Make | Craft your own countdown

Channel your excitement about the festive season into making this simple and pretty project

Not that we need bribery, but the pleasure of opening an advent calendar each day is an extra reason to look forward to getting out of bed in December. The first commercially produced advent calendar dates to 1903 but our project harks back to the very first, 18th-century versions, which were handmade. This easy-to-make design combines natural foliage, a bit of festive sparkle and a little treat in each envelope to be opened in the countdown to Christmas. Who could resist? And, on that note, it’s as easy to adapt for grown-ups as children.

Envelope advent calendar

1 Gather two near-identical bunches of foliage and bind them together with wire. Attach the foliage bunches to the wooden hoop, securing at intervals with wire. Allow the two bunches to overlap slightly at the base of the hoop to hide the join. Any visible wire can be hidden with the addition of a leaf or two.

2 Take three of the mini baubles and string onto a piece of wire, twisting to secure and form a cluster. Repeat with the remaining three. Secure each cluster along the base of the hoop on opposite sides.

3 Remove any hanging loops from your tree decoration, then glue it securely to the
centre of the hoop base using a glue gun. Leave the whole hoop piece aside to dry.

4 Paint the numbers 1 to 24 on the front of the envelopes. Once dried, fill with miniature gifts and treats (see opposite for inspiration) and seal the envelopes. Using a hole punch, create a hole in the top of each envelope.

5 Thread a length of twine through each envelope hole and secure with a double knot. Secure the other end to the decorated hoop. It’s best to hang your hoop (using
the length of satin ribbon) before attaching the envelopes to avoid tangles. Vary the lengths of twine a little, so that the envelopes don’t all hang at the same length. 

Carefully hang your advent calendar in its final position and let the countdown begin.

Makes 24 days of festive cheer
Wooden embroidery hoop 20cm (inner ring); try hobbycraft.co.uk
Beading/thin jewellery wire (hobbycraft.co.uk)
Foliage – long-lasting and fragrant, such as ivy, eucalyptus and rosemary
6 mini baubles (these are from dobbies.com)
Christmas character tree decoration (search eBay for vintage options)
Twine
24 small brown envelopes approx 6x9cm
60cm satin ribbon for hanging (uk.flyingtiger.com)
24 mini treats (see below for ideas)
Scissors
Ink and brush
Hole punch
Glue gun

1 Gather two near-identical bunches of foliage and bind them together with wire. Attach the foliage bunches to the wooden hoop, securing at intervals with wire. Allow the two bunches to overlap slightly at the base of the hoop to hide the join. Any visible wire can be hidden with the addition of a leaf or two.
2 Take three of the mini baubles and string onto a piece of wire, twisting to secure and form a cluster. Repeat with the remaining three. Secure each cluster along the base of the hoop on opposite sides.
3 Remove any hanging loops from your tree decoration, then glue it securely to the
centre of the hoop base using a glue gun. Leave the whole hoop piece aside to dry.
4 Paint the numbers 1 to 24 on the front of the envelopes. Once dried, fill with miniature gifts and treats (see below for inspiration) and seal the envelopes. Using a hole punch, create a hole in the top of each envelope.
5 Thread a length of twine through each envelope hole and secure with a double knot. Secure the other end to the decorated hoop. It’s best to hang your hoop (using the length of satin ribbon) before attaching the envelopes to avoid tangles. Vary the lengths of twine a little, so that the envelopes don’t all hang at the same length. Carefully hang your advent calendar in its final position and let the countdown begin.

l Chocolate coins l Mini playing cards l Lip balm l Hair slides l Cinema tickets l Badges or patches l Bookmarks l Temporary tattoo l Teabags

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Recipe | Parsnip and maple syrup cake with parsnip crisps

Autumn in a tin, this moist and delicious cake is just what you need after a brisk walk. If you have plenty of parsnips, make extra crisps to nibble

PARSNIP & MAPLE SYRUP CAKE WITH PARSNIP CRISPS
175g butter, plus extra for greasing
100ml maple syrup
3 large organic eggs
250g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp mixed spice
250g parsnips, peeled and grated
1 eating apple, peeled, cored and grated
50g pecans or hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Zest and juice of 1 small orange
Edible flowers, to garnish (optional) 

