Recipe | Rhubarb Soda

Photography by Tom Crowford

A refreshing thirst quencher for a warm spring day.

We like to serve this simple rhubarb soda with lots of ice and fresh mint leaves.

Serves 6-8

250ml water
250g granulated sugar
500g rhubarb, chopped into 5cm lengths
Sparkling mineral water or soda water
Fresh mint leaves to serve (optional)

1 Put the water and sugar into a large pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, add the rhubarb, and bring back up to a simmer. Cook for a couple of minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool. Once the mixture has cooled down, strain out the poached rhubarb (this is Rhubarb soda delicious served with thick yogurt), and pour the syrup into a sterilised bottle or jar, then chill in the fridge.

2 To serve, tear a few mint leaves into the bottom of a glass, pour in a generous glug of the rhubarb syrup, add a handful of ice cubes, and top with chilled sparkling water or soda water (stir gently to help blend the syrup with the water if needed). Serve immediately and enjoy.

This soda is just one of the recipes from our feature Spring on the Smallholding, from our April issue. It also includes recipes for Cheddar and Wild Garlic Biscuits, Griddled Asparagus with Spring Herbs and Poached Eggs and Spring Cabbage with Sweet Chilli and Marmite Butter, as well as lots of makes and ideas to make the most of spring in the outdoors, by Kathy Bishop and Tom Crowford, owners of the smallholding in Somerset. You can follow all their adventures at theseasonaltable.co.uk or @the_seasonal_table

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our April issue…

More recipes with rhubarb…

Christmas recipe: Mulled white wine

The scents of cloves and cinnamon wafting from this wintry punch are a wonderful accompaniment for any Yuletide gathering, or take some out to warm carol singers this evening

Mulled white wine with cinnamon & cloves

Warming spices and wine in a toasty tipple that tastes as good as it smells

Serves 6
1 x 750ml bottle white wine
500ml cider
Juice and zest of 1⁄2 orange
1⁄2 lemon, sliced
3–4 star anise
3 cinnamon sticks, plus extra to serve (optional)
1 tbsp cloves
1 vanilla pod
4 tbsp caster sugar

Heat all the ingredients in a pan, until steaming but not boiling. 

Serve with cinnamon sticks, if you like.

This recipe was originally published in our December 2017 issue but it’s just as warming and festive today.

More from the December issue:

More Christmas posts:

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

Cocktail Hour | Blood Orange Negronis

It’s blood orange season;  what better excuse for a Negroni? (Like you need an excuse) 

With Saturday nights out off the menu for the moment, we’re officially reinstating Cocktail Hour. Join us for a very seasonal Blood Orange Negroni this evening. The bold colour of this cocktail is really rather cheering and it features Aperol instead of Campari so it’s less bitter than the original. And we feel a little less bitter about our Saturday nights for having one, too. Sometimes staying at home isn’t so bad. 

Makes one 

25ml gin 

25ml Aperol 

25ml sweet vermouth 

25ml freshly-squeezed blood orange juice, plus wedges for decoration 

Rosemary sprig 

1 Pour all of the alcohol and squeezed juice into a shaker or jam jar, make sure the lid’s on securely, and shake well. 

2 Fill a glass with ice and add a sprig of rosemary and a wedge of blood orange before pouring your Negroni over the top. 

Maker’s note: If you want to give your drink an aromatic, smoky twist, set fire to the end of the sprig of rosemary.

Find more tipples and other things to improve your weekends in the February issue of The Simple Things, available now.

More cocktails for every season…

More from our February issue…

Recipe: Fizzy amaretto sours

Prosecco lends festive sparkle to this almondy tipple

Makes 1

2 shots amaretto
1 shot lemon juice
½ shot sugar syrup (see below)
Prosecco
Sliced lemon and cocktail cherries, to serve

1. To make sugar syrup, combine equal volumes of water and sugar (a cup of each, say) in a saucepan, heat gently till the sugar dissolves, leave to cool and store in a bottle or jar.

2. Pile a glass with ice and then pour in the amaretto, lemon juice and syrup before topping with the prosecco. Mix carefully with a spoon and serve with a slice of lemon and a cherry.

Merry Midwinter from The Simple Things!

