Why we love | Going to bed early in summer

Illustration by Guiomar Bohigas

Summer feels like a time for staying up late, but just occasionally it’s worth remembering the joys of going to bed while the sun is still up

1. It makes you feel briefly like a child again. Remember going to bed when it was light outside, sun still streaming in through the curtains (and you were sure you could still hear your friends playing outside?) You can recapture childhood summers by turning in early, watching the light fade through the curtains and listening to people walking by, the neighbours watering their tomatoes and summer life going on all around you, while you’re in the safety and comfort of your bed. 

2. You can read by daylight. Going to bed with a book is always cosy in winter but being able to read your bedtime story in the sunshine is really special. You don’t have to stick to reading though; if you’re in bed nice and early you might like to listen to a podcast or ebook, or even take your phone to bed and have a catch-up with a friend before settling down for the night. 

3. Instead of cosying up, think of it as ‘cooling down’. Have a tepid shower or bath, take a cold drink with plenty of ice up with you and enjoy cool, cotton sheets at the end of a warm day. 

4. The birds can sing you to sleep. As you’re settling down for the night you’ll get to hear the birds chattering to each other as they roost, too. Download an app like Merlin and you might be able to identify which sorts of birds you have in your garden at dusk.

5. Early to bed means early to rise! If you’re asleep by 9pm you’ll be able to spring (well, saunter, perhaps) out of bed by 5am and get a head start on the day. Summer breakfasts are always best enjoyed alone in the garden before anyone else has got up. 

In our July issue, Rebecca Frank looks at how to improve your quality and quantity of sleep in summer time. The issue is in shops now or you can order it from our online store direct to your doorstep.

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Primer | Cricketing Terms

Anyone for cricket? Learn a little of the lingo so you can keep up with events on the pitch as you enjoy a cricket tea from the safety of the picnic blanket

Badger - a very enthusiastic cricketer

Baggy green - the dark green cap worn by the Australian cricket team since the early 1900s

Cafeteria bowling (aka buffet bowling) - bowling so pathetic it allows the batters to simply 'help themselves' to wickets

Castled (see also 'Yorker', below) - If you are 'skittled out' you are dismissed as batsman pretty quickly. If you are 'castled out' you are dismissed as the result of a Yorker. 

Chin Music - a bowling technique where the ball is designed to bounce and target the batsman's chin or throat

Cow corner - the part of the field between deep mid wicket and wide long on. Fielders are rarely placed there so the idea is cows could happily graze on it during the match.

Dibbly Dobbly - a bowl that is neither fast nor slow and with no special technique

DLS (Duckworth Lewis Stern) method - If rain stops play this mathematical formula determines the winner or whether the match can be played but shortened. The sum is based on analysis of past matches. 

Dolly - an incredibly easy catch that the fielder barely has to move to make.

Duck  and Golden Duck - A Duck is when the batsman is dismissed without scoring. A Golden Duck is when they are dismissed on the first ball. 

Pie chucker - a rather poor bowler whose delivery gives the ball a look of a 'pie' in the air

Yorker - A difficult ball to bat in which the ball hits the pitch close to the batter’s feet. May originate from Yorkshire or come from the (somewhat unfair, we think) 18th century term 'to pull a Yorkshire' meaning 'to deceive'. 

If all that has just got you fancying a Pimms and a cucumber sandwich, you might enjoy our ‘gathering’ feature ‘All Out For Tea’ in our June issue. It’s a menu for a cricket tea including Veggie Picnic Pie, Cucumber Skewer Sandwiches, Homemade Lemonade and much more.

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Recipe | Veggie Picnic Pie

Everybody loves a slice of pie, and this shortcrust pastry packed full of veggies is certain to
be a winner at any picnic

Serves 8

6 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced 

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

250g spinach, washed 

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 

1 large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1-2cm cubes 

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut
into cubes 

2 courgettes, ends cut off and roughly chopped

1 large aubergine, ends cut off and roughly chopped 

1 red pepper, stalk removed, deseeded and roughly chopped

2 x 320g packs of shortcrust pastry

100g parmesan cheese 

1 lemon, zested 

125g soft goat’s cheese

1 egg

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion and garlic for about 10 mins, or until it starts to turn translucent. In the final minute, add the spinach and stir until it wilts. 

2 Add the chopped sage and apple cider vinegar and stir through. 

3 Place the squash and sweet potato in a large roasting tin with 2 tbsp of the olive oil, season and roast
for 45 mins, or until soft. 

4 Place the courgettes, aubergine and pepper in a large roasting tin. Season and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Roast for 35 mins, taking out halfway through to stir the veg, which ensures even cooking and stops them from sticking together. 

5 Combine the two pastry packs into one big ball and divide into one large piece (two-thirds) and one smaller piece (one-third). On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the larger piece into a circle a few millimetres thick, then place into a greased 23cm cake tin, letting it hang slightly over the sides.

