Diwali dinner idea: pumpkin coconut curry

Pumpkin coconut curry with split peas, chickpeas & leek This light, sunshine-hued curry promises not to make your eyes water – just your mouth…

Serves 4-6 2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1 leek, roughly chopped

1 litre vegetable stock

1 can coconut milk

230g kabocha squash/pumpkin

65g yellow split peas

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2¹/₂ tsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

¹/₈ tsp allspice

¹/₈ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

¹/₈ tsp red pepper flakes

65g kale, chopped small

1. Add onion, garlic, leek and olive oil to a frying pan over medium heat.  Sauté for 5-10 mins or until it starts to brown. Add vegetable stock, kabocha or pumpkin, split peas and salt. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer and cover for 20-25 mins.

2. Once pumpkin and split peas are tender, add chickpeas, all spices and kale. Stew for 10-15 mins until well combined and tasty. Top with shredded coconut or natural yoghurt.

Find more yummy ideas in issue 16 of The Simple Things, which is on sale now.

Hand-printed fabric

BRINGING THE HANDMADE back into our fabrics and homes.

We sent textile designer and stylist Manisha Harkins to the Design Centre in London's Chelsea Harbour to hear a fascinating talk by Helen Cormack owner of Tissus d'Hélène. Helen, who started the company in 2006, has a passion for prints, most of which are hand-blocked or hand-screen printed.

Helen welcomed Carole Langton and Sophie Paget Steavenson of Langton Textiles, who offered an insight into Kalamkari Indian block printing and Juliet Cornell of Pukka Print who discussed her print journey from Hampshire to Mumbai and back.

Their first collaborative collections are hand printed on linen. Sophie Paget Steavenson, formerly based in Mumbai, with her own line of block-printed scarves, helped bring Carole Langton's prints to life. Back in the UK, Carole first drew Indian inspired motifs "before skilled craftsmen carved detailed wooden blocks. Colour-wise, Helen was instrumental," both explained.

Also in Mumbai until recently, Juliet Cornell realised her dreams through talented Indian designers and craftspeople using traditional wood and brass blocks. "That's something I'm really proud about:  It's really the finest quality Rajasthani block printing -- plus the authenticity of Indian pattern with very English colours." Cormack, whose showroom is a natural home for these complementary collections, reflected,  "It is vital that these crafts continue."

Find both Langton Textiles and Pukka Prints stocked at Tissus d'Hélène 421 Design Centre East, Chelsea Harbour, London SW10 0XF.

Love fabric? In the November issue of The Simple Things we have an extract from Cassandra Ellis' latest book, Cloth (Kyle Books £25), which explores the history and significance of natural fabrics and contains more than 30 beautiful projects for wool, linen cotton, silk and hide.

Claim £20 off at Hello Fresh!

Claim £20 off! We've teamed up with Hello Fresh to provide you with an exclusive offer on a delivery of fresh ingredients and recipes.

• Visit www.hellofresh.co.uk/ST20
• Choose your box
• Select your number of meals and portions
• Hello Fresh will send you your first box full of fresh ingredients, £20 off.

Hello Fresh deliver recipes that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, with all the required fresh ingredients in the exact quantities, direct to your door.

'We source the highest quality, freshest ingredients the UK has to offer and bring it all to you direct from the very best independent suppliers.' Patrick Drake, Head Chef.

My city: Marrakech

Maryam Montague invites us into the souks, cafés and alleyways of the city she adores

Maryam’s private tour of Marrakech.

1. Favourite restaurant

Al Fassia

9 bis route de l’Ourika

This is my favourite restaurant for authentic Moroccan home-style cooking. Delicious! It’s also a woman’s cooperative, so you can feel especially good about going there. Make sure you make a reservation, though, because others are onto this secret too!

www.alfassia.com

2. Favourite shop

33 Rue Majorelle

33 Rue Yves Saint Laurent

A concept store that carries wares from over 200 designers – from homewares to jewellery to clothes. This is fresh contemporary Moroccan design at its best and a great one-stop shop. You can also pick up a signed copy of my book, Marrakesh by Design, if you’re so inclined.

