Recipe | Pepper, aubergine & feta pithivier

This is a Mediterranean take on pie – a delicate puff pastry pithivier filled with peppers, aubergines and feta. It doesn’t need a hefty potato mash, but sweet potato and olive oil mash suits it very well indeed.

Makes 2
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and sliced
4 sweet peppers, sliced
1 aubergine, diced
50g feta cheese, crumbled
1 sheet all-butter puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten

1 Gently heat half the olive oil in a pan and add the onions and peppers. Season and cook gently for at least 30 mins, stirring as you go, until the peppers are collapsed and slippery.
2 In the meantime, heat the rest of the oil gently in another pan, tip in the aubergine, and season; then cook until it is soft and has lost all ‘bounce’. Remove both pans from the heat until you are ready to fill your pithiviers.
3 Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/ Gas 6. Flour your work surface and roll out the pastry until it is around half the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut out two circles, around 15cm across, and two more, around 17cm across.
4 Lay baking parchment onto a baking tray and then place the smaller circles on it. Divide the pepper and onion mixture between them, placing it centrally, and then do the same with the aubergine. Sprinkle feta on top.
5 Paint egg around the exposed edge of the pastry, then drape the larger circle of pastry over the mound and trim any excess. Paint egg all over the mound, then use a sharp knife to make a pattern on top. A small hole at the top will help steam to escape.
6 Bake for 35–45 mins, or until the pastry is crisp and browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

This recipe was first published in issue 69 of The Simple Things. National Pie Week runs from 3-9 March. To mark it, we have collated some of favourite Simple Things pies from across the years in our March issue. Pick up a copy to find the other recipes, which include Chicken & Mushroom Pie, Spanakopita, Fish Pie with Crunchy Salmon & Leek Topping, Picnic Pie and Pork & Egg Lattice Pie.

More from the March issue…

More pies…

Eggshell tea lights

A smashing make to light up a long weekend - and you can use the eggs themselves for a leisurely breakfast

YOU WILL NEED: 
Empty eggshells
Candle wax (or leftover bits from old candles)
Old saucepan
Egg carton
Wicks (try hobbycraft.co.uk)

1 Clean the eggshells in soapy water and let dry.

2 Heat the wax in an old pan over a low heat until it melts. Take off the heat.

3 With the eggshells held in their carton, carefully pour the wax into the shells.

4 As soon as the wax starts to become solid, stick a piece of wick of about 10cm length into the centre of each eggshell, so that it reaches the bottom.

5 Leave to harden, occasionally wiggling the wick into the middle. The wax should take a couple of hours to harden completely.

This was originally published in the March 2018 issue of The Simple Things. Get hold of your copy of this month's issue - buy, download or subscribe

More eggspiration…

From the April issue…

Recipe: Mothering buns

Sweet and sticky buns to make for Mother’s Day… or just because

A speciality of Bristol, these are made by local bakers the day before Mothering Sunday. Traditionally, on this day only, the Lent fast was relaxed. The buns used to be decorated with caraway or aniseed; today, hundreds and thousands are used.

MAKES 12
FOR THE BUNS
500g strong white bread flour 
1 tsp salt
50g caster sugar
7g sachet instant yeast
50g unsalted butter, diced and softened
300ml water

FOR THE ICING 
200g icing sugar 
2–3 tbsp water

1. Put the flour in a large bowl. Add the salt and sugar on one side, the yeast on the other. Add the butter and three-quarters of the water, then turn the mixture round with the fingers of one hand. Add the remaining water a little at a time, mixing until you have taken in all the flour and the dough is soft and slightly sticky; you might not need all the water.
2. Oil the work surface to stop the dough sticking. Turn out the dough and knead for 5 mins, or until smooth and no longer sticky. Lightly oil the bowl, return the dough to it and cover with cling film. Leave to rise for at least an hour, until doubled in size. Line 2 baking trays
with baking parchment.
3. Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and fold it inwards repeatedly until all the air has been
knocked out and the dough is smooth. Divide into 12 pieces.
4. Roll each piece into a ball by placing it into a cage formed by your hand on the work surface and moving your hand in a circular motion, rotating the ball rapidly. 
5. Put the balls of dough on the prepared baking trays, spacing them slightly apart. (They should just touch each other when they have risen.) Place each tray in a clean plastic bag and leave to prove for about 40 mins, until the rolls have doubled in size. Heat the oven to 220C/Fan 200/425F.
6. Bake for 10–12 mins, until the rolls are golden and sound hollow when tapped underneath. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 
7. For the icing, mix the icing sugar with enough water to give a thick but pourable consistency. Dip each roll into the icing and then into the hundreds and thousands.

