Happy mail | 5 newsletters to subscribe to

Frances Ambler shares her top five newsletters from our September issue feature on the new breed of newsletters: writing that moves, informs and inspires, that you definitely won’t want to leave unread

Domestic Sluttery, domesticsluttery.com

I used to write for Domestic Sluttery when it was a website. Now it’s in a newsletter format, I can’t wait to see what treats they have discovered each day. From inspiring women to the best bargain on the high street, it really does live up to its promise to make your inbox more fabulous.

Thread, bit.ly/jhethread

I’ve started reading more newsletters to read the personal stories and reflection that I used to find in blogs. It’s hard to pick a favourite tinyletter but I’m always pleased when Jean Hannah Edelstein’s Thread arrives. She relates stories from her life so beautifully – it’s always a refreshing pause for thought in my inbox (and her current book, This Really Isn’t About You, is fantastic too).

Laura Olin, lauraolin.com/newsletter

I don’t know how Laura does it, but her weekly newsletter always links to fascinating things on the internet that I just don’t come across elsewhere – things that make you smile, things that make you think. On days when the internet seems to just be people yelling at each other, it’s a reminder how it can be an inspiring, positive space as well.

Black Cardigan Edit, blackcardiganedit.com

“Advices and enthusiasm related to writing, books and creativity”. I don’t think the author of Black Cardigan Edit, Carrie Frye, has featured a book without me immediately clicking ‘buy’ – it’s almost as if her recommendations are specifically tailored for me. It’s a good job it’s infrequent, as otherwise I’d be broke.

Quartz Obsession, qz.com/newsletters/quartz-obsession

A daily dive into something you’ll likely have overlooked, packed with facts and stats. Thanks to Obsession, I’ve learned about vanilla, venus flytraps, sheds, lettuce and the colour purple. It’s the most pleasurably geeky moment of my day.

Turn to page 44 of September's The Simple Things for more newsletters worth reading. 
 

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

View the sampler here.

More from the September issue:

More food for your mind:

Nest | Hydrangeas

The mophead blooms of the hydrangea look as good in a vase as in the border.

“They may not be the cheapest cut flowers,” says Ellie Marlow, florist at Catkin & Pussywillow, “but they work well either as statement arrangements or single stems in bud vases. As their name suggests, they are thirsty blooms and like a lot of hydration. Should they droop, dip the stem into boiling water for a minute. That will revive them.”

Photography and flowers: Ellie Marlow, Catkin & Pussywillow, Winchester railway station (catkinandpussywillow.com)
 

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

View the sampler here.

More from the September issue:

More plants:

Old railway tracks

Offering unusual routes and easy navigation, old railway tracks are ideal for hiking, biking or just a wander in nature. 

Some former routes have been restored for use as heritage lines, offering passengers the chance to enjoy the full sensory experience of steam: the smoky scent in the air, the magical chuff-chuff of acceleration and the occasional tuneful whistle.

They include:

The Bluebell Railway

Climb aboard splendid steam trains with romantic names such as the Sussex Belle and Golden Arrow running between East Grinstead and Sheffield Park in East Sussex; bluebell-railway.com.

North York Moors Railway

Admire the North York Moors National Park from the steam trains on this not-for-profit, volunteer-led railway, which is fast approaching its 200th birthday – don’t miss Goathland, famous for playing fictitious stations including Harry Potter’s Hogsmeade, as well as a turn in 1990s TV show Heartbeat; nymr.co.uk.

Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways

Indulge in afternoon tea and first-class travel as you steam between Porthmadog and Caernarfon along the world’s oldest narrow gauge railway – the carriages’ windows framing magnificent mountainous views as it passes through Snowdonia; festrail.co.uk.

Turn to page 62 of September's The Simple Things for Ruth Chandler on her love of old railway tracks, or read on for some of her favourite routes.

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

View the sampler here.

More from the September issue:

More outdoor living:

Recipe | Preserved roasted peppers

When you have a glut of sweet peppers, one of the most delicious things to do with them is to roast them and preserve them in vinegar and oil. Long slow cooking brings out their sweetness, and they make a brilliant addition to mezze and an excellent pizza topping.

