Friday Favourites - Vegtoberfest

We notice at The Amazing Blog that the best thing about being a vegan in 2019 is not having to give up any of your old favourite foods. Almost every comfort food has a vegan counterpart and you don’t have to feel left behind while eating plant-based. Vegtoberfest, the UK’s first vegan Oktoberfest celebration proves that you don’t have to sacrifice your lifestyle choices to have a good time.

Started in 2018, Vegtoberfest aims to bring the Oktoberfest celebration (with all the beer and bratwursts as you can imagine) to the vegan market. Picture the classic Oktoberfest celebrations but with a modern, vegan twist! Oktoberfest is a celebration of beer – first and foremost, and Vegtoberfest did not forget that. With vegan-friendly Bavarian beers and local craft ales, the choices are endless. There will also be a selection of wines, cocktails and vegan Bailey’s for those non-beer drinkers in the bunch.

Now, we know you’re wondering “What kind of food will Vegtoberfest have?” Good question. It wouldn’t be an Oktoberfest celebration without Bratwurst. Rudy’s Dirty Vegan Dinner, Camden’s leading vegan street food specialist, will be serving Bratwursts with all the trimmings, German Potato Pancakes and their famous Dirty Burgers. Also served at Vegtoberfest will be pizzas, pretzels, loaded fries and ice cream. Did someone say yum?

There will also be live music and entertainment both weekends. With performances from the Old Dirty Brasstards, Brasstermind and many other live acoustic acts, we’re sure you’ll be entertained the whole time! Dee Riley, London’s leading cabaret stage magician will be hosting the entertainment both weekends.

Vegtoberfest will take place two weekends in a row – on October 12th and 19th at Fest Camden. The main room will be transformed into a festival themed beer hall. We definitely wouldn’t blame you if you wore your Dirndl dresses. Early Bird tickets are on sale now for £13.50 (including taxes and service charges) and you can buy them here. Once Early Bird sells out the tickets will be £16.50, so buy your tickets as soon as possible!

EFG London Jazz Festival 2017

From the 10th of November to the 19th of November London is going to get a little jazzier and we at The Amazing Blog couldn’t be more excited. The EFG London Jazz Festival is back again and will be showcasing a wonderful mix of international and British artists for you to enjoy. Events and concerts will be organised in different stunning London venues including legendary concerts halls such as the Barbican Centre and The Royal Festival Hall.

This music-filled event can be enjoyed by all, from jazz enthusiasts to newbies, to families; there truly is something for you all to enjoy. On Friday the 10th the Southbank is holding a Jazz for Toddlers so you can introduce your little ones to the magical and surprising world of jazz. Or why not stop by the London Jazz Café to listen to Moses Boyd and experience the genre from a new breed of artist not bound by any tradition.

Whether you’ve enjoyed jazz your whole life or the recent movie La La Land opened you up to a new and creative world the London Jazz Festival is not to be missed. Have a look at what’s on here and purchase yourself a ticket. If there is one thing we can guarantee about this exciting festival, its that you will have a swinging time.

The London Evening Standard Food Month - Night Market

If you want to sample a diverse and exciting range of London’s favourite restaurants and street food the London Evening Standard Food Month's Night Market is a must-see. Located at Perks Field, Kensington, the Night Market runs from Wednesday, June 7 to Sunday, June 18. Delicious food in an iconic London location is certainly not an opportunity we here at The Amazing Blog would miss. Pop over after work and spend a lovely evening exploring London's food, or visit on the weekend in the day or the evening.

There is an exciting array of cuisines on offer, from Turkish to Taiwanese, to African, to Japanese, to Texan BBQ and of course the best of British. The market even caters for vegans, with indulgent vegan churros and ice-cream on offer. This is your opportunity to sample food from some of London’s favourite restaurants, such as Asia de Cuba, Patty & Bun, Mews of Mayfair and The Ivy. The opportunity to sample food from Britain’s best chefs, such as Angela Hartnett, Fergus Henderson and Claude Bosi, along with top international chefs including Dan Hunter, Ana Ros and David Thompson, is one that doesn’t come around very often. Browse the mouth-watering line-up here.

Not only does the Night Market showcase intriguing food, but you can also explore art installations and entertainment, such as DJs, live music, Westfield Open-Air Cinema and themed pop-up bars from Ketel One Vodka and Cobra Beer. You can take part in a Q&A by creative director Grace Dent discussing important topics such as fighting food waste and supporting social inclusion. You will be served some serious food for thought here. While Londoners and visitors indulge in the delicious food, Massimo Bottura, the founder of Food for Soul has partnered with London Food Month and is launching a community soup kitchen. This is a cause everyone can learn more about, and help support.

