Christmas at the Cottage

We're spending a few days at the Cottage in Mundesley, North Norfolk between visitors. Painting, fixing up the garden and trying to control three excited children...

Now that we have broadband here its easy to check email and orders from Green Eyed Frog and to update the blog!

We have considered eco building technologies at the cottage and have just installed a new energy efficient boiler, new windows and use electric and gas from a 'green' supplier but its a Victorian terrace cottage and we are limited by its age and size. We encourage visitors to recycle and take their bottles to the bottle bank. Also thinking about getting a wormery for the garden so the children can 'feed' the worms.

Visitors at the cottage certainly enjoy and comment on the organic bedlinen, towels and bathrobes. They also have full use of wi-fi broadband, Sky and organic toiletries. We also make sure that all cleaning and laundry products are eco-friendly and use Ecover, Faith in Nature and Clear Spring.

Back to work now painting the landing...

Top Eleven Tips for a RRR Really Eco Christmas

Below are some of the things we do at home...

1. Reuse last years Christmas cards to make gift tags - the children love helping with this one.
   
   
2. Reuse last years Christmas Cards to make new cards for this year. Just cut up with fancy scissors and stick on recycled card.
   
   
3. Use Eco Christmas decorations and get rid of all the plastic tinsel tatt. Collect pine cones and paint with gold and silver paint. Bake Christmas biscuits to hang on the tree instead of chocolates. Use Green Eyed Frogs Fair Trade, Eco Christmas garlands and tree decorations.
   
   
4. Make your own mincemeat and bake mince pies. We use vegetarian suet and organic fruit.
   
   
5. Make your own sausage rolls. Our vegetarian Bible is Rose Elliots Complete Vegetarian Cookbook - a must have if you prefer healthy eating to processed food from supermarkets...
   
   
6. Buy a native, local Christmas Tree which is rooted in a pot you can then take it outside after Christmas, plant it in the garden and dig it up for next year.
   
   
7. For the Christmas lights use LED type instead of the older style bulb filaments as they are cheaper to run and don't keep blowing.
   
   
8. Buy a free range, non GM turkey or bird. Check the farm out beforehand and talk to local people. Organic turkeys can be ordered on line eg www.redopollmeats.co.uk one of our local suppliers.
   
   
9. Buy local, in season organic veg, use your local box scheme or even better grow your own. We have carrots, leaks, celeriac, onions raspberries and apples from our garden this Christmas.
   
   
10. Buy your children, friends & family gifts from second hand shops. Some will appreciate it although some will not! "Are we bothered!!"
    
    
11. Don't spend a fortune on that little black number for the office Christmas party just visit your local charity shops and you will certainly find a far better outfit for far less.
    

Just try to relax at Christmas, don't get sucked into the ultra consumerism of it all. If the turkey isn't ready on time does it matter, eat later and enjoy more festiver pre-dinner drinks.

Recycled Packaging

At Green Eyed Frog 90% of our packaging is reused and recycled. We aim to increase this to 95% but being a new company it has taken quite a few months to build up our stock of reused paper, boxes and envelopes.

Where do we get our packaging from?
The local community. Friends, neighbours in the village and surrounding villages. Local shops and businesses provide a lot of cardboard boxes and the local post office I use to send parcels provides me with a good supply of cardboard boxes. If you receive an order with Bobbys Muffins on the box, please don't be too disappointed when you open it up to find your Green Eyed Frog gift for uncle Fred. The muffins are delicious but unfortunately I don't get to eat them all before sending the box out - they are sold in our local Post Office and General Store.

If you live locally (Suffolk) and are passing this way I would love to collect your unwanted packing material, boxes, paper etc. Please contact Green Eyed Frog for more details on rachel.turner@greeneyedfrog.co.uk