Recipe | Chopped Salad

Photography by Hugh Johnson

This recipe is all about the crunch. Thanks to the red cabbage and beetroot, it’s striking, too.

Serves 4–6

3 radishes, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

¼ red or white cabbage, finely chopped

2 gherkins, finely diced

1 mini cucumber or ¼ cucumber, diced

2 cooked beets, diced

1 spring onion, finely chopped

1 apple, finely chopped, tossed

with the juice of ½ lemon

For the dressing:

½ lemon, juiced

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp creamed horseradish or

wholegrain mustard

1 tsp thyme leaves

½ tsp sugar

1 Start by making the dressing. Place the lemon juice, olive oil, creamed horseradish or mustard, thyme leaves and sugar into a jar. Screw on the lid and shake well to combine. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

2 Mix the salad ingredients together in a large serving bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss to coat thoroughly. Serve immediately.

Taken from The Kew Gardens Salad Book by Jenny Linford (Kew Publishing). Recipe photography: Hugh Johnson. For more salads from Kew, don’t miss our feature, Salad Days, in our June issue.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More salads to try…

More from our June issue…

Recipe | Spring Beans on Toast

The classiest kind of beans on toast – using broad beans and elderflower as the secret stars.

Serves 4

1.5kg broad beans in pods

Bunch of fresh mint leaves, chopped

Bunch of fresh chives, chopped

115g ricotta cheese

1 lemon, zested

4 slices sourdough bread

Fresh chive flowers, optional

For the elderflower dressing:

2 tsp djion mustard

2 tsp honey

2 tbsp elderflower vinegar

100ml olive oil

To make

1 Pod the broad beans and bring a pan of water to the boil. Add the beans and cook for about 3 mins.

2 Drain the beans and skin them if the beans are large. Place in a bowl, adding chopped mint and chives.

3 To make the dressing, place the mustard, honey and vinegar into a mixing bowl and season with

salt and pepper. Whisk together and slowly pour in the oil, whisking until it becomes emulsified. Taste

the dressing and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Add enough to coat the broad beans and herbs.

4 Mix the ricotta cheese with the lemon zest and season to taste.

5 Toast the bread and spread with ricotta cheese before spooning the beans on top. Drizzle with dressing and top with chive flowers, if using.

This recipe is taken from our feature, Respect Your Elders, in our May issue, which includes lots of recipes for using elderflowers, including cakes, cordials, curd and vinegar. The recipes are by Philippa Vine and photography by Anna Rubingh.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More things to forage…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Bakewell Tart Squares

These sweet squares can be eaten on the hoof or while reclined on a picnic blanket. Cream optional but very much recommended

Serves 6-8

For the pastry:
150g butter or margarine (margarine makes an easier to handle pastry, but use butter if you prefer)
300g plain flour
50g caster sugar
1 egg

For the filling:
5 tbsp raspberry jam
200g raspberries
250g butter, softened
250g ground almonds
250g caster sugar
5 eggs
50g flaked almonds

To serve:
Icing sugar
Whipped cream
Mint leaves

1 Start off by making the pastry. Rub the butter/margarine into the flour and sugar until you have a sand-like consistency.

2 Beat the egg and then bring it together with the flour mixture on a lightly floured surface to form a smooth pastry.

3 Roll the pastry out to fit the tin you’re using – you can use a 30cm diameter round tin or a 22 x 33cm tin. It should be about 3mm thick but make it 5mm if you love pastry!

4 Preheat the oven to 180C/ Fan 160C/Gas 4. Place baking beans or rice on top of the pastry and bake for 45 mins, or until pale golden.

5 Once baked, remove the beans or rice and allow the pastry to cool, although keep the oven on.

6 Once cooled, spread the jam over the base and distribute the raspberries evenly.

7 Put the butter, ground almonds and caster sugar in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Dollop the mixture into the pastry case and smooth out, then sprinkle the almonds over the top. Return to the oven and bake for 45 mins more, or until golden and set.

8 Once cooled, dust with icing sugar, cut into squares or slices and serve with whipped cream, fresh berries and mint leaves.

