Sustainable Squad

Learning about natural wine while drinking it? I'm IN! This week I'm joined by sommelier and wine consultant Ania at a great little venue in Brighton called Vine Street Tap.

Ania loves natural wine and has a big appreciation for the process and the individual style of each wine maker. We tried 3 different natural wines during our chat and I learnt so much about why it's natural, sustainable and the psychology around trying new things.

I'm delighted to be launching series 4 with one of the newest restaurants in Brighton, Kusaki. Serving plant based Japanese food and drinks in the Preston Circus area. Kusaki is the latest venue to be opened by owner Fabio Lauro who also owns Wolfox, Six, Food for Friends and Botanique.

I'm joined by Michelin trained executive chef Reuben Waller and operation manager India De Silva at the end of their first week being open. I'm very grateful for their time.

We talk about the food, the drinks, plant based eating and the challenges of opening a restaurant in 2021.

With so many more people growing vegetables and plants over the last 12 months, it's my pleasure to be talking to Miles from Mileshky's Beets & Beats about his allotment plot, battles with greenhouses, chilli sauces, fermenting veg and doing his first 'no dig' this Spring. He loves his music and my favourite saying of his is Plants Love Trance. His chilli sauce is available to buy and it's delicious! I'm sure you'll enjoy this episode.

We have enough clothing on the planet right now to cloth the next 6 generations of the human race. This is why a business like Super Looper, a rental service for baby and toddler clothing, is the future. I'm joined by founder Jenny to find out more about the service, the clothes and the support you get as a new mum. You can find this amazing business on social @superlooperlife and online superlooperlife.com

I'm joined by Matt, Ryan and Charlie who founded Ethicul - a reward platform to help us make positive purchases by shopping local and supporting businesses that are looking after people and planet. They have partnered up with over 40+ businesses from around Brighton and Hove. We find out more about these partnerships and what it was like to launch during a pandemic, ending on a light-hearted quiz to get to know them a little better. Visit ethicul.co.uk to sign up and find out more.

If you want to be more eco-friendly but don't know where to begin, then Lianne Bell's book is a great starting point. We open this episode talking about writing and self-publishing a book and then move onto fashion, food waste and beauty.

Lianne's approach to sustainability is to start somewhere and not beat yourself up over things you're not doing - which I love.

You can find Lianne Bell on Instagram and her book 'How on earth can I be eco-frinedly?' is out now!

We've all experienced wardrobe fatigue, you look at your clothes and claim you have nothing to wear. Often, you just need a fresh pair of creative eyes to help. This week, Sophia from Fine Tuned Wardrobe is a personal stylist and talks to us about fashion, her tips on shopping second hand and the emotional pull of consumerism. You can find Sophia on Instagram and online at FineTuneWardrobe.com

We're becoming more and more aware of the damage fast fashion is doing to our planet, but what about other textiles? I speak to Katie Briggs from The Textile Review about why she started a business to tackle the tonnes of fabric that's wasted in the events industry. A true advocate of the circular economy, Katie is on an exciting mission to help businesses change their mindset and take responsibility for the waste they produce. To contact Katie, visit TheTextileReview.com.

There's evidence to suggest that 18% of green house gases come from farming meat. In this episode, I'm talking to Lizzie and Mark about living a vegan lifestyle. They're two lovely people who like to keep fit and healthy, but like most of us, they have bad food days too. We discuss the benefits of and reasons for cutting out meat and dairy, adapting to a new diet, touch on how crap their cooking skills are and finish on a celebrity quiz!

This episode takes drinking responsibly to a whole new level. Not only was it fascinating to learn how beer is made, but it was really encouraging to hear what Franklins Brewery are doing to create less waste and have less of an impact on the environment. These guys make delicious beer in Sussex and they're a couple of sustainable legends in my eyes. You can buy their beer nationwide! Follow them on social to find out more @franksbrewco