Five ways with mint: recipes

The only herb that's also an adjective, mint deserves more than a cursory dip in your Pimm's. So don't leave it to run rampage in the garden, or wilt in a glass on the kitchen worktop - show it a good time with our recipes.

Five mint recipes from The Simple Things:

Chicken, preserved lemon and herb salad

Prepare 250g couscous with 400ml chicken stock, cover and leave for 5 minutes before fluffing up with a fork. Mix 3 roasted, torn chicken breasts, 2 chopped preserved lemons, 50g toasted flaked almonds, 1 tsp crushed cumin seeds, a packet of lightly crushed fresh coriander and a packet of roughly chopped fresh mint. Whisk 2 tbsp juice from the lemons with 2 tbsp oil and season, toss into salad and serve with couscous.

Fish cakes

Cook 700g King Edward potatoes until tender. Meanwhile, poach 300g salmon and 2 eggs in boiling water for 10 minutes; leave to cool. Flake salmon; chop eggs. Mash potato and stir in salmon, eggs, a bunch of sliced spring onions, 10g dill, 1 tbsp chopped mint. Season. Mould into 8 cakes and chill for 30 minutes. Shallow-fry fish cakes until golden. Serve with a dip made from 200ml creme fraiche, 2 tbsp garlic mayonnaise and 10g dill.

Mint and cranberry smoothie

Place 600ml light cranberry juice, 100g fat-free Greek yoghurt, 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint and 1 tbsp clear honey in a large jug and blend with a hand blender. Pour into 2 tall glasses. Add a handful of fresh or frozen raspberries for even more zing.

Minty summer pudding

Cook 800g fresh berries, 25g caster sugar and 2 tbsp water for 5 minutes. Drain, reserving juice; cool. Stir in most of a packet of fresh mint. Dip 6 slices of white, crustless bread in juice (one side only), sprinkle with leftover mint and lay 5 in a bowl. Keep leftover juice. Fill bowl with fruit, top with final bread slice and fold edges over. Place a saucer on top then something heavy. Chill overnight. Turn out and serve with remaining juice and cream.

Thyme and mint pears with raspberry sauce

Combine 150g caster sugar and 500ml water and bring to the boil. Simmer until sugar dissolves. Trim bases of 4 ripe, peeled pears so they stand upright. Add them to syrup, along with 10g fresh thyme and 3 sprigs mint, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove pears, discard herbs and reduce syrup by half (about 8 minutes). Add 300g raspberries and juice of half a lemon. Cook 1-2 minutes, blend, add thyme and serve with pears.

Taken from May's issue of The Simple Things - buy or download now

More recipes from The Simple Things.

Image: Alice Hendy Photography

Simple style: The Plimsoll

Read our potted history of the classic plimsoll in May’s issue of The Simple Things? Have a little look at our top trainer outfits. Invented in 1830s, these trusty white trainers have been shoeing the style-conscious on the street almost a century before trainers were a twinkle in Adi 'Adidas' Dassler's eye.

Nearly two hundred years on, how do you wear yours? Here are our top plimsoll fashion picks.

Plimsoll style - clockwise from top left:

1. A linen blazer matches the laissez-faire attitude of the nonchalant plimsoll. Uniqlo, £14.90

2. Classic denim meets classic kicks - perfection in an outfit. Jigsaw, £75

3. Plimsolls love to be by the seaside, as does a striped sailor top. Boden, £25

4. Skimmer jeans are perfect for paddling. Gap, £44.95

5. An easy-breezy skirt will help you keep cool. Joules, £39.95

Turn to page 24 of The Simple Things May issue for more plimsoll style. Buy or download your copy now.

World Baking Day: cake recipes

It's World Baking Day, and we're celebrating with our favourite cake recipes. Bake away the weekend with a homemade cake and a cuppa. Today happens to be World Baking Day and, although we need no excuse to get our pinnies on, we're taking full advantage with a range of cake recipes from The Simple Things.

Pictured above: Rhubarb cake

Sharp rhubarb, sweet orange and a hint of warming spice – this is a cake to curl up with on a rainy afternoon.