6 Fill the base with the cooked onion, garlic and spinach. 

7 Grate half the parmesan on top and add half the lemon zest, then season. 

8 Crumble half the goat’s cheese over the filling, then add the roast peppers, aubergines and courgette, followed by the roasted sweet potato and squash. Grate the remaining parmesan and add the rest of the
zest before seasoning once again. Break up the remaining goat’s cheese over the top. 

9 Crack the egg into a small bowl, whisk it with a fork and use a pastry brush to spread the egg around the rim of the pastry. Roll the smaller pastry piece into a circle and place on top of the pie, pinching the edges together to seal the top and sides. Use your fingers to create a scalloped pattern around the rim. Brush the top with the rest of the beaten egg and make a small 2cm incision in the middle of the pastry top to allow the steam to escape during baking. 

10 Bake the pie for 40-45 mins, or until the pastry crust turns golden. Remove the pie from the oven
and place on a cooling rack. It can be served warm or cold.

This recipe is from our feature ‘All Out For Tea’ from our June issue, which features recipes and ideas for an afternoon of picnicking while watching cricket. As well as this delicious picnic pie you’ll find recipes for Homemade Lemonade, Cucumber Skewer Sandwiches, Sweet Potato & Feta Rolls, Ploughman’s Sandwiches and a Lemon & Raspberry Cake. The recipes are by Kay Prestney and the Photography by Rebecca Lewis.

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How to | Embrace a Heatwave

Image by Getty

For some of us the now almost annual week’s heatwave is the best week of the year. But for those of us who ‘don’t do well in the heat’ it might not feel like cause for celebration. But rather than simply trying to ‘beat the heat’ we’ve found a few ways to embrace it and learn to love a heatwave.

Fake a week in the tropics

If it’s going to feel like the Bahamas you might as well enjoy the benefits of a beach holiday. Set up a paddling pool or plunge pool in the garden, pop some wave sounds on your iPod, grab a trashy novel and pour inadvisable cocktails - if you pop your Martini on a stool beside the pool you can squint a bit and imagine a swim-up bar situation. Bonus points if you happen to have a palm tree in your garden. 

Shift your day earlier

Rise early and you can get your day’s activities done before the mercury goes mad. Get up with the sun, have a cool shower and find yourself at the lido or out in the park with the dog before the day is even begun. Then have a cool walk or do a few lengths and you can be leaving (smugly) well before the middle-of-the-day fools arrive. Pollen count is lower earlier in the day, too, it’s a good time of day for hay fever sufferers to get their stuff done. 

Or shift it later

Invite friends over after dark for supper in the garden, or to a park picnic. By 8pm it’s usually starting to cool down and you may even get a little breeze over your alfresco dinner. Or move your beach barbecue from lunchtime to sundown. Because sunny days are all very well but, as Sandy and Danny said in Grease, “Oh… Those summer nights!” 

Siesta

The southern Europeans know how to deal with a hot day and that’s a nice nap in the middle of things just when your brain is beginning to give up. Podcast or audio book on. Curtains closed. Starfish on the bed in very little clothing. A nap is good for your brain health and wellbeing and, after forty winks, you’ll feel ready to take on the rest of the day, but we also think the fine art of napping is one to enjoy simply for its own pleasures.

Experience summer indoors

On high summer days, it’s often cooler indoors than out, but staying inside also gives you the chance to do things you might not usually do at this time of year… Box sets, books you put down back in February, low-energy DIY projects are all ways to throw yourself into doing very little, in the way you usually do in the ‘slow’ months of winter. We tend to race around in summer, seeing people, doing things, going out. View a heatwave day as something like the opposite of a snow day and embrace the time just doing very little at home. Book a day off work and find some books, films and box sets to get stuck into. 

Do ‘cool’ cooking

Another good indoor heatwave activity is cooking that requires no oven. We’re thinking something a bit more challenging than salads here; this is about taking time to enjoy the activity rather than just flinging cold ingredients onto a plate because you can’t be bothered to cook. Chilled soups are pleasingly delicious. Try cucumber or tomato. If you’re feeling fancy, The Simple Things’ blog has a recipe for an excellent Cherry Gazpacho with Tarragon Oil that requires no cooking at all. Or you might like to make no-bake or fridge cakes so you can get your baking fix without putting the oven on. There’s a recipe for a no-bake Cheesecake that we recommend on our blog as well as a good Chocolate Fridge Cake . Swap your usual cuppa for an iced tea or coffee and sit down with a slab of fridge cake and a good book.

Soak in a cool bath 

Baths don’t have to be a steamy affair. Run a lukewarm bath and escape for an hour with a cool drink and the radio. If you’re doing your bit for a summer water shortage, you can easily make a ritual out of a ‘mini bath’ too. Soak your feet in a bowl of water with a few drops of essential oils added, or take ten minutes in the bathroom to run your wrists under the cold tap and gently splash cool water on your face and neck to feel instantly refreshed and create a ‘wellbeing break’ in a hot day. 

