The Ethicurean Cookbook

Here at The Amazing Blog, we share a love for cooking, and we are always impressed when we stumble on a truly wonderful cookbook. We have recently been reading The Ethicurean Cookbook, which is a truly remarkable and creative book full of recipes. The book was born out of the Ethicurean Kitchen Garden restaurant, which is located in Mendip Hills. Ethicurean means ‘the pursuit of fine-tasting food while being mindful of the effect of one’s food production and consumption on the environment’.

The four friends were brought together by their love of cooking, and combined the knowledge of food and business into the Ethicurean Restaurant. They aim to live sustainably and are working with local English farmers and fisherman to source their meat, and they supply their own fruits and vegetables from their garden. Recipes you will find in the book range from some ‘quintessential’ English with a twist to the truly creative and daring. Foods are listed by season, starting with Winter, and each season houses a collection of starter foods, salads, mains, desserts and drinks. I found it truly captivating, and the photography is phenomenal. You will find that the recipes in the cookbook are probably things that you have never tried before, and some are admittedly a bit unusual. If you are experimental in the kitchen, you will absolutely love this, but never fear if you aren’t; there is plenty of delicious options available for you as well. Beyond the recipes themselves, there are pages devoted to the proper way of cooking specific things, such as live crabs, which is great form improving your cooking skills.

The Ethicurean Cookbook is sure to give you a font of inspiration for your next cooking adventures. This will also be perfect for dinner party planning, as there is everything from cocktails to dessert. A wonderful gift for anyone who cooks, or for your own bookshelf, you can purchase The Ethicurean Cookbook, Ebury Press for £25 from (look up buying option and ask ebury how book needs to be credited).

Move PopUp Gym

If you are anything like us here at The Amazing Blog, the prospect of dragging ourselves to the gym is not at all appealing! So when we heard all about Move Popup Gym, we left all our exercise reservations at the door and found ourselves reaching for the gym kit in the deep, dark corners of our wardrobes.

You’ve heard of popup stores and restaurants, but Move Popup Gym is set to be the next big thing in the fitness world. Instead of staring at a wall on the treadmill you can now find yourself doing the downward facing dog on top of a rooftop overlooking the London skyline…yeah you heard me right! Past and present locations include a rooftop overlooking St. Paul’s Cathedral, a raised garden at Cardinal Place and Battersea Power Station.

Unlike most traditional gyms, there are no hefty fees to pay, or even a contract to sign. You can turn up to classes as and when you feel motivated – great for our bank balance. Classes include Zumba, Body Conditioning, Balletsculpt, Pilates, Stiletto Work Outs (I know, we think this sounds great too!), Tabata, Yoga and ‘Look Good Naked’. So there is really a class to meet all needs whether you are a beginner or a fitness fanatic.

Prices for classes start at just £10 and you can find out more about where their next class will be popping up by following them on Twitter and liking their Facebook page or visit the Move Popup Gym website for more information.

Gift Fripery Workshops

We have all been in that position where we have spent ages carefully selecting a gift for a loved one, only to gift wrap it and find that it looks anything other than special! At The Amazing Blog, we believe that appearance matters, and so we think every pressie should look perfect. If, like us, you struggle with your gift wrapping skills, don’t panic, because professional gift wrapper, Amanda White, from Gift Frippery, is on hand to teach you everything you need to know. Amanda hosts regular gift wrapping workshops that can turn even the most novice of gift wrappers amongst us into a wrapping extraordinaire.

Amanda offers two or five hour gift wrapping courses that can teach you all the basics from how to create bespoke gift tags to the wrapping techniques to master awkward shaped gifts – we are all thinking of wine bottles! Her course also involves teaching different styles of gift wrapping – including upcycling techniques to recycle old materials and transform them into beautiful gift wrapping.

Don’t worry if, like me, you are a useless wrapper, Amanda believes that, ‘what most people lack is inspiration, but I think I’m quite good at unlocking that creativity, then there’s no stopping them!’ So there is hope for us all. With Christmas approaching faster than we would like to think about, now is the best time to improve your gift wrapping skills.

 If you would like to find out more about attending one of Amanda’s workshops than visit the Gift Frippery website for more information, a five hour workshop will cost you only £50 per person and includes all the materials you will need. Gift Frippery also hold DIY Wedding crafts workshops to teach you how to create beautiful, personal touches for your special day.

The Beauty Detox Solution

Here at The Amazing Blog we firmly disagree with faddy celeb style diets. We know that eating one type of food for two weeks while standing on one leg is never going to give us a healthy body. If anything, it has been proven that these crash diets lead to you gaining more weight in the long run despite losing a few pounds initially.

