Become a Model with Colgate MaxWhite ONE

For any girl or guy who has dreamed of becoming a model and following in the footsteps of top Elite supermodels such as Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour and Gisele Bundchen, the time is now here.

The UK arm of the 2013 Elite Model Look competition, which is sponsored by Colgate MaxWhite ONE, kicks off this weekend in Manchester and over the next few months aspiring models all over the country will have the chance to be scouted by top Elite model scouts.

Up for grabs is a modelling contract with Elite Model Management UK for the female and male winners, a spot in the prestigious World Final for the female winner, and the chance to be the new face of Colgate MaxWhite ONE for its next advertising campaign.

To launch the competition, eight models, including three finalists from last year’s competition, strutted their stuff in an impromptu fashion show around iconic locations in London.

According to a poll of 1,000 British adults, a smile is the number one factor in determining a person’s beauty. These models showed that is indeed the case – and proved their dazzling smiles are what has propelled them into the modelling industry in the past year.

Casting dates are pasted below, but people all over the country can enter online at colgatemaxwhite.co.uk.

There is also an opportunity to win a fabulous shopping spree for you and three friends in New York City, so the fun isn’t just limited to serious models.

Victoria Centre, Nottingham	27th & 28th April 2013
Lakeside Shopping Centre, Thurrock	11th & 12th May 2012
MetroCentre, Gateshead	25th & 26th May 2013
Braehead Shopping Centre, Glasgow	31st May & 1st June 2013

Hellmann’s Mayonnaise with a Touch of Garlic

Hellmann’s Mayonnaise with a Touch of Garlic

Hellmann’s has a wide range of products, bursting with taste and made from high quality ingredients.

Their products include Mayonnaise, Flavoured Mayonnaise, Salad Dressing, Tomato Ketchup, and Salad Cream.

Until recently, I haven’t tried flavoured mayonnaise before. You can add some spark to your meal with Hellmann’s Flavoured Mayonnaise to bring an exciting twist to your everyday dishes.

Hellmann’s Flavoured Mayonnaise

Hellmann’s Flavoured Mayonnaise are available in 7 different flavours: mayonnaise with a hint of caramelised onion, a twist of pepper, a hint of wasabi, a touch of garlic, a zing of lemon and a pinch of mustard.

I tried Mayonnaise with a touch of Garlic and it is very tasty.

Wedges with Touch of Garlic Mayonnaise

You can brighten up your meals with Hellmann’s Mayonnaise with a touch of Garlic.

It is made with simple and real ingredients including free range eggs, rapeseed oil, vinegar and garlic.

I enjoyed Mayonnaise with a touch of Garlic with seasoned potato wedges and loved it! It is full of flavour but not overpowering, it is just right.

The product was provided free of charge for review purposes. However the opinions expressed in this review are honest and my own.

Flavoured Poached Egg with Spinach and Mushroom Recipe

Flavoured Poached Egg with Spinach and Mushroom

As a family, we have far too much meat, so it is quite nice to have vegetarian meals once in a while.

At the moment, we are doing the Orthodox Lent until the Greek Easter on 5^th May so we are having a little break from meat/poultry for 7 weeks.

Since we are not having meat, we are replacing our protein with eggs and creating some lovely family meals. One of those is: Flavoured Poached Egg with Spinach and Mushroom.

Preparing the Flavoured Poached Eggs

Although it looks sophisticated, it is extremely easy to make, so it is perfect as a weekday meal.

Flavoured Poached Egg with Spinach and Mushroom Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4 Eggs
• 1 Onion
• 400g Spinach
• 350g Mushroom
• Olive Oil
• Herbs
• Salt and Pepper

Poaching the Eggs

Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil.

Line a small bowl with a layer of cling film, make sure there is enough cling film all around the sides of the bowl.

Crack the egg into the bowl, add a pinch of finely sliced onions and herbs, salt and pepper.

Gently mix the seasoning in the egg white, being careful to keep the egg yolk intact.

Making the Spinach and Mushroom

Seal tightly, I found easier to use a tie from a freezer bag. Cook gently for around 5 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs cooked.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy based saucepan and add the finely sliced onion.

