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…

Win | a New Year fresh start bundle

We have two fresh start bundles to give away, courtesy of Garden Trading, to help you get your home shipshape and Bristol fashion

Start a brand new decade by bringing a feeling of calm and clarity to your home. Garden Trading’s new Laundry and Storage Collection harmoniously blends beauty with function, each piece doing its bit to make every utility room and kitchen a clean, orderly haven. After the excess and clutter of Christmas and New Year celebrations, now is the ideal time to give interiors the room to breathe. From stack-and-store utility baskets to hampers and handy boxes designed in crisp, clean linen shades, you’ll soon have a place for everything and everything in its place.

Vertical storage solutions in Lily White painted wood make the most of wall space to create extra hanging and stacking room; giving everything a home, even when you’re mid-chore. And the details have been given careful consideration, too. From refillable glass jars with cork lids for washing powders and haberdashery essentials, to screw-top glass bottles for laundry detergents and washing-up liquids, eco-friendly bamboo lids to traditional rug-beaters… the collection is full of simple, green solutions to help make everyday housework a pleasure.

The prize

Garden Trading has put together two laundry and storage bundles to give away to The Simple Things readers. Each includes: • Melcome Slatted laundry shelf, • 2 Chesil rectangular baskets, •Portland storage hamper, • Portland utensil holder, • Portland utility Basket in Lily White, • Provender Jars (small, medium and large) • Peg Bag in Ink Stripe, • Bottle brush • Washing-up Brush

Discover the full collection at gardentrading.co.uk

How to enter

For your chance to win, click on the button below and answer the following question by the closing date of 12 February 2020:
Q. What is the name of Garden Trading's new utility and kitchen range?

Terms and conditions

Terms & conditions The competition closes at 11.59pm on 12 February 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 January issue…

More simple ways to make your home lovelier…

Win | a year of flowers

We’ve teamed up with Scilly Flowers to give you the chance to win flowers delivered to your door every month for the next year. How blooming lovely!

Scented narcissi are one of the traditional crops grown on the Isles of Scilly, 28 miles off the Cornish coast. There, in the small, sheltered fields dotted throughout the islands warmed by the Gulf Stream, the flowers thrive and come into bloom early. At Churchtown Farm on St Martin’s, owners Ben and Zoe Julian and their team pick, pack and post these gorgeous narcissi from October until Easter, come rain, shine or gale-force winds. Then, over the summer months, their attention turns to scented pinks, harvested so their customers can enjoy the colour and perfume of fresh flowers within days of being picked.

We’ve got together with Scilly Flowers to bring a bit of spring to one reader’s door for the whole year.

For more information on how these flowers are grown and harvested, or to place an order, visit scillyflowers.co.uk or call 01720 422169.

How to enter

For your chance to win 12 boxes of scented narcissi (one every month), each containing 40 flowers, click below and answer the following question by the closing date of 12 February 2020:
Q. The Isles of Scilly are how many miles off the Cornish coast?

Terms and conditions

Terms and conditions: The competition closes at 11.59pm on 12 February 2020. A winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. Flower substitutions may be made depending on availability. The winner cannot transfer the prize or swap it for cash. Details of our full terms are on page 127 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules

More from our January issue…

More beautiful blooms…

Competition | win a foodie hamper from Abel & Cole

A basketful of delicious treats, thoughtfully sourced, to cheer dark evenings

Abel & Cole have been delivering delicious organic food for 30 years now. With award-winning animal welfare credentials, top-rated treats, and plenty of plant-powered options, all the delicious goodies in Abel & Cole’s catalogue taste as good as the eco glow they’ll give you. From moreish pies, pastries and tarts to savoury charcuterie, interesting cheeses and wines and fizzes, you’ll find something to bring a little cheer to any winter evening.

Our favourite part? It’s all wrapped up in recyclable, reusable packaging and dropped to your door by their own cheery drivers. Each delivery is carefully planned to be as efficient and carbon-friendly as possible, always putting the planet first. All of which means you can feel completely happy with what you put on the table, whether you’re enjoying a cosy dinner in for two or are planning to be feeding a crowd.