www.33ruemajorelle.com

3. Favourite Gallery

Galerie 127

127 Avenue Mohammed V, Guéliz

Marrakech’s gallery devoted to contemporary photography. There’s always something interesting to see. I saved up to buy my own birthday present here – there are so many images on my covet list!

www.galerienathalielocatelli.com/galerie127

4. Favourite café

Kaowa

34 Rue Yves Saint Laurent (opposite Majorelle Gardens entrance)

If you’re tired of heavy food and want a quick, healthy bite, this is the place to come. A great spot for vegetarians and vegans with salad and juice bars, as well as an outdoor terrace.

www.tinyurl.com/m765d7s

5. Place to see by night

Jemma el-Fnaa (just at dusk)

Medina

This might just be one of the planet’s best places for people watching – host to a variety of characters, from snake charmers to henna painters to fortune tellers to musicians. And the visitors are almost as intriguing.

6. Place for souvenirs

Spice souk

Medina

Ask for the “Souk des epices” once you’re in the old city, known as the medina – most people will be happy to direct you. Stall after fragrant stall awaits you. Pick up some ras-el-hanout – a blend of 12 or more spices that’s a mainstay in the Moroccan kitchen. Mix it into rice or meat dishes, or into a stew for a taste of North Africa.

Seed to Stove: Autumn roots

Introducing… Seed 2 Stove: Autumn roots.

In the first of a new series for the magazine, keen allotmenteer Lia Leendertz cooks up her colourful autumn crop.

"My allotment sits at the top of a hill in north Bristol. Much of the time my two kids are climbing the apple trees and demanding drinks or snacks, but not now. Autumn is a gentle, quiet time to be here. They’re in school and the mad tsunami of summer bounty is behind me. My autumn crops sit and wait until I’m ready for them. What a change. I can think and tend and decide what to cook, rather than the allotment dictating.

It’s a time for reordering summer growth and chaos. Grass edges that have crept into beds can be sliced into satisfying sharpness with a spade, and new areas of the plot must be conquered, the white couch grass roots slowly disentangled from the earth and thrown straight onto a little smoky fire. Some things will need planting soon too: new fruit bushes must be ordered, as well as garlic and broad beans – promises of flavours to come."

In season this month "Beetroots and carrots are pretty malleable and dependable crops. I sow direct into the soil every few weeks from early summer to late summer, picking the babies earlier in the year but leaving some to get big for autumnal roasts and pickles. You can, of course, sow carrots and beetroots that look just like the ones in the shops, but where’s the fun in that? It’s precisely as easy to sow and grow white and yellow beetroots, candy striped ones, yellow, black and white carrots as it is the usual suspects, and this year I really went for it. They make for a pleasingly colourful and unusual autumn crop.

At this stage of the game they’ve toughened up a little, so we’re not really in salad territory here. These roots are best when slowly cooked and dressed with spices to bring out their inherent sweetness and complexity. Suits me."

Try something new There’s a world of unusual colours and varieties to try. The future is not necessarily orange for the humble carrot.

1. White Belgian "I’ll let you into a secret – these huge, heavy fellows were once commonly grown on small farms to be used as animal feed. But don’t let that put you off! They’re deliciously tender and mild, and look great pickled in jars with their orange friends."

2. Spanish Black "This year I also sowed some of these striking black carrots. They were around long before the orange sort, and are popular across Asia and the Middle East. Roast, don’t boil them as you’ll lose the colour (and taste)."

3. Jaune Obtuse du Doubs "A French heirloom. That makes these carrots sound almost too special to eat, but eat them you must as they’ve got a great, strong, sweet taste and look brilliant grated in a salad."

Join Lia Leendertz and photographer Kirstie Young every other month for seasonal recipes and growing tips in The Simple Things magazine.

