Join the Equinox Kombucha Revolution

As you already know, we in The Amazing Blog office are avid tea lovers, but when we were asked if we had ever tried ‘living teas’ before, we had to say we hadn’t, and so we were very interested to find out more about them.

Living tea contains live yeast and bacteria within the drink that are vital and essential to a healthy digestive system. The bacteria that lives within the fermented tea is quite similar to that in a pro-biotic supplement or pro-biotic yogurt. It is friendly bacteria, and helps your digestive system function as well as it possibly can. People have believed in the power of Kombucha living tea for thousands of years, particularly in Asia. Equinox Kombucha is a company y out of Yorkshire that has created a range of living teas inspired by the four elements, Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. We were so excited to try these new, healthy beverages when they arrived at The Amazing Blog, and let’s just say that they were nothing short of delicious.

Equinox Kombucha was born out of a love for the drink that was discovered when the creators were travelling in Southeast Asia. They came back home only to realise that they dearly missed the Kombucha drink, and so they began to brew it themselves. The teas are all organic, brewed with Fair trade Chun Me green tea, Raw Cane Sugar (Rainforest Alliance Certifed), as well as other herbal teas and Ginger juice.  We were very lucky to be sent all four flavours of the tea to try out, which are all unique and wonderful. Representing the element of Earth is the Original Kombucha, which is sweet and sour, and will keep you grounded. Raspberry and Elderflower represents Water, and is a lovely, crisp and fruity combination. Wild Berry flavour becomes Air; it is very ‘awakening’ and even children will love the sweet taste. Fire is perfectly represented by a Ginger flavour, which is exotic and full bodied.

If you are interested in joining the Kombucha Revolution and leading an overall healthier lifestyle, you can buy the drinks on the Equinox Kombucha website. Retailing at £1.60 each or £5.99 for a set; there is even a set of 20 bottles for the Kombucha enthusiast! They are also sold at a large variety of natural foods stores all listed on the website. Best part of all is that Equinox Kombucha gives a percentage of all profits to the development of humanitarian and conservation projects. Now go on and join the Kombucha Revolution!

Afternoon Tea at the Kensington Palace Orangery Restaurant

Here at The Amazing Blog we are big fans of tea, in fact we have at least eight varieties on the go in the office! But sometimes a mid afternoon tea break just doesn’t cut it, we want to be treated like royalty... Luckily we have found an idyllic spot to spend our bank holiday weekend, basking in the sunshine at the Kensington Palace Orangery Restaurant. Here you can relax and enjoy the splendid scenery, all whilst indulging in a wonderful afternoon teathat is fit for a Queen.

You can dine in Queen Anne’s 18^th Century Orangery in the Kensington Palace Gardens, which we think is a perfect bank holiday treat for any tea and cake lover. The afternoon tea looks delicious, there is a range of sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and pastries served as well as a selection of over ten different teas.  Afterwards  you can take a stroll through the enchanting gardens of the palace as well as see the historic King’s and Queen’s State Apartments.

For this quintessentially English treat,  afternoon tea starts at £22.65 per person, and for £29.95 you can also indulge in a glass of wine with your afternoon tea and see the new ‘Fashion Rules Exhibition’; a collection of dresses worn by HM The Queen, Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales. Whether you are just visiting London or have lived here all your life, this is sure to be an afternoon you won’t forget. To book your Afternoon Tea, please visit the Kensington Palace ORangery Restaurant website .

Shake Up Your Cocktail Recipes with Alchemist Dreams Liqueurs

At The Amazing Blog, there is one thing that we can all agree on when the weather is warm and the sun is shining, we love to make (and drink!) cocktails. However, sometimes we get stuck in a rut of making the same old drinks time after time, so we were looking for something new to spice up our cocktail recipes ready for the approaching bank holiday weekend! When we discovered Alchemist Dreams, we thought we had died and gone to cocktail heaven!

Alchemist Dreams offer a bespoke liqueur service, allowing you to create your very own liqueurs! To create your signature liqueur, you have to first choose from a range of delicious fruits to create a base for your liqueur. Then you can select a couple of accent flavours such as vanilla, wormwood or cacao to create a truly unique flavour based around your own personal taste, meaning you get exactly what you want from your liqueur!