WIN ONE OF THREE FOODIE HAMPERS

Abel & Cole have put together a foodie hamper to appeal to gourmands, worth £120 each, and we have three to give away. To be in with a chance of winning one just click the button below and answer the following question:

Q: For how long has Abel & Cole been delivering organic food?

Terms and conditions

Entrants must live within an Abel & Cole delivery area – please check your postcode at: abelandcole.co.uk/help/faq. Three prize winners will be picked at random from all valid entries and notified via their entry email address. The winner must claim the prize within three days of notification, after which time an alternative winner will be selected. For full terms and conditions, visit abelandcole.co.uk/terms-conditions. You’ll find Iceberg’s full terms and conditions on page 127 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules Entry closes at 10pm on 27 December 2019.

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More festive food to get you in the mood…

More from our December issue…

Competition | Win a baking hamper from Doves Farm

We have four Doves Farm Ancient Grain Baking Hampers to give away

The festive baking season is upon us and this month we’ve teamed up with Doves Farm, the organic flour experts, to give you the chance to win a spectacular hamper packed full of their award-winning organic ancient grain flours.

The prize

We have four hampers, each worth £50, ideal for the avid baker who would like to add delicious flavours to their bakes.  Presented in a beautiful wicker hamper, the prize contains eight packs of Doves Farm organic ancient grain flours - Wholemeal Spelt Flour, White Spelt Flour, Wholemeal Rye Flour, White Rye Flour, KAMUT® Khorasan Flour, Einkorn Flour, Emmer Flour, Buckwheat Flour, Quick Yeast, a bread proving banneton and Doves Farm recipe booklet.

How to enter

To be in with a chance of winning one of the hampers, simply click on the button below and answer the following question:

How many bags of flour are there in the prize?

A. 5.
B. 90.
C. 8.

Browse the full range, plus find hundreds of delicious recipe ideas at dovesfarm.co.uk.

Terms and conditions

Competition closes at 23.59 on 31 December 2019. Four winners will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. The prize is as stated, can’t be transferred or swapped for cash. Find our full terms and conditions at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

Murder mystery story | The ending

Here it is… the original ending to our murder mystery short story competition…

Back in August we printed (most of) a murder mystery story by crime writer Sophie Hannah and set readers the challenge of finishing it. You can read the winning entry (as well as the beginning of Sophie’s story) in our November issue. But here you can enjoy Sophie’s original, intended, ending. Did you guess who the murderer was?…

If you missed the original story, we’ll be printing it here in full later in the month, or buy the November issue, on sale now.

---

‘Tell me.’ I crouched down beside her.

She stared at the square of words. ‘Edward was right. It is a palindrome, if you lay the five words end to end — ROTASOPERATENETAREPOSATOR. Lily misunderstood. He wasn’t claiming that each word was a palindrome. What a clever magic square! And to be able to make the Paternoster cross, too! It’s really rather marvellous that they found it among the ruins of Pompei.’

‘What does this have to do with Stanley’s death?’

‘All this time, I’ve wondered, Philip: what terrible things might Julia and Lily have said that day that prompted you to threaten them? Odd, isn’t it, for us both to forget? And why would my sisters savage me? I had promised to share everything equally. Lily didn’t even want Father’s money. Why should she accuse you of having gone mad unless…unless you’d reacted to something that never happened?’

‘What do you mean?’ There was a limit to how much Alice could know. She was surely unaware (or she’d have mentioned it) that Stanley had consulted me about making a new will, to make things equal between his daughters. Julia, damn her, had persuaded him that was fairer. And then, if Alice had married me as I’d hoped she would, we’d have been unnecessarily poorer. Unless something were to happen to Stanley before the new will could be made…

‘You reacted with anger to nothing,’ said Alice. ‘I didn’t forget the dreadful things Lily and Julia said; neither did you. They said nothing offensive. You needed that conversation to end: the discussion about palindromes and words that were other words reversed. You were afraid I’d tumble to the truth: that you murdered Father. That, while dying, he managed to turn over that cup of tea — and in doing so, name his murderer. The word cup, upside down, gives us the letters p, u, c. Philip Unwin-Carruthers. As you say, Father wasn’t one for setting puzzles. Your words contained an assumption: that Father turned the cup upside down, not his murderer. How could you have known that unless you were there? Unless you killed him?’

