And so the #PlasticChallenge comes to an end

I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty relieved that the start of July signals the end of the #PlasticChallenge. The first thing I’ll be doing tomorrow after work is skipping to the local shop to buy some feta cheese. It’s been 4 weeks too long.

But coming to think of it, feta cheese (and cheese in general) has probably remained my biggest frustration of the month – everything else hasn’t felt like too much of a chore which, on reflection, is probably because my plastic footprint wasn’t out of control in the first place. I don’t rely on pre-packaged sandwiches or salads, on takeaway coffee cups, on takeaway food, on microwave meals or on bottled drinks. If I did, then it would have been an even longer month involving a complete lifestyle overhaul – with inevitably, many more barriers along the way.

I honestly haven’t struggled too much on the food side of things – not being into processed foods and being mostly veggie anyway, I haven’t had to change my shopping and cooking habits too much. Carrying a plastic-free shopping basket around the supermarket (despite being  restrictive), has actually felt somewhat liberating – though walking around with loose fruit and veg rolling around in all their glorious nakedness did get me a few funny looks. But sadly, as I already knew all too well, the vast majority of produce and groceries in the local supermarket are completely off limit. This is where local markets/butchers/fishmongers (not to mention your allotment-owning parents…. cheers for the veggies, guys!) really come into their own when you take along your own containers and bags. The only problem with this is that it does start to get considerably more expensive (apart from the latter), and sadly, this just hasn’t been a day-to-day option for me.

Just to prove I haven’t gone hungry….

I feel like I’ve been let off the hook on a few challenges, mind you. Not being a tea drinker, I rarely have milk in the fridge. I can’t remember the last time I saw a milk man delivering pints of milk in glass bottles and asides from milking a cow, I’m not actually sure there’s a way around this. What’s more, it sounds like one of the biggest stumbling blocks faced by my fellow plastic challengers has been finding loo roll that doesn’t come wrapped in plastic. But I had a stockpile from Costco so [thankfully!] didn’t have to revert to cutting up newspapers (phew!).

I finally ran out of toothpaste, so I ended up taking the plunge and made my own. After a lot of research and even more um-ing and ah-ing, I found a recipe which merely consists of coconut oil, bicarbonate of soda and liberal drops of essential peppermint oil (all mixed together in a reused peanut butter jar – what else). On one hand, people say bicarb – due it its alkalinity – works wonders for your teeth and gums. But other, more pessimistic oral health protagonists consider it to be far too abrasive for the enamel. But I gave it a go anyway and the good news is, my teeth are all present and correct and they’re actually looking rather pearly. But I would want to visit a dentist before taking the plunge permanently. I’ve also tried out a DIY mouthwash  and going forward I will most definitely be a convert. To think water, bicarb and peppermint oil is all you need, it’s scary to think how much plastic (and money!) can be wasted on buying mouthwash which, let’s face it, strips your mouth of any feeling and ruins your morning glass of orange juice (am I right?!).

My bumps in the road

• Being too polite to refuse plastic items. But that’s just me – I’d probably thank someone for spilling coffee over me.
• Not being able to wrap anything in cling film. Foil is just not the same!
• Getting excited about finding something (food) in plastic free packaging and then discovering it has a plastic cap or one of those pointless plastic tamper seals. Way to spoil my excitement.
• Internet shopping is out of the question – but sadly for me, asos doesn’t have high street shops.
• Have I told you just HOW MUCH I’ve missed feta cheese?! Maybe I mentioned it in passing….

My top tips

• Carry your own cutlery with you wherever you go (and a cup, if you’re hardcore). Just remember to leave the knife at home when you need to go through security…(I tried -and failed- to smuggle one in to the House of Lords).
• Keep a cloth bag folded up in all of your handbags – you never know when you might need one and having to juggle your grocery shopping back home is never ideal.
• Don’t beat yourself up when you have to buy something in plastic packaging – you haven’t failed, it’s just sometimes ridiculously difficult to find a suitable alternative.
• Bicarbonate of soda is a plastic-free dream – along with vinegar, it can be an effective cleaning product and is the basis of many DIY toiletries (including toothpaste and deodorant).
• Get creative in the kitchen – you’ll be amazed with what you can make out of basic ingredients. Bread, for example, is so easy to make and the recipe I used the other week only used 3 ingredients. A much cheaper alternative to buying fancy artisan bread at the market!
• Oats are your friend – unlike cereals, porridge oats are sold in a box without any silly inner plastic bag. Porridge, overnight oats and my banana pancakes have been my breakfast staple.

