Event: Stylist Live PLUS ticket offer

Cocktails, catwalks, culture and conversation – what’s not to like?

Come and meet The Simple Things (among other interesting people) at Stylist Live from 15-18 October at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London, just up the road from our offices in Clerkenwell.

We have a special ticket offer for readers of The Simple Things – get 2 for 1 (£25 instead of £50). Click here for tickets and quote code SLOFFER29

Bringing the pages of witty, intelligent weekly magazine, Stylist, to life, the four-day urban festival is hosted by Edith Bowman and Dawn O’Porter. It’s open until 9pm on Thursday and Friday, so plenty of time to listen in on inspiring talks from Davina McCall, Caitlin Moran, Katie Piper and someone from Sherlock (though sadly not Mr Cumberbatch himself), plus culinary advice from Yotam Ottolenghi, Hemsley & Hemsley and others. You can also attend practical workshops on everything from how to sleep like a baby to launching a business for under £100, watch a live fashion show enjoy gourmet food and drinks and shop over 100 pop-up boutiques handpicked by the Stylist team.

Discover the full line-up here.

See you there!

Event: The Nomad Cinema

The roaming pop-up that gives back! 

With 100% of profits going to edu-environmental charity The Sustainability Institute, The Nomad Cinema creates memorable cinematic events in unique and quirky locations across the capital, all for a good cause! With a host of indoor and outdoor venues including the Royal Academy of Arts, Meantime Brewery, Fulham Palace, Brompton Cemetery, Grosvenor Square and many more, The Nomad’s festival atmosphere creates film magic wherever it roams, then disappears into the night, leaving no trace…

The Nomad is the sister cinema to North-West London’s critically acclaimed community indie cinema The Lexi – a truly independent, volunteer-run film-lover’s gem in the heart of up-and-coming cultural hub, Kensal Rise. A state-of the art boutique digital cinema with good old-fashioned heart and soul, the Lexi hosts regular Q&As, special events, outreach projects, as well as exhibitions in the gallery bar!

The Nomad’s September highlights include Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel at Fulham Palace, Little Miss Sunshine and Withnail & I in Queen’s Park, as well as fashion doc IRIS in hipster hangout, The Hoxton Hotel. October features a new indoor venue in King’s Cross with a brand new back-to-back two-screen format, as well as a creepy Halloween programme in Hyde Park’s The LookOut – a treehouse-inspired cabin, hidden in a copse of trees… Looking further ahead, the Nomad’s ever-popular Christmas season will this year be hosted in another new venue, this time in Victoria, with something for everyone – from feel-good classics to alternative wintry titles.

www.whereisthenomad.com

Event: The Just So Festival

An award-winning festival for families, the Just So Festival provides an imaginative outdoor adventure like no other, showcasing the best art, music, literature, comedy and theatre in a wondrous landscape of woodland clearings, rolling parkland, arboreal amphitheatres and lakeside spots.  

This year’s theme is “the golden age of travel”. Expect mischief and mayhem, lands full of magical midnight feasts, raucous pillow fights, tribal tournaments and curious creatures.

The Just So Festival takes place 21 – 23 August at Rode Hall Estate, Cheshire. Find out more on the website, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.

Have a look at this video from last year's Just So Festival:

Moments that matter

Watching locals take in the olive harvest under a clear blue Andalucian sky (Las Alpujarras, southern Spain).

Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people

Moments that matter

Pausing mid-walk for a paddle in a crystal-clear pool (Vintgar Gorge near Lake Bled, Slovenia).

Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people

FREE! My City Guides

In each issue of The Simple Things we publish a local’s insider guide to some of the coolest, most interesting and simply favourite cities to visit. As the summer holiday begins, we’re releasing one online each week in association with our friends at Inntravel – The slow holiday people

This week it’s Helsinki. Download Lauren Memarian’s guide for free

This guide was first published in June 2013 - issue 10.

Did you miss Paris, Copenhagen, Florence, Amsterdam or Marrakech?  They’re still available to download.

Coming soon!

25 June – Berlin

2 July – Palma

We'll post on our Twitter and Facebook when they are published.

MY CITY is supported by INNTRAVEL, the Slow Holiday people, who have spent the last three decades exploring Europe’s most beautiful corners along the lesser-trodden path. When it comes to cities, their self-guided walking tours have been carefully researched using their own expert knowledge and insider tips from locals. These specially created routes take in the best-known sights, but also those hidden gems that others miss. Find out more by visiting http://www.inntravel.co.uk

Moments that matter

Taking a well-earned rest by the fountain in the village square (Cerdanya, Catalunya). 

Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people

Competition: Win a Gaggia Baby Class Coffee Machine with Betta Living!

For those of you who love nothing more than enjoying a cup of coffee in your kitchen each morning, we’re offering you the chance to win your very own Gaggia Baby Class coffee machine - courtesy of Betta Living - worth £350.  