This recipe is taken from our May ‘Gathering’ feature, which this month is a menu for a woodland picnic. It also includes recipes for Cornflake Chicken, Egg, Beetroot & Potato Salad with Dill, Baby Carrots with Whipped Feta and Apple & Mint Punch. The recipes are by Becky Cook and the photography is by Will Heap.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More things for picnics…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Gugelhupf (Austrian Easter Cakes)

In Medieval Austria, a Gugelhupf was served at gatherings, including weddings, and it was the cake chosen to represent Austria at an event during the country’s presidential reign of the European Union.

Throughout the seasons, it’s decorated with flowers, leaves, fruits, candles or a dusting of icing sugar. Typically, it’s a yeast-based cake more akin to a bread – with echoes of hot cross bun – but some versions are more cake-like. This recipe makes mini versions, but you can also use a larger tin and bake for longer (see timings for the Nid de Pâques in our April issue).

Serves 12

2 oranges, zested and juiced

1 lemon, zested and juiced

125g raisins, currants or sultanas

125g unsalted butter, softened,

plus extra for greasing

125g golden caster sugar

2 eggs

125g plain flour or buckwheat flour

1 tbsp mixed spice or ground

cinnamon

1 tbsp baking powder

100g ground almonds

4 tbsp orange juice from soaking fruit, plus extra to glaze

 To make

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Meanwhile, butter 12 mini bundt moulds or a single large bundt tin.

2 Add the zest and juice of the oranges and lemon to a pan, along with the dried fruit. Gently simmer

for 5 mins, then remove from the heat and leave the fruit to continue soaking while you prepare the cake mixture.

3 Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until smooth and pale. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour, spices, baking powder and almonds, and mix to combine.

4 Drain the dried fruit, reserving the liquid. Stir in the 4 tbsp of the strained liquid, to loosen and flavour the batter (keeping the rest to gloss the baked cakes). Fold the dried fruit through the cake mix, then divide the batter between the cake moulds. Tap the tin firmly to settle and level the batter.

5 Bake in the centre of the oven for 25 mins, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle of a cake comes out clean. Invert the tin onto a serving plate, leave to cool for 5 mins, then lift off the tin. Leave the mini cakes to cool completely, then glaze with the reserved soaking liquid. 

This recipe is just one of our Easter bakes from across Europe, which are featured in our April issue. Buy a copy of the magazine to find the rest of the recipes, including Lampropsomo from The Balkans, French Gateau Nid de Paques, Italian Crostata di Pasqua alla Ricotta and Polish Chocolate Mazurek. The recipes are by Rachel de Thample and photography by Ali Allen.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More Easter traditions…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Wild Garlic & Goat's Cheese Savoury Scones

Easy peasy and very cheesy. Slather with too much butter and dip into your hot soup.

Makes 9

350g strong bread flour

½ tsp salt

3½ tsp baking powder

100g unsalted butter, cut into

small cubes

150g goat’s cheese

50g wild garlic, chopped, saving

9 leaves for decoration

90ml milk

100ml double cream

1 egg (beaten)

To make

1 Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5. Place the flour, salt and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mix with your fingers until it has a breadcrumb-like consistency.

2 Break the goat’s cheese into small pieces and stir gently into the mix.

3 Finely chop the wild garlic and place in a bowl along with the milk and cream. Gently blend the wet and dry ingredients together to form a dough.

4 Lightly flour a surface and roll out the dough into a square roughly 3cm thick, cutting it into 9 square-ish scones. Gently press one wild garlic leaf into the top of each scone and brush with the beaten egg.

5 Bake for 15–20 mins, or until golden brown, and cool on a wire rack before serving with lashings of butter.

These very moreish scones are just one of the recipes from our ‘gathering’ feature, Turning A New Leaf from our April issue, with recipes by Kay Prestney and photography by Rebecca Lewis. It’s bursting with wild garlic recipes for spring - just add friends and a foraging bag.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More ways with wild garlic…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Salt & Vinegar Nettle Crisps

Photograph by Ali Allen

It’s hard to compete with crisps made from potatoes but these come close and they’re a wildly healthier swap – even better if you use a vinegar infused with other wild ingredients (such as wild garlic).

Serves 2-4

A few handfuls of nettle leaves, washed, drained and dried
Drizzle of olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
Spritz of apple cider, wine or malt vinegar

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/ Fan 160C/Gas 4. Lightly oil a baking sheet and arrange the nettle leaves in an even layer. Sprinkle with sea salt.

