Wear mohair on your feet - ethical and effective!

I have always believed that keeping one's head and feet warm is the secret of good health in the winter. Supposedly, body warmth escapes from the top of the skull and seeps out from the sole of the feet, unless it is the frozen ground that communicates its refrigerating powers to the feet. Whatever the dubious scientific basis for those beliefs, the theory works for me. When my feet are snug and my head is toasty, I can face blizzards, sleet and snow. Starting with feet, I would like to share a great tip: mohair socks.

The socks I have been buying for years come from Corrymoor Mohair, an East Devon farm where the angora goats are bred by the Whitley family. This is a local, family business which ticks all the right "ethical" boxes.  Not only are the goats, which produce the mohair, bred in Britain but the following steps in the transformation of the fibres into socks - combing, spinning and knitting, all take place in England too.

Not only is mohair incredibly warm and durable, but it also guarantees sweet smelling feet as mohair fibres, unlike sheep's wool, are smooth and do not trap bacteria which cause bad smells.  They are machine-washable and last forever. The socks used to come in a fairly limited range of colours which has now exploded into all kinds of wild and wonderful shades. The colour chart does not quite do the socks justice and I should warn you that they can be very bright!

The socks come in different lengths and styles. I recommend the "Eventer" (£10.90), originally designed for show-jumpers but which works equally well in cold wintry cities.  I wear mine with warm winter boots and lace-up shoes and I never suffer from the cold.  They have been "tested" in hiking boots in Scotland and whilst they probably can't beat the more technical socks available, they are perfect for the occasional ramble.

Two words of caution:

• they are thicker than usual socks and will not fit inside dainty shoes or pumps
  
• the mohair can feel a bit scratchy to sensitive skins.

You can order online and they usually deliver super promptly.
http://www.corrymoor.com/