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Ingredients 
100g of green beans steamed and refreshed in cold water.
300g of steamed baby roast potatoes.
30g (approx 10) Gaea Katamala olives pitted and halved.
100g cherry tomatoes (approx 6) halved.
1 little gem lettuce, shredded.
35g finly diced red onion.
1 tin of Tunah, drained with the oil reserved.

Dressing -
1tbsp oil from Tunah.
Juice of 1/2 a lemon.
Cracked black pepper and salt to taste. 

Method 
1. Start by steaming your potatoes. While they are cooking top and tail the green beans, shred the lettuce, halve the tomatoes, dice the red onion and pit the olives. Put everything in a large serving bowl.  

2. 2 or 3 minutes before the potatoes are done add in your green beans to the steamer. They don't need long. As soon as the beans are tender and the potatoes are soft run them under a cold tap to stop them cooking and to cool them down.  They don't need to be cold just not boiling hot as the lettuce will wilt.  Add them to the bowl.

3. Drain the Tunah and reserve the oil. Flake the Tunah with a fork and add it to the salad bowl. Next take 1tbsp of the reserved oil and add the juice of half a lemon and season well with lots of black pepper and just a touch of salt (the olives and Tunah will add plenty of salt). Mix well and pour it over the salad. Toss well so everything is coated in the dressing and serve. 

Want to make this yourself? Click here to find a handy list of all the ingredients you need. Yum!

Ingredients -
200g Bramik Bulgar Wheat
100g Flaked Almonds
Suma Sicilian Pesto
1 Kallo Veg Stock Cube
1 Lemon
2 Carrots
1 Courgette
1 White Onion

Method -
1. Preheat your oven to 200c.
2. Prep your veggies by cutting the carrot and courgette into chunky batons and thinly slicing the white onion
3. In a small 10x6” baking tray, add in your bulgar
wheat and spread into an even layer. Next add an
even layer of onion and then finally your carrot and courgette batons.
4. Mix 300ml of boiling water with your stock cube
and 2 tbsp of the pesto and pour over the bulgar wheat and veggie mix. Pop in the oven for 25 minutes.
5. Once the veggies are tender and starting to char and the bulgar wheat is cooked through top with flaked almonds, lemon wedges and generous dollops of pesto.

Name - Harris

Where is your mask from?
I reckon this one is probably from ‘the internet’ somewhere. However, my favourite mask is from the Ethical Gift Shop in Huntly back home. It is covered in trains and other such railway paraphernalia. (I am a train fan)

What do you do at Easter Greens?
I work between both Morningside and Easter Road stores. Generally trying my best to help out and keep things looking and running as they should. I spend a lot of my time either being tempted by all sorts of delicious things on the shelf or trying to find ways to not be tempted by delicious things on the shelf. I also pet dogs.

Why did you want to work at Easter Greens?
I was a customer at Easter Road before and always loved the energy and sense of community in the store. When the news broke about the Morningside store, and the opportunity to be part of the team came up I was ‘pure-buzzing’ to jump on board. I also love cooking and vegetables and really wanted to learn more about how food gets into stores and understand how I can better appreciate the food I eat and where it comes from.

What do you love about working at Easter Greens?
SO much stuff. In essence though, it is the people. Both the customers and team. There are no false facades. There are individual people behind the counter and individual people coming into the stores. Everyone is given the utmost respect to be themselves. Everything is transparent and up for discussion. From bigger issues to smaller dilemmas, everyone’s ideas and opinions are valid.