Head somewhere naturally cool

Eschew the beach and other sunny spots for places with plenty of shade. Churches, galleries and museums are often either naturally cool or air-conditioned. And the best bit is they’re usually quiet on hot, sunny days, too. 

Break all the rules

Record-breaking temperature days are like Christmas week - a time for throwing the norms out the window. Embrace it with ice-creams whenever you fancy, move meal times to whenever works for you and if lunch looks like a tomato salad and a slushie at 3pm that’s absolutely fine. If anyone questions your choices, look confused and say ‘Goodness, it’s this HEAT! I just can’t THINK!’ and refill your slushie.

If what you need to embrace a heatwave is a nice cool breeze wafting towards you (like the lady pictured above), you might enjoy reading our ‘looking back’ feature on fans, which we’ve called ‘A of a Flutter’, in our July issue, in shops now. You can even learn how to send coded messages with a quick flick of your fan.

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Recipe: A wild midsummer cocktail

Celebrating the solstice tonight? You can whip this cocktail up quickly or take your thyme and make the syrup, too. Happy Litha!

Serves 1
30ml thyme syrup* (that you prepared earlier) or simple syrup
(if you didn’t)
2 sprigs lemon thyme (if you haven’t made the thyme syrup)
2 large or 3 medium strawberries, washed and sliced
60ml white rum, vodka, or gin
22ml freshly-squeezed lemon juice
soda water
ice cubes

Garnish
lemon thyme sprig, sliced
strawberry
lemon wheel
straw

Tools
muddler
cocktail shaker with strainer
collins glass

1 Fill the glass with ice. If you haven’t made thyme syrup (below), smack 2 fresh sprigs of thyme between your palms to release the essential oils. Drop into the cocktail shaker with a dash of simple syrup.

2 If you have made thyme syrup, skip the step above and instead muddle the strawberry slices thoroughly with a dash of the thyme syrup in the shaker, to release all the strawberry juice. If you like, you can let them sit for about 30 mins to macerate slightly.

3 If you’re using fresh thyme, add strawberries now and muddle as above. For both methods, pour the rest of the thyme or simple syrup and your remaining ingredients (except the soda water) into the shaker.

4 Fill it two-thirds of the way up with ice, cover and shake hard for 20 seconds. Strain the mixture into the glass of ice. Don’t worry about tiny bits of thyme; they look attractive.

5 Garnish with a fresh sprigs of lemon thyme, strawberry slices, and a lemon wheel. Add the soda water and a straw.

*Thyme Syrup (for the Strawberry Lemony Heaven cocktail)

Makes approximately 250ml

250ml water
200g caster sugar
4 sprigs thyme, each about the length of a finger

Equipment
Sealable, heatproof presentation bottle, sterilized

1 Stir the water and sugar together in a non-stick pan over a low heat and let simmer for 2 mins.

2 Smack the unwashed thyme between your palms to release the oils and drop them into the pan. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Let the thyme infuse for 10 mins.

3 While still piping hot, strain the liquid into a wide-mouthed pitcher, then funnel into the sterilized presentation bottle and seal.

4 Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

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Cocktail recipes from Wild Cocktails from the Midnight Apothecary by Lottie Muir (CICO Books, £16.99). Over 100 recipes using home-grown and foraged fruits, herbs and edible flowers. www.thecocktailgardener.co.uk

Playlist | Fruit

DJ: Frances Ambler
Image: Adobe Stock

We put together a fruity playlist to accompany our new July FRUIT issue. Have a listen here.
An easy way to get in your 17-a-day.
We compile a playlist for every issue of the magazine. Have a browse of them all here.

Competition | Win a night at Updown on the Kent Coast worth up to £450

With great food, music and scenery, the Kent coast has so much to offer – including Updown, where we have a one-night stay to be won

This summer, if you’re after a dose of pure escapism and plenty of vitamin sea, Deal, on the Kent coast, has everything you’re after and more.

With its award-winning high street, lanes of quaint fishermen’s cottages and well-preserved Georgian houses, it’s one of the UK’s prettiest seaside destinations and the ideal location for a long weekend away.

This tiny but terrific town has a history as colourful as the buildings that line the seafront and it’s fast becoming one of the country’s most popular seaside spots thanks to its cultural vibe and thriving music and food scenes. With excellent road and rail connections to the capital, plus its proximity to the port at Dover, Deal is easy to get to, but a world away from the hum-drum of the everyday.

Wonderful in summer with the beach, pier, plenty of al fresco eating and drinking spots, and a busy seasonal events programme, it’s equally beguiling in winter with cosy pubs, cafés and restaurants, plus independent theatre, galleries and music venues.

A few miles inland is the beautiful 17th century former farmstead of Updown, the much-lauded restaurant with sumptuous rooms owned by Oli Brown and Ruth Leigh. With acres of well-tended gardens and woodland to explore, it’s an idyllic spot to relax and unwind after a day spent sightseeing. Guests are encouraged to treat the house as a home from home, so you’ll find a library with books, games and newspapers, as well as a fully-stocked honesty bar for guests.