Re-usable bottles and bags are must-have items!

So as the month comes to a close, I’ve come to the conclusion that going 100% plastic free, though a lovely idea, is a distant fairy tale. Let’s just face the facts – as a society, we are well and truly plasticised. But as much as we may hate this diabolically durable man-made material, plastic does play an incredibly important part in our life and we would be lost without the stuff. Modern healthcare would be impossible without plastic medical products that we take for granted, the building and construction sector is the second largest consumer of plastic after packaging, and plastic plays an important role in keeping food fresh. Did you know, a shrink wrapped cucumber can last up to 3 times longer than an unwrapped one?!

But even so, there is still a lot we can do, as consumers, to moderate our use and cut down on the single-use variety. Aside from my feta cheese splurge, going forwards I can see myself consciously limiting my use of plastic going forwards and there’s a lot I’ll carry over from my #plasticchallenge experience. For one thing, I’d like to think I’ll never buy a plastic-wrapped broccoli again. But I might treat myself to some toothpaste….

 

Chocolate and peanut butter molten pot

The first thing that comes to mind when you mention chocolate melt-in-the-middle puddings (or their more pretentious sibling, the chocolate fondant), is an unfortunate mental image of MasterChef’s Greg Wallace with a spoon handle protruding out of his mouth. MasterChef and chocolate puds are synonymous and go together like, well…John and Greg. Striking fear into the hearts of contestants, you could cut the tension with a knife when the spoon falls through the pudding. Will it unveil a gooey, molten core or will a dry, cake-like texture indicate game over? When the former is achieved, they are a sublime, velvety chocolate sensation.

As great as they are, unfortunately they’re not particularly healthy. But yes, it’s not something you’d have every day – or even every month. It’s a treat food, and I’m all up for treats. But during one of my spontaneous mid-week recipe testing, I played around with one of the Hemsley sister’s guilt-free dessert recipes and was bowled over by what I was rewarded with. You won’t believe me when I say it has all the rich, indulgent qualities a good chocolate pud should have, with an equal dose of HEALTH benefits. Composed merely of coconut oil, raw cacao powder (packed full of anti-oxidants and rich in nutrients) and agave/date syrup, this pudding is free from refined sugars and flour to boot. But it certainly hasn’t lost the yum-tious factor and I took the liberty to add in a little extra for good measure….

The ‘clean-eating’ sisters anoint their version with jewel-like figs – amazing if they’re in season. But I was after something far more decadent for my mid-week sweet treat. So, being the nut butter badass that I am, I decided to generously marble the glossy batter with liberal dollops of creamy peanut butter.

Before sharing the recipe, I must just say a few words on the main components of this pud – coconut oil and cacao powder. Being the exotic ingredients that they are, understandably, there are matters of sustainability that need to be taken into account.

Coconut oil:
In a nutshell, it’s a wonder product. Not only is the oil used for food and body care products, but it can also be used in household cleaners. But despite being used more and more in products, coconuts still fetch a very low price and coconut farmers in Indonesia and the Philippines are amongst the poorest of the poor. What’s more, coconuts are mainly grown as a mono-crop, fostering an environment of low crop diversity that can be detrimental to the environment and risky for farmers. When you’re out shopping, look out for the Fair Trade Certified label on products. When you see this, you can be assured the coconuts were produced with care for not only for people, but the planet – when farmers are paid more, they are more likely to reflect sustainable practices in their farming.

