Competition: Win a winter holiday in Norway with Inntravel (closed)

This is your chance to try out cross-country skiing, courtesy of Inntravel and Norway - home of skiing.

The friendliness of fellow skiers, the feeling of being close to nature, and the chance to fully soak up the scenery make cross-country skiing highly enjoyable. And where better to learn than in Norway, where skiing is not so much a sport as a way of life.

We have teamed up with Inntravel to offer one lucky reader and their companion a holiday in Beitostolen in the Norwegian Highlands. As well as sampling a range of other snow-based activities (husky tours, snowmobile safaris and more), you will be able to try out cross-country skiing. Amiable instructor Tor Havard Kolbu and his team of friendly, English-speaking instructors will ensure you soon master the 'gliding stride', and once you get going you will be clocking up the kilometres in no time. 

The village of Beistolen has a wonderfully laid-back atmosphere, thanks to the Hovi family, who run most of it! Your base, the Bergo Hotel, is full of character, as are its restaurant and cosy bar; and you are bound to find yourselves in the lively Svingen pub at some stage. All in all, this is a fantastic holiday, and the connecting flight from Oslo to nearby Fagernes is the icing on the cake.

How to enter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What you could win

A week-long holiday for two at the Bergo Hotel in Beitostolen, including flights from London and transfers; dinner, breakfast and lunch pack every day; 6 days' ski hire, free use of cross-country trails and two 90-minute lessons. You can also use the excellent pool and spa facilities of the neighbouring Radisson hotel.

Try other activities (not included), such as husky tours, snowmobile safaris, downhill skiing or ice fishing. 

Departures from 1-29 March 2015 (Sundays to Fridays).

www.inntravel.co.uk

Full terms and conditions.

Competition: Win £250 to spend at Surface View (closed 20 December 2014)

Win £250 to spend at Surface View - choose an image from Surface View’s extensive archive to make into a mural, a print, ceramic tiles, even a lampshade. Sometimes wallpaper just doesn’t cut it. Certain rooms need something special – perhaps a wall covered with an enlarged poster to add colour to a child’s room, or lined with a giant photograph of trees to turn the living room into a leafy bower. Which is where Surface View comes in...

Over the years, its owner Michael Ayerst has collected and curated images from many different sources. Some have been retrieved from dusty attics or museum basements – others found among the pages of vintage manuscripts. Many are from well-known designers including Ella Doran and Hemingway Design, or from the V&A and the British Library, among other institutions.

One shortcut to help you choose from their rich archive is Surface View’s Edits Collection. This newly introduced series features new home decor products, including an exclusive range of cushions and wall charts, plus a limited selection of framed matt art prints. Go to www.surfaceview.co.uk to discover the enormous number and variety of images available, such as this County of London mural (above). Choose your image and then select your print medium, from canvases to murals, wall hangings to window films. Alternatively, go for the ready-made option. The only trouble will be knowing where to stop.

What you could win

One of two £250 vouchers to spend at Surface View. Choose from their new Edits Collection and hundreds of other designs, which can be printed as a mural, on tiles, canvas or on a birch ply box. You can even get an image printed onto a blind, window film, or Formica.

How to enter

Go to www.futurecomps.co.uk/surfaceview to enter and for full terms and conditions. Closing date: 20 December 2014.

Competition: Win a KitchenAid mixer worth £429! (closed 6 November 2014)

As the days get shorter and the air gets colder, it feels good to get into the kitchen and bake. Comforting and cosy, it’s no wonder baking is one of the most loved of British pastimes. Create culinary masterpieces with a KitchenAid Food Mixer - we have one to give away courtesy of our friends at Housemakers.

The First Prize

The KitchenAid Mixer is a highly desirable, professional-grade piece of kitchen equipment that is loved by chefs and bakers worldwide. Designed to enable true kitchen creativity, it has 10 speed settings, chic curves and functions that allow you to mix everything from cake, bun and bread mixes through to eggs and cream, achieving perfect results every time. This highly functional piece of equipment is also ideal if you like to do large batches of baking at once.

The lucky winner will be even be able to choose the colour of their prize from the standard mixer range at Housemakers (please see T&Cs). The design is an instantly recognised classic, and the latest range of autumnal colour shades are the perfect finishing touch for any kitchen.

