Favourite Cookbooks & Cocktail Recipe Books for Christmas
If like us at The Amazing Blog you’re feeling restless just sitting around at home during the #lockdown Christmas period. Then now’s your moment to bone-up on your culinary skills and get making some classic cocktails to help raise your spirits. We’ve got two new cookbooks and a Downton Abbey inspired cocktail book - all to whet your appetite.
Let’s start with the aperitifs, the Downton Abbey Cocktail Book has 70 delicious recipes that have an old-world glamour from a bygone era, they call it ‘appropriate libations for all occasions’. We love that it has the photographs from the programme’s set and even uses the original lead crystal to illustrate the cocktails. One of our favourites is The Last Word cocktail, inspired by pre-prohibition, this drink combines zesty flavours of fresh lime juice and green chartreuse. Other drinks such as the Fish House Punch can be made in plentiful quantities and is perfect for entertaining; the recipe combines rum, peach brandy, lemon and gum syrup (which is two-parts sugar and one-part water see ‘liberation note’ on P37). Apart from the 50 famous photographs from the show and a history of each unique drink, there are drinks to suit all from the drawing-room parties to the hangovers cure for downstairs. The forward is by Julian Fellowes, the writer and creator of the Downton series; however, it is compiled by the famous food historian, Annie Gray. Regular readers may remember that we reviewed The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook by the same author here to transport yourself back into the age of elegance, get your copy of the book by White Lion Publishing here for £14.99.
Next, we have The 30 Easy Ways to Join the Food Revolution, this cookbook contains mouth-watering, sustainable recipes. Not only is the food delicious, but the cookbook will also inspire us all to make better decisions for our bodies and the planet. A couple of our favourite recipes included spicy Curried Cauliflower Stem Soup, and Homemade Limoncello made with fresh lemons and all-natural sugars. The cookbook is written by 2013 MasterChef Semi-finalist, Ollie Hunter. After his debut on the TV show, he and his wife, Lauren, took over The Wheatsheaf Pub in Chilton Foliat. The Wheatsheaf was voted the UK's most sustainable business (Sustainable Restaurant Association) and has won several other awards such as the 'Serve More Veg & Better Meat' at the Food Made Good Awards in 2019. They plan to continue sharing their passion by creating the movement: 30 Food. This project revolves around three goals: produce zero waste, eat both seasonal and organic food, and source 50% of produce within twenty miles. To try these recipes out, you can find the cookbooks published by Pavilion Books which can be found here for £14.99.
Last but not least, we have the Carpathia Food From the Heart of Romania introduces readers to real Romanian inspired food and recipes. The cookbook combines bold flavours with culinary tradition. There's plenty for readers to enjoy such as small plates, street food and tasty desserts. A classic and staple recipe of the cookbook is the Cornulete Cu Gem which features mini crescent rolls with jam or Turkish delight. These warm bread rolls will melt into your mouth and go perfect with a steaming cup of tea or coffee. The author is Irina Georgescu, a food writer who incorporates culture from Eastern European into of her culinary skills. Her cooking was inspired by her mother and grandmother, and their experiences in the charming capital Bucharest. Published by Frances Lincoln, her kitchen adventurous can be found here for £22.00.
Me in a Minute : Element 1 - LED Micro Vibration Facial Massager & Coconut Bio-Cellulose Facial Sheet Mask
Moving into the winter season and with the recent solstice, we’re going to need more effective skincare to combat the forthcoming harsh winter elements. Sadly this year some of these contributory ‘elements’ won’t be from our usual Christmas pastime of excess drinking, partying and lack of sleep...! Luckily, at The Amazing Blog we recently found a new Australian brand rather aptly called ‘Me in a Minute’ which offers innovative and rejuvenating Coconut Bio-Cellulose Facial Sheet Masks impregnated with a high concentration of hyaluronic acid and adapted NASA technologies in their Facial Massager, all to help us on our mission.