Interview: Cassandra Ellis quiltmaker

CASSANDRA ELLIS doesn’t just wake up under a quilt, she spends her days making them, or teaching others how to. It’s not about art, it’s about memories…

Do you wake up under one of your own creations? Yes, I have too many. They’re the essence of what a home is (that and a roast chicken). We all have one on our beds, I made quilts for both my stepchildren, and they’re also on the sofas. It’s very cute when the kids are watching TV the quilt comes off the sofa and on the laps. We have a chocolate lab called Mr Darcy, because he’s so good looking, and Lily, an Australian terrier – they have their own too. In fact there’s a quilt that didn’t start off as a dog quilt but has become one because Mr Darcy lay on it all the time.

Is the rest of the house as cosy? We live in Peckham Rye in London. People might assume I’m going to be wearing velvet and jangly bells and have a purple streak in my hair and every wall’s going to be a different colour. It’s nothing like that. There’s no built-in furniture, everything is very simple, along the lines of Barbara Hepworth’s house in Cornwall. Clean, not fussy. The whole house is one colour, pale grey, with wooden floors. We had new friends round for dinner and they described our house as “soporific”, as in they didn’t want to leave!

What is it like, teaching workshops in your own home? I’m quite fanatical about having everything prepped. I get up at 5am and bake. It’s not just about learning to quilt but about creating a homely feel. I have a huge studio up in the roof. By the time they get to floor five people go “Oh my God!” You can see across the city of London. I really enjoy the whole community thing. People share fabric and tell stories. That’s where it all started – doing your day’s work, getting the children to bed, and doing craft was the only chance people got to sit and talk. It’s lovely.

Tell us about the memory quilts you make for people When I make a commission for someone, or teach someone, when they hand over their bags of children’s clothes and wedding dresses and husband’s shirts, in some way they all tie together because it’s their story. When it’s finished, they don’t see the quilt first – they see their lives. It’s incredibly emotional.

Can you suggest a good project for beginners? The only thing you’ve got to learn is cutting fabric and sewing it back together again. It’s about building blocks – that piece of fabric can be sewn to that piece of fabric. Try a little memory piece. These came about from someone I know who, when someone died, cleared out all the clothes then realised, ‘Oh God, we should have kept those’. You can use any cottons, anything from shirts to kids’ clothes, mixing up with Liberty or Indian block prints. You can use wool but not very heavy wool – you’d struggle to put silk next to wool, they’d have a little fight and the wool would win. If you want to incorporate silk or lace, back it with something. Ties are perfect for binding edges.

In the November issue of The Simple Things we have an extract from Cassandra's latest book, Cloth (Kyle Books £25), which explores the history and significance of natural fabrics and contains more than 30 beautiful projects for wool, linen cotton, silk and hide.

Blog giveaway: Win an Elizabeth Eley Upholstery stool (closed)

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Elizabeth Eley has dedicated her time to rescuing, restoring, and bringing unloved and misused chairs back to life ever since she quit the rat race to open Elizabeth Eley Upholstery.  Her chairs are not only beautiful, but each one has a unique story and is built with true craftsmanship to last and outlast its owner. This gorgeous furniture is truly one-of-a-kind so we're delighted to be giving away a special restored footstool to one lucky reader of The Simple Things. Click here to enter now!

To find out more about Elizabeth, her upholstery business and her journey towards a more simple life make sure you pick up a copy of The Simple Things issue 16, out now.

WIN! A Canon EOS 100D Camera with Issue 16 of The Simple Things (closed)

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To celebrate our new Miscellany features ‘Dogs in Blankets’ and ‘Cats on Mats’, The Simple Things has teamed up with Canon to offer you the chance to win an EOS Digital SLR camera. All you have to do to enter is take a photograph of your pet. Whether you have a horse or a hamster, a cockerel or a catfish, we’re looking for a candid shot that reveals your pet’s character and makes us smile.

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The prize is a camera you’ll never want to leave behind. Canon’s 18-megapixel EOS 100D is perfect for beginners who are interested in photography: it delivers superb photos and video, and features an optical viewfinder and touchscreen controls. It’s small enough to take everywhere and ideal for capturing Fido or Tiddles at their playful best. The winner will also receive the 100D’s standard kit lens, the EF-S 18-55mm.

Click here now to submit your photograph for a chance to win! The winning image will be chosen by The Simple Things editor-in-chief Jane Toft and photographer Andrew Montgomery.

