Turmerlicious

Everyone is jumping aboard the Turmeric bandwagon, due to its amazing health benefits, and we here at The Amazing Blog think incorporating it into a latte is the perfect way. Turmerlicious has created a range of delicious instant turmeric lattes and we were lucky enough to try the Ginger, the Choco, the Vanilla and the Chilli Choc.

This wonder spice has been renowned for its healing abilities for over 4000 years. So much so, the Sanskrit translations for turmeric is ‘one that wins over diseases’. Even science says so, and in the last 30 years there have been over 6000 peer reviewed publications supporting the benefits of Turmeric. Turmeric is hailed for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and is said to be beneficial in reducing heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and more. Add this goodness into a delicious drink, and you have a winning combination.

All of the powders are caffeine-free and are a combination of natural ingredients; turmeric, coconut, cinnamon, ginger and black pepper. This aromatic blend of spices create a soothing and delicious hot drink, and all you need to do is add three teaspoons of the mix to hot water. This gem of a product is ideal if you are trying to cut down on your caffeine intake. Just replace one of your cups of coffee a day to Turmerlicious and you’ll be left happy and healthy!

Turmerlicious powders are free from dairy, gluten, artificial flavours and GMO’s.

Purchase Turmerlicious here for £6.95 (200g) or £1 for a single serving (20g).

Primal Goddess - Planet Paleo

We love an effective supplement here at The Amazing Blog, especially one that tastes good! So when we tried Planet Paleo's new supplement powder called Primal Goddess, we had to tell you all about it! This product contains pure raised bovine collagen plus a carefully selected blend of synergistic primal herbs and co-active nutrients!

The product has a formula specifically designed to work miracles on hair, skin and nails! Containing high levels of Zinc, Primal Goddess helps aid the skin with the production of collagen and keratin. It also boosts the body with necessary antioxidants from rich berries, such as schizandra and goji. On top of all this, it is an excellent source for that much sort after skin favourites like biotin and hyaluronic acid!

Simply take 1/1.5 scoops a day with food by mixing it into 200ml of juice, or even just water – the powder tastes so good that it’s perfectly pleasant on its own! It is recommended though that you drink at least 2 litres of water a day when taking this supplement, due to the hyaluronic acid it contains. Staying well hydrated is a known way to help keep skin healthy and youthful, so the added boost in your daily intake is most definitely a help instead of a hindrance!

You can purchase Planet Paleo's Primal Goddess here for £35!

Friday Favourites - The Rosé Festival

Now, The Amazing Blog has a real treat for all you rosé fans out there. A brand new festival celebrating the beautiful pink drink is coming to London’s stunning Geffrye Museum in Shoreditch this summer. We guarantee that the inaugural launch of The Rosé Festival is not something you’ll want to miss. In fact, this is the UK's first and only festival dedicated to this beloved drink.

The event is expecting to welcome over 3,000 visitors and is taking place from Friday 21st – Sunday 23rd of July. This unique and wonderful festival will offer visitors the chance to not only sample different varieties of rosé from expert producers in all of its forms, both fizzy and still, but also learn from the producers who will share their knowledge and experience with guests. If you have always wanted to know what makes an excellent rosé, and how to distinguish between the variations of the drink then you must attend this event. We cannot stress the abundance of rosé that you’ll be surrounded by, which for many of us will be a dream come true.

However, if rosé is not your drink of choice then never fear as producers will also display a range of their other products including Ciders, Vermouths, Prosecco and other Sparkling Wines. Alongside all of this will be a vast array of carefully selected British food vendors for you to enjoy and discover. What’s more is that between every sip and bite you’ll be entertained. The festival will be hosting a mix of Shakespeare recitals, jazz bands and Opera and DJ sets, as the festival plans to welcome young, up and coming British talent. 

So if enjoying some wine, food and culture sound like your kind of day then you can purchase tickets here for £15.00. £1 of every purchase will be donated to the Geffrye Museum.

Friday Favourites - Hyper Japan

At the top of nearly everyone at The Amazing Blog’s bucket list is to travel to Japan, soak in the culture, food, sights and music. However, Japan isn't just down the road and prices for trips easily enter the thousands, so we have an exciting way for you to get your J-culture fix closer to home; Hyper Japan. Since 2010 this 3-day festival has been giving Londoners a much-needed jolt of Japanese culture. This year it is running from 14th to 16th July.

With over 100 exhibitors at Hyper Japan, expect a sensory overload. You can revel in both Japanese nostalgia and edgy futurism while watching self-produced chiptune TORIENA, who programs her music using two game boys. TOROIENA will even be teaching a class, so you’ll be able to create some unique sounds using your favourite retro devices.  Or if this isn’t your cup of saki why not enjoy KAIEN’s musical performance that incorporates dance, video and 3D holograms for an experience like nothing else you’ve ever seen. Marvel at the Kawaii fashion show, and discover and then shop the cute anime-inspired looks, or explore the Game & Anime Park with an area dedicated to the much loved Nintendo. Japan is famous for its advanced technology, and you can catch a glimpse of it here with the Handroid (hand robot!) demonstration. If you want something a little more traditional, you can try your hand doing some calligraphy, learning origami and making authentic kokeshi dolls. 

If Japanese cuisine gets your taste buds tingling, you'll be thrilled to hear that Hyper Japan has a whole designated EAT-JAPAN section. The food court offers much to choose from, from katsu curry, to maki, to poke bowls, to Sticky Bundits (those rice burgers you may have seen circling Instagram), you really will be spoilt for choice. You can even learn the art of cooking Japanese food here, with a wasabi pizza workshop and a curry workshop, or if you're a dab hand at Japanese cuisine, there is a sushi roll competition.