The art of coffee making is becoming increasingly popular and having the ability to create your favourite flat white or cappuccino in the comfort of your own home is even better.

Your coffee kitchen personality

A Betta Living kitchen provides the perfect backdrop for a morning coffee; sipping a latte within the rustic charms of an arts and crafts kitchen, its romantic style and vintage themed interior making for an ideal afternoon in.

If you can’t get through the day without an espresso moment then a more contemporary setting can be found in the form of a New York style kitchen, with all the gloss and glamour of being in the city that never sleeps.  

Italian heritage can be found within a Cranford charcoal and chalk mix; just like a cappuccino, this kitchen incorporates classic style with a sprinkle of modernity for a delightful weekend brunch with all the family.   

Closing date: Sunday 5 July, 23.59pm

June's The Simple Things is available from all good newsagents, supermarkets and our official online store. Sold out? Download it from Apple Newsstand or subscribe now.

Moments that matter

Savouring lunch with a view – amid the clear mountain air of Switzerland’s Engadine Valley.

Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people

Moments that matter

Gazing on lush, rolling fields as they’re illuminated by warm, Tuscan sunlight.

Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people

Moments that matter

Making it to the market on time: “Fortified by a delicious breakfast, we arrived in the main square to find Provençal life laid out before us: cheeses and meats galore; piles of fresh fruit and vegetables; and cafés full of coffee and Pastis-sipping locals. It was a Monday morning like no other.”

Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people

Turn to page 68 of May's The Simple Things for more.

Moments that matter

Making it back before sundown: “An invigorating day’s yomp in the summer sunshine led to a final, undulating stretch that was mainly downhill. Just out of sight lay our welcoming guesthouse, a glass or two of something chilled, and another tasty, home-cooked meal.”    

Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people

Moments that matter

Deliciously Danish: “Cycling along the Danish Riviera was wonderful, as were the mouthwatering open sandwiches – piled high with juicy prawns and creamy mayonnaise. One came from a simple café in Gilleleje harbour that has been in the same family for generations… absolut lækker!”

Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people

Find out more on pages 74-75 of April's The Simple Things.

Moments that matter

It was an exhilarating descent, from the foothills of the Picos Mountains to the beach of La Vega on Spain’s rugged north coast. Once there, we were greeted by miles of golden sand and a beach bar selling luscious grilled sardines. A paddle in the sea was the icing on the cake.

Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people.

Moments that matter

Finding the perfect place for lunch: This morning’s walk ended in the medieval Catalan village of Santa Pau. We wandered its flower-filled streets; and, on reaching the 13th-century, arcaded square, came upon the Restaurant Cal Sastre, with a table ready and waiting. As far as lunch venues go, this was just about perfect.

Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people.

Moments that matter

Cresting the brow of a hill on two wheels... Meandering the back-roads and byways, the track carved its way gently uphill through fields of gold. Beyond the immediate horizon is nothing but a cerulean sky wisped with cloud. It’s tantalising, teasing, as we anticipate that glorious moment when, freewheeling and free, we head down the other side and into the view beyond. 

Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people.

Recipe: Tea smoked trout with horseradish and yogurt sauce

Just in time for the start of the trout fishing season, and with a nice garnish of seasonal watercress, we asked Yeo Valley for their favourite February recipe.  

Ingredients

10 tea bags
175g demerara sugar
175g long grain rice
4 trout fillets
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Foil

For the Horseradish & Yogurt Sauce:
100g Yeo Valley Natural Yogurt
1 tbsp of hot horseradish
Juice of a lemon
Small sprig of dill

Method

Cut the tea bags open, shake out the tea into a bowl and discard the bags. Add the sugar and rice and mix together.

Line a deep, heavy roasting tin with silver foil.

Spread the tea mixture over the base.

Cover with either a cooling rack or another layer of foil. Place the roasting tray on top of the stove and heat up.

Once the mixture is smoking slightly place the trout on the rack or on top of the foil, skin side down. Drizzle the trout with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Cover the roasting tin tightly with foil or a tightly covered lid, and leave to smoke on the stove over a moderate heat for 15-20 mins.

Mix all ingredients for the sauce together, season to taste, then spoon over the smoked trout and serve with fresh watercress.

Thanks to Yeo Valley for the recipe.

Moments that matter

Taking time out to admire the view - Eysturoy, Faroe Islands. “After an energetic jaunt up the steep clifftop path from the tiny village of Gjógv, views opened up over the aquamarine Atlantic all around. As I collapsed to the grass to gather my breath, a lone seagull hove into view and squawked its airy hello.”

Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people.

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Moments that matter

Wandering through the souks of Marrakesh, I savoured unfamiliar sounds and scents. Crossing a quiet courtyard, my eye was caught by a shaft of light, illuminating a tranquil figure set in the shadows, ladling bowls of aromatic soup. Exchanging smiles and a little money, I was welcomed to this oasis, frequented by Moroccan artisans. Space was made at the wooden bench and we ate.

Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people.