To find out more about Canon cameras, including the EOS 100D, visit www.canon.co.uk/EOS.

Don't miss: National Craft Bakers' Week

National Craft Bakers’ Week 7-13th October 2013 Bakers from across the country are coming together this October to tempt people into their bakeries to support National Craft Bakers’ Week. A range of fabulous bread, cakes and pies will be available for people to try and buy, with promotions and events taking place around the country during the week.

National Craft Bakers’ Week is organised on behalf of hundreds of craft bakers across the UK who form a key part of the British high street. It aims to encourage support for bakeries from local communities and highlight the variety of produce made by these skilled craftspeople every day. The campaign is supported by TV baking stars Tom and Henry Herbert, the Fabulous Baker Brothers, who run Hobbs House Bakery in the Cotswolds at Chipping Sodbury. Tom and Henry are passionate about getting the public to support craft bakers: “There is rightly a great feeling of pride about British food at the moment and National Craft Bakers’ Week is a great way to remind everyone that bakers are very much part of this story,” says Henry. “Baking is a real skill and one that we need to celebrate and support. It can take years to learn the craft as there are so many techniques to master, from traditional bread making and caring for a sour dough culture through to icing cakes. So please show some love for your local baker by visiting them this October – it will be worth it!”

National Craft Bakers’ Week supports the Teenage Cancer Trust and bakers will be fundraising on behalf of the charity. For more, visit www.craftbakersweek.co.uk.

Autumn DIY: Pumpkin curing

PRESERVE YOUR PUMPKINS with pride by curing them. Look out for when the stalks are ready to wither and die, and the skins go a bit tougher. They’re now ready to cure. This process will harden the skin further and keep the flesh fresh for up to six months, meaning you can enjoy them for a lot longer. Just cut away the stems (leaving them at least 10cmlong), then lay them out in the sun for three to four weeks turning them over every week or so, so they develop a tan and continue to toughen. Nowstore them away in a single layer somewhere frost-free, such as in a shed or even your spare room, with a little newspaper nest to rest on. And if they look like they might turn, be sure to eat them up straight away (a ‘1001 ways with pumpkin’recipe book is recommended).

Visit Kirsten's Flickr page here.

Sarah Raven tulip collections

Now is the time to choose and order your bulbs in time for planting in November. Sarah Raven has put together three stunning tulip collections to make choosing even easier.

“No spring garden is complete without its tulips. They add beautiful colour to borders, in pots and cut for a vase. Here are a few of the collections I’ve put together to give you the best combinations of truly stunning varieties.” Sarah Raven.

1.Venetian Tulip Collection. Quote offer code TSTSEPT13 for free P&P.

This is one of the best ever tulip collections we’ve had planted together in the garden and in pots. Magnificent! The collection includes Tulips ‘Couleur Cardinal’, ‘Havran’ and ‘Prinses Irene’. Flowers: Mid April-May.

Product code: 260319

45 bulbs (15 of each): £17.95

90 bulbs (30 of each): £32.50

2. Best Dark Tulips Collection. Quote offer code TSTSEPT13 for free P&P. Who can resist this luscious mix of tulips in a lovely array of purple, crimson, deep red and black? Collection includes Tulips ‘Black Parrot’, ‘Muriel’, ‘Havran’ and ‘Ronaldo’. Flowers: Mid April-May.

Product code: 260746

20 bulbs (5 of each): £11.95

40 bulbs (10 of each): £21.95

3. Jewel Tulip Collection . Quote offer code TSTSEPT13 for free P&P. I’m obsessed with coppery brown and burnt-orange tulips, particularly when mixed with crimsons and blacks. That’s exactly what you’ve got with this collection. Includes Tulips ‘Annie Schilder’, ‘Black Parrot’, ‘Bruine Wimpel’, ‘Burgundy’ and ‘Cairo’. (Euphorbia, pictured, also available from www.sarahraven.com.) Flowers: Mid April-May.

Product code: 260657

25 bulbs (5 of each): £14.95

50 bulbs (10 of each): £27.95

How to order your tulips with free P&P

Visit www.sarahraven.com and quote offer code TSTSEPT13 on your shopping basket page or call 0845 092 0283 and quote offer code TSTSEPT13.

