The Babyliss Eco Dry hairdryer makes some ambitious claims – declaring itself to have comparable drying powers to a conventional hair dryer but with only half the energy consumption sounds almost too good to be true. Working here at the Ethical Superstore offices gives me advance opportunities to try out impressive sounding products such as this, so I took one of these hair dryers home and gave it a whirl myself. To judge by appearances first of all, this dryer gets top marks. Its sleek white design fits the bill perfectly, and in terms of practicality it’s big enough to feel substantial, but small enough to pop in a weekend bag or your holiday packing when you go away, which is definitely a good thing. In terms of effectiveness, I’d score this handy appliance highly too. With two different main settings as well as a cool air blast function it really did work a treat; and although the temperatures reached aren’t as high as I’d expect from a conventional hair dryer I don’t think that this affected how good it was – in fact it’s probably a good thing for my hair which takes a lot of punishment from my hair straighteners too – I reckon a touch less heat can only be beneficial. Presumably this is part of what reduces the device’s energy consumption too. I don’t know a great deal about the advanced ‘ionic conditioning’ technology which the Eco-dryer boasts, but it certainly left my hair feeling smooth, sleek and, well, dry! And if the energy this hair-dryer conserves in contrast to a conventional 2000w dryer means that I can have an extra seven cups of tea or 11 slices of toast guilt free, then I’m one happy customer. I can confirm that I intend to buy one of these dryers of my very own, which must be the best commendation a product can get.

As a long-standing chocolate fan I was looking forward to trying this new offering from Divine. My previous forays into white chocolate admittedly haven’t generally gone much further than those little white mice that you get in a cinema pick ‘n’ mix so there wasn’t a great deal for this bar to live up to, but after savouring each piece of this treat I can confirm that it is dangerously easy to consume all in one go! The chocolate itself is deliciously sweet and creamy but it is the twist of strawberry which gives it the edge. Although the fruity flecks are pretty small, Divine has distributed them very generously and the strawberry flavour certainly comes through and lingers on the taste buds. This chocolate wouldn’t be the bar of choice for a fan of your more classic dark cocoa based creations, but for those with a sweet tooth (such as myself!) this really hits the spot.

Just so you know, this review was submitted by a staff member.

The Eco-Friendly Home is an explosion of inspiration for all who would like to green up their surroundings. Kicking off with a quick assessment of the eco-principals which the book is founded upon, this publication is a wealth of tips for everyone from the long term homeowner to the first time buyer – in fact it is almost makes you want to start from scratch and build your own house, based on all of the advice it gives!

This book is full of enthusiasm for everything from eco-friendly architectural house design to maximising the existing space and potential in your own house, combined with extra motivation to think about water conservation, sustainability and energy efficiency. Alongside this more conventional advice it gets you thinking about eco-friendly furniture, colour schemes and enjoying your natural light which means it is a great source of inspiration for the eco-interior designers amongst us.

The Eco-Friendly Home does exactly what it claims, encouraging us all to live a more natural life, and it does just that in the most modern and up-to-date way possible. As a member of staff here at Ethical Superstore I come across many green-guides, but this is certainly one I would refer back to.

A definite perk of the job here at Ethical Superstore is easy access to a wide range of tasty organic and fair trade products, and to be honest, it would be rude not to sample them.
It's barbeque season, so yesterday I decided to take advantage of that fact and sample three of the beers that we have on offer: the Cannabia Organic beer, the Mongozo Palm Nut beer, and the Muller Biodynamic Lager.

Taste Test #1: Cannabia Beer won immediate points for novelty value, its appearance is eye-catching and the ‘scratch and sniff’ label is a great idea. First taste reactions were good too. After a bottle (or three) the conclusion was that this very light beer is great for a barbeque, and would be good for a lunchtime drink in the sun too. Due to the novelty value you're unlikely to see this beverage being consumed in a mainstream pub any time soon, but give it a whirl, you won't be disappointed.

Despite the fact that digital radios have been on the scene for several years now, not being a technology buff, up until this weekend I had never before tried one. However working here at Ethical Superstore gives me plenty of opportunities to try out such gadgets first hand, so I was able to take the Pure Move radio home over the weekend in the interests of a test-drive, and hopefully give you all some useful feedback.

On getting this gizmo out of the box my first impressions were favourable – it’s a dinky little creation, not too fancy but with a reasonable sized screen and clearly labelled buttons – very helpful for the novice! I was very impressed by its ability to instantly pick up 39 radio stations (obviously this would vary according to where you live), although slightly disappointed to discover that a couple of the stations were in fact closed. As well as the more conventional stations, my favourite discovery was the fact that there is a radio station dedicated entirely to the sound of birdsong, 24/7 – you don’t find that kind of thing using an old-style radio!

The reception of this radio is fantastic, and the sound quality is fairly good considering the size of the gadget, giving the option to up the bass or a variety of other choices which actually does change the sound according to your preferences. I also like the fact that you can plug in an external music device such as an MP3 player to take advantage of the radio’s speakers, a good feature if you want to blast out your own tunes on the move or away from a ready electricity source, something I would take advantage of when camping. My favourite feature of this radio is the information scroll along the screen, perhaps more of a given to the experienced digital user, but quite an innovation to me.

Ultimately, for its size and light weight this radio gives great sound, and the manufacturer states that a 10 hour charge gives 40 hours of radio is impressive. Unfortunately this review is written after only a short term test drive so I can’t vouch for the radio’s longevity, and the price tag makes for a rather costly foray into the digital world, but all in all the radio is very easy to start up and to navigate, good for a family such as mine which constantly fights over which radio station is on in the kitchen!