Raw cacao powder:
Most raw chocolate is produced by smaller companies with transparent sourcing policies, which means that most of it comes from small Fairtrade farmers and collectives in Ecuador and Peru. Most is also organic so free from pesticide residues. Perhaps the biggest green tick is the minimal use of energy needed in production – because the cacao is heated at very low temperatures, very little energy is used.

Housekeeping over. Now for the good bit….

Ingredients
(In theory should serve 2, but having it to yourself is quite nice too)
50g coconut oil
1 1/2 tbsp cacao powder
1 1/2 tbsp date syrup/agave/maple
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg
sea salt
1 tbsp of peanut butter

Preheat the oven to fan 180C/Gas mark 6. Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat, then set aside.

Add the cacao powder, a pinch of salt to bring out the sweetness, your syrup of choice, vanilla, bicarb and mix well. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl (if you want extra volume, you could separate your egg and whisk the white separately).  Whisk the eggs into the chocolate mixture – the mixture will satisfyingly thicken to a glossy custard as the eggs cook in the residual heat. Taste for sweetness and adjust as necessary.

Spoon the mixture into two small ramekins or one larger one (like I did). Confidently dollop over your peanut butter to achieve a Jackson Pollock-like masterpiece. Bake in the oven for around 10 minutes, but keep an eye on them when they near the end of their time. It will be ready when it’s risen to a dome but still has a pleasing wobble when shaken. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Week 1 of the #plasticchallenge

I knew giving up plastic for a month wasn’t going to be particularly easy, but it’s only when you start to consciously think about each and every part of your life, that you start to realise how much you use and how difficult it can be to find alternatives. I’m already one week in and some things have been considerably harder than others:

1. I was happily stocking up on tins of chickpeas and butter beans which I decided would be my go-to staple for the month. But then I found out that nearly all tin cans are plastic lined with epoxy resin(!) which is apparently essential to prevent canned foods from becoming tainted or spoiled by bacterial contamination. But tough – I’ve bought them now, and I’m not going to deny myself hummus.

2. To celebrate my birthday at the weekend, a friend bought me a cocktail in the local pub. In all my excitement, I had completely forgotten to ask the bartender to serve it sans-straw. So I ended up with a poxy slither of plastic sticking out of my drink. He was hardly going to want it back at that stage…

3. Food shopping has been interesting. Having been too busy to find myself a nice local market, I’ve been playing my own plastic-free version of supermarket sweep (basically, buying anything that doesn’t come wrapped in plastic). Courgettes, red cabbage, broccoli, aubergines, butternut squash, loose lemons…..it’s a good job I love vegetables. On the plus side, a culinary discovery have been made – tamarillos (also known as a tree tomato and not to be confused with armadillos) are sold plastic free so obviously, I bought one in the name of research. OH MY WORD, THEY ARE DIVINE. As a final musing, why do you have to pay more for the pleasure of not having your vegetables wrapped in plastic packaging?!

Tryin’ to be cute with my new favourite fruit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Still on my favourite subject – food. I knew I was [probably] going to have to give up feta cheese for the month, my favourite (and somewhat mandatory) lunch food. I jokingly mentioned I may be driven to buy a goat on Twitter before the month is up and in true community spirit, a fellow Twitter-er suggested I buy feta in a glass jar. But I mean really, it’s just not the same…!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. I’m fast running out of toothpaste so I’ve been researching recipes for a DIY version because guess what, toothpaste comes in plastic tubes. I’m stocking up on baking soda and peppermint essential oil as I write this – I’ll let you know how it goes, if it works and if I have any friends left.  I might treat myself to a bamboo toothbrush while I’m at it – thinking about the sheer number of discarded plastic toothbrushes there must be in the world makes my teeth chatter.

Finally, the first week of June came with the news that young fish eat microplastics in the same way teenagers eat junk food. We already know plastic is building up in our food chains, and this further corroborates the fact. So we’re eating the stuff and hell, we’re probably BREATHING in plastic every life-affirming breath we take! So at this very point in time, my ever pessimistic self can’t help but wonder – is there any escape from the stuff and is it truly possible to live a 100% plastic-free life? I have 3 weeks left to find out…