Fare share
Shake off the end of winter by gathering friends for a hearty supper inspired by making the most of fair-trade foods
WHEN YOU’VE invited friends over, the food will always be a talking point ( hopefully for the right reasons) but this meal really is the subject of dinner party conversation. Yes, eating seasonally and locally is important, but would we really want to stop enjoying coffee, chocolate or bananas, for example? More enjoyable still when you know that the people producing them are paid a fair price and treated well. Fairtrade Fortnight starts on 24 February so it’s a good time to serve up a menu that shows off fair-trade ingredients.
And there’s nothing worthy about the food; warming and fuss-free chilli, straight from the oven, which will have everyone coming back for seconds – although you’ll all want to save some room for the gooey banoffee pie dessert. Brew a fairtrade coffee to end the meal. It’s up to you whether to add a drop of fair-trade booze to keep out the February chill. »
WHAT IS FAIR TRADE?
From coffee and wine to fruits and spices, fair-trade products cover a huge range of the foods we eat every day.
It’s all about making the best sustainable shopping choices, which in turn provides better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.
Not all foods are covered by the fairtrade umbrella – for example, rice can be particularly hard to come by, especially on a standard supermarket shop. However, if you struggle to find an option with the Fairtrade Foundation logo on it, there are other ethical choices that have similar principles. A good place to start is ethicalconsumer.org which looks at the ethical and climate impact food producers have on the world. Also, look out for Fair For Life and B Corporation labels as sustainable alternatives.
By making small changes to your shopping list you can help ensure that workers from South America to Africa have their rights protected and are paid a living wage. To find out more about Fairtrade products, visit fairtrade.org.uk.