Stib and Oakdale Bees, Children’s Earth Lover Beeswax Wraps Review

Reviewed by Hannah Chan

The environmentally friendly companies Stib and Oakdale Bees have created a lovely letter box gift which will delight children and adults alike. The plastic free, letterbox sized package arrived and inside were four lovely and bright beeswax wraps, aimed at wrapping those lunches now everyone is back at school. Also in the box was a little packet of wildflower seeds so that I can grow some flowers for the bees, and a card for me to send to someone to make them happy, or to write and pop back in this bundle to give as a gift. I love seeds and wildflowers so was over the moon with these.

In the box is also an information card explaining where the beeswax comes from. These wraps are made with 100% natural beeswax, organic jojoba oil and natural tree resin. They are handmade too which I think is a bonus. Their bees live in apiaries in Britain and forage the natural wildflowers.

This bundle was packaged and put together by Stib, but the wraps made by Oakdale Bees. On their very user friendly website you can find out all about the bees and how they make their wraps. They also product natural beeswax candles. You can look them up here. You can also purchase honey here, and experience days should you want to be more hands on with your learning. On the website, you will also find crafts, colouring pages and information about how to be more eco friendly.

Beeswax wraps are an eco friendly alternative to cling film. I know some worry about it and think they might not be hygienic when washed but they really are. Beeswax is naturally antimicrobial and stands up well to being in the fridge and freezer. The wrap itself is organic cotton. The was provides a safe, waterproof layer to the fabric making it easy to wrap your sandwich and know that nothing will seep out into your bag if squashed (we’ve all been there).
These wraps in particular are great quality. They bend easily and mould well around the food without having too much wax. They also haven’t got that thick smell that sometimes comes with beeswax wraps, especially home made ones. These smell very subtle and the smell hasn’t transferred to any food (I know this is one of the things people sometimes worry about, as I worry about it myself). The larger wrap was bright blue with stars, 30cmx35cm so a great size for multiple sandwiches or bagels.

They stood up to being washed well. To wash these wraps just rinse or wash with mild soap, in cold water (so the wax doesn’t warm up. Then leave them to dry on the rack. I wouldn’t use them on fish or raw meat, because of the risks of food poisoning and smell transfer to the wrap, however this is the case with most reusable wraps. Cooked meats and fish are perfectly fine. These have even been shown in studies to keep fruits like avocado fresher for longer!

My only comment was that the finish was a little rough. I sometimes make my own wraps and know it can be very difficult to get a smooth finish by hand, so there are a couple of bumps and bubbles on the larger wrap but they’re very small and in no way inhibit it’s use. Just scratch them off and they’re fine. It only effects the look of the wrap and I don’t think it needs to lose any points because of this, I was still very impressed with the over all product. I also have to say that these were tested during the heat wave! They worked just as well if not better than cling film or foil.

Rating: I give these wraps 5/5 stars.

RRP: Retailing at £16.95 which I feel for a good eco friendly wrap is a good price, considering the time and materials involved and that it came with seeds, a card and was posted through my letter box 😊 A perfect gift for friends who live further away or to send to a loved one.

Buy link: You can find them in the Stib website shop here. They came highly commended in the *Ethical Gift of the Year 2020* awards and are occasionally on offer on the webpage.