If Updown has now leapfrogged its way up your bucket list, then this competition is for you. The Simple Things has a one-night dinner, bed and breakfast package* at Updown to be won, worth up to £450. Dinner will be served in the conservatory restaurant, where you can watch the chefs create your meal in the open kitchen. Menus are small, hyper seasonal and use the very best of local and European produce. There’s also a list of exciting wines, local beers and seasonal cocktails to choose from. Afterwards, wend your way to bed in one of the luxuriously appointed bedrooms for a peaceful night’s sleep before breakfast the following morning, setting you up for another day of exploring the glorious Kent coast.

For more on Deal and the surrounding area, visit: whitecliffscountry.org.uk
or follow @visitdover. For more on Updown, visit: updownfarmhouse.com or follow @updownfarmhouse_ 

How to enter

For your chance to win a one-night stay at Updown Farmhouse with dinner, bed and breakfast, enter our competition by clicking the button below and answering the following question by the closing date of 6 August 2025.

Q: Deal is on the coast of which UK county?

Terms and conditions

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 6 August 2025. One winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. Subject to availability. The winner cannot transfer the prize or swap it for cash. *The prize is for two people and must be redeemed within a year of receipt (excludes 23-25 Aug 2025; 20 Dec 2025 - 1 Jan 2026; 14 Feb 2026 and 3-6 April 2026). The winner is responsible for transport to and from the venue. Details of our full terms and conditions are on p125 and online at: icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

Sponsored post | Enjoy a pizza the action with ESSE

Make the most of your outdoor space, with great food and warmth, thanks to ESSE’s garden stove and built-in pizza oven

Summer’s here and it’s time to embrace it, whatever the British weather may throw at us. Whether that’s enjoying homemade pizza in the bright sunshine, or cosying up on cool evenings around the fire.

To help make the most of this cherished, yet changeable, season, master British stove maker ESSE has unveiled its Garden Stove with pizza oven and hotplate. Along with welcome warmth and a clear view of the flames, al fresco diners can also enjoy large pizzas in just two minutes, with an authentic wood-fired flavour.

Ever versatile, wheels mean that, unlike a built-in pizza oven, you can easily move it from place to place – to chase the sunny spots, escape wet weather, or simply to store it away. It also comes with a 1000mm flue pipe to take smoke up away from garden gatherings and has a built-in rear air slide to control the burn rate. There’s a grate log bed with ash pan, and it comes supplied with a heat-proof leather mitt

The wood-fired pizza oven provides a sustainable, hassle-free way of producing restaurant-quality pizzas with a delicious charred crust. High temperatures also burn off residue, leaving a clean cooking surface ready for the next use.

ESSE’s Garden Stove with pizza oven isn’t restricted to just the warm weather months, either. Once the nights start to draw in again, this traditional-looking stove enables you to stay outdoors for longer, enjoying its flickering flames and welcome warmth, with plenty of surface space to rest your hot drinks on.

For information, inspiration, or to find a local showroom, visit: esse.com.

How to | Start Snorkelling

Photography by Emma and Gordon Taylor

If you’re diving in for the first time, here’s how to get started on your snorkelling adventures

• Exploring rockpools from dry land is a great way to learn about the marine environment and requires no special skills or equipment. Adding goggles or a mask and snorkel to get a closer view is the logical next step – perhaps trying a larger tidal pool, or finding a shallow, sheltered bay with no currents where you can explore in calm, waist-deep water. Relax, take a few slow, deep breaths and then lower your face into the water to enjoy those first few breaths with the snorkel.

• Remember to stay shallow while you build up your experience and confidence.

• Another great way to get started is to join an organised snorkel tour. This will introduce you to basic snorkelling skills while learning about the marine life you see. Many instructors and organisations including The Wildlife Trusts offer guided excursions.

• You can also take a formal snorkelling qualification. This will teach you how to select the correct equipment, assess a site for suitability and build a greater understanding of what it takes to be safe in the water. If you are looking to buy your own mask and snorkel do make sure it’s from a reputable manufacture since cheap, poorly-designed equipment can be dangerous.

You can read more about great places to snorkel around Britain in our feature, ‘Down Under’, in our June issue. It’s an extract from Snorkelling Britain: 100 Marine Adventures by Emma and Gordon Taylor (Wild Things). Readers can get 20%* off and free P&P with discount code SIMPLETHINGS at wildthingspublishing.com

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Recipe | Chopped Salad

Photography by Hugh Johnson

This recipe is all about the crunch. Thanks to the red cabbage and beetroot, it’s striking, too.

