Chu Chu Burmese Kitchen - Balachaung Chilli Shrimp Fry

Having now been cooped up at home for a while now, some of us at The Amazing Blog have been trying a new relish that is a little more flavourful than usual the ones that sit in our fridge door. It’s called Balachaung Chilli Shrimp Fry from Chu Chu Burmese Kitchen and it’s been fun putting our tastebuds to the test! This Balachaung is a versatile Asian street food that also goes by the name of ‘prawn pickle’ that’s guaranteed to add some serious spice or zing to any meal!

Husband and wife team Martin and Tara Pritchard founded the brand in 2017, wanting to share their passion for Myanmar cuisine, which let’s be honest, is virtually unheard of here in the UK. Tara is from an Anglo-Burmese background and based this on a recipe that dates back generations in her family. It’s also inspired by Myanmar street food and their new profound love of Asian travel. Throughout its history, the Burmese have combined different food cultures in their cuisine creating many appetising dishes using this relish. We originally discovered this Brighton-based Chu Chu Burmese Kitchen, as they were among the Great Taste winners of 2019.

This delicious condiment is handmade in Brighton and is made from dried shrimp, onion tamarind, shrimp paste and red chilli. BTW the main differences between prawns and shrimps are their size - shrimps are smaller with shorter legs and have claws only on two pairs. All packed tightly into a small jar, in simple terms, it combines rich chilli spices with the shrimps which create an ever-lasting flavour that stores for up to three months when open. NB: It’s best to store in a cool and dry location (not the fridge). We tried this relish with hot buttered toast which was absolutely delicious - although we’d advise it’s not for faint-hearted or those who don’t have an affinity with capsaicin family! They also suggest that it can be sprinkled in rice or on top of a salad to add a bit more interest or a kick. Why not get adventurous with your cuisine too and purchase your very own Balachaung Chilli Shrimp Fry 100g for £4.25 see here.

PHYT’S – Gommage Contact+ Gentle Face Scrub and Elixir Hydratant 24H

Today at The Amazing Blog, we’re reviewing a French salon brand new to the UK, offering the consumer organic skincare and cosmetics, as well as salon based treatments. We are talking about PHYT’S who have over 48 years of experience in the professional skincare sector.

PHYT’S was founded by Jean-Paul Llopart a biologist and naturopath and Rosanne Verlé a beautician. Since 1972, PHYT’S has used only 100% natural and organic ingredients, most of which are sustainably sourced locally in France. With products such as the Crème Absolue, the Masque Gommage Contact+ and the Sérum C17 Purifiant gaining cult status in France; and their five award wins in the global 2020 Beauty Shortlist Awards including Solaire Fluide Protecteur High Protection SPF50 and Men’s Oxygenating Cleansing Gel, they’ve certainly piqued our interest!

PHYT’S has grown from their specialised treatments for the face, body, and hair; to makeup, dietary supplements and even baby products. With all this expertise, Phyts has fast become a global company with distributors in over forty countries. With its unique approach to cosmetics, in 2009 PHYT’S became the first fully-organic certified makeup line. The company’s organic focused methodology and ingredients have certainly made it into the distinguished brand that it is today. The two products that we’re reviewing today are the Gommage Contact+ Gentle Face Scrub and the Elixir Hydratant 24H water infusion.

Let’s start with the Gommage Contact+ Gentle Face Scrub this product has a warming scent of ylang-ylang and cloves, it’s ideal for all skin types, especially those who tend to react or a sensitive complexion. This effective yet gentle product helps to eliminate dead skin cells and removes impurities. To use first cleanse the skin then lightly apply the product to face and neck. Leave it on for at least 2 - 5 minutes, then delicately massage the area so that the scrub starts to roll or peel. Rinse the skin, pat dry and follow with a nourishing serum and moisturiser. The scrub’s ingredients have anti-ageing, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties; these include ylang-ylang which balances oil production and cloves, which help to reduce fine lines and maintain moisture. Priced at £24.99 for a 40ml tube from here