What a fool I’d been, so secure and smug in the assumption that she’d never work it out.

Well, there was only one thing for it — though Alice hadn’t yet got that far in her deductions. She soon would. What choice did I have? I was hardly about to let her leave my room and go straight to the police.

It was a terrible pity. I sincerely loved her. We could have been so happy together.

THE END

More bookish things to enjoy…

More from our November issue…

Competition | Design a Christmas gift tag

See your design printed for all readers of The Simple Things to enjoy

We know it’s only October and generally at The Simple Things we don’t like to even mention Christmas until at least after Bonfire Night. But this year we wanted to invite you to bring a bit of extra joy to the giving process by designing a gift tag for others to use and to share.

We’ll turn our favourite designs into a sheet of actual gift tags in the December issue so everyone can enjoy your handiwork.

How to enter

Download the gift tag template here.

You can print it and draw on it directly, or use a computer to help you design it, or any other creative means that you have at your fingertips.

Email us a PDF or jpeg of your design with your name and phone number to
thesimplethings@iceberg press.co.uk, marked Gift Tag Competition, or post it to The Simple Things, Iceberg Press, Exchange Workspace, 1 Matthews Yard, Off Surrey Street, Croydon, CR0 1UH. You have until 23 October. Good luck!

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More projects for a rainy afternoon…

More from our September issue…

Competition | Win a £500 spree at Garden Trading

Enter our competition for the chance to give your home a new look for autumn

September is often a time of fresh starts and resolutions, prompted by the summer coming to an end. As the temperature drops, thoughts turn to indoors – so it’s a good time to make changes to the home, whether it’s introducing new cushions or a throw, or a total storage rethink. This month’s fantastic competition gives you the chance to treat your home with £500 to spend at Garden Trading. Best known for its outdoor furniture, lighting, pots and more, Garden Trading is also a great place for soft furnishings, homeware and indoor furniture. 

Find the full collection at gardentrading.co.uk.

How to enter

SImply press the button below and answer the question to enter the prize draw.

Terms & conditions The competition closes at 11.59pm on 11 October 2019. 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 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

More from our September issue…

More inspiration for your interiors…

Win | Nights at the Theatre

We have sets of tickets to give away for The Chipping Norton Theatre

This sweet 200-seat theatre is a real gem. Sitting neatly on a quiet residential road in a Cotswolds town, The Theatre Chipping Norton is housed in a building that began its life as a Salvation Army citadel in 1888. The theatre features original, ornate railings leading you into the foyer and gorgeous painted murals on its bar walls. Its charming Box Office is housed in the cottage next door. And its productions punch above their weight, with acclaimed annual pantos (such as last year’s Aladdin, pictured above).

The Theatre will be touring its latest in-house production Skylight. A show about love, relationships and everything in between, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry and it will definitely give you plenty to think about. Following its run in Chipping Norton (11–21 September), the play goes on tour to Salisbury, Bury St Edmunds, Winchester and Portsmouth. Puss in Boots comes to The Theatre in November – with an impressive pedigree to live up to, with previous pantos having won national press coverage and featured in The Daily Telegraph’s ‘Best Christmas Shows’ for the past six years. Puss in Boots runs from 13 November until 12 January 2020.

The Theatre Chipping Norton is giving away four tickets, refreshments and more to Skylight and Puss in Boots.

What you could win

4 x tickets to Skylight at the Chipping Norton Theatre in September.

4 x tickets for the Theatre’s panto Puss In Boots, running November to January.

Ice-cream and drinks vouchers for all, plus a couple of programmes on each night out.

A Theatre goody bag to take home.

Enter via the button below before the closing date, 28 August 2019 and answer the following question:

Which panto comes to The Chipping Norton Theatre in November this year?

