Kokova Magazine

Calling pubs up and down the country to start planning for Cask Ale Week 27th September to 6th October 2013 and get people celebrating Britain's national drink at your pub. The theme, the Great Big Taste Challenge gives plenty of scope to highlight your cask offer, run promotions and put on events. Get your chef to recommend cask ales to match each dish on the menu; involve your local CAMRA branch in an event; get loyal cask ale drinkers to 'introduce a friend' through promotions or sampling activity; give prizes for the best descriptions of the taste of each cask ale you sell.

Lately we have found the trend towards 'natural & organic' skincare a little confusing and in light of the recent report from the Soil Association regarding the harmful chemicals found in organically labelled products, we decided to look a little closer at the synthetic market vs the natural choice. The International Institute of Anti-Aging (iiaa) are the official UK distributors of Environ Skincare, Jane Iredale natural mineral make-up and the Advanced Nutrition Programme (ANP) beauty supplements, so we visited their Skin3 salon in Swiss Cottage, London and began trialling their range.

In the approach to this weekend's Allergy & Free From Show at Olympia (7-9 June), which is regarded as a major highlight in the free from food retailers calendar, Fria, Sweden's most successful, award-winning gluten-free bakery and the market-leader in the Scandinavian countries, has announced that its products are now available in the UK through more than sixty online and independent retailers including GoodnessDirect.

Recent news from the Soil Association highlights further concerns regarding the beauty industry and the number of harmful chemicals found in beauty products labelled as 'organic' and 'natural' or 'nature inspired'. According to the Soil Association, ingredients often found in antifreeze, floor cleaner, oven cleaner or car oil and ingredients banned in children's food and toys are making their way into non-certified beauty products labelled as organic or natural due to a lack of industry regulation.

Manchester's urban gardening festival 3rd - 11th August 2013... From King Street to the Cathedral, via fine food, flowers and a fête, with markets, workshops and public art - join Manchester's urban gardening festival 'Dig the City'. Supported by the National Trust, this event will inspire visitors as it transforms the city centre into a natural wonderland.

When it comes to the electric car, many consumers are still under the impression that style and comfort forgo their place in everyday driving to make room for economy, efficiency and an army of 'green' credentials. But what if an electric car can not only deliver zero emissions, be more cost effective than any of its gas guzzling rivals and still retain a high level of performance and usability?