Seven of our favourite card games

Join our card school and learn to play a few traditional games

When the evenings draw in and there’s a chill in the air, it’s the ideal time to dust off a pack of cards and cosy up for the evening. Whether you’re a green visors and whiskies card shark or more of a cup of tea and a quick hand of rummy before bed type, we hope you enjoy learning some of our favourite games.

Black Jack (Brit style)*

BASICS: 4-6 players; 52-card deck. Each player gets seven cards. Remaining cards are placed face down as stock with top card turned over as the starter. First player lays a card on the starter, which must match in either suit or rank, or draws a card from stock. The player continues laying cards in sequence until they can’t go or they lay an action card.

ACTION CARDS:
Two: next player picks up two cards, unless they can play a Two and make the next player pick up four.

Eight: next player misses turn.

Black Jack: next player picks up five cards. A second Black Jack makes the next player pick up ten. Red Jack cancels.

Queen: follow with a card of any suit.

King: reverses play order.

The first person to shed all their cards wins. However, when a player can win on their next go, they must call ‘last cards’ or have to draw a card.

*It’s different to the US gambling game ‘Blackjack’.

Eights

A game best played with two people, also known as Crazy Eights or Swedish Rummy

BASICS: 2–7 players; 52-card deck

Each player receives 5 cards (with two players, each receives 7 cards). Remaining cards are placed face down as the stock, with top card turned up as the starter. First player lays one card on the starter, which must match in either suit or rank. If unable to do this, the player must draw a card from the stock. When the stock is exhausted, a player unable to play must pass.

Eights are wild and can be played on any card, regardless of its suit or rank, with the player specifying its suit. Play ends when any player lays his last card. He scores the total of cards remaining in all other hands: Eights score

50, aces 1, face cards 10, the index value for all others. With two players, the first to reach 100 points wins.

Knockout whist

The classic family favourite. Sniggering at the word ‘trumps’ never gets old.

BASICS: 2–7 players; 52 card deck; Ace is high

Seven cards are dealt to each player. The next card is turned up and becomes the trump suit. The player to the left of the dealer places the first card. Each player must follow the suit led, if possible. If not, play any other card, including a trump card. The highest trump wins the trick or, if no trumps are played, the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads the next trick.

Once all cards are played, players without any tricks are eliminated. The player with the most tricks picks trumps for the next hand; if two people have the same amount of tricks, cut cards to decide. The number of cards dealt decreases by one each hand, until only one player – the ultimate winner – remains.

Ninety-Nine

BASICS: 2 or more players; 52-card deck; you’ll need chips or counters.

Each player is given three counters and dealt three cards.

To play, place one card face up in the centre of the table, calling out the total value of the face-up pile before drawing the top card from the stock. Each card adds its face value in points. Jacks and Queens count as 10.

The following cards have additional effects:

3: skips next player

4: no value, reverses play

9: value of 99

10: adds or subtracts ten from the total

King: no value

Ace: value of one or 11.

If the player cannot place a card without taking the value of the pile over 99, the round ends and they lose one counter.

The winner is the last person left with counters.

Oh Hell!

A trick-taking game, beloved by Bill Clinton and Steven Spielberg, in which the object is to take exactly the number of tricks bid

BASICS: 3-7 players; 52 card deck; Ace is high

Each player is dealt a hand. There are many variations but typically, with

3–5 players, 10 cards each; 6 players, 8 cards each; 7 players, 7 cards each.

Each successive hand is played with one card fewer. After dealing, the next card is turned up and becomes the trump suit. Each player now bids for the number of tricks he thinks he can win. The player to the left of the dealer starts. Each player must follow the suit led, if possible. If not, play any other card, including trump. The highest card of the led suit wins the trick unless ruffed, when the highest trump wins. A player who wins the exact number of tricks bid scores 10 plus the number of tricks bid.

Klondike Solitaire

BASICS: 1–4 players; 52-card deck

One of the most popular versions of Solitaire, Klondike is typically a solo game, but it can be played as a group activity where everyone works together to solve the same shuffle. Players sort cards into foundation piles from Ace to King by suit, while organizing cards into descending order with alternating colors in the tableau.

Klondike is perfect for those looking to relax or sharpen their strategic thinking, either individually or as a team. You can try Klondike Solitaire here and even compete to see who can solve it fastest.

Red Dog

Beat the top card of the pack by having a higher ranking card of the same suit.