Makes 1 jar
8 peppers
White wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil

YOU WILL NEED
450ml Kilner jar or equivalent, sterilised

1 Preheat the grill. Put the whole peppers on a baking tray and grill, turning, until blackened all over.
2 Tip the peppers into a large bowl, cover tightly with cling film and leave to cool completely: the cling film traps the steam and helps to separate the skins from the flesh.
3 Once cool, peel away the blackened skins and discard, then open up the peppers to remove the seeds and stems. Tear the flesh into wide strips and drop it into a bowl, along with as much of the juices as you can capture, then tip everything into a sterilised jar.
4 Pour enough vinegar over the peppers to cover, and use a knife to agitate them a little and get rid of any air bubbles, then top with a small slick of olive oil. Seal the jar and transfer to the fridge. Eat within a month.

Turn to page 38 of August's The Simple Things for more of our staple foods feature on peppers from Lia Leendertz.

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

View the sampler here.

More from the September issue:

More preserving recipes:

What I treasure | My inherited recipe books

My most treasured books lie hidden. They’re shrinking violets in my kitchen, spines frayed and indecipherable, found among modern volumes from celebrity kitchens and heavyweight classics from renowned masters. My favourite cookery books are often rediscovered by accident and, as I ease them from the shelves, they transport me to half-forgotten times and places in my past.

My Mother’s Be-Ro book, a slim booklet produced by the flour manufacturer, still falls open at the pages consulted by her, and sticky fingerprints offer clues to the ingredients of coconut macaroons and jam tarts. It conjures up memories of my scratchy bottle-green school jumper and toasting bread with my brother in front of a smoky coal fire, Blue Peter on the television.
The Farmer’s Wife book evokes my teenage years. The spicy aroma of the sticky gingerbread contained within gives way to Aqua Manda, the heady fragrance that I applied liberally on Saturday nights.

The Hamlyn All Colour Cook Book heralds early married life and, with its curried eggs and tuna bake, a new and sophisticated period along my culinary journey. As I browse the faded pages, it’s our trendy brown and orange kitchen and primrose bathroom suite (how I longed for avocado) that elbow their way through the mists of time. Fast forward ten years and the Food Aid book from which I make mushroom pâté each Christmas reminds me of the Live Aid concert that inspired its publication.

There are more, each with their own special memories, but it is a small blue book bulging with handwritten notes that means the most. These are the family recipes handed down to me over the years. One glance at the looped script and I am back in the kitchen of my childhood. It’s a sunny Sunday afternoon and my mother and aunts are chatting as they assemble bridge rolls stuffed with tinned salmon, and arrange their specialities – fruit scones, cream meringues and chocolate eclairs – on doilies. I can smell their soap and hear their gentle scolding as my cousins and I play underfoot.

I doubt I’ll be able to resist the new, glossy cookery tomes that will appear this Christmas but, as they join the rest of my collection, I know that my memories will be hiding in their midst.

We’d like to know what you treasure - whether it’s a sentimental artefact, a person, a place or something else. Tell us in 500 words what means a lot to you - email thesimplethings@icebergpress.co.uk

More from the September issue:

More What I Treasure posts:

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

View the sampler here

An expert in anything was once a beginner

More from the September issue:

More back covers:

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

View the sampler here.

Handwriting taster

When we put pen to paper, we may not realise it but our personality is there in every stroke and mark we make.

Handwriting analysis, or graphology, studies the unique features of writing, from the spaces between letters to the curliness of a ‘g’, to reveal our individual traits and how we interact with the world, cope with stress and express emotions.

HANDWRITING OR BRAINWRITING?

Handwriting, as with all fine motor coordination, is a physical process; the brain sends signals to the arm, the hand and the fingers to manipulate a writing tool (the pen or pencil you are holding). The brain is very much the main control room, which is why our writing can be described as the X-ray of the mind. It is therefore not surprising that no two handwriting styles are the same and they are as unique as a fingerprint.

Before you start, write a few sentences on blank paper – avoid copying text as it will slow down your natural speed – and then sign your name under the text.

Turn to page 74 of September's The Simple Things to analyse your own handwriting. 
 

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

View the sampler here.

