Wax Attack

We shall shortly be coming to the end of another Plastic Free July. Certainly since retiring we have become astute at avoiding single use plastic and are very much conscious of looking at other options when purchasing anything, be it a dishwashing brush or a full blown kitchen appliance. It's impossible to avoid, but we try our best and, of course, July is always an opportunity to refresh the philosophy and up the motivation.

A few years ago I started to use beeswax wraps instead of cling film. Compared to cling film, they are expensive but of course they are reusable.

Waking in a creative frame of mind this morning, I finally decided to have a go at making my own wraps. It really isn't so difficult. You cut cotton fabric to size; place it on baking parchment on a tray; sprinkle it liberally with beeswax pellets; place in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes; remove and brush the melted wax around to ensure an even covering; lift with tongs and shake to cool; hang up to set.

Nothing much to go wrong there you might think and yes, I would declare the outcome a success. It's just a shame that carrying one piece across the kitchen with tongs, I managed to drop it on the floor and have since spent an age scraping wax off the tiles. Thank goodness I wasn't using crude oil to make plastic!