Learn something new: Fly fishing for ladies

  Ever fancied fly fishing? This July, female fly-fishing experts from Orvis US are heading to the UK to offer their unparalleled instruction and share their passion for the sport during a whole week of fly-fishing events for ladies.

Take up a new hobby or build upon existing fly-fishing experience with three ladies events taking place at Orvis UK stores, including Stockbridge, London and Burford, on 15, 16 and 17 July 2014.

The Orvis Ladies, Jackie, Christine and Laurie, are at the cutting-edge of women’s fly-fishing and are keen to promote it to their female peers across the pond. While there has been a surge of interest in fly-fishing in the US, The Orvis Ladies Roadshow hopes to encourage more women in the UK to get involved in this wonderful field sport (as are team Simple Things).

The ladies from the US not only teach but also play a huge role in Orvis’ product development, designing the future technical fishing range for women: clothing that fits and works with the female form.

Choose between a morning and afternoon session in Stockbridge, London or Burford, learn to cast and pick up the basic skills needed to get started. No experience is necessary, but established fishers are also welcome.

For more information, visit the Orvis website.

Look out for a feature on fly fishing in the August issue of The Simple Things (on sale 30 July 2014).

Grow a wildflower meadow

Turn a bare patch, neglected corner, or even a container, into a glorious, wildflower meadow.

To capture the magic of a flower-filled field in miniature, all you need is a sunny spot and a handful of seeds.

You don't need acres... An untidy spot or an existing border in need of a makeover are both prime sites to grow meadow flowers. Turn to page 84 of July's The Simple Things for Cinead McTernan's feature on growing and buying annual, perennial, and mini meadows.

Read on for top meadow growing tips:

Don't shirk the weeding

Putting in the spadework at the start will ensure your plot is weed-free. Once weeded initially, let the soil settle for 3-4 weeks. Spray or hoe any new weeds, rake over - now you can sow.

Sow early

During March or April, but you can sow in September: on lighter soils, autumn-sown seeds generally establish quickly, but you may have to wait until next spring.

Scatter your seed

The simplest way to sow is to mix the seed with sand (so it's easily visible) and scatter evenly. For large areas, divide your plot into square metres and weigh out the right amount of seed for each.

Know your natives

Plantlife suggests buying seed from suppliers that source native plants (for examples see www.floralocale.org). Or contact your local Wildlife Trust as some now collect native seeds from their sites.

Cheat a little

Boost perennial meadows with plug plants or bulbs. Experts recommend yellow rattle - it's a parasitic plant, which weakens grass and so allows wildflower seeds to thrive. for an instant effect on roofs or smaller areas, buy meadow turf.

Not got July’s The Simple Things yet? Buy or download your copy now.

And they're off... Tour de France

With Le Tour making its Grand Depart for the 101st time over here in Yorkshire, The Simple Things looks at the biggest annual sporting event in the world - the Tour de France.

Unlike golf, rugby or rowing, where we may have no experience of actually doing it to appreciate just how damn hard it is, we've all pushed our personal pain barrier on two wheels. We know about straining up a steep hill and the joy of freewheeling down the other side. Magnify that effort, the distance, the time in the saddle and we begin to understand the superhuman feats performed by men so lithe they shiver the moment the sun goes in.

We all know about the drugs, the cheats, the problems. But the history of the Tour de France reveals touching, courageous stories of human endeavour. Turn to page 72 of July's The Simple Things for editor Lisa Sykes' look at tales of derring-do from the biggest annual sporting event in the world.

Inspired to get cycling? It's the perfect excuse to go shopping - have a look at our top cycling accessories, or read tips on buying a vintage bike from Mollie Makes.

And don't forget to enter our competition to win Dawes bicycles for you and your family!

Not got July’s The Simple Things yet? Buy or download your copy now.

Recipe: Peppermint chocolate chip ice cream

Homemade and anything but lurid, this peppermint chocolate chip ice cream recipe is all grown up.

We thought that mint choc chip was a pleasingly synthetic treat we'd left behind in childhood. Then this recipe came along, offering cooling mint flecked with devillishly good chocolate in a wholesome creamy form. We're converted.

Don't be tempted to use milk chocolate over dark, say Bountiful authors Todd Porter and Diane Cu. "It doesn't work as well."