Next, we used the Elixir Hydratant 24H, which is perfect for any dry or dehydrated skin types, it offers an all-day-long added water infusion as it moisturises and holds hydration in the skin. PHYT’S tests showed that by using this Elixir Hydratant the skin hydration increases by 88% even six hours after application. It’s an intense lightweight serum that plumps and revitalises the complexion. The product is easy to apply, simply put a few drops onto clean skin morning or evening which can then be followed by other products in the range. We loved the pale lavender colour, the light floral scent and the hyaluronic acid. The actives are extracted from wood, aloe vera and hazelnut oil, all of which help to keep the moisture locked in. We can happily report back that we found these both to be impressive ‘must-have’ products, and we’d certainly buy more. Priced at £55.99 for a 30ml bottle here. These products can be used together or alone. The Gommage Contact+ and Elixir Hydratant 24H are both available from Beauty Fresh here.

Seamore – I sea pasta and I sea wraps

When we typically think of seaweed we either think of it as algae that washes up on the beach, or something that is deep fried on a Chinese menu. Perhaps, you might have even tried it as a dried snack, if we’re craving something salty and crunchy? But have you ever thought of seaweed as a tortilla wrap or even pasta? It might not sound super-tasty, but that is precisely the notion Seamore is looking to challenge. As regular readers of The Amazing Blog will know, we love finding new beauty products and superfoods, so you can imagine how intrigued we were to try two items from this startup.

William Sodderland started Seamore in 2015 after he went on a holiday in Ibiza and mistakenly thought his seaweed dish was pasta. This moment propelled him into looking into it as an alternative to foods we already love and ‘to turn seaweed into an everyday food’. Sodderland found that seaweed is a healthy food option as it is high in nutrients and antioxidants. He also discovered it is quite sustainable because seaweed doesn’t need land, extra water, fertiliser or pesticides to grow. However, all of Seamore’s seaweed is sustainably sourced off the coast of Ireland in small batches over two months.

The first product we tried was I sea pasta made of 100 percent natural and hand-picked himanthalia seaweed. While the seaweed is a black colour when you first remove it from the packaging, once it’s cooked it tastes and has the same texture as pasta. It’s not too salty and doesn’t have an overwhelming sea smell either. Unlike regular pasta, I sea pasta is low in carbs and full of minerals, vitamins, iron, and fibre. One serving also has 50 percent of the vegetables you need per day. We liked it paired with sweet Bolognese sauce and a glass of wine. The second item we tried was I sea wraps. They are the first seaweed wraps in the world and have 50 per cent himanthalia and wakame seaweed. I sea wraps contain more fibre and protein as well as fewer calories and saturated fat than ordinary wraps. They’re full of omega-3, iron, iodine, B vitamins, and fucoxanthin, which has been proven to fight fat. You can’t taste the seaweed in the wrap except for seaweed’s natural umami flavour, which compliments any filling. You can eat it hot or cold, but we preferred it as a way to give ourselves more vegetables with a cheese tortilla.

If you’re still not convinced, Seamore has many recipes to try here and you can find it here The starting price of the pasta is £6.50 for 100g (approx. 5 servings).  

London International Mime Festival 2020

Let this New Year begin with laughter and joy as you soak up brilliant talent, skill and humour at the London International Mime Festival 2020. Commencing on the 8th of January until the 3rd of February, the 44th year of London’s Annual International Contemporary Visual Theatre Festival is here to keep you entertained, gleeful and excited. Be sure to find your way to at least one if not all the shows coming up at theatres around town such as The Soho Theatre, Shoreditch Town Hall, and Wilton’s Music Hall etc. Missing these astonishing, fascinating and exquisite performances will mean forfeiting the opportunity to experience one of the best mime shows in the world.

With 20 performances going on throughout the early year, the festival is pulling in talent from all ends of the world including Puppetry from New York and France, a dance theatre company from Belgium as well as talent from Australia amongst various others ensuring they’ve got something or the other for the diverse and distinct taste of all Londoner’s. 