What is your favourite item that we sell?
The fruit and veg. The weird and wonderful produce we get from our suppliers is always exciting. I love that it is sometimes not perfect, and I know that there is not perfectly edible produce being filtered out and going to waste. It is a difficult task to balance year-round produce selection and seasonality, but still, they manage to keep it ALAP (as local as possible) as well as consistent and fresh. However, if I had to choose a specific product the Dr Bronner’s soap bars have changed my life. They foam up so creamy. And honestly, they smell and look good enough to eat. (please do not eat them xo)

Honourable mentions: Jarr Kombucha, Candy Kittens, Mouses Favourite Aged Dulse. (this was the hardest question)

What do you like to do outside work? 
I love a good walk, long or short. I also enjoy a good book or a National Geographic magazine. A few friends and I run a (very) small production company, where we basically endeavour to make whatever we fancy into some sort of zero-budget project. Usually this is film based, or in lockdown, audio dramas/podcasts. In lockdown I have also begun to explore song writing and consequent production, something I have always enjoyed but never really taken seriously. I have slowly been honing my skills and building up a studio environment in my flat with aims to experiment and practice. Hopefully to start releasing and gigging some music when that becomes possible.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? 
“Uptown Folks” by Dope Lemon is my current alarm on my phone. A peaceful awakening in the morning, however hearing that song anywhere else does now induce an unnecessary amount of stress. However, whether this actually gets me OUT of bed depends very much on my plans.

What are your ambitions in life?
Not a huge amount right now. I very much disagree that I should allow any amount of stress to arise from this thought. However, I do see myself maintaining a creative element in how I pass my time and would be ecstatic to be able to mix that with my career. I think to be able to sustain myself out with the city is what I am looking for right now, somewhere I can make enough to eat and live comfortably yet not be in the grip of urban life is where I would find most peace.

Once lockdown is over what's the first thing you want to do? 
I can hardly remember really. I must have done something else, but I trust I will find it again when I can. I do miss my friends (I almost feel like I should call them old friends now). Being able to catch up and stay with people is going to be so rewarding. And by association, the pub.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
I can ride a unicycle. I have done the West Highland Way on one when I was 17 (?) for charity. I have a mountain unicycle, with a big wheel and knobbly tire. It is a great way to explore paths around Scotland, nothing makes you focus on the terrain around you quite like it (and not just because there is no suspension). 

Name - Ivy

Where is your mask from? Ebay, I refuse to shop from Amazon (#BoycottAmazon #SupportLocal) so I end up buying everything from Ebay instead. 

When did you start at Easter Greens? 
August 2019

What do you do at Easter Greens?
I’ve got a few jobs which means I get to work with everyone in the company. I look after the Social Media accounts, work with new suppliers, I’m the line manager for the shop managers, I cover HR and you’ll also find me in the shops from time to time. Let’s just call it Operations Manager.

Why did you want to work at Easter Greens?
I was looking for an ethical job. It’s not an easy thing to find but I’m very glad I found Easter Greens. I’m vegan myself and it aligns with everything I believe in which is a wonderful feeling. 

What do you love about working at Easter Greens?
I love my current role(s) because it means I get to work with everyone in the company and I also get to see customers in both the shops. I’ve got the best of all worlds 

What is your favourite item that we sell?
Cheese. Pre-vegan I was obsessed with cheese and 6 years ago the offerings weren't that great. Recently there have been a lot of new companies offering some really amazing cheese alternatives and my obsession is back. I don’t think I can pick just one. 

What do you like to do outside work? 
I love to cook. We’ve travelled quite a bit (before covid) and I like to bring home new and exciting ingredients to play with. Now we can’t really go anywhere I’ve turned towards fermenting. I like to try new combinations of sauerkraut like pineapple and chilli and also make my own miso which sounds way more complicated than it actually is. You can follow my adventures in food on instagram.com/kitchen_anarchist

What gets you out of bed in the morning? 
Now the sun is out, a hot cup of tea and a good book on the balcony with my cats Marble and Jiji plus my husband if he’s not at work. 

What are your ambitions in life? 
I don’t really have any. As long as I have enough money in my pocket to do what I want each day I’m happy to see where life takes me.

Once lockdown is over what's the first thing you want to do? 
I want to get back to travelling but I’m not in a huge rush as it’s going to take a while for things to get back to normal. I think we’ll start off closer to home in Europe and then when we can we’ll be heading over to Asia. 