Basics: 2–10 players; 52-card deck; Ace is high; you’ll need chips or counters.

Five cards dealt to each player face down (four if more than eight play). Players put up one or any number of agreed chips to make the pool. First player can bet one chip or up to the number in the pool (‘betting the pot’). The dealer turns the top card of the pack. If the player can show a higher card in the same suit he wins back his bet and the pool. If he can’t he adds his chips to the pool, discards his hand and it’s the next player’s go. You can forfeit a hand by adding a chip to the pot and discarding your cards. When there are no chips in the pot, each player adds more and play continues.

More fun and games…

More ways to stay cosy at home…

The quieter you are, the more you hear

A moment of quiet to end the year

This chalkboard featured on the back cover of our October 2015 issue, but we thought it was worth looking at again. The last weeks of December can feel a bit fraught, even when they are full of fun, and a moment of quiet is sometimes all we need to calm our minds and be open to ‘hearing’ more. .

Whether you’re out on the tiles tonight, gathering with friends or celebrating the end of 2019 peacefully at home with a book and an early night, we hope you find a moment to practise being quiet and hearing a little better. Who knows what you might discover in a moment of silence?

Here’s to a peaceful 2020.

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More from our January issue…

More moments of calm…

Recipe: Soul cakes

Soul cakes are an old English traditional cake, sometimes known simply as ‘souls’. The tradition of giving out soul cakes on All Hallows’ Eve dates back to the Middle Ages, when children went door-to-door saying prayers for the dead  On All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, children went ‘souling’, asking for soul cakes from house to house: quite possibly a precursor to trick or treating. This recipe is adapted from one on lavenderandlovage.com.

Soul cakes

Makes 12–15 cakes 

175g butter
175g caster sugar
3 egg yolks
450g plain flour
2 teaspoons mixed spice
100g currants
a little milk to mix 

1 Pre-heat the oven to 190C/Fan 170/375F. Cream the butter with the sugar until it’s light and fluffy and then beat in the egg yolks one at a time. 

2 In a separate bowl, sieve the flour and the spices together and add to the wet mixture along with the currants (reserving a small handful to decorate the tops later). 

3 Mix with a wooden spoon and then add some milk to pull everything together into a dough.

4 Roll out to a thickness of around 1cm and cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter. Use a straight-sided knife to make a slight cross indent in the top of each cake and then push in raisins along it. 

5 Place on a piece of baking parchment on a baking tray and bake for 10 to 15 mins on the fire or in the oven until golden. Allow to cool before eating. 

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More All Hallows Even celebrations…

From our November issue…

How to use up discarded pumpkins

No need to jack in your jack-o-lantern: give it a new lease of life

Plant pot: Plant an annual within the soil-filled shell and dig into the ground. As it decomposes, it’ll fertilise your plant.

Compost: Put leaves inside the shell to speed the process. Break it into small pieces for a wormery.

Pumpkin printing: A potato printing alternative – cut into pieces and add paint.

Ant colony: Place your pumpkin near an existing colony (outside!). Honey or something sweet will bring all the ants to the gourd.

Bird feeder: We whipped one up last Halloween. Find out how to make a Halloween pumpkin bird feeder here. 

And a few suggestions from the internet that we don’t recommend:

Base for decorative floating candles: That’s likely to be one leaky vessel.

Eating it: Come November, it’s debatable how appetising your old Halloween lantern will look. 

More pumpkins! Here at The Simple Things, we love an outdoor gathering and Halloween is a great excuse to wrap up warm and enjoy all things pumpkin. Download our guide for how to use and eat pumpkins, and we’ve got a recipe for a bonfire parkin, too.  

And we could resist including this fella - knit a pumpkin hat (pattern from Cats in Hats by Sara Thomas (Hamlyn) octopusbooks.co.uk) 

Read more:

From the October issue

Pumpkin coconut curry recipe

Salted caramel toffee apples

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Recipe: Mandarin, pear and ginger cake

A sticky but fresh-tasting cake, that’s just as good with a glass of ginger beer or lemonade as with a cup of tea. And this is one that would make an ideal Bonfire Night bake.

MANDARIN, PEAR AND GINGER CAKE

Makes 18 slices

9 small pears, peeled and cored
juice of 1⁄2 lemon
350g plain flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1⁄4 tsp ground allspice
1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
4 tbsp milk
100g mandarin marmalade
100g black treacle
175g golden syrup
175g light muscovado sugar
175g butter
5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
50g medium oatmeal
2 large eggs

1 Preheat the oven to 170C/Fan 150C/325F. Line a 20cm by 5cm square deep cake tin with non-stick baking parchment. Keep the pears in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon juice until needed.

