Bay’s Kitchen: Stir in Sauces

There are days in TheAmazingBlog Towers when we get to tell our fabulous followers, not just about a great product, but one that has an inspirational background story and clearly a very exciting and fulfilling future ahead of it. And for this one, we invite you to focus on the glorious part of our fair British Isles known as the Cotswolds, to learn about an incredible young woman called Hayley Burdett whose love of cooking has led to a fiercely delicious range of what will fast become essential for our larder’s shelves. However, in so doing, she has done this with a mission to encourage understanding and help alleviate the symptoms of the often debilitating condition of IBS.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome has a tough ask in getting the airtime such a condition needs, mainly because the whole subject is one most people have felt embarrassed or unwilling to talk about. However, the truth is as many as 1 in 7 of us will suffer from it, and for many of this group, they will suffer quietly without much backup unless they are prepared to invest their time in serious research for their personal symptoms. IBS takes so many forms, and can kick off with many triggers - not simply a case of what an individual eats, but also stress levels and other lifestyle choices. The good news is that because of the amazing work carried out by The International Foundation For Gastrointestinal Disorders there is an immense amount of information, help and advice now literally at our fingertips to ease the discomfort. The IFFGD designated April as IBS Awareness Month many years ago, and have given countless people a portal through which they can find some answers in their own personal journey.

Each story is as individual as the people who have to deal with the condition, which is why, when we hear about such an amazing young entrepreneur as Hayley Burdett, we literally want to shout it from the rooftops … or the highest point of TheAmazingBlog Towers to be more precise! The fact that this success story encapsulates one of our favourite and very necessary pastimes  of eating and cooking is a very happy bonus indeed.

Having suffered from IBS for many years, Hayley put her considerable energies into researching the causes and coming up with solutions for her own needs and now thankfully for the needs of her ever-growing legion of culinary fans. She set up Bay’s Kitchen bringing her own brand of delicious stir-in sauces quite literally to our table, and in so doing has helped to make life enormously more comfortable for many people, but also fabulously delicious for us all.

Bay’s Kitchen currently offers three sauces: the Tomato & Basil Stir-In Sauce, the Sweet & Sour Stir-In Sauce, and the Jalfrezi Curry Stir-In Sauce - all of which we can confirm not only set our tastebuds humming, but also continues to satisfy them most effectively! Each of the recipes are certified Low-FODMAP, Gluten-Free and totally Vegan, and aside from the gratitude of many, Hayley is collecting awards for her creations in increasing number, gaining Gold and Silver at The Free From Awards 2019 .

Competitively priced at £4.15 for a 260g two portion serving, and available through their online shop here However, for anyone who finds themselves in the sometimes excrutiatingly uncomfortable pangs of an IBS onslaught, we urge you to check out Ms Burdett’s comprehensive website and also visit for further information, help and advice.

Friday Favourites – Eye Feature

With the Easter holiday fast approaching, what better time is there to try out new eye products? The colourful blossoming flowers and leafy trees have inspired us at The Amazing Blog to explore new hues for our eye products. Ideally we prefer it when our products are organic, knowing that what we put onto our skin also goes into our bodies. We’ve found some great organic and natural products which all pack the same punch of colour as traditionally made beauty items. So, whether you are spending the holiday abroad or strolling the streets of London, we have some great recommendations that will make your eyes pop.

The first eye product we have for you is from Fat and the Moon. The California-based company was started in 2014 by Rachel Budde a herbalist who wanted to take her knowledge and provide an alternative to chemical-filled products. At the core of the brand is the creation of products with non-toxic, plant-based ingredients as well as the message of empowering yourself through self-care.

We requested to try their Eye Coals in Black, Lapis (a bright marine) and Leaf (a mossy green). Handmade with all-natural and organic ingredients, Eye Coal does not irritate your eyes and has sunflower oil to help your skin absorb the pigments while beeswax holds the product in place all day. Leaf particularly enhances hazel-coloured eyes while Lapis can make any eye colour pop. The soft waxy product is easy to use, with a brush for a defined line along your eyelashes or with your finger for a smudged look, and comes in a small tin that is easy to travel with. We also had the chance to try the Ruby Red Tinted Lip Balm. It comes in a similar tin meant to be reused or recycled once finished and leaves a light orange tint while moisturising and protecting your lips.