Runner-Up Prize

One runner-up will receive a Circulon Baking Set from Housemakers, which contains:

1 x 12 Cup Muffin Tray

1 x 9” Springform Cake Tin

1 x Loose-Base Flan Tin

1x 9”x5” Loaf Tin.

How to enter:

Visit: www.futurecomps.co.uk/kitchenaid

Closing date: 6 November 2014

About Housemakers

Housemakers is an established family business that sells a broad range of home, garden and leisure items, stocking the best brands at the lowest prices. Housemakers has been in business for more than 40 years and operates from three retail superstores, as well as through its online presence. The business prides itself on offering exceptional customer service combined with value-for-money prices and a carefully chosen and extensive product range. View the entire range by visiting http://www.housemakers.co.uk/

Terms & Conditions

The colour choice of the KitchenAid Mixer must be from selected from the standard mixer range only. This excludes pink, chrome and satin finishes, as well as the later commercial mixer models which are denoted as being 6.9l in size.

Competition: Win! A sofa from Graham & Green worth £1,600 (closed 30 November 2014)

This month’s prize winner gets to curl up on a two-seater sofa, in their choice of fabric, from Graham & Green, the interiors specialists.

The sofa comes into its own at this time of year: an inviting retreat for curling up with a good book or for watching the glut of autumn telly – feet up, pyjamas on. Let our competition be your cue to do it in style.

What you could win:

A two-seater sofa worth £1,600 from Graham & Green’s Rose collection (H85cm x W186cm x D105cm). Choose from 16 fabrics, ranging from olive velvet to storm blue felt, plus a range of textured neutrals. Made to order in 8–12 weeks after the closing date.

How to enter:

Visit https://www.futurecompetitions.com/sofa/ Closing date: 30 November 2014. See website for full terms and conditions.

Autumn at Graham & Green

In celebration of the new autumn collections at Graham & Green, we have teamed up with the colourful retailer, known for its stylish gifts and interiors, to offer one reader the chance to win a two-seater sofa from the Rose Collection. This beautiful hardwood framed sofa combines comfort (foam padding and fibrewool ball back cushions, since you ask) with sleek design. There are 16 beautifully contemporary fabrics you can choose from: finely textured plains including Divine Pink (pictured); slub neutrals from Natural to Anthracite, and, for fans of colour, tastefully bright velvets and felts.

More than furniture Graham & Green’s expertise goes far beyond sofas. The company has offered wonderfully eclectic interiors for 40 years, inspired by exotic destinations and quirky design. It’s a characterful heritage that comes through in everything from their statement lighting, to their covetable mirrors and accessories – their range covers living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens, too.

Visit their new showroom in Acton, west London, or find the full range online at www.grahamandgreen.co.uk.

Competition: win £500 of Inntravel holiday vouchers (archived)

In our competition you could win £500 worth of vouchers towards a Slow Holiday courtesy of Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people. Just click here to ‘like’ their Facebook page, enter your details, and then imagine where Inntravel could take you. Walk the wild undiscovered coastline of Portugal; cycle the back lanes of France; discover the “End of the World” in the Canary Islands; explore the impressive fjords of Norway… there are countless memories to be made. Inntravel’s carefully crafted holidays ease you into the rhythm of everyday life as you journey through wonderful landscapes, discover hidden gems and encounter friendly local people along the way. Slow holidays allow you to travel at your own pace, giving you time to enjoy delicious regional cuisine and relax in family-run hotels and inns. Remember the moment with Inntravel. Enter here.

Please note: £500 holiday voucher is to be used against the purchase of any Inntravel holiday for departure before 24th October 2015, subject to availability.

Competition: Win! A £500 new wardrobe from People Tree (closed 13 October 2014)

People Tree, the ethical fashion website, is giving away £1,000-worth of vouchers with four brilliant prizes in this month's competition.

Ethical fashion has come a long way since it started: rustically styled capsule collections have been replaced with clothes and accessories to rival any online fashion store, nowhere more so than at People Tree, the ethical fashion pioneers. We're celebrating the arrival of their Autumn/Winter 2014 collection with four fabulous prizes this month (see box for details).

