Whilst out shopping for food these days I find myself dithering before I check out. Yesterday my dilemma was between six Free Range, Organic Eggs for £1.68 or six of the same size but battery hen eggs for 69p? An organic chicken for £8.70 or the rather unhappier chicken at £4.80? I just don’t know anymore, I have stuck to my principled guns through thick and thin because it really does matter to me whether these animals have been happy during their short lives but it’s soooooo much more expensive to be principled and with the huge expense of Christmas coming up that I’m battling with my conscience a little. Nicer stockings for the kids or a happier life for Chelsea the chicken? Eggs, chicken and milk seem to be the staple organics for those who can’t afford to go the whole organic hog….doctors cannot confirm one way or the other whether organic will aid longevity and stave off grave illness but they do recommend that if you are going to buy one organic thing, that it should be milk; I imagine that this is because cows kept in barns and rarely see the lightare consequently, regularly injected with chemicals and of course this all comes out in the milk.
Oh I don’t know, I just want to win the lottery and keep all the animals in my kingdom happy.
Now….. presents, presents, presents!!!!
TheJohn Lewis Mini Sewing Machineis my first recommendation, a fantastic first sewing machine for anyone but particularly for young beginners, the machine is extremely easy to use and very colourful!
One of the most successful Christmas presents we gave to our son last year was an enormous, 5 star dry-wipe, magnetic white board from Amazonwith all the coloured pens and wiper, I think there’s a secretly frustrated teacher in him,he loves it and everything gets a special place on the board eventually, pics of his friends, times tables, calendars and hugely long lists of just about anything including his Christmas wish list.
One last recommendation because it is possibly one of the funniest children’s books we have read in this family isGangsta Granny by David Walliams…the tale of an old lady who nicks things, as my son puts it, not very Christmassy but then laughter is for all seasons isn’t it?
Ellie xx
Loved your post today – am def. only buying organic milk from now on! It is hard to stick to one's principles isn't it. Especially when Tesco regularly offer two whole chickens for a fiver and I can't usually taste the difference in flavour between organic and caged. Mind you, if its any small consolation, I heard that free range chickens are kept in a shed with an open door…with a slavering 'status' dog chained up outside. Perhaps buy a bit of both? Gx
I can't say about chicken as I'm vegetarian, however, I can honestly say that I can really tell the difference between organic and non-organic eggs. The organic eggs have beautiful deep coloured yolks. I occassionally can't get them which is dissappointing. I can't remember the last time I bought battery eggs… those chickens are chock full of the afforemantioned antibiotics.
I'm lucky enough to know a smallholder with whom I swap a one pound coin for six of her very free range eggs at our Wednesday yoga class.
Gillian, Amberley