The Simple Things Etsy Pages

Discovering and curating our favourite things through NEW Etsy Pages.

Nesting curated by The Simple Things on Etsy

Above: our favourite ways to NEST…

When Etsy asked us to be one of the first UK Partners selected to curate our finds through Etsy Pages we were thrilled. At The Simple Things we constantly use Etsy to source talented designer-makers to showcase in the pages of our magazine.

You can now follow our inspiration boards via Etsy Pages. Use them for gift ideas and trend-watching or as a starting point to make your own discoveries. Just click and you're taken directly to the item and seller featured!

Here's a look at some of our Etsy Pages. We will be constantly updating so be sure to visit regularly…

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Simple Style curated by The Simple Things on Etsy

Above: our favourite ways to SIMPLE STYLE

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Thinking curated by The Simple Things on Etsy

Above: our favourite ways to THINK

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Notes on orchard fruit

Raw or cooked, dried or jammed? Here's how best to eat the season's fruit harvest.

A nice cup of chai

Tea or coffee? Hmm, tricky. If only you could cram the benefits of both hot beverages into one mug – the perkiness of tea mixed with the warmth of a cinnamon latte. Well, you can! It’s called chai.

An Indian pick-me-up made with strong black tea (usually Assam), milk (buffalo, if you seek total authenticity), sugar and spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and pepper, chai converts pretty much everyone who encounters it – be they riding a train in West Bengal or nursing a hangover at a boutique festival.

Careful, though – often chai is the first step on a longer path to “finding oneself”. Yoga comes next. In certain extreme cases, people have even been known to purchase books by Deepak Chopra.

Like any ritualised refreshment that’s been around for hundreds of years, chai comes in numerous subtly different modes according to region and vendor. Over here you can buy ready-made teabags from just about anywhere, although enthusiasts swear brewing your own is worth the effort. Just sip from a traditional earthenware cup and try to remember where you put your backpack…

* Or to be specific, since “chai” is the generic word for tea in several countries, “masala chai”

Moroccan feast

Scatter the cushions and get on the floor for a zesty, aromatic supper that’s made for sharing. Food stylist and photographer Chantelle Grady produces exclusive recipes and sumptuous photography for a ten page feature in the magazine this month. Try her spiced coffee and almond fekka recipe tonight.

SPICED COFFEE

Your cafetiére won't know what's hit it when you concoct this warming, perky after-dinner brew .

Serves 4-6

3 whole cloves

5 cardamom pods

¹/₂ tsp black peppercorns

25g espresso beans, ground

¹/₂ tsp ground cinnamon

¹/₂ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

¹/₂ tsp ground ginger

1 litre boiling water

Warm milk, if desired

Sugar, if desired

1. Place cloves, cardamom pods and black peppercorns in a mortar and pestle. Grind until cardamom pods split open, and remove papery shell. Grind seeds and cloves into a fine powder.

2. Transfer to a bowl. Add the ground coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and mix to combine.

3. Transfer coffee mixture into a cafetière, add boiling water and steep for 5 mins. To serve, add sugar and warm milk if desired.

ALMOND FEKKAS

These crisp, just-sweet-enough little dainties are Morocco's answer to biscotti.

Makes about 40 biscuits

85g raisins

145g unsalted butter, melted

220g caster sugar

3 eggs, plus 1 egg lightly beaten

2 tbsp orange-blossom water

¹/₂ tsp almond extract

320g plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

¹/₄ tsp salt

1 tbsp aniseed

1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

160g whole almonds, toasted, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 180˚C (160˚ fan), gas 4, 350˚F. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Place raisins in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to soak for 10 mins, and then drain and set aside.

3. Place the butter, sugar, 3 eggs, orange-blossom water and almond extract in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir until all ingredients come together. Add the aniseed, sesame seeds, almonds and raisins and mix to evenly distribute. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.

4. Turn dough out onto prepared baking sheet and divide into 2 balls. Moisten hands with water and form 2 loaves about 5cm in width, allowing space between each loaf. Brush with egg wash and bake in oven for 30 mins, or until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

5. Once cool, use a serrated knife to cut into 1cm slices and lay out on 2 baking trays lined with baking paper. Bake for a further 8 mins, flip slices over and bake for another 8 mins, or until golden on both sides. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Serve with spiced coffee.

Enjoy!

Inspired by...ice cream!

You'll never met someone who didn't like ice cream, celebrate your love for this summertime treat with our favourite recipes and ice cream inspired accessories from around the web.

