Community News

Plastic Free Entertaining Ideas

Plastic Free Entertaining Ideas

Plastic free entertaining sometimes feels like an impossible ideal. If you google party or celebration you will be confronted with a sea of photos that almost exclusively include plastic. Plastic balloons, plastic streamers, plastic cups and plates and more. And for...

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Plastic Free July 2020 – Pick One Thing

The way I figure it, everyone is on a plastic free journey of some sort. We live in a community where we have an amazing local co-op stocking our favourite plastic free groceries. Not everyone has this luxury. The important thing for us at the Manly Co-op is to make a...

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Plastic waste – why’s it hard to recycle?

Plastic waste – why’s it hard to recycle?

Recently the Australian packaging industry admitted that it cannot meet the 2025 target to recycle 70% of plastic waste. The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation has estimated that in 2021 only 16% of plastic waste was recycled and forecasts that the shortfall...

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Falafel Rice Bowl with Tahini Sauce

Falafel Rice Bowl with Tahini Sauce

This is a quick and easy dinner that tastes really good. It's similar to a poke bowl in presentation, but instead of raw fish we are using falafel and we're including some baked veggies as well as raw. It takes only as long to prepare as the rice takes to cook - you...

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Baked Risotto with Herb Salsa

Baked Risotto with Herb Salsa

What better way to celebrate tomato season than a risotto recipe that uses a lot of them! This risotto is delicious, vegetarian, can be made vegan and will even please the meat-eaters due to the rich flavours. The citrus edge to the green herb salsa is a wonderful...

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3 waste-free party kit options

Have you ever stared at the bags of waste at the end of a party and thought “there must be a better way”? But it’s hard enough to plan a party without being overwhelmed by trying to make it sustainable as well. Luckily some wonderful people on the Northern Beaches...

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RedCycle is dead – what now?

RedCycle is dead – what now?

You might have seen in the news that RedCycle is now in liquidation and that Coles and Woolworths have offered to store the stockpiled soft plastics backlog that RedCycle has been unable to process. But is this just greenwashing? Are the big supermarkets even pushing...

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How to recycle 5 difficult things locally

Despite our best intentions to buy items for life and avoid packaging, sometimes we have things that need to be thrown out or recycled. But unfortunately only a few types of waste are welcome in our recycling bins. However, it is possible to recycle a lot more things...

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Meet the Team: Tracey

Tracey What do you do when you are concerned about all the unnecessary packaging in the world and want to get back in touch with food and community - you volunteer at the Co-op! We talked to Tracey to share her volunteering story. Tracey moved back to Manly late last...

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Zero-Waste Butter Tofu

Zero-Waste Butter Tofu

Butter chicken or murgh makhani is a firm favourite in many households but this recipe tweaks it to use our plastic-free firm tofu instead of the traditional chicken for a truly zero-waste dish. All the ingredients are available at the Co-op so you only need to buy...

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Make a Splash with Olive Oil

Make a Splash with Olive Oil

Have you ever wondered why Italian cooking is so good? Well, there’s probably lots of reasons, but high up on the list is the abundant use of olive oil as a key ingredient in just about everything. A good olive oil, combined with the very best of seasonal produce, is...

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Honey for your Honey

The Manly Food Co-op stocks gorgeous NSW honey in bulk so it's too easy to fill up a jar or two especially with this upcoming Valentine's Day - the perfect honey for your honey! So delicious, pure and sweet! Let's talk about our Honeys - Mid Coast Honey and Castlecrag...

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Christmas Gifts at the Manly Food Co-op

Christmas Gifts at the Manly Food Co-op

Stock up at the Manly Food Co-op on Christmas presents for teachers, loved ones and those hard to buy people in your life! We are now stocking a range of different candles from CandleXchange. Relax, Refill and Reuse with this range of great hand poured natural...

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Coconut Milk Powder Recipes – by Vivien

Coconut Milk Powder Recipes – by Vivien

Manly Food Co-op is now stocking certified organic coconut milk powder. Here are a couple of recipes that are great for camping on bush-walks, bike rides or kayaking trips - very lightweight to carry and they only need water to be added before cooking.  All...

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Keelah Lam – Our Founder at Manly Food Co-op

Keelah Lam – Our Founder at Manly Food Co-op

Keelah Lam A little while ago, Business Australia interviewed Manly Food Co-op Founder - Keelah Lam, here's what she had to say. Can you tell us how your passion for the environment started? I grew up in an idyllic neighborhood with bush all around so I’ve always had...

