Sea Creatures: Life Beneath the Ocean

We are always searching for new and exciting events happening in London, especially those where the whole family can partake. If you’re interested in marine life and the creatures that inhabit our oceans, then dive into Sea Creatures: Life Beneath the Ocean’s immersive experience. The exhibition is making its first European debut this summer, and The Amazing Blog is eager to grab tickets.

With 200 exhibits of 50 full body and 150 body parts of ethically-sourced specimens, visitors learn about marine life and conservation through various tactile approaches. While exploring the anatomy of the sea creatures, the exhibit offers a digital interactive experience for children, virtual reality installations and a mini cinema. The exhibition creates a narrative around sea life that engages its visitors in environmental awareness, through its interesting visuals. This will also be the first time that Hai Hai, the world record-breaking Minke whale will make its way to London.

Before the exhibition’s tour to four UK cities, the London exhibition will open on 27th July until the end of August, at Royal Horticulture Halls, Lawrence Halls. The exhibit is open from 10:00-18:00, with extended hours on Thursdays. Tickets are £18 for adults, £12 for children, or £52 for families (which include tickets for two adults and two children, or one adult and three children). It’s recommended to take public transportation as there isn’t available parking at or near the venue.

Open House - British Summer Time

In a city like London, one can get lost in the endless options of things to do. It’s almost unavoidable to become overwhelmed when deciding on plans. So, The Amazing Blog is here to help and put your mind at ease. Join us at the OPEN HOUSE in Hyde Park from Monday 9 July until Thursday 12 July. This four-day event is free to enter, and includes a free outdoor cinema, live music and activities!

With a wide variety of food, OPEN HOUSE’s street food market will satisfy all of your cravings, and importantly, will keep your spirits high with pop up bars, serving from 12 pm onwards. Each day, attendees can to partake in Birra Moretti’s “taste tour of Italy.” Additionally, Upswing, the aerial circus company, will have performances and workshops from 4pm-9pm. Every night has a themed movie with showings at 5:30 and 8:30 pm. You can expect free Wimbledon Championship screenings, from 12 pm onwards, without the hassle of a crowded bar. On Tuesday through Thursday, stop by the Royal Parks Showcase and hear daily talks, go to the plant sale or ask for advice.

Here’s a breakdown of each day.

Monday:

Starting on Monday, the event will kick off with family favourites: The Lego Movie (U) playing at 5:30 pm and Matilda (PG) at 8:30 pm. Live music will include Mister Kanish and Daytoner. Mister Kanish, a new artist on Open House’s line-up, began in 2008 and has since been mixing 90s style hip-hop, with folk and rock riffage. Afterwards, Daytoner will perform. Enjoy the sounds of baritone, sax, flute, keys, bass, drums and DJ.

Tuesday:

There is no reason that you cannot enjoy everything that OPEN HOUSE has to offer over the course of the four days. On Tuesday, welcome Freddie & the Freeloaders and London Gay Big Band. Freddie & the Freeloaders received national recognition for the live shows and inspired interpretations of golden era Soul and Motown. London Gay Big Band is a jazz orchestra of predominately LGBT musicians and vocalists. Chickenshed’s Tales is collaborating with Brit School’s Community Arts Practice and will have performances at 10:30 am, 11:45 pm and 12:45 pm. All shows last about an hour. At night, watch our personal favourites – Grease (PG) at 5:30 pm and The Greatest Showman (PG) at 8:30 pm.

Wednesday:

Can’t make it to Chickenshed’s performance on Tuesday? That’s OK! There will be three more performances at 10:30 am, 11:45 pm and 12:45 pm. Wednesday’s musical line-up invites back The London Gay Men’s Chorus, for the fourth year, and a new band to British Summer Time Hyde Park, Temple Funk Collective. Evening movie showings are Lion (PG) at 5:30 pm and The Grand Budapest Hotel (15) at 8:30 pm.

Thursday:

To wrap up the event, OPEN HOUSE is bringing back the 80s. If you’re a fan of classics, then Thursday night’s outdoor cinema is for you. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (PG) will show at 5:30 pm and Flash Gordon (PG) at 8:30. Dance the night away with House Gospel Choir and Old Dirty Brasstards.

We hope to see you there! Comment below what part of the event you’re looking forward to most.  

An Inmate Themed Night Out:

If like us at The Amazing Blog you're always looking for a unique way to spend a night out on the town with friends or a loved one. Well, look no further than Alcotraz - London’s own prison-themed cocktail bar. Alcotraz provides guests with an adventurous twist on an average night out in London.

Alcotraz is definitely not your typical bar experience. When you arrive at Alcotraz you
become an inmate. Inmates change into orange jumpsuits and pose for their mugshots, just like actual prisoners. Individuals must find a way to smuggle their liquor of choice past the
intimidating warden and into the prison. Inside the prison, there are actors stationed as guards, who can assist you in sneaking your alcohol past the warden.

If you successfully make it past the warden with your alcohol, you will arrive at the
prison’s secret bar where other inmates can serve you drinks. To make the prison scene more
realistic, there is no set drink menu at the bar. Rather, guests have to customize their own drinks and work with the ingredients provided at the bar. With prison cells as the perfect backdrop,Alcotraz is sure to be a memorable night out for all guests in attendance.