We know that a healthy lifestyle, including eating the right foods and regular exercise, is the only way to beat your body blues. So we were very pleased when we came across Kimberly Snyder’s book The Beauty Detox Solution, a diet that is not a fad, but a way of rewriting your lifestyle habits and getting you eating food that is good for you.

We really liked that the first part of this book explained how our bodies really work, and why silly diets do not do any favours for our health. Did you know that just like primates we are designed to live off a diet consisting of mainly plant based foods? Kimberly then explains that we should be eating lots of Alkaline Rich Foods, in order to maintain optimum health.

The next section is our favourite part. It explains what types of things we should eat to keep us looking beautiful. There is a great list of all the types of food that have wonderful beauty boosting properties, and I have to say we have stocked up our cupboards!

The final section is dedicated to the healthy living plan consisting of three distinct phases Blossoming Beauty, Radiant Beauty, and Pure Beauty, the first of which is designed to cleanse your body of the bad things you have eaten, and to introduce healthier alternatives that have health and beauty boosting ingredients.

The book contains a whole host of delicious recipes specifically designed for each phase of the programme so Kimberly really makes these diet changes easy for you. These changes are not a calorie restricted diet, but instead are based on the principle that if you eat the right foods, at the right times, in the right order you help out your body’s digestion and in turn you can lose weight. This is the perfect solution for anyone looking to get healthier and look after their bodies, and this plan is even being followed by celebrities such as Drew Barrymore!

If you are interested in revamping your diet and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, then this book should really be on your bookshelf. Kimbery Snyder’s book, The Beauty Detox Solution is available on Amazon for £7.00, and you can find out more information and articles about her beauty detox on her website.

Dog’s Trust and 'Phillipa Fairy Cake', a book by Sarahjane Funnel

It is not often that we write about children’s books and things here on The Amazing Blog, but when we find something truly exceptional, we make sure that we feature it. We were very lucky to be invited to the launch of Sarahjane Funnel’s new book: Phillipa Fairy Cake and The Secret Pet’s Tea Party in conjunction with the Dog’s Trust, and took the opportunity to attend.

The book is about a little girl named Phillipa and her cat Little Miss Whiskers. They, along with two of her friends and their pet rescue dogs, planned for a tea party in the garden. Shortly after they sat down for tea the adventure began and they meet characters such as a Mrs Boodle Doodle. It is an adorable adventure and the perfect story for small children, with brilliantly coloured pages full of fun illustrations. Definitely an essential read for any parent who has pets and perfect for a child’s developing mind. Sarahjane herself has a rescue dog ‘Pip’ from the Dog’s Trust are who are acknowledged in the book.

 The author Sarahjane Funnel (with Dog’s Trust rescue Boasson) and Edwina, our Exec Ed of TheAmazingBlog

As serious dog lovers here at The Amazing Blog, we took some time to learn a little more about the Dog’s Trust. Each year, they care for about 16,000 dogs at their 18 re-homing centres. They also run neutering campaigns across the UK and have educational programs to teach children about the trust and dogs. In addition, they sponsor many other dog charities and organisations. If you can’t re-home or adopt a dog, but would like to give a donation or you can become a member of the Dog’s Trust  please click  here.  When we spoke to the Dog’s Trust, they sent us some information on two of their lovely dogs that are desperately in need of a loving home.

Kobi 5 yr old male Malamute Cross

 Kobi is looking for a patient adult only home with no visiting children where he will have time to settle. He loves a fuss on his terms and enjoys woodland walks where he can lose himself in the undergrowth. He also enjoys a run in the field and playing with his toys. He would much prefer to be the only pet in the home so he can have all the attention to himself. Once settled he will make a very loyal friend. 

Zander is a 4 yr old male Boxer

Zander lacks confidence and will need patience and time to find his feet and build a relationship with his new family. He is a handsome boy who was very underweight when he arrived, so food is very important to him. He enjoys his walks and loves a game of ball! He does get on with other dogs when out and about but would prefer to be the only dog in the home. He could potentially live with older teenagers.  If you are interested in either of these dogs, please contact the Dog’s Trust rehoming centre 01227 792505 or visit them at: The Dogs Trust, Radfall Road, Chestfield, Nr Whitstable, Kent, CT5 3ER.

In the meantime, to purchase Sarahjane Funnel’s book, Phillipa Fairy Cake and the Secret Pet’s Tea Party,  at £7.99  you can head over to Waterstones or Amazon.