Or how about this Harvest cake, packed with courgettes, fig and pistachios?

We love raspberries, and this Pistachio raspberry loaf is delicious as well as beautiful.

Like unusual flavour combinations? Try this Rosemary olive oil cake.

It's nearly nectarine season, and this cake combines the fragrant fruit with honey.

Find more cake recipes from The Simple Things

Buy May's issue of The Simple Things, or download a free trial digital issue now.

Recipe: Piquant vegetable salad, and a vegetarian Mediterranean menu

Rustle up a weekend menu for family and friends - that just so happens to be vegetarian - then get the garden games out. Long, light days full of the promise of early summer and bank holiday weekends that top and tail the month - isn't May just the best? This is no time for slaving over the stove, though. What you need is food that's high in flavour and low on fuss to allow maximum time for chatting and quaffing. Fresh and colourful dishes with a Mediterranean influence will keep any post-lunch slump at bay, should the afternoon call for an impromptu game of ping-pong or boules.

Opt for an informal table with terracotta plant pots holding the cutlery and fresh herbs replacing flowers. Vintage crockery finishes the rustic, playful feel, while a freshly mixed mojito delivers a touch of holiday decadence. Double bank holidays - we'll drink to that.

Turn to page 26 of May's The Simple Things for recipes to recreate the full menu below (buy or download now):

Panzanella

Falafel with flatbreads

Hummus, Tahini sauce and Harissa

Piquant vegetable salad

French lemon tart with berry coulis

Mojitos

Piquant vegetable salad

A shredded veggie salad adds a pop of flavour and a burst of colour (serves 4 as a side salad)

Ingredients:

Half a cauliflower, finely sliced 2 carrots, peeled and grated 1 beetroot, peeled and grated

For the dressing:

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp olive oil Salt and black pepper, to taste 1 tsp agave syrup

Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl.

Combine all dressing ingredients, adding to the salad before serving.

For more information about National Vegetarian Week, including tips on how to go meat-free, visit the website.

Museums at Night

Today sees the launch of Museums at Night, Culture24's festival of inspiring after hours cultural events at museums, galleries and heritage sites (Thursday May 15 - Saturday May 17 2014)Don't miss this festival which takes place over 15-17 May when hundreds of galleries, museums and historical places open their doors late for special events.

For the grown ups:

Follow New York photographer Spencer Tunick's travels from New Jersey to Folkestone through his series of pictures of naked people taken in well-known locations, to be viewed as miniature key-chain viewfinders at Georges House Gallery, Folkstone.

Join in the celebrations of ten years of the cult comic artwork Modern Toss with lots of opportunities for gratuitous effing and blinding at The Herbert Museum and Gallery in Coventry and The Horniman Museum in London. Plus, look out for a great travelling exhibition of their work that is aptly displayed in the loos of three major galleries.

For the kids:

Meet ceramicist Grayson Perry for a teddy bear-themed event, including picnic and storytelling at York's Yorkshire Museum.

Enjoy an evening of magic and illusion at The Great North Museum in Newcastle as part of the V&A Museum of Childhood's touring exhibition Magic Worlds.

Sleep over at Kensington Palace and become a prince or princess for the night at this regal slumber party. Or spend the night at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (16 May) and play giant battleships and laser quest, before watching a movie and bedding down in the Action Stations building.

For full listings and more details, visit www.museumsatnight.org.uk

Wordless Wednesday

Inntravel the Slow holiday people

Sponsored post: Creative cooking by the campfire

Warming, comforting and incredibly satisfying, sausages may be the ultimate campfire food. Read on for a simple recipe.

For summer road trips, family barbecues or camping in the garden with your little ones this is a particularly sumptuous way to cook them, and it looks fantastic. If you’re making this at home, try serving it with a pile of creamy mash.

