Kokova Magazine

The winners of this year's FreeFrom Food Awards 2013 were announced this week (Tuesday 16th April) by chef, Antony Worrall Thompson at an Awards evening in London. Overall winner of the FAIR Trophy for Best FreeFrom Food 2013 was a luxury lemon coconut 'ice cream' from Bessant and Drury, with judges commenting on how great it is "to have a product which excludes all of the major allergens yet both looks and tastes like a fully fledged, upmarket, luxury food". Other winning products included a fresh chickpea pasta from Dell'Ugo, gluten-free panini from Freedom Deli, a gluten and dairy-free hot chocolate fudge pudding from Glamourpuds and a nut-free 'peanut butter' from Eskal.

Following announcements from M&S, Sainsbury's, Co-Op and Tesco that they will no longer require that the farm animals in their supply chains are fed a non GM diet, Peter Melchett, Policy Director of the Soil Association tells us how the supermarket giants are misleading the customers.

Next time you pick up your make-up brush consider this; many beautifully packaged products in the market place actually contain irritating and even damaging ingredients such as talc, dyes, mineral oil, parabens and even petroleum. Just because something says it is "natural" it does not mean that it is naturally good for you. That's why jane iredale - The Skin Care Makeup® combines up-to-date colours for every complexion or ethnicity in a formulation that offers serious skin-care benefits.

Alongside existing charitable link-ups Green People has found a new ally in its commitment against the use of chemical ingredients in personal care products and has joined forces with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). To help raise awareness of the work that the MCS do, Green People will donate 30p from the sale of every Adult Scent-Free SPF25 Sun Lotion and Children’s Scent-Free SPF25 Sun Lotion to this worthy cause.

Niki'ss Organic Balms has unveiled its natural collection of candles to complement its popular range of multi-purpose balms. The candles are true to the brand's natural ethos and are made with pure soy wax - to soothe and relax. Designed to create a relaxing and soothing atmosphere, the range includes three candles which are all scented with a blend of essential oils including rosemary, lemon tea tree, lavender and cinnamon.

Skateboarding chickens, racing micro-pigs and doggy dancers are just three of the attractions set to wow the crowds at the London Pet Show 2013 at Earls Court Two on the 11th and 12th of May 2013. Clinical animal behaviour expert Chirag Patel will demonstrate how positive reinforcement can be used to train hens, dogs and cats to carry out extraordinary tasks at this year's show, whilst Britain’s Got Talent finalist and heelwork to music star Donelda Guy, will perform dance numbers with her twinkle-toed border collies Biba and Mega.