When creating your own liqueur you can also select from a range of bottle shapes and sizes to cater for your needs. We think that the Alchemist Dreams liqueurs would make a fantastic present for friends or family as it is a truly unique idea that everyone is bound to be impressed by.

If the thought of designing your own liqueur seems a bit too confusing for you, don’t worry, under each ingredient the types of accent or base flavour that would compliment it have been listed, so you can’t really go wrong! You can also choose from a range of tried and tested home blends if you are feeling less creative!

We sampled the home blend Summer Storm, which  is a concoction of lime, ginger, and Elderflower. This is a perfectly summery liqueur; it is light and perfect for a relaxing summer evening. We also tried out Twisted Mocha, a combination of coffee, cacao, orange, and cinnamon. We loved it! It tastes like an orange latte, and is very energizing and uplifting. Other home blends that are available are: Black(berry) Magic, Broken Temperance, and High Tea, all of which have a unique combination of flavours and we think they sound amazing!

You can drink these liqueurs in a variety of ways so you will never tire of your blend. Alchemist Dreams suggest that you first try the liqueur on its own, as it is perfectly tasty neat or on the rocks. You can mix it with soda or tonic water to create a long drink out of your liqueur. One very interesting idea is pouring it over ice-cream – something we are definitely going to try with the Twisted Mocha flavour! Best of all though, these liqueurs can be used to create bespoke cocktails of your own design, which is sure to impress at parties or dinner events!

If you fancy testing your mixology skills to add a twist to your home-made cocktails we recommend creating your own bespoke concoction in the  Alchemist Dreams website, prices start from just £5 for a 50ml miniature.

Delectable Treats from Charbonnel et Walker

Here at The Amazing Blog we are not ashamed to admit that we are chocoholics! So when we find a chocolate product that is really special we simply have to spread the word. We were really excited to receive some chocolate goodies from Charbonnel et Walker, a high end chocolatier that is in fact one of the oldest in Britain.

We were lucky enough to try out some chocolates from the Delectables Collection, a range designed to be the perfect after dinner treat. There is an assortment of flavours on offer, 70% Dark Batons, Sea Salt Caramel Batons, Ginger Sticks and Orange Sticks, so there is a flavour to suit most palates.

Before we had even tried the chocolate, we had all fallen in love with the packaging. The chocolate batons come in a classic and classy navy blue box with gold lettering, so we thought that they would make a fantastic gift for family or friends. We also discovered that Charbonnel et Walker holds the Royal Warrant, that is a sign of quality that simply cannot be argued with!

We tried out the Sea Salt Caramel Batons and the Orange Sticks. My favourite just has to be the Sea Salt Caramel Batons, I love chocolate but can often find milk chocolate far too sweet for my taste, however the salt cuts through the sweetness, taking the edge off it.

The Orange Sticks are very different to your typical chocolate orange, the sticks consist of sweet candied orange covered in delicious bitter dark chocolate. This combination of the sweet and bitter works in perfect harmony, with the two flavours complimenting each other perfectly.

We think that these delectable treats are perfect for impressing guests at a dinner party or to give as a gift to a loved one as not only does the box look great, but the chocolate is rich and delicious. You can purchase chocolates from the After Dinner Collection from the Charbonnel et Walker website where they retail for £12 for a box of 125g.

The Amazing Blog's Bank Holiday Essentials!

It is with heavy hearts that we note Autumn is now looming and Summer now drawing to a close.  This weekend we're all preparing for the bank holiday which is only a week away! This is the perfect break away for us all to get some ‘me-time’ and take in the last bursts of sunshine (we hope) getting away for a long  weekend with friends and family.  In anticipation, here at The Amazing Blog we have compiled a special collection of products that we think are absolute essentials for your bank holiday travel adventures.  Enjoy... Oh-lief is one of our greatest  discoveries - it hails  all the way from  South African. Thecompany was born ‘out of the desire to use products that would not harm the skin or the environment’. Their products are made from locally sourced, 100% natural, organic and raw ingredients. We've all been blown-away by what we can only describe as their 'miracle cream' it's the Oh-lief's Natural Aqueous Cream. Originallyformulated for babies’ skin (but perfectly fine for adults too).  It is a brilliant multi-tasker - i.e.  as a  great cleansing wash or a highly moisturising body and face butter. Basically it's fantastic 'all-in-one'.  The product is a very thick, soft, hydrating cream and as we mentioned, 100% natural . The Natural Aqueous Cream retails at £6.83 and can be purchased from the Savant Health websitefrom the 1st September. It's perfect for everyone from baby to granny and will be ideal for any family who travel.

