Celtic Marches - Abrahalls Thundering Molly Cider

I’m sure we’re not the only ones who are pleased to see that summer has finally arrived in London. Here at The Amazing Blog, we are taking advantage of these sunnier evenings by spending our time in the garden, relaxing with a drink in hand. The girls enjoy a cocktail or two, but I’m a cider man, myself. So when Celtic Marches sent us this Abrahalls Thundering Molly Cider, I was the first to pour myself a glass and venture out onto the patio.

 One of Thundering Molly’s unique attributes is her retro label. Adorned with a 1950s pin-up, the whole office was a fan of the aesthetically pleasing bottle. The cider itself has a lovely rich, golden hue, which was enough to make my mouth water just looking at it.  Celtic Marches describe the brew as a ‘well rounded medium cider’ and it certainly went down smoothly. The sweet sharpness of the apples, made with 100% fresh pressed juice gives a wonderfully refreshing taste. There is something about one of your five-a-day being turned into a delicious alcoholic beverage that I can wholly agree with, and the crew at Abrahalls have definitely become the apple of our eye.

In anticipation of warmer evenings, we'll be stocking our coolers with cider aplenty. We think that Thundering Molly will be your best friend for the coming summer months.  A 500ml bottle contains 5.2% ABV, and can be bought in a pack of 12 here for £29.99

Wildflower Favours - Seed Packet Wedding Favours

You may have noticed that we here at The Amazing Blog are fans of products that contain natural, organic ingredients. So you can imagine our delight when we discovered a gift so natural that you can plant it. This is exactly what Wildflower Favours offer in their Seed Packet Wedding Favours. With a range of invitations and favours to choose from, including the option to design your own, they’re a great choice for growing your guest list and your garden.

Printed on 80% recyclable paper, each bespoke favour contains a choice of British grown seeds, such as cornflower, marigold and lavender. With two new designs to add to their ‘growing’ collection, New Day and Love Cats, there’s sure to be a design to suit everyone. Taking the unique favours one step further, Wildflower Favours have a selection of themed wedding products, including a butterfly, bird and, bee themed collection. As self-confessed bee lovers, we adore the confetti and vintage bee ribbon, which partner with a variety of  packets that contain seeds that bees buzz for. They also offer plantable seed paper, so that you can actually plant the whole invitation, and watch it bloom into a beautiful bouquet.

The invites and favours make the perfect memento to take home from a wedding, as you can watch the plants flourish along with the marriage. The seed packets are available here and start from £1.40.

NaturVits - Omega-3 with Vitamin D3 Supplement

Here at The Amazing Blog, we’re always keen to try new recipes, but we don't always get all of the nutrients we need from our diet, no matter how good our intentions are. So when NaturVits sent us a box of their Omega-3 with Vitamin D3 food supplements, we were excited to include them as part of our healthy lifestyle, giving us the extra dose of vitamins we crave.

The one-a-day vitamins are formulated using Concordix, an advanced Norwegian technology that allows you to absorb the nutritious benefits of the product up to 44% more effectively than other brands. Boxed into a packet of 30, these sugar free gel tablets have a really delicious orange flavour, already setting them above most nasty tasting supplements. I really liked their chewable texture, which negated the need to take them with food or water. You just chew the tasty tablets, and you're well on you way to your daily dose of vitamins. The convenient little citrus capsules are also packed with Vitamin D3, a big pro for us office workers who don’t often get the opportunity to catch a lot of rays. Made from 100% natural ingredients, the chewy tablets contain DHA for normal brain functioning and vision and Vitamin D for healthy teeth and bones.

Like a lot of gelatin based products, take note that these supplements are not suitable for vegetarians. Boost your vitamin intake with the NaturVits Omega-3 with Vitamin D3 food supplements, which are available here for £14.99.

Alison at Home - POP at House of Fraser

Nowadays, retail is saturated with brand upon brand, making it difficult for newcomers to get their foot in the door. At The Amazing Blog, we often think this is a real shame, as there’s nothing we love more than discovering new brands and products to fall in love with. Thankfully, The Great Retail Revival Foundation, in collaboration with House of Fraser, is giving brands like Alison at Home the chance to showcase their talents at the POP at House of Fraser event this May.

Alison at Home, an online home retailer founded by Alison Cork, will be given the chance to prove its worth in England’s most prestigious shopping district, at House of Fraser’s flagship store on Oxford Street, as well as online here. One of ten finalists in the event organised by the not-for profit organisation, Alison at Home designs wonderfully crafted statement furniture collections at affordable prices. Designed to work as standalone pieces, or as part of a set, the majority of Alison at Home furniture is manufactured in Britain and, until now, was only available to buy online. Along with the other finalists, the brand has been mentored so that they are able to take full advantage of their opportunity to retail in the UK. Of the ten finalists, one will win a year long contract to retail in the House of Fraser flagship store. Taking place from the 12^th -26^th of May, there’s still a couple of days for you to head down there and see what new and exciting brands you can discover. Did we mention that customers get a complimentary glass of Champagne Taittinger with every purchase?