* Offer valid on these tulips and other products from the autumn range, available on www.sarahraven.com. Offer valid until 31st October 2013. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount, and previous purchases are not valid.

Save 20% on yurt hire

*Sponsored post

Claim 20% off our normal hire rates at Yurtiva.com! 

Yurtviva are a friendly, family-run business. Our yurts are strong but naturally beautiful, rustic structures, that are highly versatile. We hire our hand-crafted yurts for all special occasions including weddings, festivals, children's parties, corporate events, workshops, gigs, re-enactments, craft fairs, sleep-overs, parties & celebrations and much, much more. 

Our yurts are a stunning alternative to a marquee or tent at a fraction of the cost. We offer free-floating yurts (no upright pillars) allowing for a far more spacious and practical space.

We have been making yurts since 2007 and all of our yurts are made by hand, using locally sourced materials. They take months to build with care and precision; the wood is processed by hand as is the stitching, which gives each yurt a unique, bespoke look and feel, giving you a truly stunning setting for your celebration!

Yurtviva have a range of yurts on offer from the small 4 metre yurts, which are particularly good for children's events to our huge 12 metre yurt “Colossus” (pictured) which is perfect for weddings & festivals.

The Yurtviva team are a friendly crew who aim to give you a special and memorable setting without a huge impact on the earth, adopting the 'leave no trace' policy.

Each yurt can be dressed to suit your personal needs and tastes and we offer a free consultation upon booking, to discuss all the fine details of what you might need for your special event!

If you're looking for the 'WOW' factor for your celebration, a Yurtviva yurt will certainly fit the bill!

Visit www.yurtviva.com and claim your 20% hire charge discount.

£20 off at Hello Fresh

We've teamed up with Hello Fresh to provide you with an exclusive offer on a delivery of fresh ingredients and recipes.

As a The Simple Things reader just enter the code ST20 to claim a tasty £20 to spend on your first box across all Hello Fresh boxes.

To Claim the Offer

• Visit www.hellofresh.co.uk/ST20
• Choose your box
• Select your number of meals and portions
• Hello Fresh will send you your first box full of fresh ingredients, £20 off.

Hello Fresh deliver recipes that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, with all the required fresh ingredients in the exact quantities, direct to your door.

'We source the highest quality, freshest ingredients the UK has to offer and bring it all to you direct from the very best independent suppliers.' Patrick Drake, Head Chef.

Our Fishmonger – James Knight of Mayfair For royally appointed James Knight fresh is best and when it comes to fish or seafood you can be sure that you’re tucking in to the most sought after produce in the UK. With HM Queen and HRH Prince of Wales as two of his most loyal customers, you’ll be dining like royalty every week. All the fish we source is coastal fresh, line-caught and free from any artificial preservatives, for which reason we recommend you eat it first, within three days of your delivery.

Our Butcher – Tom Hixson Tom Hixson is certainly a man that knows his meat. A third generation butcher based in Smithfield’s market for more than 30 years, Tom is part of a family tradition that works to provide the highest quality meat available. All the meat we supply you is ethically reared. His beef, veal, lamb and poultry is the most sought after, owing to the finest standards and quite simply procuring the finest produce they can.

www.hellofresh.co.uk/ST20

The British Oak tree

WE'VE CLIMBED THEM, felled them and even given them names. The stately oak tree has a history rich in anecdote and folklore. In issue 15 of The Simple Things we have a preview from Archie Miles' latest book, The British Oak. Plus we have two copies of the book to give away.

SOME OAKS HAVE consistently attracted more notice than the rest. The Major Oak in Sherwood Forest has to be the most photographed individual oak in the whole of Britain. Victorian tourists were lured by the romantic tales of Robin Hood and his Merry Men and began to flock to Sherwood Forest. As it became a tourist honeypot, local photographers began setting up studios in the field. Here they could offer portraits taken with the tree; photographed, developed, printed, and mounted for tourists to carry home for all to marvel at. By 1900 the postcard boom was churning out thousands of Major Oaks.