FOR THE PARSNIP CRISPS
1 large parsnip, peeled
Sunflower or groundnut oil, for frying 

FOR THE FILLING
300g cream cheese
2 tbsp maple syrup

1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. Brush two deep 20cm sandwich tins with a little melted butter and line the bases with baking parchment.
2 Melt the butter and syrup in a pan over a gentle heat; set aside to cool slightly. Whisk in the eggs, then stir the mixture into a large mixing bowl containing the flour, baking powder and mixed spice. Stir in the parsnips, apple, chopped nuts, orange zest and juice. Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for 35–40 mins or until just starting to shrink from the sides of the tins. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
3 While the cakes are baking, make the parsnip crisps. Either slice the parsnip into wafer-thin discs or peel off long slivers with a swivel-top peeler. Leave to dry out on kitchen paper.
4 Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 150C. Fry the parsnip by dropping in a few slivers at a time (they colour and crisp up very quickly). Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle lightly with salt.
5 To make the filling, mix together the cream cheese and maple syrup. Spread over the base of one cooled cake and the top of the other. Sandwich together. Decorate the cake with parsnip crisps and edible flowers, if available.

Recipe from Grow, Cook, Nourish by Darina Allen (Kyle Books). 

Cake in the House is our monthly recipe feature - get a cake recipe every month in The Simple Things!

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Nest | Calathea

No one puts a calathea in the corner. This most flamboyant of houseplants with its dual-tone leaves – stripes on one side, deep purple on the other – deserves to be centre stage. As long as it’s kept out of direct sunlight, that is: “Its natural habitat is the jungle floor,” says Alice Howard, owner of Botanique Workshop Artisan Store & Flower Shop, artisan store and flower shop, “so direct light will scorch its leaves. Mist regularly and water consistently, so the soil doesn’t dry out.” Do all of that and a pot of tropical lushness will be yours. 

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Homemade cough drops

These antiviral lozenges help to soothe sore throats and ease tickly coughs. Make in advance for the winter months ahead, or boil up a batch for a poorly friend

You will need:
5cm piece of fresh ginger, sliced
1 tbsp whole cloves
4 tbsp dried elderflowers (or 5 fresh elderflower heads, main green stalks removed)
Elderflower cordial (optional) 
400g unrefined sugar
250ml honey
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
Icing sugar, to dust or for covering

1 Take a very large, heavy based saucepan (2-litre capacity is ideal). Put the spices into the pan with 300ml water. Bring gently to boil, then simmer, covered, for 10 mins.
2 Remove from the heat and add the fresh or dried elderflowers, set aside to infuse for 20 mins.
3 Strain the liquid into a heatproof jug and measure it – you’ll need 250ml of the infusion for this recipe (if it needs topping up use water or elderflower cordial for extra flavour). Return the 250ml liquid to the pan and then add sugar, lemon juice and honey.
4 Carefully heat until the mixture comes to a gentle rolling boil. Continue boiling gently until the sugar reaches hard crack stage (149–154C on a sugar thermometer), about 15–20 mins. This is the point at which a drop of liquid turns to brittle strands when dropped into chilled water (caution: the liquid is extremely hot). Take off the heat.
5 Drop teaspoonfuls onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper and leave to set. Then, once hardened, sprinkle with icing sugar to prevent them sticking together.
6 Suck one sweet as needed. Store wrapped in greaseproof paper individually or covered in a thick layer of icing sugar in an airtight container.

Taken from The Handmade Apothecary by Vicky Chown and Kim Walker (Kyle Books). 

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Reading mindfully | How to quiet your butterfly mind

Book lover and academic Martyn Evans suggests ways to focus when you read

1 Switch your phone to silent or leave it in a different room.
2 Don’t rush ahead in your mind before you reach the end of a sentence.
3 To help remember what you’ve read, engage in debate and discussion. Book clubs are great for this*

• randombookclub.co.uk brings “the thrill of browsing dusty shelves to your doorstep” by delivering a monthly hand-picked book and access to an online forum of book lovers.
• Feminist book club ‘Our Shared Shelf’ is founded by actor Emma Watson in her role as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and includes book recommendations, essays and a reader forum (goodreads.com).