2 Bake for 5-10 mins, checking every 2-3 mins and moving around. Cook until deep green and crispy.

3 Allow to cool, which will help them crisp further. Finish with a spritz of vinegar (ideally from a spritzing bottle), or, gently shake a few drops of vinegar across the nettles instead.

This recipe is from our feature ‘Tipping Point’ from our March issue, in which Rachel de Thample shows us ways to eat saps, buds and shoots. Photography is by Ali Allen. The feature also includes recipes for Tree Sap Syrup, CleaversWater, Wild Salad, Nettle Falafel with Lemon Balm Yogurt and Horseradish Trout with Pea Wasabi.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More things to make with nettles…

More from our blog…

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…

Tipple | Orangey Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate’s great, but add orange (and perhaps a splash of Cointreau) and it’s hard to go back.

Serves 6

2ltr whole milk
1 large orange
6 tbsp dark hot chocolate powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp grated fresh nutmeg Cointreau (optional)

1 Warm the milk in a large saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer.

2 Cut the orange in half, cutting each half into half-moon slices. Put six aside and add the rest to the saucepan, along with the hot chocolate powder, ground cinnamon and nutmeg.

3 Simmer gently for 5 mins, keeping the heat low to prevent it from boiling. Stir frequently to avoid the milk from catching on the pan. Once ready, discard the orange segments.

4 To serve, pour into cups and add a shot of Cointreau for a boozy extra, if desired. Garnish each cup with one of the orange slices set aside earlier.

This recipe is just one of the ideas from our March ‘gathering’ pages, which this month is a menu for a crafternoon of ‘loose ends’ projects. It also includes recipes for Carrot & Ginger Soup, Spiced Chicken Skewers, Roast Paprika Sweet Potato Wedges, Whipped Feta & Pistachio Dip and Pear, Dark Chocolate and Cardamom Muffins. Recipes are by Kay Prestney and photography by Rebecca Lewis. Ceramics kindly supplied by Francesca Atkinson of Frankie’s Ceramics @frankieceramics.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More hot drinks for cold days…

More from our blog…

Tipple | Ginger & Maple Hot Toddy

Sweet, spicy and soothing, this cocktail also eases a sore throat and helps clear the sinuses. In fact it’s practically medicinal. Best enjoyed on a bracing walk by the sea

Makes 1 cup

3 slices of fresh ginger

1 ginger teabag

1 tsp maple syrup

Lemon slice

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

A shot of brandy or whisky (optional)

Place all the ingredients in a mug and top up with boiling water – use the cinnamon stick to stir it all together. If you plan to serve the hot toddy while out, make the ginger tea and add to a flask with the maple syrup and brandy or whisky, if using. To serve, pop the ginger, lemon slices, star anise and cinnamon sticks into each mug, pour over the ginger tea and enjoy.

This recipe is taken from our ‘gathering’ feature, which in our February issue is a bracing walk on the beach with hot drinks and snacks, followed by a make-ahead lunch at home. You’ll find all the recipes, including Granola Bars, White Bean Puree with Crunchy Topping, Mushroom Ragout, Gremolata and Jam Crumble Tart from page 6. The recipes are by Louise Gorrod and the photography by Emma Croman.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our blog…

More tipples to warm up winter…

Cake | Chocolate Coconut Squares

When only chocolate will do, bake these moist, coconutty squares for an oh-so-satisfying
cocoa nibble

Serves 9

150g coconut oil, melted and cooled

200g soft light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract or essence

60g plain flour

45g self-raising flour

30g cocoa powder

40g desiccated coconut, plus extra

for scattering (optional)

For the topping:

100g dark chocolate

100g soft, but not liquid, coconut oil

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Using a little of the coconut oil, grease and line a 20x20cm tin.

2 Place the rest of the coconut oil, the sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a bowl and stir until combined.

3 Whisk the flours and cocoa in a separate bowl to remove any lumps, then stir in the desiccated coconut. Make a well in the centre, pour in the coconut oil mixture and stir until completely combined.

4 Spread the mixture evenly into the lined tin and bake for 25–30 mins, or until just firm. Leave to cool in the tin.

5 Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate in the cooling oven, then beat in the soft coconut oil until it’s a thick icing.