2 Put the flour and spices into a large bowl. In a cup, mix the bicarbonate of soda with the
milk and set aside. Mix 2 tbsp of marmalade with 1 tbsp of black treacle, then set aside.

3 Place the remaining marmalade in a pan with the remaining treacle and the syrup, sugar, butter and ginger. Pour in 150ml water and heat gently until melted.

4 Beat the marmalade mixture into the spiced flour along with the oatmeal, followed by the eggs and milk. Pour a thin layer of the cake mixture over the base of the tin and bake in a preheated oven for 10 mins.

5 Drain the pears. Take the tin out of the oven and push the pears into the base. Pour the remaining cake mixture around them and return to the oven for 1 hour 25 minutes.

6 Warm the reserved marmalade and treacle mixture in a small saucepan and brush over the hot cake to glaze. Serve warm or cold.


Recipe from The Seasonal Cookbook by Bonne Maman (Simon & Schuster). Photography by Miles New

Read more:

From the October issue

Bonfire Night posts

Cake recipes

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Passing on traditions: Putting the clocks back

Thank you Apple and all your techie friends for changing the way we officially end summertime and embrace dark nights and more sleep. Somehow you just ‘know’ when British Summertime ends and adjust the clocks on our phones, laptops and tablets accordingly. Spoilsports. Now we have only the memories of mishaps caused by forgetting to put the clocks back (or forward). We know it always happens at 2am the last Sunday of October in the UK but that never stopped someone you knew being an hour out of step right into the following Monday.

However, not every clock is digital and there’s something of a ritual about marking the changing of the seasons by altering the hands of a clock or watch. And come Christmas, a well- meaning relative is bound to point out the one clock no-one could be bothered to change and the rest of the family has learned to live with.

There’s an established lobby for aligning us with the continent by keeping daylight saving time all year round, but in parts of Scotland the sun wouldn’t rise until 10am in winter; farmers, milkmen and newspaper delivery kids aren’t keen. No, how much better to stay out of step until spring when the return of light evenings ushers in the sequel: Putting The Clocks Forward.

Need a new clock? Try one of these from The Stuff of Life shop - clockwise (ha ha) from top left:

Gold wall clock / 3 piece wooden clock / Pallet wood clock / Wooden clock set

Read more:

From the October issue

Passing on traditions

From The Stuff of Life

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Recipe: Roasted root vegetables with a fruit vinegar glaze

The addition of fruit vinegar to a pan of roasted vegetables gives them a little extra something. The bright colour and sweet-and- sour tang are a feast for the eyes and the taste buds alike. You can mix and match with other vegetables such as fennel or sweet potato, and serve on its own or with a roast or some chops. 

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES

SERVES 4
1.5kg mixed carrot, parsnip, beetroot and celeriac (in whatever proportions you like)
2 sprigs thyme
75ml olive oil
25g butter
2 red onions, peeled and cut into 6 wedges
1 bulb garlic, broken into individual cloves, skin on
3 tbsp raspberry vinegar* 
salt and pepper

1 Heat the oven to 200C/ Fan 180/400F. Peel the root vegetables and cut them into largish chunks. 
2 Put them in a roasting
dish with the thyme, pour over the olive oil and mix well to coat the vegetables. 
3 Add the butter in small pieces over the top and season with salt and pepper. 
4 Roast for half an hour, then add the onion and garlic cloves.
5 Turn the vegetables and baste them, ensuring that everything is well coated and browning evenly.
6 Roast for another half an hour, then splash in the fruit vinegar, mixing well.
7 Cook for 10 mins, until the vegetables are soft in the centre and coated with a shiny, caramelised glaze.

* For a raspberry vinegar recipe, also from Fern Verrow, visit thesimplethings.com/blog/raspberryvinegar

Recipe from Fern Verrow: Recipes from the Farm Kitchen by Jane Scotter and Harry Astley (Quadrille).


For beautiful enamelware, have a look at The Stuff of Life, The Simple Things’ shop. Here are four picks.

