Our favourite alcohol alternatives

by Alexandra Williams,

We'd be surprised if you haven't heard about 'Dry January' - everyone seems to have an opinion on it this year. At Radiance, we'd only ever recommend alcohol in moderation - and feel that a better mantra should be around finding delicious alcohol alternatives you can enjoy all year around, rather than feeling like you need to deprive yourself for one month of the year.

As with all habits - consistency is key. We're much more likely to consistently choose something when we love it, and so we've rounded up our top choices for a sophisticated drink - with no alcohol! Try them for January, and we're certain you'll be loving them way past the 31st...

 

 

  

Seedlip Non Alcohol Distilled Botanical Spirit
£27.99
Available at Waitrose and widely across London 

Why we love it...

We first tried Seedlip way back when they launched in 2015, and this brand has come a long way since then! Expertly chosen botanicals are distilled, and the alcohol is removed. The result - a spirit which tastes remarkably like gin, but with no alcohol, sugar or preservatives. We love 'Grove 42' with Citrus notes, perfect with ice, lemon and tonic.

Daylesford Kombucha
From £3.49
Available at Daylesford stores in London and online.

 

Why we love it...

Kombucha is a fantastic alcohol alternative - it's fermented taste means it replicates the real thing, and comes with added probiotic benefits. An ancient drink which makes for a very modern antidote. Our favourite is the punchy 'Ginger' - delicious simply on it's own.

 

Pri Secco - Alcohol Free Organic Bubbly
£9.50
Available at Abel and Cole

Why we love it ...

We're not a fan of most non alcohol wines, as they are often full of sugar and concentrates. Though not quite a wine, we enjoyed this sparkling drink which had plenty of complex notes from organic herbs, spices and flowers. Perfect if you have a celebration this month!


Work Life Balance with Equi Co-Founders

by Alexandra Williams, , link

We can all relate to struggling to juggle work, life and family - and our friends at Equi are no different! With a rollercoaster year including a house renovation, a wedding, a 3 year old and a new business launch - we find out a bit more about how they managed it, and their top tips. 

Between you guys you have a young family, a wedding coming up (including hen do's to plan!), a newly launched product range and business to run... can you sum up how that feels in 3 words?!
 
Busy, (a little bit) dizzy, but grateful!
 
Tell us a bit more about what is going on in life (outside of work!) for you both.
 
Rosie - Equi is full throttle at the moment, we’ve taken on an amazing selection of new rattlers recently, are launching into a very prestigious London stockist in Jan and a big international retailer chain in early 2019…so it’s all steam ahead and we’re loving it.  The new range has been so well received and we’re so happy to be receiving such happy reviews from our customers.
On a personal note, it’s been equally as busy.  I’ve just moved into my house after a long building project, which completely overran and was pretty stressful, as all building work is!  My daughter has just turned 3 and after recently starting at a local nursery, is starting to harbour a better social life than me which is another full time job! 
 
Alice – I juggle my role at Equi with my busy clinic in Chelsea, which keeps my professional life fun, interesting and super rewarding. 2018 has also been a really exciting year for me personally as I got married in November, so a lot of my energy has been taken by planning that. I love to travel as much as possible to new places and just got back from my honeymoon in Africa where I was totally off grid for 1 week in the wilderness (sorry Rosie!)
 
Work life balance is something everyone talks about, but we never seem to be able to put our finger on what that really is. What does it mean to you guys?
 
When you’re running your own company, work and life kind of become the same thing, which is fun at times but can also be draining if you aren’t careful. 
 
Even though we sell nutritional supplements we employ a lot of technology to streamline the day-to-day functionality of the business - which means everything can be controlled by an app… so switching off is only possibly when you turn your phone off; how often does that happen?! 
 
Lucky for us, when you’re working with your best friend work feels less arduous and you can also plan your day the way you want to. We both make sure we eat well, exercise regularly and of course take our supplements, which keep us going.  We have both been guilty of not switching off enough in the past so we make a conscious effort to take time away, whether that be socialising with friends or making time for an evening Epsom salt bath with magazines… Equi does stand for balance after-all! 
 
 
Running a business as friends must have a different level of emotional connection there, how do you support each other - and do you find yourselves having to keep an eye out for the other over do-ing it? 
 
Working together has only strengthened what was already a very close connection - 15 years of friendship will do that to you.  We’ve always been very much on the same page when it comes to what we want for Equi, how we see the industry and work ethic, so our partnership just Is smooth sailing. Our backgrounds establish our roles in the business naturally which also means our roles are clearly defined, removing any issues that we could imagine other partnerships might have.  
 
When it comes to needing personal support, we know each other so well and know what the other needs to make them tick. Luckily we generally seem to need support at different times and one will pick up the slack when the other needs time away. Because the trust in each other is there and the support is unconditional, it’s never really something we have to think twice about. 
 
For young Mums, entrepreneurs juggling two jobs or just generally busy people - what are your top tips for keeping on track when you feel like your to-do list is never-ending.
 
Prioritise effectively - Ask yourself whether each task is really what you need to be doing – we can get so bogged down with the minutia that we sometimes forget the bigger picture. 
 
Learn how to say no! We just can’t do it all, and we certainly can’t do it all well, so you need to accept that your probably going to need to sacrifice something – just remember it won’t be forever.  
 
You’ve heard it before but keep a list by your bed so that if something comes to you in the night you can note it down and not forget it! 
 
