, biodegradable but still fun for kids! They also have an aloe vera, charcoal and simple natural one. Highly recommend. A needed item but also fun to throw into a stocking!
Sustainable. Biodegradable. Vegan. Plastic free. Find them HERE.
Stocking Stuffer: Toothbrush
While we’re on stockings – everyone gets new toothbrush + Add in a plastic free toothpaste too! We love these ones from Hydrophil and if you’re not quite at toothpaste tablets then this is a great plastic free toothpaste option for a stocking stuffer.
Plastic free. Find them HERE.
Glass Bottles + Sodastream
Sparkling water is my love language… but shipping water is not a love language for the earth and the cost is not one for the budget. So, the Sodastream. A refillable cartridge (exchange via post or local store) turns tap water into perfect bubbly water in a glass bottle. AMAZING. If you buy 2 bottles of sparkling water a week on average this will pay for itself in a YEAR without thinking about the environmental savings. It’s a great gift or one to put on the list for you too!
Happy Houseplants Plants + Pots
My go to for house plants, with amazing personal customer service. I’ve bought them for us and gifted them and they’re always amazing. This range of Pots and Plants gives you the plant and gorgeous pot and they deliver across the UK for really reasonable prices! The pots are made by artisans using ethically sourced materials.
Find this Scindapsus Pictus Argyraeus & Brass Hanging Planter HERE and browse the rest of their range!
Vitae Watches
Oh how I’ve searched for ethical watches. SEARCHED. I mean, ones that look nice. And heeeeello Vitae. They have a higher price tag, but not a higher price tag than buying one every year because they break… These are stunning, classic, ethically made, a company built around doing social good, black owned and just a DREAM find.
Black owned. Ethically made. Social good. Find them HERE.
Pela Phone cases
These are always buy one get one free! I’ve never had a phone break in one in 6 years which is saying something!! They’re biodegradable so as you upgrade you’re not adding to landfill waste. Brilliant.
They also now have the back of the phone grip handle things too also in biodegradable made-from-plants material which I have and love!
Biodegradable. B corporation. 1% for the planet. Shop them HERE.
Pela vision
It’s the same fab company as the phone cases above, and in 2020 they came out with gorgeous sunglasses and blue light glasses. They. Are. Amazing. They’re fully biodegradable even the lenses and you can return hem them to be made into other products by Pela too. You can get the blue light lenses for half price when you buy sunglasses and they’re interchangeable making it a great two in one.
Biodegradable. B corporation. 1% for the planet. Shop them HERE.
Georganics toothbrush
We both have and love ours! With Georganics’ zero to landfill scheme you can return the toothbrush heads to be recycled (instructions below) making this a great recyclable electric toothbrush option. Packaging: Recyclable/ compostable cardboard box printed with vegetable ink.
Fully recyclable. Plastic free packaging. Find it HERE.
Wura Vase: Yard + Parish
Yard and Parish is a collection of the “The Best Eco-Luxury Black-Owned Brands” and I LOVE them for gifts. I’ve gifted this vase and it’s beautiful, but scroll the whole site for some other fab ideas!
Safety Razor
I got my razor from Package Free Shop who ship to the UK and have a whole host of other incredible led waste products, all shipped plastic free. The more local UK equivilent that is probably more stylish looking and so more suited for gifting (it comes in a few colours!) but still uses the same blades I use, look at the one above from Wearth London. Wearth is again another fantastic resource for mindful, well sourced shopping.
Zero waste. Plastic free. UK made. Vegan. Plastic free shipping. Find it HERE.
Thought Socks
Bamboo, cotton and recycled polyester, we all have Thought socks and love them! A great stocking stuffer or gift depending on who! They have simple plain socks, fun pattered ones, and gift boxes.
Recycled polyester. Organic cotton. Sustainable. Ethically made. Find them HERE.
Muthahood Goods for kids + grown ups
Really for kids and adults alike Gemma at Muthahoood has something for you, but the small curated selection of very thoughtful, educational and empowering gifts for kids is incredible and one I personally shop from regularly. Highly recommend. We have these GALphabet letter cards and LOVE them, as well as lots of Strong Girls Club apparel.
Women owned. Eco friendly packaging. Ethically made apparel. Find the collection HERE.