Recipe taken from Paul Hollywood’s British Baking, Photography Peter Cassidy (Bloomsbury, £8)

Mothering Sunday is on 27 March in the UK. It has been celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent since the 16th century. This recipe was first published in our March 2015 issue but we don’t think you can make them enough, really.

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More from our April issue…

More bakes for springdays…

You know spring has properly arrived when...

Daylight wakes you up in the morning

You leave the back door open

Soups and stews make way for salads

Your phone is full of pictures of blossom and spring flowers

Your book takes a little longer to read

You’re making detailed plans for your garden

You leave the house without a coat

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From our March issue:

More outdoor inspiration:

Recipe: Goose egg lemon curd

In general, weather conditions allowing, geese lay from about the middle of February until mid-May. What a joy it is to find that first egg, pure white in colour, just like goose feathers.

It’s a sign that spring is arriving. One goose egg is equivalent to three chicken eggs, but the proportion of yolk to white is higher, adding richness when used in baking. Lemon curd made with goose eggs is in a class of its own. The neon-yellow shines through the jar. Try to find the freshest possible eggs – your local farmers’ market is probably the best bet.

Goose egg lemon curd

MAKES 4 X 225G JARS
finely grated zest and juice of 8 large unwaxed lemons
400g granulated sugar
200g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 goose eggs, lightly beaten

1 Put the grated lemon zest and juice, sugar and unsalted butter into a heatproof bowl and place it over a pan of simmering water, ensuring that the base of the bowl does not come into contact with the water.
2 Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has
melted. The mixture should be nice and warm, but not hot or the eggs will curdle.
3 Strain the beaten eggs through a sieve into the bowl.
4 Using a balloon whisk, whisk the curd gently for about 15 mins, until it thickens to a custard-like consistency and feels heavy on the whisk.
5 Remove the bowl from the heat and leave to cool, stirring occasionally. Pour the curd into sterilised jars and seal.
6 Store in the fridge and use within 28 days.

From Fern Verrow: A Year Of Recipes From A Farm And Its Kitchen by Jane Scotter and Harry Astley. Photographs by Tessa Traeger (Quadrille)

This recipe was originally published in The Simple Things Issue 45, which you can order from our online store. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

From our March issue…

More spring recipes…

Competition | win a stylish shopping spree

Beautiful, thoughtfully produced pieces to bring colour to your wardrobe

With the new season comes new hope and energy – and that’s precisely what Gudrun Sjödén has captured in her Spring 2021 collection. Described as a love letter to nature, it features the rich palette that Gudrun encounters on her outings into the Swedish countryside, including jewel-like blues and greens complemented by spicy reds and yellows, all with her striking patterns and embroidered details, themselves inspired by traditional folk art.

As well as pouring her heart into each collection, creating clothes that will be cherished by several generations for many years to come, Gudrun is mindful to produce pieces that are kind to the planet, too. The company works hard to minimise its carbon footprint in all areas from design to production and freight and it supports its manufacturers to help them become as eco-friendly as possible – such as helping to create an organically certified production line and establishing water recycling systems. In fact, this season’s collection features digital printing, which uses a minimum of water, while still producing beautifully vivid colours. For more information, visit gudrunsjoden.com

We have two prizes of £200 to spend at the online store…

To enter

For your chance to win one of two £200 vouchers to spend in store or online at Gudrun Sjödén, simply click the button below and answer the question: The countryside of which country inspires Gudrun’s lines?