Peppermint Choc-Chip Ice Cream

Makes about 1 litre

360ml double cream 240ml milk 100g caster sugar Peppermint leaves from 15 stems 5 egg yolks 140g dark chocolate, finely chopped

You will need an ice cream maker

1. In a pan over medium heat, mix the cream, milk, sugar, a pinch of salt, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a simmer, stirring often. Add mint. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

2. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks. Sieve cooled cream and discard leaves. Slowly whisk into egg yolks. Return mixture to pan and stir on a medium heat. Cook until custard thickens to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

3. Pour custard through a sieve into a clean container. Place container in an ice bath, stirring occasionally until cool (about 20 minutes). Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

4. When ready to freeze, set a bowl over a pan of simmering water and melt the chocolate. Stir until smooth, then remove from the heat.

5. Freeze the custard according to the ice cream machine instructions. While it's churning, place storage container in freezer to chill.

6. In the last moments of churning, drizzle a fine stream of chocolate into the ice cream. If your ice cream machine makes this tricky, fold in chocolate manually straight after churning. Transfer into the chilled storage container and freeze.

Recipe from Bountiful by Todd Porter and Dian Cu. To order a copy for £18.99 with free P&P, call 01903 828503 and quote ref 50480.

Competition: win a Moleskine notebook cover with Inntravel (closed)

Have you seen our new competition - you could win a gorgeous leather Millican ‘Matt the Moleskine Cover’ and Moleskine notebook courtesy of Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people. Follow in the tradition of the great travel diarists and keep your journals spic and span with this beautiful hand crafted leather cover. The bridle leather used to make these simply stunning covers comes from the only remaining traditional oak bark tannery in Britain, the oak bark being sourced from sustainable forests in the Lake District.

Inntravel are offering one lucky reader the chance to win a ‘Matt the Moleskine Cover’, including the Moleskin notebook inside, from the good people at Millican. Retailing at £75, Matt fits the standard pocket Moleskine notebooks (9x14cm); is designed to accommodate the classic Moleskine elastic band and expandable back pocket, and has handy integrated loops for holding your pen, pencil, or quill (not included)! For more details of the prize click here.

Fancy yourself as Hemingway, Chatwin or Bryson? Remember the moment with Inntravel. Just ‘like’ the Inntravel Facebook page to enter!

Sponsored post: New ways to use up old food with Sainsbury’s Food Rescue

Throwing out-of-date or leftover food into the bin is often a heartbreaking affair. Whether you are conscious of the money you are squandering or the wider picture when it comes to food waste, it never feels good to toss away any part of your weekly shop, no matter how big or small.  Sometimes, it’s because you’ve let the food in your kitchen pass its expiry date. In other cases, it’s because you’ve simply bought too much food, or cooked more than your family can handle.

With the average UK family throwing away as much as £60 a month in out-of date food and leftovers, Sainsbury’s, in collaboration with Google, has launched ‘Sainsbury’s Food Rescue’ - an online and mobile service offering practical solutions to make the most out of ingredients you have lying around the kitchen.

Top tip: over-ripe fruit can be cut up and frozen, providing a useful addition to future smoothie creations.

Using mobile voice recognition technology and a database of over a thousand snack and supper suggestions, you can find quick, easy and inspiring recipes and tips that will give new life to food that is past its prime.

Top tip: revitalise stale French bread simply by sprinkling a few drops of water onto the loaf and giving it a five-minute stint in a hot oven.

For more great tips, recipes and advice about minimising food waste, visit ‘Sainsbury’s Food Rescue’.

Wild Swimming Italy

Discover the most beautiful rivers, lakes and waterfalls of Italy in Wild Swimming Italy.

The Wild Swimming series travels to Italy to explore freshwater lakes, rivers, waterfalls and hot springs.

• Dip in to the emerald-green plunge pools of Sicily and swim at river beaches in Campania • Discover the secret hot springs of Tuscany and amazing waterfalls of the Dolomiti • Explore the hidden shores of Lake Como and Garda

Perfect for family explorers or romantic adventurers, this stunning travel book combines beautiful photography with all the practical information you’ll need to get off the beaten track, including maps, directions, grid references and walk-in times. There are also recommendations for canoe trips, campsites and tavernas.

From the emerald streams of the Dolomites, to the azure colours of the Trentino lakes. From idyllic Tuscan hills with thermal pools to basalt gorges and valleys immersed in fragrant scrub, Wild Swimming Italy is a comprehensive guide to Italy’s wildest and most beautiful natural areas.

Buy your copy now.

How to be a mindful eater PLUS three simple tea infusion recipes

Yes, we love food, but it doesn't always get our full attention. Time to reconnect your mind with your mouth and become a mindful eater.

