Kitchen Extras - Friday Favourites

While cooking can be therapeutic and fun, for a lot of us finding the time to create delicious meals can be really tough! Whether we are tired after work or are lacking inspiration, it's not always possible to create a delicious and well-balanced meal every day. However, not ones to compromise on the quality of our meals, all of us here at the Amazing Blog have rounded up our favourite cooking additions that are guaranteed to liven up any dish any day of the week!

Our first pick is Holy Lama's Spice Drops. The founders of Holy Lama wanted to create a range of products that were natural, ethical, and delicious. According to the brand, Spice Drops are the only thing you need to add spice and flavour to your cooking, and we could not agree more! These drops add a depth of flavour that would normally take hours of marinating to achieve. The wide range of drops are made from raw herbs and spices, all blended with oil to create authentic and tasty flavours.

Aside from their great taste, we really love Spice Drops because of their versatility! They are straightforward and convenient to use that they can be added to any dish at any stage of cooking. We were impressed with their broad range of flavours, from garlic and ginger to garam masala and turmeric. There are over 30 flavours. Moreover, Holy Lama has created unique Collection Boxes, meaning they make the perfect gifts for your wannabe gourmet chef friends. 

With their network of suppliers providing natural ingredients of the finest quality, we can always trust Spice Drops to add some zing to any meal. Try them yourself here from £4.00.

Moving over to the sweeter side of things, we have Big Tree Farms and their delicious and organic Coconut Nectars. If you are looking for an alternative to sweeteners, honey or syrups, you need to try this Coconut Nectar. The sweetener is a healthier alternative to many of the refined sugar versions out there and what's more the taste is unparalleled.

Coconut Nectar is formulated from pure coconut flower blossom nectar. The product is organic, certified fair trade, vegan, GMO and gluten-free, meaning everyone can enjoy this natural sweetener. The nectar is one of the lowest glycemic sweeteners out there, and it is high in nutrients and unrefined sugars, making it a delicious and healthy alternative.

The product comes in two flavours, Amber and Blonde. We were pleasantly surprised that the Amber was very close in taste to maple syrup, and the Blonde was closer to agave syrup. The product is multi-functional, and is able to dissolve in drinks, making it the perfect cure to bland breakfasts as it makes a fabulous addition to hot drinks, smoothies, porridge, pancakes and more!

Try Coconut Nectar from Big Tree Farms here for £9.12.

Cooking sauces are probably the most convenient and helpful kitchen helpers you can have when you're strapped for time! The problem, though, is that so often store-bought sauces are bland and laden with sugar and salt. This is not the case with Capsicana though, who have changed the game with their vibrant Cook Sauces inspired by Latin-American flavours.

With four fantastic flavours hailing from Mexico, Brazil, and Peru, these sauces are sure to tantalise your taste buds. We loved that the products range from mild to hot, so there is something everybody can enjoy. Our favourite flavours were Chilli and Coconut and Chilli and Honey.  From stir-fry to chicken dishes, you can be as creative as you like with these tasty packets, wowing friends and family with your cooking skills.

The packs come with suggested unique and exciting recipes and the products don't contain any artificial colourings or flavourings, making them a convenient and healthy addition to your meals. Meaning while you save on time you're not compromising on healthiness.

Try something new with Capsicana's Latin Cook Sauces, available here for £1.49.

From Latin America to Spain now with Delicioso, a passionate Spanish food company. They sell a range of food products from charcuterie to vegetables, but what really caught our eyes were their brilliant range of nut oils.

Unlike most flavoured oils on the market which are infusions, Delicioso's oils are created by cold-pressing Arbequina olives from Catalunya together with other ingredients. This produces an intense depth of flavour and additionally is more efficient in retaining its minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.

We loved this little set of 5 nut oils that Delicioso is offering, presented neatly in a box. What we love is that you can by a set of 5 smaller bottles, meaning you can try a variety of great flavours to to find your favourite one. The smart packaging makes this a great gift, and it includes Hazelnut Oil from Tarragona, Almond Oil from Mallorca, Walnut oil from Aragon, Peanut, and Pumpkin Seed Oil. It is a brilliant and useful set, and you can try it on a variety of dishes; drizzle on pizzas and pasta dishes, grilled vegetables, meats and or as a base for a  stir-fryto add an extra layer to the flavour.

Try some authentic Spanish oils with Delicioso's Set of Five Nut Oils here for £11.75.

 

Goat Milk Comforting Bath Milk and Body Cream - Crabtree & Evelyn

Here at The Amazing Blog, there is nothing we love more after a hard day’s work than slipping into and a warm bath and relaxing. So we adore any product that will make this moment even more indulgent, and that will leave our skin feeling as soft and gentle as we feel calm, which is why Crabtree & Evelyn are at the top of our list every time. They have just created a Goat Milk Comforting range that we loved as it helped us unwind and helped us feel more like the pampered queens we are.

We were lucky enough to try the Comforting Bath Milk and the Comforting Body Cream from their Goat Milk range. Both products have been designed to pamper sensitive skin, and have delicate scents of Lavender, Geranium and Cypress leaf to help relax your senses while keeping skin nourished and hydrated. The products made us feel like we had been wrapped in cashmere!

