Thame Food Festival

Here at The Amazing Blog, we have found a fantastic foodie’s day out! The eighth annual Thames Food Festival takes place in a beautiful historic market town in Oxfordshire on the 26th September, bringing you a host of celebrity chefs and of course superb food and drink. There is even the chance to show off your baking skills in The Big Thame Bake competition that will be judged by a few celebrity bakers. These are certainly ingredients for a brilliant day out.

Raymond Blanc OBE will be making the short journey from Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons to cook live for us in the cookery theatre. Watching him is a joy as his talent and passion for cooking could inspire anyone to get in the kitchen. He will be joined by Sophie Grigson, for those of you who are unfamiliar; she has opened Sophie’s Kitchen at the Story Museum in Oxford. Here, she offers various homemade food dishes for all to enjoy, as well as offering a children’s class to educate and inspire a love of cooking from a young age. I’m sure many of us would’ve appreciated this knowledge when learning to cook for ourselves. Sophie will also incorporate some of her favourite dishes from the café in her session.

The festival isn’t for adult enjoyment only, they have organised the first ever cooking demo catering specifically for children, taught by MasterChef winner Natalie Coleman. Children will have the opportunity to learn the basics on how to cook and try new exciting foods, a perfect way to keep the kids proactive in the kitchen. Adults will be able to see an interview with Natalie and purchase signed copies of her new book Winning Recipes for Every Day.

If baking is more your forte, Richard Bertinet will share the secrets behind his sell-out bread making classes. This is a fantastic way to learn a few tips and tricks if you missed out on the classes available at The Bertinet Cookery School. The baker will even be signing copies of his many baking books in the pop-up book shop. Be sure to clear some space on the kitchen shelves, this book shop is a space in which visitors will have the chance to meet an array of celebrity chefs and build up their cookery book collection.

Arguably, the most exciting part of the day is the festival’s very own baking competition. The Big Thame Bake gives visitors the opportunity to rise to the occasion and show off their own baked goods. The winners will be awarded their prizes by none other than Frances Quinn, the Great British Bake Off Winner in 2013. Along with other Bake Off contestants, Luis Troyano, Miranda Browne, and Howard Middleton, Frances will then be interviewed by Lotte Duncan.

Give you and your family a fun, food-filled day out by checking it out here. The Thame Food Festival takes place from 9am to 5pm on Saturday 26th September 2015 in the heart of Thame town centre. If you are interested in participating in the Big Thame Bake, sign up here for only £5, of which is donated to a local cause. 

Teatonics - Laid-Back Botanical Tea & Mind-Awakening Yerba Mate Tea

In typical English fashion, here at The Amazing Blog, we are avid tea drinkers. We’re always sipping on different blends, trying new flavours and trying to settle on a favourite. This week is no different and we’re happily drinking our new brews from award-winning Dorset brand, Teatonics. With a range of delicious blends to choose from, we’ve never been more eager to put the kettle on.

The brand launched in 2014, when founders, Rosie and Charles, traveled to Latin America and found themselves inspired. Of their four unique blends, we tasted the Laid-Back Botanicals and Mind-Awakening Yerba Mate. The organic Laid-Back blend was wonderfully soothing, with its Chamomile and Lavender making it the perfect pre-bedtime cuppa.  Our favourite, however, was the Yerba Mate blend. Naturally caffeinated, the delicious tea is infused with citrus Orange Peel and Peppermint, perfect for an invigorating boost at any time of day. Blended with supplements and superfoods, it’s great to find something that tastes as great as it actually is.

TeaTonics have also just launched two new delicious flavours, Ruby-Red Restorative with red & green rooibos, hibiscus, cacao shells, vanilla pod and liquorice, and Nourishing Maté-Spice with yerba mate, ginger, cardamom, turmeric and a touch of chilli. We cannot wait try these! What’s more, Teatonics offer a brilliant subscription service, so you’ll never go thirsty again. 

Brew yourself a cuppa and buy a pack of 14 teabags here for £5.50. Alternatively, treat yourself to a subscription package, starting from £10 per month.

Granny's Secret - Light Jam

Here at The Amazing Blog we love nothing more than to indulge, but like most of us always feel guilty after we’ve given in to that pesky sweet tooth! However, with Granny’s Secret Diet (Light) Jams, we no longer have to feel the guilt while we’re devouring our crumpets.

Granny’s Secret Diet (Light) Jams are created from traditional recipes, contain no additives, and are vegan, gluten and dairy free. The brainchild of Serbian born Snezana Knowles, Granny’s Kitchen UK takes the tradition jam recipe, but instead of adding mountains of sugar, uses fructose instead which make the jams 40% less calorific, healthy and natural.

These were so delicious, you truly would never know that they aren't loaded with sugar. We like to eat natural, but not if it means compromising on enjoying our food. And being from the UK, we do eat a lot of jam. Granny's Secret Jam, in short, is perfect for us.