A wardrobe upgrade

This is your chance to win a wealth of vouchers to spend on their covetable new 'Sustainable Elegance' collection. It's inspired by the grace and style of classic Hollywood, using a rich palette of bordeaux, teal, golden palm and peacoat navy. Then, there are the cuts: cinched waists and elegant shifts in a great range of fabrics from striking prints, to embroidered cottons and hand knits. You'll find everything from tops to trousers, dresses, skirts – even accessories and sleepwear – with a smattering of pieces from well-known designers, too.

Clothes with a conscience

People Tree were the first international clothing company to be awarded the World Fair Trade Organization Fair Trade product label. They launched the first Soil Association certified Global Organic Textile Standard for organic fabrics manufactured in the developing world. Today, the company work with 50 Fair Trade groups of organic cotton farmers and artistans around the world. In a nutshell – for every beautiful garment People Tree makes, there's an equally beautiful change happening somewhere in the world.

www.peopletree.co.uk

What you could win

First prize: £500 in vouchers to spend at People Tree

Second prize: £250-worth of People Tree vouchers

Runners-up: two prizes of £125-worth of People Tree vouchers

How to enter

Visit www.futurecomps.co.uk/peopletree.

Closing date: 13 October 2014.

Potato print competition: Winner announced

Back in April, The Simple Things teamed up with Kettle Chips and Red Hen Originals to invite you to create a potato print. Were you the winner of our competition?

Congratulations to Diane Rose, who is the winner of the potato print competition. Julia Burns of Red Hen Originals said of Diane's entry:

'This is a really up-lifting painting. The composition is beautifully balanced. The complimentary use of oranges and blues, set against a shimmering yellow background gives the work a vibrant sense of warmth and joy. But perhaps most important of all given the nature of the competition, the repeat pattern- making, the over-lapping shapes and the unique textural qualities achieved are all so obviously indicative of potato printing. A lovely piece of work.'

For all the entries, view our gallery.

Diane wins an overnight hotel stay with Handpicked Hotels, a Red Hen Original (worth £250), and a year's supply of Kettle Chips.

Competition: win a memento box with Inntravel (archived)

In our new competition, Inntravel is offering one lucky ready the chance to win this elegant memento box! It’s specially designed to keep your holiday postcards, photos, souvenirs and letters safe. And to make it totally personal, you can choose an original map to cover it.

Measuring 22.5cm x 11.5 cm x 5.5cm, this delightful keepsake by Bombus is handmade to order in birch wood ply.

Not only can you use it for your own holiday mementoes but you could also use it to hold the postcards, letters and notes you receive from loved ones abroad.

‘Like’ the Inntravel Facebook page and enter your details for a chance to win this exquisite prize. Remember the Moment with Inntravel, the Slow Holiday People.

WIN £50 worth of Dragonfly tea (archived)

WIN £50 worth of Dragonfly tea We love a cuppa here at The Simple Things and so are pleased to tell you about a competition to win £50 worth of organic Dragonfly tea. Five winners will receive a mahogany tea chest filled with all 15 speciality teas (96 sachets in total). For your chance to win, click here 

Competition: Win £150 worth of Earthborn Claypaint (closed 29 August 2014)

Earthborn is giving away £150 worth of lovely Claypaint to one lucky reader of The Simple Things. This fabulous prize includes two 750ml tins of Earthborn’s new Claypaint - designed especially for furniture and smaller painting projects - and a tin of Furniture Wax, plus some other Earthborn goodies.

Claypaint - a clay-based emulsion that has a distinctive, ultra matt finish that softens and enhances the light in your room - is available in 60 luxurious shades.

Not only beautiful and a pleasure to use, Earthborn paints are also designed to be healthier to live with. There are many wolves in sheep’s clothing making eco claims, but there’s no need for dressing up here – Earthborn Claypaint contains no oils or acrylics and are VOC free, which means no nasty emissions and high breathability. Add to that they are licensed to carry the EU Ecolabel, you are reassured the paints are better for you, your home and the environment.

Even if you don’t win, you can still finds lots of information, browse colours and buy Sample Pots at www.earthbornpaints.co.uk.