Friday Favourites - Candles

After a busy working week, we're definitely not the only ones who look forward to a relaxing weekend. With the sun setting later in the day, and summer quickly approaching, we here at The Amazing Blog have been making more use of our gardens. Lately, we've been enjoying the warmer, lighter evenings with a glass of wine in hand, burning a scented candle or two in our new tranquil garden space. This pastime has encouraged us to try some wonderfully natural, handmade and unique candles that we're excited to share with you.The perfect accessory to a sophisticated garden tea party are these adorable teacup candles from Juliette at Home. The  decorative meissen-style cups remind us of Alice in Wonderland, with each of the dainty candles intricately painted in a fashion fit for the highest of high teas. The delicate fragrance of Earl Grey tea, combined with notes of bergamot and green tea, make these hand filled, natural wax candles feel quintessentially British. Any tea lover would be as mad as a hatter not to add one or two to their collection. The teacup candles are available in a variety of beautiful designs, here, for £27 each.As much as we love a serene garden atmosphere, nothing provides home comfort like great interior design. So it's no surprise that we covet Birch & Brook as much as we do. The luxurious London based brand is designed by Jessica Jones, who has a background in interior design, and knows how to engineer a room to make you feel right at home.  Birch & Brook believe in the story telling power of scent, and their candles are designed to evoke certain memories. With aromas like Library and Fireside to choose from, there’s bound to be a fragrance that takes you back to good days gone by. We were enamoured by the aroma of Secret Garden. A sensual summer scent, it combines notes of lily of the valley, hyacinth, and mandarin flower, transporting us to a thriving garden utopia, complete with fruit laden trees and sweetly scented flowers. The candles are also beautifully packaged and made, with the company sourcing from sustainable crops, as well as using vegan ingredients, free from petroleum, paraffin and palm wax. Secret Garden is available here for £36, as well as the rest of the nostalgic candles from the Birch & Brook range.Our next choice of candle comes courtesy of Milana, a soy based candle company, who hand pour their music inspired candles in the UK. Milana consider candles and music to be fundamentally connected; not only are they relaxing, but they both combine different ‘notes’ to create a perfect symphony. As music has played such an instrumental part in the Milana journey, all of their candles are named after songs, with their fragrances mirroring the moods of certain melodies. We were pleased to try the Drive in Romance candle, in which scents of Bergamot, Cassis, Apricot and Rose work in harmony to provide a beautiful romantic fragrance. Packaged in a sleek, recyclable gift box, the 100% natural soybean, oil-based candles are biodegradable and petroleum free. The Drive in Romance candle can be found here for £25.00, with additional candles sold here.Luxury candle creators, Wick & Tallow are a favourite of ours here at The Amazing Blog. Their colourful spring candles, Bergamot & Basil and Lemongrass & Neroli have a fresh and unique scent that we adore. Much like Milana and their music, Wick & Tallow combine scent with hue, creating fragrances that reflect the colour of the candle.  Our favourite, Bergamot & Basil, has a wonderful fresh, green scent, and makes the perfect alternative for those who prefer something a little less sweet. Encased in classy black packaging, the vivid wax offers a great contrast against the darkness, creating a sultry feel. The most wonderful thing about Wick & Tallow candles is the intoxicating atmosphere they create when they are burned together. Designed to complement each other, the range is one of our top choices for a perfect range of  refreshing, striking aromas. The candles are available to purchase here for £35 each.

British brand, Mitchell and Peach offer a beautifully scented, hand poured candle. Cultivated at the Mitchell family farm in Kent, they ensure that only the finest blend of British ingredients go into all of their products. As opposed to having a selection of the same type of product in an array of fragrances, the Mitchell and Peach range focuses on selling a variety of skincare and beauty products which centre on the signature Flora No.1 scent. The gentle floral aroma combines rose, sweet violet and English lavender, and smells just as divine in candle form as it does in their signature Hand Lotion. With a burn time of 40 hours, we really enjoyed using this elegant, British candle, which is available to purchase here for £29. Though we like the pretty, pearlescent packaging, from the 30th June, the candle will be available in a beautiful, limited edition, bone-china casing, adorned with butterflies. Following a collaboration with ceramicist, Polly George, we think that the Butterfly Candle is the perfect design to burn in the garden. It is available to pre-order here for £38.50.