Fairtrade chocolate brownies with Fairtrade black coffee

This week is the beginning of Fairtrade fortnight, the British Fairtrade Foundation’s annual push to encourage us all to buy more ethically traded products. There are now over 2000 Fairtrade certified products* available in the UK, ranging from peppercorns, cinnamon and vanilla pods, to avocados, rum and wine.

Two of the products that are easy to get hold of are Fairtrade chocolate and coffee which of course make the perfect match. Wine, as I’ve mentioned before on the site, isn’t the easiest pairing for rich dark chocolate cakes and puddings but black coffee is perfect, balancing the intense sweetness and palate coating richness of a full-on chocolate dessert while retaining its own flavour and freshness. If you find espresso too strong try a longer americano or cafetière-made coffee.

The quality of Fairtrade coffee has increased enormously over the past few years largely to an exceptional company called Union Coffee Roasters that I first came across about 15 years ago when they were operating a micro-roastery in Essex. The coffee I particularly like is their Rwanda Maraba Bourbon which is available in Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose. They are also selling two other ethically sourced brands Ethiopia Yirgacheffe and Natural Spirit which contains Fairtrade and organic coffee beans from central and south America which you can also buy from their website www.unioncoffeeroasters.com

So far as Fairtrade chocolate is concerned a good range is made by the Divine Chocolate Company. It confusingly has two websites, having changed ownership, but you’ll find some suitably indulgent recipes incorporating their products on their original website original.divinechocolate.com

If you want to do a bit more to help Fairtrade producers why not organise your own Faitrade coffee and chocolate morning (or evening) for a few friends and neighbours? Not that you probably need an incentive to eat chocolate . . .

* The FAIRTRADE Mark is the only consumer label that focuses on ensuring farmers in developing countries receive an agreed and stable price for the crops they grow, as well as additional income to invest for the future.