Old tree books reveal many examples of anomalous oaks that captivated tree enthusiasts a century or two ago. As a result, a rich legacy of anecdote now accompanies such trees – one can even say that sometimes it’s the stories that shade the trees. Take for example the ancient oak tree in Melbury Park, in Dorset. The tree has acquired the unusual name of Billy Wilkins. Nobody is exactly sure why, although it was very likely someone who lived and worked on the estate.

One story, which is unsubstantiated, was that Wilkins was a bailiff on the estate, and was sent to warn his master, Sir John Strangeways (the owner, and a Royalist sympathiser) that Parliamentarian forces were approaching. Sadly, he was overtaken and killed by the Roundhead soldiers, and therefore never delivered his message. Whether the coup de grâce was delivered near the oak, or the tree was simply named as a tribute to this loyal servant, is uncertain. JC Loudon mentions that the tree had a girth of 30 feet at the smallest part of the bole, and that it was 50 feet high, with a spread of 60 feet in 1838. In his Dendrologia (1827), James Mitchell describes it as “as curly, surly, knotty an old monster as can be conceived”.

It also receives a mention in Thomas Hardy’s The Woodlanders, as “Great Willy, the largest oak in the wood”. Henry John Elwes and Augustine Henry paid a visit to the old oak for their Trees of Great Britain and Ireland and included a beautiful photogravure plate of the tree. Elwes measured the girth, and by 1906 it had grown to 35 feet at chest height. It survives in good health to this day on the private estate.

ONE OF THE most recent oak stories involves part of the 2012 London Olympic legacy. In 1890, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic movement, visited Much Wenlock in Shropshire to observe the Olympian Games (as they were then known) devised by Dr William Penny Brookes, who believed (quite rightly) that health and spiritual wellbeing were promoted through exercise. After this, de Coubertin was inspired to hold the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. In celebration of his visit to Much Wenlock, an English oak cultivar ‘Concordia’ was planted on Linden Field, in the town. In 2004, acorns were collected from the original tree by local school children, grown on at Kew Gardens, and then 40 saplings were planted out at various sites, in a ribbon between Much Wenlock and the Olympic Park in London. If the Olympic Games comes round to London in another 64 years, it will be interesting to see how our commemorative oaks are getting along.

READ MORE ABOUT the facinating story of the British Oak tree in issue 15 of The Simple Things.

Thanks to publishers Constable & Robinson we have two copies of The British Oak to give away. Click here to enter.

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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Win! A Sawday's treehouse holiday in Normandy (closed 31 October 2013)

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GET CLOSE TO NATURE at Perché dans le Perche, a lovely little home within the branches of a centuries-old sweet chestnut tree in South Normandy, France. Courtesy of Sawday’s Canopy & Stars and Brittany Ferries, you could be enjoying life in the trees – taking in beautiful views over the Perch Natural Park and spotting birds flying over 25 acres of wildlife heaven.

The cosy, comfortable treehouse features a master bedroom, living room, kitchen, shower room and downstairs bedroom. There’s electric heating and lighting, hot water, a large shower and two terraces that are perfect for al fresco dining.

To find out more about Sawday's Canopy & Stars holidays, call 01275 395 447 or visit www.canopyandstars.co.uk.

Sailing from the ports of Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth, Brittany Ferries take you direct to Brittany and Normandy. To book a crossing call 0871 244 1400 or visit www.brittanyferries.com.

HOW TO ENTER Click here to enter now before 31st October 2013!

It's your chance to win a four-night holiday for four people to Perché dans le Perche in Normandy plus a return crossing for a car and up to four passengers, with a cabin, on any Brittany Ferries route to France from Portsmouth, Poole or Plymouth.

The stay and crossings must be taken before 30th September 2014 (excluding July, August, and all school and public holidays in the UK and France) and are subject to availability. The prize cannot be claimed against any existing bookings. Car hire, additional travel or accommodation costs and travel insurance are not included.

The Simple Things #15 cover reveal!

A sneak peek of The Simple Things October #15 cover.

Our rallying cry this month is 'To the woods!' Packed with beautiful photography and inspiring features all designed to restore your spirits this autumn.