A Puss in Boots

B Cinderella

C Jack and the Beanstalk

TERMS & CONDITIONS Competition closes at 11.59pm on 28 August 2019. A winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. Prize consists of up to 4 tickets for Puss in Boots 2019/20 price bands C and D only, and 4 tickets to the production of Skylight performing at The Theatre Chipping Norton from 11– 21 September 2019. You need to book the tickets yourself via the Box Office and they’re subject to availability. The prize is as stated, can’t be transferred or swapped for cash. The Theatre Chipping Norton reserves the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without notice. You can find Iceberg Press’s full terms and conditions on page 127 and online at http://www.icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

More from our August issue…

Win | a cooking experience with Esse

Esse is giving away three pairs of tickets to a cookery experience at Kate Humble’s working farm in Wales

Eating good food, learning from cookery experts and soaking up the Welsh countryside are all on offer with this brilliant prize. We’ve teamed up with master stove maker ESSE and TV presenter Kate Humble to give readers the chance to win an amazing cookery experience with celebrity chef Matt Tebbutt. We have three pairs of tickets (worth £165 each) for what promises to be an unforgettable day at Kate’s working farm. Humble by Nature is perched high upon a hilltop overlooking the beautiful Wye Valley near Monmouth in Wales.

After coffee and cakes baked in the ESSE ovens, you’ll watch cookery demonstrations by Saturday Kitchen star Matt before tucking into a hearty lunch in The Pig & Apple café and bistro at Kate’s rural retreat. Matt’s demonstrations will put the ESSE 990 EL electric range cooker through its paces, to show guests the control and flexibility this British-made range cooker provides.

It’s back to basics in the afternoon as chef Jake from The Pig & Apple kitchen demonstrates the elemental delight of baking rustic flatbreads and other tasty treats in the wood-fired ESSE Bakeheart cook stove (pictured). As all good cooks and bakers know, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so there will be plenty of delicious samples to try throughout the day. Come hungry!

To find out more about ESSE range cookers and cook stoves, visit esse.com.

NEED TO KNOW

Three prizes: 3 pairs of tickets up for grabs

When? Wednesday 11 September, from 10am to 4pm.

Where? Humble by Nature, Kate Humble’s farm near Penallt in Monmouthshire.

HOW TO ENTER

For your chance to win one of 3 pairs of tickets to attend, enter below by the closing date, 28 August 2019 and answer the following question:.

 Which wood-fired Esse cook stove will we be using at Humble by Nature?

A. Warmheart

B. Bakeheart

C. Ironheart

Terms & conditions

Competition closes at 11.59pm on 28 August 2019. Three winners will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. Each prize consists of two tickets to the ESSE Cookery Experience on 11 September 2019 at Humble by Nature. The prize is as stated, can’t be transferred or swapped for cash, and you eed to make your own way there and back. You can find Iceberg Press’s full terms and conditions on page 127 of the August issue and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

Win | a sundae kit worth £100

Sunny days call for sundaes and you can win a sundae kit for summer here

What’s your favourite ice-cream sundae? Knickerbocker glory, chocolate fudge brownie, banana split, or perhaps peach melba? It’s a list of names to transport you back to childhood, when pushing a long-handled spoon through layers of ripe fruit, gloopy sauce and oozing ice-cream was the height of summery indulgence. It’s a tradition worth bringing back…

Mackie’s of Scotland knows all about good traditions. At their farm, making delicious ice-cream is a sky-to-scoop production – tending the grass-fed cows that produce Mackie’s thick and creamy milk and using renewable energy to magic it into frozen tubs of goodness in a range of flavours from raspberry ripple to salted caramel.

As well as offering fantastic flavours, Mackie’s has no shortage of inspiration on how to enjoy your ice-cream. Set out ice-creams, fresh fruit, sauces, nuts and sprinkles and let friends and family build their own sundaes. You can melt Mackie’s chocolate for an instant sauce, or dip wafers into it to make the best kind of glue for sugar sprinkles. You could even top a glass of prosecco with strawberry ice-cream for a grown-up take on an old-fashioned float. Mackie’s is giving away Summer Sundae Kits to get you started – for your chance to win, enter our competition (see below). Find out more at mackies.co.uk.

There are five Mackie’s Summer Sundae Kits up for grabs. Each includes:

12 Mackie’s vouchers for a 1 litre-tub of ice-cream

12 bars of Mackie’s chocolate

A selection of toppings

2 sundae glasses

A professional ice-cream scoop and 4 long spoons

A Mackie’s recipe book, tea towel and apron.