More from the September issue:

More food for your mind:

Know a thing or two... Ethical fashion

On the eve of London Fashion Week, here are some starting points for dressing with a conscience

ON DEMAND & CUSTOM MADE
Encompassing made-to-order, tailormade, and DIY. Campaigners believe that the fashion industry should be more responsive to consumer demands, rather than make in bulk. Consumers can put this into practice, too. If we play a role in the production of our clothing, we’re more likely to look after it and hang onto it. Getting custom-made is an increasingly affordable option, thanks to the likes of Fox in a Glove, foxinaglove.com, offering modern styles made in Europe, and Brighton-based Dig For Victory, digforvictoryclothing.com, which specialises in vintage-inspired shapes. Clever sewers can make their own clothes. For fashionable patterns, try the Sewing Your Perfect Capsule Wardrobe project book by Arianna Cadwallader and Cathy McKinnon (Kyle Books), Sew Over It (sewoverit.co.uk) and Tilly and the Buttons (tillyandthebuttons.com).

GREEN & CLEAN
Try to buy green, where you can – and ideally items that are green through every step of the process. The textile certification helps identification, but in general look for organic, natural fibres, such as wool, cotton, silk, lyocell and hemp, rather than the likes of petroleum-derived polyester, nylon or acrylic, which don’t typically degrade in nature. Ideally you’d be able to track a garment’s credentials at every stage of production – virtually impossible at the moment, so join the campaign for greater transparency from clothing brands at fashionrevolution.org/about/transparency.

HIGH QUALITY & TIMELESS DESIGN
When you buy, try to buy better. The WRAP Love Your Clothes campaign offers best buy guides at loveyourclothes.org.uk/guides/best-buy-guides that highlight what to look for to get the most from an item of clothing. Livia Firth’s #30wears campaign is simply a prompt to ask yourself before buying if you’ll wear something at least 30 times – it’s surprising how many garments won’t reach this criterion.

FAIR & ETHICAL
Referring to traditional production, artisan crafts and animal rights. As with the Green & Clean, try to find out who made your clothes – and if anybody or anything has been harmed in the process. This can feel impossible to ascertain, so demand better and join in Fashion Revolution Day on 24 April by asking companies, Who Made My Clothes? To educate yourself further, try a copy of Fashion Revolution Zine (fashionrevolution.org), or a free course exploring the subject; futurelearn.com/courses/who-made-my-clothes.

REMAKE, REPAIR OR UPCYCLE
Extending the life of a garment by nine months reduces its impact on the environment by 20–30%. Learn the quick fixes – replacing a broken zip, sorting a wayward hem – to keep a garment in use, or up the ante and try remaking your clothes entirely. Dressmaking courses around the UK are listed at thesewingdirectory.co.uk/workshops-and-courses/ – or take advantage of the skills of a local tailor to keep beloved items in use.

RENT, LOAN OR SWAP
There’s a wealth of desirable clothing that won’t cost you a penny, if you decide to borrow from friends and family. ‘Swishing’ parties – pooling donated clothing and accessories – are a social way to share unworn clothes. And for big occasions, consider hiring rather than buying
an unlikely to be worn again frock: wearthewalk.co.uk and girlmeetsdress.com offer fashionable rental options.

SECONDHAND OR VINTAGE
Extend the life of an item of clothing by buying secondhand or vintage. See issue 63 of The Simple Things for pleasurable ways to shop secondhand, from car boots to charity shops. On Instagram @knickers_models_own offers plentiful inspiration on how to style pre-loved clothes: Caroline Jones did a full year of only dressing in clothes sourced from Cancer Research shops. And it goes both ways: hand on your own items, rather than throw away. Even garments that are no longer wearable can go for textile recycling.

Green Strategy, a Swedish consultancy on improving sustainability, suggested these seven ways we can start to shop and dress more sustainably. You can read all about it by searching ‘seven’ at their website, greenstrategy.se.

Turn to page 89 of September's The Simple Things for more on our ethical fashion feature.

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

View the sampler here.

More from the September issue:

Projects to make:

My Plot | Natural born swimmers

Sarah and Will Murch dreamt of wild swimming in their garden. So they turned a disused patch into a tranquil pool, now a haven for wildlife a well as their family.