Subscribers will have their copies dropping on the mat very soon and you can find us in WH Smith, Marks & Spencer and larger supermarkets from 17th September.

To subscribe to The Simple Things and save up to £25, head over to My Favourite Magazines.

Florence. Giulia's private tour

Food writer Giulia Scarpaleggia shares her favourite spots in Florence, Italy, the place she calls home.

Giulia Scarpaleggia is an Italian food blogger, food writer and freelance food photographer. She loves her dog Noa and her cat Wolfi, enjoys her walks in the countryside and can’t say no to anything with chocolate.

Favourite shop Bizzarri Via della Condotta, 32 A charming and mysterious century-old shop with wooden shelves and big glass jars that preserve the ancient apothecary’s wisdom. You’ll find spices, essences and tinctures, as well as supplies for restoration, painting and photography.

Favourite café ChiaroScuro Via del Corso, 36 Pop by at breakfast for a cappuccino and a tiny rice tartlet, or enjoy a chat over a cup of your favourite coffee in the afternoon. Wide selection of coffees and teas. www.chiaroscurofirenze.it

Caffetteria delle Oblate Via dell’Oriuolo, 26 Inside the Oblate Library, this is the place to be if you want to take some time for yourself, enjoy a cultural event or try the excellent food in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. Superb view of the Duomo. www.lospaziochesperavi.it

Favourite market Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio Piazza Ghiberti Fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, clothes and flowers. You’ll meet lots of locals here! Buy a panino and some fruit and enjoy your lunch in the nearby Piazza D’Azeglio.

Mercato di San Lorenzo Piazza San Lorenzo Food, fruit and vegetables in the indoor market, clothes and leather products outside. More touristy but just around the corner from the Duomo. Don’t miss lunch at Nerbone.

Place for a souvenir Flea market Piazza de’ Ciompi Tiny flea market with old jewellery, pottery, second-hand clothes, hats, pieces of furniture and chandeliers. Buy an old Tuscan postcard or black-and-white photos from big paper boxes.

Best view Basilica di San Miniato al Monte Via delle Porte Sante, 34 An elegant Romanesque church perched atop a hill overlooking Florence. It’s one of the highest points in the town, and quieter than the underlying Piazzale Michelangelo. Enjoy the view and the fresh breeze.

For more inside information on places to go and things to see in Florence, read the full article in issue 14 of The Simple Things.

Notes on orchard fruit

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

Mini Moderns - Remix

During this year’s London Design Festival Mini Moderns are mixing it up!

We’re very excited to be supporting interiors brand Mini Moderns during their two-week design event, hosted by East London Design Store in their newly launched shop in London Fields. The Remix project sees them team up with a select number of designers and artists, using their past collections as a basis for new work. The store will be filled with a diverse range of curated objects, furniture, lighting and ephemera that gives an insight into the Mini Moderns aesthetic and design process.

The 2013 Remix project is based largely upon Mini Moderns’ Darjeeling wallpaper design, which was launched this year as part of the Buddha of Suburbia collection. Fittingly, since the collection celebrates a uniquely London cultural mash-up, Mini Moderns have given Remix collaborators free rein to reimagine the design on a piece of their choice. The project includes work by Zoe Murphy, Leonhard Pfeifer, Rimmington Vian, Urban Upholstery and Brume. Further work comes from artist Matt Sewell and furniture maker Benjamin Boyce, who have both used the range of Mini Moderns Environmentally Friendly Paint as the basis for their response.

Amongst the curated products in-store, expect to find 1960s and 1970s film posters, jewellery and home accessories, all selected by Keith Stephenson and Mark Hampshire of Mini Moderns, and East London Design Store founders Della Tinsley and Gideon Cleary. Mini Moderns Remix at East London Design Store is on 14th-22nd September, open daily 10am till 6pm. Find it at 6a Ada Street, London Fields, London E8 4QU.

From Mini Moderns: we’re getting very excited about the launch of our REMIX project and we’d love you to join us for the preview evening. To attend, please RSVP by 9 September: rsvp@seenpr.com