Clockwise from top left:

Enamel coffee pot / Enamel espresso cups / Four season bowls / White enamel cutlery

Read more:

From the October issue

Autumn recipes

From The Stuff of Life

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Think: How to look at art slowly

When you’re visiting the latest exhibition, don’t get swept along with the crowds. A slow, mindful visit inspires the imagination and piques cultural curiosity.

We’re now more open to arts and culture than ever. Last year, visitor numbers to museums and galleries increased by six per cent compared to 2013, yet we only spend a measly 15–30
seconds looking at a painting. It’s easy to see why. Visit a major arts institution for a mega exhibition and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a rock concert. The surge of the crowd towards the ‘hit’ paintings, the determined ‘me with Matisse’ selfies, the pressure to see the star turn – the whole experience can be exhausting. But we can choose to slow down. A gallery or museum isn’t somewhere to do battle before collapsing in the cafe, but an opportunity to calm the mind.
 

How to look at art slowly

1 Try to visit a gallery or museum in quieter times, such as early morning, late afternoon or evening.
2 Treat gallery walls like a postcard rack – we pick a postcard we like without hesitation, so have the confidence to do the same with great works of art.
3 Don’t spend ages reading the labels or listening to the audio guide.
4 Take time noticing and recognising your reactions. The piece might be showing what you need more of.
5 Don’t worry if you’re scratching your head at the meaning.
6 Remember, unless you have to write an essay, you’re there to feel, not learn.

Turn to page 80 of October’s The Simple Things for more of Loma-Ann Marks’ Arts in Mind feature.

Five must-see exhibitions for winter 2015/16

Ai Weiwei
Royal Academy of Arts
19 September — 13 December 2015

Ai became widely known in Britain after his sunflower seeds installation in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in 2010 but this is the first major institutional survey of his work ever held in the UK and it bridges over two decades of his extraordinary career. Curated in collaboration with Ai Weiwei from his studio in Beijing, the Royal Academy presentx some of his most important works from the time he returned to China from the US in 1993 right up to present day. Among new works created specifically for the RA’s galleries and courtyard are a number of large-scale installations, as well as works showcasing everything from marble and steel to tea and glass. 

Works to Know by Heart: Matisse in Focus
Tate Liverpool
20 November 2015 – 2 May 2016

At almost three metres square, The Snail is one of Matisse’s largest and most significant paper cut-out works. Made by cutting and tearing shapes from paper hand painted by his assistants in a range of bright colours, Matisse began experimenting with this cut-out method in the late 1930s, adopting it wholeheartedly by the late 1940s when ill health prevented him from painting.
Shown alongside The Snail will be additional Matisse works from the Tate collection that span the genres of portraiture, landscape and still life, encompassing sculpture, painting and works on paper. Displaying works from 1899 onwards, Matisse in Focus will represent over 50 years of this giant of modern art’s fascinating and impressive career. 


The World of Charles and Ray Eames
Barbican
21 October 2015 - 14 February 2016

Charles and Ray Eames are among the most influential designers of the 20th century. Enthusiastic and tireless experimenters, this husband and wife duo moved fluidly between the fields of photography, film, architecture, exhibition-making, and furniture and product design.
From personal letters, photographs, drawings and artwork, to their products, models, multi-media installations and furniture, The World of Charles and Ray Eames includes not only the designs for which they are best known, but provides an insight into the lives of the Eameses, the Eames Office and the breadth of their pioneering work, bringing their ideas and playful spirit to life.
 

Alexander Calder: Performing Sculpture
Tate Modern
11 November 2015 – 3 April 2016

American sculptor Alexander Calder was a radical figure who pioneered kinetic sculpture, bringing movement to static objects. Calder travelled to Paris in the 1920s, having originally trained as an engineer, and by 1931 he had invented the mobile, a term coined by Duchamp to describe Calder’s sculptures which moved of their own accord. His dynamic works brought to life the avant-garde’s fascination with movement, and brought sculpture into the fourth dimension. Continuing Tate Modern’s acclaimed reassessments of key figures in modernism, Alexander Calder: Performing Sculpture will reveal how motion, performance and theatricality underpinned his practice. It will bring together major works from museums around the world, as well as showcasing his collaborative projects in the fields of film, theatre, music and dance.
 

Evelyn Dunbar: The Lost Works
Pallant House Gallery
3 October 2016 - 14 February 2016

A remarkable collection of lost works by WW2 Official War Artist Evelyn Dunbar (1906–1960) goes on show for the first time, including highlights from an extraordinary hoard of previously unrecorded work discovered in the attic of a Kent Coast house. Included in the exhibition are other important rediscovered, unseen or rarely seen works by Dunbar from public and private collections.
 

