Reader offer | Baking for sharing

Come new year, it can be therapeutic to spend some relaxed time in the kitchen. Perhaps using leftovers to create something simple and hearty like a fruit loaf or bread and butter pudding to share. The word ‘company’ derives from the Latin cum panis, literally ‘with bread’. When we bake, and share the results, we deepen our connection with our companions or ‘with bread ones’. Sharing happens on many levels: at home and in the community. In these days of cake sales and pot-luck dinners, the chance to give and share baking may bring new connections.

It’s a creative process, too, allowing you to identify yourself – you put a bit of yourself into your baking, nurturing friendships from the warm heart of your home.

READER OFFER

Read more in The Art of Mindful Baking: Returning the Heart to the Hearth by Julia Ponsonby (Leaping Hare Press). The Simple Things readers can save 50% on all titles in this series. Use the code SIMPLETHINGS when ordering at leapingharepress.co.uk.

---

More from the January issue…

More on mindfulness…

Reader offer | 10% discount on tickets to The Good Life Experience!

Now in its fifth year, The Good Life Experience on the Hawarden Estate, Flintshire is absolutely unique.

Founded by four friends – Cerys Matthews MBE, Steve Abbott and Charlie and Caroline Gladstone - if it fits in with their idea of The Good Life, it features at the festival.

Expect to pitch your tent in the shadow of two castles, great locally produced food, axe throwing, foraging, campfire cooking sessions with world class chefs, daily feasts, mass sing-a-longs, over 40 expert craftspeople, beer served by experts, talks by explorers, a canine circus, raucous music, abseiling, a free 1930s fairground, tree climbing, butchery displays, poetry, literature and endless How-To talks, and The Simple Things will be there too! 

Join us for a picnic

To celebrate two things we love – sharing good food and good conversation – we’re hosting The Simple Things picnic on the evening of Friday 14 September at The Good Life Experience. It’s a ticketed event, held within the festival at the Hawarden Estate in Flintshire, with a seasonal menu created by head chef at Hawarden, Adam Stanley.

The menu

Salad boxes of cobnut, nasturtiums leaves and edible flowers, heirloom tomatoes & crudités (sourced from a local farm)

Rye and soda breads from the Wirral; wraps of estate-reared charred lamb or roasted Hawarden squashes with freekeh, leaves and chopped herbs

Farm fruit crumble & double cream

Fizz, water and homemade lemonade

What you'll do

When you arrive, you’ll be invited to sit with fellow festivalgoers in small groups to promote discussion. We’ll provide a few conversation pointers in your picnic to break the ice.

How to do it

Picnic tickets cost £25 per person. The picnic is only open to those attending The Good Life Experience, so if you haven’t already booked for the festival, there’s still time, and you can save 10% on festival tickets using code SIMPLE2. And if it rains? Don’t worry, there is a Plan B...

Everything at The Good Life Experience is aimed at adults and children alike; there aren’t many festivals that truly do that. Join us!

Under 12s go free | Dogs welcome | 15 minutes from Chester
 
www.thegoodlifeexperience.co.uk
Use code SIMPLE2 for 10% discount on tickets.

Not a natural camper? Treat yourself to a bell tent complete with camp beds! 

Reader offer | Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair

This year the award-winning Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair celebrates its tenth anniversary and takes place from 12 -15 October at its new home of Upper Campfield Market, in Manchester city centre.

Buy and commission outstanding contemporary craft & design from 150 designer-makers, all selected for their excellence, from fine jewellery and fashion accessories to functional and statement pieces for the home. As well as a unique shopping experience, the event will feature artist demonstrations and talks giving visitors the chance to learn more about the inspiration, materials, making process and stories behind the work on sale.

The event will feature emerging and established makers, including those who have exhibited at the GNCCF for every one of its ten years and the curated ‘Great Northern Graduates’ will showcase best new Northern design talent to emerge from the UK’s creative courses.

The GNCCF has become a much-anticipated highlight in the North’s cultural calendar and one of the leading and most popular craft events in the UK. This not-for-profit event is supported by Arts Council England through Grant for the Arts with the aim of championing and promoting contemporary craft and designer-makers in the North.

We’ve teamed up with the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair to offer 2-4-1 tickets to our readers to this unique shopping and cultural event.

Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair
Thursday 12 – Sunday 15 October 2017

Upper Campfield Market, Manchester

Ticket prices: In advance £6.50 (£5.50 concs)* / On the door £7.50 (£6.50 concs) 

www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk
www.facebook.com/GNCCF / @GNCCF 

For advance tickets please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/great-northern-contemporary-craft-fair-2017-tickets-36794223513

Exclusive code for 2-4-1 tickets for readers of The Simple Things: GNCCFST241

*Eventbrite booking fee applies to advance ticket bookings.

Reader offer: 20% off at Beefayre

Make the most of a special discount voucher code for readers of The Simple Things - get 20% off all body & bath and home fragrance products from Beefayre, plus free postage for orders over £40.

Made in the Uk and inspired by nature and the plight of the honeybee, Beefayre donates 3% of profits to bee conservation.  

All the candle and room diffusers are made from natural wax and oils, with unique printed glassware that can be reused as vases or tea lights holders.

The designs are hand drawn by artist and founder Sharon Jervis, who takes her inspiration from the British countryside and the plants and herbs that bees forage on.

Visit the Beefayre website for more information.

More from the May issue:

Enter our competitions:

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

View the sampler here

Reader offer: 20% off at White Stuff

Just around the corner... Bank holidays conjure thoughts of summer and sun-filled days off. All the excuse you need to treat your wardrobe with our White Stuff discount

Why let the reality of a British summer get in the way of a wardrobe update? The promise of fine weather, getting outdoors – or even abroad – is our cue to don lighter fabrics, shorter lengths and embrace a bit of seasonal colour.

The new summer collection from White Stuff covers the shift from spring to summer seamlessly. There are great staples, covetable holiday buys and summer-friendly separates you can take anywhere from park to picnic to party. Throw-on-and-go jumpsuits, embroidered jackets and leather tote bags are all on our wishlist.

Get 20% off your summer wardrobe*

To celebrate the launch of their new summer collection, White Stuff has teamed up with The Simple Things to bring you this brilliant offer on all fashion and accessories, in shops or online. To save 20%, simply take your copy of May's The Simple Things to your local White Stuff shop or visit whitestuff.com/thesimplethings.

Terms and conditions:
*This 20% reduction is valid in White Stuff shops and online at whitestuff.com until 26 May 2017. The offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or in White Stuff outlet shops and concessions. Offer applies to full-price items only and excludes selected footwear. Offer cannot be used to buy gift cards and charity items. Prices correct at time of printing.

Enter our competitions:

More from the May issue:

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

View the sampler here

Reader offer: National Art Pass for £10

We’ve teamed up with Art Fund to offer The Simple Things readers a special offer: a three-month National Art Pass for £10. 

From Cardiff Castle and Kensington Palace to the V&A and Tate Modern – the National Art Pass gives you free entry to over 240 museums, galleries and historic houses across the UK as well as 50% off entry to major exhibitions.

National Art Pass also gives you discount in a number of museum shops and cafes. Life is sweet with coffee and cake, and sweeter still with a National Art Pass discount.

An annual National Art Pass costs £65 but The Simple Things readers can now take advantage of a special trial offer: a three-month National Art Pass for just £10.

To start your three month trial, simply visit artfund.org/thesimplethings

More from the April issue:

Enter our competitions:

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

View the sampler here

Reader offer: Free Pact filter coffee kit with next day delivery worth £10

We've teamed up with London-based coffee start-up Pact Coffee to offer The Simple Things readers a free filter coffee kit with next day delivery worth £10 when you sign up to Pact and order your first bag of incredibly freshly roasted coffee. The v60 kit includes a Hario V60, 100 filters, a welcome booklet and brew guide and, of course, your fresh coffee ground to suit the V60.

Pact coffee delivers incredibly freshly roasted coffee by post. They ship their coffee within 7 days of roasting - grinding it at the last moment to make it easy for us to drink fresher coffee everyday. Through their direct trade relationships with farmers, Pact pay a higher price than Fairtrade for better quality coffee, and encourage the farmers they work with to invest in coffee quality and their people.

If you like coffee as much as we do, try this special offer now!

Reader offer: Isle of Wight Campers

Our friends at Isle of Wight campers were so delighted at how many of you entered their competition to win a camper holiday that they are offering readers of The Simple Things £50 off any 3,4 or 7 night booking made for the 2016 season. 