'Every time I visit the pool, I am blown away by its magic; it always surprises me. It doesn’t matter if it’s a dull day, windy or sunny – it is always beautiful and every time I swim, I am gobsmacked that we built this. The wildlife that is drawn to the garden is a big thing for me. Sitting by the water and seeing the swallows dip and the dragonflies hover is pretty amazing. It is also the place we all come together as a family – we are all drawn to the water. It is where we gravitate, it calms and revitalises, and not just when swimming in it but also by being beside it. It is a very special place.'

Turn to page 110 of September's The Simple Things for more on how Sarah and will created their pool.
 

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

View the sampler here

More from the September issue:

More outdoor inspiration:

Stories behind superstitions | New shoes

Why is it bad luck to put new shoes on a table? Turns out this bold move may be a step too far

There are many reasons why it’s considered bad luck to put your shoes on the table – none of them pleasant. Let’s look at the death-related reasons first.

It may be because criminals were often hanged still wearing their shoes, or because it’s associated with a laid-out corpse. Back when shoes were more expensive and poorer folk had only one pair, it could also be a way of identifying a body. Which brings us to why new shoes are thought unlucky; when shoes were pricy, they’d be passed from the dead person onto another family member, as a “new” pair.

If not for deathly reasons, you don’t need to be a mastermind to understand why you might want to keep the soles of shoes away from anywhere involved with food. Back in less hygienic, less medicated times, it was quite possible the resulting illness could lead to another pair of shoes going spare...

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

View the sampler here.

More from the September issue:

More superstitions:

Recipe | Silken pear cake

Barely any flour is used in this clever recipe, resulting in a mere whisper of a cake – fairy light, pale gold and studded with morsels of juicy pear

SILKEN PEAR CAKE

90g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
3 eggs
130g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla essence
35g plain flour, sifted
30g cornflour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder, sifted
3 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into 2cm dice
FOR THE CHANTILLY CREAM (OPTIONAL) 
300ml whipping cream
30g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract or paste or essence

1 Preheat oven to 170C/Fan 150C/Gas 3. Grease the ring of a 24cm springform tin, then turn the base upside down, so it no longer has a lip. Place a piece of baking paper over it, then clamp the ring around it to secure.
2 Combine the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl, and whisk with an electric mixer on high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume.
3 Using a hand whisk, gently fold in the plain flour, cornflour and baking powder with a pinch of salt until you have a smooth batter. Pour in the melted butter and fold with the whisk until totally combined, tilting the mixing bowl to make sure you’re reaching right to the bottom, where remnants of the butter might be sitting.
4 Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, then scatter the chunks of diced pear evenly over the surface. Don’t worry if there are a few pieces peeking through the top of the batter.
5 Bake for about 45 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The cake will balloon up when cooking, then collapse a bit after cooling, but this is entirely normal.
6 Cool completely in the tin before sliding a paring knife around the edge of the cake to release the ring. Carefully slide the cake onto a serving plate (leave it on the baking paper as the texture is very delicate). Serve with your choice of cream.
7 To make the chantilly cream, combine the cream, icing sugar and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl and whisk by hand or with an electric mixer until medium peaks form, being careful not to overwhisk.

Recipe from Poh Bakes 100 Greats by Poh Ling Yeow (Murdoch Books).

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

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

View the sampler here.

More from the September issue:

More Cake in the House recipes:

September horoscopes | Virgo

The start of a new season is a natural time of transition, where we pause to reflect and plan for the next phase of the year. Astrologer Donna Taylor looks at the coming season in your star sign and offers her guidance on how to find balance and contentment in the months ahead

Virgo

23 August – 22 September

“If you’re not happy at home, you’re not happy anywhere else,” said actress, Angie Harmon. Your domestic life may have been a theme for some time now, from your home to your family ties. This year is likely to have seen a lessening of difficulties but the real turning point comes in November when a much happier phase begins. Why is this important? Because the more happy and secure you feel in your foundations, the more able you’ll be to go out into the world and shine your light. This autumn is about new beginnings after which you’ll find it easier to make progress.

Turn to page 125 of September's The Simple Things for the other twelve star signs.

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

View the sampler here

More from the September issue:

More starry inspiration:

The Comfort of Things | Handmade home

My eldest son has started pottery classes at school, which he enjoys and which is to be applauded, etc. However, I now have a shelf laden with misshapen bowls, approximately rendered plates and several lumpy things beyond description. I would rather replace these with lovely handmade ceramics made by proper craftspeople but I don’t want to upset him. How should I go about it?