How to enter

For your chance to win, press the button below and tell us how many sundae glasses are included in the prize.

Terms & conditions: Competition closes at 11.59pm on 7 August 2019. Winners will be selected at random from all correct entries after this date, and notified soon after. You can’t swap your Sundae Kit for cash, and the prize is non-transferable. Vouchers can be redeemed at any Mackie’s stockist – find your nearest via mackies.co.uk. You’ll find our full terms and conditions on page 127 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

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More ice cream ideas

More from our July issue…

Win | a UK holiday worth £500

Feeling inspired to book your next holiday? Classic Cottages is giving away a £500 voucher

Picture an idyllic British summer getaway and a holiday cottage probably features somewhere in your imaginings. Classic Cottages has been curating property treasures in the UK since 1977. Its high-quality collection features homes across the south and west, from Cornwall to the Isle of Wight. You can browse them all at classic.co.uk. And now the company is giving away a £500 voucher to one The Simple Things reader with this brilliant competition.

To be in with a chance of winning simply enter below and answer the question.

Terms & conditions: Competition closes at 11.59pm on 7 August 2019. A winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. The voucher is valid for 12 months, until 7 August 2020. You can use it on any Classic Cottages property, subject to availability, and you can’t swap it for cash or transfer it. You’ll find our full terms and conditions on page 127 of the magazine and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

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More fun ways to spend a weekend…

More from our July issue…

Win | a foodie hamper

A summer foodie bundle to make picnics even lovelier could be yours

Summer starts in earnest, it’s said, when elder trees burst into flower, and it ends in late August when elderberries are ripe. Delicate elderflowers explode in hedgerows across the Quicke’s estate and beyond. Only the best ingredients are good enough for Quicke’s clothbound cheese, from grass-fed cows’ milk made by the Quicke’s herd, to Cornish Sea Salt to mix into the curds. So, when it came to developing the Elderflower Clothbound Cheese – a creamy hard cheese with a flicker of real elderflower – only the best hand-picked wild elderflower would do.

To celebrate the latest batch of Quicke’s Elderflower Clothbound Cheese (above), they’re giving away a summer foodie bundle from a few of our favourite South West businesses who are also making the most of this wonderful summer blossom. The prize includes:

• Nancarrow Farm Feast tickets for two, worth £40 each, valid for summer feast nights down on the farm in Truro, Cornwall. • Easygoing English aperitif, Sharpham Sparkling Elderflower. • Lyme Bay Gin, bursting with traditional botanic flavours and citrus and elderflower notes. • Luscombe Wild Elderflower Bubbly, a soft drink infused with blossom foraged in the June sunshine. • And of course – Quicke’s Elderflower Clothbound Cheese.

For your chance to win, enter below.

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More ideas for summer picnic hampers…

More from our July issue…

Competition | Win a £500 garden spending spree

You could win a voucher from Garden Trading to transform your outdoor space

Summer has arrived and it’s time to make the most of your garden. A few plants are a must, as is a comfortable place to sit and soak up the sun. Once you’ve got the basics covered, the rest is up to your imagination and the constraints of your purse. Which is where this brilliant £500 voucher from Garden Trading comes in. With such generous help with the budget, you can make a garden that’s all your own, manicured or informal, urban or country.

For a summer of dining outdoors, you could spend part of your voucher on beautiful crockery and cutlery. The tactile new Ithaca Meze crockery collection is handcrafted and glazed in neutral tones and specially designed for sharing feasts. Mix and match pieces including ceramic bowls, sharing boards and stylish brass cutlery, then gather friends and family for a celebratory outdoor meal. Find the full collection at gardentrading.co.uk.

Enter below and answer the following question: What is the name of Garden Trading’s new crockery collection?

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 12 July 2019. 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 online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

More from our June issue…

More garden inspiration…

Competition | Win an Italian Hamper from Fattoria La Vialla

The Simple Things has teamed up with La Vialla Farm to give five readers a food hamper worth £83

We discovered Fattoria La Vialla a few years ago completely by chance and completely fell in love

with their booklet full of delicious fare that took us straight to the hills of Tuscany.

