Chocolate Treats- Gnaw Chocolate

Here at The Amazing Blog, we are certainly partial to an afternoon tea break, and when a hamper full of Gnaw Chocolate goodies came our way, we were thrilled to try them.

Gnaw’s chocolate mission is to bring back the fun with chocolate. Since when did receiving chocolate as a present become so bland? We love that Gnaw Chocolates made us feel young and excited about treats again. The indulgent selection they sent us included their mini bars, big bars, hot chocolates and buttons. We thought the mini bars were a great idea for taking on the go - they come in a 5 or 10 pack which you can customise, choosing from their 5 different flavours. Our favourite had to be the Peanut Butter, closely followed by Salted Caramel.

The big bars are the ultimate chocolate hit, and we tried the Rocky Road, Banana, Mint and Dark Chocolate. The flavours are all delicious and the packaging is creative yet sleek - perfect for all ages. Their buttons were tasty treats that are deviously more-ish, and the Mixed Chocolate and the Caramel Bags are the perfect size for sharing (if you want to). Gnaw haven’t stopped at food however - they have also created a Hot Choc Shot, which looks like a chocolate lollypop. If you place the stick into hot water it melts to form a rich hot chocolate. Gnaw Chocolate is lovingly hand-crafted in Norfolk, using locally sourced ingredients and natural flavours.

Whether you need a last minute gift idea or are an avid chocolate lover, Gnaw Chocolate can be purchased online here. Their products start at £7.50.

Skin Accumax - Advanced Nutrition Programme

Here at The Amazing Blog, we strive to have healthy and beautiful looking skin all year round. The International Institute for Anti-Ageing has discovered a way to help maximise the effects of anti-ageing with their skincare supplements. They’ve created a brand, Advanced Nutrition Programme,  which has unique and exceptional products all designed to work from the inside out.

The Advanced Nutrition Programme has a wide range of skincare products, and we were lucky enough to receive their hero supplement which is the Skin AccumaxTM and contains a super-high concentration of active ingredients for people prone to problem complexion. The sachet includes 180 capsules, which are full of vitamins and phytonutrients for your skin. They suggest taking 1 or 2 capsules a day for at least 14 weeks which will feed your skin with Vitamin A, C and E, these nutrients when combined work effectively together and are more efficient than when taken individually. These vitamins also act with an incredible ingredient called DIM, which is a clever plant compound that has been patented.  

These supplements come in sachets of 60, 120, or 180 capsules and are formulated with nutrients that contribute to the maintenance of normal skin and collagen formation. It is recommended that you start with two capsules twice a day for at least 14 weeks to get maximum results. There are a variety of different skincare supplements in the range which are all unisex and targeting certain skincare needs with a variety of vitamins and minerals. 

Unlock the secret of glowing skin straight from the scientists; you can purchase Skin AccumaxTM capsules from Advanced Nutrition Programme here for £85 for 180 capsules.

Healthy Drinks - Friday Favourites

Following last Friday's Healthy Food Feature, we at The Amazing Blog thought it would be apt to continue the theme with a healthy drinks post. So we gathered together our current favourite selection of healthy drinks to keep you fighting fit this season.

Big Tree Farms' sachets of their Coco Hydro Coconut Water Infusion are the ultimate quick fix when you're on the go and hankering for some goodness. Big Tree Farms is a brand that truly upholds their ethical vaues and promote sustainable living and organic agriculture. The results are environmentally friendly and deliciously natural products.

The Coconut Water Infusion is unique as they pick Indonesian coconuts at the height of their nutritional content, evaporate the water, concentrate the nutrients and pack them in an easy to use, on-the-go solution. We loved the ease and efficiency of this product, and it tasted fresh and clean too. To pack in the nutrients and support the environment, buy Big Tree Farms' Coco Hydro Coconut Water Infusion here for £1.59.

We know this time of year a lot of us try to ditch the weight we inevitably put on over the holidays, so it's great when we can kick-start the process to get us feeling our best. We are currently loving Bio-Synergy's Skinny Waters, which are gorgeous flavoured waters designed to aid weight loss.