Fry over gentle heat for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Plate up Spinach Mix then Poached Egg

Once the mushroom is cooked, add handfuls of spinach and cook it until just wilted.

Add more spinach little by little, until all the spinach has been used.

By the time the vegetables are cooked, the eggs should be ready.

Carefully remove the egg parcel from the pan and gently open the cling film to remove the egg from it.

Place some spinach and mushroom on a plate and top with the flavoured poached egg. Enjoy!

Flavoured Poached Egg for Kids and Adults

I really like poached eggs, so by using cling film, it is an easier way to poach them and retain their shapes.

You also have the option of adding herbs and seasoning of your choice.

It is a very quick and practical dish, it was a success with the whole family. Children can have one egg each, while adults could have 1-2 eggs.

Flavoured Poached Egg with Spinach and Mushroom is very filling and full of flavour.

It is a great option for a main meal just before food shopping when you are running out of ingredients. You could enjoy it with slices of crusty bread.

Although it looks complicated, it is not. It is an easy dish to make, you could add different herbs and spices to flavour your poach egg according to your taste.

This post is my entry for the #eggmainsinminutes Linky on BritMums Main Meals in Minutes sponsored by British Lion Eggs.

Cadbury Taster Competition

A few weeks ago, I mentioned about Cadbury competition to become an Honorary Cadbury Taster. I thought I would share the results with you!

Glyn Ceiriog local lands nation’s tastiest role

‘Childhood dreams come true’ as hospital worker invents tasty new word ‘absoverylicious’ to land exclusive Cadbury Taster role

Cadbury Taster

Hospital worker Jane Ballinger is enjoying the sweet taste of victory after beating over 77,000 chocolate lovers from around the country to win a new role as the ‘Honorary Cadbury Taster’.

Jane’s sweet benefit’s package will allow her to design a handful of truly unique Cadbury Dairy Milk bars, get an exclusive first taste of all new Cadbury chocolate innovation before it hits the shelves, and, as expected, receive plenty of delicious Cadbury Dairy Milk.

Cadbury Taster

Cadbury Taster

Cadbury has been challenging the nation to invent a brand new word to define the iconic and delicious taste of Cadbury Dairy Milk.  The countrywide search was kick-started by chocolate-loving chatterbox Claudia Winkleman and Booming Brit Brian Blessed.  Jane’s winning word, ‘Absoverylicious’, was chosen for its creativity and originality, landing her the tastiest role in the country.

Jane comments: “I’ve always grown up with the delicious smell of Cadbury Dairy Milk – living near the former Cadbury factory in The Wirral and now in Chirk – so this is my childhood dream coming true!  I entered 10 times and spent hours looking at other creative words for inspiration.  I’m so pleased my word, absoverylicious, has won me my dream role!”

Jane, who works as a Healthcare Records Supervisor at Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry, has been sharing the news with patients.

She comments: “Everyone’s so excited for me; my patients at the hospital have been putting in personal requests to make them a unique bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk.  The news has even spread to Hawaii with friends being in touch to say how jealous they are!”

Hayley Sosnovik, Senior Brand Manager for Cadbury Dairy Milk, says: “We’re the nation’s favourite chocolate bar*, and now Jane has the nation’s favourite chocolate role!  Jane has grown up loving the absoverylicious taste of Cadbury Dairy Milk and we couldn’t have wished for a better person to join our team.  We will be giving her an exclusive insight into our chocolatey world, as her fresh set of tastebuds will be testing every new product before public consumption.  We have no doubt there will be some celebrating in Glyn Ceiriog this week!”

Outdoor Adventure Campaign by Poppy Cat and Woodland Trust

Little man is a Poppy Cat fan, and since he met Poppy Cat at John Lewis, he loves Poppy Cat even more!

The UK’s leading woodland conservation charity, the Woodland Trust, is partnering with the popular Nick Jr. series, Poppy Cat, to launch an outdoor campaign for pre-schoolers with an ‘adventure’ platform for its VisitWoods website for one month from tomorrow, 19^th April 2013.

VisitWoods.org.uk hosts information on over 11,000 UK woods that are open to the public.

Poppy Cat Mystery Trail

Poppy Cat content has been created for the site with downloadable activity materials focusing on ‘Mystery Trail Adventures’ – available for children aged 2-6 years to engage them during family outings to the woods.

