It looks like it is going to rain for the entire month, so you might as well get on board with it and make the most of these next few weeks. From funky raincoats to sunshine supplements, our favourite wet weather picks will ensure you stay healthy, glam, and sustainable during this wet British summer.

Firstly, wet weather doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the outdoors

Radiant Heater, £89

This outdoor heater provides instant warmth on these long (but cold!) summer evenings and allows you to enjoy the outdoor areas of your home all year long.

Portable Smokefree BBQ, £119

Best Direct UK is also selling a portable smoke-free BBQ that heats up fast, grills meat and veggies odour-free, and is easy to clean. Enjoy great-tasting food wherever and whenever you like, rain or shine.

Wonderdry Umbrella, £9.99

And for when you have no choice but to face the rain, this Wonderdry umbrella has reverse open and fold technology that pulls the wet side in, unlike the traditional umbrella. It is the easiest and driest way to get in and out of the pouring rain. 

Pink is obviously the hottest colour around, but not everyone likes that kind of crazy hot pink – you know the one we mean, right?! But how about this lovely little rain mac parka thing from M&S. This pale pink M&S rubber-hooded raincoat is on sale right now at £39, down from £55. It’s a steal.

7′ x 5′ summerhouse, £549.99

To continue with this outdoorsy theme, Buy Sheds Direct have some great offers for sheds and summerhouses. If it is time for an upgrade or all your ‘stuff’ seems to be multiplying, they have a variety of sheds in wood, plastic or metal, for a high-quality solution. Now, a shed may be a practical choice, but have you ever thought about a summer house? Not only can they be used for storage (or to hide from your significant other!) they can be a space to decorate and relax in to watch the world go by. Especially during this dreary weather, a summer house can be a cosy space that still feels like you are outside.

We just wanna have fun (indoors!)

Botanical Print Shirt, £45

You sure don’t need the sun to brighten your day with these fun shirts from Ben Sherman. This casual shirt made with 100% cotton will keep you comfy and stylish day or night. It really is the perfect summer staple.

Origin Coffee – Resolute, £9.20

And the best antidote for the morning-after blues, Origin Coffee has created Resolute. A timeless classic, full-bodied blend, with milk choccy and caramel notes. You can drink it straight or over ice to try and at least act like it is hot this summer!

Fancy a little bit of self-care?

Veo Plastic-Free Edit

Is this extreme weather enhancing your climate anxiety? Veo is a great site for sustainable solutions. And we especially love this plastic-free edit. With reusable and zero-waste everything, you can restock your house with peace of mind.

Read more: 7 ways you can help save the oceans

The Body Shop – Bath Blend, £8

Another great, ethical brand is The Body Shop UK. For evenings in they have a delicious self-care selection brimming with bath blends, bombs and scrummy face masks good enough to eat!

If you can’t beat them, join em!

Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara, £22.50

Speaking of splashes, LookFantastic has a great range of waterproof mascaras to keep you glam and dancing in the rain. A forever favourite is the Too Faced Better Than Sex Black Waterproof Mascara. I promise you – it is not budging!

lastminute.com – summer holiday deals

Or maybe you want to give up altogether and book a sunny getaway through lastminute.com. Find your perfect getaway with their summer holiday deals, and don’t forget to purchase TravelTime Travel Insurance to stay safe this summer.

A little dose of sunshine

four five Vitamin D3, £6.40

fourfive has created a Vitamin D3 vegan-friendly sunshine vitamin that is the perfect antidote to the grey skies and rainy days of this wet British summer. The capsules are fast absorbing and made with 100% natural ingredients. Packed full of bioactive ingredients, this supplement contributes to the maintenance of normal bone, teeth, and muscle function.

Ocean Bottle – Citrus Reef (500ml), £35

You still need to stay hydrated, rain or shine. Ocean Bottle brings to you this dopamine-inducing range of brightly coloured bottles to close the loop on ocean-bound plastic. Not only this, but one bottle purchased pays for 1000 ocean-bound plastic bottles to be collected before they reach the ocean.