Alcotraz is open on Wednesday nights from 6:15pm - 10:15pm. On Thursday, Friday and
Saturday nights Alcotraz is open from 5:00pm - 11:15pm. A limited amount of tickets are
available here for £33.99. With the purchase of a ticket to Alcotraz guests are given an hour
and 45 minutes inside the prison and four drinks. We would suggest booking in advance because tickets are selling out fast!

Friday Favourites - Cookbooks

After a busy workday, cooking can be put on the back burner of our to-do list. We gravitate toward meals that are most easy and convenient, often eating the same foods over again. That’s why we have made it our mission to revitalize the way we perceive cooking by searching for cookbooks that are equally as unique as they are healthy. Say goodbye to monotonous cooking with the help of these four books, handpicked by The Amazing Blog.

Plant-based cooking has gained its popularity, but have you ever thought of incorporating flowers into your recipes? The Fragrant Pantry by Frances Bissell uses flowers as its main ingredient. While flowers are commonly featured as decoration in cookery, Bissell shows how its delicate scent and flavour can take the place of herbs or spices. Although this seems like an unconventional approach, don’t mistake it as a fad or fashion. Instead, Bissell pays homage to English culinary traditions through her use of flowers. Her recipes include jams, spreads and pickled foods with easy-to-follow instructions. You can purchase The Fragrant Pantry here for £11.99. To get a 20% discount use the discount code FRAGRANTP at purchase on the Serif Books website. 

Interested in more of Bissell’s recipes? Check out the other two volumes in her acclaimed trilogy: The Scented Kitchen and The Floral Baker.

Calling all Mediterranean lovers! Get prepared to transport yourself to Greece with Mazi Modern Greek Food’s vivid imagery and authentic dishes. Co-authors, Christina Mouratoglou and Adrien Carré’s goal are to revolutionise Greek cuisine by combining genuine flavours with a modern twist. The recipes are ingrained with a trendy tapas vibe and cover cocktails, hot plates, signature dishes and desserts. You can purchase the book here for £17.99.

The Herball’s Guide to Botanical Drinks by Michael Isted offers non-alcoholic plant-based drinks. Isted offers careful alchemy with each recipe that acts as cleansers, restorers, energisers, brain boosters and more.  The cookbook includes step-by-step directions in processes like hot & cold brewing, fermentation, distillation, juicing and tincturing. The first section provides a brief informational introduction to the plants used throughout the book and the second section includes 58 different recipes serving different functions for the body.   Isted uses ancient practices as the foundation of his creations. This guide brings purpose and intention to the kitchen by uniting intuitive and healthy eating. You can purchase The Herball’s Guide to Botanical Drinks here for £12.90.

Whenever starting a new diet, snacking is an inevitable part of the process. Gracie and Sophie Tyrrell, founders of Squirrel Sisters, have created a range of all-natural bars that will satisfy your cravings. In their book, Naturally Snacks & Treats: Over 100 Healthy Recipes, the sister duo has formed over 70 recipes using ingredients found at your local supermarket. The on-the-go snack is easy, convenient, and accessible. The Tyrrell sisters reassure their readers that eating healthily can be fun! Recipes range from sweet roasted almond and cinnamon butter to sushi rolls.The beautifully illustrated book is separated into four chapters where you will find breakfast recipes, snacks and lunches for on-the-go, sharing plates and, our favourite, sweet treats. Cocktail-lovers will even find low-calorie options. We can’t wait to try more recipes. You can purchase your own book here for £9.99.  

Let us know what your favourite recipes are!

Handmade Oxford

We love to support artisan brands here at The Amazing Blog and Handmade Oxford is just the event to find unique and beautiful pieces from new craftsmen. The renowned contemporary craft design event organiser, Handmade in Britain, has launched a three-day fair at Oxford Town Hall to bring designers and craftspeople directly to the people. We think shopping directly from the wonderful designers who create our favourite pieces of jewellery or centrepieces for our kitchen makes for an incredibly special experience. Piyush Suri started Handmade in Britain over a decade ago with a mission to support design-makers and create a community where they can promote their work. We love supporting local and small businesses around here and this event has it all in one place.

This three-day showcase boasts over 90 design-makers, so you will be sure to find something to suit your individual style. Located in the heart of Oxford, visitors can enjoy browsing the stands of high-skilled and innovative designers who have perfected their various disciplines. Getting to hear the creator’s story behind their inspiration, process and creation of a certain piece of jewellery or ceramic set is a unique experience and definitely a nice change from shopping on the high street.

At Handmade Oxford you'll find everything from beautifully handcrafted jewellery (perfect for the upcoming wedding season) to ceramics, glass and silverware, furniture, woodwork and mixed media. Most of the designers do not sell their work on the high street, only in exhibitions and galleries like this one, so if you’re on the hunt for something special that will add a touch of style to yourself or your space, don’t miss out on this one.

We love a unique piece of jewellery, so we are thrilled to view the work from designers like Lucy Martin, who specialises in beautiful and colourful contemporary pieces that are sure to become your new favourite accessory. Isabelle Capitain combines traditional methods with new technology to create one-of-a-kind minimal pieces that are to die for. For the home, we look forward to seeing the incredible woodwork from craftsman just like Craig Narramore, a Hollywood prop maker. There is so much more to discover that we are overly-thrilled to see all of the designer’s work.

Handmade Oxford takes place from Friday, May 18th to Sunday, May 20th, so be sure to get your tickets now to ensure you don’t miss a thing. One day entry starts at £5.50 and three-day entry from £13.20 here or here.