Indian Superfood Pop-Up

Here at The Amazing Blog, we’re always exploring food markets, and feel that there’s nothing better than discovering a delicious treat on the streets of London. With that in mind, you can be sure that we’ll be heading down to London’s latest pop-up stall, Indian Superfood.

Every Sunday during the month of July Gurpareet Bains will be serving up some delectable lunchtime dishes sure to satisfy one's appetite. Taste his signature Chicken Curry with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Goji Berry Pilau, often recognised as the ‘world’s healthiest meal’, or nibble on Spicy Marinated Prawns. Whatever you choose, it’s sure to be a treat for you this weekend. 

This pop-up will be celebrating the fifth anniversary of Gurpareet Bains bestselling Indian Superfood cookbook. Awarded Chef of the Year in 2011 at the Curry Awards, Bains's cookbook includes a variety of cuisines designed to tantalize the taste buds in a healthy way. If interested Gurpareet Bains cookbook can be purchased here RRP £12.99. 

If you’re looking for an exciting foodie adventure this Sunday, head down to Brick Lane to try out some of Gurpareet's famous dishes. The pop-up will be located outside the entrance to the Backyard Market, Old Truman Brewery E1 6QL. Fingers crossed it keeps running for longer than the month of July! We say "go check him out" because we want him to stay throughout August, September, etc. :)

V&A Exhibition- Shoes: Pleasure and Pain

Christian Louboutin once famously said: “A shoe is not only a design, but it's a part of your body language, the way you walk. The way you're going to move is quite dictated by your shoes.” At The Amazing Blog we could not agree more.  From June this year all the way through to January 2016, the V&A will be home to a very special fashion exhibition exploring the transformative power of extreme footwear, our fascination and obsession with shoes as well as their agonising aspects.

 
In this exciting exhibition, there is an unrivalled collection of more than 200 pairs of historic and contemporary shoes from around the world. Some are as old as 2000 years and have never been seen before.  The collection includes shoes worn by high profile figures including Marilyn Monroe, Queen Victoria, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kylie Minogue and the Hon Daphne Guinness.  There is footwear for men and women by 70 named designers including Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo and Prada.

Exhibition curator, Helen Persson, said: “Shoes are one of the most telling aspects of dress. Beautiful, sculptural objects, they are also powerful indicators of gender, status, identity, taste and even sexual preference. Our choice in shoes can help project an image of who we want to be.”

In addition, the exhibition reveals the evolution of shoes and how little style, material and shape are so much more symbolic than you realise.  This exhibition is a must for any fashion lover or someone passionate about history.  You can find out more about it here.

London Beer Week

After a hard day’s work, we here at The Amazing Blog know how nice it is to go out to the pub with your mates for a pint. Since enjoying a good ale or lager is such a wonderful pleasure, the guys behind London Cocktail Week and London Wine Week have teamed up again for a brand new drink week: London Beer Week. The first annual event starts today and will go until 22 February.

Beer week will be where a selection of pubs, bars and restaurants offer exclusive experiences to wristband-bearing customers, which cost £10 each. When you show your wristband at a participating pub or bar, you’ll be able to enjoy £3 specialty beers and £5 boilermakers, which are composed of a beer and a bourbon.

Wristband-bearers will also gain access to special events, such as mastery classes and exclusive tastings, and discounts at restaurants offering special beer week promotions on appetizers and entrees. Purchase your wristband at 14 Newburgh Street in Newburgh Quarter and enjoy an entire week’s worth of great food and drink benefits.  

To find out more about London Beer Week and to stay updated with their endeavours, check out their website. Happy drinking!

Friday Favourites - Cookbooks

It’s that time of year, where we’re all thinking about what we want to improve on for the months ahead. Here at The Amazing Blog, we always start off with good intentions, but struggle to see it through. As we’ve decided to dedicate more time to the kitchen in 2015, we’ve decided to make the task a little less daunting with a collection of great cook books. So if you’re looking to transform yourself from a cooking novice to a bona fide chef, have a look at our list of our fabulous recipe books. You’re sure to find some inspiration to help you stick to your New Year’s Resolutions.

Tired of ramen noodles and frozen food? Cook Now Eat Later by Mary Berry has recipes that are delicious, straightforward and make your life a hell of a lot easier. Whether you are preparing a three-course meal or supper for one, you have over 100 foolproof and easy-to-follow recipes that allow you to prepare in advance, such as the Pork, Leek and Sage Burgers or the Quinoa and Rocket Salad with Garlic Dressing. The recipes include clear instructions on how to get one (or two or three) steps ahead. With some dishes you can prepare everything ahead of time and with others you can prepare both ahead of time and assemble the day you plan on eating it.