Ruby Moon Gym to Swim, £79

This weather may not be encouraging you to get outside and exercise. But maybe this sustainable and ethical activewear will do the trick. Ruby Moon makes soft, stretchy, and super comfortable sportswear that supports female entrepreneurs. And let’s be honest, working out feels better in a matching set. It gives you something to look forward to!

Beth Pratt

Beth is one of Silver’s interns. She loves reading and studying literature. Entering her final year of university, Beth still finds time to dance, swim, and have a pint with friends. Her favourite hobby is going to coffee shops, if you can call it a hobby!

The post Everything you need for this wet British summer appeared first on Silver Magazine.

The Caribbean is full of so many wonderful food, so much so, we thought we’d give you an insight into said flavours to spice up your summer.

The Caribbean is made up of 13 countries and several territories/dependencies that are part of other countries. And, of course, each one has their own national/known for dishes. And boy are some of them tasty.

But I can’t simply go to the Caribbean for the food

No, most of us can’t just drop everything and jet off to the Caribbean to sample some of their delicious cuisines. But there’s lots of ways you can bring that Caribbean flavour to your home.

Dream Caribbean

Bringing you the taste of The Caribbean across the UK and supporting small speciality producers from the Caribbean. Created by Peter Martin, who has worked with Caribbean producers for year, the company offers a wide range of authentic flavours.

Some of our favourites include:

Pepper Jelly. This is a gradual sweet heat, and the perfect condiment to add a Caribbean spice to your cheese board. Pack of two jars £14.95

Sorrel Syrup. This is a sharp syrup made from hibiscus, and can be mixed with champagne or prosecco to make a fabulous Caribbean summer cocktail. Pack of two jars £14.95

Spicey Fruit Sauce. Bottled in Barbados, this is a sweet/savoury sauce, perfect with your summer barbeque. Pack of two jars £14.95

Classic Caribbean Gift Box – £29.95
This gift box is a combination of the most loved Caribbean flavours (picture does not show actual box, but range of products). The Classic box includes:

• Golden Rum Cake, which is from Barbados and is made with Cockspur rum
• Hot Pepper Sauce, hot and spicy
• Guava Jelly, delicious and sweet and delish on buttered toast
• Jerk Seasoning x 2, spicy and fiery and perfect to baste onto food or marinate

Dream Caribbean

Merchant Gourmet

Recently released, Merchant Gourmet is bringing The Caribbean essence to their beans and pulses with their new ‘Fiery Jamaican-Style Grains and Pulses’. They have teamed up with Tomekah George who works with lots of textures and takes inspiration from her Caribbean family to create this pouch.

Available in Ocado and Morrisons from 22 May 2022

Soul Fruit

With jack fruit as fruit that is grown and known for in The Caribbean, Soul Fruit brings you a healthy, natural snack.

Crunchy, dried jack fruit bag 20g – £1.79

Jamaica On Ice

Jamaica On Ice delivers the taste of Jamaican food to your door in frozen meals. Ready for you to eat and enjoy, with classic and flavourful meals right from the heart of The Caribbean. Their meals are quality food, authentic taste and very convenient and perfect for the summer Caribbean experience.

With a range of tasty meals, we’ve narrowed it down to our favourite two:

Ackee and saltfish – above – £7.99

Jamaica’s national dish and a gorgeous blend of herbs, spices, and sweet peppers to go with a tasty, salted cod fish.

Curry goat with plain rice – above – £7.99

A beautiful boneless goat curry with potato, chilli, and a mix of wonderful seasonings and spices.

And for those of you maybe with big families or big Jamaican food enthusiasts, get your hands on a bundle of 10 Jamaican meals to keep you going for a while.

A meal bundle of 10 meals is £69.50

The bundle includes a variety of dishes, including:

• Classic Jerk Chicken with Rice and Peas x 2
• Curry Chicken with Plain Rice x 2
• Curry Goat with Plain Rice x 2
• Oxtail with Rice and Peas x 1
• Pepper Steak with Rice and Peas x 1
• Steam Okra with Fresh Vegetables x 1
• Ackee and Salt Fish with Plain rice x 1

Jamaica on Ice is a pioneering new business with a real family feel. And we think the first of its type in the UK. For more information and to see their story, and range, check them out…

Jamaica On Ice – check out their foods

Caribbean rum

Hey, it’s what a lot of people know The Caribbean for, right? So it would be remiss not to mention the delights of rum! Here are a few favourites to kick your summer off.

