Maldon Soap Company Review

Since I became editor of Mumsnet Chelmsford I have been amazed at the number of small businesses that are being run in Chelmsford and it's surrounding areas. The Maldon Soap Company is just one of these businesses and owner (and soap maker!), Sue McKenna, very kindly agreed to send some samples for me to review.

Trying new skin products can sometimes be a bit risky for me. I caught chicken pox for the second time in my late teens (it's not an urban myth - you really can get it twice!) and ever since then I have had extremely sensitive skin. Anything 'Because you're worth it' is a no go for me and even expensive skin care brands can sometimes bring me out in a rash. I have spent a lot of time trying to determine if it is a specific ingredient that I am allergic to but the lists on the backs of these products are so long and so confusing I've given up and just avoided anything new.

But the products from the Maldon Soap Company had surprisingly short ingredients lists. All products are made by hand and in small batches to ensure freshness, with items often being made to order. All of the soaps, shampoos and cosmetic products are made using only the finest ingredients, locally sourced wherever possible. I thought this was really exciting as it is not often you get to use a product with ingredients that have been made practically on your doorstep! Maldon Honey, Maldon sea salt, goats milk, rapeseed oil, oats and beeswax all come from local farms, and there are even ingredients fresh from Sue's back garden including carrots, calendula, herbs and nettles - they even use local beer!

Sue says "We use pure aromatherapy quality essential oils so you can be sure that each product will be beneficial for your skin, hair and wellbeing.  We do not use palm oil, parabens, SLS or other nasties, nor do we add extra foaming agent to our cold process soaps, they are pure and quite foamy enough. We use vegetable glycerine from palm free sources and nothing we use has ever been tested on animals."

My Samples! 

The first soap I tried was the Pure Almond Soap (not shown in the photo as I was so excited to try one of them!). Made almost completely from almonds (whole ones, almond milk, almond oil and almond extract are all included) it smells just like marzipan and the smell lasts for ages on your skin.

A very obvious difference between the Maldon Soap Company soaps and more commercial soaps is that there is very little foam when you use them. As Sue points out they don’t add any extra foaming agent that is so often associated with using a bar of soap but this is also what causes your skin to feel dry. The Pure Almond Soap (and all the other soaps that I tried) did not try my skin out at all and even my sample sized soaps lasted for ages.

Along with the Pure Almond Soap I was also sent Coconut and Oat, True Patchouli, Strawberry and Cream, Purely Local Orange and Oat and True Litsea Cubeba Soaps. They all smelt exactly as you expect they would and, because they are made using essential oils, they don’t have a ‘chemical’ smell that some soaps do. The Purely Local Orange and Oat soap was a hit with my children too as it has the look and feel of fudge! It is slightly squidgy and has an amazing orange fragrance.

The Maldon Soap Company makes more than just soap and I also had some hand creams and foot gel to try. The Minty Scrubby Foot Gel arrived just in time as I really needed to do something to make my feet more presentable for summer. After a long winter hidden away in tights and boots, the gel has made my feet a lot smoother and I’m much happier in flip-flops!

But my overall favourite product had to be The Avocado and Shea Hand and Body Cream. I love the smell of it, a little bit of product went a long way and my skin didn’t feel greasy after I used it. My sister-in-law, who has a major hand cream obsession, also tried it and loved it too. I will definitely be ordering myself a full sized tub of this! (Oh and I had no negative skin reactions to any of the products I used.)

More information about the Maldon Soap Company and their products can be found here.

A Massage At Greenwoods Hotel and Spa

Last week I was invited along to the newly refurbished Greenwoods Hotel and Spa for a massage. Greenwoods has been under new management since early this year and there has been a lot of work done to upgrade and improve the facilities there. Their Facebook page is constantly being updated to show what is being achieved and giving details of upcoming events.

