Salad, but not as you know it

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apricots, Asparagus, Balsamic vinegar, BBQ, beef tomato, cherry tomatoes, cold water, crushed, dinner, Extra virgin olive oil, free range chicken breasts, friends, garlic, grated, Hot Tuna and Sweetcorn Salad, ingredients, lemon juice, lemon zest, lunch, luscious green salad, olive oil, organic butter, pan, pan of salted water, peppery leaves, picnic, pitta, plates, red chilli, red onion, Red wine, roasting, rocket, salt and pepper, serve, slivers, soft, steaks, Summer chicken salad, tasty, trimmed, tuna, Vegan, very finely sliced, Watercress, Watercress and apricot pitta bread

How many times do you buy luscious green salad, only to find it limp and sad at the back of the fridge because you don’t know what to do with it?

Full of flavour, the peppery leaves of watercress and rocket contain essential vitamins and can be a great addition to any diet.

Whether you are having friends for dinner, planning an end of term BBQ or packing a picnic for the park, we are here to share some ideas of how to get the most out of your salad leaves.

Watercress and apricot pitta bread
This vegan option takes around 10 minutes to get ready and serves two, making it a quick, easy lunch that is light but tasty.

Ingredients
1 bag of watercress and rocket (washed)
4 ripe apricots
½ a head of fresh fennel
Extra virgin olive oil
Wholemeal pitta breads
For the dressing:
75ml of extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
½ teaspoon of lemon zest
Fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

To start, halve the apricots, cut them into slices, brush them with oil and place in a hot, dry pan and cook for a minute or so, turning so they are soft.

To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper, adding more lemon juice if required.

Toast and break open the pitta bread, add the salad and apricot slices, and enjoy.

Summer chicken salad
This is perfect for a mid-week treat or a lighter alternative to a full roast with all the trimmings.

Ingredients
2 free range chicken breasts
1 x bag of watercress and rocket
1 beef tomato, sliced
60ml olive oil
Large bunch of fresh asparagus, trimmed and washed
Salt and pepper to season

For the dressing
1 red onion, very finely sliced
1 red chilli, grated
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of cold water
Salt and pepper to season

Method
Start by making the dressing as giving it time to settle before eating makes it taste best. Ensure that the onion is finely sliced into slivers and the garlic is well crushed. Put all the ingredients into a glass bowl and beat with a fork until you have a smooth mixture. Pour into a jar and put in the fridge.

We would suggest either putting the chicken on the BBQ or roasting for around 25 minutes, using any left-over garlic plus salt and pepper to season.

Cook your asparagus for two minutes in boiling salted water, then drain and set aside.
Wash the watercress and place onto each plate, then add the chicken and asparagus before drizzling on your dressing – and enjoy.

Hot Tuna and Sweetcorn Salad

Ingredients
1 bag of watercress and rocket
2 fresh tuna steaks
Cherry tomatoes
2 fresh corn on the cob
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar to drizzle
A large knob of organic salted butter
Salt and vinegar

Method
Firstly, boil your corn on the cob in a pan of salted water, chop the tomatoes and wash them, together with the watercress and place on plates.

Next, cook the tuna steaks but do note, this doesn’t take long and burning can happen easily, so don’t walk away mid-cook! Brush the tuna lightly with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place the fish in a heated frying pan over a high heat and cook for just a couple of minutes, depending on how thick the steaks are. Then, turn the tuna over and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add a drizzle of the balsamic vinegar to the salad, place the tuna on the leaves, drain and butter the corn and enjoy with seasoning as required.

Team Pure Beauty

There’s more to cucumber than sandwiches

Tags

100% natural, Absolute of Moroccan Rose, afternoon tea, Arnica, aromatherapy, bathroom cabinet, blemish prone complexions, caffeic acid, chamomile, comfort, cool, cucumber, cut, dehydration, delicate, dermalogica, Dermalogica Intensive Eye Repair, Dermalogica Overnight Treatment, diva, drift, dry, Elemis De-Stress Massage Oil, Elemis Gentle Rose Exfoliator, essential oils, exquisite, exquisite mix, fine lines, flesh, geranium, goodness, green tea, happy, hero, inflamed and irritated skin, irritated and stressed skin, lavender, Lecithin and Aloe Gel, little love, luxe, Mallow, marjoram, massaged, melissa, melting tension, morning and evening, nourish, oil, peel, picnic, radiant, refreshed, research, rosemary, sagging skin, satin smooth, Silica, silky soft, skin, sleep, smoothing, soft skin, soothe and hydrate, soothing the mind, ultra-rich cream, Vitamin C, water, young

While the humble cucumber is often only seen as an afternoon tea afterthought or an extra in a smoothie when the fridge is running low, it is actually jam-packed (excuse the pun) with natural goodness that can really benefit our skin.