Terms and conditions
This competition closes at 11.59pm on 7 April 2021. Two winners will be selected at random from all the correct entries received and notified soon after. The winner cannot transfer the prize or swap for cash. Details of our full terms are on p.127 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

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More from our March issue…

Recipe: Wholemeal hot cross buns with whipped honey lemon butter

The addition of wholemeal flour makes these Easter classics wholesome and nutty, while the lemony butter adds decadence to homely hot cross buns

Makes 12 buns
250g strong white flour
200g strong wholemeal flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp easy bake yeast
50g golden caster sugar
110g currants
50g candied peel
50g butter, room temperature
150ml hand-hot milk
75ml hand-hot water
1 egg, beaten

for the crosses
75g plain flour
5 tbsp water
for the glaze
3 tbsp apricot jam

1 Sieve the flours, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon into a bowl and add the yeast, sugar, currants and peel.
2 Give it a quick stir, then make a well in the centre and drop in the butter, followed by the warmed milk and water, and the egg. Mix well with a wooden spoon and then go in with your hands and knead, adding a little more milk if the mix feels too dry.
3 Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for around two hours, or until it has doubled in size.
4 Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead it briefly again, then divide
it into 12 pieces. Roll each into a bun shape in your hands and place onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment, leaving space for each to rise. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for a further 45 mins or so, until doubled again.
5 Heat the oven to 220C/Fan 200/425F while you make the crosses. Mix the flour and the water to a thick paste, spoon into a piping bag and pipe on the crosses. Bake for around 15 mins.
6 Meanwhile, heat the apricot jam in a small pan and then sieve it to remove pieces of fruit. Remove the buns from the oven, place on a wire cooling rack, and paint immediately with the glaze. Allow to cool a little before eating, or cool completely and split and toast.

Whipped honey lemon butter

Smother your hot cross buns with this for a true taste of Ostara

110g butter
4 tbsp honey
zest of 1 lemon

1 Chop the butter into cubes and drop it into a bowl of lukewarm water, then leave it for at least five mins, until really soft. Drain off the water and tip the butter, honey and zest into a large bowl.
2 Use a wooden spoon to beat until all is combined and the butter is creamy. Use straight away or put into a ramekin and chill.

This recipe was first published in our March 2016 issue. Our new April issue is on sale now both in shops and via our website and has lots of ideas on how to do Easter weekend well.

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From April issue…

More Easter recipes…

Competition | Win flowers for a year

Enter our competition with The Secret Gardening Club to win plants worth £400

Spring is a wonderful time to get out into the garden, with seasonal bulbs and blossom bringing plenty of inspiration. Here at The Secret Gardening Club, we’re a little biased, but the fresh air, light exercise and sense of achievement that comes with digging and planting is hard to argue with. The Secret Gardening Club is a great place to start, whether you’re green to gardening or a regular Monty Don.

JOIN THE CLUB

The Secret Gardening Club gives you a round-up of offers every week by email, giving you access to high-quality plants for less. Pick the saving that catches your eye, order your plants and they’ll be delivered to your door. The brainchild of a North Yorkshire-based lavender grower, The Secret Gardening Club came about when the family-run company started discounting their oversupply of plants. Realising that they were onto something, they joined forces with plant nurseries throughout the country to offer promotions on all kinds of species. Today, The Secret Gardening Club now has more than 90,000 members.

TREAT YOUR GARDEN

First, you need a plan: what is it you want to get out of your outdoor space? Perhaps this is the year to create a bee-friendly haven, to go for a complete overhaul with new shrubs, or simply to refresh the beds already in place. The Secret Gardening Club’s wide range of plants will be just the ticket. Its website can help you identify the plants that you need, with an excellent choice of varieties and quality plants guaranteed. For one lucky reader of The Simple Things, the task is made even simpler as there’s a wonderful prize up for grabs. The Secret Gardening Club is giving away a year’s supply of plants, worth £400. To find out more about The Secret Gardening Club, visit secretgardeningclub.co.uk

HOW TO ENTER

The Secret Gardening Club is offering one lucky reader £400 to spend at its website, spaced across the year, ensuring a steady supply of stunning plants. For your chance to win, enter below and answer the following question: How many members does The Secret Gardening Club have?