Me in a Minute is founded by Chloe Oh, who after a lifetime of taking care of her skin, wanted to find something that offered a more advanced performance when reaching her 30’s. This is when Chloe returned to her native Korea and discovered their special sheet masks. By using these beauty masks 2-4 times a week she noticed a real difference in her skin tone and texture, best of all she was getting the results that she wanted. Oh said: “There was a noticeable difference in my skin and the signs of ageing I noticed began to slow and reverse.” Wholly convinced, she decided she would invest and share this Korean beauty secret with the rest of the world. Me in a Minute launched in 2019, with their Coconut Bio-Cellulose Facial Sheet Masks. These are environmentally friendly and comprised of natural fibres with a diameter of 20 nanometres (1000 times thinner than a human hair). These sheet masks are cruelty-free and biodegradable, and we’re happy to report that all shipping is free and tracked.
The first product that the brand sent us is Element 1 - LED Micro Vibration Facial Massager. This uses the power of red and blue LED lights to help heal acne or scarring. NASA initially used this technology to help promote wound healing in space, as the healing process is slower than on Earth. This device allows you to efficiently treat blemishes even before they surface, just by using this for only 5 minutes a day. The blue LED light penetrates the upper layers of the epidermis to fight acne-causing bacteria. The red LED light goes deeper into the skin, to treat inflammation and redness. The device also sends micro-vibrations into the dermis toning it and stimulating the oxygen flow, all of which help with cellar renewal. It can be used with your regular cleanser to get a good deep cleanse (they suggest fixing a cotton pad onto the head prior) or for removing makeup in the evening. We also used it on top of our favourite serum to enhance its penetration. It can be used with or without a cotton pad, where the vibration offers a calming spa moment after a stressful day. This Facial Massager is easy to use, charge (USB) and is a good all round multi-tasking facial tool. We even used it over the Hydrating Sheet Mask (below) which we felt enhanced and boosted the collagen production in our skin. We think this is a keeper and will certainly be giving it more regular use over the forthcoming months.
The second product we tried was their amazing Coconut Bio-Cellulose Facial Sheet Mask | Hydrating, 3 Sheet Mask. These were recently awarded Editor’s Choice at 2020 Beauty Shortlist Awards. This biodegradable mask is made out of coconut bio-cellulose, which is obtained from fermented coconut. This natural ultrathin fibre acts as a second skin, letting its hydrating key ingredients sink deeply into the skin with gota kola, royal jelly, aloe, yuzu, lavender, green tea, evening primrose, olive oil, rose and shea butter. There is also a high concentration of hyaluronic acid, water, glycerin, and niacinamide (vitamin B3), the latter of which reduces environmental damage and is known for its ability to improve skin's barrier and repair past damage. This blend of actives really packs a punch when they come to together here helping to calm redness, lock in moisture, decrease enlarged pores, age spots and hyperpigmentation. They recommend keeping the masks on for twenty minutes and to use a separate mask up to three times a week to get the best results. We found this set of masks left our skin super-hydrated and plumped up. They are only single-use masks (alas!) although we did notice a difference in skin hydration after only our first use.
We think that these two products work wonders when used together, and will make a great Christmas present for anyone looking for an efficient, quick and easy anti-ageing routine. The Element 1 - LED Micro Vibration Facial Massager is currently available for a very reasonable $99.90 AUD (approximately £55) here, and the Coconut Bio-Cellulose Mask | Hydrating, 3 Sheet Mask for $32.90 AUD/piece (approximately £19) right here.
Village Wax Melts & Himalayan Salt Lamp Burner
Just by lighting a candle, it can transform any surroundings with its illumination and ambience; and at this festive time of year, we think candles are a must. However, we The Amazing Blog, also like to take ‘candle lighting’ to another level with a wax burner and wax melts, meet Village Wax Melts and their Himalayan Salt Lamp Burner.
The founders of Village Wax Melts are the couple Abi and Karl, who came up with the concept after moving into their first house; “We struggled to find any wax melts that we were satisfied with. We found that most lost all their scent after the first burn, meaning it was becoming very expensive to keep our home smelling fragrant!” After testing numerous wax melts from other brands, they found that none were up to their standards. They also found that many of the wax melts lost their fragrance after just one burn. Taking matters into their own hands, they spent countless hours researching formulas, with months of tweaking fragrances to create their final products. The results are over sixty different fragranced Wax Melts, and a whole host of Wood Wick Candles, Wax Melt Warmers (tealight burners), Squeezy Wax Melts and Reed Diffusers. Making Village Wax Melts the go-to destination for home fragrance.
