'The Wave' in London

'The Wave' rally in London on December 5th is a critical moment in the lead up to Global Climate Talks in Copenhagen. We need to ensure that UK and World leaders know that there is huge concern and a demand for urgent action to stop global warming reaching levels that are dangerous to people and the planet. On that Saturday up to 100,000 people (dressed in blue to look like a wave of people!) are expected to flow through the streets as a family-friendly, human flood, before encircling Parliament in support of a fair and safe deal at Copenhagen. Find out more: ‘The Wave’ or Oxfam or Friends of the Earth or Greenpeace or Christian Aid and many others is a member of Stop Climate Chaos, the UK’s biggest coalition on Climate change representing over 100 organisations with over one million members.

Anti-Slavery Int'l ‘BID FOR FREEDOM’ Auction

On Wednesday, 11th November 2009 Anti-Slavery International will be operating an online auction to help raise funds for their cause. Quail was asked to donate an item for this worthy auction and as such an Ahimsa Silk Nightdress and Mens Black Batik shirt will hopefully bring some money their way! More details about the auction will be posted on this blog as they become available.

Anti-Slavery International works for policy and practice change to reduce slavery and to reduce the causes of slavery--the same ideals that Quail believes in--child labour in particular and being particular about 'Product Provenance' in the supply chain. Ultimately, Anti Slavery International aims to eliminate slavery in all its modern forms. Areas of their work:

1 The West Africa programme seeks to eradicate slavery through legal reform, and supports former slaves through the provision of community schools and micro credit.

2 In South Asia we work with local partners to obtain the release of slaves through the courts and to document the causes and consequences of slavery in the region. We are currently fundraising for programmes that focus on labour organisation, and education of bonded labourers and their families to help them break the cycle of slavery.

3 Our child domestic labour programme works in six countries: Philippines, India, Tanzania, Togo, Costa Rica, and Peru, with elements including international research, advocacy and small grants.

4 In Europe we work with governments, police, lawyers, pan-European institutions and other anti-trafficking organisations to review legislation and to ensure access of trafficked persons to justice (especially compensation), and work towards the eradication of trafficking.

5 Anti-Slavery has a programme of business engagement to raise awareness of the risks of forced labour in their supply chain, helping businesses identify how they can help reduce the causes of slavery in the communities in which they work, and to encourage businesses to engage more pro-actively with other anti-slavery organisations to reduce slavery in the world.

6 We have consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council; participatory status at the Council of Europe, and observer status at African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. We also work closely with the newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery. We use all of these mechanisms to increase the profile of slavery issues at an international level and put pressure on governments to take concrete steps to address issues of concern in their countries.

7 We have a strong education programme in UK schools and an outreach programme to raise awareness of the consequences of historical slavery on the formation of the modern world, and how slavery remains a real problem across every region of the globe. Our unique historical archives have been made available to the public on our website as part of our Recovered Histories project.

Quail teams up with Traidcraft

Quail has been involved in another temporary Fairtrade Shop in Brixham recently--teaming up with Torbay's Key Contact for Traidcraft, Helen Barratt. It is the responsibility of a certified Fairtrade Town to actively promote Fairtrade as much as possible. Torbay has been a certified Fairtrade Borough since 2007 and this certification was renewed in 2008 and set to continue because people living in Brixham actively support Fairtrade. The shop's success is credit to the volunteers who operate it and the use of the building space kindly donated by the Co-op.

New Totem Print Shirts & Kimonos...blue on white

Limited edition 'Totem' print ladies 3/4 length sleeve shirt from Quail - blue print on white.

Limited edition 'Totem' print ladies Kimono Top from Quail - blue print on white.

New Totem Print Shirts

New women's organic cotton print shirts will shortly be available from Quail's retail website on a limited edition basis. Wholesale orders are coming in from Australia, the USA and from select shops around the UK. The first release of shirts will be made available in south Devon shops in on 24th October, including Brixham's Fairtrade Shop on Pump Street. Rich peacock green 'Totem' print on aqua (above and below), pale blue on white print also available.

Printed organic cotton fitted shirt made in England from Quail By Mail, featuring 3/4 length sleeves and shell buttons.

Organic Cotton - Fact No. 4

In northern India organic cotton seed is planted between the months of March and May. It takes about five months to grow a cotton-bearing plant from seed. After germination it grows quickly and begins to form flowers which die away. It is essential that the flowers become pollinated to form cotton bolls, which are the ovaries of the plant. Fascinatingly cotton flowers start out white on day one, then turn pale pink a day after before blushing to dark pinks by the end of the week. Immediately after this amazing colour transformation the petals dry up and fall off, revealing the young, forming bolls. The photo above was taken in India just before being hand-picked. Beautiful! Photo credit: Bishopston Trading.