Ingredients

600g cumberland sausage ring 1 tsp oil 1 onion, finely sliced 2 tsp wholegrain mustard 1 tbsp honey 150ml cider 100ml Yeo Valley Single Cream

Method

1. Insert 2 wooden skewers in a cross shape into the sausage to pin it into a spiral. Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan, large enough to take the sausage wheel. 2. Cook the sausage on a medium-low heat for 10 mins until browned, then turn it over and cook for a further 5 mins. 3. Lift the sausage out, spread the onions into the pan, stir into the pan juices then replace the sausage on top. Continue to cook gently for a further 5-10 mins until the onions are soft and the sausage is cooked through. 4. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. Spoon off any excess fat then stir the mustard and honey into the pan. Pour in the cider and bubble for 2 mins before stirring in the cream and seasoning to taste. 5. Divide the sausage into 4 and pour over the cider sauce.

Sponsored post: May’s cut flower patch planting diary

Louise Curley, author of The Cut Flower Patch, shares this month’s planting diary. 'For most places in the UK May is the month when the danger of frost eases and planting out on to the cut flower patch can begin in earnest. The transition from sunny, protected windowsill or greenhouse to the great outdoors can be quite a shock to young plants. The best way to ease this impact is to harden off any plants for a few weeks by gradually acclimatising them to cooler temperatures, wind and rain. Cold frames are perfect for this job but grouping pots together in a sheltered spot near your house and covering them with a layer of horticultural fleece at night will work just as well.

'Hardy annuals are the first plants to be planted out on to the cut flower patch this month and they will keep me supplied in flowers right through until the first frosts in October or November. There are sunflowers such as ‘Vanilla Ice’, the pincushion-like flowers of Scabiosa atropurpurea, ammi, cornflowers and, for climbing up hazel wigwams, I couldn’t be without fragrant sweet peas. And if spring has caught up with you a little this year and you feel like you’ve missed the boat when it comes to seed sowing don’t despair. Garden centres and some mail order plant nurseries have small cut flower plants which are perfect for planting in May.

'Spring bulbs may be fading but summer flowering varieties are perfect for planting this month. Bulbs take up very little room so are fantastic for maximising your cut flower growing potential – plant in blocks or in between low growing flowers such as statice and Anemone coronaria. Plant acidantheras and freesias for scented flowers in August and September, and forget the old fashioned, frumpy reputation of gladioli; there are some fabulous varieties to choose from. Grow the sumptuous crimson coloured ‘Espresso’, the rich velvety ‘Purple Flora’ or the zingy ‘Green Star’. Sometimes arranging a traditional cut flower in a more contemporary way is all it takes to update an image. Try putting single stems of gladioli in a massed collection of simple milk bottle vases for a modern take on these exotic blooms.'

Louise Curley is the author of The Cut Flower Patch, published by Frances Lincoln.

Yoghurt for breakfast

Love yoghurt? You can't beat it for a breakfast treat

Turn to page 110 of May's The Simple Things for a recipe to make your own thick and creamy yoghurt. But how do you eat yours?

Classic Greek

Top with dark forest honey for a true taste of Greece. Add a handful of almonds for added crunch.

Bircher

Use your homemade yoghurt as a base for a Bircher breakfast - oats soaked overnight with yoghurt, juice, and grated apple.

Berries and granola

A bowlful of yoghurt topped with a handful of granola and fresh berries is a great way to start the day, and keeps you full 'til lunchtime.

Winter fruit

Yoghurt is a good option, even in winter. No berries? No worries - try tinned prunes or preserved apricots instead.

How do you eat yours? Let us know on Twitter and Facebook.

The Simple Things arrives in France!

The Simple Things is finally in France! Close your eyes and think about what really matters: sharing, bonding, smiling.

Take a deep breath and smell the sweetly scented air of blooming flowers.

Let the sunlight stroke your eyelids. Take your time. Enjoy every moment.

Dive into a river and let yourself drift away like a child.

Let go and marvel at little things, at nature that gives so much.

Let your meals simmer, savor them with those you love, and talk until the crack of dawn.

Breathe.

Simple Things is finally in France...