Top row (left to right): Wheel thrown ice cream bowls JD Wolfe Pottery, strawberry and mint froyo, mint chocolate ice cream print Painter Peeps

Bottom row (left to right): Roasted strawberry and coconut lollies, personalised ice cream pots Randomalia Designs

Find out more about everyone's favourite summer treat from our ice cream expert inside issue 13.

Janis' cake in the house: Pistachio raspberry loaf

Photographer, design buff and native Vancouverite Janis Nicolay shares the recipe for her favourite loaf cake to keep in her home over the summer. Bake and enjoy.

Pistachio Raspberry Loaf - makes one 3.5 x 8 inch loaf

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons orange zest 2 eggs 2 cups all purpose flour 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 cup milk 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries 3/4 cup chopped pistachios Icing: 1 1/4 cups icing sugar, sifted 2-3 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line a loaf tin with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the orange zest, butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Sift the flour and baking powder over the butter mixture, then add the milk, and fold through. Fold in the pistachios and raspberries, making sure not to over mix. Pour mixture into tin and bake for about 55-60 minutes, or until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes, before turning out onto to a cooling rack. To make icing, sift icing sugar into a medium bowl. Add orange juice and stir until smooth. Pour over cooled loaf.

You can see more from Janis and her home town of Vancouver inside issue 12, and don't forget to visit her on her blog Pinecone Camp for more beautiful design, bakes, DIY and travel.

The perfect summer lunch: Gazpacho

Honour the tomato with this cold Spanish soup. Top with croutons and Serrano ham for a perfect lunch.

Serves 6 6 large tomatoes 2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped 2 yellow peppers, deseeded and chopped 1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped 3 spring onions, chopped 1 large garlic clove 1 tbsp sherry vinegar, or a splash to suit your taste A splash garlic olive oil 1 tbsp good olive oil 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1. Put the tomatoes into a bowl of boiling water with small crosses cut into them to help the skins to peel off. Remove the skins, wait until the tomatoes are cool and chop finely. 2. Chop everything up, removing the green part of the spring onion and deseeding the cucumber. If you have a blender or food processor, add all of the vegetables and blitz. Otherwise just carry on chopping until a paste-like consistency is reached. 3. Add the oils, sugar, sherry and paprika and taste. Add additional seasoning if it needs it. Serve toppings in separate bowls so people can help themselves.

Strawberry, pineapple and mint frozen yoghurt

We've arguably found the most summery recipe for frozen yoghurt in existence, so if the weather lets us down we can always enjoy summer in a bowl.

Serves: 4 (makes 1 litre) Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes

You’ll need: 450g strawberries 1 tbsp lemon juice 130g caster sugar 250g whole milk, unset yoghurt 2 tbsps of freshly chopped mint and four extra sprigs for decoration 1 fresh pineapple

What to do: Slice the strawberries into small pieces and place them with the lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan and warm gently, mixing well with a wooden spoon.

Mash the strawberries with the back of a wooden spoon as the sugar dissolves and the mixture warms.

Set the cooked strawberries aside to cool, covered.

Mix together the yoghurt and mint in a bowl and then add the strawberries.

Spoon the yoghurt mixture into four individual serving glasses, moulds or plastic ice-lolly moulds and freeze for at least three hours, or overnight.

When ready to serve, take the serving glasses or moulds out of the freezer. Dip into warm water to unmould the yoghurt on a plate. Serve with finely chopped fresh pineapple and decorate with fresh mint.

*This recipe was taken from Sweet Eve, visit their website for more recipes.

Win your own SousVide Supreme Demi with The Simple Things

As seen in our July issue of The Simple Things we're giving you a chance to win a SousVide Supreme Demi worth £450.

Sous vide cooking is a tried and tested method in restaurants since the 70s, popular with the likes of Raymond Blanc and Heston Blumenthal. French for 'under vacuum' food is 'poached' in a bag to lock in flavour and nutrients. Once a way of cooking reserved for the professionals, you can now give it a whirl in your own kitchen with the SousVide Supreme Demi water oven. This is not weird science but an easy, low energy and controlled way of cooking any meat, fish or veg (and even sauces, cakes, and infused vodkas!).

Are you ready to start experimenting, because we're giving you the chance to win your very own SousVide - click here to enter now!

Share some strawberry margaritas

The sun has truly come out from hiding this week, and we cannot think of a better way to celebrate than sharing this recipe for a fruity strawberry and lime margarita. Cheers!

Serves 6 300g fresh or frozen strawberries 2 tbsp honey 240ml tequila Half a bunch of mint leaves

1. Fuse the honey, tequila and strawberries in a blender – add a little ice if using fresh, or a splash of water if using frozen. 2. Garnish with chopped mint and strawberry slices.

