Crispy Spanish Gambas

Ready in 20 mins
Makes 10 skewers

200g raw peeled prawns
1 free-range egg, beaten
75g fine white dried breadcrumbs
4 large strips of roasted red pepper, from the jar
150ml crème fraîche
1 clove of garlic, crushed
pinch of chilli flakes

1. Heat oven to Mark 6/200°C. Thread 2 prawns each onto 10 small bamboo skewers (soaked for 20 mins in water). Brush with the beaten egg, then dip into the breadcrumbs to coat. Put onto an oiled baking tray and bake for 8 mins, turning once until golden.

2. In a food processor, whizz the remaining ingredients. Serve as a dip for the warm prawn skewers.

French Garlic Potato Skewers

Ready in 10 mins
Makes 8 skewers

2 cloves of garlic, crushed
few sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped
3tbsp olive oil
750g baby new potatoes, par-boiled

1. Mix the garlic with the rosemary and oil, then season well. Thread 3 potatoes each onto 8 small skewers (soaked in water for 20 mins, if wooden) and brush with the garlic oil.

2. Grill  (or barbecue) for about 5 mins, brushing with more oil as they cook.

Greek Feta Rolls

Ready in 20 mins
Makes 16 rolls

2 aubergines, sliced lengthways
5tbsp olive oil
200g feta, crumbled
small bunch of mint, roughly chopped
1 mild red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1. Heat a non-stick griddle pan until very hot. Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil on both sides, then fry a few slices at a time for 2-3 mins each side until char lines appear.

2. Mix together the feta, mint, chilli and remaining oil. Put 1tsp of the mixture onto the wider end of each aubergines slice, then roll up. Chill until required.

AND DON’T FORGET TO BUY IN THE EXTRA NIBBLES…

FOR CRISP LOVERS

Stock up with plenty of these just-launched crisps, which are made with the finest natural ingredients.
Tags Tasty Crisps in Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt; Sweet Chilli; Mature Cheddar & Red Onion, £1.69 each, www.tagssnacks.com – or check out Poundland, where they’ll be stocked for a limited time.

DELI-STYLE DIPS

It’s going to be a long night, so make sure you’ve got a good selection of tasty dips in.
Taramosalata, £1.09; Caramelised Onion Houmous, £1.39; Lemon & Coriander Houmous, £1.39; Tzatziki, £1.09, all Marks & Spencer.

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COOL COVER-UP

This jacket is such a flattering shape – wear it with everything from your favourite jeans to a pretty dress.

Pink and cream neon blazer, £30, 6-22, Dorothy Perkins.
www.dorothyperkins.com

SPIKEY STATEMENT

This is a real magpie piece, and we can’t believe the price! This is a great way to work the neon look if you don’t want to go OTT.

Neon necklace, £4, Primark.

COLOUR-POP FROCK

Smart enough for work or a posh do, but relaxed enough to go with flip-flops, too. The ultimate wear-it-anywhere buy.

Lace dress, £85, 6-20, Next.
www.next.co.uk

DESIGNER-STYLE SCARF

We’ve been lusting after a Loius Vuitton neon scarf for ages, but the price tag made us cry! Luckily, we’ve found this looky-likey that’s more in our budget.

Scarf, £5.99, Internaçionale.
www.internacionale.com

FAB NEW SANDALS

How gorgeous are these strappy little lovelies? We’ll be wearing them with a matching neon pedicure and a tan (hopefully).

Sandals, £18, 3-8, Asos.
www.asos.com

A FLASH OF NEON

Chunky earrings are a great way to update your look, and these yellow ones are at the top of our lust list.

Hex neon studs, £6.50, Miss Selfridge.
www.missselfridge.com

The post Neutral + Neon = Fabulous! appeared first on Essentials Magazine.

FOR A MOISTURE SURGE

This will give dehydrated skins a boost, while also protecting with SPF30. It smoothes over any imperfections, and it’s got a slightly glowy formula to give you a dewy spring glow.

Philosophy Be Your Best BB Cream, £22.50.
www.boots.com

FOR OILY SKINS

When you have oily skin you have to be careful not to overload your pores with too many products. This is a good choice, plus it uses white tea extracts to fight ageing and give you a beautifully smooth complexion.

Origins A Perfect World SPF15 BB Cream, £27.
www.origins.co.uk

FOR A BARGAIN THAT WORKS

Garnier was one of the first companies to bring BB creams to the UK, and we have to admit, it’s still one of our favourites. Suitable for all skins, it’s light and helps battle against all of your skin woes.

Garnier BB Miracle Skin Perfector, £6.66.
www.superdrug.com

FOR YOUR LIPS

BB creams aren’t just for your complexion – No7 has created one for your lips, too. It’s more than a lip-balm, as it nourishes, provides you with UV protection and gives you a pop of colour all at the same time. We like Blink Pink for the perfect shade to bring you into spring.

No7 BB Lips, £8.50.
www.boots.com

The post Which BB Cream Is Right For You? appeared first on Essentials Magazine.