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
I've just asked someone about this as I can't think of anything. The response? I have loads of cool tattoos (OK I do have a lot of them) I make great food and I always sneakily win at Catan. 

Ingredients (makes 4)

Name - Reece

Where is your mask from?
My mask is from the Edinburgh Collective Animal Rescue

When did you start at Easter Greens?
I started with Easter Greens a few days before we opened the Morningside Branch, in late October.

What do you do at Easter Greens?
I’m the store manager of our Morningside branch. Mostly this means I get to work with the amazing team at Morningside to provide the best possible experience for anyone who visits us. I also have the privilege of fostering the relationships we have with our wonderful local suppliers and the morningside community as a whole.

Why did you want to work at Easter Greens?
Easter Greens came recommended from a friend who also works here as a workplace in which I would be valued as a human being, rather than just another cog in the machine, and it’s proven to have been completely true. I’ve never felt more welcome in a workplace than I do at Easter Greens.

What do you love about working at Easter Greens?
The team we have at Easter Greens is like no other I have been part of and it’s a true joy to work with every single one of them.

What is your favourite item that we sell?
Vego Hazelnut bars. I have been guilty in the past of being doubtful of whether vegan chocolate alternatives could live up to dairy based chocolate but the Vego Hazelnut bars have swiftly become one of my favourite sweet treats ever!

What do you like to do outside work?
I’m a media studies graduate so naturally I spend a lot of time watching films and playing video games. Now more so than ever. I’m also part of a few transgender mutual aid/support groups and am grateful for the chance to be able to provide what little support I can for people during these difficult times.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Other than Kaiju, my overly energetic Cocker Spaniel? The hope I can make a positive difference, no matter how small, to someone that day.

What are your ambitions in life?
To one day wake up at 6AM without wanting to stay in bed for the next 4 hours.

Once lockdown is over what's the first thing you want to do?
I had a trip to Finland for a fashion event that was supposed to happen last year. It's been delayed to later this year so fingers crossed that'll be my first big plan once this is all over.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself
I studied Media, Film and Culture with a focus on the cultural impact of video games and wrote my dissertation on censorship of video games and the reasons why they may be more harshly censored than other media.

Name - Alasdair Corbett

Where is your mask from?
Morningside Tailors - they have a great selection

When did you start at Easter Greens?
From the beginning - I founded the company in the summer of 2019

What do you do at Easter Greens?
Owner and Managing Director - I’m responsible for the big picture stuff and keeping everyone focused on our vision and values. I also make everyone lots of cups of tea!

Why did you want to work at Easter Greens?
I know how difficult it can be shopping in the big supermarkets for good quality vegan food so I wanted to create a place that would provide an alternative shopping experience.

What do you love about working at Easter Greens?
The conversations. I love it when I get the chance to catch up with the staff and customers myself but I also really enjoy seeing the relationships that are built within our shops knowing that I’ve helped to create a safe, friendly space for people to do their shopping.

What is your favourite item that we sell?
I can’t get enough of the pastries from Breadwinner. The Cherry Danish is my favourite.

What do you like to do outside work?
I love eating out and trying all the wonderful vegan restaurants which keep opening up! Shout out to Sora Lella, Harmonium and Black Rabbit which are my current favourites.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Sometimes it’s the alarm but usually the cat is awake first and demanding his breakfast!

What are your ambitions in life?
Success in business that creates value for others, provides decent jobs for people and allows me to provide the best life I can for my husband and our future children.

Once lockdown is over what's the first thing you want to do?
An overseas holiday. I really miss travelling to other countries, experiencing different cultures and trying all the wonderful vegan restaurants and eateries that different places have to offer.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself
I used to be a self defence instructor and taught children in schools how to protect themselves from bullies.

