Opera in the Gardens at Chiswick House

 

Here at The Amazing Blog  we love to find fun things to do with our summer nights! Despite being in the heart of London, we suffer from the typical ‘been there done that’ Londoner mentality. So when we heard about Garden Opera, a chance to try something brand new, we had to investigate.

 Focus Opera was founded in 2009 and aspires to tailor its productions to site specific locations using the physical space to create an arena in which the concept, drama, music and performers come together perfectly. Focus Opera have performed almost everywhere, from country houses to caverns, but this summer they will treat audiences to two evenings of spectacular opera in the beautiful gardens of Chiswick House. A fabulous way to make the most of the sun, the group are performing on Wednesday 2^nd July, with a performance of the French play Barber of Seville, and then on Thursday 3^rd July with the Italian opera Cosi Fan Tutte.

This is the second year the folks from Focus Opera will be serenading audiences at Chiswick House. It also happens to be the 10^th anniversary of Opera in the Gardens at the Chiswick House, making it the perfect summertime celebration. Bring your blanket, chairs, and refreshments for a wonderful, opera filled picnic or come al fresco and purchase beer and wine on location. Both performances start at 7.30pm but guests can set up their chairs and picnics from 6pm, and enjoy a magical evening celebrating summer with friends!

Tickets are priced at £30 for adults, and £15 for children aged 5-15 are available here. 

Chocolate Ecstasy – Coffee and Chocolate Tour

Here at The Amazing Blog, we have a weakness for chocolate. Our favourite indulgence, there’s never a bar too far away. So when we heard about London’s Chocolate Ecstasy Tour, our mouths were watering at the prospect. We can only imagine that this is the most delicious walking tour in London. We think the idea of strolling around the capital, sipping on coffee, and revelling in chocolate samples galore, is a dream come true.

The founder, Jennifer Earle, has monopolised on a wonderful natural pairing in her chocolate and coffee tours. With walks taking place in Notting Hill, Chelsea and Mayfair, as well as the option to go on evening and full day tours, there’s guaranteed to be a tour to meet your chocolate needs. The walk includes at least 2 coffees and a hot chocolate, as well as all the samples you can eat. As much as it is a tasting tour, it’s also a great chance to explore some interesting historical facts. For example, did you know that chocolate was originally an Aztec drink, whereas coffee was once eaten – mixed with animal fat to make an edible energy ball? Now that their roles are reversed, we can’t imagine tasting these delicious treats any other way.

The tours are priced from £40 to £165, and run on Sundays at 9:45am,  as well as various weekdays and evenings. You can book your place on this delicious walking tour here. Go in search of your favourite chocolate shop with Chocolate Ecstasy Tours, and be sure to check out more beautiful chocolate-y images like these at Kavey Nibbles' site.

Friday Favourites - Easter Holidays

With Easter weekend finally upon us, most of us excited for the celebrations ahead! However, for those who have left things a little late, or even those who just want to try something a bit different this year, there’s still time to go out and grab some more Easter treats! We here at The Amazing Blog have found some Easter-themed gifts to help you impress your friends and loved ones during this Spring holiday.Lush never fails to deliver quirky gift ideas for the holidays, and they certainly haven’t let us down this year with their creative selection of Easter cosmetics. This season, they are offering an array of ‘Egg-ceptional’ Easter themed handmade products, including bath melts and bubble bars in the shape of eggs and carrots! Made from fair trade and organic ingredients, Lush’s Easter cosmetics include a Golden Egg Bath Bomb, Bunny Bubble Bar, Carrot Soap, and Brightside Bubble Bar just to name a few. If, like us, you are struggling to choose from the wonderful selection of products on offer, Lush are also offering the Funny Bunny Rabitty Wrap – an organic cotton knot-wrap containing four of the most popular limited edition Easter cosmetics. Because the Easter Bunny is packaged by hand, the selection of goodies inside each wrap is different!  However, if a gift you are planning is one item short of complete, the holiday products are available to buy individually for very reasonable prices! Find the Egg-cellent collection here. To add some chocolate with a twist to your Easter celebration, Demijohn has created a Chocolate Orange Cream Liqueur.  This alcoholic chocolate is the adult version of a creamy dark Easter Egg, and the addition of Devonshire Cream, Apple Brandy and Orange Zest make this the perfect springtime tipple.  The thick and creamy liqueur would be a great option for those Easter family gatherings; something for adults to enjoy as the children tuck into their Easter treats.  Demijohn recommends serving the Chocolate Orange Cream Liqueur directly from the refrigerator and over ice for the best taste. Be the life of the party this Easter and present your family and friends with a 500ml bottle of Demijohn Chocolate Orange Cream Liqueur, available here for £24.60 (500ml). You may have noticed our attempt to stray from the typical Easter gift, but who are we to keep your loved ones from indulging in chocolate this Easter?  Charbonnel et Walker offer a new twist to the traditional chocolate egg with their Pink Marc de Champagne Truffle Easter Egg.  Combining their finest milk chocolate with their best selling Pink Marc de Champagne Truffles, this treat is so much more luxurious than your typical Easter Egg.  Housed in a pastel coloured window box with a pink ribbon tied around it, this delicious Easter Egg would make the perfect gift any loved one. It can be purchased here for £35, along with a selection of other delicious chocolate creations, including a Dark Chocolate and English Rose Easter Egg.