They are also halving the deposit required - so it is just £50 for 3 or 4 nights and £100 7 night hire if booked before the end of January. 

Isle of Wight Campers has six candy-coloured 1970s campers for hire. Sleeping up to four the vans come equipped for self-catering with everything you’ll need to potter round the lanes and head to the beaches before parking up at a campsite for the night.

To book phone 01983 642143 or email info@isleofwightcampers.co.uk and let them know you want to take up The Simple Things special offer.

Get more of a feel for their holidays on their Facebook page. 

For more info and offers sign up to their newsletter here. 

Reader offer: Fresh coffee delivered to your door for just £1

Do you love a good cup of coffee? If you haven’t tried Pact Coffee yet we think you might like it… With this great offer for readers of The Simple Things you can get a 250g bag of delicious fresh roasted coffee for just £1 (including free P&P).

The thing is, coffee tastes best just a few days after the beans have been roasted making much of the coffee you buy in the supermarket that has been sitting on the shelves for months past its prime. Pact is on a mission to get the UK drinking better, fresher coffee. Some of the best coffee in the world can be on its way to your home or office in letterbox-friendly packages, just days after it has been hand-roasted at the Pact London HQ. 

Single origin Arabica beans are sourced directly from dedicated coffee farmers who are paid a rate even better than Fairtrade. Fancy something nutty from Brazil? A fruity blend from Colombia? Pick your favourite, or ask Pact Coffee for their recommendation – they’re happy to help. Pact will send you the coffee wholebean or freshly ground, making sure the grind is suited to your regular brew method, be it espresso machine, stovetop percolator, filter or the classic cafetiere. 

Pact is set up as a subscription service but is completely flexible, so you can set your delivery preferences to suit the amount you drink (the usual cost for a bag is £6.95 including P&P). Request a spur-of-the-moment, next-day delivery when you’re running low, or pause deliveries if you’ve got all you need. Find out more about them on Twitter or Facebook.

Simply visit www.pactcoffee.com and enter the code SIMPLETHINGS15 to claim your first bag for £1 . Full terms and conditions at www.pactcoffee.com/terms

Follow The Simple Things's board Tea & Coffee on Pinterest.

Sarah Raven tulip collections

Now is the time to choose and order your bulbs in time for planting in November. Sarah Raven has put together three stunning tulip collections to make choosing even easier.

“No spring garden is complete without its tulips. They add beautiful colour to borders, in pots and cut for a vase. Here are a few of the collections I’ve put together to give you the best combinations of truly stunning varieties.” Sarah Raven.

1.Venetian Tulip Collection. Quote offer code TSTSEPT13 for free P&P.

This is one of the best ever tulip collections we’ve had planted together in the garden and in pots. Magnificent! The collection includes Tulips ‘Couleur Cardinal’, ‘Havran’ and ‘Prinses Irene’. Flowers: Mid April-May.

Product code: 260319

45 bulbs (15 of each): £17.95

90 bulbs (30 of each): £32.50

2. Best Dark Tulips Collection. Quote offer code TSTSEPT13 for free P&P. Who can resist this luscious mix of tulips in a lovely array of purple, crimson, deep red and black? Collection includes Tulips ‘Black Parrot’, ‘Muriel’, ‘Havran’ and ‘Ronaldo’. Flowers: Mid April-May.

Product code: 260746

20 bulbs (5 of each): £11.95

40 bulbs (10 of each): £21.95

3. Jewel Tulip Collection . Quote offer code TSTSEPT13 for free P&P. I’m obsessed with coppery brown and burnt-orange tulips, particularly when mixed with crimsons and blacks. That’s exactly what you’ve got with this collection. Includes Tulips ‘Annie Schilder’, ‘Black Parrot’, ‘Bruine Wimpel’, ‘Burgundy’ and ‘Cairo’. (Euphorbia, pictured, also available from www.sarahraven.com.) Flowers: Mid April-May.

Product code: 260657

25 bulbs (5 of each): £14.95

50 bulbs (10 of each): £27.95

How to order your tulips with free P&P

Visit www.sarahraven.com and quote offer code TSTSEPT13 on your shopping basket page or call 0845 092 0283 and quote offer code TSTSEPT13.

* Offer valid on these tulips and other products from the autumn range, available on www.sarahraven.com. Offer valid until 31st October 2013. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount, and previous purchases are not valid.