Serves 4–6

3 radishes, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

¼ red or white cabbage, finely chopped

2 gherkins, finely diced

1 mini cucumber or ¼ cucumber, diced

2 cooked beets, diced

1 spring onion, finely chopped

1 apple, finely chopped, tossed

with the juice of ½ lemon

For the dressing:

½ lemon, juiced

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp creamed horseradish or

wholegrain mustard

1 tsp thyme leaves

½ tsp sugar

1 Start by making the dressing. Place the lemon juice, olive oil, creamed horseradish or mustard, thyme leaves and sugar into a jar. Screw on the lid and shake well to combine. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

2 Mix the salad ingredients together in a large serving bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss to coat thoroughly. Serve immediately.

Taken from The Kew Gardens Salad Book by Jenny Linford (Kew Publishing). Recipe photography: Hugh Johnson. For more salads from Kew, don’t miss our feature, Salad Days, in our June issue.

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Competition | Win a case of eco-friendly wine

Sea Change is the wine brand with a conscience – and The Simple Things has four cases of eco-friendly wine up for grabs, worth £77.49 each.

Love wine and care deeply about our planet? You’ll find the perfect harmony in Sea Change Wine. Each bottle represents sustainable wine making at its best, crafted not only for taste but also with respect for the environment.

Sea Change has combined its passion for great wine with its love for the ocean. Sea Change is committed to combatting the ongoing threat of ocean pollution and single-use plastics; every bottle of Sea Change sold supports marine conservation projects globally. The wines are thoughtfully packaged to minimise environmental impact - they’ve removed the unnecessary plastic wrap around the corks, and use recycled materials, lighter-weight glass, and labels made partly from grape waste, ensuring your enjoyment doesn't come at nature's expense.

In addition, by choosing Sea Change, you not only enjoy exceptional, beautifully crafted wines but also actively contribute to protecting our ocean and marine wildlife. Every bottle purchased results in a donation to a range of charities dedicated to defending and nurturing our ocean. With more than €600,000 raised to date, each sip you take helps fund initiatives aimed at preserving our rivers, waterways, coastlines, and seas for generations to come.

Sea Change has white, rosé, red, sparkling, organic and 0% alcohol free wines available in its range. Visit the website to explore the selection, choose your favourites, and enjoy convenient delivery directly to your door. These wines also make an ideal gift for any occasion.

Raise your glass to delicious wines, ocean conservation, and a healthier planet—choose Sea Change Wine.

How to enter

We’re delighted to offer you an opportunity to experience Sea Change’s award-winning wines. To be in with a chance of winning a case of Sea Change wine just click the button below and answer the following question:
Q: To date, how much have Sea Change Wine raised and donated to a range of charities from their sales?

Terms & conditions

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 21st July 2025. Four winners will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. The winner cannot transfer the prize or swap it for cash. The winner must be 18 years or over since the prize incorporates alcohol. Identification will be requested when delivering the prizes. Details of our full terms and conditions are on p125 and online
at: icebergpress.co.uk/comprules

For more information visit seachangewine.com or follow on Instagram and Facebook @seachangewine

Books | Lighthouse Literature

We shine a light on a few of our favourite books set in lighthouses

There’s definitely something about a lighthouse that appeals to authors. Perhaps it’s the solitude and nature of life lived in a liminal space right on the edge of land. They certainly are a very visual literary trope - we all know what a lighthouse looks like, and they cut a dramatic figure on the landscape. It’s perhaps no wonder they feature in so many works of fiction. Here are a few of the most well-loved…

To The Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf

Woolf’s stream-of-consciousness novel follows the Ramsay family across several years and a trip to a lighthouse that feels like it may never come. We’ll be honest, the lighthouse trip itself is a bit underwhelming in the end, but the novel is so different to anything that had come before and is still in a league of its own. 

Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer

This deliciously creepy novel follows four women who have been sent to investigate ‘Area X’. They are the 12th team to have been sent; the previous 11 teams either did not return or returned utterly changed. Within Area X is a lighthouse in which they find unfinished journals and signs of a struggle…

The Lighthouse, Edgar Allen Poe

If you enjoy ‘creepy’ no one does it like the master, Edgar Allen Poe. Perhaps the creepiest thing about this work of fiction is that it is unfinished; Poe died while he was writing it. The book takes the form of a ‘diary’ belonging to the solo keeper of the lighthouse, who takes enormous pleasure in his solitude. 

Lighthouse Keeping, Jeanette Winterson

Winterson’s novel is a beautiful and intriguing tale of orphan girl, Silver, who is taken in by a blind lighthouse keeper on the coast of Scotland. 

The Lighthouse, PD James

An Inspector Dalgliesh novel, which takes place on the slightly claustrophobic Combe Island, where a novelist is found dead, hanging in the renovated lighthouse. 

The Light Between Oceans, M L Stedman
A moving and poignant story about a childless lighthouse keeper and his wife on an isolated island off Australia who rescue a baby adrift at sea and raise her as their own. Years later her parentage is discovered. A proper tale of love, loss, justice and tragedy.