Find Simple Things France on Facebook

Food from afar: Guatemalan Tortillas (and where to eat them)

Enjoy fluffy, smoky, delicious Guatemalan tortillas, a favourite of the Mayans - and us. In the land of the Mayans, where the slap-slap of wet dough between palms is as familiar a sound as honking horns and howler monkeys, tortillas have been a cornerstone of the country's cuisine for 3500 years, accompanying almost every meal, often in lieu of cutlery.

Dry, mature maize kernels are boiled over a fire in a bowl of alkaline water. This produces a soupy substance known as nixtamal - pronounced neesh-tamal - which is drained, then ground into dough at the communal mill.

Women and children then wet their hands, grab a handful of dough and clap their hands together to shape a perfectly round, even tortilla. After cooking them on the comal - a traditional, wood-fired Mayan-style stove - the tortillas recline in a blanket-lined basket ready to be devoured.

Want to try them for yourself? We can't find a Guatemalan restaurant in the UK (let us know if we're wrong!), but try these top Latin American options instead:

Wahaca

Devised by Thomasina Miers, Masterchef winner, Wahaca serves authentic Mexican street food. Try the 'Little Softies' tacos to satisfy your bread urges.

Ceviche

As well as being a staple fish dish in South America, Ceviche is a Peruvian kitchen in London's Soho. Winner of the Sunday Times Cookbook of the Year in 2013, Ceviche offers its namesake dish in half a dozen forms.

Buen Ayre

Head to Hackney's Broadway market for a taste of Argentina in the form of Buen Ayre.  Expect warm service, fine wines, and some of the best steak you'll find in the capital.

Bodega

Bodega in Birmingham offers dishes from Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Cuba and Argentina, as well as vegan and gluten-free options. Try the Cordero Seco - a Peruvian lamb stew braised in Negra Modelo beer.

Lucha Libre

With branches in both Liverpool and Manchester, this Mexican street food restaurant is a firm favourite in the North West. Classic light options and more substantial dishes sit alongside an impressive tequila menu.

Know of any we've missed? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook.

Image by Rudy Giron, available to purchase here.

Escaping: British cows

Off to the countryside? Find out who's who in the nation's fields this spring If you're out and about this bank holiday weekend, take our handy British cows identifier with you and spot our native herds - turn to page 109 of May's The Simple Things for the full illustrated guide.

Aberdeen Angus

Said to descend from early 19th-century bovine A-listers Old Jock and Old Granny. Tough, good-natured, with legendary calf-bearing abilities.

Belted Galloway

Look for the distinctive white belt around the middle. Shaggy of coat and calm of temperament - though don't nark a mother with her little 'uns.

Chillingham

If you see one of these little white ladies you can only be in Northumberland, home of the only known herd. Like many rare in-bred things, they live in a castle...

Dairy Shorthorn

A breed founded more than 230 years ago from a bull named Hubback. Produces quality milk in an economical manner. Pretty, too.

Hereford

One of the oldest breeds of beef cattle; can be traced back to Roman times. Characteristic white face and underbelly. Happiest when foraging.

Highland

The horns point up if it's a she, and forwards if it's a he. Straggly-coated, waterproof and nowhere near as scary as it looks.

Jersey

Channel Islands resident (well, that's what he tells HMRC). Available in various shades from fawn to nearly-black, but always has big doe eyes.

Longhorn

No relation to the famous Texas Longhorn. Horns once used to make buttons, cutlery handles and spoons; milk now used to make Stilton.

White Park

The Audrey Hepburn of cows, with its beautiful face. So ancient and protected, we shipped some to the US for safekeeping during World War Two.

Gardening: Where the Wild Things Grow

Don’t miss a new exhibition, Where the Wild Things Grow at Oxford House  in London’s Bethnal Green. It’s part of the Chelsea Fringe Festival - the boho, earthy cousin of the more high-brow RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and promises to be a fascinating take on the natural world we often overlook - if we see it all.

