ZSL Pooch Parade

Attention all animal lovers! The Zoological Society of London will be hosting its first Pooch Parade sponsored dog walking event in London on Sunday 22 March and this is also your chance to participate in a great cause.

The 2.5 km walk through Battersea Park is raising funds for ZSL’s Lions400 Campaign. The campaign aims to raise £5.7m to create Land of the Lions, a new state-of-the-art lion breeding centre and exhibit at ZSL London Zoo, as well as extend vital conservation work in India where only 400 Asiatic lions are left in the wild.

Heidi, Asiatic Lioness at ZSL London Zoo

To participate in this event, you can register your dog here for £10, plus a pledge to raise £40 per dog for the Lions400 campaign. Each dog can be accompanied by up to four walkers. Each participating pup will receive a special doggy bag and a medal to show off when they complete their walk. Places are very limited so that's why we at The Amazing Blog are giving you the 'heads up' at least a week in advance.

Even if you don’t have a four-legged friend to register, this is a great event to come out and watch. The event gets up and running at 10 a.m.

Friday Favourites - Mother's Day Feature

Here at The Amazing Blog, we know that we’ll never be able to repay our mum’s for the endless amount of love and support they give us. We may not get to see our mum’s regularly, but we always think about them and how much they have impacted our lives. This Mother’s Day, we wanted to give you a proper gift guide designed to please your mum, since she deserves only the best on this day and every day. 

To help your mum unwind on her special day, treat her with a beautiful quotation candle from Not on the High Street.

You can choose from four different quotations to put on the candle, including “A mother holds her child’s hand for a short while but their hearts forever” and “Mum, I know you’ve loved me as long as I’ve lived, but I’ve loved you my whole life” and two other sweet phrases. After the quotation, you also have the option to customize the signature, which a remark such as “you’re the best,” followed by your name.

In addition to the four different quotations you can choose from, the candles come in four colours to choose from: light stone, medium stone, pale rose and duck egg blue. It’s made from 100% natural soy wax and has an average burn time of 35-40 hours. The gift wrapping is also included with the price, plus you have the option to add a personalized gift tag to the candle to make it extra special.

Order your candle here for £25 and give your mom a long-lasting gift this year.

To give your mum time to reflect this mum’s day, give her this bold “I Love My Mum” notebook from Smythson. She can gather all of her thoughts and record all of her goals and dreams in this stylish notebook.

Featuring a lambskin cover, in a fun hot pink colour with shiny gold text, this notebook makes a statement and lets the world know how much you love your mum. It’s filled with 96 leaves of lined, pale blue, featherweight paper designed to capture every note or idea written on every page. Just like any quality journal, a sturdy pink ribbon bookmark is attached so your mum can mark her most recent page. It’s portable, easy to carry and will always remind her of you.

Head to the Smythson website here to get this lovely notebook for your mum for £35.

To add a sweet touch to your mum’s bathroom, pick up a few bars of the Lavender Hand Soap from Dr. Harris and Co. for a beautifully scented hand washing experience.

The soap is designed for delicate skin, so it will not cause any irritation if sensitive skin is an issue your mum deals with. It lathers extremely well, so let all of the lavender-scented suds wash away any impurities while deeply moisturising your skin. Hand washing just got a lot more luxurious.

Get a three-bar pack of these adorable soaps here for £17.50.

For a gift your mum can display for all to see, we recommended a Mother’s Day inspired flower bouquet from The Flower Stand Chelsea. With all of the vibrant colours and varieties to choose from, you can choose an arrangement that suits your mom and her personality perfectly.

The Flower Stand shop can be found near Fulham Road and Old Church Street, with clientele ranging from footballers to film stars. The prices of their flowers are some of the most competitive in London and are of very high quality. When you mum receives one of the bouquets, the flowers will be in top-notch condition. They are shipped from Holland overnight, and then are cut and arranged into vases within 24 hours.