The Organopónico Eddoe Experiment ~ Day 171

At long last, a review of the highly successful The Organopónico Eddoe Experiment. The plants are over 3 feet high and are healthy, sturdy and attract comments from visitors for their jungle-inspired beauty. The plants love a lot of water and will protest if they don't get enough by yellowing and generally looking sorry for themselves. Probably around Day 200 the Autumn weather will have set in properly and the eddoes might start to look so bedraggled that I might consider digging them up and seeing whether any new tubers were produced. Watch this space!

Fresh Cotton Prints

Behold Quail's latest import of organic cotton fabric from India!!! The pattern is a limited edition design called 'Totem' from Lucie Summers, who designs in association with Eco Eco Ltd in Hope, Derbyshire. Customers will soon be able to purchase mens and womens shirts, blouses and kimono tops from Quail--in both prints--from October 2009. Please check Quail's website for the release. Please note that this design is a limited edition!!! The above fabrics (fat quarters etc) may be purchased by the metre via Lucie's Etsy Shop or the fabulous Eco Eco shop in Hope, Derbyshire. To make fabric enquiries or to find out how you can transfer your designs onto organic/Fairtrade cotton then please drop me an email via my profile page. (Fabric is 120cm wide).

Photo of the Day 1

This photo reminds me of Summer fun! Photo: Natasha Kroll

Late Summer Studio

Time to make some proper Quail progress after a lazy August in the studio. Late Summer Sales, selling off old stock, waiting for new fabric from India to clear customs and find its way to me in Devon, reordering some interesting batiks, finishing off grading of a few new styles for Autumn. I can't help but notice it's getting darker in the evenings these days--a try melancholic feeling. But at the same time I'm looking forward to wearing wool, tweed and walking around in boots.

Ursula Andress and her homemade white bikini

In 1962 Ursula Andress walked out of the sea in 'Dr No' in an iconic, home made white bikini making her the quintessential Bond Girl. View the scene here.

A dagger and belt--the perfect bikini accessory for 1960s shell seekers.

Messing about on the beach with her 'Dr No', co-star Sean Connery.

Brixham Colours 12

This blue and white trawler has been stranded in the inner harbour of Brixham for the last few weeks during low tide and the owner is slowly painting it from back to front. I love the rust stains and old paint colours showing through knicks and scuffs.

Quail's most popular men's shirt

To date, the most popular colour in Quail's Weekend Shirt for men is the Black organic/Fairtrade cotton with genuine Indonesian batik contrast. As shirts are made to order within 2-3 days sleeves can be lengthened or shortened by request. This classic, relaxed fit mens' shirt is designed to be worn out.

You need to know about the Scala & Kolacny Brothers

The Scala & Kolacny Brothers is a confusingly named all girls choir from Belgium who sing a 'desert island discs'-style selection of pop music in a unique way. Rather than babbling on about their hugely uplifting music, which I first heard on BBC Radio 1 after a massively exhausting day, I implore you to check out their cover of 'Heartbeats' a song first written and preformed by The Knife and then made popular by José González. I suspect that anyone who loves the sound of Iceland's Sigor Ros, will love The Scala & Kolancy Bros. The Scala Choir is conducted by brothers Stijn (conductor) and Steven (on piano) and the group have released several CDs and numerous songs are available to download from iTunes, making their music accessible to all. I think more people ought to know about this choir so enjoy and let me know what you think!!! It's also worth checking out the original version of The Knife's 'Heartbeats' and the acoustic version by José González.

Pink Floyded Saunton Sands

Saunton Sands in North Devon is a wonderful place to visit in the height of summer and dark, stormy winter. The UK isn't known for massive, expansive beaches but that's mainly because they are relatively unknown. Saunton Sands has a Famous Five feel to it with mountainous sand dunes called the Braunton Burrows and an amazing long, white, wide beach. Surfers tend to cluster in one main area near the hamlet of Saunton which is mainly made up of a few gorgeous private beach houses, a large, retro white washed hotel and little else. But what else would you want? Saunton Sands is known as an enigmatic film and photography set. 'A Matter of Life and Death', the 1946 film starring David Niven (when he wakes up on the beach at the beginning and thinks he's in heaven). Robbie Williams and his 'Angels' video. But my favourite Saunton Sands fact is Storm Thorgerson, England's prolific and progressive graphic designer, set up the shot for the 'Momentary Lapse of Reason' album cover on the beach, hauling in wrought iron hospital beds for an iconic day shoot (pictured above). It is a fact that 700 beds were used and Photoshop lazy computer trickery made way for sourcing and then hauling hundreds of wrought iron beds onto a north Devon beach...during poor, English weather. I love it! Pop into the best eatery visit The Corner Bistro in nearby Braunton for a proper organic burger.

