Don’t you just love it when clever, planet-minded people do the hard miles, so all you have to do is invest in their product to be an eco-angel? I know I do.

Let me introduce you to the brilliant Lex and Nick from Foodies Larder and their range of curated coffees. They started out by importing an excellent organic coffee called Café Saula from a family-run roastery in Barcelona and in 2019 created their own Blue Goose coffee capsules which are completely compostable. The reason? Plastic pods can’t be recycled so are either incinerated and guff out horrible toxic fumes or are destined to be washing up on our shores for thousands of years, and the alternative, mined aluminium is seriously unsustainable. Blue Goose pods come in a waste wood product, so once it’s delivered your shot of the black stuff, you can chuck the pod in your eco caddy for recycling or on the compost heap.

And the pair didn’t stop there. The packaging is made from sustainable FSC cardboard and has a no-nasties plastic-free coating and the printing is in vegetable ink. The coffee is shade-grown in gardens, so no forests have been cleared to grow the coffee and the growers get paid properly – a whopping 150-200% above the fair trade minimum. That means growers can both earn a living income and build sustainable livelihoods so their families and local communities can thrive into the future. Oh, and the name is for the endangered Ethiopian bird – one of two charities the pair support from their coffee sales. *Happy sigh.*

That’s the eco-cred taken care of, what about the brew? Naturally, anyone who’s taken this much care with their packaging isn’t about to stint on the coffee. Blue Goose is derived from premium grade Arabica – basically the top 1-5% beans produced in the world). Their Ethiopian Yirgacheffe capsules have already been rated as a Which? Best Buy for Best Compostable Coffee Pods (they liked the fruity acidity, toasty aroma and sweetness since you ask) and it’s also snaffled 2 Star accolades in the 2020 Great Taste Awards.

Want to give it a try? Choose from four pods in the range, including the Peruvian Organic and Swiss Water Decaf Organic; the award-winning Ethiopian and the Lungo, a South American blend and the one to choose if you want a longer, flat white style coffee. Plus, the packs are letterbox-friendly and make a great pressie for a coffee fan, especially the one with all four to try, the Eco Coffee Pod Collection.

Not got a coffee machine? Worry not. Their latest addition is a Blue Goose bean and roast ground range, in pouches that are plastic-free and compostable (obvs), and include an Organic Mountain Water Decaf. 

Watch this space. They’ve got loads more in the pipeline, including a pod dispenser which holds 100 capsules, perfect for work spaces, eco minded B&B and holiday home owners. Or maybe just for hopeless coffee addicts like Muddy. I’m gasping. White, no sugar please!