Feel like doing something different this Easter? Horniman Museum and Gardens, with their Easter Fair, could be the perfect option if you are looking for activities that are fun, yet educational. Take part in the Easter Egg Hunt, learn more about the rabbits that live in the Animal Walk and enjoy some live country music. If you fancy a bite, you can head towards the food stalls, where you will find a selection of tasty treats; whether you fancy pizza or some Austrian specialities, you will definitely find the perfect nibble to satisfy your taste buds. The Easter Fair takes place on Saturday and Sunday, from 10.30 am until 4.30 pm, and you can find the detailed program here . Finally, what would Easter be without an Easter Bunny? Demarquette offers beautifully hand painted Easter Rabbits in dark chocolate and milk chocolate to complete your traditional Easter gifts. The dark chocolate bunny is made from Demarquette’s award winning CacaoLux blend of chocolates from The Dominican Republic and Ecuador, while the milk chocolate bunny features chocolates from Venezuela and Madagascar. Each bunny is hand painted with bright spring colours, making it unique with it’s own colourful pattern. Demarquette Easter Rabbits are available here for only £5.50. Demarquette also has a lovely selection of chocolate bars and truffles if you are still craving sweets after the holiday is over!

Spices of India - Little Turban Sauces

Are you looking to switch up your typical dinner dishes but afraid to branch out too far?  We here at The Amazing Blog have discovered unique Indian sauces, spices and other creative foods thanks to Spices of India’s, Little Turban.  Their sauces are a simple yet unique additive to everyday dishes or pair perfectly with authentic, Indian inspired meals.

Launched in 2006, Spices of India is the leading online Indian grocery store in the UK, specializing in true Indian foods, spices and cookware. They are proud of their gluten-free foods and sauces which contain zero artificial flavouring and colouring.  The Little Turban offers exceptional fresh curry based sauces, providing an alternative to dry mixes or pastes used in traditional Indian cooking.  Unlike most Indian sauces, all Little Turban sauces contain beetroot, orange juice and whisky for additional zest! Little Turban offers four sauce options, each with a different heat intensity.  The range of Little Turban sauces provided by Spices of India include Aromatic Bourbon Masala, Goan Coconut & Orange, Makhani Masala Curry, and Mughlai Qorma.  Though these four sauces are all unique in ways, Little Turban  suggest all of their sauces be served over chicken, lamb, king prawns or paneer.  All of these sauces arrive in a 400g box containing enough sauce to serve three to four people, making theses sauces an exceptional option for entertaining dinner guests.

When the Little Turban sauces arrived at our door step, I immediately jumped on the chance to mix up my usual cooking style.  I tried the Little Turban Makhani Masala Curry sauce containing tomatoes, melon juice, curry, cream, chili and other impeccable ingredients.  I prepared the recommended recipe below with the Makhani Masala Curry sauce and was not disappointed!  The sauces hint of sweetness from the melon paired perfectly with the spice of the chili and curry upon seared chicken and rice.

Makhani Masala Curry Recipe:

• Brown 450g diced chicken.

• Add the contents of the pouch and stir well.

• Cover and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through.

• Serve with naan bread or rice.

Add an additional zest to your typical dinner with the Little Turban sauces from Spices of India.  Purchase the sauce for the recipe above here for £4.95.