And for even more inspiration and to keep in touch, say hello via twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Enter the competition to win Earthborn Claypaint:

Visit www.futurecompetitions.com/earthborn before 29 August 2014.

Terms and conditions apply. See www.futuretcs.com For more information visit www.earthbornpaints.co.uk

Competition: Win a Feather Down Farm Days holiday! (closed 15 September 2014)

Feather Down Farm Days and Brittany Ferries bring you this month’s fab prize – an outdoorsy holiday in France.

There’s more than a hint of nostalgia about this month’s brilliant competition. The family glamping experts at Feather Down Farm Days are offering to whisk you and your family and friends to their luxury campsite on an idylllic farm in Brittany. And slow-travel fans Brittany Ferries will pop you across the Channel in style.

Great Breton

La Ferme de Penquelen Huella is an organic dairy farm situated between Lorient and Quimper, just 30km from the coast. It’s utterly rural there, surrounded by 600 acres of forest, criss-crossed with walking trails. On the farm itself there are cattle, pigs, sheep and chickens, and Feather Down’s luxury tents of course. Each is equipped with a separate double bedroom, a canopy bed and bunk beds. The style is wonderfully old fashioned – no WiFi or TV – just a wood-burning stove, oil lamps and candles, plus the great outdoors on your doorstep. www.featherdown.co.uk

Channel hopping

Why not make the journey part of the holiday? Brittany Ferries will float you across the Channel to your luxury camping stay. Their smart and modern cruise-ferries take you in as little as three hours – or overnight – to western France from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth, saving you a longer drive on the continent. www.brittanyferries.com

What you could win

•  A three-night weekend or four-night midweek stay in a luxury tent at La Ferme de Penquelen Huella for up to six (maximum five adults).
•  Return ferry crossings for one car and up to six people either daytime or overnight with a cabin (sleeps four, plus two reclining seats).
•  Go in September or October this year, or 10th April–30th June 2015.

How to enter

Visit www.futurecompetitions.com/brittany to enter and for full terms and conditions. Closing date: 15th September 2014.

Competition: Win tickets to The Big Feastival! (closed 31 July 2014)

Win a family camping ticket to The Big Feastival with Wyld Wood Organic Cider. This summer the Wyld Wood Organic Cider Teepee returns to The Big Feastival in Oxfordshire (29th–31st August). Thanks to Wyld Wood Organic Cider we have a weekend family camping ticket for two adults and two children (12 and under) to give away!

If you fancy a weekend at Alex James’ farm near Kingham, enjoying food and flavours from around the country as well as fantastic live music, then this prize is a great way to round off your summer!

The Big Feastival is the brainchild of Jamie Oliver and Alex James and will see chef demonstrations, markets, fun fairs and farmyard animals to keep the whole family happy all weekend.

The Wyld Wood Teepee, a cross between a traditional cider bar and Café Del Mar, is perfectly situated to soak up the atmosphere while enjoying a premium organic cider and letting the sounds of Fatboy Slim, Jamie Cullum and Del La Soul wash over you.

Made from Herefordshire’s finest organic apples and matured in old oak vats at Westons Cider Mill in Much Marcle, Wyld Wood has a full-bodied taste with a ripe fresh aroma making it the perfect drink to wash down the delicious foods and flavours on offer at The Big Feastival. To find out more follow us on @westonswyldwood or ‘like’ our Facebook page.

How to enter

Enter by 31 July 2014, filling in your details to be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize.

Terms and conditions

http://www.westons-cider.co.uk/corporate/contact-us/online-competition-terms-and-conditions/

Competition: win a Moleskine notebook cover with Inntravel (closed)

Have you seen our new competition - you could win a gorgeous leather Millican ‘Matt the Moleskine Cover’ and Moleskine notebook courtesy of Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people. Follow in the tradition of the great travel diarists and keep your journals spic and span with this beautiful hand crafted leather cover. The bridle leather used to make these simply stunning covers comes from the only remaining traditional oak bark tannery in Britain, the oak bark being sourced from sustainable forests in the Lake District.

Inntravel are offering one lucky reader the chance to win a ‘Matt the Moleskine Cover’, including the Moleskin notebook inside, from the good people at Millican. Retailing at £75, Matt fits the standard pocket Moleskine notebooks (9x14cm); is designed to accommodate the classic Moleskine elastic band and expandable back pocket, and has handy integrated loops for holding your pen, pencil, or quill (not included)! For more details of the prize click here.