Where the Wild Things Grow

Photographer, Paul Debois; gardener, TV presenter and author, Alys Fowler; and photographer and artist, Lynn Keddie, were collectively inspired to document nature’s canny persistence to send out green shoots in the most unlikely places. Their exhibition aims to record ‘the ordinary everyday weed, or wildling, and asks us to take notice of the botany, history and geography of our pavements, building edges, bridges and step cracks.

Our garden editor Cinead McTernan had 5 minutes to talk with Paul Debois about the show.

What made you first notice the wild things in our cities?

I frequently walk around towns and cities photographing urban landscapes. As a garden photographer, I often saw escapees - cultivated plants that were making a bid for freedom! I started recording them at first, just as notes. But it soon started to evolve into the project you see today. The first shots I actually took were in towns in Spain, but I soon started to find wildlings in London too.

What's the most unusual wildling you discovered growing?

I found a fig growing in one of the crane buckets outside Battersea Power Station. It's difficult to see at first. I thought it was a bizarre contrast.

When does a wildling become a thing of beauty and a subject for an image as opposed to being 'just a weed growing in the wrong place'

It's possible a wildling is never a thing of beauty in a traditional sense. It's the location and tenacity of a plant combined becoming a point of fascination. It could be a nuisance weed, it could be a classic garden flower. No garden manual would recommend planting in such locations. They would class you as mad for even thinking about it. The appearance of a 'wildling' is nature saying it's quite happy without us interfering. It's the event.

How did you, Alys and Lynne come together to create this Chelsea Fringe exhibition?

I was talking to Lynn about developing a joint exhibition of paintings and photographs. Soon after, I made a short video with Alys, called 'Commuterland', which was accompanied by an essay. Alys made references to Wildlings. The collaboration developed and grew from this.

Will you be touring the exhibition for non-Londoners?

We haven't considered touring yet, as we're so busy preparing for the Chelsea Fringe event. But we would definitely consider a new location if you have ideas in Bristol.

...........

It sounds an excitingly interactive show too - you can listen to Aly’s commentary about the exhibition as well as book on a walk around the neighbourhood with either Paul, Alys or Lynn, to learn about the journey any wildlings took to get to their final destination.

The trio will also be talking to guests and answering questions in the gallery from 6.30pm on 24th May.

Don’t miss the chance to enjoy delicious food in the pop-up restaurant hosted by Clarke and Lee - you’ll need to book ahead.

Finally, if you have little ones, why not get them to take part in the photo competition to snap a wild thing in a surprising place. Prizes will be presented on Thursday 22nd May at 4pm.

Images: Paul Debois (bicycle); Alys Fowler (mushrooms)

National Flower Arranging Day

Today is National Flower Arranging Day, not that we need an excuse to make up a beautiful bouquet of our favourite spring flowers

National Flower Arranging Day

If you fancy arranging a posy of blooms, why not make a second and join in with the Lonely Bouquet? Today, the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies will distribute 60,000 lonely bouquets - beautiful little bunches of flowers left in surprise locations for strangers to find and take home on National Flower Arranging Day.

What is the Lonely Bouquet?

The random act of kindness initiative dubbed the Lonely Bouquet was the brainchild of a young florist in Belgium named Emily Avenso, who blogged about the idea after leaving flowers for strangers two years ago. The idea went viral and Lonely Bouquets have been distributed across the globe ever since.

If you make or spot a Lonely Bouquet, take a picture and share with us on Facebook or Twitter.

What to plant this month for a flower cutting garden

More flower posts from The Simple Things

Competition: Win a personalised photo album (archived)

WIN! We have teamed up with Inntravel to offer you the chance to win this beautiful handmade leather album, complete with a vintage map cover of your choice of anywhere in Great Britain. The perfect way to remember the moment – and the place!

Win a fabulous personalised photo album courtesy of Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people. Memories of family, friends, and special times and places are far too precious to be kept on a hard drive or stashed in a drawer. Give them the love they deserve - with a beautiful and personal photo album.