Make the most of your veg box with Vlad's delicious Romanian vegetable soup. It's quick, easy and nutritious with lots of tasty fresh vegetables seasoned simply with fresh herbs and zesty lemon.

Ingredients:
250 g Carrots
250 g Potatoes
1 Sweet Potato (medium)
1 Red or Green Pepper
1 Large Onion (white or red)
4-5 Garlic cloves
1 can Chopped Tomatoes (400 ml)
100 g Fine Beans
30 g Parsley, Dill or Coriander (based on preference)
1 Lemon
2 Kallo stock cubes - pick your favourite flavour

Method 
Step 1
Cut the carrots, potatoes, sweet potato, pepper in small cubes
Cut the onion and garlic in small pieces (garlic can also be crushed and added towards the end for extra flavour)

Step 2
Preheat a medium pot with a decent quantity of your preferred frying oil. 
Put the cut onion, garlic, carrots, potatoes, sweet potato and pepper to fry (medium fire, keep stirring 2-3 minutes). Afterwards add a third of the chopped tomatoes and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Add 1 litre of hot water mixed with 1 stock cube of your choice. Add fine beans cut in smaller bits. Add rest of the chopped tomatoes tin. Allow to boil for 20 mins (medium fire). Add 0.75litres of hot water mixed with 1 stock cube of your choice. Let it simmer for 20 minutes.

Towards the end chop your preferred herb and squeeze the whole lemon in the pot (if you prefer more sourness can add extra lemon). Taste in case you want to add a bit of extra salt and/or pepper.

Step 3 Let it rest for 15-20 mins. Enjoy on its own or with bread on the side.

Our delicious fruit and veg boxes have been so popular we've decided to expand them to include this new essentials box.

It's a hand selected range of delicious fruit and veg (like our beloved fruit and veg box) picked and packed to order alongside some of our favourite 100% plant based essentials. All for just £20! 

 

So what exactly does it contain? 

1 x Minor Figures Oat Milk
1 x Naturli Butter Block
1 x Suma Organic Chickpea Tin
1 x Suma Organic Chopped Tomatoes Tin
1 x Bramik Long Grain White Rice
1 x Bramik Red Lentils
1 x Kallo Organic Vegetable Stock Cubes

500g Carrots
500g Lothian Potatoes
1 Red Onion
2 White Onion
1 Red Chilli
1 Garlic
100g Ginger
2 Granny Smith Apples
2 Pink Lady Apples
1 Lemon
1 Lime
5 Clementines
500g Bananas
½ Red Cabbage
½ Turnip
250g Cherry Tomatoes
250g White Mushrooms

Contents are subject to seasonal availability and may be substituted so that you receive the best possible quality of produce. 

What would you like to see in the next essentials box? Send us your list of essentials to hello@eastergreens.co.uk. We'd love to hear from you! 

Valentines day is nearly here and we're here to help you celebrate with some 100% plant based goodies. 

Love tea by Pukka 

Why not start the day with a warming cup of Love tea by Pukka. It combines aromatic rose and lavender with calming chamomile for a fragrant but delicious tea. 

Earthy Vegan Baking Camembert 
 

These delicious vegan Camembert come in their own wooden box ready for baking. Made from organic soya milk, coconut oil and tapioca, this vegan cheese will go gooey and golden in the oven ready for a yummy Valentines day sharing starter (or keep it all to yourself, yum!)

Deliciously Vegan's Persian Love Cake Mix

Simply add vinegar, oil and your favourite dairy free milk to this delicious cake mix by Deliciously vegan and you'll have your very own Persian Love Cakes. Each mix makes 8 cakes flavoured with coconut, almond and cardamom. 

Divine 

Who doesn't love chocolate? Our Divine offer is still available in store and online with 20% off 90g Divine bars. Why not make a chocolate tasting platter with some fresh berries, nuts and biscuits and try them all.  

How are you celebrating Valentines day? 