Answer in brief: select a single piece to display, then chuck the rest. Although the artistic soul is a sensitive thing and needs to be tended to carefully, you don’t want to give your son a false sense of his own genius if it’s not deserved. Does he, actually, show any real promise? If so, select one of his better pieces and display it prominently: on a side table, say, with an anglepoise directed at it in the manner of a gallery. Then sweep the rest into a box and put under a bed. He will be so thrilled with the attention given to one of his works, he won’t notice. If he doesn’t show any real promise, just chuck the lot out. It’s a tough world out there and he’d better get used to it.

Turn to page 114 of September's The Simple Things for more on how to make a handmade home.

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

View the sampler here

More home ideas:

More from the September issue:

Positive News from around the world

Where statistics and optimism meet

• 620k caged hens have been rehomed by the British Hen Welfare Trust since it was established in 2005. The Devon-based charity, supported by more than 500 volunteers, finds ‘retirement homes’ for hens otherwise destined for slaughter.
  

• Out of 35m flights in 2017, only two were involved in accidents with fatalities. The figure, based on research by aviation consultancy To70, means there was a fatal accident rate of just 0.000006% – a record low.
  

• 75% of Americans believe that immigration is good for their nation, new research by Gallup shows. It is the highest share of citizens to hold this view since 2001. Only 29% say immigration should be cut, the lowest share since 1965.

Turn to page 50 of September's The Simple Things for more articles written by our friends at Positive News, the quarterly magazine for good journalism about good things.

See the world from a different angle; positive.news/subscribe.

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

View the sampler here.

More to make you happy:

More could-do lists:

A could-do list for September

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

• Print your favourite summer photos
• Wear clothes that make you feel happy (and give away any that don’t)
• Spend more time with the people you love
• Start a new notebook of thoughts and ideas
• Notice summer making way for autumn
• Enjoy the restoring of calm and order
• Set yourself a mini physical challenge. Write down reasons to give it a go

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

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

View the sampler here.

More from the September issue:

More could-do lists:

Restore | September cover reveal

There’s an energy

that arrives with September; an urge to learn, to make, to buy but also to restore order after a laissez-faire summer. The satisfaction of a job well done can cheer up any chore and brings a chance to enjoy favourite parts of your home at their best. Take time, too, to appreciate the lingering season before autumn proper. It’s a month for outdoor swimming; harvesting peppers, chillies and tomatoes; long walks and weekends away. Restorative quiet never felt so good.

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

View the sampler here, buy back issues or try our sister mag, Oh Comely 

More from the September issue:

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

Garden hacks | Make a self-watering herb garden

Gotta lotta bottle(s)? Put them to good use with this windowsill wonder

YOU WILL NEED:
Used bottle (glass* or plastic)
Mesh
Thick string
Herbs for planting
1 Cut a bottle in two, with the base longer than the top bit.
2 Turn neck part upside down into base. Cut a length of string to reach through the neck to the bottle’s base. Add water to the bottom part. 3 Cut a piece of mesh, just big enough to rest securely over the top of the bottle’s neck.

4 Make a small hole in the centre of the mesh. Thread the string through the hole, securing with a knot, then bring string through neck of bottle, so the mesh sits in place.
5 Plant up herbs into the top part and put water in the bottom. With your string dangling in the liquid, it’ll bring the water up to the herbs.
* Buy glass-cutting kits at craft stores – there are tutorials online, or if you know people with the right tools and skills, they can help you.

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

View the sampler here.

More from the September issue:

More garden hacks:

Roominations

What’s your favourite room in the house? On page 34 of September's The Simple Things team meditate on the indoor spaces that they love best – and ask you to share yours

Kitchen by Iona Bower

Too often described as ‘the heart of the home’, I’ve always thought of a kitchen as ‘the engine room’. Nowhere do I feel more capable than here, at the helm, Gardener’s Question Time chattering, kettle bubbling, and something lovely on the stove.