Our good friends Inntravel are offering one reader the chance to win a stunning personalised Atlas & I photo album. The album is handmade using only the very finest leather and comes with your own choice of vintage map cover - choose any location in Great Britain. The album has 50 pages and can hold up to 200 standard (6x4 inches) photos and comes in its own gift box. Remember the moment - and the place, with Inntravel.

To enter, head over and Like the Inntravel Facebook page, then fill out your details.

Competition open to UK residents only, aged 18 or over.

Edible flowers: recipe inspiration

Team Simple Things cannot resist anything flowery and perfumed, and our love of edible flowers knows no bounds. Here are three recipes we can't wait to try. White peach lavender soda (above) sounds like the most delightfully delicious way to quench your thirst on a sunny summer's day. Thought up by Emma Christensen, this is one fragrant fancy we're desperate to try. Emma also recommends trying this with a shot of gin.

For the recipe, head to Emma's blog.

Violets are a particularly perfumed flower, and make for a delicate dessert in the form of these violet and lemon eclairs. Head over to Twigg Studios blog for the full recipe.

Raspberries and rose sound like a match made in heaven, coming together in this delightful dessert by Pick Yin. Although the thought of baking a soufflé might be a little intimidating, Pick claims this recipe to be foolproof. Let's give it a go!

For more edible flower goodness, turn to page 38 of May's The Simple Things (buy it here), where Lia Leendertz prettifies salads, desserts and even drinks with edible flowers. Or have a try at making Babousa, a Middle Eastern rose-scented cake.

Gardening: Grow your own smoothie garden

Gardening can be thirsty work, so what could be better than sipping the fruits of your labours? We're planning to try to grow smoothie ingredients in our very own smoothie garden this summer. Plant pots with a range of fruits and leaves to start yourself on a homegrown smoothie adventure.

Perfect Pears

A truly versatile fruit tree, pears can be pot-grown as a standard (tree-shaped) or trained in elegant fans, espaliers or even 'step-overs' (just one branch high and low enough to step over), which make such a great edge to a vegetable patch. Making them especially tempting smoothie ingredients, homegrown pears have a thin skin compared to the tougher commercial varieties that have been bred not to bruise in transit. They'll add a distinctive flavour to your smoothie too.

Beautiful Beetroot

These crimson-fleshed bulbs are easy to grow and delicious to eat fresh. Choose varieties wisely and you can have a supply almost all year round. Adding a deep red colour to a smoothie, their earthy flavour works well with sweeter fruits. Go for 'Boltardy' for an early crop (as its name suggests, it won't bolt either). 'Regala' is ideal for containers thanks to its small, golf-ball size even when mature. You can also use the young leaves in smoothies as a substitute for kale or spinach.

Colourful Cabbage

Don't be put off by the thought of slippery, tough green leaves that your granny might have served along with the soggy sprouts for Sunday lunch. For a start, the Italian variety 'Cavolo Nero' is not only delicious but tender, too. It has dark, almost black-green, spear-shaped leaves that look really striking.

Power-packed Blueberries

Considered superfruits because they're extremely high in antioxidants, blueberries are best grown in their own containers as they need ericaceous (acid) soil. If you have space, grow several varieties to encourage a larger yield. If you go for an early variety like 'Earliblue' and a late one, such as the large-berried 'Chandler', you'll have a harvesting season stretching from July to September.

Lissome Lettuce

Romaine, also known as cos, is ideal fro smoothies. The juicy, crisp green leaves have a sweet flavour, and it's easy to grow, so try sowing thickly for a summer-long supply of baby cut-and-come-again leaves rather than allowing seedlings more room to bulk up into a heart. Direct sow from March and you can keep going until August. 'Jabeque', an organic variety, is a reliable cropper and slow to bolt, while 'Chartwell' is resistant to downy mildew and copes in hot, dry weather.

Moreish Mint

There are so many delicious varieties of mint, it seems a shame to limit yourself to just one. From pineapple mint to ginger mint, strongly-flavoured Moroccan mint to the more familiar spearmint, they're easy to grow and attract bees, butterflies and hoverflies. They're vigorous plants, so keep their growth under control by planting in a large plastic pot and sinking this in a border or within a container. Restricting mint's roots in this way will prevent it from overwhelming neighbouring plants.