4 Read with a dictionary and a pencil to hand. Look up words you’re not sure of and underline sentences that catch your attention.
5 If a book isn’t working for you, take a break and come back another time.
6 Switch genres as much as possible and keep your reading material varied.
7 Allow yourself an hour or two to get lost in a good bookshop.

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The art of cosiness

When keeping warm can be this much fun, bring on the darker, chillier days

• Although the temptation to lie in bed can feel insurmountable, a walk or yoga class or gentle jog will fire up your circulation and lift your mood. Make sure you have a good hat, warm socks and gloves – treat your extremities well and you’ll be a lot happier within.
• If the house feels chilly, wake up and bake. Kneading and mixing will quickly banish any chills and fill your home with good smells as well as warmth. 
• Make yourself a spicy soup to take to work in the week.
• And finally, get snuggling. Pets are so good for this but if you don’t have one, curl up with a hot water bottle, soft woollen blanket (or willing human).

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Recipe | Pear & quince crumble with almond custard

You can make this with just pears if that’s all you have to hand, but quince adds a beautiful aromatic note. 

The quince needs to be poached first, to soften it; if your pears are unripe, add them to the poaching for the last 10–20 minutes, or until they’re soft. This recipe presumes ripe pears. The topping is as dark, complex and rubbly as the apple and blackberry one (page 47 of the November 2017 issue) is light and simple.

Serves 4–6
1 quince, peeled, cored and quartered
2 tbsp sugar
8 ripe pears, peeled, cored and quartered
2 tbsp apple juice
Juice of 1 lemon 

For the crumble: 
75g butter
150g spelt/rye flour
75g demerara sugar
100g oats
1 tsp ground ginger
100g almonds, roughly chopped

For the almond custard:
There are a few ways to make this, using the vanilla custard recipe (opposite) as your starting point. In summer you can infuse the milk with a handful of peach or nectarine leaves before you start on the custard: scald the milk with the leaves in it and leave to infuse while it cools, then strain and use the milk as per the recipe. For a cheat’s version, add a little almond essence once the custard is made, tasting as you add. And for a grown- ups-only version, add a shot or two of amaretto to the finished custard. 

 1 Poach the quince in a saucepan of water with the sugar for around 30 mins, or until softened. Slice. Meanwhile, toss the pears in the apple and lemon juice.
2 Preheat oven to 190C/Fan 170C/ 375F. Tip the fruit into a baking dish and pour over around 240ml of the quince poaching juice or some apple juice.
3 For the crumble, rub the butter roughly into the flour, then add the sugar, oats, ginger and almonds and rub them in a little, too. Sprinkle the mixture over the fruit and bake in the preheated oven for around 30 mins, or until the top has browned.

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A could-do list for November

Things you might want to do this month (no pressure!)

• Wrap up and go out whatever the weather
• Make homemade mincemeat and leave to infuse
• Read a book by a sunny window
• Bring your duvet downstairs
• Watch the flames of a roaring fire
• Slow down a little, come up for air and take your time
• Note down or photograph things you hear or see for the first time
  

What would you add? Come over and tell us on Facebook or Twitter. 

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Recipe | Real ragu

It may take more effort than a staple spag bol, but this slow-cooked brisket is well worth it

Serves 4
1kg rolled beef brisket
2 tbsp olive oil
50g unsalted butter
200g smoked pancetta, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
3 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp mixed spice
500ml red wine
500ml milk
2 dried bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary

to serve:
500g dried tagliatelle
75ml extra virgin olive oil
Small handful parsley, roughly chopped
100g parmesan, finely grated