They kindly sent us both their Wax Melts with the Himalayan Salt Lamp Burner Bundle. Standing at only 16 centimetres tall, this Himalayan Salt lamp Burner is a good size, allowing it to fit into almost any space. The uniquely hand-carved Himalayan salt glowed magnificiently when we inserted a simple tealight in the base. This is naturally occurring salt crystal is sourced from the foothills of the Himalayas, where the salt is collected from mines 800m below the ground. It is thought to have natural de-ionising properties which are beneficial to health. What is different about this Salt Lamp Burner from Village Max Melts, is that there is a glass dish above the lamp where you put a wax melt, this, in turn, liquefies from the heat of the tealight releasing its fragrance. What we like about Wax Melts are that they release a longer-lasting scent, and when you decided that you’ve had enough, simply blow out the tealight which allows the wax to harden for reuse. These Village Wax Melts are environmentally friendly because not only can you completely melt the wax away, but the packaging is 100% recyclable plastic clamshell. These comply with the European Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) (2009), information on the chemical composition and any associated hazards from the fragrance is displayed on each of their products. When you purchase a Salt Lamp Burner from Village Wax Melts, you also receive three surprise wax melts with your order. In our package, we received the Pumpkin Spice which is a mix of pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and ginger, Unicorn which smelt like a mix of sherbet, marshmallow and bubble bath, and their Melted Toffee. Our favourite was Melted Toffee - it filled the room with a fragrance just like real toffee, it was a very moreish scent that made us all yearn to nibble on something sweet! They currently have a new seasonal collection with seventeen different scents including two of ours, ranging from: Cosy blanket, toasted marshmallow, autumn leaves, blackcurrant & agarwood, Moroccan spice, to many more. What could be better than to cosy up this Christmas with a loved one, your glowing Himalayan Salt Lamp Burner and a festive fragrance?
Whether it’s a gift for you or a loved one see here to purchase the Himalayan Salt Lamp Burner Bundle, for a very reasonable £20. For more Village Wax Melts, see here where the heart-shaped 12g melts are in a set of three for £2.95.
Acqua di Stresa – Roburis Eau de Parfum
If you’re still in a quandary as to what to get him or her for Christmas, then we at The Amazing Blog all agree that fragrance is the way to go. Personal and useful, plus if you know, the genre of fragrance notes that they love – this is a sure way to please. When you get it right, perfume is one of the most memorable presents you can give. As regular readers will know we like to patronise unique artisan brands and Acqua di Stresa is one that we’ve recently uncovered that will help you out on your Christmas mission.
Acqua di Stresa was created in 2002 by Giovanni Castelli (former Fashion designer), and Andrea Patrucco. They wanted to share the scents of the thousands of blossoms from their Castello di Ripa’s garden, that stands on the Lake Maggiore shores, facing the Borromeo’s Islands. After almost 20 years of capturing the lake’s green and floral essences, the brand now has six core Eau de Parfums in their collection. These have also given rise to sets of reed diffusers with an additional three new fragrances, and now a hand sanitiser. With boxes, flacons and caps decorated with their refined wave motif, what we love about Acqua di Stresa is that it exudes both luxury and poise.
We were sent Roburis Eau de Parfum to try. This is the perfect Christmas fragrance, even with the first spritz it took us on a winter promenade and journey into forests laden with berries and sweet-smelling bark. In fact, ‘Robur’ translates from the Latin as hard timber or oak and ‘Roburis’ is used metaphorically in Latin for ‘strength’. It is a rich and warming fragrance where you can almost imagine the warmth of the sunlight filtering through the leaves onto your skin. This is a robust scent with strong base notes evident with the tonka bean, leather, ambrette, and vanilla that linger giving a slightly musky aroma. That said, it is relatively fresh at the beginning with the top notes of juniper berries, cinnamon and blackcurrant. The fragrance becomes warmer with the middle notes cedar, cloves, myrrh, and then in time when the spices and smokiness mingle, the middle and base notes take the lead. We love its androgynous qualities, which in our view, make it truly gender-neutral and a ‘his and hers’ fragrance to share. You can purchase this 100ml mood-lifting winter fragrance for €78 here, it also comes in 50ml for €58. For further items such as Shower Gel, Body Lotion or Reed Diffuser from the Roburis collection see here.