Read more:

From the October issue

More mindfulness

Unusual words to describe emotions

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Recipe: Autumn mess

When the evenings draw in and there’s a chill in the air, it’s the ideal time to plan a low-maintenance meal that can be dipped in and out of, while you dust off a pack of cards and cosy up for an evening of relaxed chat, drink and play. With a little forethought – make the dough and tomato sauce ahead, prep some fresh, seasonal ingredients for toppings and salads and assemble a no-cook dessert in pretty glasses – you’re left to enjoy a stylish pizza party. 

Turn to page 46 of October's The Simple Things for a simple pizza, salad and pudding menu, and try one of our seven card games ideas, too.

Autumn mess

Think classic Eton pud but with seasonal fruits

Makes 6
6 meringues
1 jar (300g) organic plums in syrup, plums halved, stones removed
250g fresh vanilla custard
salted pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped 

1 Break the meringues into bitesize chunks and place half into 6 glasses. 
2 Add 1–2 plum halves on top of the meringue in each glass, and spoon over 1 tbsp plum syrup. 
3 Top with 2–3 tbsp custard. 4 Add more meringues, plums, syrup and custard to nearly fill the glasses. 

Read more:

From the October issue

Make: Build an outdoor oven

More Gathering recipes

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Make: A hedgehog box

With an old wooden box and a few bricks you can host your own winter holiday home for hedgehogs

If you think you’ve got hedgehogs in your garden, encourage them to stay throughout the winter with a home of their own.

All you need to do is provide a wooden box (a wine crate is ideal) and bury it under some old leaves.

Before you bury it, make a small entrance hole in the box using a saw and, once it’s in place, build a covered tunnel (using bricks and a wooden plank as cover) leading up to the entrance hole to help prevent foxes, badgers and other predators from raiding the nest.

You can then watch the prickly visitors come and go. 

A finished hedgehog box

Read more:

From the October issue

Makes

Gardening posts 

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Think: Unusual words used to describe emotions

Happy, sad, angry, glad – it’s all in The Book of Human Emotions by Tiffany Watt Smith

This intriguing book gets to grips with our sometimes bewildering onslaught of feelings – from anger to apathy, wanderlust to worry – and explains how emotions and our perceptions of them have changed throughout history. Watt Smith also explores how different cultures have specific vocabulary for some unexpected, but resonant moods. 

There’s the Dutch gezelligheid – the cosy feeling that comes from being inside with friends on a cold night, the Finnish kaukokaipuu – the craving for a different land – and awumbuk, a word used by the Baining people who live in the mountains of Papua New Guinea to describe the heaviness and sorrow left behind after visitors depart. 

As well as these, we've found seven more unusual words and some curious images to match. Do you have an intriguing word you'd like to share with us? Head to Facebook or Twitter and let us know. And we share a Lost Word each month in the Miscellany pages of The Simple Things.

Words: Lottie Storey

Read more:

From the October issue

Think posts

Good reads

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Save it for a Sunday: Internet-free days

Step away from your touch-screen devices for a more retro, less stressful weekend all round

Having an internet-free day will help you realise how much you unthinkingly use it. When you feel the need to visit your usual go-to sites, find an alternative. Buy a newspaper instead of Googling, meet with a friend and set the world to rights rather than browsing Twitter. At the end of the day, ask yourself, what did you miss? Where did you go or what did you do instead? How many emails did you get and how many were important?

For more ideas, read How to be Happy by Lee Crutchley (Ebury Press) 

Like this? You might also like our Sunday Best campaign. 

We believe ‘the simple things’ are all about taking time to live well, to enjoy the now, slow down a little and remember moments that matter. Throughout the magazine, we'll be putting our Sunday Best logo on cakes, things to plan and do and mini-projects for in and around the home. Tell us your #sundaysuggestions of what makes you happy at the weekend - share them on Twitter or snap them on Instagram. We’ll share the best ones every Friday.

Read more:

From the October issue

Sunday Best ideas

Good reads

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Recipe: Rosehip syrup and Sloe gin

Transform your autumn walks into an altogether more productive and entertaining outing by foraging for ingredients to use in your own beers, wines and spirits.

This month, says wild food expert and brewer Andy Hamilton, is the ideal time to find fruits and plants among the hedgerows and use them to create home brews.

