UK Made Archives - COOLCURATION

September 4, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Grubby Recipes September 2026: Five Plant-Based Dinners

Last updated: 4 September 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Grubby RecipesSeptember 2026 Edit

Five plant-based dinners for the first cold week

The best Grubby recipes September 2026 has to offer are warmer, slower and, by comparison with August's, considerably more filling. So I went through every dish on the four September menus, opened each recipe page, and pulled out five that suit a dark evening and a school run.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

I pay full price for my weekly Grubby box, and CoolCuration has a referral partnership with Grubby. The picks below are mine either way. All five dish photographs are Grubby's own.

Want money off your first Grubby box?

The current sign-up offer changes with the campaign, so I keep the live figure and the steps to claim it on my referral page rather than in this post.

See the current Grubby offer

Published by Stiv in Foodie, Sustainable Living, UK Made, vegan

Tags: batch cooking, grubby, Grubby recipes, plant-based recipes, recipe box, recipe kit reviews, September 2026, vegan meal kit, vegan meal kits UK, vegan recipe kits, vegan recipes, weeknight dinners

August 29, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Commuter Backpacks UK 2026

Eleven commuter backpacks from £45 to £450, every price checked in Britain on 28 August 2026, and one honest downside named for every single pick.

Published by Stiv in Best of Amazon, Buying Guides, Commuter, Designers, UK Made

Tags: Aer, Antler, back to work, backpacks, Bellroy, Briggs and Riley, Carhartt, commuter backpack, Eastpak, Fjallraven Kanken, laptop backpack, made in Britain, Osprey, Paul Smith, Rains, Rat Bags

August 7, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Grubby Recipes This Month: Our August 2026 Picks

Five Grubby recipes we actually re-ordered this August, from sweet mustard pulled pork buns and sticky Korean BBQ tofu wings to a 15-minute edamame salad and a cheesy black bean enchilada bake.

Published by Stiv in Foodie, Sustainable Living, UK Made, vegan

Tags: August 2026, grubby, plant-based recipes, recipe kit reviews, vegan BBQ, vegan burgers, vegan meal kits UK, vegan recipe kits, weeknight dinners

July 2, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Grubby Recipes This Month: Our July 2026 Picks

Last updated: 2 July 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Grubby RecipesJuly 2026 Edit

Four plant-based dinners we actually re-ordered this month

The Grubby recipes roundup is back, and July gives us plenty to work with. We skipped June, so consider this a double helping. Below, you will find the four best Grubby recipes we cooked from the current menu. There is also a quick note on how the boxes work and what new customers get right now.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Want money off your first Grubby box?

The current sign-up offer and the steps to claim it are always kept up to date on our referral page.

Get the Grubby offer

Published by Stiv in Foodie, Sustainable Living, UK Made, vegan

Tags: grubby, May 2026, plant-based recipes, recipe kit reviews, vegan BBQ, vegan burgers, vegan meal kits UK, vegan recipe kits, weeknight dinners

June 8, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Wype Original vs Soothe: Which Should You Buy?

Wype just dropped a new Soothe gel for sensitive skin. I've used Original for a year and Soothe for three months, so here's the honest, first-hand verdict on which to buy. #Wype #EcoBathroom #SustainableLiving #WetWipeAlternative #PlasticFree

Published by Stiv in Carbon conscious, Self-care Champion, UK Made

Tags: eco bathroom, green home, plastic-free, sustainable living, toilet paper gel, wet wipe alternatives, wype, Wype Original, Wype Soothe

May 16, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Grubby Recipes This Month: Our Top 4 (May 2026)

Last updated 16 May 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

We pay full price for our weekly Grubby box, like any other subscriber. We have a referral partnership with Grubby, so signing up via our link supports the site. Our opinions are independent.

The May Roundup · Issue 05/26

Crispy burger tacos with burger sauce on a plate, Grubby plant-based recipe kit dinner.

01

Pulled meaty mushroom burger cross-section showing the pulled texture, Grubby vegan recipe kit.

02

BBQ brisket burnt ends with smoky beans and pickles in a bowl, Grubby vegan recipe kit.

03

Crispy jerk tofu burger with creamy slaw and jerk gravy, Grubby plant-based recipe kit.

04

Every week we get a Grubby box delivered. Four or five plant-based recipes we picked ourselves and paid for in full. This month, four recipes across the rotation were so good we decided to write about it. Here are the best Grubby recipes we cooked, what we thought, and which one caused an actual argument over the last portion.

Published by Stiv in Foodie, Sustainable Living, UK Made, vegan

Tags: grubby, May 2026, plant-based recipes, recipe kit reviews, vegan BBQ, vegan burgers, vegan meal kits UK, vegan recipe kits, weeknight dinners

April 25, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

UK Made Clothing: Why Where Your Clothes Come From Matters

Last updated: 25 April 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

When Alan Carr wore a Wax London overshirt on Celebrity Traitors, it caught our eye. Stylish, well-cut, and effortlessly cool. So we bought a few pieces. The clothes? Great. The experience of actually being a Wax London customer? Not so much. Here is why UK made clothing matters more than a nice label, and why Community Clothing deserves your money instead.

This is a tale of two brands, one that looks the part and one that lives it. If you care about where your clothes come from and how you are treated when something goes wrong, read on.

Published by Stiv in Fashionista, Lifestyle, Reviews, UK Made

Tags: Celebrity Traitors, Community Clothing, consumer rights, ethical fashion, Patrick Grant, UK made clothing, Wax London

April 15, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

How Does Sprive Make Money? The Business Model Explained (2026)

Last updated: 19 July 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I have a Nationwide mortgage and have used Sprive to make overpayments since October 2021, over four years of regular use.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Not financial advice. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. This article is for information only. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

Want the sign-up offer?

Should you fancy trying the app while you read, the current welcome bonus and how to claim it are set out on our referral page.

View the Sprive referral offer

If Sprive is completely free to use, how does Sprive make money? It's a fair question, and one worth asking before trusting an app with your bank account and mortgage details. The short answer: Sprive earns from remortgage commissions and a share of gift card cashback revenue. The longer answer is worth reading, because understanding the business model helps you judge whether the app's incentives actually line up with yours.

Digging into how Sprive works? Good instinct. For every guide we have written on the app, from safety to cashback, see our Sprive guides hub.

Published by Stiv in Finance, Mortgage, Services, UK Made

Tags: fintech UK, how apps make money, How does Sprive make money, mortgage overpayment app, Open Banking, personal finance uk, Sprive, Sprive app, Sprive business model, Sprive cashback, Sprive remortgage, Sprive review

April 11, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Chip Prize Saver vs Premium Bonds UK 2026: Which Is Actually Better?

Last updated: 10 September 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Over 22 million people in the UK hold Premium Bonds, which makes them the nation's most popular savings product. Yet most holders have never weighed up Chip Prize Saver vs Premium Bonds side by side, and the numbers reward a closer look. Around 62% of Premium Bonds holders have never won a single prize, according to AJ Bell. The prize fund rate sits at 4.35% from the September 2026 draw, with each £1 bond facing odds of 21,000 to 1. NS&I has moved both twice this year. The rate ran at 3.30% with odds of 23,000 to 1 from April, went to 3.80% and 22,000 to 1 in July, then landed where it is now when NS&I announced the change on 18 August 2026.

Meanwhile, Chip's Prize Savings Account offers an alternative: a prize-draw savings account with a £10,000 grand prize every month and no interest at all. Both are a gamble on the return, not on the capital. You can hold either for a year, win nothing, and watch inflation eat the value of the money. We are not saying Premium Bonds are bad. Indeed, they are backed by the Treasury and pay tax-free prizes, which is a real advantage. However, if you have not compared them to anything in years, this is worth ten minutes of your time.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Want to try the Chip Prize Saver?

Our Chip referral page carries the current new-customer bonus and the sign-up steps, kept up to date.

Open Chip via our referral

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. It is not a recommendation to open, close, or switch any savings or investment product. Always do your own research or consider a qualified financial adviser before making financial decisions. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change. All product details were verified at the time of writing but may change, so always check the provider's website for current terms.

Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Money, Money saving, Saving, UK Made

Tags: Chip, Chip Prize Saver, FSCS, NS&I, Premium Bonds, prize draw savings, savings, savings comparison, tax-free savings, UK savings

March 28, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Is Octopus Energy safe?

Last updated: 28 March 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Yes — Octopus Energy is regulated and licensed by Ofgem, meaning it must meet the same legal, financial and consumer protection standards as other major UK energy suppliers.

Quick answer

Octopus holds an Ofgem supply licence.
Default tariffs are covered by the Ofgem price cap.
Customers are protected under Supplier of Last Resort rules.
Complaints can escalate to the Energy Ombudsman.

If you're comparing switching options, you can see how joining works here: Octopus Energy switch process.

Published by Stiv in Discount, Energy, Saving, Services, UK Made

Tags: consumer protection, energy supplier safety, octopus energy, Ofgem, switching energy, UK energy regulation