These drinks are sugar and calorie-free, which make them an excellent substitute for those calorie-laden fizzy drinks that can be hard to resist. They come in many different tasty flavours, including Raspberry Ketones, Pomegranite, and Orange, which will be sure to tantalise your sweet-cravings. We think these drinks fit perfectly into any diet, and help to assist in avoiding cravings and burn calories. Get these Skinny Waters at Ocado here from £1.45 and also available at Primark stores.

Lycolife's Lycopene drinks are an exciting find, since they are one of the very few brands that include lycopene in their products. Lycopene is extracted from tomatoes and is one of the stongest natural antioxidants obtained from plants. These drinks contain at least 30mg in each bottle and it is assimilated completely by our bodies. This neat little ingredient helps to neutralise free radicals which can harm the body.

Research indicates that Lycopene may help to lower the risk of certain diseases such as some types of cancer and cardiovascular disease. We loved the benefits of this product and it comes in a variety of delicious flavours such as Apple and Peach, and our favourite, Apple and Grape. Try Lycolife's drinks here for £1.65.

Sometimes our energies need a boost, and rather than going straight to sugary or caffeinated drinks it would be great if there was a healthy alternative to choose from. That's where Trévo comes in - Trévo has created a one-of-a-kind blend of 174 of the finest ingredients that nature has to offer and combined them into a delicious, highly bio-available liquid drink.

The drink is designed to replace minerals and vitamins that we have lost throughout the course of the day, which can result in sluggishness and tiredness. Trévo provides your body with essential vitamins and minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids, powerful antioxidants, digestive enzymes and Co-Enzyme Q10. The result after drinking is feeling refreshed and energised, and after the holiday season that is exactly what we need. Find out more about Trévo here.

Finally on our list is KIKI Health's Aloe Ferox Fresh Juice. KIKI Health believes in adding only the purest of ingredients with the highest potency available to their products, leaving out nasties and fillers so that we can enjoy pure forms of ingredients and their benefits. 

We enjoyed trying their Aloe Ferox juice - Aloe Ferox is a pure and unfiltered ingredient that comes from the last wild Aloe variety that grows in the natural and wild environment of the Cape region in South Africa. The juice contains 100% natural ingredients, with no artificial colours or sweeteners. It is suitable for vegans and is naturally free from gluten and wheat, so this is the perfect healthy option for all to enjoy. Buy the Aloe Ferox Juice here for £12.95. 

Healthy Food - Friday Favourites

After the Christmas season many of us resolve to get back to our healthiest in the New Year. It’s now easier than ever to get on the health bandwagon and we at The Amazing Blog have been gathering our favourite healthy foods to share with you.

Glenilen handmade yoghurts really caught our attention with their large collection of natural low-fat yoghurts. The family-run farm has been running for generations in County Cork. What started as a hobby using their cows’ milk has now grown into a fully-fledged business, using fresh simple ingredients.

The yoghurts come in lots of delicious flavours, including rhubarb and strawberry, natural seeds, and blueberry. We loved the creamy textures and all the yoghurts had a lovely thick layer of fruit. With no additives or nasties, this is the perfect sweet treat without the guilt. Buy it here for £1.99.

The Amazing Blog are big fans of Gosh’s naturally free-from range. Suitable for vegans, their products are free from gluten, egg, dairy, nut and soya, meaning that everybody can enjoy these great products. The food from Gosh is made from minimal and fresh ingredients, blending vegetables, pulses, herbs and spices.

We particularly enjoyed the mushroom, puy lentil and butter bean burgers. Packed with mushrooms, vegetables, they contain one of your important five a day. Although they are super healthy, these burgers pack a punch with great flavour. These products are feel-good food we know you’ll enjoy. You can buy the Gosh burgers for £2.50 here.

Lizi’s Granola is a healthy breakfast cereal containing oats, nuts, seeds and more excellent healthy ingredients. Lizi’s has always strived to add natural and simple ingredients in their products. The oats are a fantastic source of both protein and fibre, helping you to stay fuller for longer and prevent spikes in blood sugar levels.

We at The Amazing Blog were excited to try Lizi’s Pink Apple & Cinnamon Granola. Apples are a great addition to your diet, aiding the heart, digestive system, and blood sugar. Cinnamon is also a brilliant ingredient to help control blood sugar. The granola is really tasty and so easy to prepare when you’re in a rush – simply add milk and eat. For an incredibly easy and delicious breakfast, get it here for £3.65.