Now, there is a very particular process to using these products, but trust us it is worth it. You begin by massaging the Comforting Bath Milk into your skin so that the product can sink in. Then, appreciate your time relaxing in the tub, before finally, massage the Comforting Body Cream onto towel-dried skin. We felt calm and relaxed and are skin felt soft and smooth and smelt divine.

Hydrate your skin and relax with Crabtree & Evelyn Goat Milk range. You can buy yourself the Comforting Bath Milk here for £28.00 and the Comforting Body Cream here for £20.00 .

Cooling Eye Pads - Oh K!

At The Amazing Blog, we know that puffy eyes are almost inevitable in today’s society. Spending hours of the day, staring at computer, phone and television screens, or, a continuous lack of sleep strains our eyes causing them to look puffy. We know that it can be difficult, and not always possible, to avoid doing the things that make our eyes appear tired, as lovely as it would be to get a few extra hours in bed the universe often has other plans. So that is why we are so excited by Oh K! and their Cooling Eye Pads. Not only do these pads work a treat but they let you take a few moments out of your day, away from the strain and stress, to treat yourself.

The Cooling Eye Pads are so much fun to use and come in delightful Panda-themed packaging! The product is designed in such a way that when you place the eye pads over your peepers, you resemble a loveable panda - it was probably the only time we enjoyed having panda eyes! The gel eye pads are cooling so they instantly soothe and refresh the surrounding skin while brightening the eyes. It's recommended that you leave them to cool for 1-2 hours in the fridge or overnight, before lying back and letting them work their magic. The best bit is that you can even reuse them! Simply wash them after use and pop them back in the fridge!

These cooling pads are an excellent accompaniment to OH K's Coconut Water Face Masks which we previously featured here!

You can purchase these fun, funky and effective cooling eye pads here for £6.00

Diamond Aromatherapy Diffuser - Essence of Arcadia

Here at the Amazing Blog, we find it really helps to work and live in spaces that are scented with lovely soft fragrances, relaxing the body and mind. There are many products that offer home fragrance and we find that oil diffusers offer the most complex and long-lasting scents. Therefore we were thrilled to receive Essence of Arcadia's Diamond Aromatherapy Diffuser set to try.  


Essence of Arcadia was a brand founded to celebrate aromatherapy and essential oils. They truly believe in the practise's capabilities to enhance well-being and treat the body and soul. Essence of Arcadia have a large collection of products tailored towards creating therapeutic experiences, including oils, diffusers, and blending kits. They specialise in small diffusers which look elegant and discreet in the home.


The Diamond Aromatherapy Diffuser we received was packaged in a gorgeous black gift box which contained the diffuser and three essential oils to try: Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, and Lavender. We loved the design of the diffuser. It has a beautiful golden finish with a glass outer coating that we think would be a fabulous addition to any home. The diffuser is electronic which means that you can vary how much mist you would like to produce, making the experience tailored to each individual.


Aromatherapy utilises naturally extracted fragrances from plants in order to promote the health of the body, mind, and spirit. Essence of Arcadia have a vast collection of essential oils that all boast their own benefits, from Cinnamon's purifying effects to Frankincense's anti-inflammatory nature. The set also contains a brilliant guide to effectively use and blend the oils. We particularly loved the 'Fatigue Fighter' recipe which blended Bergamot, Grapefruit, and Peppermint.

If you want to try an elegant and high quality method of aromatherapy, try Essence of Arcadia's Diamond Aromatherapy Diffuser here for £39.99.

 

Mangle and Wringer Kitchen Cleanser - Cottage in the Hills

Here at The Amazing Blog we love all things natural, from beauty to food and beyond. We’ve found Mangle & Wringer, an all-natural home cleaning products company and we received their kitchen cleanser to enjoy. 

Mangle & Wringer’s founder Vanessa Wilde wanted to create traditional, non-toxic remedies that are effective yet safe to use. The Kitchen Cleanser comes in a tin and the grey and white label has an old-school feel. The cream is thick and you have to work it with a damp cloth. However, once on the cloth, it glides over work top surfaces, microwaves, oven hobs and the fridge. The formula’s main ingredient is sodium bicarbonate, a great natural cleaner which you can use all over the house. It’s mixed with calcium carbonate, coconut oil soap, glycerine and sodium carbonate to form a multi-purpose, antibacterial cream. We love the idea that these are normal ingredients that you can find in an everyday kitchen. The good thing about using a cream over a typical spray is that it isn’t wasted by going anywhere you don’t want it to; you can simply spread on and wipe off. 

We acquired this all natural kitchen cleanser from the wonderful Cottage in the Hills, and it’s unsurprising that they would sell Mangle and Wringer products as they fit in perfectly with the company’s eco ethos. Cottage in the Hills is a homewares website and company that aims to help you to create your ideal, stress-free home and sanctuary. Situated in the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire, Cottage in the Hills are dedicated to helping you create a stylish, practical and eco-friendly home. It’s definitely worth having a scroll through their website, as we thoroughly enjoyed browsing the hundreds of charming, organic and natural homeware products that they supply; ranging from organic soaps to organic fabrics and even organic pet beds! We’ve definitely found a new website to use to furnish our homes.

To purchase Mangle and Wringer's kitchen cleanser for £5.80 click here