Fairtrade’s Festive Favourites Review
DISCLOSURE – THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Alice Dixon
With over 6,000 products now available in the UK, you have probably purchased a Fairtrade item at some point. With so many options available now, shopping Fairtrade doesn’t need to be expensive and is suitable for any budget. With that in mind, a Fairtrade product would make a wonderful present this Christmas with a wide range of foods, drinks and beauty products available. Whether you are looking for a small stocking filler or want to splurge on something special. As well as buying a lovely gift that your loved one will enjoy, you know that by choosing Fairtrade you are supporting farmers and their families all around the world. In my opinion that is a thought that will give you some festive cheer. The Fairtrade mark means that the ingredients have been sourced where farmers get a fairer deal and decent working conditions.
The Fairtrade Foundation has put together the 12 Gifts of Christmas, a selection of the top 12 gifts to give this year. They have sent me a selection of items from this list to sample for myself including sweet treats, drinks and cosmetics.
The first item I tried (as I am already a lover of this brand) is Tony Chocolonely’s Gift Box.
This gift box features 5 different flavours from the brands range in miniature form. Each one is packaged in paper wrapping. I love that there is no plastic in the packaging at all. The box is so bright and fun, which looks amazing for giving as a gift. The chocolates are small round discs. It is extremely difficult to choose a favourite among the flavours. Each has subtle differences and they are all very rich and smooth. I particularly like the salty tang to the milk caramel sea salt.
Two of the items which I have tried are from the M&S range. I am already a fan of M&S products, especially at Christmas, as they are of the highest quality. The two items which I tried are M&S Christmas Spiced Tea and M&S Christmas Ground Coffee Blend.
The tea bags come in a cardboard box of 40 bags. I love the red and gold Christmas design that has been incorporated across all of their range. The tea is delightful with a delicate festive spice to the flavour. Sit back, eyes closed and take a sip and I was reminded of Christmas.
I look forward to choosing a ground coffee for my percolator at Christmas. The M&S offering is 100% Arabica coffee in a 227g bag. It has a rich flavour with a chocolate and fruity hint to the taste.
Two lovely items that I think would be great additions to a gift hamper or even used as small stocking fillers.
Another item from the Fairtrade 12 Gifts of Christmas is from a company I had not previously heard of but will now be trying more of. Christmas Pudding flavoured fudge from Cotswold Fudge. This comes in small cubes in a plastic bag. They don’t look very neat, being different sizes and shapes and misshapen but it is so delicious. A very high quality fudge with a distinct and recognisable boozy, Christmas flavour. It may not look as attractive as other items but it is a great price for an extra little gift for someone with a sweet tooth.
Divine is a brand of chocolate I have enjoyed many times so I was very happy to have one of their large Christmas bars included. I already love this brand, partly as they are Fairtrade. The Christmas bar is a large sharing bar made of smooth milk chocolate but has a hint of caramel, hazelnut and orange which just gives it that little bit of Christmas feeling. It is the sort of chocolate that melts in your mouth. The Christmas designed paper wrapping makes it look special and if you are looking to buy chocolate as a present, this is a bar that would look special in a stocking.
My final item in the festive bundle was a lip balm from Mumanu. So even if you aren’t looking for a present for a foodie, there are some wonderful beauty items available that are also Fairtrade. I am very happy to have discovered this brand. The packaging is wonderful. There is no plastic. The ingredients are ethically sourced and no petroleum is used. I suffer with very cracked, dry lips in the cold weather and I found the mix of beeswax, shea and cocoa butter to instantly soothe my lips. It is a gorgeous little extra to pop in a gift.
Overall, there are some amazing products available now that are sure to bring smiles at Christmas time and are making a difference world wide when you buy them. The Fairtrade Foundation’s 12 Gifts of Christmas is full of ideas whoever you are shopping for and they are high quality whilst being so reasonably priced.
Fairtrade’s Festive Favourites
Rating: 5/5
M&S Christmas Spiced Tea RRP £2.00 available from Ocado and M&S
M&S Christmas Ground Coffee Blend RRP £3.00 available from Ocado and M&S
Cotswold Fudge RRP from £3.50 available from www.cotswoldfudgeco.co.uk
Tony Chocolonely’s Gift Box RRP £6.00 available from Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Oxfam
Divine Christmas Bar RRP £4.50 available from Divine, Oxfam, Ocado, Amazon and independent stores
Mumanu Original Organic Lip Balm RRP £8.00 available from Mumanu, Amnesty Shop and Ethical Superstore