Rhubarb and Ginger Soufflé

Behold my beautiful, homemade soufflé! The word 'soufflé' is suggests cookery mystique and mastery--but soufflés really aren't that difficult to pull off and they look impressive. This recipe has a gorgeous, refreshing flavour and makes for a light dessert which is enjoyable to eat and utterly impressive! Seldom seen on restaurant menus probably because of the last minute nature of mixing and baking soufflés and compounded with timing issues as commercial kitchens are frantic places these days. This recipe seems long winded but it's quite straightforward and can be done in stages--with the final stage done last minute even if you are the host/cook at a dinner party. It involves making the Crème Patisserie, preparing the rhubarb and then uniting the two mixes for the final batter.

Make the Crème Patisserie:
200ml milk
140ml double cream
50g vanilla sugar
4 egg yolks
20g plain flour
15g corn flour

1 In a large pan warm milk & cream
2 In a small bowl whisk egg yolks and sugar
3 Add flour and corn flour to egg mixture, mix well
4 Pour milk/cream mixture into egg/flours mixture, mix well, then pour into the pan
5 Bring mixture to just below boiling point, stirring constantly
6 When mixture is thickened pass through a sieve and cover the surface with a clingfilm 'skin'

Make the Rhubarb compote:
600g rhubarb, diced
1 T water
30g freshly grated ginger
50g caster sugar (and another 50ml)

1 Cook down rhubarb, ginger and water with sugar (aim for compote), then cool slightly
2 Whizz rhubarb mixture with a hand blender or processor
3 Use a pastry brush to coat ramekins in butter, dust with sugar then *drag thumb along rim
4 Mix rhubarb with the crème patisserie
5 In a large bowl whisk egg whites to soft peaks, add 50g sugar until glossy

Continue making // hosts can pop in and prepare the following after the main course:
6 Preheat oven to 230c
7 Fold rhubarb/crème mixture into the meringue mixture
8 Divide into ramekins, level with palette knife, careful of the rim, then *drag thumb along rim
9 Bake until golden brown for 12-14mins
10 Moving quickly, display with napkin and a dusting of icing sugar

*Drag thumb just inside the rim each ramekin, a couple of millimetres. This ensures the soufflés will rise impressively out of their ramekins!

Quail flies into the Greek Isle of Syros

Quail is familiar with knowledgeable Greek shoppers looking to buy eco and ethical fashion via mail order and now a brand new beautiful shop called Mumu has opened up in the seaside city of Ermoupoli on the island of Syros. Mumu is owned and operated by Athena Bentila and her stunning shop is such a delight! "We support Fair Trade and being green is beautiful!" Mumu will stock a range of quality environmentally conscious brands including Quail's most coveted summer Emily Dress in a sapphire blue (pictured above) as well as an exclusive range of clothing from eco fashion designer, Bedila Eleni.

Mumu 'green' clothes for women
9, Kotsovili str
841 00 Ermoupoli
Syros Island
Greece
www.mumusyros.blogspot.com
Google Map

eBay Yukka and Tropical Big-Leafyness

Behold the top terrace of my garden: The Tropical Garden. I love big leafed, jungly green plants and after renovating this area from an 'overgrown garden of the neglected kind', I got hold of the yukka above on eBay for £30 and being 12 feet high it was serious grunt work to get it through the cottage and then up three flights of steep steps to its new home position. I invested in a 3 foot banana plant late last summer and I wrapped it up for winter. This year it produced 6 baby suckers all of which have been successfully detached and growing on their own in other parts of the border and several huge, pristine, bright green leaves--it loves all this summer rain. Meanwhile on the other side of the border (out of view) my eddoes are loving the garden soil and sun and producing a new leaf and getting taller by inches every week. Also in the pic, Montbretia/Crocosmia, Euphorbia/Spurge, Torbay palm/Cordyline and in the terracotta pot, Arum lillies. Also in the garden: Canna Lillies, Pineapple Lillies, various varieties of wild Devon Sedum, Houseleeks, Echeveria, Aeonium and other succulent curios growing from cuttings I collected far and wide.

Spots spotted in the Garden

I can't be sure what kind of caterpillar this is but after some serious Googling I think it might be a 'Six Spot Burnet Moth'. Amazing whatever species it turns out to be! Anyone who can properly identify it please make a comment and I will duly correct my mistake!!!