Mary Berry is the much-loved judge on The Great British Bake Off and an author of more than 70 cookbooks. Take the stress out of cooking by purchasing her cookbook for £9.99 here.

Ever wonder what Australian food tastes like? Us too, which is why we were so intrigued by Shelagh Ryan’s cookbook, Café Kitchen. The Australian-born foodie and owner of London’s three Lantana cafes has given us a repertoire of recipes for any time of the day in her new cookbook. You can make Toasted Muesli with Baked Rhubarb and Bubble for brunch or nibble on some Thai Fish Cakes with Nahm Jim Dipping Sauce for a mid-afternoon snack. Ryan makes it easy for us to experience Australia’s thriving cafe culture at home for a mere £14.88 here instead of paying for those pricey airline tickets.

Meat eaters, rejoice! Charcuterie by Miranda Ballard teaches you about the history and types of charcuterie and salami, as well as providing tips about how to match different meats and what food to accompany them with. Some of the recipes, such as Grilled Chorizo and Scallops On Sticks are perfect to serve with drinks. You can find other recipes to put the delicious cured meat in like the Smoked Sausage Casserole. There are even recipes that show you how to cure your own pork belly or duck breast.

Ballard and her husband have their own food company called Muddy Boots and have also opened a butchery and charcuterie shop and café called The Modern Meat Shop in London. All you meat lovers out there can purchase Charcuterie here for £16.99.

No matter what kind of dinner party you are invited to, it’s always a safe idea to bring a dessert. Bake Me a Cake as Fast as You Can by Miranda Gore Browne provides over 100 delicious and quick cakes, tray bakes and cupcakes for all occasions. Whether you are preparing for afternoon tea or a family members birthday party, these desserts are perfect for anyone who needs something homemade but doesn’t have time to waste in the kitchen. The book is suitable for both beginner bakers and those who are more experienced. The Coffee and Walnut Cake and the Daisy Chain Angel Cakes sound absolutely delicious, plus, the recipes are simple to follow and don’t require any special equipment!

Miranda Gore Browne achieved widespread claim as a finalist on the first series of BBC2’s The Great British Bake Off. She now runs a successful blog full of recipes and baking ideas. Go here to purchase Bake Me a Cake as Fast as You Can for £11.99 so you no longer have to show up somewhere pretending you actually made that dessert.

If you’re looking to brush up on your Eastern cooking skills, then have a look at The Yunnan Cookbook by Annabel Jackson & Linda Chia. The Chinese cook book is inspired by the relationship between food and culture, and so it offers some fascinating insight into the Chinese way of life, as well as helping you to knock up some of their delicious recipes without having to put a call in to the local takeaway! From Egg Rolls to Fried Yunnan Goats Cheese With Tomato Salsa, the book is chock full of amazing and tasty treats to experiment with in the New Year. Buy the book here for £17.25 and transform yourself into an Eastern chef.

Food channels ain’t got nothing on us thanks to these cookbooks. We hope you enjoy them too!

Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair This Weekend

Still trying to figure out when you’ll have the time to go Christmas shopping? Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair is here to help. The last fair of the year takes place just in time for everyone at The Amazing Blog offices and all of you to check off some names on your Christmas shopping list.

The vision behind Clerkenwell was a vintage ‘experience’ with traders from all over the globe. They also offer on-the-spot alterations, a vintage salon, personal shoppers, vintage style experts, resident artists, a florist and live music.

You’ll find a huge variety of products with over 50 stall holders containing designers dresses, pearl earrings, men’s silk ties, suits and pocket squares to vintage sewing patterns, haberdashery and more.

All of the traders are handpicked for selling top quality, authentic vintage, which will increase in value as time goes on; and when we say authentic vintage, we are talking about garments and accessories dating back to the 1800s. The newest accessories you will find are from the 1980s so trust us when we say that shopping at a vintage wonderland fair is the perfect way to find something that's one-of-a-kind. 

Plus, if you get tired of carrying around all of those shopping bags, you can sit down, relax and enjoy delicious food and refreshments in the English tea room.

It's about time you getting that Christmas shopping taken care of so make sure you attend Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair's last fair of the year on Sunday 23rd November between 11am – 5pm. It's £4 entry or £2 with an NUS card.