Many of us fall easily into patterns of mindless eating. We pick at food while working at our computers. We reach for the quickest - and usually the unhealthiest - snacks for a quick energy boost. We don't take proper lunch breaks. We are constantly distracted while we eat, by television, by work by our phones and computers. We have lost a lot of the enjoyment of eating and as a result we are guilty of just shovelling food into our bodies.

Turn to page 100 of July's The Simple Things to read Rebecca Frank's rediscovery of the joys and pleasure of conscious eating. And sit down with a cuppa, taking time to enjoy the fragrant flavours of one of these mindful infusions. Glass tumblers work really well, as you can fully appreciate not only the refreshing taste and aroma, but also the visual delights. You can sweeten any of the teas with a dash of honey.

Simple Mint Tea

2-3 sprigs of fresh mint Freshly boiled water

Place the mint sprigs into your favourite tea tumbler.

Pour over hot water.

Leave to steep for a few minutes and you will notice the water start to turn slightly green. Savour and enjoy.

Mindful tea notes: This simple, refreshing mint tea has long been used as a natural digestive aid. It works well if sipped slowly after a meal.

Rosemary Tea

2-3 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves Freshly boiled water

Add the fresh rosemary to your favourite tea tumbler.

Pour over hot water and leave to steep for a few minutes.

Enjoy immediately or strain mixture first depending on your preference.

Mindful tea notes: Rosemary is associated with memory and is a lovely tea when you need focus and concentration on your side.

Lemon, Ginger and Lemongrass Tea

1 inch ginger; peeled and sliced into long thin strips 1 organic, unwaxed lemon A few seeds from a cardamom pod 1 stalk lemongrass Freshly boiled water

Press down on the ginger slices and cardamom seeds with the back of a teaspoon to release the flavours and place them in your favourite tea tumbler.

Slice the top and bottom off the lemongrass stalk and then slice in half lengthways, remove the outer layer, and place sliced inner sections into your tumbler.

Pour over hot water and leave to steep for a few minutes.

Squeeze the juice from the lemon and add to the tumbler.

Stir well and enjoy.

Mindful tea notes: The combination of lemon and ginger is energising, while the extra cardamom adds spicy warmth to boost your metabolism.

Not got July's The Simple Things yet? Buy or download your copy now.

More recipes from The Simple Things.

Recipe: Chocolate dipped strawberries

Fancy a fruity summer treat? Try our recipe for chocolate dipped strawberries - perfect for parties and picnics. Wimbledon fortnight is nearly upon us. The polite cheer of the crowd, the dull thud of ball against racket, and the wall-to-wall Pimms and strawberries make this British institution a true staple of summer. Ditch the cream and try something a little different this year, with a recipe for indulgent chocolate-dipped strawberries from Betty Twyford.

Chocolate dipped strawberries

You will need: 450g strawberries 100g dark chocolate 100g milk chocolate 100g white chocolate

To make: Melt the chocolate by breaking it up into squares and placing each type of chocolate into separate bowls. Place the bowls into a neat little row at the back of the Aga (or place each bowl over a pan of boiling water) and leave there until melted. Rinse the strawberries and pat dry. Lay some bake-o-glide (silicone paper) onto a flat chopping board or tray. Leaving the stalks and leaves intact, dip the tips of the strawberries into chocolate and lay onto the bake-o-glide. Transfer to the fridge to cool. When set and cool, and you are ready to serve, put your strawberries into a serving dish and decorate with a sprig of mint. Want to get fancy? Double dip the strawberries to create whatever combinations you like. We particularly like a dark chocolate base and white tip.

Pack the perfect picnic

No basket? No problem. Part of the picnic’s appeal is its ad hoc nature, so go with the flow and improvise with our top tips for perfect picnic accoutrements.

High summer. School’s out and the pavements are packed with hot office workers and gaggles of confused tourists. What you need to do is pack up the car, ditch the city and head for the hills: an afternoon spent amid fields and streams and under tree canopies and bright blue skies will restore your equilibrium. Lying on a picnic blanket with a glass of something cold in one hand, and a plateful of something delicious in the other, is a picture-perfect way to idle away the heady days of summer.

Take inspiration from Brideshead Revisited and feast on strawberries and champagne, or enjoy a boating picnic a la Rat and Mole in 'The Wind in the Willows':  The Mole begged to be allowed to unpack it all by himself. He took out all the mysterious packets one by one and arranged their contents, gasping 'Oh my! Oh my!' at each fresh surprise.'

