Lingham’s Chilli Sauces

Temperatures are dropping and here at The Amazing Blog, we’re putting a bit of heat back into our lives with Lingham’s Chilli Sauces. Who doesn’t love a nice soup with a spicy twist? The range of sauces by Lingham will do the job whether you like it super-hot or not.

Lingham's have been created sauces since 1908, to an Asian traditional recipe. What's great about their sauces, and makes them so unique, is their ingredients list: fresh chillies, salt, vinegar and sugar. You get what you see. No artificial colours or flavours and no preservatives. Nothing but natural ingredients to offer you the best culinary experience ever.

We personally had a lot of fun experimenting in the kitchen as the sauces go with practically everything! Great as a dipping sauce, or pop a bit in a noodle soup - if you fancy a bit of a morning kick whack some in your scrambled eggs to help wake you up in the morning.

Make sure you try the entire range; Original Chilli Sauce, Ginger  & Garlic, Extra Hot Chilli (made with bird’s eye chillies) and the traditional SriRacha (a tangy hot sauce). Whatever your taste, there's something to suit everyone. They’ve also been approved by the Vegetarian Society and are also Halal and Kosher.

You can find Lingham’s Chilli Sauce at Waitrose for £1.69, so don’t waste anymore time and stock up your kitchen before winter properly hits.

Kraken Rum

Now that jugs of Pimms, white wine spritzers and lazy afternoons spent in beer gardens drinking just-pulled pints are but a distant, sun-drenched memory, now is the time to be indulging in winter-appropriate tipples. And while we're not yet ready to be sipping eggnog and mulled wine, the gang at The Amazing Blog has stumbled across the perfect tipple to see us through winter.

Named after a mythical sea beast, The Kraken is a spiced Caribbean rum aged and enriched with exotic spices including cinnamon, ginger and clove. Distilled in Trinidad and Tobego from sweet molasses, the ageing takes place over a two-year period in ex-bourbon whiskey barrels and is blended with an exotic combination of 14 spices, giving it a smooth and sultry taste.

Unlike many rums which have a sharp bite and a burn that lingers long after it's swallowed, Kraken Black Spiced Rum has a rich, caramel-like flavour with a gentle after-taste. Certainly none of the willing volunteers here at The Amazing Blog had cause for complain after drinking a generous serving on the rocks. Perfect on it's own, or mixed with coke for a great alternative to vodka, the rather lovely peeps who have spearheaded a successful campaign making The Kraken the fastest growing rum-brand in the USA have provided us with this rather lovely recipe (to be enjoyed in moderation!):

The Perfect Storm:

Mix together 50ml Kraken Black Spiced Rum with 25ml freshly squeezed lime juice, 5ml sugar syrup and 2 dashes Angostura Bitters.

Top up with ginger beer, serve over ice in a highball glass and garnish with two squeezed lime wedges.

Kraken Rum is available to buy from leading retailers including Waitrose, Asda, Tesco, Selfridges, Majestic Wine and Sainsbury's. Cheers!

Palm & Sole

For me there is nothing better than to find beauty products that help boost confidence and inspire. As regular readers of TheAmazingBlog  will know, we always like to champion smaller natural beauty brands. So we were only too happy discover a new skincare range from Palm & Sole. This brand was launched in November 2011 by the Norfolk Aromatherapist/Complementary therapist Kathy Webb. These products are all handcrafted and only uses raw plant oils, butters Vitamin E and pure aromatic essential oils.

There are five skincare collections from Palm & Sole: Three Rose, Grounding, Levelling, Sparkling and Nurturing.  The idea was to create a versatile skincare range allowing the user to mix and match from each of these collections, as cleverly they all work in harmony with each other. My personal favourite is Palm & Sole Intense Balm from the Grounding collection, this is to ‘Calm and Relax’ – making it perfect for my stressful lifestyle! I’ve actually been using it as a multi-purpose balm on my lips as well as massaging it into my hands and nail beds. In fact, my nails have never been so healthy or grown so quickly. This balm contains some of my favourite ingredients:  frankincense, patchouli and a hint of ginger all in pure beeswax. There are no bulking agents or fillers added making these little gems great value for money with a little going a long way.  We think that Palm & Sole offers something for everyone, the ‘Calm & Relax’ balm is  £13 and comes in a 30ml pot and I have to say that mine has certainly lasted and lasted.

Juiceology

How many times have you tried to experiment with a new type of healthy drink only to come away disappointed? You attempt to be healthy and try fruit and vegetable juices but they end up tasting awful.  Having been through a plethora of allegedly healthy juices, I almost gave up hope on finding a  drink that was good for me as well as delicious. That was until a box of Juiceology arrived at The Amazing Blog  - yes and we all agree that each of the four flavours is everybit as good as the last!