The flesh might mainly be water, but it is also home to Vitamin C and caffeic acid, which both help reduce inflamed and irritated skin. The peel is often sliced away before being laid on top of ham for sandwiches, but this contains silica, which can firm sagging skin and because cucumbers are 100% natural, even people with the most sensitive skin can usually incorporate this into their beauty routine.

We did a little research and realised that quite a few of the products we sell here at Pure Beauty contain cucumber, so we thought we would let you know what’s what when it comes to this gorgeous green diva.

One of Dermalogica’s most popular products is their Skin Smoothing Cream and we know first hand that just a little goes a long way to smoothing the fine lines which are caused by dehydration. When applied to cleansed and toned normal to dry skin types, moisturising Lecithin and Aloe Gel nourishes while Extracts of Mallow, Cucumber and Arnica soothe and hydrate. Used morning and evening on a regular basis, the result will be happy, soft skin that radiates health.

Cucumber in oil might not be a match made in picnic heaven, but it works when it comes to the gorgeous Elemis De-Stress Massage Oil. Perfect for soothing the mind, melting tension and easing muscles, this exquisite mix of pure essential oils deserves a place in every bathroom cabinet. Chamomile, Cucumber, Melissa, Marjoram, Geranium, Rosemary and Lavender have been blended and is the perfect way to treat dry, irritated and stressed skin, leaving it satin smooth and silky soft. Thanks to the aromatherapy benefits of the oil, when massaged into the skin at bedtime, it offers comfort and can also help you drift off to sleep, now we didn’t know cucumber could help do that!

It’s not just aging skin that needs a little love; young, blemish-prone complexions do too and cucumber is a hero again here. The Dermalogica Overnight Treatment is a soothing, hydrating product that has been blended with Green Tea, Lavender, and Cucumber which all help to calm unhappy skin.

The Elemis Gentle Rose Exfoliator is a great way to achieve radiant, soft skin and we love it. Used weekly this luxe product is perfect for buffing away dirt and dead skin cells, leaving behind a glowing, youthful complexion. Absolute of Moroccan Rose hydrates the skin, while Jojoba Beads exfoliates it and thanks to Cucumber your whole face is tightened and left feeling cool and refreshed after the very first use. Seeing, and feeling, is believing, so give it a go.

Dermalogica Intensive Eye Repair is an ultra-rich cream that helps diminish dry lines and repair damage around the delicate eye area. Skin-replenishing phytonutrients and botanicals of Cucumber, Butcherbroom, and Arnica help achieve optimum skin health and restores suppleness. Wild Yam Extract and Pro-Vitamin B5 help repair prematurely ageing skin, while antioxidant Vitamins A, C, and E together with Grape Seed Extract protect the skin from harmful free radicals.

We can’t help you with a lunchtime buffet, but if it’s beauty products that come complete with a serving of cucumber you are looking for, get in touch and we will show you the way.

Team Pure Beauty

The Best of British Beaches

Tags

beach beauty, beautiful coastline, beer, Bigbury-on-Sea, bird spotting, blanket, blue sea, Bridlington, British soil, bucket and spade, Burgh Island, Cliff top walks, Compton Bay, Cornwall, crabbing, dolphin, Dorset, enjoying, Extreme Academy, family friendly, festival goers, flask, golden sand, Gower Peninsula, Gozo, gulls, Ibiza, ice cream, Isle of Wight, Kos, locations, lucky, Newquay, ocean reflection., passport, picnic, Pilchard Inn, powerful Atlantic swells, quiet afternoon, Rhossili, Robin Hood’s Bay, rock pools, sandwiches, Scarborough, sea and sand, shallow waters, south coast, Special, steep steps, sun, Sun cream, sunset, surf dudes, surfing, swimming, Tennyson Trail, unwrapping, visitor facilities, Wales, wall to wall sunshine, Watergate Bay, waves, West Wittering, Weymouth, white sand, windy, Yorkshire

While some people love nothing more than packing up and jetting off on a plane to Ibiza, Kos or Gozo, for others there is something special about enjoying the beautiful coastline of home.

OK, you can’t guarantee wall to wall sunshine for a fortnight, you can be pretty sure you will some pretty spectacular sun, sea and sand on British soil.

We have had a look at some of the best locations around, and hope you might rethink the need to pack your passport when you next travel.

Cornwall
If you are looking for miles of golden sand, Watergate Bay near Newquay is the place to be. Cliff top walks, crabbing, bird spotting are all on the cards and with the Extreme Academy on the beach you might learn a thing or two about surfing while you are there.

Yorkshire
North Yorkshire has many beaches with Robin Hood’s Bay, Scarborough and Bridlington being some of the most well-known and loved. If you are looking to get off the beaten track then we would suggest trying Hunmanby for a gorgeous, flat, sandy beach that soaks up the sun and doesn’t get too crowded so is perfect for a quiet afternoon of ocean reflection.