First, we’d like to introduce Australian artist Fleur Elise Noble who has spent seven dedicated years towards creating The Magical Universe of Rooman. The show incorporates a rich tapestry of puppetry, projection, moving animation, dance, music and sound effects. Rooman highlights a fable of romance, fantasy and the eventual pursuit of happiness. Centred around a girl meeting a kangaroo man in her sleep, Fleur Elise Noble explores the theme of romance, life and furthermore the human psyche. On at The Pit in Barbican from the 14th – 18th January, book your tickets online for only £18.

Up next is BOYS presented by The PappyShow (UK), a celebration of male tenderness, silliness, vulnerability and community performed by a cast of exceedingly talented young men. Unscripted and refreshing, each story is told uniquely in every performance. BOYS is a joyful, electric, occasionally raw but always tender piece that hopes to unravel preconceptions and uncover the endless possibilities that can make up a man. Brought to life in 2013 by director Kane Husbands, the PappyShow is one of London’s finest theatrical ensembles.  On at the Southbank Centre's Purcell Room on the 20th and 21st of January, the show has been said to be an essential viewing for every boy, so be sure to get your tickets well in time! Tickets are priced at an easy and affordable £18.

Last but certainly not least is Optraken created by the ferociously talented Galactik Ensemble. Unstable ground disappears underfoot, walls wobble, ceilings collapse, danger’s come from every side. Forget elegant tumbling and spangly tights – this wonderfully inventive and original piece of physical theatre is a battle in which every movement matters for survival as five breathtaking acrobats pit themselves against a hostile environment. The show proves to be spectacular, impressive, unpredictable and enormous fun at The Peacock from the 29th of January to the 1st of February online. Ticket prices range from £15 - £45 depending on the seats you choose to buy.

Finally, we at The Amazing Blog highly recommend you see a minimum of one of the twenty shows being putting on by the London Mime Festival not only to enjoy the various talents of the participants but also to give yourself that much-needed break from your hectic schedules! Hop on over to their official website here for more information regarding the same.

Mathmos Pod

With Christmas coming, at The Amazing Blog we love searching out all manner of interesting new gadgets and gizmos to bring to you, our loyal readers. We also can’t resist a spot of nostalgia either … and when we get to mix the two, it makes our day! So, for a minute step back in time to the 1960s and a symbol of Pop Culture at its best - the Lava Lamp, a staple requirement in any up to minute interior, with its dayglo colours of the rainbow playing a hypnotic symphony as it proudly sits centre stage.

The company behind the original lava lamps was called Crestworth, and the inventor who made it all happen went by the name of Edward Craven Walker who was actually working on his concept for a new kind of egg timer when he came up with the product that would change his life, and become synonymous with the Swinging 60s - and indeed the 70s. In the late 1980s however, interest fell, and so the next few years saw a period of rebranding when Edward and his wife Christine teamed up with a couple of young entrepreneurs, Cressida Granger and David Mulley. The came up with a new company name – Mathmos, which refers to the bubbling force in the sci-fi cult 60s movie Barberella, and the second wave of popularity for the lava lamp began, which continues today.

However, in the spirit of continuing to research and develop, as their founders did, Mathmos have come up with a new type of lava lamp for us the Mathmos Pod which sits proudly alongside their full range. Standing at 240mm tall, the Mathmos Pod exudes all the quality of Craven Walker’s original - the bright glowing colours of globulous intensity which rise phoenix-like in slo-mo up the illuminating tube, surrounded of course by the heavy cast iron metal keeping everything safely grounded.

However, the clincher here is that these fabulous new lamps are not powered by electricity, but by the humble tealight, which sits happily burning away in its burrowed tessellated hexagon-shaped base, heating up the Mathmos gel, and creating the effect we cannot ignore. NB: The pod will take up to 20 minutes to heat up before you see all the magical colours interspersing. It’s spellbinding, with a modern elegance that is undoubtedly going to see this beauty jump off the shelves at a phenomenal speed as we head towards Christmas. If you’re quick, the first 100 have a unique limited edition number making them even more of a prized collectors item. They cost £44.00 from here they also have a current promotion running whereby if you order more than one, you get a 20% discount.