Friday Favourites - Winterville

As we may have mentioned before, at The Amazing Blog we absolutely LOVE this festive period! Mulled wine, fairy lights and layers are among some of the best things, so being able to enjoy all three in one event is certainly an evening we won't be missing! This year one of our favourite festive events, Winterville, is taking place in South London at Clapham Common. 

What we like about Winterville is that the event offers Londoner’s an alternative festive experience that’s accessible and enjoyable for all. Go ice-skating on the outdoor ice rink, take the kids to the fairground or head to the roller rink with some friends for an active and fast-paced day.  If you would rather relax and be entertained then head to their famous Spiegeltent which is hosting one-off events such as comedy, cabaret and family Christmas shows.  What’s more, the event is the part-time home to some of London’s best street food at the Feastopia, full of option and delight. 

Entry is free, but attractions and events are priced individually. Winterville is open from November 23rd until January 5th, so there is plenty of time for you to go and no excuse for you not to. NB:  Due to weekend popularity for all these individual events, Friday and Saturday night you will need to book your tickets here.

Christmas at Kew

Deck the halls, hang up the mistletoe and string up those lights. Christmas season is here everybody, and we here at The Amazing Blog, clearly, couldn’t be more excited. More excitingly, Christmas is coming early to Kew, running from 22 November to 1 January.

The Kew Christmas festivities take place after dark, once the gardens have closed. The magical after dark experience brings you fairy-tale and fantasy. Wander down the one-mile long trail that winds through the gardens, as you are surrounded by illuminating and singing trees, giant baubles, buildings that boast over one million twinkling lights, a flickering Fire Garden. The Palm House lights up with a dazzling show of laser beams, jets of light and kaleidoscopic projections. It really is a sight to behold!

In addition to the mystical outdoor trail, there is festive food and drink on offer. Sipping some mulled wine, hot chocolate or spiced cider, and toasting marshmallows around the fire is the perfect way to warm your cockles in the winter chill. Fancy picking up some Christmas gifts? There is a wonderful selection of gifts and stocking fillers in Kew’s shops. The children even get a chance to meet Father Christmas and his elves next to the magical vintage fairground. It is the perfect event for all ages, to get you into the Christmas spirit and we can’t wait to bask in the festivities.

Book tickets here for £16, or £10 for children.

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.

Friday Feature - Breadren Cooking Classes

Bread. It’s perhaps one of our favourite comfort carbs not only at The Amazing Blog but for most of us, and the Breadren Cooking Class will teach you how to make it but with an artisan twist. You can learn how to make artisan bread from the comfort of your own home, which sounds fantastic to us. You will be taught by the bread-master Baker Max Tobias at the London-based artisan bakery, Breadren. Breadren, is holding cooking classes with dietary restrictions in mind. They understand the daily struggle if you’re gluten-free, vegan or even vegetarian, and they’re here to broaden your horizons. Their ethos is to promote natural, unpretentious food. You won't learn just how to bake, however, as some of their star recipes include roasted cauliflower with tahini, quinoa with roasted brussel sprouts, crispy kale & fresh pomegranate, Vietnamese-style summer rolls, charred sprouting broccoli with harissa, and matcha and coconut mochi cake.

We’ve often pined for the baking abilities of those we see on the British Bake Off, and now the abilty to shape round loaves, rolls and batards, to knead and proof dough, and manipulating temperatures for the ultimate loaf is at our fingertips. Both sweet and savoury baked goods are incorporated into the classes, and both naughty and nice recipes! You needn’t be trapped by trendy food fads and uninspired ‘free from’ diets. Their recipes naturally forego ingredients like eggs, sugar, wheat or dairy so you can keep to your diet restrictions if necessary, whilst cooking and eating some tasty food.

Vegan Cornbread

There are classes once a month throughout the year, ranging from ‘Vegan Seasonal Cooking and Baking’ to ‘Seasoning & Spice’ classes. However, if you prefer cooking around your loved ones you can book a private cooking class on everyday cooking or a themed cooking class for you and your friends and enjoy the experience. Breadren uses local and seasonal ingredients wherever possible, sourcing primarily from London and the South East, an added bonus.

You can book a cooking class here from £55, and book a private cooking tutorial here for a small group of 2-5 persons for £60 per person.

London Cocktail Week

London is perhaps one of the best places for cocktails, with the endless trendy and quirky bars on offer in this cosmopolitan city. London Cocktail Week is celebrating this fabulous cocktail scene, together with 250 of the city’s best bars, to serve discounted drinks to the London masses. During Cocktail Week there will be a cocktail village at Old Spitalfields Market, where you can immerse yourself in a maze of pop-up cocktail bars and food stalls.

The bartenders can make your cocktail dreams a reality. There is no doubt that the array of ingredients and recipes will be abundant, but do not fret if you don’t drink alcohol! Mocktail lovers are welcome too. London Cocktail week isn’t just about gathering around and consuming alcohol though! There will be a whole host of fun events going on, including masterclasses, distillery tours, tastings and paired meals. Ever wanted to learn exactly how vodka is made? Hint: it's from potatoes. How to tune your palette to tasting nuances of flavours within a drink? Or maybe you just want to gather around and meet some Londoners with some drinks. We don’t blame you.

The week runs from Monday 2nd October to Sunday 8th October. All you need to do is purchase a Digital Pass to receive London Cocktail Week special offers, including unlimited £6 cocktails in more than 250 venues across the week and exclusive discounts in bars, restaurants and events.

Celebrating our gorgeous city’s vibrant cocktail scene is our kind of fun, so we’ll see you there! You can purchase the Digital Pass here for £10.