This recipe was taken from Issue 08 of The Simple Things, download it now.

Remember to always enjoy alcohol responsibly.

One perfect cheese

Ann-Marie Dyas from The Fine Cheese C0 shows us her perfect cheese.

Make your own cinnamon and caramel sauce

You may have spotted Ashley Fryer from Peach Trees and Bumblebees inside this month's Issue of The Simple Things, Ashley has now kindly joined us on the blog to share one of her favourite recipes! Take it away Ashley...

This gorgeous sauce is delicious warm and served over ice cream! I like to make it as a gift to take to dinner parties. It’s lovely given in a large jar with a big bow! Also excellent in banana splits and sundaes.

Indgredients

200g butter 140g soft brown sugar 397g can condensed milk 397g can caramel 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Put the butter, sugar, condensed milk, caramel and cinnamon in a pan. Heat on low until the butter melts – but make sure you don’t boil the sauce. Ensure the sugar has melted and stir until smooth and glossy. The trick is to keep the heat low and stir it constantly. If the worst happens and the sauce burns, you can always sieve it. Remove from the heat and whisk until very smooth. Pour into sterilised jars and allow to cool before sealing.

The story of the first Foodie Bugle

Silvana De Soissons shares the journey of The Foodie Bugle from top website to print magazine.

In creating the very first print edition of The Foodie Bugle I decided to contact a number of food and drink writers, bloggers, producers, artists and farmers whom we had featured in the last two years, since the website at www.thefoodiebugle.com was created.

Many readers had contacted me in the past to say they wanted a print edition of all the features, reviews, articles, photos, interviews and essays we publish online, and so I decided to kick-start a collaborative project to bring this idea to light.

I was amazed at what a generous and kind community existed out there, really talented people offering their work to be part of this new venture. From photographers like Alyson Fennell, Lisa Barber, Tif Hunter, Pascale Cumberbatch, Sarah Maingot and Jason Ingram, to illustrators like Anna Koska, Beatrice Caillat and Annabel Lee, we were able to publish a really wide range of original and unique food and drink photographs and art work. This made all our articles about food and drink producers, writers, retailers and growers come to life and grab the attention, all printed in Britain, on organic, uncoated paper to make the magazine feel tactile and earthy.

Elisabeth Luard, an award winning food writer, unbeknownst to many of her readers, is also a very accomplished watercolour painter. About a year ago I went to visit her at her beautiful farmhouse in deepest, wildest West Wales, and she showed me the collection of paintings she had made for her new book, “A Cook’s Year in a Welsh Farmhouse”. From wildflowers to berries, produce from her vegetable garden, foraged mushrooms and fresh ingredients sourced from local markets and towns, Elisabeth spends a little time painting Mother Nature and all her bounty almost every day. She then uploads the images onto her Twitter stream and chats about her finds with her followers.

I thought it would be really interesting for our readers to enjoy her paintings on paper, and so I approached her to find out if she would allow me. She accepted, and so we went ahead. The results were really lovely, and many readers have commented on how pleased they were to see the paintings. Several readers have bought two copies: one to keep and one to tear out all the artwork and glue it to the wall.

You can purchase a copy of The Foodie Bugle from the website here: http://thefoodiebugle.com/shop    Follow us on Twitter: @TheFoodieBugle

Want a chance to win a copy of the first ever The Foodie Bugle? Tell us in which year The Foodie Bugle was created in the comments below and we'll pick a winner at random!

Lily Vanilli's top five baking tips

What better way to spend Easter break than baking? But, before you head into the kitchen take note of these top tips from book author and baker Lily Vanilli.

- Don't skip the science bit - read up on how baking works, understanding why a particular method is in place will make you a much more intuitive baker.

- Practice makes perfect - I train my staff in the style of Mr Miyagi from the Karate Kid - study the basics over and over until you master them - then you can go on to do anything.

- Always check that you have the right pan size. People spend time and money getting the ingredients and method right, then tip the batter into any old pan they have and the cake has no chance.

- Mind the temperatures of your ingredients, it might seem like a minor detail in the recipe but in fact its crucial to getting a good bake - stick to the recipe's advice - cold butter for pastry, room temperature for cakes and so on.

- Invest in an oven mitt!

Got a passion for baking? Join Lurpak's Bake Club and take part in Lily's Chocolate Challenge this March!