Skinny Dipping is a savoury dip company offering up an amazing selection of healthy and natural dips. The brand is the brainchild between two friends in Islington, and what they’ve cooked up is really special. Coming from their love of hummus, Skinny Dipping has put together beautiful flavour combinations such as Spiced Squash and Yoghurt, Broadbean and Mint, and Charred Aubergine and Lemon.

The dips are homemade and created with 100% natural ingredients. All of the pots are healthy with a high a vegetable content, meaning you can indulge as often as you want! We think they would be brilliant to share with friends with crudites or even as an addition to your lunchbox.

You can buy the Skinny Dipping Dips here for £2.95.

Christmas special: Chocolate Collections.

Let’s be honest, Christmas isn’t really Christmas without a slight overindulgence. Here at The Amazing Blog we are not the type to turn down a piece or two (or three). We’ve searched for the most interesting brands and flavours, including Paxton, Chief Chocolate Officer, Helen’s Hamper , Urban Village and Stateside Treat Emporium. 

Paxton’s Christmas chocolate collection has a mix of 4 delicious and unique festive flavours. These are white chocolate, sage & cranberry, Milk chocolate, orange & Cardamom, Milk chocolate, Orange & Panettone and Dark chocolate, Orange & Ginger. The medium box, which we received, has 12 giant button-like shapes, the sleek metal design alongside the mature flavours makes it extremely sophisticated. These sizes are perfect for a table top to snack on and the interesting flavours means you don’t have too many at one time. They also come in a small size which is 6 pieces and a large version of 24 pieces.

The medium box makes a perfect gift or to keep for yourself, it is £15 available here.

There’s not much better than wine and chocolate, however sometimes it can be hard to find the perfect slice for your favourite glass. Chief Chocolate Officer have got you covered. They have created a selection of chocolates that match specific grapes used to make wine. The individual flavours like Fig, Smoke & Pink Peppermint are matched accordingly, the other flavours included are Liquorice & Rose, Blueberry, Vanilla & Black Peppercorn, Coffee, Cherry & Cacao, Pear and Elderflower and Toffee & Orange. The chocolate is made in England and the box includes all the information for the perfect pairing of the chocolate and wine.

You can purchase these here for £15.95.

If you’re looking for a variety of chocolates for that wow factor, Helen’s Hampers are the place to go. They create amazing hampers from afternoon tea to corporate gifts which can all be personalised to your chocolate taste and with pictures. Our Hamper was the Christmas Chocolate hamper, including chocolate truffles, shards, bars, a lolly and champagne truffles. The different brands within the box made sure the chocolate was very varied, with milk, white and dark chocolate of all varieties included. Our favourites were the rocky road bar and the salted caramel shards! The simple black box is decorated with bright red ribbon elegantly festive and sure to put a giant smile on the lucky receiver’s face.

The Chocolate hamper can be purchased here for £50.

Combining beautiful designs and exciting flavours, Urban Village Chocolates are deliciously simple and yet extremely hard to refuse. We received their single-origin tasting collection, a sweet selection of hearts imprinted with pretty, modern designs, we also received the large (think giant, giant buttons) buttons, all with different patterns and a mixture of dark and milk chocolate. As well as a pack of 4 of the best-selling, award winning champagne chocolates, these luxury gold circle treats are rich and super tasty. All three a packaged in clear plastic with white labels embossed with gold writing.

They are all handcrafted in St Margaret’s, Twickenham, you can buy the single origin collection here for £11.95.

Last but not least we were grateful to receive a variety of chocolate treats from the company Stateside Treat Emporium, when these treats arrived it was a happy day in the office as we were all impressed with how good these chocolates tastes when they touch your lips. What we loved about these chocolates overall and were really impressed by the brand was the variety of flavours, some were unusual flavours that we would of never selected together but they work really well and the team were pleasantly surprised with how delicious they were such as their signature range which  includes  Maple Bacon Pancake Chocolate Bar. Another chocolate treat that really stood out for us and we all loved the design was the Popcorn Lolly, it is mixed with Belgium milk and white chocolate and the popcorn flavour is toffee it tasted like heaven the chocolate melts into your mouth and tastes really delightful and didn’t give you the sickly feeling after indulging to much.

Explore the word of American inspired treats, and you can grab the maple chocolate bar here for £1.60 and the popcorn lolly here for £1.90.