Both products are available from UK retail stockists listed here. Or you can go online, the prices are in US Dollars, but they do ship to the UK. $18 for the Eye Coal here and $12 for the Tinted Lip Balm here. Although the prices are quite high, we have to say that a little goes a very long way.

This eye shadow palette that we’ve found for you is a little bit different from Fat and the Moon. ZOEVA is a German brand that was founded by Zoe Boikou, who originally sold makeup brushes on eBay before she turned her passion into a company that advocates for women’s lives. We are fans of the ZOEVA ethos, which is built on supporting and celebrating women’s individual beauty with high quality and reasonably priced products.

So, let us introduce you to their latest collection that will help you create a unique and individual look. The Eclectic Eyes Eyeshadow Palette markets itself as a way to ‘let your eyes say what your lips can't’. This is a strong statement that perhaps rings true. The palette has 10 diverse, intense, and fashion-led shades ranging from ‘Limitless Motions’ (a matte mauve rose) to ‘Dimensional Play’ (a shimmery teal with gold flecks). The different finishes offered (matte, metallic, glitter, shimmer, and duo chrome) are also versatile for everyday use or an evening out. The colours are highly pigmented and easily blendable.

They recommend using an eye primer first to keep the blended shadows in place, we didn’t but found the colours still to be long-lasting. The palette comes in a stylish flat purple, red, teal, and gold box that will look chic on a dressing table or in a handbag. Perfect for every skin tone and guaranteed to give you hours of fun mixing and matching. Purchase it here for £17.50. 

The next up is a trusty liquid liner. Not any old liner is like ZAO ’s Refillable Liquid Eyeliner. It comes in a delicious plum that suits just about every eye colour! The eyeliner has a total of five shades, but we want to talk about the Plum shade. It’s not typical like Intense Black or Dark Brown and not too bright like Electric Blue or Emerald Green. Plum is a perfect rich purple shade that actually enhances the eye colour and is particularly popular among celebrity make-up artists. We also like that it lasts throughout the day without smudging. The thin brush tip applicator allows for high control over the thickness of the line, which is useful for different eye shapes.

We've been well-acquainted with ZAO, a UK-based company dedicated to making organic-certified products, after loving their Light Touch Complexion foundation. All of their products have an all-natural formula and organic ingredients, and this is reflected in the Refillable Liquid Eyeliner. It has key ingredients like aloe vera juice, bamboo water, and shea butter to soothe and moisturise even the most sensitive eyes. The products also have sustainability in mind, and the liner comes in a sturdy and recyclable bamboo packaging as well as has available refills that cost £11.75 (£7.20 less than the product's original price).

If liquid eyeliners are not your thing, they also do a refillable felt tip version, which is vegan, gluten free, and cruelty free as well. You can purchase the Refillable Liquid Eyeliner here for £18.95.



Finally, the pièce de résistance for us to have a completed look is mascara. This is where we discovered another great product from one of our favourite brands: PHB Ethical Beauty. After trying many of their skin care products from the 2-in-1 Hand & Body Moisturiser to the Skin Brighten Gel and Rosehip & Chamomile Gentle Face Wash, we were very excited to see what PHB's makeup line has to offer with their recently launched All-in-One Natural Mascara. It's safe to say we were not disappointed.  

The mascara is truly all-encompassing. The formula's organic olive oil strengthens and conditions your eyelashes with one coat, plant oil lengthens and volumises with the next, and acacia gum ensures the results last. It is also water resistant and pH balanced, making it suitable for sensitive eyes. But what really makes this a #amazingfind is that PHB's All-in-One Natural Mascara is vegan, gluten free, halal certified, paraben free, and cruelty free.  