Brixham Colours 11

I interrupt my normal Brixham Colours series to bring you St Ives Colours 1. St Ives (pictured above) is England's most loveliest fishing village and I think the above photo tells you why...It's a stunning place. Located on the tip of south west England St Ives is an artists haven because the light really is extraordinary. The light bounces off the ocean, the white sandy beaches, the white cottages and the silvery slate roofs. The town is surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean, cliffs and beaches giving St Ives a Mediterranean air rather than O'Blighty. Husband and I visited St Ives last week--one of many trips to the area. We stayed at the Organic Panda B&B which has simple, elegant rooms, two adorable cats, fab organic breakfasts and the place doubles as an art gallery. Organic Panda is 'the definitive' B&B for anyone with an eco/ethical ilk and wants to chill out and we highly recommend it.

The Organopónico Eddoe Experiment ~ Day 84

Just a quick and final update on the The Organopónico Eddoe Experiment. The eddoes have been planted out in the garden for the last month or so and are putting on a decent rate of growth with leaves getting larger and larger and new leaves appearing every 5 days or so. I'm growing them organically so all they've been fed is a little home made fish fertiliser and regular drinks courtesy of the water butt. The outcome of the experiment is that £8 worth of eddoe tubers will create around £100 of lush tropical planting (if purchased in the above state from specialist garden centres) and I should be able to harvest a crop of eddoes for eating and growing on next year.

Ashburton Cookery School

The reason for my bloggy absence has been down to attending a 4 week Diploma Course at Ashburton Cookery School. Amazingly this top culinary school is one of the best in the country so I'm lucky to have it pretty much on my South Devon doorstep. I habitually seek out organic, local and sustainable produce so the school is a kindred spirit in that regard--in most cases provenance is just as important as the recipe itself and execution of it. Above, my organic Chelsea Buns with organic sultanas, currants, candied fruit, locally produced butter, Riverford Organic milk and Doves Farm flour of course.

The Diploma Course is made up of 10 students and 4 chef tutors who are exceptionally knowledgeable, experienced, charming and inspirational. It's fun to be a student again and to be challenged not only with fab recipes but getting my hands on exceptional local produce as well--venison, live crab, lemon sole, hand dived scallops, free range organic duck and chicken--the list goes on. I thought I knew a thing or two about pastry before the course but seemingly overnight I've grown in skill, ratcheting up my ability to produce !WOW! factor meals eaten previously for fancy money and now I can reproduce it confidently at home. Above, shaped teardrop of dark and white chocolate filled with raspberry mousse and served with raspberry coulis.

My fellow students are a great gang who all have varying reasons for being away from home just to concentrate on cooking in what is to me the best place in the UK--South Devon--for seafood, dairy products, quality meat and game etc. The only shame is that Ashburton isn't known to have any fabulous places to eat nor drink...which is odd!!! Ashburton is a pretty town surrounded by lovely countryside and peppered with quality local food producers so there is no excuse for the numerous mediocre restaurants, bistros and cafes dotted around the place. Ashburton Cookery School is open pretty much open 365 days of the year to transform the mediocrity.

Above, smoked haddock and leek quiche with summer salad.

Above, wild Scottish salmon, petit pois and saffron risotto

Above, Treacle Tart with raspberry coulis and clotted cream

Sushi Nori with soya sauce, wasabi and ginger pickles

Natural Button Showcase

The timeless elegance of natural shell buttons really suits ethical fashion because it fuses tradition, beauty, quality and sustainability into a tiny, functioning, rare detail. The modern lust for 'the bottom line' on garment manufacture has different types of seashell and rivershell (above), bone, antler, horn (below), wood, tagua nut and coconut buttons giving way to the monotony of plastic. Natural buttons are slow to produce, something actually has to grow in order to be punched into a button--coconuts drilled, antlers sliced, bones polished, tagua nuts picked on tiny plantations etc. And then when modern buttonhole machines came along to lash buttons to garments, well, the naturalness of natural buttons just could not stand up to the rigours of blasting buttons like bullets through the button-holer during mass manufacture. They turned to dust.

Photos on this blog are taken from the button stock at the Quail studio. Buffalo horn buttons from India (above). They are not plastic. They glow at certain angles. Natural buttons are ordered by 'the piece' or per button. Plastic buttons tend to be ordered by the kilogram.
Coconut is certainly a sustainable material (above). A food by product and the million and one ways to use the coconut palm in the tropical economy. Coconut buttons are tough as nails, standing up to any washing machine and probably the most obvious looking eco-button.