1 Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F. Put the brisket into a small roasting dish and roast for an hour. Remove and allow the brisket to cool. Cut into small chunks.
2 Meanwhile heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan or casserole over a medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders down and the pancetta is slightly crispy. Add the onion, carrots and celery, stir to coat, then cook very slowly until soft – a good 20 mins at least, stirring every so often.
3 Once the veg are soft, increase the heat to high and stir in the tomato purée and mixed spice just for a minute or two, then add the wine, milk and herbs. Add the chopped brisket, bring to the boil, then reduce to a very low simmer and cook, partially covered with a lid, for 3 hours. Give the pan a stir every so often to ensure the bottom isn’t catching.
4 When the ragu is ready – it will be thick and the meat will be oh so tender – season to taste. Cook the pasta in salted water. Reserve 100ml of the pasta cooking water, then drain. Add the pasta to the ragu pan along with the reserved water, olive oil and parsley. Stir well to mix. Serve with a scattering of parmesan.

Recipe from Comfort by John Whaite (Kyle Books). 

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WIN! Christmas all stacked up - Natural Spa Factory

Exclusively for readers of The Simple Things, Natural Spa Factory have created the ultimate home-spa gift bundle to give away.

Make sure that all of your friends and family feel the love this Christmas!

Christmas All Stacked Up is bursting with favourites including the heady Amber Noir candle, edgy black glass reed diffuser, fig & vanilla lotion & potion hero set and a trio of the new pure & organic face oils, RRP of the gifts is £120. 

To enter simply head to the Natural Spa Factory competition page - ENTER NOW

The closing date for this competition is December 1st 2017.

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Recipe | Salted chocolate honeycomb

These brilliant bombs of honeycomb make the best bonfire party snack. They can be made in advance and kept in the freezer, ready to pull out whenever you need a sweet little bite 

Makes about 25 pieces

Cooking oil or spray, for greasing
125g liquid glucose
360g caster sugar
3 tbsp honey
15g bicarbonate of soda
250g dark chocolate
Sea salt, for sprinkling

1 Line a heatproof tray with baking parchment and lightly oil it.
2 Place the glucose, sugar, honey and 75ml water in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then cook until the mixture turns a fairly dark caramel colour.
3 Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 2 mins, before whisking in the bicarbonate of soda. Whisk just enough so that it is incorporated into the caramel; but don’t over-mix or the honeycomb will collapse.
4 Pour on to the prepared tray and leave at room temperature for about 1 hr to cool.
5 Once the honeycomb has set, break it into bite-sized pieces. Set a wire rack over a tray.
6 Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from the heat, dip the honeycomb bits in the melted chocolate, and place on a wirerack.
7 Sprinkle with sea salt and allow the chocolate to set. Store in the freezer until needed. 

Recipe from Sharing Plates by Luke Mangan (Murdoch Books).

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Glow | November cover reveal

November has a contented glow about it. Not only from the autumn colours but fire and light bring a cheeriness and warmth to the now long, dark nights. Make time for your own golden hours during this peaceful month – festive preparations can wait – and indulge in slow cooking, appreciate the landscape or your neighbourhood, simply enjoy reading or maybe drawing in a journal. Wherever your pleasures lie, be soothed and rested as this mellow season comes to a close. Calming comforts cannot be rushed, so light a fire, pull up a blanket and let the world get along without you for a while. It will. 

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Competition | Win a denim Susie pinafore apron from The Stitch Society

In November’s issue of The Simple Things, we meet Charlotte Meek of The Stitch Society in our Job Well Done feature, who tells us about how her passion for vintage fabrics inspired her to create a business making aprons celebrating Yorkshire’s textile heritage.

All The Stitch Society aprons come with a 10-year guarantee and are all made in Yorkshire from UK sourced fabrics. We’re giving away a denim Susie pinafore apron, worth £49.

How to enter

For your chance to win a denim Susie pinafore apron from The Stitch Society, enter below before the closing date, 29 November 2017. The winner will be chosen at random and notified after this date. You can find full terms and conditions on page 129 of November’s The Simple Things and at  icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

Enter now

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Listen | Fire songs

You're a firestarter, twisted firestarter. 

Listen to our fire playlist now

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