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Vegesentials is another one of our new finds. With no  pre-packaged or GMI ingredients their new range of combined fruit and vegetable drinks are not only unusual but delicious and good for you too.  Absolutely perfect for the whole family to enjoy, they come in five different blended flavours. Our favourites were the Carrot, Mango, and Parsnip and the Celery, Apple, and Kale varieties. They are cleverly blended, and do not taste like a salad as some of you might think. They're great way to get part of your five-a-day and  for also putting into your rucksack or the car for the long journey ahead. They are available for £1.59 from the Vegesentials website as well as Whole Foods stores and Waitrose.

Vegesentials Full Range 2

Another interesting product that we found is the healing Cardiospermum Gel. It is a clear to green-ish gel created from the Cardiospermum Plant (as name suggests). This is a wonderful remedy for people with sensitive skin as this plant extract and aloe extract in the formula are very soothing for sensitive and dry skin. We think that this would be good for anyone who over-suns themselves and needs some instant skin-cooling relief. The only thing you might want to be a little careful about is not to use this gel on broken skin - it stings! Again,  it's perfect for people who are travelling and who are spending time outdoors where we know skin irritations often happen. The Cardiospermum Gel is available from The Skin Shop website for £9.95.

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For those of you heading off to the beach for the bank holiday weekend, you might like to think about a very special sunscreen. We stumbled upon a unique formula called Safe Sea by Lifesystems and Nidaria Technology which has an amazing Jellyfish Sting Protection. We have the 15, 30 and 50 SPF and are looking forward to taking this with us to the seaside as this is the year for record breaking shoals of Jellyfish on our UK shores -  therefore we think it most appropriate!  Safe Sea Sunscreen with Jellyfish Sting Protection was developed to help protect against the stinging mechansim of most Jellyfish, Sea Nettle, Sea Lice and Coral. It contains unique, patented ingredients that deactivate the stinging mechanism, leaving you safe and sound. Jellyfish and the like are becoming increasingly common both at home and abroad, but Safe Sea will help to take the sting out of any chance encounter. A truly amazing formula that you can purchase the sunscreen on the Purple Turtlewebsite for £9.95.

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Packing snacks for weekends away is a must, as we all know there's always someone who will be moaning about being hungry on the journey. Pre-made granola is a perfect snack to bring along on these occasions, and we have found one that is sure to please everyone - even those  with dietary restriction. Nature’s Path Organic Gluten Free Nice & Nobbly Granola this is delicious and gluten-free, so it is perfect for those who cannot have the usual cracker type snacks. We tried their Pumpkin Seeds, Almond & Raisins with a Dash of Cinnamon  and their Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries & Yoghurt Chunks varieties.  Both of which we highly recommend, they were extremely moreish on the taste buds and we found ourselves continually nibbling straight from the packets - so also perfect for in between phone calls in the office! Plus, this granola will be brilliant to help fill any hunger pangs and keep you and your companions bolstered up for the trip. Visit the Nature's Path website for information on their stockists.

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And finally for all those chatter-boxes on your journey, we've  found something to help you compete (after all you'll need something to keep your lips moist to respond to all their banter); its the wonderful Kukui & Shea Butter Natural Lip balm fromPure Thoughts This lip balm helps to soothe and protect with its unusual Kukui nut oil (well-known for its ability to heal dry skin). It's unscented and can also be used anywhere on the body to treat dry skin.  Pure Thoughts is a 100% natural skincare company that we have recently discovered. They do lots of other products too (watch out for our review on their Whipped Shea Body Butter). But we think that this lip balm is a real winner it smells lovely, the feel is just perfect - silky instead of sticky. It retails for £3.95 on the Pure Thoughts website.

Kukui Shea Butter Balm Group 2