The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch, Rhonda and David Armitage

One to prove that not all lighthouses are creepy… Mr Girling and his wife live in a lighthouse keeper’s cottage from which he rows out to the lighthouse each day. Mrs Girling sends his lunch over in a basket on a rope each day but have to find an ingenious way of preventing the seagulls from eating the ham sandwiches. 

The Puffin Keeper, Michael Morpurgo

A beautiful adventure for children, that begins with a shipwreck at a lighthouse and evolves into an unlikely but wonderful friendship. It’s also a homage to Allen Lane, the founder of puffin books. 

Mind the Light, Katie, Mary Louise Clifford

A historical account of 33 female lighthouse keepers. Brilliantly researched and totally fascinating. 

If you’re inspired to a lighthouse adventure of your own, don’t miss our ‘Weekend Away’ feature from our June issue in which Karen Dunn stays in a lighthouse.

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Recipe | Yogurt, cherry & passionfruit crumble jars

Photography by Rebecca Lewis

Portable puddings mean you can enjoy your dessert whenever you fancy – so start saving your jam jars now

Serves 6

300g fresh cherries, destoned

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 lemon, juiced

180g mixed nuts

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp hemp seeds

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp honey

450g natural yogurt

15 passion fruits

100g dark chocolate chips

12 edible flowers, optional

6 empty jam jars to serve

1 Heat the cherries, 1 tbsp of the maple syrup and the juice of half of the lemon in a small pan over a medium heat. Stir gently for 5 mins until the start to soften, then set aside to cool.

2 Meanwhile, place the nuts, cinnamon and seeds in a blender and blitz until they’ve formed a crumble-like consistency. Add the honey and give it another quick blitz to combine.

3 Place a layer of the nut crumble (using up half the mix) into the base of each jam jar, then add a layer of natural yogurt.

4 Cut and scrape out 12 of the passion fruits and divide equally between the jams jars, followed by another layer of natural yogurt.

5 Finally, add a layer of the cherry compote and top with the rest of the nut crumble.

6 Cut the last three passion fruits in half and top each jar with one half along with a couple of edible flowers.

This recipe is from our feature ‘A Lovely Arrangement’ in our June issue, a menu for a picnic surrounded by spring blooms. It also includes recipes for Rye Bread & Smoked Salmon Floral Squares, Summer Rolls, Edible Flower Salad, Pea & Goat’s Cheese Quiche and Lavender Lemonade. The recipes are by Kay Prestney and the photography is by Rebecca Lewis.

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How to | Learn to Skip

Skipping is a skill worth honing: it’s fantastic exercise, you can do it anywhere and it looks pretty cool, especially if you can throw a move or two.

The basics

Get these down and it’ll feel like less effort. • Jump low: jumping too high wastes energy and stresses the joints. • Keep on the balls of the feet: avoid kicking your feet back and up as you jump (bending the knees only slightly prevents this). • Keep elbows pointing back, hands close to the body, next to your hips. • Rotate the rope with your wrists not your arms. • Keep your rope shorter: it’s more efficient. • Avoid the double jump if your aim is harder moves.

The trickier bits

Whatever feat you’re tackling, practise without the rope first to get your rhythm right. Start by jumping side to side or forwards and backwards as you skip. Then try jumping toes and heels together (the ‘wounded duck’). The enviable boxer’s skip is simply jumping from side to side (jump right, tap left, jump left, tap right). Once you’re comfortable with your feet, play with the arms: crossing and swinging the rope and the 180˚ turn. And when you get really confident, try doing it with your dog: Purin, a beagle from Japan, holds the record for ‘Most skips by a dog and a person in one minute – single rope’ managing 58 in a minute.

If you like skipping, you might like to get back into these childhood games, this bank holiday

French elastic
Grab two friends and a length of elastic and start chanting: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales. Inside, outside, inside, ON! You can learn to do it at the Scouts’ website.

Hopscotch
All you need is a piece of chalk, a pebble and to be able to count to ten and you have yourself aan afternoon of back garden entertainment. Learn to hopscotch here.

Cat’s Cradle
Find a length of string, look up the rules and get looping with a cat’s cradle partner.

Hula-hooping
Here’s one you can do alone (and you WILL want to do it alone until you get a bit good and can show off in the park. You can find instructions on how to hula hoop on our blog.

You can find more merriment and silliness in our Miscellany pages each month.

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Wellbeing | Tuesday Choose Day

Photograph by iStock

Make Tuesdays a Choose Day and feel instantly less ‘beginning of the week’ about it

Let’s be honest, Tuesday often isn’t much better than Monday. In fact, research from the London School of Economics found it to be the most miserable day of the week. So we propose reframing Tuesday into Choose Day, where you decide how you’re going to feel and what you’re going to get out of the day.