Poppy Cat Mystery Trail Adventure Pack

We were sent a cool ‘Poppy Cat Mystery Trail Adventure Pack’ to support the launch with the Woodland Trust’s VisitWoods.org.uk campaign.

To support the Woodland Trust partnership and allow Poppy Cat fans to continue the adventure at home, Nick Jr. will air nature-themed Poppy Cat episodes every day from the 18^th April at 7.15pm for two weeks.  There will also be campaign content at nickjr.co.uk alongside Poppy Cat clips, games and activities.

Poppy Cat Mystery Trail

Poppy Cat, starring the voice of Joanna Page (Gavin & Stacey), is based on the award-winning books created by Lara Jones. Poppy Cat’s heroic gusto and unquenchable curiosity propel each experience often leading to unexpected discoveries.

For more information on the Nick Jr pre-school series or the Woodland Trust Poppy Cat campaign, please visit www.poppycat.com / http://www.visitwoods.org.uk,

Older brothers and sisters can also discover more age appropriate activities via the Woodland Trust’s Nature Detectives initiative – naturedetectives.org.uk.

You can follow Poppy Cat on Twitter and Poppy Cat on Facebook.

The products were provided free of charge for review purposes. However the opinions expressed in this review are honest and my own.

True Story: ExSmokers are Unstoppable

I live with an ex-smoker. Hubby started smoking when he was only 15 years old and he would smoke around 20 a day until the day he asked me to help him to quit smoking.

I always try and help those that ask me, so of course I did whatever I could. We used to work together at the time and, as soon as he mentioned the words “quit smoking”, I popped out and got him some nicotine chewing gum.

When I got back to work, I gave him the chewing gum and by the time I was reading the instructions, I looked at hubby and he had already put in his mouth and he was chewing it, he didn’t like at all and ended up throwing it away.

Hubby found quite difficult quit smoking, but he was determined to do it and he wouldn’t give up. Soon after, we went to Germany for a long weekend to watch Greece playing in the Confederations Cup in 2005.

Hubby Playing Footbal

While we were away, hubby was busy and entertained with other things, so it was a bit easier to control his cravings.

However when we got back home, he was really tempted to start smoking again. I was starting a new job the following day and he waited for me to leave home, he picked up a cigarette from a hidden box, but he couldn’t lighten it up. That was the day he decided he wanted to be an ex-smoker.

ExSmokers are Unstoppable

Needless to say, hubby feels so much better since he quit smoking and he feels unstoppable!

The benefits of being an ex-smoker are endless: your food tastes nicer, your clothes don’t smell, you become healthier and you also save a lot of money!

I love the fact I’m not married to a smoker anymore, our house smells much nicer and his clothes smell fresher. Not only we are saving on cigarettes, we are probably also saving on air fresheners and mints!

Since hubby quit smoking, he started playing football and he’s now a goalkeeper for a local team. He enjoys life much more now that he doesn’t smoke. It’s been nearly 8 years since he had his last cigarette and he believes it is one of the best decisions he’s ever made – after marrying me, of course!

Hubby found quite hard stop smoking, it would have been much easier if he knew about ExSmokers, which is a campaign by the EU to try and help people stop smoking.

They have an app for quitting smoking called the iCoach. The platform, which is free of charge, is available in 23 official EU languages. iCoach has been proven effective, more than 30% of people who used iCoach quit smoking.

This is a sponsored post but the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Put the Kettle on with PG Tips “The Rich One”

PG Tips “The Rich One”

By now, I think everyone already knows that I love a good old cup of tea!

PG Tips has recently added to its popular new premium teas by launching The Rich One. The Rich One is for those looking for a stronger and richer tea.

PG Tips cleverly designed Pyramid bags give the tea leaves room to move so you can get even more of the great PG tips flavour.

PG Tips “The Rich One”

PG Tips has found an exciting way of making tea which captures the tea taste and aroma. First, PG Tips selects fresh leaves from tea gardens.

The high quality tea leaves are pressed to release their natural juices. Finally, the juice is added back to the tea leaves for you to enjoy!

Cup of Tea

While reading the information in the box, I was pleased to find out that the tea leaves in the pyramid bags are fully Rainforest Alliance Certified.