The hotel and spa are set in a 17th Century, Grade II listed manor house surrounded by extensive landscaped gardens. Greenwoods Spa offers guests an impressive range of more than 50 of the latest beauty treatments and techniques, inspired by leading names such as Jessica and Voya. The facilities are just as impressive; Jacuzzi, cleansing saunas, steam rooms, an invigorating Monsoon shower and an enticing, deep blue 20 metre lap indoor pool are all available to complement any treatments that you have. There is more than enough here to keep you busy during a spa day!

Indoor Pool at Greenwoods Hotel and Spa

I arrived in plenty of time for my massage and was greeted in the hotel reception before being given directions down to the spa. On arrival at the spa I was taken through to a waiting area, offered a drink and asked to fill in a questionnaire to determine whether I had any medical conditions that might affect my treatment.

Whilst I was waiting for my therapist I also had a look through the visitors book to see comments from previous guests and I was extremely impressed - everybody had been really pleased with their treatments; ranging from manicures and pedicures through to full spa day experiences. More impressive still was that there was not one negative comment in a book spanning the five months since the newly refurbished spa has been open.

Treatment Room

Every member of staff I came into contact with was very friendly and welcoming, and my therapist was no exception. She went through my health and medical questionaire very thoroughly and made me feel at ease by explaining what I would need to do at each stage in my treatment. I’d not have a massage prior to this for a very long time but did remember feeling quite awkward about when to undress, when to get under the towel and when to turn over so I was very relieved that time was taken to ensure that I felt comfortable.

I had the La Touche Verte full body massage; a 50 minute ‘Greenwoods Spa’s own specialised full body massage incorporating Swedish, Thai and Aromatherapy techniques’ and promising to be a ‘truly relaxing experience’. To be completely honest (and I can’t imagine that I am alone in this!) it did take me a while to achieve the ‘truly relaxing’ part of this massage. With so many things going on in my life and constantly being able to check emails, facebook, twitter etc I find it very difficult to ‘switch off’ and during the first 15 minutes of the massage my head was still swirling with ‘I need to pick up the dry cleaning!’ and ‘What am I going to cook for dinner tonight?’

But I then tried really hard to clear my head and just enjoy the massage. And I really did -  at one point I was so relaxed I was almost asleep! The essentials oils used were lovely and really added to the whole experience. It was also clear that the therapist was experienced as she concentrated on the areas of my body where I get tense even though I had not mentioned these to her previously. At the end of the massage she also spoke to me about problem areas that I have and I was amazed that she was able to tell this just from the massage.

I hadn’t expected to feel so light afterwards either; it was as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I would certainly recommend a treatment at Greenwoods Hotel and Spa and will be adding some treatments to my birthday wish list!

More information about Greenwoods Hotel and Spa can be found here.

Have you been to Greenwoods Hotel and Spa recently? Let me know what you thought!

Make, Do and Mend

Since taking over as editor of Mumsnet Chelmsford, I have been amazed at just how many small, independent, businesses are being run in and around Chelmsford. Some of them are run purely online, whilst others have taken the plunge and opened their very own bricks and mortar shops! 

One of the aims of Mumsnet Chelmsford is support all things Local and so this is the first in a new series of blog posts showcasing some of these businesses and their owners. First up is Hannah Elgie from Make, Do and Mend. Make Do and Mend has already gained a reputation for running a wide range of creative and craft workshops & classes. 

And I highly recommend the courses, but they should come with a warning - you may become obsessed! Two years ago I took a beginners patchwork course at Make, Do and Mend and produced my very own pincushion. The course was the beginning of my (journey) in patchwork and I’ve since made several patchwork quilts. There is another one I’m currently working on and a huge bag of my favourite baby clothes that I’m planning on turning into a quilt (just need to be 100% sure that I’m finished having children before I can bare to cut them all up!). And it’s probably best not to mention the huge stash of fabric that D has no idea is currently living in the loft!

My most recently finished quilt.

So having met Hannah through the newly formed New City Girls Women’s Institute group (more on this later in the year!) I asked her a few questions about Make, Do and Mend...