Terms & conditions: Competition closes at 11.59pm on 8 April 2020. A winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. The winner cannot transfer the prize or swap it for cash. Details of our full terms are on page 127 of the magazine and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules

More from our March issue…

Playlist | a playlist about playlists

Listen here

We hope you enjoy our mixtape. Scroll down to enter our mixtape competition

Make ours a mix tape! Each song on March’s playlist has a story for a member of The Simple Things team. They all featured on much loved mix tapes, but which tunes soundtracked crushes, and which got us through our paper round? Read on…

‘Raspberry Beret’ by Prince

“A boy at school made me ten different Prince mix tapes – I only mentioned in passing that I liked one Prince song and thought it was weird he made me so many. I naively didn't think anything more of it…” Karen Dunn, Commissioning Editor

‘(You’re The) Devil in Disguise’ and ‘Suspicious Minds’ by Elvis Presley

“I've had one mix tape and that was from my partner, Udo, when we first got together. I was really touched until I got to songs four and five: ‘(You’re The) Devil in Disguise’ and ‘Suspicious Minds’…!” Joe McIntyre, Art Editor

‘Mr Wendel’ by Arrested Development

“This was on a mix tape that I used to play while doing my paper round when I was about 12 – I knew that when it came on I was almost done.” Karen Dunn, Commissioning Editor

‘Golden Hen’ by Tenor Saw

“When I was 16, my then boyfriend made me a dub/reggae mix tape. I loved this one song in particular and would often sing the lyrics when it played. My boyfriend never wrote down the titles of the songs, so I was mortified to find out – a couple of years later – that the song’s chorus line (and title name) was ‘My Golden Hen’ not ‘My Bowling Name’, as I’d sung it! Might explain why the guy didn’t last as my boyfriend.” Anneliese Klos, Art Editor

‘Accidently Kelly Street’ by Frente!

“My best friend in fifth form, Sally, put this on a mix tape for me when we were 15. It’s cheerful and sunshine-y and was one of only approximately three songs that they ever played in Harold’s café in Neighbours, which we thought was hilarious. Sally still makes me a mix tape nearly every year at Christmas, though she moved to CD a while ago. I’m a cultural vacuum, so I always look forward to musical education. And Frente! still always makes me smile.” Iona Bower, Editor-at-Large

 ‘Hey! Get Out of My Way’ by The Cardigans

“I put this on a mix tape I made myself to celebrate summer. It was about the time I was old enough to actually enjoy a bit of freedom, but not old enough to actually have any responsibility. Every time I hear it, it takes me back to blue skies and suburban parks and the feeling of possibilities.” Frances Ambler, Deputy Editor

‘Kooks’ by David Bowie and ‘Father and Daughter’ by Paul Simon

“My best friend made a lovely mix tape for me when I had my first daughter. The songs included ‘Up All Night’ by Razorlight, and these two choices.” Liz Boyd, Picture Researcher

‘Short People’ by Randy Newman

“An old colleague gave this to me, just before I started a new job. I’m quite short and when I listen to the lyrics, I’m never quite sure if he meant it affectionately or…” Frances Ambler, Deputy Editor

‘XO’ by John Mayer and ‘Hold Me Now’ by Johnny Logan

“As a kid, I was obsessed with the Irish Eurovision entry 'Hold Me Now' by Johnny Logan. I remember holding my tape player close to the TV and recording it off of TOTP several times (in the days before the repeat function), so that I could hear it again and again. I remember the recording also caught my sister walking into the room shouting, ‘Not again!’ on it. Nowadays, I have a much more ordinary playlist, but my eldest has started downloading some of my songs onto her playlists – our current favourite is this song by John Mayer.” Abbie Miller, Sub Editor

‘The Whole of the Moon’ by The Waterboys and ‘It’s the End of the World As We Know It’ by R.E.M.

