I tried to post a response online at The Times in relation to their article but they wouldn’t post it – perhaps it was too long or too partisan. In any case here are some further details on Steenbergs vanilla.
The article in The Times is unfortunately in part true as child labour is one of the [...]
Steenbergs Fairtrade Vanilla – Some Background
March 16th, 2010Child Labour and Vanilla
March 15th, 2010There was a pretty damning article in The Times yesterday about child labour and low prices paid for vanilla from Madagascar – see http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article7060962.ece, however rest assured our vanilla beans are not creating abuse like that. Here is my full response to the article:
“At Steenbergs, we were one of the first people in Europe to [...]
Recipe for Simnel Cake
March 14th, 2010Today is Mother’s Day and what a glorious sunny, Spring day it has been. We gave Sophie a gorgeous bouquet of flowers – white roses, lilies and greenery – and went to church for a Mothers’ Day Service, a bit of a rarity for me. I liked the sentiment which was that mother’s always have time [...]
Enjoying Tasting Oolong Tea
March 11th, 2010Today it’s a sunny day with a warming, clear fresh light and a blue sky. This is great weather to look at tasting oolong teas from China and Taiwan (sometimes called Formosa by tea drinkers). The clear light allows you to see the subtle colour differences between types of teas being cupped, while the fresh [...]
Tasting Japanese Green Tea
March 9th, 2010At Steenbergs, we are undergoing some changes to our loose leaf specialist teas. Last year, we redesigned the labels to be bespoke for each tea type and with better descriptions on making tea, as well as being bright and fun looking. Next week, we should also see the arrival of our own new bespoke tea [...]
Two Media Mentions In The Guardian
March 9th, 2010Steenbergs was mentioned two articles this weekend in The Guardian which was most kind of the two authors – Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Yotam Ottolenghi – so thank you both.
Both talk about Steenbergs spices within their recipe ideas, so if you are looking for what to do with cardamom or how to use za’atar they give [...]
Beautiful Early Spring Day In Northumberland
March 7th, 2010Today, we were visiting with my parents, who live on the Roman Wall near Hexham in glorious Northumberland.
It was a beautiful Sunday morning, the first really gorgeous day of the year – the sky was blue and the sun was actually warming with temperatures getting up to 6oC , even if the snow was still [...]
Recipe For Granny Salad Or Cucumber Salad
March 5th, 2010Following on from the recipe for Yorkshire Salad, my mum makes a wonderfully refreshing cucumber salad, which has a similar sweet and sour flavour. It’s lovely in the summer for al fresco dining and great with fish all your around.
What you will need:
1tsp caster sugar
1tsp warm water
3tbsp cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
2 – 4 spring [...]
Recipe For Yorkshire Salad
March 3rd, 2010We have been discussing the ins and outs of Yorkshire Salad, and some of the different variations, including a very similar recipe called Granny Salad which Sandra (one of our amazing spice packers) was handed down from her Granny in Devon. Sadie – who does all our labels and web site photos – prefers it without onions [...]
Saved – We’ve Got A New Milkman
February 26th, 2010We received a letter today with our milk and our milkround has been taken over by a gentleman from Wetherby, called John Moore. He has been in the dairy trade for over 20 years and we hope that means this Great British tradition of a milk round can be preserved for some time into the [...]