6 When the base is cool, spread over the icing and leave to set. Cut into 9 squares and scatter extra coconut on top, if you like. This will keep for up to five days in an airtight container.

Cook’s note: Coconut oil can be used like-for-like to replace butter in recipes. Depending on what temperature you store it at, it can also be solid in the same way as butter. The more refined coconut oil doesn’t have a distinctive coconut flavour and so works well in dishes that you don’t want to taste of coconut.

This recipe from our February issue is taken from Every Last Bite by Rosie Sykes (Quadrille). Photography: Patricia Niven

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More cakes for your tin…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Chocolate, Bay Leaf and Spelt Oat Cookies

Chewy, chunky cookies. Add ice cream to make it a pudding, or keep for whenever the need arises. You’re never too old for a midnight snack, after all.

Serves 1

125g salted butter

2 tbsp honey

70g light brown sugar

3 fresh bay leaves, very

finely chopped

1 egg, beaten

50g plain flour

100g spelt flour

½ tsp baking powder

85g jumbo oats

75g dark chocolate

60g blanched hazelnuts, chopped

1 Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5. Place the butter, honey, sugar and bay leaves into a saucepan set over a low heat and allow everything to melt together. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5 mins, then whisk in the egg.

2 Combine all the other ingredients in a separate bowl, then pour over the butter mixture and stir together to make a stiff dough.

3 Spoon tablespoons of the dough – as many as you want to eat now – onto a lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between them, then bake for 10-12 mins, or until just golden on top. Leave to cool and harden a little before serving.

Cook’s note: The dough freezes well, so make as many as you want for yourself, then come back for the rest whenever the need strikes.

This recipe is just one of the ideas from our feature ‘Please Yourself’ in which Kathy Slack devises a seasonal menu to cook and enjoy alone. You’ll find the rest of the recipes, which include cauliflower, leek & mushroom bean bake, bitter leaves and fennel with hazelnut dressing, and malted turmeric milk, in our January issue, out now.

More sweet things best enjoyed alone…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Jansson's Temptation

We don’t know who Jansson was but there’s no need to resist this Swedish winter staple – a potato dish proven to warm body and heart.

Serves 4-6

30g butter, plus extra for greasing

2 white onions, finely sliced

1kg maris piper potatoes, cut into batons

100g jar of anchovy fillets (or 2 tins pickled sprats – anchovies are an alternative option for those of us outside of Sweden)

500ml double cream

3 tbsp breadcrumbs

1 Melt the butter in a large pan and add the onions plus a generous pinch of salt. Cook gently for about 15 mins, or until they’re soft and golden, taking care to stir often to avoid them catching.

2 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6 and grease an ovenproof dish with a little butter.

3 Season the potatoes and then split them into three equal piles. Layer the first pile at the bottom of the dish, next add half of the cooked onions, followed by half of the anchovies or sprats. Add a second layer of potatoes, the remainder of the onions and the remainder of the anchovies or sprats. Finally, top with the last third of the potatoes.

4 Pour over the cream and push down any uncovered potatoes. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and cook for 60 mins. You want the top to be golden and the potatoes underneath to be soft. If the top is cooking too fast, cover it with foil and increase the cooking time until all layers of the potatoes are cooked. Let the dish rest for about 10-15 mins before serving.

This recipe is taken from our January issue’s ‘Gathering’ feature, a hygge Swedish feast for friends, which we have called ‘Comfort and Cheer’. It also includes recipes for Herring & Beetroot Salad, Swedish Glogg, Cucumber Pickles, Danish-Style Salad and Boozy Rice Pudding. The recipes are by Catherine Frawley and the photography is by Kay Prestney.

More hyggelich things for winter…

More from our January issue…

Tipple | Fireside Old Fashioned

Make a woodsy variation on the classic Old Fashioned for a chilly January evening by adding smoky maple syrup for a warming fireside tipple.

FIRESIDE OLD FASHIONED

Serves 1

½ tsp maple syrup

2 dashes Angostura bitters

60ml bourbon or rye whiskey

Orange-peel coin, to garnish

Rosemary sprig, to garnish

1 Stir the maple syrup, bitters and whiskey together in a lowball tumbler. Taste and add another ½ teaspoon of syrup, if desired.

