Fairtrade fortnight: Chai Tea Fudge

I designed this fudge recipe for Waitrose to celebrate FairTrade fortnight. Fairtrade is a term thrown around so commonly these days, make sure you take a step back and think about what it actually means. Whenever I bake, I take pride in trying to know where my ingredients have come from and how they have been sourced. I want to know that ingredients I am buying and increasing the demand for having been produced ethically and fairly, by people who are paid a fair wage and are protected by workers rights. 

I am often in danger, as so many of us are, of hunting out the cheapest product and not thinking about it's origins. I also, like many, am devastated and crushed when I hear of extreme poverty. Spending a little more time thinking about buying sustainable ingredients does lift people out of poverty. The Fairtrade foundation stands for 'trade rather than aid' - mobilising marginalised groups to enable them to live well through their work. If you know me or follow my work, you'll know that I care deeply and work with charities such as Tearfund to help end human trafficking. I know that when I buy Fairtrade products, no children, enslaved or illegal workers have been exploited in the production of my ingredients or cup of tea, and there is no knowledge sweeter than that. Look out for that logo and know you are making a huge difference: it's worth the extra pennies.

My recipe for chai tea fudge (it's a cracker and SO addictive), using Fairtrade spices and tea, can be found here: http://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/m/martha-collison-schaiteafudge.html