The Mother’s Day arrangements come in a variety of colours, ranging from white to yellow to pink to red. Some of the flowers you can choose include lilies, roses, tulips and lilacs, depending on whatever your mum prefers.

Head to the Mother’s Day section of their website here and check out all of the different arrangements you can choose from, starting at £35.

Of course, Mother's Day wouldn't be complete without a special treat. Macarons by Babette will be having a pop up shop just in time for the holiday.

These macarons compare with the best of French macarons. With flavours like pistachio, raspberry, salted caramel and lemon, they are almost impossible to resist! These lovely treats are sold in beautiful gift boxes that your mum will love.

The pop up shop will be on 62 Old Church Street and will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on 14th March and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 15th March. Can't make it to the shop? Not to worry, you can order your box of 20 Macarons by Babette here for £23.

London Beer Week

After a hard day’s work, we here at The Amazing Blog know how nice it is to go out to the pub with your mates for a pint. Since enjoying a good ale or lager is such a wonderful pleasure, the guys behind London Cocktail Week and London Wine Week have teamed up again for a brand new drink week: London Beer Week. The first annual event starts today and will go until 22 February.

Beer week will be where a selection of pubs, bars and restaurants offer exclusive experiences to wristband-bearing customers, which cost £10 each. When you show your wristband at a participating pub or bar, you’ll be able to enjoy £3 specialty beers and £5 boilermakers, which are composed of a beer and a bourbon.

Wristband-bearers will also gain access to special events, such as mastery classes and exclusive tastings, and discounts at restaurants offering special beer week promotions on appetizers and entrees. Purchase your wristband at 14 Newburgh Street in Newburgh Quarter and enjoy an entire week’s worth of great food and drink benefits.  

To find out more about London Beer Week and to stay updated with their endeavours, check out their website. Happy drinking!

Friday Favourites - Valentine's Day Feature

We here at The Amazing Blog are all about Valentine’s Day. We quite fancy celebrating all of the relationships in our life, including those with our family, friends and romantic partners.

Even though we show them love every day, it’s nice to have one special day every year designed to show our appreciation. Check out our top gift suggestions so you can give your loved ones proper gifts this Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day is all about romance and love, so set the mood with a relaxing, heart-shaped candle from Ancienne Ambiance. Their special Valentine’s Day candles come in two colours: romantic red and elegant ivory. With three wicks and a burn time of 90 hours, these candles will last all day long to make your Valentine’s Day extra special.

The candles have a Damascan rose scent that stays strong throughout its burn time, so you home will even have a special Valentine’s Day touch to it. If you purchase the elegant ivory candle, you can also opt for an unscented version if you’re not keen on the rose scent.

Pick up the romantic red candle here and the elegant ivory candle here for £40 each, and keep the flame alive this Valentine’s Day.

Since hearts are a signature icon to represent Valentine’s Day, many companies are selling products adorned with hearts for the holiday. The team at In-Spaces are no exception, yet their Valentine’s products stand out from the rest due to their creative spin on everyday products.

A few of our favourite Valentine’s Day exclusive products are the Handmade Porcelain Hanging Heart with a Red Flower (£7), the Pink Bespoke Table Lamp (£120) and the Queen of Hearts Red Egg Cup (£7). All of the products are handmade, designed with care and feature the signature Valentine’s Day colours – red and pink.

You can also check out the Valentine’s Day section of the In-Spaces website for more suggestions and ideas for what to gift your loved ones this year.

Nothing quite says “Valentine’s Day” like a bouquet of beautiful red roses. The luxury flower brand Roses Only recognises this and strives to offer only the best when it comes to floral arrangements.

Only the finest flowers make the cut to be placed in a Roses Only bouquet, coming from England, Ecuador and Holland. When roses aren’t enough, they are pleased to compliment your bouquet with lilies, tulips, gerberas or a mixture of every type, depending on what you’d like to see.