It may be a little optimistic to believe we’ll be picnicking all summer long, but if rain does stop play, you can always eat your picnic on your knees in the car. There are certain British traditions that will never die.

No British summer would be complete without a picnic. Pack the perfect picnic with our top tips.

1. A wine crate makes a great container for packaging and transporting your picnic. Sturdy sides keep it upright in the car and, upturned, it’s the perfect little table.

2. Use mason jars to transport salads, chutneys, and desserts. As well as looking the part, they are easy to fill, pack and can even be used as crockery in times of need. Plus, you can re-seal and take home any leftovers – from fridge to field and back again.

3. A robust bread board or tray at the centre of your picnic rug makes for a mini table, meaning no more spilled drinks or squashed sandwiches.

4. Want to keep mess and waste to a minimum? Pack each picnicker their own meal in a cardboard food box, then hand them round when you reach your destination.

5. Ice packs are a picnic essential for keeping cool. Not got any? They are easy to make using just two simple supplies. Squeeze washing up liquid into a ziplock bag, place it flat and push out any bubbles, before sealing and placing into the freezer. Once frozen, use to keep your chilled picnic items nice and cool.

Competition: Win Dawes bikes for all the family! (ended 11th August 2014)

Dawes has put together a prize set to make your summer: brand new bikes for two adults and two children. Enter our competition!

The Tour de France’s arrival in the UK is likely to bring more than yellow jerseys to our shores. Cycle fever – kickstarted by the 2012 Olympics and now cemented by the world’s most famous bicycle race coming to Yorkshire – is in full flow. And this month we’re doing our bit for the two-wheel revolution with a brilliant prize.

Homegrown bike company Dawes Cycles has come up with an incredible package to get the whole family out and about on two wheels (Lycra optional). They’ve been making bikes since 1926 and craft each model with carefully tailored components to ensure a smooth ride. Enter this month’s competition for your chance to win four brand-new Dawes bikes (two adult frames and two for children), worth over £1,000.

How to enter

Visit https://www.futurecompetitions.com/BIKES/ by 11th August 2014 for your chance to win four new bikes from Dawes Cycles.

For more about Dawes Cycles and to see their full range of bikes, visit www.dawescycles.com.

the bikes you could win:

1 Duchess (ladies)

1 Ambassador (gents)

1 Lightning (boys)

1 Venus (girls)

The prize can be adjusted to suit your required frame sizes, subject to availability, of course.

Jekka's Herbetum Open Days

Don’t miss the chance to sneak a peak behind the scenes of Jamie Oliver’s favourite herb grower, with open days at Jekka McVicar’s new Herbetum in South Gloucestershire.

Over the last 3 years Jekka has slowly transformed her working nursery into a beautiful display garden that showcases over 300 different culinary herbs in rather stylish (and practical) wooden raised beds. It’s said to be the biggest display of its kind in the UK so you’ll find plenty of inspiration about which herbs you can try in your garden, balcony or window sill.

Jekka takes two mini-tours of her Herbetum during the day, so you have plenty of opportunity to ask her advice and pick up tips about growing herbs as well as taste some of the varieties used in a delicious selection of homemade cakes as well as herbal teas on offer in their tearoom.

Look out for the August issue of The Simple Things, featuring Jekka's herb garden planting plans.

Jekka McVicar’s Herbetum Open Days:

13, 25 & 26 July, 10am - 4pm

(13 July opens for the NGS and a £5 entry fee goes to the charity)

Find out more.

Words: Cinead McTernan

Photograph of Jekka McVicar: Jason Ingram

Summer sounds from Josie da Bank

Hit play on our soundtrack to summer with sounds chosen by Josie da Bank, creative director and producer of Bestival and Camp Bestival.

Take the time to create a playlist of favourite summer songs and you won’t regret it. Long car journeys, garden parties, evenings sitting outdoors – can all be more fun with the right tunes to hand.

No time to make your own? No worries. Hit play, sit back and listen to the sounds of summer with our Spotify playlist, compiled by none less than Bestival founder Josie Da Bank.

Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Heading to New York City this summer? Seek out Prospect Park in Brooklyn: a masterpiece of landscape architecture at the green heart of NYC's largest borough.

Photographer and stylist, Julia Gartland, decided to hold an informal, pot luck picnic in Prospect Park for July's The Simple Things.