Friday Favourites - Chinese New Year Celebration

Kung Hei Fat Choi (Happy New Year) from all of us here at The Amazing Blog! This celebration marks the commencement of the year of the Horse.  Whether you celebrate the date or just want to partake in the festivities, here at The Amazing Blog, we have found all you need to get your New Year’s celebration underway. First off let’s address the superstitions surrounding the entry of a new year to the Chinese and what one should and should not do. Starting with the home, families clean the home as a way of saying out with the old and in with the new, as well as eliminating bad energy. Also remember to avoid any unpleasant situations or crying on this day since the first day of the year is said to be a precursor of the year to come. For you fashion conscious folks, be mindful not to wear black since the colour relates to death and instead opt for red as it represents luck and fortune. Also if you want to have some fun with ghosts and spirits, pop some firecrackers to scare the bad ones off. Your neighbour may not appreciate it but it’s a sure way of starting the year off with a bang!

Regardless of your plans, let us suggest a themed recipe because clearly we here at the blog love anything in regards to food! We have found a Chinese New Year Cake Recipe Kit by Sous Chef.  Sous Chef is an online store dedicated to supplying hard-to-find ingredients and equipment to ‘adventurous cooks’ interested in exotic cuisines.  The cake mix kit includes the ingredients needed to make traditional New Year ‘sticky cakes’ known as Nian Gao, which consist of Chinese brown sugar, glutinous rice flour, coconut milk and the recipe card with instructions. These cakes have the consistency of Japanese mochi balls but can also be pan-fried and transform into tasty, eggy ‘bread’. The kit is available online here for only £5.00. Thanks to our friends at Sous Chef who have given us the recipe to share with you!

Ingredients:

225g Chinese brown sugar in pieces (half packet), 200ml water, 200ml coconut milk (half can), 225g glutinous rice flour (half a bag), optional gold leaf to garnish

This recipe makes 3x10 cm cakes, to serve 6 people.

Recipe:

1. Break down the brown sugar into small pieces, and place in pan with the water. Heat, stirring until dissolved and simmer for 5-10 minutes. 2. Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the coconut milk. 3. Measure out the glutinous rice flour into a large mixing bowl, and pour over the coconut milk and sugar mixture. Whisk well, until there are no lumps. The texture should be similar to a runny pancake batter. 4. With a little cooking oil, grease 3-5 small ramekins, remembering that 4 is an unlucky number! Pour in the batter, dividing equally between dishes. 5. Sit the ramekins in a large saucepan with a lid, and add water until it comes to half way up the sides of the dishes. Cover with lid, and simmer for 30 minutes on a low heat. 6. Remove from pan and leave to cool (they are also tasty at this stage!). Refrigerate. They will keep well wrapped in the fridge.  7. Optional: If you’re giving the cakes as presents, run a knife around the side of the cake, and lever it out. Place upside down on a circle of grease-proof paper, tie with string, and top with a little gold leaf.

Next we have the Wing Yip Five Beer Gift Pack, because what is a celebration without a little alcohol!  Perfect for any occasion and festivity, the pack contains beers from all over Asia in areas like Kirin Ichiban, Tiger, Sapporo, Tsing Tao and Singha. The supplier of the beer pack, Wing Yip, is the UK’s leading retailer of Oriental products with four locations in Birmingham, Manchester, Cricklewood and Croydon. The beer gift pack however, is only available online here for £7.98.

Food and drink are a must but not always enough to entertain your guests; we want your celebration to be everything but boring.  Amuse your guests and bring good fortune by flying a traditional Chinese dragon kite.  Airdynamics, a UK based company specializing in hand-made kites imported from China, suggests that under Chinese tradition flying a kite during the celebration brings growth and good fortune in the upcoming year.  If kite flying isn’t your speciality, no worries!  These carefully crafted kites dual as entertainment and home decorations in the form of dragons, snakes and other animals.  Prices very based on size and selection, but orders can be placed here.

Finally we have a gift from us to you; well, it’s actually a gifting idea. Traditionally in Chinese New Year culture, a charm is given to family members and friends to optimize good fortune in the upcoming seasons.  Seeking good fortune themselves, the Pandora bracelet company has designed the Chinese Zodiac Horse Pendant Charm.  Yes, it is unique to 2014 but we find the Zodiac Horse doubles as an everyday “good luck” charm.  Even better, the horse charm will fill another space on the bracelets of your family and friends!  Find the charm at a local Pandora store or on Pandora’s estore for £35.00 here.

If you’re not hosting or attending a Chinese New Year party, pop by Chinatown to experience ‘the largest Chinese New Year party outside of China.’  This Sunday, 2 February, Chinatown entertainment will include dancers, musicians, food and more!  Find more information on this celebration here.