“In October, rosehips* are plentiful and they’re great in cocktails,” says Andy. “Simply boil a handful in 550ml water, strain, and then stir in 500g sugar until fully dissolved. Allow to cool, add a splash of vodka (which acts as a preservative) and refrigerate.” (Straining twice will ensure that none of the fine hairs inside the hips remain.)

Perhaps one of the easiest fruits to identify is sloes. “If you stumble upon some sloes, fill a jar with them, cover with the strongest vodka you can get hold of and seal. To make a sloe gin like no other, leave for six months, strain, then leave for another two years. Just try it without sugar, you’ll be pleasantly surprised,” Andy promises.  

* Rosehips look like small red berries. They have a distinctive shape and are only found growing on rose bushes. They are not to be confused with other small red berries, which may be poisonous. Try to pick wild hips away from roads as they will be less likely to have been exposed to exhaust or other pollutants. If you pick from your own garden, make sure they are from plants that haven't been sprayed with pesticides.

Read more:

From the October issue

More foraged fruit recipes

Recipe: Saffron G&Ts

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Wisdom: Woodland life with Ben Law

'We came from the woods, and the need to build shelter and understand our surroundings is still strong in us' - Ben Law

Remember the house in the forest on Grand Designs? There was something about its sense of place that captivated us all. Turn to page 36 of October's The Simple Things to read the interview with its creator, woodsman Ben Law. Ben shares what he's learned from building a house - and a life - in the woods.

Much of Ben's work revolves around helping people to bring an understanding of how managing a woodland resonates with how to manage the wider world, and their everyday lives. At the root of this is craft: using your hands to make something that's come from the woods fosters this connection.

"There's something about getting your hands involved with a piece of wood," he says, and simple projects, such as spoon carving, can be a welcoming entry point. Makers like EJ of Hatchet & Bear offer spoon carving courses from her Wiltshire woodland.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, we're mesmerised by the wattle and daub hut made from just materials found in the forest by David from Primitive Technology. Take a look...

Read more:

From the October issue

Wisdom posts

Turning leaves - why they change colour and where to see them

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Recipe: Smoked toffee apple bourbon

What’s the only thing better than a sticky toffee apple? This tipsy toffee apple brew, especially when sipped beside the fire

There are a few stages to this, but once made the syrups will last a few weeks in the fridge, so there’s no need to rush through it. The first step is to make a simple syrup, which you will then use to make a caramelised simple syrup that will give the bourbon a beautiful toffee taste.
 

Simple syrup

‘Cups’ are used here not in any exact way, but merely to show that we want the volume of sugar and water to be the same, and so you may as well pour each into the same cup to measure out.

2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar

1 Heat water and sugar gently in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil and simmer until the liquid turns clear.

2 When completely cool, pour into a jar and store in the fridge.
 

Caramelised simple syrup

This caramelised syrup recipe is adapted from Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits by Andrew Schloss (Storey Publishing).

1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups simple syrup

1 Heat the sugar in a small saucepan on a medium-high heat until it starts to turn brown at the edges. Stir with a wooden spoon. The sugar will turn lumpy. Keep on stirring for a few mins until it turns deep orange and completely liquid.

2 Stand back and carefully pour in the simple syrup. The mixture will bubble furiously and the sugar will turn solid. Keep heating and stirring and the lump of caramelised sugar will slowly dissolve into the syrup.

3 When cool, pour through a strainer into a jar and store in the fridge. Eat the pieces of caramel left behind in the strainer.
 

Bourbon

This infused bourbon combines the tastes and scents of the moment. Caramelised simple syrup is combined with grated apple and the whole given a note of smokiness with the addition of a teaspoon or so of Lapsang Souchong tea.

3 apples
360ml caramelised simple syrup
480ml bourbon
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp lapsang souchong

1 Grate the apples into a large, sterilised, sealable jar and pour in the syrup.

2 Muddle together and then add all the other ingredients and mix well. Leave to infuse for five days.

3 After five days, strain through a muslin into another sterilised, sealable jar. Leave to drip through the muslin for a few hours rather than squeezing it, for a clearer result.

4 You can drink immediately, or seal and store somewhere cool and dark for up to a year. 

Read more:

From the October issue

Seed to Stove recipes

Warming drinks

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Tips: How to taste wine

It might not be the first thing you associate with the local countryside, but our green and pleasant lands make ideal terroir for sparkling wine. On page 72 of October's The Simple Things, Johanna Derry takes on the tough job of tasting wine among the vines.