After a day of use and no flaking or smudging in sight, we can see why this mascara got lots of love in 2018 from the Natural Health International Beauty Awards, the Free From Skincare Awards, and Vogue. Want to see what all the beauty awards are talking about for yourself? You can buy it here in Black or Brown for £15.95. Twenty percent of the company's net profits also go to helping people and animals in the UK and globally.

We hope we’ve given you a little inspiration to help put back a little colour into your lives. After all, spring has sprung and we think that it’s time to hatch into a colourful bird of paradise and not a grey London pigeon!

Hi Honey

As we all know, the beloved bee populations in recent years has been decreasing at an alarming rate in the UK. Toxic pesticides, varroa mites and loss of habitat have threatened the fate of bee colonies and the crucial role they play in our food production. That’s why at The Amazing Blog we always try to find ways to buy bee products in order to help #savethebees. Recently, a new UK brand Hi Honey sent us four pots of their delicious honey. All with a bit of a twist with added flavours - we just couldn’t wait to try them.

Launched in August 2018, Hi Honey prides themselves on having the ‘biggest selection of pure honey with freeze-dried fruits and herbs.’ While the company is based in London, all of their pots of honey are produced and packaged in Lithuania.  They are quick to add, that their bees are only treated with ecological medications, the hives are wooden, the location of the apiaries adheres to the IKP (Exceptional Quality Product) requirements and their extraction techniques meet EU standards.  They also point out that: “The bees work for us and we work for them, and that is why we give special attention to those who cannot imagine their lives without unique, natural bee products.”

 Each of their jars contains pure honey that is infused with natural freeze-dried fruits, spices and herbs such as orange, peppermint, cinnamon and even cocoa, to name a few. Yum! We had the opportunity to try four of their exciting flavours of their delicious honey selections including their Mixed Nuts, Blackcurrant, Peppermint and Cinnamon, Orange & Lemon flavours. Besides being delicious, we loved that we could use all four kinds of honey to bake, marinate and glaze in different ways and recipes. A bonus is that Hi Honey has added into their packaging ideas on how to incorporate their honey into your daily recipes. We had to try them all out. For breakfast, we put the Mixed Nuts flavour into our morning porridge to give us an added sweetness and some of our daily protein. The Honey with Blackcurrant also gave a nice added sweetness to our smoothie for lunchtime. Not much of a breakfast person? Then Hi Honey recommends using their Peppermint infused honey to glaze over a lamb or pork chop. Their last honey we tried, the Cinnamon, Orange & Lemon, was a great addition to a warm slice of  apple pie.  If you want to try a new twist on your honey, visit the Hi Honey website here to purchase one of their 250 g pots for £10.99. Not sure which flavour to get? There are 3 mini sizes at 40g to mix and match that are available of each jar for £10 available here. 

Organic Golden Turmeric by Golden Greens

The Amazing Blog has been a huge believer in the power of turmeric for many years, and as a result, we are continually looking for new ways to introduce this miracle ingredient into our diet. This is how we came across Organic Golden Turmeric from Golden Greens. We like to mix this with warm milk (preferably goat or soya) adding a teaspoon of Manuka honey - delicious!

Organic Golden Turmeric is a fantastic product to add to your superfood smoothies or turmeric latte, with its unique blend of organic ginger and black pepper to help with absorption and adding a little zing to the flavour. Turmeric is a natural source of curcumin which has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant. Not forgetting that curcumin is also well-known as a natural painkiller and cox-2 inhibitor and has long been used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for depression. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric is a natural treatment for arthritis. Drinking or eating it helps your body to absorb the curcumin quickly and efficiently so that the positive effects can take hold more effectively. Currently, turmeric is being studied for its potential ability to prevent Alzheimers and cancer. 

You can purchase the Golden Green’s Organic Golden Turmeric here for £12.99 This is an excellent way to get healthier and add flavour into your life.

Kitchen Extras - Friday Favourites

While cooking can be therapeutic and fun, for a lot of us finding the time to create delicious meals can be really tough! Whether we are tired after work or are lacking inspiration, it's not always possible to create a delicious and well-balanced meal every day. However, not ones to compromise on the quality of our meals, all of us here at the Amazing Blog have rounded up our favourite cooking additions that are guaranteed to liven up any dish any day of the week!