The juices created by Juiceology are all natural and don't contain any artificial sugars or preservatives. The taste of these juices comes from the blend of juice, purees, herbs, natural botanical extracts, and spring water. For additional health benefits, Juiceology has included a multitude of antioxidants as well as milk thistle to all of their drinks.  I tried the apple, lime, and mint which was absolutely delicious. The flavour of apple combined with the citrus taste of the lime blended perfectly with the subtle hint of mint at the end.  Their other flavours are mandarin, ginger, and cardamom, lychee, berry, and basil, and coconut water and white guava and the gang at The Amazing Blog are certainly looking forward to drinking our way through them - in fact we think that with a quick dash of vodka they'd be rather nice too...  So, if you, too, are in need of a healthy thirst-quencher more exciting than water, give Juiceology a try, available online priced at £14.99 for 12 bottles.

Secret Madrid

A week ago I was back in Madrid enjoying the sunny streets and cafe culture of my home city. While packing my bags with jamon serrano and manchego cheese for the Amazing PR girls, I also decided to throw in some insider tips for this wonderful city. During my visit I had the opportunity to tick off a few of my must-dos in Madrid and I would like to share them with all of you – after all who better than a local to show you the real Madrid? Normally the Brits abroad congregate on the beaches of Benidorm, Majorca, Marbella, or hit the super-clubs of Ibiza, sometimes winging into Barcelona for a weekend break. But for many Madrid, the capital, goes unnoticed.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESG5Y7pejU0]

STAY

Although I usually crash with friends or family when I make my monthly stop in the capital, for you I would highly recommend one of the four Roommate Hotels in Madrid. This is a boutique chain of hotels that aims to give you a personal and relaxing experience akin to that of staying in a friend’s house. Each hotel is named after your ‘friend’ in each particular area, Mario, Laura, Alicia and Oscar. My favourite is Oscar, in Chueca (our SoHo), the building dominates the Plaza de Vazquez de Mella with a big neon sign. Oscar's ‘home’ is perfectly located and its gorgeous rooftop terrace complete with pool is regularly frequented by the locals.

EAT

One thing I love and miss most about Madrid is the food, it is easy to find Spanish and European restaurants that offer wonderful quality at surprisingly reasonable prices. Very centrally located near the Plaza de Santa Ana you will find Ginger, which offers a mix of Spanish, European and Asian cuisine. Sister restaurants Bazaar, La Gloria de Montera and La Finca de Susana offer variations on the theme, but with the same high quality and reasonable pricing. Though there is a no reservations policy so arrive at a reasonable time or be prepared to wait.

You can’t pay a visit to Madrid without sampling some of the infamous croquettes. In Malasaña, Casa Julio offers some of the most typical Spanish dishes. The walls are adorned with photos of its celebrity visitors, including U2. The story goes that after a photo shoot at the legendary tavern, the band fell in love with the charming croquettes that Maite, the chef of 70 years, made for them.

SHOP

After doing any touristy things (which any guide book can recommend perfectly well – I am here to show you the more unseen side of Madrid) I am sure you will be ready to hit the shops. You may have to get out and familiarise yourself with your map, I am taking you to one of the more unusual shops in Madrid. The workshop of ‘La Peseta’ rose to fame when Marc Jacobs chose to make some accessories using their designs for his American collection.

You can buy the original design that inspired the Marc Jacobs passport holder in the shop – at a much more reasonable price.

PARTY

When night falls Madrid is transformed, the streets fill with people, although the real party doesn’t get started until after midnight. Before you dive headfirst into a crazy Spanish night make a stop at the legendary Palentino, an old fashioned bar which by night becomes a mecca for the young, stylish people of the city. Its bar price are dirt cheap, you can get a caña (a typical small beer) for only €1 and spirit & mixer for just €3.

When you are ready to start the party proper it is just a 5 minute walk to "Plaza España", where you will find one of the most alternative parties in the capital. At Zombie resident DJ’s the Zombie Kids bring their own unique brand of electro/rock, get ready to jump, mingle and headbang with the local youth. A personal tip, if you are on the dance floor be prepared, when the Zombie Kids take to the stage the crowd go crazy.

LOCAL TIP

If you want to get on the list for free entry to the club, before 2:00 PM write a private message to JotaCeUnaimagen on Facebook. He is the official photographer so holds some sway.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/14999351] After a night of heavy partying with the living dead I am sure you will be ready to reconvene next day on Oscar’s rooftop terrace to nurse your hangover and catch some rays.

JC