It means when you choose PG Tips, you are helping them to help the environment, the farmers and their families.

The Rich One is made of a complex and aromatic taste for a flavoursome treat. It is made of pressed leaves for a rich taste.

By pressing fresh tea leaves, PG Tips capture and preserve the genuine taste of fresh tea.

PG Tips “The Rich One”

In addition to The Rich One, other parts of the new premium range include The Fresh One – a crisp taste for a refreshing pick me up.

The Strong One – a bold full flavoured taste for a bit of a kick, and The Mellow One (previously The Evening One) – a smooth taste of black and decaffeinated teas to help you unwind.

I love tea and PG Tips “The Rich One” is nice and rich, just how I like it!

You can follow PG Tips on Twitter and PG Tips on Facebook.

The product was provided free of charge for review purposes. However the opinions expressed in this review are honest and my own.

Make Your Own Chocolate Pizza Kit by Prezzybox

Make Your Own Chocolate Pizza Kit

Prezzybox is the online gift shop with gifts and gift ideas for everyone, where you can find unique and personal gifts and gadgets guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face!

On Valentine’s Day, we reviewed their Love Hearts Tea Lights and Heat Changing Love Mug. They were so cute!

On Mother’s Day, we tried a Mini Cupcake Maker that makes perfect, beautifully cooked mini cupcakes in a matter of minutes – It was a success!

Melting the Chocolate

Now we were sent a Make Your Own Chocolate Pizza (RRP £12.95), which arrived in a cool pizza box.

Once it arrived, we couldn’t wait to get in the kitchen and start making our very own chocolate pizza.

The kit contains: milk chocolate buttons, white chocolate curls, jelly beans, rainbow drops, pizza pan and a recipe card.

Decorating the Chocolate Pizza

You only need a microwavable bowl, spoon, apron and an adult to supervise as chocolate could get hot.

It was extremely easy to make. First little man placed the milk chocolate buttons in to the bowl and microwave for approximately one minute or until the buttons have just melted.

The melted chocolate was carefully poured into the pizza pan, sprinkled with white chocolate curls and decorated with jelly beans and rainbow drops.

Decorating the Chocolate Pizza

The chocolate pizza was placed in the fridge for 2 minutes, then removed from the fridge to be sliced while soft and still in the pizza pan.

The chocolate pizza was returned to the fridge and left until set hard, approximately 15 minutes.

Chocolate Pizza

The chocolate pizza was then removed from the pizza pan and enjoyed! The whole family loved the chocolate pizza as it was very tasty.

I must say it was very enjoyable to make it and little man did most of it on his own (apart from melting the chocolate).

I love how colourful and bright the chocolate pizza was. It was like a rainbow!

You can create your very own chocolate pizza and tailor it to the lucky person who’s going to receive it.

You can then let your creativity fly! Sprinkle on some creamy white chocolate ‘cheese’ and add chocolate beans, jelly beans.

Little Chef and Chocolate Pizza

Since it is your chocolate pizza, you can add anything else you might have on to your pizza base to create a heavenly pizza treat made to order.

The diameter of the finished pizza is 7”/17cm and we sliced it into 8 yummy pieces of chocolate pizza.

Chocolate Pizza

Once the chocolate pizza finishes, you are left with the pizza pan so you can just buy more chocolate and decorations and carry on the fun!

Little man has already mentioned that he wants to make some chocolate pizza with marshmallows next time.

Make Your Own Chocolate Pizza would make a lovely gift to any chocolate lover, children and grown-ups!

You can follow Prezzybox on Twitter and Prezzybox on Facebook

The product was provided free of charge for review purposes. However the opinions expressed in this review are honest and my own.

If Only I had 1 Million Nectar Points #pinforpoints

Market Stall

What would you get if you had 1 Million Nectar Points?

I would spend them on my family, each one of us would get nice treat.

Let’s start with little man as it is his birthday this month. As he will be 4, I believe he deserves at least one present for each year of his life.

Little man loves playing, so I’m sure he would love a Market Stall to play in rainy day. Trike when the weather is nice.

He would also love a Sand and Water Table to have fun all year round.