And what a location it is. According to Adrian Benepe, "Olmsted and Vaux designed Central Park, learned from their mistakes, and then designed Prospect Park." Indeed, this 585-acre oasis is an ambitious feat of design, packed with attractions such as the Long Meadow, a 90-acre meadow; Prospect Park Zoo; The Boathouse; Brooklyn's only lake, covering 60 acres; and the Prospect Park Bandshell, which hosts free outdoor concerts in the summertime.

Over ten million visits each year prove the Prospect Park has something for everyone, locals and tourists, young and old, from skating to birding to pedal boating to picnicking on the Long Meadow on beautiful days. The Park also boasts a stunning variety of natural and geological features, such as Brooklyn’s only forest, rolling meadows and shaded hillsides.

Find out more about Prospect Park, and read an extract from Prospect Park: Olmsted & Vaux's Brooklyn Masterpiece by David P. Colley (cover pictured).

Turn to page 26 of July's The Simple Things for beautiful photographs and recipes to inspire your own portable feast - on sale 27 June 2014.

Recipe: Lemon verbena sherbet

In June's The Simple Things, Lia Leendertz picks early-season crops and herbs for that first taste of summer. Turn to page 44 for fresh and tasty home-grown recipes, including this one for lemon verbena sherbet.

If you don't have a dedicated space for growing veggies, you can still pack your food full of summer flavours by growing a few pots of herbs. If you haven't discovered lemon verbena, then make procuring a plant your new resolution. The leaves taste like sherbet and make the best herb tea.

Or try making lemon verbena sherbet: 'A couple of years ago I came across a recipe for making sherbet, and I have been strangely addicted to it ever since. Hand your children a little egg cup full of sherbet with a handful of strawberries to dip in - and they'll be delighted', says Lia Leendertz.

The fizziness comes from the tongue-tingling combination of citric acid and bicarbonate of soda: the moisture on your tongue sets of the reaction, releasing fizzing carbon dioxide.

Lemon verbena sherbet (makes about 70g)

You will need:

Pared peel of 4 lemons About 8 lemon verbena stems, hung up to dry for a few days 60g icing sugar 1/4 tsp citric acid (from chemists) 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1. Roast lemon peel on a baking tray in a low oven for 30 minutes until crispy.

2. Strip the leaves from the stems (they must also be crispy) and whizz peel and leaves together in a blender.

3. Sift sugar, citric acid and bicarb into a bowl and add the ground leaf and peel. Serve with sliced fruit.

Not got June’s The Simple Things yet? Buy or download your copy now.

More recipes from The Simple Things.

Letterpress: top five buys

Letterpress: a mucky, inky, antiquated process that is experiencing something of a revival. Love letterpress style? Here are five top buys from The Simple Things. Letterpress was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid 15th-century to print books and pamphlets. Until offset printing was developed in the 20th century, it was the principal means of distributing ideas and inciting insurrection. Radical stuff.

Today, the irregular fonts and relief printing process of letterpress lend themselves to cards and posters proclaiming nostalgic witticisms, mottoes, and helpful instruction. June's The Simple Things talks to some of the leading lights of letterpress today, offering a 60-second insight into this curious craft and giving three options for learning to letterpress. Turn to page 93 to find out more.

Want the effect without the effort? Try one of our top five buys (left to right):

1. Get your scouse down pat with this Liverpool Scouse Sayings poster, £22, The Red Button Press.

2. Say bon voyage in style with these luggage tags, £6.95, Meticulous Ink.

3. The Great Bear, re-imagined as a letterpress card, £2.95, Ice and Earth.

4. Take note: this Tickety Boo notebook is perfect for sketches, ideas and more, £5.00, SORT.

5. Mais oui! Go French with this poster. It's all good, £7.32, The Motivated Type.

Not got June’s The Simple Things yet? Buy or download your copy now.

Go on a cheese picnic

Which cheeses would a cheese expert choose to have in a cheese-centric hamper? We find out how to compile the perfect cheese picnic.

If you want to make a picnic special but don't have time to start baking quiches and prepping salads, keep it simple and focus on the best bits, the cheese. All you need is a modest selection, some hunks of good bread and/or simple biscuits, a bottle of something cold and, voila, a faff-free feast.

We asked Hero Hirsh from artisan cheese supplier, Paxton and Whifield, for her word on the curd.

Montgomery Cheddar

A full-flavoured, firm cheddar. Every picnic needs one. Drink with: English pale ale or pear juice.

Camembert de Normandie

A soft cheese that ripens nicely in warm weather. Drink with: dry cider or apple juice.