Our first pick is Holy Lama's Spice Drops. The founders of Holy Lama wanted to create a range of products that were natural, ethical, and delicious. According to the brand, Spice Drops are the only thing you need to add spice and flavour to your cooking, and we could not agree more! These drops add a depth of flavour that would normally take hours of marinating to achieve. The wide range of drops are made from raw herbs and spices, all blended with oil to create authentic and tasty flavours.

Aside from their great taste, we really love Spice Drops because of their versatility! They are straightforward and convenient to use that they can be added to any dish at any stage of cooking. We were impressed with their broad range of flavours, from garlic and ginger to garam masala and turmeric. There are over 30 flavours. Moreover, Holy Lama has created unique Collection Boxes, meaning they make the perfect gifts for your wannabe gourmet chef friends. 

With their network of suppliers providing natural ingredients of the finest quality, we can always trust Spice Drops to add some zing to any meal. Try them yourself here from £4.00.

Moving over to the sweeter side of things, we have Big Tree Farms and their delicious and organic Coconut Nectars. If you are looking for an alternative to sweeteners, honey or syrups, you need to try this Coconut Nectar. The sweetener is a healthier alternative to many of the refined sugar versions out there and what's more the taste is unparalleled.

Coconut Nectar is formulated from pure coconut flower blossom nectar. The product is organic, certified fair trade, vegan, GMO and gluten-free, meaning everyone can enjoy this natural sweetener. The nectar is one of the lowest glycemic sweeteners out there, and it is high in nutrients and unrefined sugars, making it a delicious and healthy alternative.

The product comes in two flavours, Amber and Blonde. We were pleasantly surprised that the Amber was very close in taste to maple syrup, and the Blonde was closer to agave syrup. The product is multi-functional, and is able to dissolve in drinks, making it the perfect cure to bland breakfasts as it makes a fabulous addition to hot drinks, smoothies, porridge, pancakes and more!

Try Coconut Nectar from Big Tree Farms here for £9.12.

Cooking sauces are probably the most convenient and helpful kitchen helpers you can have when you're strapped for time! The problem, though, is that so often store-bought sauces are bland and laden with sugar and salt. This is not the case with Capsicana though, who have changed the game with their vibrant Cook Sauces inspired by Latin-American flavours.

With four fantastic flavours hailing from Mexico, Brazil, and Peru, these sauces are sure to tantalise your taste buds. We loved that the products range from mild to hot, so there is something everybody can enjoy. Our favourite flavours were Chilli and Coconut and Chilli and Honey.  From stir-fry to chicken dishes, you can be as creative as you like with these tasty packets, wowing friends and family with your cooking skills.

The packs come with suggested unique and exciting recipes and the products don't contain any artificial colourings or flavourings, making them a convenient and healthy addition to your meals. Meaning while you save on time you're not compromising on healthiness.

Try something new with Capsicana's Latin Cook Sauces, available here for £1.49.

From Latin America to Spain now with Delicioso, a passionate Spanish food company. They sell a range of food products from charcuterie to vegetables, but what really caught our eyes were their brilliant range of nut oils.

Unlike most flavoured oils on the market which are infusions, Delicioso's oils are created by cold-pressing Arbequina olives from Catalunya together with other ingredients. This produces an intense depth of flavour and additionally is more efficient in retaining its minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.

We loved this little set of 5 nut oils that Delicioso is offering, presented neatly in a box. What we love is that you can by a set of 5 smaller bottles, meaning you can try a variety of great flavours to to find your favourite one. The smart packaging makes this a great gift, and it includes Hazelnut Oil from Tarragona, Almond Oil from Mallorca, Walnut oil from Aragon, Peanut, and Pumpkin Seed Oil. It is a brilliant and useful set, and you can try it on a variety of dishes; drizzle on pizzas and pasta dishes, grilled vegetables, meats and or as a base for a  stir-fryto add an extra layer to the flavour.

Try some authentic Spanish oils with Delicioso's Set of Five Nut Oils here for £11.75.