Food For Thought – Community Cooking: Frost Loves…Wonderbag

We love this environmentally friendly slow cooker that also helps poverty-stricken families in Africa. The powerless cooker which brings power to people! Invest in insulation and this foundation donates one Wonderbag to a poverty stricken family in Africa with every one bought.

Think Empowerment, Economical, and Environmental, helping the world with the Wonderbag! Simple, slow cooking that saves energy and society. Heat it, bag it, cook it, eat it.

communitycooking

This revolutionary slow cooker will keep food heated all day long. Flavour up your lives and welcome the fabulous Wonderbag as an innovative method of home cooking! So support the motto ‘a recipe for change’ and transform the lives of yourselves and others less fortunate!

Energy efficient and effective portable power, this convenient cooking system is perfect for all occasions and places – picnics, parties and camping! You can even keep your food cool or frozen as it re­uses energy so efficiently!

Wondering where these Wonderbags are available… www.prezzybox.com for only £79.00

Features:

Insulated, heat­ retention technique

Electricity free slow cooking

Buy One, Give One campaign – Easing poverty and improving lives

Saves precious water and food in Africa cooking conditions

Reducing CO2 Emissions

Efficient cash saving, cooking time and energy

What do you think?

And the Toscar goes to …. Terminate Her

Before the Oscars Brits in LA, with presenting partner Jaguar North America‘s 7th Annual “Toscars” at The Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood, CA, took place on the evening of Feb 26, 2014, benefiting the UKares Foundation charity.  The night was a roaring success, keeping celebrities and attendees alike giggling all evening! The Toscars The Toscars is a live event that parodies the biggest award show of the year. Ten teams of ten people have 3 weeks in which to make spoofs upon the nominated films for Best Feature at the Academy Awards. The Whacademy made up of a team of experts in their field, hand selected from the Entertainment industry, decide the winners in ten categories including Best Whactor and Whactress. This year’s comedy event will be hosted by Glee’s Alex Newell, who plays Unique on the show. “I’m excited to host this year’s event. It’s for a great cause and it’s a chance for the celebs to let their hair down and have a lot of fun during an intense awards season.”

Winners announced:
BEST TOSCAR FILM presented by DORIS ROBERTS
Terminate Her – Parody of Her – Producer Matt Crabtree
BEST WHACTRESS presented by JOSHUA JACKSON
Elizabeth Arends – Shaving Mr. Hanks – Parody of Saving Mr Banks
BEST WHACTOR presented by JAIME WINSTONE
Matt Crabtree – Terminate Her  – Parody of Her
BEST SUPP. WHACTRESS presented by last years toscar winner – MICHAEL ENRIGHT
Sarah Farooqui – British Hustle – Parody of American Hustle
BEST SUPP. WHACTOR presented by JENNIFER ELISE COX
John Campbell-Mac – British Hustle – Parody of American Hustle
JAGUAR BEST CHOONS AWARD presented by PAUL OAKENFOLD
Guy Ross – Captain Phillips & The horn of Africa – Parody of Captain Phillips
BEST CUTTER (*editing) presented by ADAM WOOD
Laura Harbron – Dallas Biters Club – Parody of Dallas buyers Club
BEST SCRIBBLE (Writing) presented by JIM PIDDOCK
Ben Stanley – Captain Phillips & The horn of Africa – Parody of Captain Phillips
BEST BANG FOR BUCK (Production design) presented by MICHAEL WHETSTONE
Kerry & Evan Marlowe – Pheelaweena  -Parody of Philomeena
BEST DICTATOR presented by OSCAR NOMINATED PRODUCER BRUSNSON GRE

Laura Harbron – Dallas Biters Club – Parody of Dallas buyers Club

 

Past celebrities have included Bruce Vilanch, Janina Gavankar, Siobhan Fahey, Skeet Ulrich, Entourage Rex Lee and Academy award nominee, Eric Roberts, who stated “It was more fun than the real show.” As The Toscars grows so has the talent who get involved. This year Tim Russ who plays the Vulcan, Tuvok on the popular TV series “Star Trek: Voyager” got to direct the parody of Gravity called “Cavity” and retired adult-film actor Ron Jeremy gets to star in his first ever PG -13 movie in “British Hustle”: The Parody of “American Hustle”. Mr. Jeremy who has most recently had a whopping 2 million youtube hits of his parody of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking ball” is nominated for best Whactor. Other well-known names who have starred in previous Toscar films are Luke Evans (Fast and the furious 6, Dracula),Tehmina Sunny (Argo, The Following), Jennifer Page (The Master) and British TV star Dawn Porter. This year’s panel of celebrity judges were: Jim Piddock (Best in Show, Epic Movie) The very handsome British actor, Owain Yeomans (The Mentalist) Funny Lady Jennifer Elise Cox, World renowned DJ, Paul Oakenfold will be judging the original scores of the films and many others to be added. The Toscars was inspired by the Michel Gondry movie ‘Be Kind, Rewind” starring Jack Black and Mos Def, in which they have to recreate blockbuster movies on a shoestring budget. Actor and Co-creator Craig Robert Young said “It just seemed like a great way to have some fun with other people in the industry and raise some money for a good cause. We aren’t poking fun at the Oscars, so much as we are paying respect with a cheeky nudge and a wink in our very British humourous way. We are also delighted that Jaguar North America are presenting partners this year, especially as they recently debuted their first ever Super Bowl ad “Rendezvous” starring three iconic British actors, as part of their “British Villains” campaign,  – a partnership with Brits in LA seemed like a perfect fit. We look forward to a fruitful long-lasting relationship with Jaguar and thank them for their support” — Last year the Parody of Les Miserables renamed Miserable Lesbians took home the big prize and went on to become a stage show which toured London’s West End, Off Broadway and the Edinburgh Fringe.