For your fill of Japanese fun and food click here and purchase your tickets. General entry tickets for Friday and Saturday are £15.00. Tickets for entry after 2.30pm and all Sunday are £17.00. A 3-day pass for the full weekend will cost £43.00. We look forward to seeing you there. 

Friday Favourites Irish Alcohol

We at The Amazing Blog were lucky enough to be guests of Bord Bia (the Irish Food Board), at their Spirit of Sharing event at the Irish Consulate earlier this year. Bord Bia brought together 20 Irish drinks companies to introduce them to the UK market, and we have picked an initial few here of our favourites that we discovered (we'll be featuring a few more later in the summer for you to read about). It is no secret that Ireland is renowned for its quality alcoholic drinks - from Cider to Whiskey to Irish Cream, and Bord Bia presented some drinks that are truly authentic in quality, history and flavour. 

For all you who want lower alcohol content without compromising on taste then do we have the perfect drink for you; Finnbarra's Tobairín. This cider is crisp and light, ideal for a mid-day drink with lunch in the hot sunshine. Despite being just 1.5%abv the cider’s complexity and character doesn't suffer in any way. Light in colour, the drink has a distinguished ‘nose’ and a smoothness which is in part due to the naturally cultured champagne yeast included in the recipe. 

The apples in the cider are meticulously selected and are grown elsewhere in Ireland as the distillery is located by the sea which is not good for the growth of apples. This careful selection process helps the cider remain crisp and pristine.  Everything about this drink has been carefully selected, including the name. Tobar means “well” (as in wishing well) and “ín” means small or light, coming together as Tobairín. 

So, if you are looking for a low alcohol, refreshing and almost champagne-like tasting beverage, then this is the one for you. 

As Finnbarra is currently looking for a distributor if you would like more information on pricing or to find your local stockist you can contact them at info@finnbarra.com

Another cider from Finnbarra has made it onto our list, and it’s Stonewell Tawny. If you enjoy a more opulent and rich cider, you should look no further than this delightfully dark drink. This viscous cider possesses a blend of complex bittersweet flavours that is deliciously moreish. The cider is created by chaptalizing the blends of Michelin and Dabinett apple juice while it ferments. Once the fermentation is complete, and the alcohol content reaches 15% Stonewell arrest the fermentation. This leaves residual sugars which encourage the developments of the cider's highly complex flavours to flourish during the minimum 12-month ageing process. 

The Tawny cider is produced in incredibly small quantities, around 3000 litres a year. Each bottle is sealed with food grade beeswax and an individual label identifying the bottle number.  This is a still cider and perfect for a leisurely picnic in the sun, as an aperitif or as an accompaniment to cheese or desserts. This cider reminded us a little of Calvados.

As Finnbarra/Stonewell is currently looking for a distributor, should you want more information on pricing information, or to find your local stockist you can contact them at info@finnbarra.com

Now,  when one thinks about Irish alcohol, Irish Cream is always one of the first to come to mind, and for us, Feeney’s Irish Cream is a really good example. Feeney’s know that to create the freshest and richest tasting Irish Cream you need to look after and nurture the cows being milked. It is this belief that has given their products the high-quality taste and has helped them win award after award; including a 2015 Platinum Sip Award and a 2015 Great Taste Award.

The cream produced by these pampered cows is then combined with a fine three-year-old barrel aged Irish whiskey. All of this careful selection leads to a scrumptious product where every sip tastes sweet, creamy and indulgent. This is delicious on its own, but our favourite way to enjoy Feeney's is to pour some over a bowl of vanilla ice cream!

Trust us, you cannot go wrong with this drink and you can purchase it here from Tesco for £15.50

For those of you looking for a delicious, traditional and aged whiskey then we recommend you try Hyde. Made in County Cork on the wild Atlantic Southwest Coast of Ireland, Hyde is producing some beautiful smooth Irish Whiskeys using traditional old age craft techniques. The family have been involved in the drinks business for over 12 generations since 1640, so you know that when they say they use traditional methods, you know that they truly do. 

Originally distilled in a traditional copper pot still, Hyde Irish Whiskey is double matured. We particularly love the Sherry Finish, which is a single malt aged in flame-charred, first fill, 200l oak bourbon barrel (giving a sweet vanilla flavour), before being transferred to a vintage Oloroso sherry cask for the final ten months. The sherry casks add a nutty, spice and dried fruit flavour to the last dram. The barrels and casks chosen are significant; as they put it, it’s all about the wood! Named after Ireland's first President, Douglas Hyde, the whiskey has an exceptional quality befitting its presidential namesake. Made in small, handcrafted and limited batches each sip of Hyde whiskey is filled with character. 

You can purchase a bottle for yourself here for £50.88
 

And Finally, but by no means least, for all of you honey whiskey fans out there is The Dubliner’s Honeycomb Whiskey. The Dubliner Whiskey and Honeycomb is a delicious blend of welcoming Irish Whiskey and honeycomb and caramel flavours, which have a smooth and easy finish. The Dubliner’s value the importance of the ingredients that are in their whiskeys, as such they use only the best ingredients in their products. As they say, “only the best goes in, no exceptions, no substitutions.” 

This whiskey was created by John Drennan and is one to savour and share. We guarantee you will want more, as the warm whiskey tones blended with the soft sweet honeycomb and caramel are incredibly potent!

You can purchase a bottle to share with friends here for £19.95

All of these brands are wonderfully authentic and have created some truly delicious and refreshing products for you to enjoy. We guarantee that all of them will help bring an added sparkle and Irish flavour to your next summer event! So what are you waiting for, purchase yourself and your friends a bottle or two now.