“Many moons ago, my husband (then boyfriend) used to make me mix tapes. One of the songs that I discovered through them was ‘The Whole of the Moon’ by The Waterboys. Some 30 years later, I can still hear in my head the starting chords to the song that followed it… ‘It’s the End of the World As We Know It’, by R.E.M.” Louise Gorrod, Wishlist Editor

‘Romantic Type ‘by The Pigeon Detectives and ‘Just a Song About Ping Pong’ by Operator Please

“My mum’s friend owns an antique shop ­– and has a son. My mum and her friend got talking about how we both liked gigs. We communicated with each other for about a year, solely through mix tapes, passed to each other through our parents. These are both from tapes that he gave me.” Olivia O’Connor, Subscription Manager

‘The Real Thing’ by Tony Di Bart

“When I was about 12, I got one of those CD and tape players that let me record onto tapes – so the first time I could record from the radio. At the time, this was number one, and I kept trying to record it – with the deft art of stopping before the DJ starts talking. I think there were a few belters on that first tape, such as ‘Swap Thing’ by The Grid and ‘Mr Vain’ by Culture Beat. If ‘The Real Thing’ gets played (which is rare) it takes me straight back to that time and place. 

Rob Biddiss, Commercial Director

Competition! Now you make us a mixtape!

We want you to make us a mix tape! It can be themed, or perhaps biographical, or simply introduce us to some great music – it’s up to you. Just put together around an hour’s worth of music on Spotify, send us the link or the track listing, along with a couple of sentences on the story behind your playlist to thesimplethings@icebergpress.co.uk. We’ll need it by 23 March. And we’ll feature our favourite in a future magazine. 

More of our playlists…

More from our March issue…

March: a final thought

Photography: Catherine Frawley

Please enjoy our back page chalkboard message and a seasonal haiku

Our ‘Seek’ issue has been a veritable romp through spring sights, quirky curiosities and all sorts of magical things that you only spot when you’re really looking. We hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have.

Here’s a March haiku in homage to all that. Do have a go at your own and leave it in the comments below. We send a lovely book to the author of our favourite each month.

Light, bright mornings and

A breath of bulbs on the air.

Spring is really here.

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More from our March issue…

More inspiration from our chalkboard…

Five plants for making allotment booze

Advice from the Two Thirsty Gardeners, Richard and Nick on what to grow to stock an allotment pub

In our March issue we have an inspiring feature with two chaps known as The thirsty Gardeners. Here we share their ideas for what to plant for allotment tipples and how best to use it.

NETTLES Harvest a kilo of young nettle leaves and simmer in a large pan of water for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid into a bucket, add 3 cups of demerara sugar, the zest and the juice of 3 lemons, then cover. When cooled, add ale yeast and ferment for 3 days before storing in expandable plastic bottles. It’ll be ready to drink a week after bottling – it tastes like a zingy, herbal ginger beer.

MARROW Hollow out the insides of a large marrow from one end, and stuff it with 2½ cups of demerara sugar, a 3cm piece of ginger, 1 tbsp black treacle and the juice of 1 orange. Add red wine yeast. Stand the marrow upright in a bucket. After 4 weeks, poke a hole in the base of the marrow and collect the liquor. Pour into a fermentation jar, fit an airlock and allow fermentation to finish before bottling (around 2 weeks). You’ll get a rummy brew to impress guests.

BEETROOT To make Eastern European beet kvass, place 500g of washed, peeled and chopped beetroot in a fermenting bucket, along with a scant cup of sugar, the juice and zest of 2 lemons, a toasted slice of rye bread (yes, really) and a pinch of caraway seeds. Add ale yeast and leave to ferment quietly for 4 or 5 days. Strain and store in bottles for 2 weeks to mature. The resulting beverage is mildly alcoholic, with a unique, sour tang.

HORSERADISH Scrub, peel and chop a cupful of horseradish root. Add 15 black peppercorns and a spoonful of honey and pour into a jam jar, with a 70cl bottle of vodka. Let marinate for around 3 days before straining and serving.

ROSEMARY Use a sprig or two to liven up a G&T. A stripped rosemary stalk also makes an ideal cocktail muddler

Read more from the Two Thirsty Gardeners in our March issue, in shops now.