Isabell Kristensen From Dressing Princess Charlene of Monaco To ‘The Darling Buds of Jamaica’

Jamaica holds first ever ‘haute-couture’ fashion show in its 400 year history

First she posed underwater for a shoot inspired by The Little Mermaid, then she did the costume design for film Shanghai Baby, now Danish-born, Monaco-London based Isabell Kristensen is putting Jamaica’s blossoming fashion industry on the world map.

Catwalk 2 Catwalk 4 Theresa Roberts (C), with two young up-and-coming designers Natalie Christine (L) and Christopher Childs (R)

Kristensen, famous for dressing Katy Perry, Nicole Kidman and Kate Winslet and her fragrance Dreams loved by Snoop Doggy Dog’s wife Shante Broadus, presented her ‘Jamaican Boa and Orchids’ inspired fashion collection worn by ‘Natural Beauties’ hand picked from the island for the catwalk called ‘Dawn to Dusk’ at Hanover Grange at the Tryall Estate and Sandal’s private island.

Young up-and-coming Jamaican fashion designers Christopher Childs and Natalie Christine also featured during Kristensen’s show.

 

The event raised funds for the Jamaican Arts Council.

 

Organiser of the fashion event Theresa Roberts, Europe’s largest collector of Jamaican Art says: “The event evoked memories of the 50s and 60s when Jamaica was the glamour destination of choice for the European jet set and Hollywood A list.

 

“The natural splendour of the island and infectious excitement of its people combined with the highest quality events such as this surely mean that the sophisticated elite will quickly rediscover the pleasures that “The Rock” has to offer”.

Jamaica is fast becoming a powerhouse in arts & culture. In New York, Jamaican artists sell for big money, which is now taking off in Europe following a recent House of Lords exhibition organised by Theresa Roberts.

 

Jamaica is no longer just about Bob Marley, Jamaica’s Winter Olympic Bobsleigh team from ‘Cool Runnings’ and Usain Bolt.

 

Proceedings to this event went to supporting students at The Edna Manley Art College. They are all making the world take Jamaican arts and culture seriously.

The Oscars Red Carpet – Get The Look

Emma Watson

emma watson - oscar stylrimage001
0.50 Carat Diamond Hoop Earrings in 18k White Gold- £999

 

Jennifer Lawrence

image003Jennifer Lawrence

 

 

 

 

 

0.50 Carat D/VVS2 18k White Gold Stud Diamond Earrings- £999

 

Kerry Washington

kerry washington - oscar styleimage005

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.00 Carat Tennis Diamond Bracelet- £9,969

 

All available from Vashi.com

What do you think?

 

Bonnie Marcus Collection Book Reviews

We received two cool books to review from the Bonnie Marcus Collection: Guilt-Free Girl Desserts and Cupcakes & Cocktails. First impressions of the book is that they have a great design. Second is: I am now hungry. And I want a cocktail.

Guilt-Free Desserts is my kind of book. Who doesn’t want to eat dessert without getting fat? It may seem like a pipe-dream but you can make dessert as guilt-free as possible. These desserts are low calorie, there are a lot of figure-friendly recipes. Some of the desserts have fewer than 250 calories each. The book is bursting with great desserts that will make you a domestic goddess. It is hard to choose a favourite but I particularly thought the Banana and Coconut Ice Cream Balls looked amazing.

The book also lets you know what ingredients to add that are super-foods and will make you healthier. This is a stylish book with great dessert ideas.

Bonnie Marcus collection, cupcakes and cocktails, guilt-free desert.

Cupcakes & Cocktails

Cupcakes and cocktails. Just so yummy and they really make a party. This book even helps you match cupcake and cocktail flavours, or make the ingredients clash. There is even cocktail cupcakes to try.

This book should be on every bookshelf. It has a huge amount of cupcakes and cocktails, all delicious. It doesn’t just have recipes, it also has tips on baking. There is also a lower calorie chapter and a chapter entirely on chocolate. Heaven awaits. There are so many to try it will take a while to get through them all. Which is only a good thing as it will be a lot of fun.

 

Bonnie Marcus launched her stylish stationery company, the Bonnie Marcus Collection “Where Fashion Meets Paper®” in 2002 from her dining room table, while expecting her first child.