Thicker shell buttons (above) tend to be sourced from marine shells as freshwater shell (very top photo) ends to be thin, elegant and with a mother of pearl essence attributes which are favoured for ladies fashion or by the Pearly Kings and Queens of East London. Buttons that men can get hold of are thick seashell, wood and coconut. Not many buttons can be punched from an individual shell whether it be a marine or not--a fact worth pondering. I suspect that technically speaking some shell buttons on the market might actually be, er, snails. Nothing wrong with that, I'm sure they are very beautiful.

No one handsews buttons these days...or do they? Yes, we do. Eleven thick shell buttons on Quail's weekend mens shirt.

Real Furniture: Drawing Boards

Husband and I collect industrial furniture. Being both design driven (He's a cartographer, I'm a Quailer) it makes sense to have some decent, workable icons around the studio such as drawing boards. Mine is an antique Admel drawing board, a quintessential piece that we picked up from an ex-Rolls Royce factory in Filton, Bristol. The hardwood top has an attractive worn front edge with ink marks more common on the righthand side and sunbleach stains from where clips held down papers on the other. (Presumably the chap who owned it had a decent window seat and was right handed?) Cast iron feet, weights and mechanisms makes it a hefty piece of furniture but it operates smoothly and easily with the foot adjustment and presumably would suit designers of any stature. It's a practical, comfortable, beautiful, historical item.

Summer Day

Today was an example of why I do what I do. After a bit of time in the studio taking care of orders, Twittering and tidying up for the weekend I heard a little tune that reminded me of a cute summer song from the 80s, Perfect Way from Scritti Politti. It was then time to get outdoors and enjoy another great summer day. I flitted around in the garden watering my favourite tropical plants and herbs--basil is doing awesome in this heat--and then sat and read a great book listening to birds twittering all around me.

Chap Shirts...it's purple but what kind of purple?

Colour naming, especially for menswear is a struggle for me. As founder, owner, operator, manager and marketer of all things Quail I am going with 'Lavender' as a colour description for this shirt. 'Pale Purple' is too much of a tongue twister, maybe even patronising. 'Lilac' is conjures up images of grandmother and cottage doorways (though romantic) but I wonder if men know about lilac in the non-gardening sense. 'Heather' is a possibility and I'm also tempted by 'Thistle'.

For the Shortsleeved Weekend Shirt I chose a plain blue contrast for the inner yoke and collar but have also used the aqua paisley by request of a retail customer and then went on to produce a seven sizes set for a shop in England's Peak District which worked really well.

Limited edition Kimono Top

Bolts of traditional Japanese kimono fabric are little over 40cm wide--which is a key consideration when doing the pattern cutting for Quail--to construct a garment using incredibly narrow strips.

Print designs for kimono are hugely diverse but I'm a particular fan of the geometric designs which are distinct, exotic and funky! Vintage kimono bolts are often little more than 15m long and in the case of this particular pattern I had 2m x 45cm to work with!

The nearly-black navy blue kimono geometric print used in the above kimono has been married with royal purple organic cotton. Our model, Heidi, loves this particular one! This kimono top is a one off and is available to purchase as a limited edition via the website link above.

Summer Kimono Tops

Quail's Kimono Tops are available in two colourways, Merlot (Top) and Saffron (Below). Designed and made in England using organic and Fairtrade cotton.

Available in UK Sizes 8-20.

Shirt Pattern Archive

After a successful run of the Box Pleat Shirt, Quail will retire the pattern for awhile. Fans can still procure one at a special discounted price, some colourways and sizes have sold out but once the stockroom is empty Quail will down tools on this particular pattern and add it to our archive.

Quail Summer Photo Shoot

Emily Dress in beautiful blue shweshwe fabric.

The Organopónico Eddoe Experiment ~ Day 45

I promised an update on my eddoes! Read the history here. Firstly, I ended up bringing my 15 pots of eddoes to a large windowsill indoors because I realised they really needed some warmth to get a proper start and the coldframe really was too ambicious. Although I am based on the soutwest coast of England (Devon) and bananas, canna lillies and calla lillies do well, it's still not exactly tropical!!! I read that eddoes take a long time to get going which is certainly true. The tubers have to chit (form growing buds) and be coaxed to life by warm, damp soil in a sunny position. Here we are on the 27th May and 15+ eddoe tubers were planted 13th March. Visable signs of growth has only taken place in the last week or so. Weeks earlier I was impatient so I dug up a few eddoes to check what was happening below the soil: the tubers were beginning to send out roots and in some cases 'eyes' were forming, which turned into horns that poked through the soil and a tiny leaf bud appears (above).