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More from The Two Thirsty Gardeners…

More from our March issue…

The rules of Pooh Sticks

Simple and such fun: here’s how to play properly

Pooh Sticks, the game that’s made for anyone who just can’t help but pick up sticks in the forest, and is best played with a big crowd of friends, was originally invented (by Pooh himself, obviously) all alone and using pine cones. But Pooh had such larks dropping pine cones of the bridge in the Hundred Acre Wood and rushing to the other side to watch them come through, he shared it with all his friends.

If you wish to play on the actual bridge Pooh and friends used, you’ll need to head to Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, on which A.A. Milne based the books. The bridge itself is a footbridge which crosses a tributary of the Medway in Posingford Wood. It’s a lovely day out and - pro tip - if you fancy a Little Smackerel Of Something, the nearby village of Hartfield has a cafe named Pooh Corner with cakes a plenty and plenty of Milne memorabilia, too.

Pooh Corner’s owner Mike Ridley wrote a little booklet with the rules of Pooh Sticks in back in 1996 to mark the 70th anniversary of Winnie-the-Pooh. It’s rather charming and we think every spring picnic to somewhere near a river needs a copy of these rules in order to play Pooh Sticks Properly (A.A Milne capitals intended). So here they are:

First, you each select a stick and show it to your fellow competitors. You must agree which stick is which - or whose, as it were.

1. Check which way the stream is flowing. Competitors need to face the stream on the side where it runs in, under the bridge (upstream). Note: If the stream runs out, from under the bridge you are standing on the wrong side! (downstream).

2. Choose someone to be a Starter. This can be either the oldest or the youngest competitor.

3. All the competitors stand side by side facing upstream.

4. Each competitor holds their stick at arms length over the stream. The tall competitors should lower their arms to bring all the sticks to the same height over the stream as the shortest competitor's stick.

5. The starter calls, 'Ready - Steady - Go!" and all the competitors drop their sticks. Note: the stick must not be thrown into the water*.

6. At this point in the game all the players must cross to the downstream side of the bridge. Please take care - young players like to race across. Remember, other people use bridges and some of them have vehicles or horses.

7. Look over the edge of the bridge for the sticks to emerge. The owner of the first Stick to float from under the bridge, is the winner.

Remember: Falling into the water is SAD (Silly And Daft)!

*Eeyore apparently suggests dropping it ‘in a twitchy sort of way’ but we think doing so might risk disqualification.

In our March issue, which is in shops now, our Outing feature, In Search of Spring, looks more closely at Pooh Sticks (and how to win) as well as other days out for those seeking spring.

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More from our March issue…

More celebrations of spring…

What I treasure | My hand-written recipe book

Among my collection of recipe books is a special one with a plain, blue cover. It’s filled as much with unforgettable moments as it is with edible delights. Whenever I flick through its pages, I find myself back in 1986. I’m 17 and living with a family in Belgrade in what is now Serbia. At that time, it was the capital of the ‘non-aligned socialist republic’ of Yugoslavia: neither Western nor fully behind the ‘Iron Curtain’.

My strongest memory is of sitting at the table in the hallway that doubled as a dining room in my host family’s flat, noting down recipes in my notebook. Most were ones my host mother, Marija, taught me to cook. We had little shared language and cookery was an activity we could do together without words. Weighing, chopping, stirring, and rolling could all be done by watching or gesturing to each other.

I wrote down some of the recipes in English, others in Serbo-Croatian, occasionally a mix of the two. Many only detail rough quantities: three cups of flour, two cups of sugar, one of oil and large amounts of eggs (10 or 12 is not unusual). There are smudges and stains showing where ingredients strayed onto the page.

Marija’s cooking was different from what I knew from home, restricted by shortages imposed by a communist state. Food was strictly seasonal and local. Special dishes stood out because they were a rare treat.

On birthdays and important holidays, Marija would spend hours making cakes or savoury bakes from scratch. Filo-pastry filled with spicy ground meat or salty cheese; a strawberry cake with whipped cream that will forever be the best I’ve tasted; and plum dumplings so juicy that they burst in my mouth at first bite.