We love this quote. If you do, too, pin it to your Pinterest board…

Find out how at www.essentialsmagazine.com/news/your-guide-to-pinterest

The post The Writing’s On The Wall appeared first on Essentials Magazine.

Introducing Novexpert: the most effective anti-ageing formulations suitable for sensitive skin, and safe for long-term use, based on medical research. Created by four French doctors, this unisex range is the first anti-ageing skincare line guaranteed to be 100% natural in origin – a true innovation.
Winner of 11 awards in just three years, the bar has been well and truly raised by this revolutionary brand. And, for two weeks only, Essentials readers can claim 20% off the entire range.

Essentials readers can claim 20% off the entire range.

How to claim

• Visit www.novexpert.co.uk and browse the range.

• Once you’ve finished shopping, enter the code ESSENTIALSMAY at the checkout.

• 20% will be taken off the total in your basket.

• There’s FREE delivery on all orders.

Offer expires 30 May 2013.

The post Get 20% Off Anti-ageing Skincare appeared first on Essentials Magazine.

BUDGET BLING

River Island is our first port of call for fab accessories, and this statement necklace is our top pick.

Gold tone leaf necklace, £6, River Island.
www.riverisland.com

THE WOW BARGAIN

We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw the price of this gorgeous dress. Flattering shape, on-trend colour and only a tenner – get one before they’re gone.

Green cutwork dress, £10, 8-20, Primark.

RETRO SUNNIES

If you haven’t picked up your summer sunglasses yet, head to Internaçionale. It has loads of trendy styles at bargain prices – perfect if you lose them constantly, like us…

Sunglasses, £5.99, Internaçionale.

SUMMER SPARKLE

We’ve had our eye on this fab twinkly top for ages, so finding out it’s been reduced by 50% seemed like a sign. It’ll look great with jeans.

Top, £9, 8-20, Matalan.
www.matalan.co.uk

BRIGHT BUY

Overhaul a tired-looking outfit with a look-at-me scarf – we’ll be snapping up this leopard-print version.

Lime green scarf, £10, Pretty Little Thing.
www.prettylittlething.com

FEET TREAT

Bin the heels and glam up the comfy way in these sandals. Just remember to paint your toenails!

Flower-trimmed sandals, £10, 3-8, George at Asda.
www.george.com

The post £10 (or less) Fashion Treats appeared first on Essentials Magazine.

We can’t resist a bit of sparkle, so we had to try Models Own Artstix Nail Polish Duos. Each has a colour at one end and a sparkly top coat at the other, so they go perfectly together, but you can mix and match, too! We say paint your nails the colour and add the sparkle to one finger – your wedding ring finger is trendiest. Or why not try to tip your nails with the glitter? Truly fabulous.

Available in eight combinations, £6 each, www.modelsownit.com.

The post Get In On The Latest Trend In Nails appeared first on Essentials Magazine.

FILMS FOR ALL

THE GREAT GATSBY (12A) THURSDAY 16 MAY
After all the hype it’s finally here. Leo DiCaprio gives a great performance as the playboy millionaire, and our own Carey Mulligan plays the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. The costumes are breath-taking and the party scenes are as lavish as we’ve seen, but is it worth the $105 million director Baz Luhrmann spent on it? Stump up your ticket money, then let us know.

ALSO OUT…

EPIC (U) WEDNESDAY 22 MAY
This great family film is about a teenage girl who is magically shrunk, then caught up in the battle to save the forest.

FAST & FURIOUS 6 (12A) FRIDAY 17 MAY
OK, so it’s not going to win an Oscar, but my goodness they’ve got some good car stunts going on.

A TV GUILTY PLEASURE

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST, SATURDAY 18 MAY, BBC1, 8PM
It might well be a gigantic cheese fest, but we’d still like to win it! So our hopes rest with Bonnie Tyler, singing Believe in Me for a TV audience of around 120 million. We were badly let down by Engelbert Humperdinck last year (second to last!) so can the Total Eclipse of the Heart singer do any better? We have our fingers crossed.

AN AWARD-WINNING READ

WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE BY MARIA SEMPLE (£12.99, WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON)
This isn’t a new book, but it’s recently made the Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist and it’s definitely worth a read. Bernadette Fox is troubled – by everything. She followed her husband to Seattle because he’s a computer genius and works there for Microsoft. But she doesn’t like it. She looks down on the mothers at her daughter’s school, despises the weather and even lies awake at night worrying about the road layout. But 15-year-old Bee, her daughter, sees none of this. Because for her, Bernadette is the best mother a girl could have. And when things start to unravel, Bernadette disappears and Bee decides to find her. It’s a funny, touching, original story.

The post Time To Enjoy Yourself appeared first on Essentials Magazine.

Inspired by the dreamy scenery of Italy, Di Palomo offers four fragrance ranges – Wild Fig & Grape, Orange Blossom with Wild Honey & Olive, White Grape with Aloe, and Tuscan Rose – all smell divine and leave your skin feeling nourished and moisturised.

To receive your discount, simply visit www.dipalomo.com and enter ESSENTIALS20 at the checkout. Offer ends 1 June.

The post 20% Off Di Palomo Range appeared first on Essentials Magazine.