Fattoria La Vialla is a family run agricultural Farm and Wine estate comprising 30 or so hill top

farmhouses and is situated in the Chianti Tuscan countryside near Arezzo.

Since 1978 the Lo Franco family has looked after its terrain and reared animals, employing biodynamic methods of cultivation throughout its production.

Wine, extra virgin olive oil, pecorino cheese, pasta, sauces, jams and biscuits and typical desserts,

are made in its artisan workshops and the guests can assist in its daily production.

La Vialla and its flavours are what some would call ‘forgotten’ flavours. The care and

conservation of the land and its produce is in the hands of the Lo Franco family and its workers –

who for affection, dedication or for mere pleasure are known as the ‘Viallini’. Research into recipes

from the past, avant garde development projects, environmentally friendly technology and energy

saving are all an integral part of the production process.

All the products are available in the UK exclusively online at www.lavialla.it or at their Farm shop in Tuscany.

WIN!

Now, La Vialla is offering readers of The Simple Things the chance to win one of five hampers, chock full of delicious, organic Tuscan food and drink, and each worth £83. Simply click on the button below and answer the following question:

Q: Since which year have the Lo Franco family looked after the La Vialla farm?

Terms and conditions

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 20th May 2019. A winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon afterwards. The prize cannot be swapped for cash or exchanged. Details of our full terms are online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

More from our May issue…

Competition | Win a boating holiday worth £1,000

All aboard for your chance to win a luxury boating escape courtesy of ABC Boat Hire

How much do you know about Britain’s canals? Boating holidays bring a whole new perspective to the UK countryside, giving you access to waterside towns and villages, a quieter way to travel and a whole lot of wildlife along the way. A real departure from everyday life, it can feel like a big deal, but actually, with ABC Boat Hire, you can dip your toe in with a short boating break. The boating holiday experts offer everything from three-night to two-week getaways.

Exploring the UK’s best inland waterways, adopting a slower pace of life and relishing the adventure that comes with making a boat your home for a few days, a boating holiday is an idea worth getting on board with. All ABC boats come with comfortable berths and modern amenties – even on-board wifi!

With almost 200 boats, 16 start points and over 1,500 miles of waterways to explore, it’s time to start planning your best holiday yet.

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN

Enter this month’s competition and you could win a short break with ABC Boat Hire. You can pick your route, from selected start bases in England or Wales, and bring along up to seven guests on your eight-berth boat. Choose from either a three-night weekend break or four-night escape mid week. It’s a brilliant prize worth up to £1,000. All the cue you need to plan your next adventure…

HOW TO ENTER

To be in with a chance of the prize click below to enter and answer the question: How many start points do ABC Boat Hire have?

Terms & conditions:

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 8 May 2019. A winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon afterwards. The prize is a self-drive, self-catering canal boat holiday with ABC Boat Hire for up to 8 people. The winner can choose either 3 nights, Friday to Monday, or 4 nights, Monday to Friday, from selected start bases in England or Wales. You can’t swap the prize for cash, and travel to and from your start point is not included.

The prize includes bed linen, towels, fuel and damage waiver, and a breakfast hamper to the value of £30 prior to departure. There must be a minimum crew of two adults (18+) to operate the boat safely. The prize must be taken by 26 October 2019, subject to availability.

More from our April issue…

Competition: Win a design commission from Bloom & Wild worth £2,500

SPONSORED POST

Unlock your creativity by designing an ‘Outside the Box’ Bloom &  Wild letterbox this March

Bloom & Wild are calling all creatives who want to join their high-profile packaging  portfolio to submit their designs for the brand’s well-loved letterbox (see images). The chosen  winner will receive a commission of £2,500 and have their box seen by thousands of  Bloom & Wild’s customers. 

Over the years, Bloom & Wild have collaborated with brands and designers to  create beautiful boxes for their bestselling letterbox flowers. Some of the big brands they have worked with include​ Liberty London, Boden, Mother of Pearl and Peggy & Kate. 

