The roar of Piccadilly Circus is just a moment’s stroll away and yet tibits provides a calm, informal haven for those wanting to benefit from a wide choice of fresh, vegetarian food and juices, at any time of the day.

And choice is exactly what you get with both hot and cold dishes served in a unique food boat that is the main focus of the ground floor of the restaurant.

tibits co-founder, Reto Frei explains: “The idea was born in 1998 of an own personal need as my two brothers and myself are vegetarians. We wanted to create a place we could eat tasty vegetarian food in a relaxed and modern ambiance, just a good restaurant without the lentil & hemp groove. After winning two prices for the idea at a business plan competition, we partnered with the Hiltl family, owner of Europe’s oldest vegetarian restaurant, and made our dream true.”

I arrived at lunchtime and had a wonderful time teasing my tastebuds with the various regularly replenished  and beautifully presented homemade dishes on selection, settling, naturally, on a “tibit” approach of a little of everything I fancied.

“At tibits, we want to offer a maximum of flexibility,” adds Reto. “With the ever increasing demand of self-determination and individuality, exactly chosing the kind of food you like and exactly getting the amount of food you need, is a fun and modern way of eating. And it is relaxed too, you can stay for a drink, have some nibbles or enjoy a five course meal. It is entirely up to you. Last but not least, people with food intolerances can easily pick ‘their’ dishes as everything is clearly labelled.”

For my starter I enjoyed various cold antipasti, salads (such as pepper, tofu and cucumber, below) and little puff pastry delights that added a perfect nutritional balance. Of particular note were the freshly stuffed jalapenos, aubergine antipasti and the delightful full-flavour of dried bean salad with walnuts – I have never tasted green beans that delicious before!

Main dishes continue to be a great tasting fusion of Asian and European flavours with carrot and plum tagine, completely vegetarian green Thai curries, noodle dishes and grilled vegetables.

For dessert, I enjoyed a little of everything, including a delicious traditional Swiss cheesecake, crème brulee and chocolate mousse. With the food sold on weight (minus the lovely selection of freshly baked bread rolls), it’s a fair system and the perfect venue for a group with diverse eating habits.

With vegetarian food this delicious, even the carnivores amongst you may be tempted, as Frei has noted in his clientele. “90% of our guests are part-time vegetarians. More and more meat eaters realise that vegetarian cuisine at tibits is fun and exciting. The old fairytale that you need meat every day to stay strong and fit is slowly but steadily disappearing. And it is fun and supports the climate too.”

Downstairs, there’s plenty of room for private functions, as well as a welcoming children’s area stacked full of wooden toys and books to keep little diners happily entertained, making it the perfect venue for a quick afternoon coffee and cake treat.

Tibit’s sourcing policy is simple: without losing out on taste and its ability to create innovative recipes, Tibits focuses on fresh and local produce where possible in a purely transparent approach. That’s not to say you won’t find a few tropical flavours on the menu and these are sourced as ethically as possible and by boat.

All l the dairy ingredients (including milk, cheese and free-range eggs) are organic and Tibits is always trying to improve and include more organic and Fairtrade certified ingredients across the homemade dishes. You’ll find a lovely selection of coffee creations, speciality teas and fresh juices. With a contemporary bar, it’s a great place to enjoy gorgeous cocktails and organic beers and ciders after work.

1. Jacks Harvest Yummy Bunny Carrots £4.65

Each bag of Jack’s Harvest Yummy Bunny Carrots contains 12 heart-shaped cubes that have a little bit of added ginger for taste. Each delicious serving provides 190% of a baby’s daily value of Vitamin A and 6% of Vitamin C and the pinch of ginger adds extra potassium while aiding digestion and regulating blood flow. Jack’s Harvest baby food is USDA certified 100% organic and contains no preservatives, artificial flavours or colours, salt, sugar or fillers.

www.jacksharvest.com

A break away from the usual kids toys Cosytots are artistically handmade but hard wearing enough for your children to pass onto their children one day.

Available from Minimyne.com, Felix are based on artist Kathy Brussart’s French childhood and made from organic cotton.  A little expensive at £25, but it ensure you get something truly unique.  Plus it will look great on your shelve for years to come.

1. The Natural Store Daisy Dumpling Organic Baby Alpaca Crocheted Booties £18

This sweet booties are 100% organic Baby Alpaca wool, that is spun using a water mill so very environmentally-friendly. It is a natural product that is so soft against your baby’s skin.

The booties are available in the wool’s nature cream colour and are made in three sizes, newborn, up to 3 months and up to 6 months. They come in different styles from crossover slip on, butterfly slip on and pink flower on toe with strap and coconut button closure.

Each pair comes complete with shoe fresheners filled with lavender flowers and a calico drawstring bag.

The Natural Store

1. Gossypium Continental baby grow £15

This pretty garden printed baby grow has a lovely bug print design with rich reds and purples. The baby grow is made from soft pure organic cotton, and have long sleeves with integral feet. The poppers are nickle-free, it has a continental back fastening and it is fair trade. It is available in sizes, newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months.

Image: Olivier Asselin

Join young people from the city of London celebrated the last day of this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight at a heart-warming event taking place at the Barbican with the support of Divine chocolate. Eleni Sardi writes.

Divine has had one busy calendar over the past two weeks as the company has been taking part in the Big Swap campaign of Fairtrade Fortnight and offering all kinds of events and activities to educate people and celebrate the joy of fair trade.

