I don’t often write about soap. In fact, have I ever written about soap before? I’m not sure that I have! There’s a reason for this: soap is the cleansing agent of the devil. It instantly makes your skin feel dry and shrivelled-up, and if you use it on your body parts it makes them squeaky. Have you ever washed under your armpits with Imperial Leather? Squeaky. Unbearable.

There are, of course, a few exceptions, one notable example being Korres’ Calendula Soap. I have an inexhaustible supply of these soaps (which come in a very handy plastic container/ready-made soap dish) because last summer I went on holiday to Greece, and in nice Greek hotels you get Korres. Fact. I was there for about two weeks and the nice maid kept on replenishing soap supplies regardless of whether or not the last lot had been used, so into the suitcase they went. All sixteen of them.

This soap leaves my hands incredibly soft, and dare I say moisturised? That’s not really something that a typical soap would do, is it, but I’m pretty sure that this one leaves my hands feeling less dry than before washing, which is nothing short of miraculous. And handy too, because I’m washing my hands a lot at the moment, what with living in a virtual building site.

Calendula Soap, say Korres, is suitable for the face and the whole body. Jolly good – I shall be sticking to hands, but should there be an emergency situation, such as a worldwide facial cleanser and shower-gel shortage, I’ll know which soap to turn to. This one contains Vitamin E to protect and condition the skin, whilst the Calendula is moisturising and slightly antiseptic.

You get two 40g soaps in a set, and a set is priced at £4 (or £3.20 on LookFantastic, sshhh!) which makes the Korres soap around twenty-something times the price of Imperial Leather, but it’s worth it. You won’t squeak as you walk, for a start.