As a former wedding planner in New York City, Bonnie was well-known for her event planning expertise, and found there was a void in the stationery market in terms of fashion-forward, stylish designs. She decided to combine her passion for fashion (having worked for designer Diane Von Furstenberg) with her love of event planning, and her collection took the stationery industry by storm!

Bonnie’s stylish designs are now available in thousands of retail stores world-wide, and celebrity fans include Cindy Crawford, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross and many others. Bonnie has been recognised as a pioneer for women in business and is proud to be an established partner of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Autism Speaks.

Available from Amazon UK

 

Pudology Banoffee Pie And CHI Natural Chocolate Coconut Milk Review

We were pretty delighted to review Pudology Banoffee Pie and CHI Natural Chocolate Coconut Milk. Our first thoughts about Pudology was just what an amazing name it was. The design is great too but none of that is as important as the taste. So how was it? Well, before we get to that let me just tell you that the puds are dairy and gluten-free. Because of this we thought maybe it wouldn’t taste as good. How wrong we were. They are amazing. Absolutely delicious. We are converted. Available from Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.

Pudology-banoffee

CHI’s Natural Chocolate Coconut Milk

Coconut milk (and water) is hugely popular at the moment and chocolate is, well, always popular. If you love coconut you will love this. It is also dairy free.  It is delicious and less guilt inducing than other chocolate drinks. Available from Whole Foods and Amazon UK. RRP £1.79 for 330ml

chi natural chocolate cocnut milkBeing healthy never tasted so good.

 

Big Easy Covent Garden launching on 17th March

Big Easy Bar.B.Q & Crabshack: the evolution

A new 300-cover, American Bar.B.Q restaurant and bar in Covent Garden

the big easy covent garden

London’s Chelsea institution, Big Easy Bar.B.Q & Crabshack will open a new restaurant in Maiden Lane in March 2014. Taking inspiration from its King’s Road sibling it will offer a serious evolution of the beloved ‘crabshack’ in a more urban West End setting. The new venue will provide the most authentic, American fresh-smoked Bar.B.Q, seafood, cocktail and drinks offer in the UK.

 

In the kitchen taking the coveted and key role of Pit Master will be Pete Daversa, former pit master at Hill Country Barbeque Market in New York. Pete has also worked at Blue Smoke BBQ (NYC and opened in Hong Kong). Big Easy Founder, Paul Corrett’s design vision has been overseen by industry heavyweights Macaulay Sinclair.

 

The site has a formidable history: it is located in a former electrical power station built in 1883, owned by the Gatti Brothers and first used to light their own restaurant, ‘The Adelaide’ on the Strand. On the back of their success in the electricity business , the Gattis’ then formed the Charing Cross & Strand Electricity Supply Company and the site went on to power the first bright lights of the West End. The interior will honour the building’s original heritage, retaining many authentic features, such as copper conduits, brickwork, and steel and concrete girders, complemented by industrial lighting. Exposed timber beams and lots of Big Easy appeal – neon lobsters, Americana and nautical touches will add to the charm – set over three floors and 10,000 sq ft, forming an awe-inspiring space.

 

A central feature will be the striking nine metre theatre-style kitchen situated on the lower ground floor. Focus will be on a ‘wall of fire’, comprising two, 2.5 metre Argentinean-style parilla charcoal grills as well as a two-metre rotisserie spit that will roast whole hogs, and a huge 2.5 metre wood burning oven. A dedicated Bar.B.Q pit area will house two, 1.5 tonne J&R wood burning smokers imported from Texas where meats will all be freshly smoked on the premises using a variety of woods, including Oak, Hickory, Apple and Cherry, for up to 18 hours to impart their unique flavours.  Diners can keep an eye on what has just come out of the smoker via the restaurant’s website and social media.

 

The menu itself will be based around the finest Bar.B.Q pork and beef cuts, rare-breed British steaks and freshest local seafood.  In addition, carefully sourced beef including Wagyu and USDA and traditional-breed pork will be showcased together with what Big Easy is also renowned for – the very best and freshest lobsters. The lobsters will be sourced all year round from Nova Scotia for their consistency, flavour and quality. A specially designed 1500kg lobster tank has been constructed on the premises to house almost 2,000 live lobsters with sizes ranging from 1 to 10 lbs. As always Big Easy’s ever popular daily-changing specials will continue to ensure unparalleled value for money.

 

Big Easy Covent Garden are getting serious about their drinks offering too: situated on the ground floor, will be a jaw-dropping, nine-metre bar, boasting over 500 bottles on nine levels with a focus on domestic and imported premium and American whiskeys, as well as rare tequila, rum, liquor and French and Spanish brandy. Imported, purpose built cocktail machines will dispense frozen Margaritas and other well loved cocktails as well as Manhattans and Old Fashioneds on tap. The bar list will also include ‘Boozy Juices’ and milkshakes with an alcoholic twist and a great list of craft beers including exclusive brews on tap.

 

Big Easy will continue to boast live music seven nights a week with two to three sets a night featuring some great musicians, with perhaps a few stars of the future making an appearance.

 

 

Big Easy Covent Garden
12 Maiden Lane
London

@bigeasylondon #thebiglaunch

www.bigeasycoventgarden.co.uk