2 Squeeze the orange-peel coin, peel side face down, over the cocktail to spritz orange juice over the top.

3 Add ice, stir for 10 secs, and serve with an added sprig of rosemary.

Bartender’s note: You can make an Old Fashioned with spirits other than whiskey – try this recipe with brandy, apple brandy, aged rum or a barrel-aged gin, too.

Taken from New Camp Cookbook: Fireside Warmers by Emily Vikre (Harvard Common Press)

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More tipples to try…

More from our blog…

Recipe: Slow Orange Poppy Seed Cake

Cake is never off the menu at The Simple Things, even post-Christmas. But this gluten-free cake is as healthy as they come – no refined sugar, and you can even pop it in a slow cooker and head out for a walk

Serves: 8
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 3 1⁄2 hours (slow cooker) 1 1⁄4 hours (oven)

200g ground almonds
120g quinoa flour
2 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp poppy seeds
finely grated zest and juice of 2 oranges (approx 250ml)
125ml light olive oil
130g Greek yoghurt
185ml honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Candied oranges and syrup
juice of 1 large orange
4 tbsp honey
1 large orange, thinly sliced

In the slow cooker:
1 Grease slow cooker and line with baking paper. Cover the lid of the slow cooker with a clean tea towel, securing corners around the knob with string or an elastic band – this is to prevent condensation dripping onto the cake as it cooks. 
2 Combine ground almonds, flour, baking powder and poppy seeds in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the orange zest and juice, oil, yoghurt, honey, vanilla and eggs, then gradually whisk into the almond mixture to make a batter. 
3 Pour cake batter into the slow cooker and cook on low for 3 hrs until a skewer comes out of it clean. Turn off slow cooker but leave the cake in another 30 mins.
4 For the candied oranges and syrup, put juice and honey in a small, non-reactive pan. Bring to boil, then reduce heat. Add orange slices and cook for 5 mins each side until oranges caramelise.
5 Remove the cake and top with the candied oranges and syrup. 

In the oven:
1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160/350F. Grease and line a 24cm cake tin. Follow step 2, above.
2 Pour batter into tin and bake for 55 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Cover cake with foil if browning too fast. Follow step 4, above.
3 Turn out the cake and top with the candied oranges and syrup.

Recipe from Whole Food Slow Cooked by Olivia Andrews (Murdoch Books)

* This cake was made in a 5.5 litre slow cooker. If yours is larger or smaller than this, the cooking time may vary, so keep an eye on your cake for the last hour or so.

This blog was originally published in January 2016. We still have at least one cake in every issue of the issue. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More cakes for your tin…

More slow things for slow days…

Solstice Tipple: Clementine Cocktails

Great for a midwinter get-together, this vibrant punch fuses the sugary appeal of fizzy orange with grown-up bitters and bourbon

For the ice ring:
Freeze 4 sliced clementines in a Bundt pan with water overnight

For the clementine cocktails:
960ml clementine juice
960ml soda water
240ml bourbon
Angostura bitters

Mix all ingredients in a small punch bowl or large mixing bowl and serve with a ladle. Add the ice ring just as guests arrive. Let guests make their own sugar-rimmed glasses by rubbing the glass edge with a half
clementine, then dipping it in a small dish of raw sugar. Garnish with a straw pushed through the centre of a round clementine slice. Use mandarins if you can’t find clementines.

Recipe and photography from The Forest Feast Gatherings by Erin Gleeson (Abrams)

This recipe was first published in January 2017. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More cocktail recipes:

More things to do with citrus fruit…

Recipe | Christmas Kraut

It’s worth taking time in late November or early December to make this good-for-your-gut sauerkraut with a festive twist

MAKES APPROX 1kg

1 red cabbage, quartered then finely shredded
1 thumb fresh ginger, grated
Zest and juice of 1 orange or 2 clementines
150g fresh or dried cranberries
2 tsp mixed spice
2g sea salt for every 100g
12 fresh bay leaves

1 Put the cabbage and ginger in a large bowl, then grate in the zest of your orange or clementines. Halve the fruit and squeeze in the juice. Next, add the cranberries and spices.