This cocktail recipe was first published in December 2016. Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our December issue…

More tipples to tickle your fancy…

Recipe | Cardamom and rose water lassi

A sultry midsummer’s eve calls out for an exotic dessert. Enter sweet, iced lassi with a mix of fruitily spiced cardamom and delicate rose water that transforms the traditional Indian drink into a grown-up after-dinner treat. 

75g caster sugar
6 green cardamom pods, split open
2 tsp rose water
500ml plain yogurt
About 150ml full-fat milk
3 tbsp granulated sugar
Handful of ice cubes
Handful of unsalted pistachios, cut into slivers, to serve

1 For the syrup, put 100ml water in a pan and add the caster sugar, cardamom pods and rose water. Place on a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and you have a thick syrup.
2 Strain through a sieve and transfer to a blender along with the yogurt, milk, granulated sugar and ice cubes. Blitz until chilled, smooth and frothy. Serve topped with pistachio slivers.

Recipe from Round to Ours by Jackson & Levine (Quadrille).

More from the June issue:

More drink recipes:

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here.

Recipe: Rosemary orangeade

This is a fruity and herbal drink, and beautifully refreshing. Make the syrup ahead of time and store it in the fridge, and then you can make the orangeade up as you need it.

Serves 6–8

500ml water
400g granulated sugar
About 4 good sprigs of rosemary
Fresh orange juice
Sparkling water

1 Put the water, sugar and rosemary into a saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Once all of the graininess has vanished, bring to the boil and then simmer for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool, leaving the pieces of rosemary in the syrup to infuse. Pour into a jar and refrigerate until needed.

2 To make up the orangeade, combine one part cooled syrup with one part orange juice and one part fizzy water. Pour over ice cubes and garnish with a sprig of rosemary. 

More from the April issue:

More drink ideas:

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

Recipe: Feelgood fruit punch

Pomegranate has long been hailed as a promoter of fertility and for having amazing health benefits such as boosting the immune system, preserving youthful vitality and promoting longevity – claims that stand up to modern research*.

Enjoy this tangy recipe as an energising breakfast blend or add a splash of vodka or rum for cocktails.

PASSION FRUIT PUNCH

1 x 500ml bottle pure pomegranate juice
Juice of 2 limes
Juice of 1 orange
2 tsp finely minced ginger
Lime or orange slices for garnish (optional)

To make

Combine all the ingredient except the garnish in a small glass or plastic storage container and chill in the fridge for at least two hours to allow the zippy flavour of the ginger to infuse the juices.

To serve

Decide whether you want to strain out the ginger. If you leave it in, just chew it as you enjoy the drink – it freshens breath and aids digestion, too.

Shake the punch well and pour into chilled glasses with or without ice.

Garnish with citrus slices if you wish.

Recipe from Making Love Potions by Stephanie L Tourles (Storey)

* Pomegranate is a rich source of antioxidants. 

More from the March issue:

More drinks recipes:

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

Recipe: Pink lemonade

No August afternoon is complete without lemonade, and the pink variety is pretty as a picture.

Makes about 1.2 litres

grated zest and juice of six large unwaxed lemons
1 small punnet raspberries, crushed through a sieve 
150g caster sugar
1l boiling water
extra slices of lemon to serve

1 Place the lemon zest and juice in a large bowl, add the crushed raspberries and caster sugar and stir in the boiling water until the sugar has dissolved.

2 Leave the mixture to cool, then cover and place in the fridge overnight.

3 Sieve to remove the grated zest, pour into bottles and chill in the fridge. Serve over ice with extra slices of lemon.

4 To keep it cool for a picnic, pour over a handful of ice cubes in a thermos flask. Or you can freeze the lemonade in plastic bottles (filled three-quarters full). The frozen lemonade will gradually defrost, keeping everything else cool.

Recipe from Beside the Seaside by Carolyn Caldicott, photography by Chris Caldicott (Pimpernel Press) 

Read more:

• More from the August issue
• Drinks recipes
• Picnic ideas

August's The Simple Things is on sale - buy, download or subscribe now

Recipe: Venetian eggnog

Raise a glass of eggnog, a quintessentially seasonal tipple

Eggnog, or vov, as it’s known in Italy, is a traditional Christmas drink in many parts of the world. The word ‘vov’ comes from the Venetian word for egg. It’s made like other eggnogs with milk or cream, egg yolks, brandy and sugar, but also contains marsala, so it’s a sort of liquid zabaglione.

