Nouri Herbal Shots

You might associate Herbology with Harry Potter fandom, rather than health and wellbeing; and although we love Ms. Sprouts’ classes, the newly growing herbal community is showing us at The Amazing Blog, that it can work it’s magic even on us common muggles. Newly founded company, NOURI is proving it’s worth in this domain, taking us back to our natural roots, with a range of alcohol-free and highly concentrated herbal shots.

Founders, Lia Schmökel and Danielle Sheridan wanted to create products that help us to integrate a healthy routine into busy lifestyles. Their herbal shots make it easy to treat our bodies to some natural goodness without being dogmatic about it, allowing us busy bees to keep our bodies and minds at their optimum. The shots come in different forms, you can buy their Focus, Boost or Lust shots seperately, or you can choose from a ready-made pack. Whichever you choose, you can be sure that the contents have been designed to aid the human biorhythm.

We tried their individual shots, Focus, Boost and Lust. Focus contains energising ingredients, such as eleuthera and Siberian ginseng. These power ingredients help boost physical and psychological performance, without any side effects, while, green tea extracts help to awaken our senses. Limes, liquorice root and bitter orange create a powerful and refreshing taste that makes your mornings feel light and fresh, even if they are packed with invoices and tax returns.

Boost provided us with the will to carry on, after we had our third back-to-back meeting of the day. The use of Inca herb maca is noteworthy, a specialist ingredient when it comes to fighting against drowsiness, which creates an energetic outcome when combined with ginger, oregano, guarana and nutmeg. In addition, it also provides our aching muscles with the uplifting kick they deserve, boosting our energy levels for a sustained period of time, as opposed to the kick that we lose quickly after consuming sugary energy drinks.

Finally, we tried Lust, which contains the South African plant damiana, traditionally used as an aphrodisiac during shamanic rituals. This acts as a natural viagra for men and woman, and with additional ingredients like schisandra and cardamom, balance and stamina are notable. The use of chilli also enlightens inner fire, and rosemary, a known herb of passion, strengthens the libido naturally.

If you too would like to enlighten your senses, then visit the NOURI website here, where you can purchase your own bottles of Focus, Boost and Lust. They’re available either as a single purchase (a minimum of 6 bottles), or as part of a monthly package.

Festival of Heat

Here at The Amazing Blog, we have come across an event to spice up your weekend. The Festival of Heat is London’s leading Chilli Festival for the past 3 years, the work of Mercadito Productions. Heat-seekers everywhere join to celebrate various cultural uses for chilli, including the different eating, growing and cooking methods.

The Festival is attracting both aspiring and established talent; there will be producers, market traders and chefs from all over the UK. A few names you may recognise are hot pepper sauce brand Encona, Mushemi Fire, Zambian Chilli Products and Grim Reaper Foods Ltd. Encona will be this year’s sole sponsor of The Festival Kitchen, a fun and educational area with cooking demonstrations, food workshops and tasting activities for the whole family to enjoy. Whether its sweet and mild you’re after, or hot and fiery, Encona will have the sauce for you. They will also offer a range of delicious marinades to put life back into dull meal times; these are available in Korean BBQ, Jamaican Jerk BBQ and Moroccan Harissa. The exotic names are enough to make the mouth water.

Flavour Gurus from The World of Zing and Made in Hackney share their tips in master classes, workshops and demonstrations in the Festival Kitchen. In which you can learn ‘How to make a good curry’ and ‘Cooking with chilli to achieve the perfect heat’. For budding spice sellers, you can even pick up top tips on marketing your own hot sauce.

The Festival Kitchen Debate will hold several special guests, whom are to be announced. This is a hub of discussion around issues that affect us as consumers. You can have your own say on why we should buy from local producers and ask where it is our food comes from. If you want a break from all of this information, there will be DJs and bands providing music from across the world. There will surely be something to suit everyone as the music follows the multi-cultural theme, expect anything from live folk music to Bangladeshi dancing. In an ever growing multi-ethnic community it’s important to learn about different cultures, food and music are the social centres for most, making it the perfect place to start.

If you want a fun-filled and informative day out, make sure you attend the Festival of Heat  for just £7.50 per person, children under 16 go free if accompanied by an adult. The festival takes place on the 27th September 2015 in Red Market, London.​ 

Cawston Press

Having spent the last four evenings consuming copious amounts of alcohol, I'm feeling far from fresh on this blustery Monday.  Thursday evening was dinner with the girls, which turned into a night of wine swigging; Friday was a friend's wedding, Saturday a house-party which went on until sunrise, and last night an impromptu beer swilling night in front of the TV with my housemates. Thus, given my rather delicate state today, and unable to drink like I used to, the rest of the week will be spent free of all things alcoholic. Lucky for me, we ladies at The Amazing Blog recently came across Cawston Press and their fab range of drinks, which offer the perfect alternative to alcohol and come without the dreaded morning-after-the-night-before foggy head and memory loss.

With a long standing passion for all things apple-related, Cawston Press have spent over twenty-five years developing an innovative range of all-natural juices, and most recently launched their very own version of fizz - Sparkling Apple and Sparkling Apple Ginger Beer. The Sparkling Apple contains no less than 75% pressed apple juice while the Sparkling Apple Ginger Beer is a unique take on the classic which also features lemon juice and a hint of chilli, giving it a certain je ne sais qoui!

Both drinks are light and refreshing, with the perfect amount of fizz, and are the ideal companion to any kind of meal, noon or night. Unlike many soft drinks, Cawston Press contain no artificial sweeteners, preservatives or colourings and a 200ml glass of any of their juices will provide you with one of your 5-a-day. Tasty and healthy - what more could you ask for in a drink?!

So, whether you're nursing a four-day hangover, or are simply looking for a grown-up soft drink that's both delicious and good for you, head to any leading supermarket to get your hands on a bottle or buy online here.