Creativity is at the heart of the brand and they’re excited to begin the search for a  new, up-and-coming designer to create the next pattern for the letterbox.   

The design brief   

This Summer Bloom & Wild is opening the brief to UK designers from any background, at any  stage in their life, who want a chance to design our next letterbox. The theme for our range is ‘Summer Brights’. Featuring vibrant cerise and coral tones,  the flowers across this range are joyful, energetic and bold.

How to enter

Send a mood board via ​Bloom & Wild’s competition page ​that  demonstrates your box-design concept. You can include a rationale to understand  where your ‘Summer Brights’ idea came from plus examples of previous work you  have done to demonstrate your style. 

We’ll ask the winning designer to roll their idea out across the outside and inside of  the box, plus the finer details. For example, the sticker and ribbon around the  flowers’ cellophane and a matching gift card for customers to add at checkout.  

To submit your work head to ​www.bloomandwild.com/outside-the-box​ ​where  you can upload a digital mood board, a scan of your sketchbook or whatever works  for you.    

The prize

We’ll announce the judges’ favourite entries on Monday 8th April 2019. The winner of  this competition will be commissioned to the value of £2,500 by Bloom & Wild to turn their idea into a  box pattern for the July/August ‘Summer Brights’ collection. This also includes an original piece of design for the box outer and inner, plus suggestions for a sticker design and ribbon pattern/colour and a gift card cover  design or designs (at A6 spec) that ties into your theme and can be selected by our  customers at checkout so the packaging sits as a set. 

Closing date

The deadline is midnight on Sunday 31st March 2019 to submit your entry.   Terms and conditions can be found on Bloom & Wild’s competition page.

Win | a hanging nest chair

Enter for a chance to win this prize to bring spring to your home or garden

Days are starting to get a little longer and brighter, and our thoughts are naturally turning to spending time outside in the fresh air again. As eager as we may be to fling open doors and windows, fully fledged picnic and barbecue season is still a way off. However, Garden Trading has just the answer for bridging that seasonal gap.

The new Garden Room collection for spring encourages blending indoor and outdoor living, introducing a sense of flow from home to garden. Style wise, there’s more than a nod to the past, with macramé accessories and cane furniture bringing a retro 1970s feel to the collection, along with leafy greens, natural materials and woven textures. An update to Garden Trading’s popular all-weather nest chair is a shining example.

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN

A great blend of modern and nostalgic, the new hanging nest chair looks as at home in a living room or conservatory as it would in an orangery. And with its PE bamboo base, it’s safe to find it a home in the garden, too. Wherever you choose to keep it, this prize is set to become your favourite perch for a little time out all spring and summer long. Discover the full spring collection at gardentrading.co.uk.

HOW TO ENTER For your chance to win a hanging nest chair worth £350 from Garden Trading, click the button below to answer the folliowing question:

Q: Garden Trading’s macramé accessories and cane furniture bring a retro feel to the collection. But from what decade in particular?

Closing date: 10 April 2019.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 10 April 2019. A winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon afterwards. The prize cannot be swapped for cash or exchanged. Details of our full terms are on page 129 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

More from the March issue…

Competition | Win a cosy break in Snowdonia

ENTER OUR COMPETITION WITH MENAI HOLIDAYS AND YOU COULD BE OFF TO THE WELSH COAST FOR A LONG WEEKEND

Harlech and south Snowdonia are among North Wales’ best-kept secrets. Here, you can truly escape from the hubbub of busy modern living. With spectacular views of the mountains, castles, vast golden beaches, great places to eat and lovely individual shops, this is an area where you can recharge your batteries. Holiday cottage specialist Menai Holidays is offering one lucky winner the chance to stay at Bwthyn Nain, a sweet cottage for four, within walking distance to the beach at Llanfair, near Harlech; all you need to do is enter our online competition.

RECHARGE BY THE SEA

This charming, traditional Welsh stone holiday cottage, called Bwthyn Nain, looks over the fields towards the sea. It has an enclosed, pretty garden, and sleeps four guests in two double rooms, one of which can be made into a twin, on request. Slate f loors, colourful rugs and comfy sofas, along with exposed beams and a wood-burning stove all add to its charm.