The leaf quickly unfurls in a couple of days before it puts on another growth spurt (above and below) with another leaf stalk forming at the base of the first (below). What these three photos represent is the 45th day of the Organopónico Eddoe Experiment.

I have 15 pots on the go, some with 1-3 tubers each. Five or so are already forming the beautiful, lush, bright green, tropical leaf effect that I am striving for, four more pots have 'horns' poking through and the others have probably at least formed a root system. I have one rotten casualty! The weather in the last couple of weeks has really proved we're in summer growing mode so expect more beautiful surprises from the eddoe experiment in the future.

Fistral Tunic cut on the bias

The Fistral Tunic has proved to be Quail's pick of the lot during Whitsun long weekend. The bias cut is more obvious in the striped cotton (Raspberry and Magenta striped available) but is is available to order in every conceivable Quail colourway by request.

Brixham Colours 10

It's Brixham Heritage Week which means that the pontoons are stacked up with beautiful heritage working boats including those from Trinity, which are based in Brixham and the Vigilance of course which we saw today under full sail. Other classic boats were visiting including the FY357 from Fowey, Cornwall (above).

Victorian Cotton Mills and Fashion ~ Part 2

Queen Street Mill Textile Museum in the Harle Syke district of Burnley, Lancashire, England was one of the filming locations for the internal shots of the working cotton mill seen in 'North and South' (above). Considerable research on filming locations has been compiled by a fansite here which doubles as an interesting itinerary for anyone interested in textiles, the Victorian era and the Industrial Revolution. An insight into a working cotton mill, work conditions etc can be seen here.

Victorian Cotton Mills and Fashion ~ Part 1

Elizabeth Gaskell's 'North and South' is an English novel published in instalments in 1853-4 and a much coveted TV adaptation from the BBC starring Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe. Set in a fictional northern mill town of Milton this socially historic novel is most definitely a restrained love story plus it offers a contrast of middle class and working class lifestyles bridged by the emergence of the successful Victorian merchant. The North and South cultural division of the Industrial Revolution (centred largely centred in the industrial north of England) vs the assumed richer, lighter south offers the reader and viewer an insight into the daily realities of a Victorian cotton mill worker and employer and inevitably, the cotton consumer.
Gentlemen wore white starched shirts with simple, stand up collars and simple, tied cravats, usually black. Hair was short and beards made way for a clean-shaven look with accompanying long sideburns. Watch North and South here, buy it here or borrow it here.

Eat Local, Buy Local, Grow Local!

Poster design by Chris Silas Neal.

Quail flies into the Peak District

Eco Eco, in England's gorgeous Peak District, is now stocking a variety of organic cotton shirts for men and key pieces from Quail's ladies collection in the village of Hope, Derbyshire. As well as selling other Fairtrade and environmentally conscious brands of clothing, jewellery and accessories, Eco Eco has a second 'Home' shop nearby where they stock beautiful things for your house and garden, including eco friendly cleaning products and non toxic paints, bird feeders and organic cosmetics and body care. The two Eco Eco shops are owned and operated by Alison Jackson-Bass and both are located in the lovely village of Hope supplying the local community and holiday makers with eco/ethical products which have gained Eco Eco a Peak Distrct National Park's Environmental Quality Mark and are members of Ethical Junction. Both Eco Eco shops are open Tuesday thru Sunday.

Eco Eco Ltd
The Old Bank
2 Castleton Road
Hope, Derbyshire
S33 6RD
Tel: 01433 623113
www.eco-eco.co.uk
Google Map

Organic Cotton Shirt Offer

Splurge on an organic and Fairtrade cotton Box Pleat Shirt from Quail for an amazing price of £18.00 including P&P (Non-UK customers welcome: £20.00 including P&P). Available in White, Aquamarine, Poppy Red, Merlot, Grape, Coral Pink, Saffron and Sand. Mussel shell buttons, two pleated patch pockets, cowboy yoke and box pleat to back. Cut on the bias!!!

A nice nod from the GIN Lady

The GIN Lady has had some very kind things to say about Quail's collection of mens shirts. The GIN Lady herself is Under the influence of Green, Independent & Natural brands.

Summer music: Penguin Cafe Orchestra

The Quail studio is a great place to work and listen to music. A bright-ish sunny Devon day today meant that listening to a spot of Penguin Cafe Orchestra was in order. The music of the PCO may mystify some folk but I assure you that you must have heard and loved their music before--somewhere. "Telephone and Rubber Band" or "Music for a Found Harmonium" are tunes you may have heard before but I love "Ecstasty of Dancing Fleas". Both are what I would describe as 'cute music'. I mean what song isn't cute when a ukulele is involved! And don't you just love the artwork on their album cover? (Emily Young, album cover artist ) Listen here and here or see them at Glastonbury or other dates on their Summer Tour, details of which are on the PCO homepage.

