The Ethicurean Cookbook

Here at The Amazing Blog, we share a love for cooking, and we are always impressed when we stumble on a truly wonderful cookbook. We have recently been reading The Ethicurean Cookbook, which is a truly remarkable and creative book full of recipes. The book was born out of the Ethicurean Kitchen Garden restaurant, which is located in Mendip Hills. Ethicurean means ‘the pursuit of fine-tasting food while being mindful of the effect of one’s food production and consumption on the environment’.

The four friends were brought together by their love of cooking, and combined the knowledge of food and business into the Ethicurean Restaurant. They aim to live sustainably and are working with local English farmers and fisherman to source their meat, and they supply their own fruits and vegetables from their garden. Recipes you will find in the book range from some ‘quintessential’ English with a twist to the truly creative and daring. Foods are listed by season, starting with Winter, and each season houses a collection of starter foods, salads, mains, desserts and drinks. I found it truly captivating, and the photography is phenomenal. You will find that the recipes in the cookbook are probably things that you have never tried before, and some are admittedly a bit unusual. If you are experimental in the kitchen, you will absolutely love this, but never fear if you aren’t; there is plenty of delicious options available for you as well. Beyond the recipes themselves, there are pages devoted to the proper way of cooking specific things, such as live crabs, which is great form improving your cooking skills.

The Ethicurean Cookbook is sure to give you a font of inspiration for your next cooking adventures. This will also be perfect for dinner party planning, as there is everything from cocktails to dessert. A wonderful gift for anyone who cooks, or for your own bookshelf, you can purchase The Ethicurean Cookbook, Ebury Press for £25 from (look up buying option and ask ebury how book needs to be credited).

Gift Fripery Workshops

We have all been in that position where we have spent ages carefully selecting a gift for a loved one, only to gift wrap it and find that it looks anything other than special! At The Amazing Blog, we believe that appearance matters, and so we think every pressie should look perfect. If, like us, you struggle with your gift wrapping skills, don’t panic, because professional gift wrapper, Amanda White, from Gift Frippery, is on hand to teach you everything you need to know. Amanda hosts regular gift wrapping workshops that can turn even the most novice of gift wrappers amongst us into a wrapping extraordinaire.

Amanda offers two or five hour gift wrapping courses that can teach you all the basics from how to create bespoke gift tags to the wrapping techniques to master awkward shaped gifts – we are all thinking of wine bottles! Her course also involves teaching different styles of gift wrapping – including upcycling techniques to recycle old materials and transform them into beautiful gift wrapping.

Don’t worry if, like me, you are a useless wrapper, Amanda believes that, ‘what most people lack is inspiration, but I think I’m quite good at unlocking that creativity, then there’s no stopping them!’ So there is hope for us all. With Christmas approaching faster than we would like to think about, now is the best time to improve your gift wrapping skills.

 If you would like to find out more about attending one of Amanda’s workshops than visit the Gift Frippery website for more information, a five hour workshop will cost you only £50 per person and includes all the materials you will need. Gift Frippery also hold DIY Wedding crafts workshops to teach you how to create beautiful, personal touches for your special day.

Indoor Allotment Windowsill

Finding it hard to find the perfect summer gift for a relative or friend? Here at The Amazing Blog we have found the perfect urban“garden lovers” gift. The Indoor Allotment offers a stylish miniature garden that invites people into their homes and makes a big impact on the interior of their flat.

Many of us in London live in built-up flats making it rather hard to enjoy the  outside surroundings in our neighbourhoods.  The Indoor Allotment Windowsill is ideal for anyone who wants to start growing their own herb or flowers in the convenience of their own home.  What I love the most about this stylish small garden container was the whitewash wooden picket fence – it gave me a sense of living in the suburbs with my own garden. Included in this set are three mini pots and a couple of different seeds. It has every day herbs like basil, oregano and coriander. It is also easy to keep all your small tools in the shed that was attached to the container.

This chic and innovative design is perfect for the city apartments around London and serves as a perfect small gift to a friend. With the Indoor Allotment Windowsill priced at only £29.99, it brings the outdoors into your home.

The Christmas Grand Sale

At The Amazing Blog, our excitement for Christmas is growing with every passing November day. With the shops starting to decorate and lights being strung along buildings and trees, we thought it would be appropriate to feature The Christmas Grand Sale. It is the perfect event to get some more inspiration for this year’s Christmas gift shopping.

The event will take place next week from 21^st-24^th November at Lindley Hall. This festive fair has an array of gifts from decorative home accessories to fashion pieces from 80 top quality gift companies. The emphasis of the event is on “individuality, style, and price.” This is the perfect opportunity to get even more gift ideas and spend the day shopping with family or  friends. The venue also offers shops with food to grab a quick lunch or snack as you walk around. The exhibitors will be displaying gifts from every department you can imagine. Unique items will be for sale from jewellery, fashion, and furniture to toys and homeware. Whether you’re looking for some stocking fillers, or larger presents, the Christmas Grand Sale is the place to find them!

On the opening night of the event, Wednesday 21^st November, there will be an exclusive sale where proceeds will go towards a charity. There will even be a prize ticket draw for £100 that evening. So why not jump on the bandwagon and start your Christmas shopping now. With incredible prices, the Christmas Grand Sale has a selection of gifts you won’t be able to get anywhere else. You can purchase tickets and view times for the event on their website here. We at The Amazing Blog love to get a head start on our Christmas shopping and feel The Christmas Grand Sale is a great place to start.

Gone Digging

There have been many occassions in my life where I search around and wish that I could simply press pause and time would stop. Times when I have become so consumed by work and school that the days all seem to merge together. All of a sudden it feels like only a day has passed, when in actuality it's been a week. Recently this has been what my life has been like. A time when there doesn’t seem to be nearly enough hours in the day to get everything done. And with Easter just days away I hadn't had a chance to buy any gifts for friends or family. I barely had any time to figure out what to buy which is why I was eternally thankful when my colleagues at The Amazing Blog informed me about Gone Digging! Gone Digging specializes in personalised gifts and cater for people of all ages, occasions and budgets, many of which are perfect for Easter. I was able to purchase a beautiful bouquet of flowers for my mother; the arrangement contained colourful flowers such as chrysanthemums, roses, and a selection of germini and carnations. On the bouquet was a beautiful ribbon in which I could include a personal message. There was also the perfect gift for my sister: a bottle of wine and chocolate truffles. On the bottle I could include any message I wanted. I was even able to spoil my niece with gifts from Gone Digging - I purchased a picture frame and a stuffed animal bunny which were both personalized to her and which I am sure she will love. All of these gifts were very reasonably priced so my bank account did not have to suffer after shopping for gifts this year which is always an added bonus! Even though time seemed to have gotten away from me this Easter season, I was able to purchase all of my gifts in time for the weekend. If you are still in need of that perfect gift for someone special this Easter, look no further than Gone Digging - I guarantee these personalised gifts will be a hit with everyone.