2 Weigh the mixture and add 2g sea salt per 100g veg/fruit mix. Fold the salt through to distribute. Then, scrunch together to help soften the cabbage and massage the salt in.

3 Spoon the juicy cabbage mix into a 1kg jar, or a mixture of smaller jars, adding it little by little and packing down each layer as you go. It’s important to exclude as much air as possible. Pour any leftover brine in the bowl over the cabbage.

4 Use the bay leaves (overlapping them) to fully cover the compacted cabbage. Add a pinch of salt to the leafy cap and fill the jar right to the top with water. Screw an airtight lid onand place it on a plate (to catch any juices that bubble over during fermentation). Transfer it to a dry spot, at room temperature, out of direct sunlight.

5 Let the kraut ferment for two weeks at room temperature, then eat straightaway, or store at room temperature in a dark, cool place for up to 1 year (check occasionally and top up with an added pinch of salt and water to come right to the top of the jar, if needed).

Cook’s note: Refrigerate once open. This kraut will happily keep for weeks in the fridge.

This recipe for Christmas Kraut is from our December Home Economics feature, which also includes recipes for an upside-down turkey with all the trimmings, Boxing Day pasties, winter Waldorf salad, turkey, lemon and thyme risotto, turkey skin crackling and parsnip skin crisps. The recipes are by Rachel de Thample and the photography is by Ali Allen.

Buy this month's The Simple Things buy, download or subscribe

More fermented things for the festivities…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Walnut and Rosemary Dauphinoise

This decadent dauphinoise is given a depth of flavour by parboiling the potatoes in stock and then the texture and taste of walnuts on top.  Serve it alongside the Christmas turkey and other sides from our Home Economics feature in our December issue, as a side to any meat dish, or on its own, on the sofa under a blanket any time you like.

Serves 6 

1.5kg floury potatoes (like King Edward or Maris Piper), peeled and cut in 1cm slices  

750ml veg or chicken stock, warmed 

4 garlic cloves, chopped 

4 sprigs of rosemary, chopped 

2 tbsp butter 

400ml cream 

75g walnuts, crushed 

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Place the potatoes in a large pot (save the peels for potato skin crisps – a great pre dinner snack or good for Boxing Day). Cover with the warm stock and boil until just tender. 

2 Place the garlic and rosemary in a large baking tray in the oven with the butter. 

3 When the potatoes are tender, gently spoon them into the dish with the butter, which should now be melted. Scatter the garlicky herbs over with a good pinch of pepper and a little salt, if needed, as you layer in the potatoes. Pour in the cream so it just covers the top of the spuds, if needed top up with the stock from cooking the potatoes.  

4 Scatter the walnuts on top. Slide into oven for around 30 mins to cook through, thicken and brown the top. 

 Find the rest of our recipes for Christmas Dinner (and clever ideas for using up the leftovers, too) in our December issue. The recipes are by Rachel de Thample and the photographs are by
Ali Allen.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More Christmas food inspiration…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Hasselback Squash with Chestnuts, Pancetta & Mushrooms

Photography by Kirstie Young

Serving a winter squash whole, or at least virtually intact, really brings home how majestic a vegetable they are. This roasting technique gives them maximum surface area to caramelise for extra deliciousness.

Serves 4

1 large winter squash (approx. 2kg whole weight)
6 bay leaves
4 thyme sprigs
25 sage leaves
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 fat garlic cloves, unpeeled
180g vacuum-packed chestnuts
250g pancetta
1 tsp thyme leaves, chopped
200g mix of wild and cultivated mushrooms

1 Preheat the oven to 185C/Fan 165C/Gas 4-5. Halve the squash lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Turn both halves cut side down, then use a very sharp knife to slice 1cm slits in the flesh across the squash, taking care not to cut all the way through. I like to place a wooden spoon on each side of the squash to stop my knife before it reaches the chopping board.

2 Transfer to a baking tray, cut side down. Stuff the bay leaves, the sprigs of thyme and 10 sage leaves into the slits then drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season generously. Roast the squash for 1 hr.

3 After an hour, add the garlic cloves and chestnuts to the tray and return to the oven for a further 15 mins.

4 Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the remaining sage leaves and fry for 2 mins, turning halfway, until they stop fizzing, which means the water has cooked off. Remove from the heat, drain, and leave to cool on kitchen paper, where they’ll turn crispy. Set aside.