Precious Plastic - join the network and help us tackle the plastic problem!
Easter Greens is proud to be a collection point for Precious Plastic. Who are they though? Precious Plastic are a global movement of over 80.000 people sharing the same passion and vision for a world with less plastic waste.

The idea is to collect plastic from people and businesses so it doesn’t go to landfill waste. The plastic that is collected gets a a new life, transformed it into new products like drinks coasters and even watches! 

So how does it work? 



If you have a lot of plastic or just a little we'll happily accept it at our collection points in Easter Road and Morningside. From there it will be passed on to our friends at DOBA studio, so that they can give all that plastic a new life. 

Find out more at preciousplastic.com and dobastudio.com

The range and choice of non-dairy milks has evolved over the last few years to this huge range that we have today. If you haven't tried milk alternatives before it can be a little overwhelming. That's why we're here to help! 

We've put together this handy guide to tell you what each milk is like and how it's best used. 

1.Oat Milk
Oat milk is the most popular milk at Easter Greens with several brands and types on offer. It has the best of everything - fat, fibre and protein which gives it a really lovely texture.

Oat milk comes in a lot of different ways, most famously is Oatly Barista which you will see a lot in coffee shops. With added fats it is closer to a whole milk so suited well to frothing for all your milk based coffee drinks or as a creamy addition to soups for added richness. It goes well with anything really. 

2. Soy Milk

If oat isn't your thing, soy milk is a great place to start your non-dairy journey. It's mild taste and creamy texture is close to semi-skimmed milk so great for tea and coffee, cereal and as a milk replacement in cooking. 

The taste is a little nutty and slightly sweet depending on the brand and if it has added sugar so using it in baking or recipes means that it won't overwhelm the dish with any string flavour changes. 

3. Almond Milk
Almond milk is another familiar non-dairy milk that pops up on coffee shop menus. It's high in vitamins and other nutrients but is low in protein which means it's not going to be as thick and creamy as soy or oat unless you choose a barista brand which will have added fats to give it that velvety texture.

Almond milk is naturally slightly sweet and of course nutty. For this reason it's suited to coffee or hot chocolate for a bit of extra flavour or as an addition to smoothies and deserts but not so much for savoury cooking. 

4. Cashew Milk
Cashews are used a lot on vegan cooking to add a creamy texture and that is exactly what cashew milk is - creamy! 

Cashews don't have a strong taste so it's a mild but very creamy milk which is suited well to drinking straight from the bottle, adding to coffee or pouring over cereal. It can be used in cooking and baking as a shortcut to anywhere you would be soaking and blending your own cashews. 

5. Coconut Milk
Coconut milk comes in a lot of different ways. Thick and creamy from a can or a thinner but also delicious milk alternative in a carton - this is the one we'll be talking about today. 

Coconut milk is flavoursome, its low in protein but higher in fat which gives it a rich texture which is delicious straight from the carton, adding to coffee or smoothies or pouring over cereal. The coconut flavour is very versatile which means it can work well in both savoury and sweet cooking and baking. 

6. Rice Milk
Rice milk is the thinnest non-dairy milk and also naturally the sweetest.

It's light, sweet flavor isn't the most popular option for tea or coffee but it is suited best to baking and desserts as its delicate texture keeps things light. The sweet taste however makes it difficult to use in savoury dishes. 

You'll find rice milk mixes such as Provamel's Coconut and Rice drink which will give you balance between the light sweet flavour of rice and the fatty creamy taste of coconut.  

7. Hemp Milk
Hemp milk has more protein than other non-dairy milks other than soy milk. One cup has 3 grams of fat, 5 grams of protein and an entire day’s recommended intake of omega-3 fats. Hemp milk is thick and creamy. It has a strong taste that may be better suited to savory dishes though its protein content makes it a good alternative to soy milk for baking. 

Find your favourite milk alternative this Veganuary with 20% off all Rude Health milks in store and online. Let us know which one if your favourite!