Venetian eggnog

Makes 1.5 litres
1 vanilla pod
1 litre full fat milk
6 egg yolks
250g granulated sugar 200ml marsala
150ml brandy
2 x 750ml clean, dry bottles and stoppers

1 Slit open the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds and put the seeds and the pod in a pan with the milk and bring gently to simmering point, whisking from time to time. 
2 Put the egg yolks in a second pan with the sugar and the marsala and beat well. When the vanilla milk is hot but not boiling, stir it into the egg-yolk mixture. 
3 Put the pan on medium heat and warm through gently, whisking all the while. Do not let the mixture boil as it will curdle. The mixture is ready when it starts to thicken. If it shows any sign of curdling or separating, take off the heat and whisk hard. 
4 Strain with a sieve into a pan or measuring jug, add the brandy, leave to cool and bottle using a funnel. Keep for two days before serving, warm or cold. Store in the fridge and shake before pouring. 

Variations: The original vov recipe is made with 90% proof liqueur spirit rather than brandy; if you try this, add another 100g sugar. You can also try a brandy-only version, using the same amount of brandy but omitting the marsala, and topping with grated nutmeg.

Want more? Try our Wassail recipe. Plus, plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now.

Recipes and images taken from Artisan Drinks by Lindy Wildsmith, photography by Kevin Summers (Jacqui Small, £25) 

Recipe: Wassail - Christmas spiced ale

Wassail, from Middle English wæs hæl, means ‘good health’. So, here’s a hearty festive drink to welcome in the season. 

If you don’t have a punchbowl and ladle, improvise with the largest vessel you can find and, if it’s less than elegant, simply wrap it in a white linen cloth or pretty tablecloth, decorate it with ivy and ribbons and serve the ale with a small jug. This is a dry drink that works well with Guinness or stout as well as ale.

Serves 8–12
Handful of sultanas
150ml marsala, sherry, brandy or rum
100ml ginger cordial or 125g caster sugar
Pinch of grated nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon
2 litres ale, porter, stout or other dark ale
Ice, optional
Punchbowl and cups or glasses

1 Put the sultanas in the punchbowl, add the measured marsala (or alternative), plus the cordial or sugar, and the spices. Leave to macerate.
2 When your guests arrive, add ice (if preferred) and the ale. Stir and serve in the cups.

Plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now.

Recipes and images taken from Artisan Drinks by Lindy Wildsmith, photography by Kevin Summers (Jacqui Small, £25) 

Recipe: Buttered bourbon apple cider

Make two batches of our November cover recipe – one boozy, one kid- and driver-friendly – for a warming autumn treat.

Getting together with friends and family happens so easily in summer – good weather and that holiday feeling being the natural allies of socialising. Yet there’s plenty to celebrate come bonfire season: autumn’s fiery canopy, the crisp, cold air and fast-falling dusk lend themselves to gathering outdoors, wrapping up, wellies donned, and feasting around the fire. We’ll raise a glass of mulled cider to that.

Recipe: Buttered bourbon apple cider

Serves 6–8

500ml apple cider*
100ml apple juice
1 tbsp light brown sugar
Cinnamon sticks (one, plus some to use as stirrers)
Cloves
Star anise
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of ginger
Sliced fresh fruit (orange, apple)
3 tbsp unsalted butter
150ml bourbon

1. In a large pot add the cider, apple juice and sugar; heat until it starts to simmer.

2. Add all other ingredients except for the butter and bourbon.

3. Let the spiced cider simmer for 10 mins, then add the butter and bourbon, stirring gently until the butter has melted.

4. Remove from the heat, pour into glasses, add a cinnamon stick to each glass and serve. You can strain the mixture before pouring, if you don’t want ‘bits’.

* To make a children’s version, replace the bourbon and cider with apple juice (600ml in total).

Share some strawberry margaritas

The sun has truly come out from hiding this week, and we cannot think of a better way to celebrate than sharing this recipe for a fruity strawberry and lime margarita. Cheers!

Serves 6 300g fresh or frozen strawberries 2 tbsp honey 240ml tequila Half a bunch of mint leaves

1. Fuse the honey, tequila and strawberries in a blender – add a little ice if using fresh, or a splash of water if using frozen. 2. Garnish with chopped mint and strawberry slices.

This recipe was taken from Issue 08 of The Simple Things, download it now.

Remember to always enjoy alcohol responsibly.