5 Next, in the same frying pan, fry the pancetta over a medium heat for 5 mins. Add the chopped thyme and the mushrooms, tearing any large ones as you go. Turn the heat up a touch and fry for 5 mins more.

6 By now the squash, chestnuts and garlic should be ready, so remove the tray from the oven. Tip the chestnuts into the pancetta, squeeze the flesh from the garlic skins and stir into the pancetta mixture.

7 Lift the squash onto a serving dish. Tumble the pancetta mixture over and around the squash, then top with the crispy sage and serve.

Cook’s note: This can be made vegan by replacing the pancetta with chopped hazelnuts.

This recipe is from our November Tales From the Veg Patch pages, in which Kathy Slack cooks up a seasonal feast. The other recipes include Smoky Squash Beans & Chorizo Stew, Quick Squash Chips with Herby Mayo and Rye Spiced Pumpkin Loaf.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More seasonal recipe ideas…

More from our November issue…

Recipe: Cinder Toffee

Shards of crunchy cinder toffee are made for sharing – but we doubt they’ll last long

Cinder Toffee

330g caster sugar
1 tablespoon black treacle
4 tbsp water
15g butter, plus more to grease tray
pinch of salt
1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda

1  Butter a 24cm-square baking tray and set aside. 
2  Put all the ingredients except the bicarbonate of soda into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat gently, stirring until all the sugar crystals have dissolved. This takes a while but don’t move on to the next stage until the mixture looks like a completely smooth sauce, grit free. 
3  Turn the temperature up slightly so that the mixture gently bubbles, using a sugar thermometer to monitor its temperature. 
4 When the temperature reaches 138C, take the pan off of the heat and tip in the bicarbonate of soda, then whisk thoroughly so that it is well dispersed through the mix. The mixture will bubble up and grow and you will need to move fast, tipping it out onto the greased tray. 
5  Leave it to cool and set completely, then break it into shards and eat.

This recipe was first published in issue 41 (November 2015)

We have more food ideas to enjoy around the fire in the November issue of the Simple Things, on sale now.

November's The Simple Things is out now - buy, download or subscribe.

More Bonfire Night delights…

More from the November issue…

Tipple | Fig Leaf Horchata

Horchata, a traditional Mexican drink, is a blend of rice milk, cinnamon and sugar that makes a comforting sip, whether you drink it warm or cold. It’s an excellent tipple for sipping around the bonfire, too. Add toasted marshmallows if you don’t scoff them straight off the stick...

Serves 8

3 ltr almond milk (we used Rude Health almond milk)
5 cinnamon sticks 
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 fig leaves (optional, but they add a deliciously unique flavour)
45ml amaretto shot per person (optional)
Toasted marshmallows (optional)

1 Add the almond milk, cinnamon sticks, maple syrup and fig leaves to a large fireproof pan. There’s a nip in the air, so all the more reason to pop an extra marshmallow in your horchata… or perhaps a splash of amaretto?

2 Gently warm through over a low heat. You want to heat the ingredients slowly so that they infuse their flavour into the milk without evaporating too much of the liquid away. Stir occasionally to ensure the milk doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan.

3 Taste and check the sweetness, if you have a sweet tooth, add a little more maple syrup.

4 Once ready, leave to cool, then place in the fridge until needed. When ready, reheat gently. To serve, ladle the liquid into your favourite mug, add a shot of amaretto if desired, and add a toasted marshmallow or two.

Cook’s note: We've used Rude Health here because the base of their milks is organic rice milk, making this a much speedier version of the classic, where you have to soak rice in water overnight before blending it.

This recipe is from our November ‘Gathering’ feature, Dark and Chilli Nights, a menu for a Mexican(ish) get together around a fire. The menu also includes Chipotle Chill Pork Shoulder Tacos, Lime Pickled Onions, Pickled Slaw, Pulled Wild Mushroom Chipotle Tacos, Smoky Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Avocado, Basil & Jalapeno Cream, Jalapeno Salsa Verde, Chipotle Crumb and Churros with Chocolate Orange Dipping Sauce. The recipes are by Amy Moore and the photography by Jonathan Cherry.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our November issue…

More Autumnal tipples…