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The Country Valley Story

The Country Valley Story

Country Valley processes milk, yoghurt and cream on the Fairley family farm in Picton, 90 kms from Manly. In 2018 the Manly Food Co-op introduced Country Valley bulk milk into the store. The milk arrives into the Co-op in re-usable metal churns and is available for...

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We heart hemp seeds

We heart hemp seeds

Do you know much about hemp seeds? You’ve probably heard of the environmental benefits of hemp when used for clothing and textiles, and maybe even the concrete replacement hempcrete, but did you also know that hemp seeds are a nutritional powerhouse?  Long...

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We Are Hiring

We are hiring a new Shop Manager! If you've shopped at the Co-op you'll have an idea of what we're looking for but the detailed job description is below. This role can be offered part or full time, depending on the applicant. The role would be ideal for a someone who...

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Re-usable Coffee Cups and Covid

Re-usable Coffee Cups and Covid

Re-usable coffee cups were an unforeseen Covid casualty with many cafés not accepting their use. Initial concerns over sanitisation safety were the main reason, and this is understandable. As we've all made our way through this new normal, many cafés have reconsidered...

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Homemade Vegetarian Mincemeat

Homemade Vegetarian Mincemeat

Ingredients 500g Granny Smith apples 200g deodorised coconut oil 350g raisins 250g sultanas 250g currants 350g Rapadura sugar zest (chopped) and juice of three large oranges zest of two lemons 75g coarsely chopped almonds (optional) 1 tsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground...

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Christmas Gift Ideas

Christmas Gift Ideas

Christmas gift ideas can be tricky at the best of times, but especially if you're: a) on a budgetb) trying to be planet friendly Our clever staff and volunteers have been busy making up a super selection of Christmas gift ideas to cover a range of budgets. Pop in to...

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Cinnamon Infused Pearl Barley Salad

Cinnamon Infused Pearl Barley Salad

Cinnamon is the perfect festive ingredient, ideal for both savoury and sweet recipes. This simple pearl barley salad is vegan and all the ingredients are available at your Co-op. Pearl barley has a chewy and nutty flavour and keeps well for a few days so it's ideal...

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A Sustainable Christmas

A Sustainable Christmas

Jen, our shop manager, has given us some amazing ideas on how to prepare a sustainable Christmas and how to create hand-made sustainable gifts. Jen is also running her own catering business, Zing Fresh, and is all about sustainable sustenance that looks beautiful. She...

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Quick Pickled Cabbage

Quick Pickled Cabbage

Pickled cabbage is a fridge staple in our house. It's an easy condiment to add colour and flavour to a dish. This simple recipe can be made ahead and will last at least a couple of weeks. It's perfect if you bought a red cabbage for something else and have some left...

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Tahini: The Lowdown

Tahini: The Lowdown

Hulled tahini is traditionally made by soaking sesame seeds, pounding and then soaking again to separate the bran from the kernels, which are roasted and ground.  Unhulled tahini, made from the whole seed, is darker and stronger but it contains more...

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Cheeky Pea Falafel

Cheeky Pea Falafel

Cheeky Pea Falafel balls are one of our best sellers at the Co-op. The week beginning 5 November 2020 will feature our falafels as Product of the Week and means they're priced at 25% off - bringing them down to 92 cents each! This is also a good opportunity for us to...

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Walnut Miso Broth (Serves 4)

Walnut Miso Broth (Serves 4)

Adapted from an Anna Jones recipe, this simple miso broth is both regenerative and full of flavour. The killer twist of it is the walnut miso paste. The umami flavours of miso and the crunch of walnuts completely transform this dish into a bowl of satisfying flavour....

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Umeboshi Plums and a Japanese Snack

Umeboshi Plums and a Japanese Snack

Have you heard of Umeboshi plums? One of our members recently wrote to comment that, "Your Ume plum is the best in Manly!! Thank you for providing us the healthy Japanese products." Along with the comment Mayumi shared a traditional recipe for a cleansing dish called...

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How To Wear and Care for Your Mask

How To Wear and Care for Your Mask

We actively encourage the use of masks when you shop at Manly Food Co-op. Like most grocery stores, it's very hard to socially distance when shopping at your Co-op. Wearing a mask adds an extra element of safety for everyone. As a zero waste advocate we also strongly...

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Adzuki beans, a recipe to remind us to slow down

Adzuki beans, a recipe to remind us to slow down

What are Adzuki beans? Adzuki beans have been used since ancient times in Japanese "Kampo" (Japanese traditional medicine). The beans nourish the kidneys and bladder and are linked to the water element that help regulate emotions like fear. Also, adzuki beans contain...

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