His fourth and final present would be a cool Toy Workshop. I’m sure he would be delighted with his birthday presents!

Tumble Drier

For hubby, I would get a Car Stereo as we never replaced ours when it got stolen. Hubby loves playing game, so he would appreciate a PS3 to have fun with his mates.

I would love a Health Grill to make tasty food for my family, a brand new Pan Set and a cool Coffee Machine.

We really need a tumble drier as we don’t have one, so it will be top of my list!

The whole family would enjoy a nice big 3D Smart TV, Home Cinema and 3D Glasses to have fun over the weekend while watching family movies!

Gas BBQ

As summer is approaching, we would love a gorgeous Garden Furniture Set and Gas BBQ together with Hostess Server to entertain our friends!  Little man and his friends would enjoy taking into turns in the Ride On Car and the Fire Station.

Of course, we need music in any party, so little man would provide the entertainment with Keyboard and Kids Drum Kit. A Karaoke Machine would make it complete!

That’s how I would spend a million Nectar points. How would you spend yours?

You can check out my Pinterst board here for inspiration!

Old Amsterdam: The Perfect Choice for Cheeseboards

Old Amsterdam cheese is smooth, rich and creamy, easily sliceable and imbued with ripening crystals that excite the palate. It offers a beautiful depth of sweet and savory flavors.

Impress your party guests with the perfect cheese board with Old Amsterdam, a gourmet Dutch cheese with a creamy texture and a rich nutty flavour.

Old Amsterdam Cheese

Old Amsterdam can be enjoyed as an after-dinner savoury treat with a bold red wine and water biscuits, with sweet condiments such as honey-mustard or chutney.

Old Amsterdam can also be enjoyed with selections of seasonal nuts such as pistachios or almonds to cleanse the palate. It comes coated in a sleek, black wax and is an indulgent alternative to Gouda.

Old Amsterdam Cheese

So if you are having friends round for a get-together, having dinner with the family or simply want to treat yourself, Old Amsterdam is the cheese of choice this season.

A high quality, versatile, matured cheese, Old Amsterdam can also be grated, sliced, melted and cooked as part of a main course meal, a starter or appetiser or on its own as a snack. Old Amsterdam tastes best when brought to room temperature for at least one hour before serving.

Old Amsterdam Cheese

How to create the ultimate cheese board:

• The best cheese boards are made up of blue, aged, soft and hard cheeses.
• Combine different milk types to create variety: cows, goats and sheep.
• Serve approximately about 50 grams of cheese per person.
• Choose three to five different types of cheese to give your board
  some variety.
• 

  Mediterranean Vegetables Pasta with Old Amsterdam

  Take your time and don’t forget to eat the light cheeses first; bries and chevres for example. You can then make your way through the spectrum of flavours ending with the hardest cheeses; the Old Amsterdam and Gorgonzolas.

The added extras:

• Use crackers or slices of good quality raisin nut bread. The sweetness of the bread is a perfect balance with the richness of Old Amsterdam.
• Arrange grapes or slices of pears and apples around the cheese. Mix almonds and pistachios in a small bowl to cleanse the palate.

Pizza Wrap with Old Amsterdam Cheese

I was planning on enjoying our Old Amsterdam Cheese in a cheeseboard, but there was no much left by the time we all had our meal.

Old Amsterdam cheese tasted lovely with our mediterranean vegetables pasta.

We only just managed to make some lovely Pizza Wrap with Old Amsterdam Cheese.

Vegetarian Pizza Wrap

It was really simple to make. You just need to spread a thin layer of tomato passata on a wrap, then add your favourite ingredients.

Little man had Sweetcorn and Cheese Pizza Wrap, while I had Mushroom, Spinach, Sweetcorn and Cheese Pizza Wrap.

I must say it was very tasty and the rich and creamy taste of Old Amsterdam Cheese complemented our pizza wraps nicely.

Look out for it on cheese counters in Waitrose, Tesco, Booths and Morrisons, as well as independent delis and fine food shops across the UK. RRP approx. £2.49 per 150g.

You can follow Old Amsterdam Cheese on Twitter and Old Amsterdam Cheese on Facebook

The product was provided free of charge for review purposes. However the opinions expressed in this review are honest and my own.