LOCAL EXPERTS

A family-run holiday cottage company, Menai Holidays handpicks cottages across North Wales, from the simple to the sumptuous. Choose from properties on Anglesey, the Llŷn Peninsula or Snowdonia, all booked with customer service that goes the extra mile, backed up with excellent local knowledge. You can choose to self-cater or take full advantage of Menai’s fantastic Book-a-Cook and cottage food services, to have local hampers and wine delivered directly to your cottage. Menai Holidays guests also enjoy Treats – all sorts of local discounts – too. Find out more at menaiholidays.co.uk

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HOW TO ENTER

For your chance to win a four-night break for four at Bwthyn Nain with Menai Holidays, just answer the following question by the closing date: 31 January 2019.

Q: How many guests does Bwthyn Nain sleep?

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Competition closes at 11.59pm on 31 January 2019. One winner will be selected at random after the closing date from all correct entries, and notified shortly afterwards. The winner can’t exchange the prize for cash, and must book and stay before 31 December 2019. The prize can be taken on any available dates in 2019. Travel to and from Bwthyn Nain is not included in the prize. Full terms and conditions are on page 129 of our January issue and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

More from the January issue…

More ways to ‘do cosy’ this winter…

Competition: win a properly festive feast

Enjoy a Christmas dinner to remember. Pipers Farm are giving away this wonderful prize… all you need to do is add veg and crackers

Tuck into a slow-grown properly free range Bronze Turkey, saddleback sausages wrapped up traditionally cured bacon, with glugs of gorgeous gravy and the most delicious natural stuffing. Pipers Farm is offering one The Simple Things reader a festive feast of its beautiful, sustainable meat products. The prize consists of:

• One whole free-range Bronze turkey (feeds 8)

• Saddleback sausages wrapped in award-winning saddleback bacon (2 packs)

• Handmade cranberry and hazelnut stuffing

• Pure free-range turkey stock

• Cranberry, orange and port sauce

The people at Pipers Farm have been making Christmases to remember for more than 30 years. Founded in 1989, Pipers Farm produces sustainable meat, enabling customers to buy from trusted ethical producers, known to them.

They passionately believe in producing wholesome, natural food that has been grown with respect for nature. The farm’s principles have remained unchanged for 30 years and you can rest assured their produce will continue to be food you can trust in. 

To enter, simply answer the following question below:

What year was Pipers Farm founded?

If you want to enjoy any treats from Pipers Farm you can order by 11am at pipersfarm.com for next day nationwide delivery. 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: By entering this competition, you are opting in to receiving our email marketing from Pipers Farm. This promotion is only open to residents of the United Kingdom aged over 18. No purchase necessary. The promotional will run from 19/11/18 to 10/12/18. The prize cannot be refunded or exchanged for cash value. Delivery to mainland UK addresses only. The Prize is non-exchangeable or transferable. The Prize must be taken as stated and no compensation will be payable if a winner is unable to use the Prize as stated. The winners will be liable for all costs and expenses not stated relating to claiming the Prize. The Promoter may substitute the Prize for a prize of an equal or greater value if, for any reason, the original Prize is unavailable for any reason. Prrize consists of 1 whole free range bronze turkey 8 portions, 2 packs of 8 sausages wrapped in bacon, 1 250g cranberry and hazelnut stuffing, 1 500ml pure turkey stock and 1 240g cranberry, orange and port sauce. Prize must be taken before 13/12/2018. The prizes are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for cash. By entering the Promotion, entrants confirm that they have read and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions and by the decisions of the Promoter, which are final in all matters relating to the Promotion. Failure to do so will result in the forfeiture of the Prize. No correspondence will be entered into. Aside from the use of entry data for the performance of this Promotion, the Promoter will not use personal data for any other purpose without the express consent of the entrant. All entries must be made by the entrant themselves. The Promoter does not accept any liability for the acts of any third-party Prize provider. The Promoter is Pipers Farm (Devon) Ltd, Cullompton, Devon, EX15 1SD.

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 10 December 2018. A winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries after this time and notified shortly after. Full terms and conditions are at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

More from our December issue…

More Christmas food inspiration…