Even though red roses are the company’s top favourite and best-seller, they also offer roses in the following colours: pink, white, yellow, lilac and orange. The bouquet are placed in elegant flower boxes and tied with ribbon, although you can request a vase if desired. You can also buy a roses set, paired with a bottle of champagne and a chocolate bar, for that very special someone.

Check out the Roses Only website to see all of their limited-edition Valentine’s Day arrangements.

We never need an excuse to indulge in some delicious chocolates, but Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to enjoy a few sweets. This year, we’re loving the fine Valentine’s chocolates from Demarquette, which are both delicious and visually appealing.

The pink and red heart-shaped chocolates are filled with Marc Demarquette’s speciality melting caramel, as well as fresh fruit purees. A combination of freshly-picked Devon strawberries combined with passion fruit puree and the caramel, make for a beautiful combination of tastes perfect for the holiday. Each heart is covered with the Demarquette milk chocolate house blend for the perfect finishing touch.

Pick up your own set of Demarquette chocolate hearts here for £12 and put a smile on your loved one’s face with the simple goodness of quality chocolate. 

New Year's Eve - Alcoholic Treats

Who’s ready to ring in The New Year? We at The Amazing Blog have had a fantastic year, and we are prepared to celebrate. Thanks to Amsterdam Vodka, Kold Cocktails, Make Mine A Martini, Shatler’s Cocktails and Two Finger’s Brewing Co, we are ready to drink and be merry.

If you are a vodka drinker, we’ve got some exciting news for you. E & J Gallo sent us a sample of their New Amsterdam Vodka and needless to say, it has become our go-to choice of liquor. Recently added into the UK spirits portfolio, Amsterdam Vodka was created to target a young and lively consumer. The liquor is made by being distilled five times, using only the best grains from Nebraska and Missouri. The vodka is chic, smooth and affordable…party people, rejoice! New Amsterdam Vodka is available in 20cl bottles for £5.49 and in 70cl bottles for £15.99.

Looking for something quick, simple and irresistibly delicious? With the samples Kold Cocktails and Shatler’s Cocktails sent us, we believe we have found just that. Instead of pacing around and stressing about creating the perfect cocktail, these “ready made” products have made our party plans so much simpler. Shatler’s Cocktails sent us samples of their classic Mojito and Pina Colada cocktails-in-a-can. Unlike most pre-made products, you do not have to add anything to make this drink. Just open, pour, and enjoy! Shatler’s Cocktails offer a wide range of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Take a look at their website and browse around their diverse menu of drinks.

The brand KOLD Cocktails provides the same party time essentials, however this company gave us a nice frozen alternative to our favourite drinks. Thanks to KOLD Cocktails, we were able to sip on well-made frozen Mojitos, Cosmopolitans, and Lychee Martinis for under 200 calories each. All KOLD cocktails are 8% ABV and are available in multipacks of 2 for £6.99 here.

Finally, though a delicious cocktail is always nice, sometimes you just want to sit back, relax, and sip on a cold beer. The unique company Two Fingers Brewing Co. allows you to enjoy your beer and give to charity at the same time. Being the only beer of its kind, all of their profits are donated to Prostate Cancer, UK. It is safe to say that this beer is giving back to the men who drink it. Brewed with 100% British ingredients, enjoy this crisp golden, award winning ale and know that you made a difference. Visit their website and read more about the cause here.

Now that you have a collection of key ingredients, it's time to start thinking about cocktail making. Make Mine a Martini  by Kay Plunkett-Hogge is a fabulous compendium of delicious drinks, perfect for getting the party started. With everything from a simple Martini to more complicated concoctions like The Avocado Project, a delicious mixture of rum, agave nectar and, you guessed it, avocado, there's something for every taste and skill group. Our favourite is The Formosa's Mai Tai, which adds a dash of amaretto to the original recipe, making for a delicious twist on an already great drink. The book even has a selection of nibbles and non-alcoholic drink recipes, making it the perfect companion for any host. Buy the book here for £12.50 and get shaking!