Make sure you have your to do list to hand at all times – we love Evernote or Minimal List and we can share them so we are both on track. 
 
Stop working post 8pm and take time to wind down for bed - easier said than done but a better sleep is always guaranteed and we all function after a good night’s rest.

 


 
Do you ever switch off? If you do, how do you manage it and do you have strategies to help you do this?
 
It would be dishonest to say we don’t struggle with this, but the gym is a huge part of our mental wellbeing.  A good pilates, barre or spin class takes you off your phone for an hour which means you can only focus on you.  We start most days exercising in some way – a walk to blow out the cobwebs or a few stretches at home… even when we were living together at university we’d make time for this!
 
Equi supplements are designed with the busy modern woman in mind - tell us a bit about your clients and how Equi has changed their lives.
 
We have such a wide customer base, from exhausted stay-at-home mums to male CEO’s, all of whom rely on our products to keep them topped up with the best nutrients to help them feel amazing.  
 
We’ve had women who’ve suffered with skin issues for decades, some resorting to MRI scans to figure out why nothing was fixing it, who have finally got beautiful skin and we also have women who have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and finally feel themselves again… 
 
Our new weight loss product Lean Formula have been enjoyed by new Mum’s who’ve struggled to lose their baby weight, or tone up for a beach holiday or wedding. 
 
Our Pregnancy Formula, which fertility experts have heralded as one of the best in the world has helped lots of pregnant women overwhelmed with the nutritional information out there looking for the best product for their growing bump. We were thrilled to have our first Equi baby last week - a lady who’d taken Pregnancy Formula throughout gave birth to a very healthy 9lb beautiful girl and has enjoyed how great Equi has made her feel during her pregnancy. 
 
We love the new branding and packaging look - what was the inspiration behind it and where can we get it?
 
Thank you!  We just won an award for it, which made all the hard work worthwhile. 
 
The new branding is a complete 180 from where we were.  We initially wanted the brand to have a very different look and fashion vibe, and though everyone loved what we’d created we realised that given the complexities of our products the overall feel was a little confusing.  It was difficult to completely move away from what we’d spent so long on, but we knew the products needed to have a clean and clinical look if people were to trust all of the incredible ingredients.  We’re bringing auyervedic herbs, medicinal mushrooms and superfoods to the market, which are new to many people - and unless you’d invested in an expensive nutritional therapist, wouldn’t have access to.  Therefore, the branding needed to have a simpler, clinical vibe so the formulations could do the talking.  We also extended our range and improved the flavours-  and it’s been so well received we couldn’t be happier!

 

 
What are your favourite Equi formulas?
 
Rosie – for me it’s Beauty Formula.  This is where it all started, when I was suffering with acne and Alice helped sort it out with a range of 8 supplements which were unavailable on the mainstream market.  We decided to compile all of these ingredients into one product – and make it even better.  Beauty keeps me energised, but most importantly keeps my skin clear, bright and gives me a glow….which is some doing when my daughter stops me sleeping and we’re working as hard as we do!  That said, Pregnancy is coming in at a close second.  After struggling to find a product when I was pregnant as I didn’t have confidence on the mass market options.  We were struggling to ship pregnancy supplements in from the US, then adding to them with extra ingredients….so saw a real need for a top-quality, comprehensive supplement at such a crucial time in a woman’s life. Pregnancy Formula is already receiving rave reviews with industry experts and we’re so excited about how many woman and babies it will help.
 
Alice – I also love Equi Beauty Formula but my favourite is Original – I have always found ashwagandha gives noticeable improvements to the way I feel on a day to day basis – it keeps me energised, calm, focused and sleeping well, which is essential so I don’t run around like a headless chicken when I’m really busy. I also love that it combines with a top draw multi, with all the best forms of vitamins and minerals available that are really well absorbed. In my clinic I am finding that my pregnancy clients are really loving our Pregnancy Formula – many of them who previously took other less quality products for their first pregnancy say they have noticed feeling better second time around, and have even noticed better skin with it.


Raw Vegan Donut Recipe

by Alexandra Williams, , link

If you're feeling uninspired by the usual chocolate choice around at this time of year, why not try your hand at our raw, vegan chocolate donuts for a grown-up advent treat.

These look stunning, taste amazing and are a little indulgent - a great treat alternative. You will need a silicone donut mould for the perfect shape.

 



Ingredients

Raw Donut:
1/2 cup pitted medjool dates - soaked for 2 hours
1/2 cup ground almonds
2tbsp raw cacao powder
1tbsp coconut oil
1tbsp (to taste) maple syrup

Glaze:
3tbsp coconut oil
4tbsp maple syrup
9tbsp raw cacao powder
vanilla extract

Toppings:
These can be really flexible - use what you can find in your cupboards! Some of our favourites...
Desiccated Coconut
Coconut Chips
Edible Flowers
Raw Cacao Nibs
Chopped nuts

Instructions

1. Add all the donut ingredients to a Magimix (or food processor) until well mixed.
2. Remove the mixture from the food processor and divide it into 4
3. Press into the mould cavities and shape
4. Pop in the freezer and leave to set (approx 90 mins).
5. To make the glaze, sift the cacao and mix all the ingredients well in a bowl.
6. Remove the donuts from the freezer, and dunk into the glaze. Set onto greaseproof paper and top with your toppings.
7. Return to the freezer for about 20 minutes until completely set.
8. Keep in the fridge until you're ready to enjoy them.



Established London 2009
100% Organic Cold-Pressed
Delivered across the UK