Fancy yourself as Hemingway, Chatwin or Bryson? Remember the moment with Inntravel. Just ‘like’ the Inntravel Facebook page to enter!

Competition: Win Dawes bikes for all the family! (ended 11th August 2014)

Dawes has put together a prize set to make your summer: brand new bikes for two adults and two children. Enter our competition!

The Tour de France’s arrival in the UK is likely to bring more than yellow jerseys to our shores. Cycle fever – kickstarted by the 2012 Olympics and now cemented by the world’s most famous bicycle race coming to Yorkshire – is in full flow. And this month we’re doing our bit for the two-wheel revolution with a brilliant prize.

Homegrown bike company Dawes Cycles has come up with an incredible package to get the whole family out and about on two wheels (Lycra optional). They’ve been making bikes since 1926 and craft each model with carefully tailored components to ensure a smooth ride. Enter this month’s competition for your chance to win four brand-new Dawes bikes (two adult frames and two for children), worth over £1,000.

How to enter

Visit https://www.futurecompetitions.com/BIKES/ by 11th August 2014 for your chance to win four new bikes from Dawes Cycles.

For more about Dawes Cycles and to see their full range of bikes, visit www.dawescycles.com.

the bikes you could win:

1 Duchess (ladies)

1 Ambassador (gents)

1 Lightning (boys)

1 Venus (girls)

The prize can be adjusted to suit your required frame sizes, subject to availability, of course.

Win a personalised OS map and binoculars with Inntravel! (archived)

We’ve teamed up with Inntravel to give one lucky reader the great prize of a pair of Nikon Travelite bins and a customised OS map focused around your area of choice with a personal front cover! The Nikon Travelite VI 8x25 binoculars are just the thing to take on holiday, for a bit of bird-spotting or to stash in a day-sack for long walks. Retailing at £80, these great little bins are waterproof, fog-proof and foldable and a handy addition to any trip. The personalised OS map can be centred around the location of your choice in the UK – a favourite walk perhaps or simply centred on your home – just choose the location for the map; pick a scale and format; and select your own photo for the cover!

Remember the moment – and the place, with Inntravel. Just ‘like’ the Inntravel Facebook page to enter!

WIN a week in a VW camper! (closed 10 June 2014)

Enter our competition to win a holiday in a classic VW campervan. Thanks to O'Connors campers we have a week's stay up for grabs. Choose between a 1960s splitscreen Volkswagen, a 1970s bay window or a California campervan and you could be roaming Cornwall, Devon and Somerset with your family. Kitted out with everything you'll need, these stylish vintage campers will make for a memorable holiday.

Find out more about campervan holidays at O'Connors Campers

Click here to enter. Closing date is 10 June 2014.

The prize includes fully comprehensive insurance for the first driver, a sink, cooker, fridge, camping gas, mains hook up, cooking equipment, crockery, cutlery and an extra outdoor table and chairs.

Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.futuretcs.com for more details.

Win a KitchenAid or Aga mixer, plus sponge cake recipe (closed 8 July 2014)

If you share our love of simple cooking pleasures, like baking a sponge cake or whipping up super-thin crepes, you're in luck! We're giving away two Betty Twyford mixers.  The first prize is a metal KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer worth £429. Easy to clean and use, it's robust and stable and comes in a choice of either Almond Cream or Pistachio Green. The second prize is a black aluminium Aga kMix Stand Mixer, worth £349, which comes with a 4.6-litre bowl and three different mixing heads and has a 500W motor.

To enter the competition for your chance to win a KitchenAid or Aga mixer, head to our competition entry page.

Classic Victoria Sponge Cake

Ingredients:

4 free-range eggs 225g caster sugar, plus a little extra for dusting the finished cake 225g self-raising flour 2 tsp baking powder (this will guarantee your sponge to rise) 225g soft butter at room temperature, plus a little extra to grease the tin

Method:

Place everything into the bowl of your mixer, and mix on a fairly low speed until everything is combined and produces a dropping consistency. Divide the mixture between two lined sandwich tins placed on the middle shelf of your oven and bake for about 25 minutes at 180C/350F/Gas 4. When cool, fill with homemade jam and whipped cream – perfect. You could also sprinkle the top with icing sugar or caster sugar.