Want more?

For more information on the plants outlined above, and for our favourite homegrown smoothie recipes, turn to page 76 of May's issue of The Simple Things (on sale 29 April 2014 - buy here).

Adventurous with your smoothie ingredients? Tell us about it on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. We'd love to share your ideas.

Recipe: nettle and wild garlic soup

Never eaten stinging nettles? Bethan from Decorator's Notebook wants to persuade you with this recipe for nettle and wild garlic soup. YOU WILL NEED 2 large handfuls freshly picked nettles 1 small bunch wild garlic (about 12 leaves) 1 tablespoon butter 1 leek, washed and sliced 1 onion, peeled and chopped 3 potatoes, peeled and diced 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS Fill the sink with cold water and add a large tablespoon of salt. Wearing rubber gloves, add the nettles and wash thoroughly. Separately wash and thinly slice the wild garlic leaves. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the onion and leek. Cook gently until soft then add the potato and nutmeg. Cook for a further 5 minutes then pour in the stock. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potato is tender. Add a splash of water if it needs it. Next prepare the nettles. Put a large saucepan of water on the hob and bring to the boil. Get a bowl of iced water ready. Blanch the nettles for 2 minutes in the boiling water before removing with a slotted spoon and plunging into the iced water. Drain and set aside. When the potato is cooked whizz the soup with a stick blender until smooth. Add all the nettles and most of the wild garlic, reserving a little to garnish. Blend for a couple of minutes more, then season to taste. Serve with crusty bread garnished with a swirl of natural yogurt, a pinch of nutmeg and a few strands of shredded wild garlic leaves.

Photographs and recipe: Bethan John for Decorator's Notebook

Styled with: Enamel milk pan and Reclaimed wood tray, both available online from the Decorator's Notebook shop

Bedtime story illustrator: Christine Rösch

Meet illustrator Christine Rösch, whose work illustrates May's Bedtime Story, Fireflies. Christine Rösch is a German illustrator based in Scotland. She has studied in both Germany and Israel. Her images often incorporate hand-drawn typography and have become more colourful over time which she attributes to her constant desire for summer and spring. In addition to her freelance work, she participates in a creative group called the Pencilcase Collective. See more of her work on her website and at the Pencilcase Collective.

Potato print competition: Get creative to win a great prize (closed 30 June 2014)

Make a potato print - or get your children to do one - and you could win an overnight hotel stay, a Red Hen Original (worth £250) and lots of crisps!

Create a potato print (inspired by the profile of Julia Burns of Red Hen Originals in May's issue of The Simple Things), take a picture of it and post it to our Facebook page, making sure you enter your details, too.

The best potato print, judged by Lisa Sykes, editor of The Simple Things, and Julia Burns of Red Hen Originals, will win a beautiful Red Hen Original - see the full collection - plus dinner, bed and breakfast for two people at a Hand Picked Hotel of their choice. You can choose from 20 historic properties throughout the UK and Channel Islands.

The winner will also receive a year's supply of KETTLE Chips hand-cooked crisps, with no added MSG, artificial flavours or colourings. The prize will include new Seasonal Edition Lime & Black Pepper. Like all KETTLE Chips, it was created with real ingredients. And, like the rest of the range, KETTLE Chips Lime & Black Pepper are made from the finest potatoes, hand-cooked in sunflower oil. For exclusive offers, sign up for the newsletter.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Closing date for entries is 30 June. Travel expenses and travel insurance are not included. The prize is as stated. There is no cash alternative. The year's supply of KETTLE Chips consists of 12 cases of 12 x 150g bags in a variety of seasonings, to be supplied in three deliveries throughout the year. The break with Hand Picked Hotels is valid at the winner's choice of all 20 hotels subject to availability, until 30 November 2014. It includes a three-course table d'hote dinner, overnight accommodation in a classic double or twin bedroom and a full traditional breakfast for two people. We reserve the right to print entries in the magazine or post online.