Patagonia Hat
There’s a Patagonia hat for everyone! So many different styles, we both own them and have gifted many as they’re a nice price point for a B corp, well made and useful gift! I have a cap and a recycled wool beanie, we gave my dad a gardening and hiking hat, and there are so many more. Such a great catch all!
Patagonia kids jacket
A great one to ask for/buy if you want a well made, B corp, heirloom gift for kids. We asked for these early on and they look brand new after many seasons and 2 kids. Join a birthday and a Christmas together, club together with family or give/ask for money towards one. Buying one larger gift that lasts can be so much better than multiple smaller things!
Shop Patagonia jackets HERE. International shipping.
Organic Sewing Thread
Santa brought me a few of these last year and I LOVED getting them! Organic cotton in a few colours for mending or sewing. I have about 6 colours now that span most things that need mending. The perfect gift for a low waste living friend or someone who’s moving to a slower approach to fashion.
Vital Seeds
These are the only seeds I use in the garden and they’d make a great gift! You can shop by planting month so you could buy everything needed for some spring planting or just a selection of anything! They come packaged in paper and everything is organic and open pollenated, the best!
Nudies Denim
The ultimate denim that’s really truly backed with values. Ethically made, from organic cotton, and each pair comes with free repairs for LIFE to reduce waste. They’re pricey, but not for what you’re actually getting. Nudies is a company that really cares about the impact of the clothing industry and they’re really working (and succeeding) at finding the clothing sales model with the most positive impact and we love them!
Find them here and the rest of their clothing line too.
Rosanna Morris Prints
A few of these hang in my home and I adore them, as well as everything Rosanna is. Her value for the earth, and people and social justice shine through her prints in the kind of way I want hanging ALL over my walls!
The prints are on handmade Nepalese Lokta paper with non toxic inks they arrive in plastic free packaging.
Fairtrade Gardening gloves
I mostly garden without gloves and forget how much more fun it is through winter WITH gloves! These are really well priced and a great stocking stuffer or gift. There are also a lot of other little garden bits and bobs at the link below on Ethical Marketplace so you could turn them into a bigger gift or add some seeds from my fave seed company Vital Seeds.
Fairtrade. Mission based company. Find them HERE.
Better Cup
My friend Ruth started this menstrual cup company and maybe this is a gift-to-self or a really good friend, or one to ask for but entering 2022 as a menstrual cup user would be an amazing start to the year. Especially knowing you’ve also gifted one to someone who doesn’t have access to disposable sanitary products, thus allowing them a total life change like not missing school simply because they are menstruating.
Plastic free. Organic cotton bag. Zero waste. Money saving. Mission based. Find them HERE.
Eco Temporary Tattoos for all ages!
We LOVE these! They’re really high quality, plastic free temporary tattoos. They’re more pricey than the cheap and plentiful ones with thousands of small tattoos, but I’d rather have fewer of these one. And the quality and art is perfect for kids and adults alike.
Find them here in the UK and lots of Europe
Workbench London
They send you a kit, you carve your own ring, they cast it in recycled silver. It’s AMAZING! I completely fell in love with Workbench this year when a friend gifted me one and I sat carving my own ring one night, watching Suits and ended up thinking, processing and making something from my heart and really precious!
Recycled silver. Find the kits HERE.
Books from World of Books
World of books is a B Corp that rescues books from charity shops and sells them on, they’ll be carbon neutral by next year and it’s a GREAT alternative to quickly grabbing that book on Amazon. For kids we love sticker by numbers and search and find books from them but they have a massive range for everyone with a lower footprint!
Plan well, keep it simple, do what you can!
Don’t be overwhelmed. Make a list, plan your budget, work out what budget you can allocate to gifts and divide it up roughly between the gifts you need to buy, the stockings, the friends and family and work out how much your’e working with in each area. Look out for sales and shop for people when you see the right things, then check them off.
Go second hand where you can for earth and budget. Or invest in well made and sourced options like the ones above!
For ease…
I love a store where you can shop and know everything is a good idea that cares for people and planet. As I wrote this list I realised that really, if you browsed through the ones below you could basically cover your entire list with incredible gifts:
So browse those wonderful places, or have a look at the full list above!