The jams come in a variety of flavours including Blackcurrant, Apricot, Sour Cherry, Strawberry, Wild blackberry, Raspberry, and can be purchased from Selfridges, Lakeland or the company website.

Jadu Luxury Tea

Here at The Amazing Blog we love nothing more than a good cup of tea, and when we say ‘good’ our palettes certainly do appreciate a spot of luxury! We, for that reason, loved nothing more than to receive a selection of the luxurious Jadu tea to try.

Jadu Tea (pronunced jah-doo) is an independent global luxury tea brand based in the UK, sourcing their tea leaves from India, China and Sri Lanka. Their herbs and fruits come from all around the world. Their selection of tea blends range from the traditional English Breakfast to the elegant Mademoiselle Grey and the healthy China Green, with each tea being infused with a unique identity to give it that sophisticated edge.

Our absolute favourite was the Mademoiselle Grey, a take on the classic Earl Grey tea using the refreshing Sri Lankan Uva black tea as a base and finished with bright citrus note and aromatic bergamot. One cup was just not enough, we found ourselves getting up and putting on the kettle again as soon as we were finished the first.

Jadu Teas are priced at £16 for 12 tea envelopes or £19 for 100gr whole leaf tea and can be purchased from the Jadu Tea website here.

Friday Favourites - Cookbooks

Here at The Amazing Blog we love to cook. Experimenting in the kitchen, trying out new recipes and creating delicious meals is one of our favourite pastimes. Although the internet is awash with recipes aplenty nowadays, there’s something quite special about discovering your favourite cookbook, dipping into it again and again. With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of our favourites, which will hopefully inspire a few stints in your own kitchen.

First on our list is the work of national treasure and Great British Bake Off veteran, Mary Berry. To coincide with Mary’s latest TV series, her new book, ‘Absolute Favourites’, is packed full of delicious meal ideas for any occasion.  With over 100 recipes, there’s bound to be something that tickles your fancy, and the recipes are so simple, that even a cooking novice could follow them. We tried out the Fish Pie with Souffle Crouton Topping and found it delicious and super simple to prepare. An interesting twist on the classic fish pie recipe, it’s perfect for a family dinner. Pick up the new book from our ‘absolute favourite’ homecook here for £8.99.

If you’re looking to venture into the daunting world of Superfoods, we think that Julie Montagu’s ‘Superfoods’ cookbook is a wonderful place to start. Full of healthy, nutritious yet delectable meal ideas, you’ll have no excuse for raiding the biscuit tin. Julie understands that, when it comes to eating healthily, food is certainly not a ‘one size fits all’ deal. Nutritional needs and lifestyle effect what and how people eat, so we were happy to see that this tome suits everyone! With a range of amazing plant-based recipes to pick from, you’ll be feeling like a superhero in no time!  Naturally, we had to check out the ‘Sweet Treats’ section, and stumbled across her ‘Black Bean Brownies with Chia Seeds’ recipe. Perfectly gooey and wonderfully chocolatey, they’re the perfect guilt-free alternative to our favourite baked good. Grab your own ‘Superfoods’ book here for £12.91

If you’re stuck in a teatime rut then the ‘The Five O’Clock Apron’ is here to help you to cook with creativity and ease. Written by chef and mum of three, Claire Thomson, the book is full of nutritionally inspired, relatively easy recipes that your little ones will love! Full of fresh, exciting and versatile meals, the recipes are also flavourful enough to please everyone around the table including the Lamb & Quince tagine and the delicious Arancini. Our favourite recipe has to be the wonderful ‘Snail Bread’ - an interpretation of the delicious Chelsea Bun – which will have everyone coming back for more! Get stuck into Claire’s inspiring book here for £20.

For those who love rich, exotic flavours, we can’t think of anything more suitable than the delicious recipes in Vanessa Bolosier’s ‘Creole Kitchen’. Inspired by Vanessa’s French Caribbean roots and drawing inspiration from her very own childhood kitchen, the pages are filled with 100 mouthwatering Caribbean Creole recipes that just scream sunshine to us! We cooked up the Sweet Potato and Ginger Cream Soup, and loved the creamy concoction that also packed a really good punch – a hearty, warming dish perfect for a rainy day. Treat yourself to a little taste of sunshine and buy the book here for £25.

For those hardcore foodies out there, we can’t quite get enough of the ‘Scook: Complete Cookery Course’ by Anne-Sophie Pic. Overflowing with exquisite French dishes, Anne-Sophie’s main aim is to teach and share her love of cooking. We’re certainly eager to learn, and found that her book is filled with 40 step-by-step guides to overcome even the trickiest of techniques, all fully photographed so that you can see how each method is performed - perfect for impressing people at dinner parties. One recipe that really caught our eye was the White Chocolate Fondant with Passionfruit and Chocolate Coulis. Easier than we expected, these are great for preparing ahead of time, as they need to freeze for 4 hours before baking, making then an ideal finishing touch when entertaining. Teach yourself how to cook the French way, and pick up a copy here for £40.