Aged Gouda

Best aged for around 24 months with a sweet, nutty flavour, this has a creamy texture but is firm enough not to melt en route. Drink with: dry cider or apple juice.

Chaource

Triple cream cheese, very creamy but with a refreshing acidity. Drink with: bubbles - champagne or sparkling elderflower, ideally.

Cornish Blue

A firm blue cheese with a delicious sweetness that's harder than Stilton, so travels well. Drink with: apricot juice or a full-bodied white wine (such as a punchy chardonnay).

Not got June’s The Simple Things yet? Buy or download your copy now.

Recipe ideas from The Simple Things.

Sponsored post: June’s cut flower patch planting diary

Louise Curley, author of The Cut Flower Patch, shares this month’s planting diary.

'June is the month when I breathe a little sigh of relief. The seeds which I have nurtured into young plants over the last few months are all now planted into their final homes on my cut flower patch. The last of the half-hardy annuals have been planted out as the days and nights should hopefully be warm enough now for these tender plants. Cosmos, rudbeckias and dahlias will take a little longer to come into flower than the hardy annuals but they will provide buckets full of blooms throughout the summer and autumn.

'It’s a little odd after months of there being a sea of green my windowsills, greenhouses and cold frame are now empty. It would be easy to sit back and think that was the last of the seed sowing for the year but there’s a range of plants which can be sown now if you can muster up some more seed sowing energy. Miss this opportunity and you’ll miss out on some of the best cut flowers.

'Biennials tend to be a bit neglected but they are well worth the effort. Sow from now up until mid-July and they’ll make small plants this year which will sit in the ground over winter. Then, next spring they will shoot away providing cut flowers in late spring through to August. This makes them perfect for that difficult gap when spring bulbs have finished and your hardy annuals are yet to start flowering. Sweet williams and wallflowers are classic cottage garden flowers; both are fragrant and last well once picked. Other biennials to try are Iceland poppies, forget-me-nots, sweet rocket and honesty.'

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

Recipes: Five ways with strawberries

Strawberry season is upon us, and we're looking forward to getting out into the fields to pick-our-own. Meanwhile, these five strawberry recipes are summer on a plate.

Not just for pudding, these scarlet nuggets of sunshine can brighten up any plate from brunch to party nibbles.

Strawberry and brown sugar toasted brioche sandwiches (makes 4)

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F. Cover a roasting tray with foil and place 8 slices of brioche on the tray. Toast till golden brown on each side. Set aside to cool. Hull and quarter 400g strawberries into a bowl, add a heaped tsp of vanilla bean paste and 100g soft brown cane sugar and mix well. Sandwich the strawberry mixture between two slices of thinly buttered brioche.

Strawberry, parma ham and parmesan crostini (makes 8)

Hull and quarter 200g strawberries and set aside. Take 8 slices of sourdough and 8 slices of parma ham. Toast the bread and arrange the ham on top. Next come the strawberries, then sprinkle with parmesan shavings. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, before topping with basil leaves and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve straight away.

Strawberry, pomegranate, fennel and radish salad (serves 4)

Hull and dice 250g strawberries. Slice two heads of fennel very thinly with a mandoline or sharp knife. Finely slice 100g spring onions and 250g radishes. Mix cut fruit and veg and 100g pomegranate seeds with a handful of roughly chopped mint. Combine 50ml olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and 1tbsp pomegranate molasses and season. Dress the salad and top with crumbled feta.

Macerated berries with honey and mint (serves 4)

Hull and halve 500g strawberries lengthways into a large bowl and set aside. In a jug, pour 250ml cloudy apple juice and 75ml runny honey and mix well. Tear a handful of fresh mint leaves into pieces and add them to the marinade. Pour over the strawberries and coat the fruit gently, so you don't bruise it. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave somewhere cool (not the fridge) for an hour. Serve in individual bowls.

Strawberry, goat's cheese and black pepper tart (serves 4)

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Roll out a pack of shortcrust pastry then cut circles big enough to fit 4 mini tartlet tins. Blind bake for 20-30 minutes. Hull and halve 400g strawberries and mix in a bowl with 1tsp cracked black pepper. Chop a spring of rosemary needles and mix with the fruit. Spoon the filling into the pastry and top with a slice of soft goat's cheese. Pop back in the oven for 10 minutes.

Not got June’s The Simple Things yet? Buy or download your copy now.

More recipes from The Simple Things.

Wordless Wednesday

The perfect spot to reflect. A jetty at Aperlae, The Lycian Way, Turkey. Inntravel the Slow holiday people