Start as you mean to go on by doing something you enjoy as soon as you wake up. If your normal routine doesn’t allow for that, set the alarm a bit earlier – even 10 minutes gives you a chance to do some breathing or stretches, write a few pages of a journal, read your book, or whatever makes you feel content. Now you’re feeling calm and alert, set an intention for the day. It might be, “I’m going to listen with an open mind to those I tend to disagree with in my meeting.” Or it might be more about your mindset, for example, “I’m going to think kind thoughts about myself and others.” Writing it down will help to affirm your intention. Before bed, reflect on your intention and whether it made you feel or act differently, noticing any achievements, however small, and how you have the power to shape your day.

To get you started, here are a few intentions you could choose this Chooseday…

1. Choose a change. Walk a new route to work, get your lunch from somewhere you’ve not tried before, or start a TV series that a friend has recommended but you wouldn’t normally have considered.

2. Choose peace. Make this a day when you just let things go. Choose not to respond to an aggressive comment, or to allow something small to get under your skin. Choose to be a bit zen all day and accept whatever life throws at you with grace. 

3. Choose new adventures. Make this the day you sign up for that course in Thai cookery, book a holiday, or join a sports team. If you need to start small that’s fine, too. Take a friend on a microadventure. Maybe hire a boat for an afternoon or climb a hill together. 

4. Choose to be easy on yourself. Give yourself an extra five minutes in bed, delegate a few chores, choose a meal for dinner that only takes five minutes to prepare and doesn’t involve much washing up. Sometimes a poached egg on toast is its own reward.

5. Choose to be creative. Go cloud spotting, make words from car numberplates, doodle in the margins in your meeting and spend your lunchtime reading a book or painting rather than tackling life admin. Just take every opportunity Tuesday gives you to indulge in some creativity.

Be inspired by new ways to experience every day of the week with our feature ‘Could-do Week’ by Rebecca Frank in our June issue, which is in shops now. 

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Sponsored post | Tails.com Tailored Dog Nutrition

See the difference in your dog with 80% off 100% tailored nutrition

As spring arrives, our gardens come alive. New buds burst into bloom, lawns turn a lush green, and mornings are filled with birdsong and soft sunshine. With every sign of growth, one thing stays the same - our loyal canine companions, always ready for a new adventure.

Whether they’re keeping a watchful eye on our planting or bounding ahead on woodland walks, dogs bring springtime to life. Because our dogs are more than just pets; they are our most loyal friends. It’s often their boundless enthusiasm that inspires us to step outside and make the most of the longer days. Whether that's in our own backyard or beyond.

We all know getting out into nature is essential for physical and mental wellbeing. And that goes for our dogs too. New sights and smells are the height of enrichment for our pups. Watching them napping in the sun-dappled grass or going on sniffari walks reminds us to pause and enjoy the season. They remind us to savour every season.

Owning a dog enriches our lives in a million different ways. And Tails.com knows every dog is one in a million. That's why they do dog food differently. Tell Tails.com all about your dog's breed, age, activity level and health needs. They’ll create their 100% tailored kibble blend, carefully selecting the right ingredients to give your dog everything they need to thrive - and a flavour they’ll love. Think of them as a nutritionist, just for your pet.

As our gardens grow and change, so do our dogs. Which is why at Tails.com, their blend changes with them. Ensuring they get the right nutrition in every season of life. We deliver their personalised meal plan to your door, along with any other essentials you need, like wet food, treats and more. So you can spend less time on the to-do list and more time in the garden. With Tails.com, your dog has everything they need to enjoy the great outdoors by your side - whether they’re ‘helping’ in the flowerbeds, leading the way on your next trail, or simply waiting for the hose to turn on…

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Project | Make a Scrap fabric Key Fob

If you were inspired by our ‘Scrappy Do’ projects to make a belt bag and lanyard for Summer days out in our June issue, here’s another similar, simple make you might like

You will need: 

Cotton fabric scraps in a selection of prints, each minimum size 7.5 x 46cm 

Medium-weight non-woven fusible interlining, 7.5 x 117cm  

Coordinating thread 

Key fob hardware, 2.5cm wide  

Pliers for affixing key fob hardware 

Tailor’s awl (optional) 

Cutting instructions: 

Print cotton fabric scraps:  

Cut a selection of strips, each 6.5cm wide x 4–7.5cm long 

Medium-weight non-woven fusible interlining:  

Cut one strip measuring 2.5 x 26cm, for the key fob. 

1 Lay out a selection of print-cotton strips with the right sides uppermost to create a strip measuring 30cm. Arrange the fabrics until you are happy with the placement. 

2 Begin joining the pieces of the strip together. Working from left to right, place the first two pieces together with right sides facing. Align the raw edges, pin or clip in place, and sew together. Press the seam neatly open. Continue joining each square in turn..Using the rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting mat, trim the strip to measure 26.5cm. 

3 Place the interlining strip on the strip so the adhesive side is facing the wrong side of the fabric. Position the interlining strip 5mm away from one long raw edge and 5mm away from each short raw edge. Cover with a pressing cloth and iron to fuse in place.  