Isle of Wight
With the festival goers gone, why not join the surf dudes on stunning Compton Bay this summer? This is a brilliant spot for unpacking the deck chairs and unwrapping sandwiches and watching the waves roll in and the gulls fly by. If you fancy a walk, try the Tennyson Trail which laces along the coastline and then stop off for an ice cream and beer to top off your very British day.

Wales
There are many, many incredible beaches in Wales but one of the very best, has to be the stunning Rhossili. Sitting on the Gower Peninsula, this is home to some BIG waves and powerful Atlantic swells, so it is more about surfing than swimming but if you can make it down the steep steps, we promise you that you are in for a treat and you might even spot a dolphin if you are really lucky.

Dorset
Yes, there is the traditional seaside paraphernalia, but Weymouth is also home to an outstanding three-mile beach that is well-known and well-loved and worth a visit to. Grab a picnic, blanket, fill a flask (or water bottle) and enjoy all the south coast has to offer, but remember the sun cream because even on windy days, those rays can be strong.

Sussex
For total beach beauty, you really have to go to West Wittering. While there are some visitor facilities, the white sand and blue sea are the main attraction of this beach. Pack up the car, take the inflatables and if you stay all day, you will get to enjoy a totally mesmerising sunset.

Devon
Our list wouldn’t be complete without a pick from Devon and we are going for the family friendly Bigbury-on-Sea. The shallow waters, rock pools and glorious sand, make it the perfect place for a bucket and spade kind of day. Pack your swimmers and if you are feeling brave, when the tide goes out you can paddle towards Burgh Island and stop at the Pilchard Inn for a much-needed snack stop.

Got a beach you love? Let us know where it is as we love to explore.

Team Pure-Beauty

Make January Magical

Tags

antidote, back to work, beautiful diary, bestseller, binging, biographies, body, book, bookshop, Bridget Jones, cakes and cookies, candles, chic lit, cook, cookery skills, creative outlet, Credit card bills, crisp countryside, curries, depressed, detox, dreams, escape, exciting first chapter, feast, first chapter, fish and chips, fresh bread, friends, gloves, good book, healthy food, hotels, inspiring, January, January blues, Kindle, library, look ahead, magical, making plans, mini break, modern life, month, music, news feeds, nourishing, novel, offers, outside, overnight bag, parties, picnic, poetry, presents, pretty notebook, quiet night, sci-fi story, scones by a roaring fire, seaside B&B, social media, something special, soups, spas, stews, sun comes out, tea, thermals, thrillers, town, walks by the sea, wellies

We bet you don’t often think of January as being a magical month?

Credit card bills, back to work and a bulging waistline often get in the way of enjoy the New Year, but why not turn things round and see this as an exciting first chapter the next part of your life?

We have had a look at how you can turn what many people thing is the hardest month of the year, into something special.

Get lost in a good book
Step away from the Kindle, go into town and have a browse the shelves of your local bookshop or library. From chic lit to poetry and thrillers to biographies, there really is something for everyone. Reading lets you escape from the trappings of modern life and an hour or two away from social media and news feeds, has to be a good thing.

Go on a mini break
In true Bridget Jones style, pack your overnight bag and get away from it all. You don’t have to spend a fortune as there are many offers around for hotels and spas around, but a traditional seaside B&B can be just the escape you need. Long walks by the sea, tea and scones by a roaring fire and fish and chips out of the paper watching the sunset could be the perfect antidote to the January blues.

Write it down
They say we all have a book inside of us, why not use January to get that novel down on paper? You might not do it all in one go, but making a start on a kid’s tale or sci-fi story, rather than bingeing on box-sets will give you a creative outlet and you never know, you might produce the next bestseller?

Cook up a feast
Yes, we know we are meant to step away from the cakes and cookies, but January is the perfect time to look at nourishing your body with healthy food rather than punishing it with a detox. From stews and soups to curries and fresh bread, you can use the dark nights to brush up on your cookery skills and with some candles on the table and music in the background you can have friends over for a quiet night of catching up and making plans.

Take a picnic outside
When the sun comes out, pack a picnic, get your wellies and dine alfresco this January. Yes, you might need thermals and gloves, but there is something magical about walking in the crisp countryside and breathing in crystal clear air – take a flask of hot chocolate and you will be warm and toasty.

Plot and plan
There is nothing like a beautiful diary or pretty notebook to start a new chapter in your life. Rather than getting depressed about the parties and presents being over, use January to look ahead and plan your future. Dreams are great, but working on making them a reality can be exciting and inspiring.

Whatever you do this January, make it your most magical ever.

Team Pure-Beauty