What is Slow Fashion and what does it mean to Quail?

Slow Fashion is a movement where clothing is produced in such a way that proper value is added when producing a garment by way of design, raw material, ethical manufacture and marketing. In Quail's case, Product Provenance (please read) is something that illustrates Slow Fashion in practice. Organic, non-GM cotton grown, ginned and handwoven under Fairtrade conditions is the start of the process of Quail's Slow Fashion ethos. The process continues by way of design and manufacturing. Just as people recognise ‘Local’, ‘Home grown’, ‘In Season’ and ‘Organic’ food, there ought to be a rejuvenated pride in fashion ‘Made in Britain’ or any country for that matter. In the UK, fashion colleges continuously churn out graduates every year. Where on earth are those graduates working now? Answer: Often for mainstream high street labels—labels which all too often exploit textile workers and garment manufacturers in developing countries—and often fashion designers, pattern cutters, pattern graders and textile designers end up working in less-creative, fashion-related jobs such as clothing buyers, clothing retail, fashion education and lecturing. Starting from scratch, Quail commissions British fashion graduates and uses small, independent cut, make and trim units in Devon (southwest England) to manufacture small lines of high quality fashion. Light and creative manufacturing ought to be the backbone of the countryside, creating rural employment for men and women of all ages, innovation and products with real local significance.

Romping Organoponico

Last year I established my herb organoponico and this year I am able to properly harvest and use my kitchen garden without fear of overgrazing! Mint is my favourite herb at the moment because it is absolutely romping away--growing inches within days it seems--which is conveniently coinciding with my homemade tzatziki fix. All the herbs are doing well in fact and I have already had a few wild rocket salads and chopped the chives twice this week alone. Earlier this year I added four additional rocket plants to my rocket patch because last year I harvested rocket salad 2-3 per week and this year I want more, more, more!!! Considering how easy wild rocket is to raise from seed and that it is slug resistant and a great candidate for 'cut and come again', I wonder why packaged rocket at the supermarket is so expensive. This year no plastic packaged salad or herbs will be passing over my threshold, instead my organoponico will keep Husband and I in the green stuff.

Quail as Folk

I stumbled upon Quail Diary today, a well-written, humorous blog about the life and times of seven quails belonging to a London downsizer (photo from Quail Diary owner: Pottingshedder, above). The residents of Quail Towers at times perplex their fledgling human owners with mysterious overnight monk hairstyles, neibourhood wildlife encroachment and even a sex change of a quail called Dick--Quail Diary is a bit of a quail soap opera really. Meanwhile my own busines of operating a sustainable clothing label called Quail has lead to gamebird keepers up and down the land and across the world to stumble upon my blog looking for answers...namely how to 'dress a quail' in the edible way! Quail keeping is something I have considered but wonder if it might be bad karma to consume...one's self!!! Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can be ironic at times!!!

Bramley Apple Chutney

The quintessential British apple is the Bramley and my personal favourite. Husband and I only buy British apples and we enjoy Bramleys all winter long to make pies, apple sauce and apple crumble. 2009 marks the Bicentenary of the Bramley apple, which has a fascinating history. Visit the official website for the Bramley apple and read about the fascinating history and try some great new recipes. Here is my recipe for Bramley Apple Chutney. This recipe makes about seven x 350ml jars of fantastic homemade chutney. It's a leisurely all day affair to make chutney with plenty of chopping and stirring therapy, but well worth it in the end because friends and family never, ever refuse a handout.

1.5kg Bramley apples (about 5 or 6 large ones)
500g onions
500g sultanas or raisins
750g sugar (Demerara perhaps)
500ml of white wine vinegar
Zest and juice of two lemons
1 small chilli
1 t ground ginger
1 t ground allspice
½ t cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
½ t sea salt
8 peppercorns
1 T of mustard seed

To sterilise jars place in a cool oven – 130oC for 15-20mins. Do this step shortly before you want to pour your chutney into your hot jars.

