Sponsored post: PRIMUS CampFire

As the temperature rises and thoughts turn to entertaining family and friends outdoors, Swedish stove brand Primus has the perfect solution for cooking up culinary delights.

Made using smart Scandinavian design and sustainable ingredients, CampFire is a beautifully crafted three-strong range of double burner stoves, high quality pots, pans and accessories that are perfect for outdoor dining and entertaining.

Out of the three double burner stoves in the range ONJA (SRP: £105) is a show-stopper stove made from a unique blend of stainless steel, oak, brass, cloth and leather.  Compact and portable, it’s easy to assemble and pack away, yet suitable for large pots for cooking up culinary treats outdoors.  Plus there’s no need for expensive, heavy gas cylinders as the all the stoves run off easy-to-buy self-sealing LP gas cartridges.  Simply cook, eat, laugh, pack up, pop on your shoulder and plan your next outdoor culinary adventure.

Clever little touches to the range include stackable stainless steel pots with integrated colanders in lids that can be packed away neatly into a storage bag; a utensils kit, complete with oak and stainless steel knives and accessories, that’s held in a polycotton wrap that can rolled out flat or hung; a cutlery set that packs neatly into a leather sleeve; and a utility sack with a watertight roll top closure – handy for carrying water or food in, then taking home used cutlery, plates after a memorable outdoor cooking experience.

Dogs in blankets with Laughing Dog

MURPHY, JACKAPOO, 4 YEARS

“Stop there! No access without a pawsword! Why all the mystery? Well, when not scampering around and chewing things, I’ve been plotting a top-secret plan for dogs to take over the world. It may look like I’m hiding in blankets but they’re actually high-tech, instant-activation, cat- resistant habitation units being issued to each canine comrade around Britain. Instructions will follow imminently, along with emergency biscuits and a cunning disguise. Next step, world domination. But, first, perhaps, a nap.”

Tweet a pic of your #dogsinblankets @simplethingsmag
#doghappy @laughingdogfood

 

Dogs in blankets is brought to you in association with Laughing Dog

Three generations ago, our bakers discovered that slow-baking was the secret to creating deliciously tasty food. By oven-baking we can protect the wholesome goodness of our farm-grown ingredients, creating a delicious taste loved by even the fussiest of dogs.

To discover more about Laughing Dog’s mission to bake the nation dog happy, visit laughingdogfood.com. Save 25% on your first order! Quote ST16 when ordering

Read more from the June issue:

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

Supper club sponsored post: Making food and creating mood

Supper clubs aren't all about the food, they're about the loveliest company and beautiful surroundings. Enter Neptune.  Perhaps most well known for their envy-inducing kitchens, Neptune is a go-to destination for hand-crafted furniture, textiles and accessories for both home and garden. Every one of their designs was made to work together with ease, promising instant elegance in every setting. So it’s only fitting that they are supporting The Simple Things Supper Clubs, to help you host an event to remember. Download our free stationery designs – menu cards, invitations, place cards and donation envelopes. 

From finding the right table linen to gleaming glasses and relaxed serveware, take a peek at the Neptune tabletop collection. Plus, garner style ideas from Neptune as they share their tips and tricks to effortless entertaining on their blog. 

Food Made Good: Yeo Valley HQ

The Food Made Good awards exist to celebrate everything exciting about British restaurateurs, chefs and suppliers doing the extraordinary to make food good – delicious, ethical, sustainable. 

Yeo Valley HQ Canteen, long-time friends of The Simple Things, have been nominated for the People’s Favourite Award 2016.

And it’s easy to see why.

This is a thoroughly ethical restaurant sourcing seasonal and local food and ensuring they have zero waste to landfill. The building is kept warm using biofuel and the layout (big canteen tables) encourages people to talk and connect with others.

As well as being a fantastic work canteen they open it to the general public and run special events to encourage sustainability. It is also decorated in a really creative and quirky way which makes it feel like it’s not taking itself too seriously, putting everyone at ease with the humour. And the food tastes fabulous!

If you want to vote for Yeo Valley HQ Canteen, head to the Food Made Good site now! The awards take place on 22 March 2016.

Read more:

From the March issue

Yeo Valley posts

Enter our competition!

Plenty of delicious recipes in the March issue of The Simple Things, out now - buy, download or subscribe

Sponsored post: Story Horse

Story Horse offer a collection of toiletries, luggage, knitwear, jewellery and outdoor accessories at affordable prices that are a bit different from what’s on the high street.

After recently launching its new collection aptly themed ‘Chilly days out and Cosy nights in’, the new collection is bursting with autumnal shades in abundance. From mustards and greens to blues and rich purples, creating a lasting, visual impression which is key for Story Horse this season.  The collection also uses a range of durable materials like cotton and polyester for luggage and a wool acrylic mix for knitwear.

The latest collection from the Story Horse brand marks a new direction, which will continue to evolve from season to season; aiming to create practical yet visually appealing lines which are a testament for real and style conscious women all over the world.

BBC Good Food Show London: Get 20% off tickets!

The BBC Good Food Show London returns to Olympia London from 13 – 15 November and will be bursting with entertainment from top chefs Michel Roux Jr., Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood and Tom Kerridge.

Get inspiration from live cookery demos, London’s finest artisan producers and pop-up restaurants.

Save 20%* on tickets by quoting PAR1 when booking. 

Find out more - www.bbcgoodfoodshowlondon.com

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.