Competition: Win a personalised photo album (archived)

WIN! We have teamed up with Inntravel to offer you the chance to win this beautiful handmade leather album, complete with a vintage map cover of your choice of anywhere in Great Britain. The perfect way to remember the moment – and the place!

Win a fabulous personalised photo album courtesy of Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people. Memories of family, friends, and special times and places are far too precious to be kept on a hard drive or stashed in a drawer. Give them the love they deserve - with a beautiful and personal photo album.

Our good friends Inntravel are offering one reader the chance to win a stunning personalised Atlas & I photo album. The album is handmade using only the very finest leather and comes with your own choice of vintage map cover - choose any location in Great Britain. The album has 50 pages and can hold up to 200 standard (6x4 inches) photos and comes in its own gift box. Remember the moment - and the place, with Inntravel.

To enter, head over and Like the Inntravel Facebook page, then fill out your details.

Competition open to UK residents only, aged 18 or over.

Potato print competition: Get creative to win a great prize (closed 30 June 2014)

Make a potato print - or get your children to do one - and you could win an overnight hotel stay, a Red Hen Original (worth £250) and lots of crisps!

Create a potato print (inspired by the profile of Julia Burns of Red Hen Originals in May's issue of The Simple Things), take a picture of it and post it to our Facebook page, making sure you enter your details, too.

The best potato print, judged by Lisa Sykes, editor of The Simple Things, and Julia Burns of Red Hen Originals, will win a beautiful Red Hen Original - see the full collection - plus dinner, bed and breakfast for two people at a Hand Picked Hotel of their choice. You can choose from 20 historic properties throughout the UK and Channel Islands.

The winner will also receive a year's supply of KETTLE Chips hand-cooked crisps, with no added MSG, artificial flavours or colourings. The prize will include new Seasonal Edition Lime & Black Pepper. Like all KETTLE Chips, it was created with real ingredients. And, like the rest of the range, KETTLE Chips Lime & Black Pepper are made from the finest potatoes, hand-cooked in sunflower oil. For exclusive offers, sign up for the newsletter.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Closing date for entries is 30 June. Travel expenses and travel insurance are not included. The prize is as stated. There is no cash alternative. The year's supply of KETTLE Chips consists of 12 cases of 12 x 150g bags in a variety of seasonings, to be supplied in three deliveries throughout the year. The break with Hand Picked Hotels is valid at the winner's choice of all 20 hotels subject to availability, until 30 November 2014. It includes a three-course table d'hote dinner, overnight accommodation in a classic double or twin bedroom and a full traditional breakfast for two people. We reserve the right to print entries in the magazine or post online.

Win a luxury hamper worth £150 (closed)

From large family-friendly properties to romantic boltholes, New Forest Living offers a collection of luxury holiday cottages across the New Forest National Park.

For a taste of what the New Forest has to offer, New Forest Living is giving one lucky new Facebook liker the chance to win this wonderful artisan hamper worth £150, filled to the brim with a unique selection of luxury local New Forest produce... just in time for Easter.

From scrummy locally made chocolate to delectable wine from the local vineyards, there’s something in the hamper to delight everyone in the family this Easter.

The prize includes: 1 bottle dry white wine and 1 bottle rose from Setley Ridge Vineyard; Three Thornback and Peel cotton handkerchiefs from Norris Gifts and Furnishings, Beaulieu; bergamot, lemon and grapefruit soya wax candle and three soaps from New Forest Aromatics; New Forest Honey; Raspberry dark chocolate egg, box of chocolates, Turkish Rose chocolate bar, Milk Nutty chocolate bar from Beaulieu Chocolate Studio; Fig and Olive chutney, Apple and Rosemary Jelly, Red Chilli Sauce, herb-infused olive oil from Spice and Easy. Wild Island raspberry balsamic dressing. Blackcurrant Naked Jam. Six Hampshire duck eggs.

Please note, the competition is open to UK residents only.

To enter, go to the New Forest Living Facebook page, hit Like, and enter your details.

Good luck!