I still make these dishes, and just looking at the list of ingredients sends me back to a specific moment in time. The little chocolate, cream-filled išleri biscuits Marija made for my 18th birthday. The cinnamon-scented apple cake she baked to celebrate her son’s return from military service. The simple delight of a pile of pancakes filled with rosehip jam on a cold winter’s night.

I treasure my recipe book for many reasons – for the memories it contains and the fact that, woven into every page, are recipes for a good life as well as fabulous food.

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 March issue:

More Think posts:

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View the sampler here

History of the t-shirt

The t-shirt evolved from 19th-century underwear. Light, well fitted and easily washed, it became popular as a bottom layer of clothing for workers and those in the armed forces, and made its first written appearance in 1920, in F Scott Fitzgerald’s debut novel, This Side of Paradise. The first printed t-shirt ever worn publicly is believed to be an Air Corps Gunnery School t-shirt, which appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine in 1942. While in 1938, an American marketing campaign argued that “you don’t need to be a soldier to have your own personal t-shirt”, the style really took off thanks to film appearances on Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and James Dean in 1955’s Rebel Without a Cause. They’ve been worn by everyone, from heartthrobs to more normal types since.

Turn to page 80 of the March issue for more on the T-shirt and how much it says about who we are, what we believe and where we belong. 

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View the sampler here.

More from the March issue:

More style inspirations:

Nest | Succulents

We’ve all bought succulents expecting them to be a breeze to look after, only to find they bolt or simply perish. 

“Most succulents are killed from over-watering,” says Alice Howard of Botanique Workshop, artisan store and flower shop. “Wait until the soil is completely dry, then water. They need constant light to prevent straggliness.” 

Hang them in a pretty planter, like these, to keep them in your eyeline for daily pleasure and monitoring.

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View the sampler here.

More from the March issue:

More plants:

Guide to eco cleaning

Green alternatives to environmental and health damaging chemical-based cleaners

For doing the dishes: 
Method’s Pomegranate washing-up liquid is free from chlorine and phospates and smells delicious; £2.25 for 523ml, biggreensmile.com

For floor mopping: 
Dr Bronner’s Organic Liquid Castile soap is free from synthetic dyes, fragrances and preservatives and is as good for floors as it is for bodies; £10.50 for 473ml, ethicalsuperstore.com

For kitchen cleaning: 
Kinn Living’s Eco Friendly Kitchen Cleaner’s essential oils disinfect naturally; £4.25 for 500ml, kinn-living.com

For scrubbing dirty plates: 
LoofCo washing-up pad is made from natural loofah and coconut fibres and is biodegradable; £2.75, greenbrands.co.uk

For cleaning glass: 
Good for Glass, harnesses the cleaning power of lemon oil to bring the sparkle back to glass and mirrors; £5.60 for 500ml, mangleandwringer.co.uk

For cleaning the toilet: 
US company Seventh Generation’s Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner smells sweetly of cypress and fir;
£3.83 for 946ml, evitamins.com

Turn to page 115 of the March issue to read more on our love for a clean and pleasant house.

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View the sampler here.

More from the March issue:

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Build and fly a kite

For first-time kite makers, the diamond is a classic design and the simplest to build

1 Find a thick plastic bag at least 50cm wide and 1 metre tall. Lay it out, open end at the bottom. Starting just below the bag’s top-left corner, mark three dots for the top, bottom, and right- hand corners of your kite.
2 Connect the dots using a ruler and pen. Cut along these two lines on the bag; set aside off- cuts. Open bag out to reveal your sail’s outline. 
3 Place a length of 5mm diameter hardwood dowel down the sail’s centre line, lining it up with the top sail corner. Saw off at bottom and fix to the bag with installation tape. Do the same for the other dowel, horizontally.
4 Pierce a hole where the dowels cross. Thread with flying line (ideally nylon) through this hole and secure around the cross of the dowels.
5 Using plastic off-cuts, make the tail, roughly 5cm wide and five times as long as the kite. Tie one end around the base of the vertical spar. 