Rhum Barbancourt from Haiti. From arguably the best distillery in Haiti, aged in limousin oak casks for four years. You can enjoy it either on the rocks or with a mixer.

Appleton Estate 8 Year Reserve Rum, from Jamaica. Crafted by Master Blender Joy Spence to mark 25 years of the estate, this is a warm honeyed rum, with hints of vanilla, spice, and orange. Heaven.

Ron Barcelo from the Dominican Republic. We sadly haven’t tried this one but it comes highly recommended. For those who like tasting notes: Intense coppery amber colour. Brilliant coppery amber colour. Aromas of butter cream, dried cherries, intense vanilla, pineapple jam and caramelized nuts followed by a mild entry to a dry but fruity flavour. Medium and exuberant body with great depth and balance. Finish with a flavour of carrot ice cream cake, kola nut, Mocha and a strong toasted taste that gradually fades.

Mount Gay from Barbados. Who doesn’t love Mount Gay? The Eclipse is an absolute classic – some burnt sugar notes, plenty of vanilla and caramel, and event banana. A lush summer drink.

Black Tot from across the Caribbean. A broad sweeping taste from rums from Guyana, Barbados, and Jamaica, expertly blended for the tastes of today.

And last but by no means least, House of Rum, brings you Diablo Aged Rum. A sipping rum, born in column stills in the Dominican Republic and pot stills in Jamaica. There is also aged white rum, spiced rum and XO Reserve.

Diablo Aged Rum – £69 per 70cl bottle

Marshall and Brown

Marshall and Brown offer a wide selection of Caribbean themed food, plus, they have a couple of brands on their site that also offer Caribbean flavours to spice up your summer

If you fancy a wide variety of chutneys to accompany your cheese, meat or maybe vegan platters, look no further than the Marshall and Brown Chutney Collection.

Featuring six different chutneys:

• Apple cider
• Beetroot and orange
• Pear and ginger
• Sun-dried tomato and garlic
• Red onion marmalade
• Rhubarb apple and ginger

The collection is £39.95

One of their companies is Mama Brown’s, who make Jamaican rum cake in a variety of flavours. If you want to try a little of each, we suggest the Rum Cake Collection.

The buddle includes all six flavours:

• Banana
• Pineapple
• Coconut
• Chocolate
• Key lime
• Golden original

This delicious collection is £35

And finally, their other company, The Jerk House which offers a variety of sauces to give your food a Caribbean kick.

The Jerk House Collection gives you on of each sauce to give you a variety of flavours, including:

• Caribbean hot mustard sauce
• Jamaican crushed red pepper sauce
• Jamaican jerk sauce
• Jerk seasoning
• Jamaican yellow scotch bonnet pepper sauce
• Jerk barbeque sauce

And this fiery collection is £17.95

So keep it tropical this summer

With these items and snacks, you’re sure to have a fiery summer that’ll perk up your taste buds. Of course you can try your hand at things from scratch and follow some online recipes. Fancy making your own Barbados Custard Ice Cream with Kitty Travers’ recipe?

Find some more Caribbean recipes here – BBC Good Food.

Lili Lowe

Lili works across all the channels; writing articles, taking photographs, creating content, and designing eye-capturing imagery. She’s an animal-lover who cries just seeing a picture of a baby sloth.

The post Caribbean flavours to spice up your summer appeared first on Silver Magazine.

The sun is out, barbecues are hot, and everyone is happy. Except for maybe the planet. We’ve compiled a handy guide on how to have an eco friendly barbecue.

Let’s talk about your options.

Disposable BBQs and picnic options

Instant disposable barbecues are tempting, super cheap, and very convenient. However, they’re also often wrapped in plastic, have a metal grill that isn’t easily recyclable, and the firelighter fluid included in the charcoal area isn’t great environmentally. You can do better.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, as new products start to arrive on the market. This CasusGrill Biodegradable Instant Barbecueis completely sustainable, and 100% biodegradable; made with bamboo, cardboard and lava stones. Lay a few of these in for those days when only al fresco dining will do.

Otherwise, perhaps consider using a small portable travel barbecue, like this LotusGrill Mini, which means you can choose your fuels carefully. The barbecue runs on two batteries (which you can use reusables for) or a power source. And obviously the benefit of this (apart from the fact that they cook better) is that there’s very little waste each time you use it.

CasusGrill Biodegradable Instant Barbecue

Let’s talk about your charcoal…

According to the BBC, the UK imported almost 90,000 tonnes of charcoal in 2018, most of which has been linked to mass deforestation in developing countries such as Namibia, Nigeria, and Paraguay. Wood is cut down and converted to charcoal by burning, and often the wood used is in scarce supply, endangering forestry. Often the charcoal you buy is less than beneficial to the planet and its resources.

A lot of charcoal is made from wood sourced in tropical forests that really ought to be left alone

A lot of charcoal is made from wood sourced in tropical forests that really ought to be left alone. Not only that, it can often be soaked in fire-lighting chemicals which are definitely pollutants – as well as your making your food taste yuck.

So how can you be sure that your charcoal is on the green list? The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the world’s largest certification scheme for wood products and charcoal, so it’s a good idea to look for their stamp on your charcoal bags. But even then, ensure the wood is from sustainable forests.

Charcoal generates three times the amount of greenhouse gases as gas grills, but the wood itself is often from sustainable sources.

There are UKFS (UK Forestry Standard) approved charcoal companies such as The Oxford Charcoal Company or The Dorset Charcoal Company that sells sustainably sourced and carbon neutral charcoal.

Buying from UKFS approved charcoal means that you are supporting the regeneration of UK woodlands, and you are using higher quality charcoal to cook your food that does not contain harmful pollutants.

Choosing eco-friendly food

The food you choose to grill up also has some environmental factors to consider.

Barbecues are synonymous with meat and juicy beef burgers. But according to research done by The University of Manchester, a regular medium sized 100g beef burger releases enough greenhouse gases to fill more than 60 balloons. This is equivalent to driving in a car for more than six miles!

Chicken is a better option as it releases far fewer greenhouse gases compared to beef, only 15 balloons-worth, and one and a half miles in a car.

Would you consider smashed Parma Violets on your barbecued meat?!

This Greenpeace article goes into detail about how the meat industry is a major contributor to world emissions, which explains the growing demand for a vegetarian or plant-based diet. If you’re willing to make the effort, there are lots of plant-based products widely available so you can still have your burgers and hot dog moment. Why not serve some grilled vegetables on the side? Grilled peppers, asparagus, aubergines, courgettes, corn; and of course you can’t beat a good stuffed mushroom.

If a barbecue isn’t a barbecue for you without some real meat, give thought to where it comes from. Has it had a high welfare life, farmed sustainably? What about food miles – is it local? Can you buy from a decent butcher and not only enjoy better meat without loads of plastic packaging, but support local business too?

Limit your waste

Investing in good quality barbecuing equipment can help limit your waste. Assembling a ‘grill kit’ can be useful in so many ways. Not only will you always be prepared and have everything you need, but these items can also be used again rather than disposed of and repurchased.

Your grill kit could include:

• An apron or two
• Spatula
• Tongs
• Knife
• Oven mitt
• Lighter/matches

Don’t forget to fill up your water bottles (and bring your own bottles of wine and beers!). Bring your own plates and cutlery, and use recyclable/biodegradable/linen napkins too. Ditch the one-use stuff.

Assembling a ‘grill kit’ can be useful in so many ways

Another eco-friendly barbecue hack is to bring your own plastic wrap-free snacks. Instead, cut up some fruit and snacks, and stock up on some nuts and sweets at a local zero-waste bulk shops. And prep everything ahead if possible, storing in reusable containers (with decent tightly-fitting lids) – you can even double the lids as plates if needed.

Lastly, don’t forget to dispose of your trash responsibly. Bring some biodegradable bin bags with you, or put your trash in your now-empty containers. Whatever you do, don’t just leave it behind.

Take only photographs, leave only footprints. And enjoy!

Genevieve Ng

The post Time for alfresco tongs and aprons?! How to have an eco-friendly barbecue appeared first on Silver Magazine.