Top tips for growing tomatoes not seen in Issue 8

We all know how disappointing the British summer can be. Ideally we'd all have greenhouses or poly tunnels, but if you have neither don't despair. Last year I grew one single cherry tomato plant in a pot on a sunny windowsill - it turned into a vast plant and produced more fruit than I believed possible. All I did was water regularly and feed it. The poor tomato suffers more than most outside in the rain, and is more likely to get tomato blight and an array of other viruses, most of which end up killing the plants.

There are a few things you can do to improve your chances of getting a decent crop.

1. Be prepared to cosset them a little, feeding regularly and keeping them sheltered from cold wind.

2. Grow those varieties that suit your location. If they have to be outside choose cherry types such as Gardener's Delight, Sungold and Black Krim, all of which will ripen outside given some sun.

3. Try growing cherry tomato variety 'Tumbling Tom' in a hanging basket with basil for company. These will tolerate outside conditions in the summer, and are either red or yellow fruits.

4. Grow several varieties - that way you'll soon learn which grow best in your garden or which you prefer to eat. And you're more likely to produce a crop from a variety of different plants.

5. Be prepared to ripen fruit indoors on a sunny windowsill. Put them in a paper bag with a banana and this will help to ripen them. But any green tomatoes do make great chutney.

Free Recipe! Baking biscotti with Elephantine

To celebrate the release of Issue 8 today Rachel Ball from Elephantine has stopped by the blog to share her recipe for almond biscotti. We suggest you enjoy these biccies with a foamy latte and the newest issue of The Simple Things.

Almond Biscotti with Maple Glaze (makes a dozen)

1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour 2/3 cups white sugar 1 tsp baking powder a pinch of salt 1/4 cup chopped almonds 1 tsp orange zest 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (or almond extract)

1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 Tbsp maple syrup 1 tsp milk

Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, almonds, and orange zest. Add the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix well with a spoon (or your hands). Dump the dough onto a baking sheet (optionally lined with parchment paper). The dough will be very, very sticky. Form it into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from the oven, cool slightly, then slice into 1/2 inch wide pieces. Set the biscotti back onto the baking sheet, laying them on their sides. Bake for 10 to 20 more minutes, turning over halfway through. Finished cookies should be hard & crunchy. For the glaze*, combine the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and milk. Mix well. Add more milk if it's too thick to easily pour. Drizzle over the cookies and let dry.

*Alternatively, you could make a lemon glaze instead. Or dip them in chocolate!

Don't miss: Rachel Ball showing us round her home town of Seattle in Issue 8 of The Simple Things.

Five things for the weekend: St Paddy's Day

A collection of makes and gifts inspired by St Patrick's Day...

Feta and thyme soda bread The Little Loaf  | Irish cream brownies Butter Cream Blondie  | Guinness soap All Things Herbal | Irish Manhattan Bon Appetit (photo by Tim Mazurek) | 4 leaf clover necklace Sevgl Charms

Whip up a tasty tiramisu in time for the weekend

Sukaina from Sips and Spoonfuls has stopped by to share this delicious recipe for a simple tiramisu. Whip this up in less than an hour to share and enjoy with friends and family.

Ingredients: 2 cups whipping cream 3 egg yolks * 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup mascarpone cheese 2 cups strong coffee approx. 25 ladyfingers cocoa powder to serve

Directions: Beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form and set aside. Using the paddle attachment of the stand mixer, beat the the egg yolks and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Add the vanilla and mascarpone and beat on medium speed till combined. Fold the mascarpone with the whipped cream, taking care not to deflate the mixture.

Dip the ladyfingers quickly into the coffee. Layer glasses with the mascarpone followed by the ladyfingers alternatively starting and ending with the mascarpone. Refrigerate for four hours at least or overnight. Serve with a dusting of cocoa powder.

Makes approximately 8 glasses depending on the size.

A big thank you for Sukaina for taking the time to share this recipe with us, for more visit her at Sips and Spoonfuls

* Make sure you pick the best eggs for this recipe using our notes on eggs guide inside Issue 7

*Sponsored: A traditional apple crumble

Our friends from Mornflake have stopped by to share this easy-to-follow video for making a traditional apple crumble, yum!*

For more video recipes visit www.mornflake.com

Friday night dinner for two (behind the scenes)

As it's a Friday and only 7 more days until Valentines,  we thought we'd share a few more captured moments from our dinner for two special (p104 - p111) in this month's The Simple Things.

Duck with spinach and pomegranate recipe found in this month's magazine.

MENU

Aubergine with pistachio

& sesame seed crumbs

*

Duck with spinach

& pomegrante

*

Poached pear with

gingerbread biscuits

Have you tried any of these delicious recipes? Leave a comment below or hop on Facebook and share your perfect romantic meal menu with us.

Happy Friday all!