Adapted from The Wild Book: Outdoor Activities to Unleash Your Inner Child by David Scarfe (Trapeze)

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What it's really like to live in the woods

Jessica lives in the middle of a wood in Kent with her husband, Paul, an oak framer, and her daughter. Previously a graphic designer, Jessica now chronicles her outdoor life spent living slowly with her family, and in tune with nature and the seasons, on her blog, thewoodlandwife.co.uk. 

Turn to page 106 of the March issue for more about the joys and the hard work of life beneath the boughs.

What it’s really like to live in the woods

• You never get bored
  There’s always something to do, whether for pleasure or out of necessity.
• Woods are a daily inspiration
  Nothing inspires me more than the smallest things I see here; from morning birdsong to the gentle rustle of the trees.
• Daily routines have built-in health benefits
  Pushing wheelbarrows, shifting timber, running chainsaws and swinging the odd axe involves a lot of physical labour. While the monotony of the work can get testing, it has a great pace which does its part in keeping us all fit.
• We live simply
  We also live with a lot less than others – owning somewhere like this in the South East of England comes at a price. But we are more than happy, as this gives us more freedom.

Buying woodland is a dream held by many, with numbers of private owners growing year by year. According to the Forestry Commission, there are more than 40,000 small woods of less than ten hectares in England, and these make up 17% of England’s woodlands. 

Once you have decided on the area and what acreage you can afford, it is relatively easy to buy woodland as there is no chain and most are freehold. 

Run by small woodland ownership evangelist Angus Hanton, woodlands.co.uk is a good place to find one. 

Managing woodland is less simple, as Jessica points out. The Forestry Commission’s Land Information Search (forestry.gov.uk) produces a useful free booklet, ‘So You Own a Woodland’, which has advice. 

Small Woods Association (smallwoods.org.uk) offers courses on managing a woodland and is a generally useful resource.
 

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Cucumber, matcha and lime face mask

This refreshing, zingy mask can be made with ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen.

Makes approx 380ml
1 green tea bag or 5g (1 tsp) Matcha green tea powder
75g cucumber
2.5g (1⁄2 tsp) vegetable gelatine powder, such as Vegeset
20 drops lime essential oil

1 Pour 300ml hot (not boiling) water on the green teabag or matcha powder in a mug or jug (follow the packet instructions for ratios of tea to water). If using powder, stir to combine or leave the teabag to infuse for 10 mins. Leave to cool a little.
2 Chop slices of cucumber and whizz in a blender with the green tea until cucumber is fully blitzed. When completely cool, add gelatine to the liquid and stir to combine (check the ratios of gelatine powder to water on the packet (typically 1 tsp per 600ml).
3 Place mixture in a pan over a low heat, stirring all the time. Once it has reached boiling point, remove pan from the heat and allow to cool to around 40C. Add the lime essential oil. For 300ml use 20 drops.
4 Pour into a bowl and allow to cool before placing in the fridge to set.
5 Spread mask over face and neck and relax while the antioxidant, anti-ageing green tea and cooling, soothing cucumber get to work. Leave for 5–10 mins before removing with warm water and a muslin cloth.
6 Use straight away ideally, but can be stored in the fridge for up to two days. 

Taken from Handmade Spa by Juliette Goggin and Abi Righton (Jacqui Small).
 

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How to be happy

The theme for our March issue of The Simple Things is HAPPY. Free with every issue - one of four Happiness patches (find out how to get yours). Meanwhile, here are a few everyday actions that can enrich your life

Be active
Climb a hill. Or go for a walk or run. Simply stepping outside will have a positive impact. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good, so discover which physical activity you most enjoy and that works for your level of fitness.

Connect
Gather friends. Spend time and share good food with those around you. Think of home, work and your local community as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing relationships there. These connections will support and enrich you every day.

Keep learning
Make a campfire. Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things is a confidence booster – and is fun.

Take notice
Watch clouds. Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.

What makes you happy? Come over and tell us on Facebook or Twitter. 

Plus - enter our competition! Design our fifth patch and you could win a VIP experience to The Good Life Festival 2018.

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