There’s something about a buzzing kitchen, for sure. I once considered too many gadgets naff, but these days I get a warm glow from my breadmaker, coffee machine and juicer chugging happily. I recently reached peak smug when I purchased another freezer so I could whip out a pork ragu or a crumble at a moment’s notice for unexpected guests. (I may or may not drop this into conversation à la Hyacinth Bouquet: “I was just passing my second freezer, when...”)

I’ve had teeny bijou kitchens before, lovely in their own way (mainly for being able to shout “No room for two” (while flapping at intruders with a tea towel). But

now that I have a big kitchen, I love it.
Half is ‘kitchen proper’, where the burning and swearing happens (and the second freezer lives –

did I mention my second freezer?). The other half is ‘dining and lounging’: a teak table, stained with memories: spilt glasses of red, children’s careless paintings and a deep scratch from that time the cat evacuated it too quickly. There’s also a sofa, because a good friend told me every ‘proper’ kitchen should have a sofa to accommodate poorly children, off school.

And in one corner, I have an office; despite having a study, I’ve finally admitted I just want to hang out in my kitchen. It’s where I naturally retreated in labour to moo loudly; where I take friends-in-crisis for medicinal G&Ts; where I’ve feasted, feted and felt a bit green the following morning. Something pulls me to my kitchen and it’s not just the biscuit tin.

READER SURVEY

Tell us which is your favourite room and why and – if you wouldn’t mind – answer a few questions about The Simple Things, too. There’s £200 of John Lewis vouchers to be won! thesimplethings.com/blog/roomsurvey.

---

More from the September issue:

Listen | Songs of the streets

Do you want to go where the streets have no name? Us neither.

Listen to our songs of the streets playlist now.

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

View the sampler here

Listen to more playlists:

More from the September issue:

Recipe | Borlotti Beans, fermented tomato, basil & chickpeas

Fermentation is a great way to deal with a glut of veg or fruit and is actually very simple; it just takes a little planning. If you start this recipe four days ahead, you’ll get the maximum flavour from the fermented tomatoes.

Borlotti Beans, fermented tomato, basil & chickpeas

Serves 4

Vegan

250g podded fresh borlotti beans
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 4
1 celery stick, top removed, cut into 4
1 bay leaf
¼ bunch of thyme
1 tsp smoked paprika
100g non-dairy cream cheese
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 bunch of basil, leaves picked and stalks retained200g cooked chickpeas, roughly chopped
½ quantity of hummus* (½ tub shop-bought)
2 tbsp olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil, to garnish

* For homemade hummus:
240g tinned chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
60g tahini
1 garlic clove
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
25ml olive oil
½ tsp agave syrup
½ tsp table salt
Freshly milled black pepper

For the fermented tomatoes:
1 tsp table salt
50ml rice wine vinegar
50ml balsamic vinegar
1 tsp agave syrup
1 tbsp tomato purée
6 seasonal ripe tomatoes

1 Start by fermenting the tomatoes. Mix all ingredients together, apart from the tomatoes, and add the basil stalks. Add 100ml of cold water.

2 Prick the tomatoes all over with a skewer, then place in a container or jar and cover with the liquid. Loosely cover and leave in a slightly warm, dark place for a minimum of 4 days.

3 Place the beans, carrot, celery, bay leaf and thyme into a medium saucepan. Cover with water, then place on a high heat. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 25–40 mins until soft (cooking time may vary depending on freshness).

4 Strain off the liquid from the pan, removing the carrot, celery and herbs.

5 Place the smoked paprika, cream cheese and tomato purée into a bowl. Whisk well. Place in a pan with the cooked borlotti beans and heat through.

6 To make the hummus, blitz all the ingredients in a food processor until a smooth paste, adding 20–30ml water if needed. (Remember, you’ll only need to use half of this quantity for the finished dish.)

7 To assemble, chop the basil leaves, reserving a few for garnish, and mix with the chickpeas, hummus and olive oil, seasoning well. Place the hummus around the edge of the serving plate, then place the beans on top. Peel the skin from the tomatoes (it will come off very easily after the fermentation) and slice each in half. Arrange on top, drizzling over a little of the fermenting liquor. Garnish with the reserved basil leaves and olive oil, then serve.

Recipe from Planted by Chantelle Nicholson (Kyle Books).

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

View the sampler here.

More from the September issue:

More tomato recipes: