No need for soaring energy use when you decide you need your first cup of hot chocolate this autumn.

Here’s all you need for a green cup of hot chocolate:

Step 1: Make sure you only boil as much water as you need for that hot chocolate. It’s easy to do with an Eco-Kettle or Tefal Quick Cup. At £29.50 you can’t go wrong with the Eco-Kettle. As an Eco-Kettle user myself, I heartily recommend them. The Tefal Quick Cup has had mixed reviews, and costs twice as much at £59.99. Design-wise it’s a more attractive thing to have on your kitchen counter, but looks aren’t everything. And there’s also the all new Morphy Richards Ecolectric kettle that has an 85′C setting for coffee and hot chocolate. Not a bad price at £34.99.

Step 2: Get your mug out. If it’s a global warming mug to remind you of why you’re making the effort to live green, all the better!

Step 3: Spoon some lovely Cocodirect Fairtrade Drinking Chocolate powder into your mug. It’s rich, creamy and velvety, and guaranteed to contain only Fairtrade cocoa beans and cane sugar from Latin America. At no less than 40% cocoa solids, it has almost twice as much as ordinary drinking chocolate. If you’re going to indulge, you do it properly!

Step 4: Pour the water over the hot chocolate, add a little organic milk if you like, and enjoy!

Best drunk outside watching the autumn leaves falling, wearing a pair of soft fleece eco-gloves (made of 94% recycled PET bottles) and a Fairtrade woollen beanie from People Tree.

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