The 100% Fairtrade chocolate company partly owned by cocoa farmers in Ghana has been working hard to make sure the people of Kuapa Kokoo earn a fair wage but also to let them get their own stories out to the world. That’s why Comfort Kumeah and Kojo Aduhene-Tano, two of the Kuapa farmers, have been touring the UK to share the success story of their cooperative which now owns 45% of Divine Chocolate and how this ownership has benefitted them and their community.

This year they have already visited Leicester, Stamford in Lincolnshire and the Channel Islands to talk to schoolchildren, shoppers and retailers, church groups and local businesses, government officials and Fairtrade Steering Groups. Their last stop was a special concert at the Barbican in partnership with the Guildhall School of Music. Inspired by the themes of fair trade, the performances explored the fusion of African drumming, Mc-ing and Song writing and was introduced by Comfort and Kojo.

Of course, as with all Divine events (as we’ve been lucky to discover before), there was plenty of gorgeous chocolate to go around for everyone as well as the chance to talk to the people behind the Divine vision who are always more than willing to share their love not just for their chocolate but most of all for what they do.

NEW PRODUCT ALERT: Delightfully tasty Butterscotch Milk Chocolate, launched during Fairtrade Fortnight. Made with Divine’s smooth and creamy milk chocolate, it’s studded with crunchy toffee pieces and it comes as a snack-size bar for some Fairtrade sweetness on the go. Available all year round at Wholefoods Market and Fresh & Wild stores in London, Oxfam stores nationwide and also online at the Divine Chocolate Shop and Ethical Superstore.

Yozuna is a company based in the UK that is dedicated to developing fair trade with small independent businesses, farmers and co-operatives in Africa. Yozuna means ‘it’s sweet’ in the language of the Ngoni people of Zambia and the company has chosen it because it represents the wonderful products it produces out of the baobab fruit and its mission to help families in rural Africa.

The baobab jam has a thick texture and it’s great on buttered toast but chefs such as David and Holly Jones of Manna from Devon Cookery School recommend smothering it over roasted vegetables. Other suggestions include enjoying it with cheese or even yoghurt while its unique tangy taste makes it perfect for all kinds of cooking and baking experimentations.

Yozuna produces the Fairtrade approved African baobab jam with the help of PhytoTrade Africa whose role is to help Southern Africa’s natural products industry to achieve rapid growth while ensuring its long term sustainability and social equity. The company is also trying to earn the CarbonZero certification striving to reduce carbon footprint and benefit the communities that produce the baobab fruit.

You can buy the jam at Selfridges or on the company’s website.

Chocolate chip cookies have to be the number one comfort food that is guaranteed to make you feel just a bit better whatever the case. They’re even better than chocolate cake, less messy and easier to carry around in your tote next to the smartphone and the planner.

We love Doves Farm cookies because they are gluten free and made with organic Fairtrade cocoa from the Dominican Republic and other Fairtrade ingredients up to a total of 37.8%. A great batch if you’re looking for an indulgent treat, they’re baked with dark chocolate chips.

Perfect for sharing if you’re in the mood or not if you’re not the sharing type. Dunk them in a hot  cup of Fairtrade coffee or tea.

Greenmystyle loves Fairtrade treats that make everyone happy: you, your friends, the planet and the people who worked hard to bring them to you. Our favourite companies include Divine, Green & Blacks, and Montezuma’s.

Buy the cookies on Doves Farm website.

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If you’re a sweet tooth who likes to delve their hand into a bag of sugar-coated sweeties on your commute or school run, then why not try some of these lovely Fairtrade certified sweets? George Walker lists our favourite Fairtrade sweets in our tantalising pop-out gallery.

There are some foods that are perfect for taking you back to your childhood, and sweets are certainly one such food stuff. This Fairtrade Fortnight, why not treat yourself to some confectionary-induced nostalgia by stocking up on some delicious Fairtrade sweeties?

Sourced from various Fairtrade certified sugar plantations, these sweets are guaranteed to delight the taste buds and the communities where fair trading practises mean good wages and better standards of living.
What’s more, if you want to get your work mates involved in Fairtrade Fortnight 2010, why not join the Big Swap and look into a sweet vending machine for the office at Fairtradevending.co.uk?

VIEW THE POP OUT GALLERY BELOW!

Honey seems to be everyone’s favourite remedy for sore throats and general well-being but it’s also well-loved in cakes and sweets and of course in dressings and glazing. If you love honey very much too, why not swap your jar for a Fairtrade one?

We found this non-organic Chilean Ulmo Blossom Honey that comes from a small community of indigenous people in Chile and their cooperative Campesina Apicola Valdivia. About 100 families that mainly belong to the people of Mapuche have been working for the beekeeping project and are earning a wage that’s fair thanks to Equal Exchange. The company is dedicated to the promotion of Fairtrade and organic production methods respecting the farmers and the environment.

The origins of Equal Exchange go back to 1979 when three voluntary workers returned to Edinburgh after working on aid projects in various parts of Africa. Along with a sister organisation in London, Campaign Co-op, they started buying instant coffee from Bukoba on in Tanzania, which became known as project Campaign Coffee.

The volunteers believed that aid to farmers in poor countries was not the only answer but that instead direct, fairer trading could help redress the balance. They still believe that the alternative trade movement is about creating a set of conditions in which producers of all kinds of products can earn a fair reward for their labour, in an environmentally sustainable, ecologically sensitive way.

Find out where to buy this product on Equal Exchange’s website.