4 Fold each long side of one of the strips to the wrong side by 5mm and press. Fold the strip in half so that the two long sides meet and press. The raw edges are now concealed inside the folded strip. Pin or clip in place. Make sure the sewing machine stitch length to 3. Taking a 3mm seam allowance from the edges, topstitch along each long side. Zigzag stitch across each short end to neaten.  

5 Fold the key fob strip in half and align the two short edges. Place the short edges inside the key fob hardware and secure in place using the pliers.  

Taken from Mini Quilting by Laura Strutt (CICO Books). Photography by James Gardiner © CICO Books 

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Recipe | Pavlova with Berries and Rose Petal Cream

Taking a giant spoon and smashing into a pavlova you’ve spent hours constructing feels like a radical act. But finding that child-like glee is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Bring on the spring silliness!

Serves 8

For the meringue:
4 egg whites
250g caster sugar
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping:
250g strawberries, hulled and halved
250g raspberries
200g blueberries
3 tbsp icing sugar
350ml double cream
3 tsp rose water
Rose petals, to decorate

1Preheat the oven to 150C/Fan 130C/ Gas 2. Using a pencil, draw around a dinner plate on baking paper and use to line a baking tray.

2 Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then whisk in the caster sugar, one spoonful at a time, until the meringue looks glossy.

3 Whisk in the white wine vinegar, cornflour and vanilla extract.

4 Using a spoon or spatula, spread the meringue onto the baking paper, using the circle as your template. Make the sides higher than the middle so you have a dip for your filling.

5 Bake the meringue for 1 hr before turning off the oven and leaving it inside to cool completely.

6 For the pavlova, make a berry sauce by putting 100g of the strawberries, 100g of the raspberries and 2 tbsp icing sugar in a food processor. Blitz, then push through a sieve.

7 Whip together the double cream, rose water and remaining 1 tbsp icing sugar. When soft peaks form, spread it over the meringue, top with the berries and drizzle with the sauce. Scatter rose petals over to finish.

The pavlova recipe is one of the ideas from our ‘Kitchen Therapy’ feature ‘Take It Outside’ from our June issue, which includes recipes inspired by the outdoors and that can be partly created (and definitely eaten!) outside. The recipes are by Lottie Storey and the photography is by Kym Grimshaw.

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Nature | Pond-Dipping for Grown-ups

Illustration by Zuza Misko

No longer the preserve of primary school children, pond dipping is a simple and mindful pastime that is fascinating and fun. Here’s how to get started

You will need

A flat plastic tray (white is best for spotting pond life); a small net or sieve; a magnifying glass, a spoon. 

How to pond dip

1. Approach the pond slowly and quietly so you don’t scare off the wildlife. Lower the plastic tray into the water and fill it half full with pond water to put your ‘finds’ into. 

2. Using the sieve, scoop through the water nearish to the bottom of the pond and then quickly empty it into your plastic tray. Leave the tray of water to settle a bit.

3. Carefully and gently use the spoon to search through the water and weed for any wildlife. Use the magnifying glass for a closer look. You can photograph any interesting finds if you wish, and maybe sketch them later. 

4. If you have regular access to the pond you might like to start a notebook and date and log your finds along with any photos or sketches to allow you to track the pond’s wildlife across a year. 

5. Once you’ve finished, carefully lower the tray back into the water to let your finds go. Make sure nothing gets left behind in the tray.

What you might find

Water boatmen, leeches, water snails, diving beetles, dragonfly and damselfly nymphs, whirligig beetles, tadpoles, newts, toads, sticklebacks, backswimmers, pond skaters and much more… 

If you’d like to learn more about some of our native pondlife, don’t miss our Magical Creatures page this month, which is all about water boatmen.

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Sponsored Post | Get your family active with Youth Sport Trust

Learn how small moves can make a big difference with the Youth Sport Trust

National School Sports Week is back from 16–22 June 2025, and this year we’re celebrating 30 years of helping children be Always Active.

We know life is busy. But being active every day isn’t about perfection — it’s about small, joyful moments that add up. Whether it’s a five-minute dance-off before dinner or a walk to the park after school, it all counts towards the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.

That’s why the Youth Sport Trust is inviting families across the UK to sign up and take part in their annual celebration of play and sport. It’s free to join and packed with quick, fun ideas to help your family move more — together.

And here’s the bonus — when you sign up, you’ll be in with a chance to WIN a £250 Sports Direct voucher to kit your family out for a summer full of activity.

Don’t miss Sports Star Friday on 20 June: it’s like World Book Day… but for sport! Encourage your school to sign up and get the whole family involved by dressing up as your favourite sports hero and sharing your outfit on social, it’s a fun way to celebrate movement and the people who inspire us. #YSTSportsStarFriday #NSSW2025

Make movement a part of your family’s story this summer. Sign up, get active, and let’s create lifelong memories — one joyful moment at a time.

Click here to sign Up now