Vineyards are popping up all over Britain, as growers learn to use our cooler climate to their advantage. But how best to taste the spoils?

Tips on how to taste wine from top English winemaker Owen Elias

• Serve white or sparkling wine in a tulip-shaped glass between 8 and 10C. The shape of the glass traps in the aromatics giving the wine a good 'nose'. 
• Hold the glass by the stem so you don't warm the wine, give it a swirl and a sniff, and pay attention to what you can smell.
• Taste the wine and, as you do, take a little air into your mouth to release the flavours. You'll get the acidic ones first and then the rest will appear afterwards. It's not necessary to spit it out. Unless you're the designated driver, of course.  

Find out more about English wine in this video:

Read more:

From the October issue

More wine posts

Try a saffron G&T

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October's The Simple Things PLUS pressed leaves craft ideas

On sale now, October's The Simple Things is all about the FORAGE. With such a beautiful cover, we've been inspired to get outside, hunt for colourful leaves and put them to crafty use. 

Try one of the ideas from our pressed leaves Pinterest board and let us know how you get on - share your pictures with us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Follow The Simple Things's board Pressed leaves on Pinterest.

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From the October issue

Make a homemade reed diffuser

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Chalkboard art PLUS win one of five tote bags (closed)

From signage to prints to The Simple Things’ own back cover, chalkboard art is enjoying a bit of a revival. Requiring only chalk, a blackboard surface and a spot of creativity, it’s easy to understand its appeal. In the October issue of The Simple Things we share the step-by-step instructions for creating a chalkboard party invite, taken from Valerie McKeehan’s The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering.

The book is filled with helpful tips for aspiring chalkers, and projects ranging from birthday greetings to vintage-style store signs. If you enjoy that, we recommend you also taking a look at the incredible 1909 Blackboard Sketching book by Frederick Whitney (discovered through The Public Domain Review).

Bulrushes and baskets, cosy fireside scenes and glimpses of the great outdoors all come to life through Whitney’s mastery of chalk. With the whole book available to read online, it may help equip you with the skills to sketch up a quick igloo. At the very least, it should give you a few “wow” moments.

As Whitney describes, “Such drawing is a language which never fails to hold attention and awaken delighted interest”.

Competition

We’ve got five tote bags celebrating The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering to give away. Enter below

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From the October issue

More chalkboard back covers

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Recipe: Saffron G&Ts

Saffron G&Ts

Add a golden hue to your gin and tonic with a pinch of saffron and slices of fresh mango

Serves 4–6

pinch of saffron
pinch of sugar
crushed ice
slices of fresh mango
handful of fresh mint
250ml gin
500ml tonic or sparkling water to top up

1 Crush saffron with a pinch of sugar in a pestle and mortar – or you can use the back of a spoon and a small bowl.

2 Shake the saffron with the gin and leave to infuse for as long as you can.

3 Pour the gin into an ice-filled jug or tumblers packed with slices of fresh mango and mint. Top up with tonic or sparkling water.

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From the October issue

Cocktail recipes

More saffron recipes

Recipe: Raspberry vinegar

From Fern Verrow: Recipes from a Biodynamic Farm by Jane Scotter and Harry Astley. 

Raspberry vinegar

Makes 6 x 250ml bottles

1kg berries
600ml cider vinegar
granulated sugar

Always use the freshest fruit you can get hold of, but remember it doesn’t matter what the fruit looks like, as you’re going to mash it up for its juice. It is important that the fruit is dry, especially if you are using strawberries and raspberries, so try not to wash it. You can also use a mixture of elderberries and wild blackberries for a foraged, more savoury vinegar.

1 Put the berries into a large ceramic or glass bowl. Add the vinegar and gently crush the fruit with a potato masher or a large fork. Cover tightly and leave in a cool room for at least 5 days, stirring once each day.

2 Line a sieve with a piece of sterilised muslin, set it over a bowl and pour the fruit and vinegar into it. Tie the corners of the muslin together and suspend the bag over the bowl for 12 hours for the juice to drip through.

3 Measure the juice and allow 450g sugar for every 500ml. Put the juice and sugar into a large stainless steel saucepan, place over a low heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Boil for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool. Pour into sterilised bottles and seal straightaway. It should keep for at least a year. 

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From the October issue

Preserving recipes

Fruit recipes