You are bound to have a fun-filled (and food-filled!) night. As Grace Dent puts it, ‘We’ll be eating the entire world, in one city’. We’re in.

Purchase tickets here for £15 for adults, £8 for children and £35 for a family pass. These allow access to the food stalls, bars and entertainment. You can add on tickets to Westfield Open-Air Cinema at checkout, for £4 for adults and £2 for children. See timings of the Night Market here.

Friday Favourites - New and Unusual Workouts

Are you tired of the same workout day after day? Here at The Amazing Blog some of us struggle to fit in a daily workout with our busy schedules. Plus, we get tired of following the same routine. In order to spice up our exercise routine and convince ourselves that working out CAN be fun, we have discovered some new and unusual workouts for everyone to try.

Yoga has become so popular nowadays that even dogs want to join in. Originating from the USA, yoga activates your pooch’s parasympathetic nervous system and can help relieve your loyal friend of his or her stress. Of course, the owner will be right there practising alongside their pups, performing a set of Hatha yoga poses while the dogs roam around and participate when they choose to. This series of yoga postures are inclined to incorporate canine massage, yogic stretches, chanting, breathing and lots of cuddles. Plus, who doesn’t want to work out with their best friend?

Mahny Djahanguiri started Dogamahny, running weekly classes in Fulham and teaching private Paw to Paw classes for all sizes, breeds and ages of dogs. If you’ve always wanted to work out with your pup, then check out Dogamahny’s website to sign up for some doga classes.

If you’re obsessed with Strictly Come Dancing like we are, then you might want to check out Swing Patrol. It’s a community of over 1,000 dancers, teachers, staff and volunteers that hold over 40 weekly classes at 34 venues across London. They put on weekly Lindy Hop and Blues social dances and they have swing balls in London and around the United Kingdom. They even host an annual London Swing Festival and a Blues Baby Blues Festival. Go online and search for classes in your area. It’s time to turn back those time machines and dance like it’s 1920!

For those of you who consider dancing at clubs your only exercise, we have the perfect workout for you. Ravercise is a HIIT cardio dance with a live DJ playing energising bass music. It’s a fun and healthy way to enjoy underground music during the week. Classes are choreographed by professional dancers and include an interval training cardio workout. Plus, you get to socialise with friends and meet people that enjoy the same music as you! Head on over to the website of this low-lit club dance floor in Shoreditch and sign up.

If you’re looking to loosen up a little bit, try Barrecore. It is a series of movements designed to stretch every muscle group in your body. Each workout targets a major muscle group, integrating the fat-burning format of interval training with static stretches for muscle relief. Using a ballet barre, your own body weight and strength training exercises, your muscles become longer, stronger, leaner and more flexible. Think of it as an intense cardio ballet class. For more information on Barrecore classes, you can look at the website and decide if you want to sign up.

With the holidays right around the corner, I think it’s time we get healthy, try something new and have fun while doing it!

RumFest

Following yesterday's post on Kraken Rum, and an evening spent sampling the recommended cocktails (which, incidentally, were quite delicious), we at The Amazing Blog thought we'd stick with the same theme and feature the RumFest which is due to hit the streets of London this very weekend. The world’s biggest and best rum festival is taking place at London Excel this Saturday and Sunday (13^th and 14^th October) and is bound to be a tantalising treat for the taste buds. Offering revellers the chance to sip, savour and buy over 400 of the rarest and most delicious rums from around the world, it’s a fabulous celebration of the Caribbean’s tipple of choice. And in addition to the dark liquid, RumFest’s Tropical Food Area brings the opportunity to try delicious street food and some of the finest Caribbean cuisine. From rumcakes, to infused chocolate and fresh coconuts RumFest really is bringing a little bit of Caribbean beach life to Autumnal London.

And for anyone after a bit of culture there will be workshops and seminars discovering rum's history, where and how it's made plus master classes on rum and chocolate pairing. The Rum University will also be on hand where 'Cocktail historians' will be featured and Ian Burrell's Rum map will be revealed, outlining where rums come from around the world and linking in their flavours and ingredients.

There will also be a cocktail theatre with live demos and competitions, the chance to see some of the most exciting and skilled mixologists create cocktail master pieces and a live band playing exotic rhythms and really bringing a flavour of the Caribbean over to London’s dismal streets.

So whether you’ve got an uneventful weekend ahead of you and are looking for something fun to do or want to celebrate all things rum-related, check out London’s rather wonderful RumFest, tickets available here.