1. What qualifications and experience led you to open Make, Do and Mend?

I did an Art Foundation course, then a BA in Photographic Arts, but really my experience is probably through sewing with my mum from when I was a very young child.

2. What’s the idea behind Make, Do and Mend?

The idea behind Make, Do & Mend is to promote the traditional crafts that are at risk of being lost in our busy modern times.

3. How long did the idea take to become a reality?

Not long, I just did it (I can be quite impulsive!). After the beginning of our knitting club, which is where it all began, it took about 6 months to set up.

4. Why did you choose Chelmsford to open Make, Do and Mend?

Well I moved here from London for love! I wanted to connect with my local community, and noticed there was a gap in the market in Chelmsford.

5. What is your favourite part of running your own business?

The look on peoples faces when they leave the shop having created something new, developed a new skill, had a lovely time learning in a friendly happy environment.

6. How have you found combining being a parent and running Make, Do and Mend?

It is the hardest thing I have ever done! I would never have been able to do it without my amazing friend and brilliant colleague Hayley. Through the help and support of my family it has got easier as Beatrice has got older and more independent.

7. What’s next for Make, Do and Mend?

We hope to continue working with some fantastic tutors & as you may have heard, we have the lovely Chinelo Bally from the Great British Sewing Bee coming to teach workshops here, which is very exciting! Our repertoire of workshops is always expanding and we are always making room for more haberdashery items, wool and fabric. We are also hoping to be involved in the Essex Business Excellence Awards.

8. And finally, what’s your favourite biscuit? (For those of you who aren’t regulars on the main Mumsnet site, this question has been asked in all interviews ever since Gordon Brown famously refused to answer the question!)

 A simple and humble custard cream! 

To find out more about the courses and workshops being run by Hannah at Make, Do and Mend see here.

Are you a local business owner? If you would like to find out more about appearing as part of this series please contact me.

Little Bees Toy Competition

The newest toy shop in the city, Little Bees, is running an exciting Facebook competition this week and I thought I'd share it with you! 

The Little Bees Bake a Cake Competition

The rules are simple. Upload a picture of your cake(s) you've made with your child to The Little Bees Facebook page and you can win a Pintoy Kitchen worth £69.99. 

The closing date for entry is 1st June 2014. The voting starts at midnight 2nd June when all entries have been received and ends midnight 7th June 2014. For the greatest chance of winning, share the competition and get your friends to vote for your cake(s) or you can refer a friend to also enter this competition and you receive 1 extra point. 

To enter the competition go the Little Bees Facebook Page. Good Luck!!

Sarah Yewman: A Guest Blog

One of the reasons I started this blog was to be able to showcase some of the best small businesses in Chelmsford. Today's post features the work of a local artist and the unique toys that she creates. 

Chelmsford based artist Sarah Yewman, has worked with different mediums, but in the last couple of years, she stumbled upon the world of DIY vinyl toys. “Each one is unique and they all have their own personalities” Sarah commented.

She received these blank canvasses with a twist, as a gift (one from each of her children) and set to work making three, very different creations. Dudebox, the UK toy manufacturer, spotted her work and she received an explosion of publicity after her first attempts.

Celebrity endorsement from Davina McCall of her customised toys, led to the creation of Sarah’s highly acclaimed ‘Davina Dudette’. Davina signed the toy and Sarah was given permission to auction it for Comic Relief.

Following Davina’s mammoth feat for Sport Relief this year, Sarah set about creating another vinyl toy to celebrate her ‘Beyond Breaking Point’ challenge, which Davina graciously agreed to sign once again.

This custom toy incorporated the 3 elements of Davina’s challenge – cycling, open water swim and the marathon run. 

Take a look at Sarah's blog to see more of her creations and how she arrives at the end result.

If you are interested in appearing on this blog please email chelmsford@mumsnetlocal.com for more details.