A definite perk of the job here at Ethical Superstore is easy access to a wide range of tasty organic and fair trade products, and to be honest, it would be rude not to sample them.

It’s barbeque season, so yesterday I decided to take advantage of that fact and sample three of the beers that we have on offer: the Cannabia Organic beer, the Mongozo Palm Nut beer, and the Muller Biodynamic Lager.

Taste Test #3: The Pinkus Muller Biodynamic Lager emerged as a definite overall favourite after many lively taste test discussions. With the label on the bottle being in German I couldn’t swear that it does exactly what it says on the tin, we found this to be a refreshing and flavoursome light lager, perhaps a bit reminiscent of Mexican brands but with a bit more tang. It's also good to know that the ingredients are natural and organic, a claim that not many alcoholic drinks can make. Our preferred beer of the three for taste, but I certainly wouldn’t rule out the others.

'The Good Shopping Guide' really is the ultimate consumer manual for those who want to help to make a difference through how they live and by what means. Working here at Ethical Superstore means that there are always plenty of energy saving ideas, eco-friendly gadgets and green-living tips to be had, but for a single publication that touches pretty much all bases, this is the book which should be in everybody’s home this year.

Covering everything from different brands of pasta to vacuum cleaners, and insurance investments to solar panels, this book has an easy-to-understand grading system which accredits or condemns different companies on a variety of factors including their attitudes towards animal testing, how they address pollution issues, and the nature of their marketing. But it’s much more than just a series of charts. Written in a fluent and engaging manner, 'The Good Shopping Guide' takes you on a whistle-stop eco-tour through all of the consumer decisions that you may have to make in a year, offering advice, explaining jargon and encouraging you to question old habits and questionable ethics. And with plenty of colourful photographs adding a splash of colour, this is a book which you may well find yourself reading from cover to cover rather dipping into when necessary. Whoever would have thought that a consumer manual would have been so interesting?!

This book is ideal for the experienced eco-warrior and the novice budding environmentalist alike, and it certainly contains advice I’ll be referring to in the future.

I never would have thought that the story of the development of a business would have been so interesting, but then again, with a front cover that looks like a bar of chocolate, and the words ‘Green & Black’s’ emblazoned across it, I was still keen to give it a go. Luckily, working here at ethicalsuperstore.com I’m in the privileged position of having these books at my fingertips, so I opened the cover and began…

What starts out as an introduction to Craig and Jo, the couple who conceived and developed this internationally recognisable chocolate brand, soon morphs into descriptions of business plans and market analysis.

However far from being turgid or overly detailed, the book manages to maintain the personal voice it starts out with, whilst not once loosing the readers’ attention. One device it uses is in-setting the main text with interesting little asides, from recipes for chocolate brownies to memorable words of philosophical wisdom, and from chocolate tasting techniques to facts about growing cocoa beans.

I also particularly enjoyed the parts of the book which they dedicated to describing the trials, tribulations and most importantly triumphs of their fair trade cocoa farmers in Belize. As someone who has spent quite a lot of time in this Central American country, Craig and Jo’s account of this element of their business further opened my eyes to a really interesting part of the world, and how much working with a company which believes in fair trade really has helped the people there.

The book also addresses a couple of popular questions which surround the Green & Black’s brand, namely why is it only the Maya Gold bar which carries the fair trade certification, and what motivated the takeover by Cadburys? I’m not going to give away any of the answers now – but give this book a try, you won’t be disappointed!

This publication should come with a health warning however - this book is likely to encourage excessive chocolate consumption – you won’t be able to resist the temptation!

Since I first sampled this tasty breakfast cereal last week, it has become a firm favourite. The crunchy oaty chunks and taste explosions of red berry are deliciously moreish, so you’ll quickly find it’s hard to only consume one bowl at a time. The only risk is that you will soon find that you’re munching on a bowl of this Red Fruit Crunch at all times of day – I particularly like it when I get in from work as it’s almost like eating a biscuit – only much more healthy and tastier too! The cereal has become so popular in my household that one box was in fact demolished in a matter of days. Luckily as I work here at Ethical Superstore it will be very easy to get my hands on some more. And then some more. And then I imagine some more!

A definite perk of the job here at Ethical Superstore is easy access to a wide range of tasty organic and fair trade products, and to be honest, it would be rude not to sample them.

It's barbeque season, so yesterday I decided to take advantage of that fact and sample three of the various beers that we have on offer: the Cannabia Organic beer, the Mongozo Palm Nut beer, and the Muller Biodynamic Lager.

The Mongozo Palm Nut beer was taste test #2: It's a darker coloured beer, with quite a thick and sweet flavour. With more of a fruity real ale taste I personally couldn’t drink too much of it, but for those more into the real ale taste this one could be a real winner as it is definitely characterful and individual. Since my barbeque taste test experience I have subsequently been told that I was mistaken in sampling this beer with a burger – apparently Mongozo and curry is the way forwards, so I leave this to yourselves to confirm or deny..!

An advance sampling of this Duchy Originals Lemon Curd at Ethical Superstore HQ confirmed what I had anticipated – this truly is a mouth-watering and tasty treat! Spread it thickly on toast, bread, hot cross buns, crumpets, or even just dip your spoon in (!), and I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed. The natural sweetness is perfectly complimented by a delicious lemony tang which really melts-in-the mouth. This spread would make even the swiftest of breakfasts a memorable delight, which will leave you wanting more and more!