You'll need your largest pot with at least 3 litres of volume. Peel, core and chop apples into 1" cubes and add them to the pot and turn the heat on high. Finely chop the onions and add them to the pot. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat. Simmer very gently with bubbles barely breaking the surface, for at least 4hrs and keep an eye on it, stirring your chutney every half hour. If there is too much heat, your chutney will scorch and burn on the bottom of the pot...spoiling the flavour so make sure the heat isn't too high. When you first start timing your chutney it will seem quite syrupy and thin--don't worry the next 4hrs is all about the reduction and melding of all those vibrant flavours. The raisins will balloon and caramelise--gorgeous! The chutney will gradually change colour from gold to dark chestnut during the cooking process. Your chutney is ready when you can draw a spoon across the surface and it leaves a definite track. If your jars are not yet freshly sterilised and hot, do this step now. Ladle or funnel your hot chutney into hot, sterilised jars with clean plastic-lined lids. Label your jars and store in a cool, dry place and leave to cure for at least 1 month--perfect at 3 months. You can cheat and have a ploughmans lunch with a bit of your spare chutney tomorrow and dream of a great chutney future!!!

Amelie Top Offer...slightly imperfect but still cute

From time to time I have seconds for sale, or items of clothing which are perfectly brand new but have some sort of small flaw or defect. I have one green Amelie Top in Size 8 (pictured above) available at the bargain price of £9 down from £49 -- a saving of 80%!!! It has a small fabric flaw on the back shoulder blade which has been repaired. If you are interested in this bargain send an email using the Quail By Mail profile page here. Price includes postage. This offer is available within the UK only.

A Bureaucracy Too Far

I discovered by shock horror that my Canadian passport is getting close to its expiry date so I have set aside an entire week to attend to the hoop jumping. The timing could not be worse seeing as one of the forms I require: Form PPTC 132, 'Statutory Declaration in Lieu of Guarantor' is currently in the news as being a contentious issue marred by slight scandal. The form should be downloadable from various Canadian passport office websites but links have been disabled. This sort of came to a head this week, right when I am in the middle of collecting all my bits and bobs of bureaucracy, such as that photo of me (above) which must be done in a photographer's studio to precise 'face size' measurements, photopaper weight, austere expression etc etc. I honestly do not mind collecting the paperwork and doing the necessary but when necessary forms are made unavailable, it really is a bureaucracy too far.

Lemon Shortbread Biscuits

Prince Charles' Duchy Originals brand do a very lovely lemon shortbread biscuit. This is my recipe (pictured above). Made from beautifully simple organic and Fairtrade ingredients, my biscuits are sort of Duchy-esque! I made simple round biscuits but there are some funky and festive cutters out there in bake shops to temp you. I think the zest of one lemon is the minimum requirement, so would be wonderful with extra zest. Orange zest might be worth a try too!

175g plain flour (Doves Farm, organic)
1 lemon, zest only (Fairtrade) (Keep the lemon juice)
110g butter, softened (Yeo Valley, organic)
50g caster sugar (Traidcraft, Fairtrade)

Preheat the oven to 180 c/Gas 4. Put flour, lemon rind in a large bowl and rub in the soft butter with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and bring the mixture together with your hands to form a dough. Try your best to get the dough to form a ball but you can cheat by adding the smallest sprinkle of lemon juice. Roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/2cm and cut into shapes. Place biscuits on a baking tray--they won't spread much so can be put close together. Bake in the oven for 6-10mins or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before lifting biscuits off with a palette knife. If you fancy a refreshing drink put the lemon juice in a tumbler, sprinkle of sugar, mix and fill the glass with cold water and stir well. Delish!

Brixham Colours 9

I took this photo at Breakwater Beach in Brixham today and a few kids were even swimming! Not exactly Summer weather yet but it has been lovely and warm lately.

Wild at Heart does a bit of Shweshwe

Shweshwe fabric rarely appears on TV but I spotted the housekeeper on British ITV's 'Wild at Heart' wearing various shweshwe outfits in blues and browns. South African actress Nomsa Xaba (pictured above) plays the housekeeper 'Nomsa'. The series which recently aired in the UK stars English actor Stephen Tompkinson who plays a veterinarian working on a game reserve in the South African bush.

Quail Mate: Andrea's "Unsung Sewing Patterns"

Today's Quail Mate feature is a blogger from Oregon State in the United States. Andrea is a lady who 'sews and shows' in her Unsung Sewing Patterns blog. As it happens Andrea, who runs a parallel blog called At the Blue Door, found Quail By Mail, so it's that reoccuring theme of being discovered by fellow bloggers who also appreciate vintage sewing patterns and austere fashion detailing, methodology and style. Andrea's 'Unsung Sewing Patterns' has the strap line of: The less fashionable side of home sewing. She specialises in getting hold of antique sewing patterns for utilitarian ladies and menswear from the 19th & 20th centuries and has a go at making them at home--a home with an actual blue door. Andrea sews quite a few house dresses (example of one of her projects above). She's also a cook and a gardener--an impressive cultivator of 8sqft of flat leaved parsley in fact, and is an owner and wearer of snowshoes (!). Quail Mate.