Soap and the British Economy

There's a hackneyed narrative of national decline that goes something like this: Britain used to be Great when it bashed bits of metal together and made Stuff and now we're overrun by advertisers and estate agents. Things are more complicated (in 2008 we were the sixth biggest manufacturer in the world) but it is true that London used to be full of people making things (ostrich feather dyers, wooden pulley makers, people who used dog shit to tan leather...) and now it's mostly not. This is not wholly a bad thing (see above re: dog shit) but one of the many things to love about Hornsey Road forcefield is that within in it there's light industry galore. We've a make-up school, a French mime academy, a harp-maker, a cabinet maker descended from Richard III and we've also got in the All Natural Soap Co makers of very lovely, well, soaps. 

Eliza started the company because she was struggling to find toiletries that worked for her sensitive skin and soon became addicted to soap-making. Apparently it happens quite often. Bit like horse-riding.

The soaps are made of olive oil, with aromatic plants, charcoal, honey and suchlike added to a secret recipe in a hidden-away workshop.

They're sold in Spitalfields market and should soon be for sale in the Organic Stall.

The only downside to using them is the usual downside to nice things: I'm beginning to dislike my usual second-cheapest-showergel-from-supermarket.

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