The wild and beautiful landscape of Asturias, on Spain's northern coast. Photograph: Inntravel, the Slow holiday people.
Persephone Books: new reads
This month, The Simple Things is on the hunt for new reads. Persephone Books - a small, independent publisher - takes an unconventional approach to book selling, with its female-only catalogue. There is something deeply satisfying about holding a new book: the weight of it, the strokeable paper, the first gentle crack of the spine. Indie publisher Persephone Books take this one stage further with endpapers (and bookmarks) taken from thoughtfully chosen fabric patterns.
All 107 are neglected works by (mostly) women writers tackling everything from cookery to politics. Each is numbered with a matching grey jacket, tempting the orderly to collect the lot.
Find out more about Persephone Books
Head to the website for top picks from fellow female writers, learn more about the beautiful designs, or visit the beautiful London shop.
Not got your copy of September’s The Simple Things? Buy or download now.
Recipe: Chocolate rum and raisin fudge
There’s something satisfying about making fudge. This chocolate rum and raisin fudge recipe from Will Torrent’s Chocolate at Home is a great place to start.
Chocolate rum and raisin fudge
Makes about 40 pieces
100g raisins 50ml dark or spiced rum 1⁄2 vanilla pod, split 500g caster sugar 170g evaporated milk 170ml whole milk 50g unsalted butter 125g dark chocolate (70%), chopped 1 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
You will need: 18–20cm square pan, lined with baking parchment
1. Tip the raisins, rum and split vanilla pod into a small saucepan set over a low heat. Gently warm but do not allow rum to boil. Stir well, remove from the heat and set aside until the mixture is cold and the raisins have absorbed all of the vanilla-scented rum.
2. Place the sugar into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan (at least 2 1/2 litre capacity). Add the evaporated milk, whole milk, butter and salt. Simmer over a medium heat and stir gently to dissolve the sugar.
3. Put a sugar thermometer into the pan and bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat and continue to cook, without stirring, at a low, steady boil until the mixture reaches 114C (230F). Add the remaining rum and immediately remove the pan from the heat. Set aside for a few mins until the bubbling subsides.
4. Tip the chopped chocolate and sifted cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl and pour over the hot fudge. Stir gently until the chocolate has melted, the mixture combined; leave to cool for 10 minutes.
5. Using a wooden spoon, beat the fudge until it thickens, cools and becomes slightly grainy. Add the rum-soaked raisins and mix thoroughly. Pour the fudge into the prepared baking pan and level using a palette knife. Set in a cool, dark place for 3–4 hours, or overnight, until firm.
6. Once firm, cut the fudge into small squares before serving or store in an airtight container for up to one week – you’ll be lucky if it lasts that long!
Recipe from Will Torrent’s Chocolate at Home (£20, Ryland Peters and Small).
Want more homemade sweets? Try these recipes.
For the rest of our Could Do list, turn to page 17 of September’s The Simple Things. Buy or download now.
Sponsored post: September's cut flower patch planting diary
Louise Curley, author of The Cut Flower Patch, shares this month’s planting diary.
'I always think there’s something very reassuring about the cycle of gardening. As one element fades there’s another coming into its own and just as summer merges into autumn it would be easy to become melancholy about the approach of winter but the task of planting spring bulbs reminds me of the year to come.
'Bulbs might seem like a bit of an extravagance for the cut flower patch as most will only produce one flower stem, unlike your cut and come again summer flowers. But after a long winter it’s a real delight to be able to go out and pick a few bunches of your own daffodils and tulips. And now is the time to be ordering and planting your cut flower bulbs for next year.
'Plant up a patch of bulbs purely for cutting and you’ll have a much wider choice of varieties for cutting than anything you could buy from the shops. For me, scented narcissi are a must. The fragrance is incredible and you’ll only need a few stems in a jar to scent a whole room. My must-have daffodil varieties include ‘Geranium’, ‘Winston Churchill’ and ‘Grand Soleil d’Or’.
'Tulips come in so many stunning colours and forms, not just the single coloured goblets you’ll find in the supermarket. Conjure up arrangements inspired by Dutch Masters’ paintings with flamboyant Parrot tulips like ‘Rococo’ and plant double flowered varieties such as ‘Angelique’ with it peony-like blooms for dreamily romantic displays. For me, the discovery of scented tulips has been a bit of a revelation – the cream-flowered ‘Verona’ and ‘Ballerina’ with its vibrant red/orange petals and orange jelly scent are my own favourites.
'Think small too. Grape hyacinths and dwarf narcissi such as ‘Tête-à-Tête’ might produce flowers no more than 20cm tall but they look incredibly pretty in small glass jars and are perfect for edging your cut flower beds where they take up very little space.'
Louise Curley is the author of The Cut Flower Patch, published by Frances Lincoln.
Competition: win £500 of Inntravel holiday vouchers (archived)
In our competition you could win £500 worth of vouchers towards a Slow Holiday courtesy of Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people. Just click here to ‘like’ their Facebook page, enter your details, and then imagine where Inntravel could take you. Walk the wild undiscovered coastline of Portugal; cycle the back lanes of France; discover the “End of the World” in the Canary Islands; explore the impressive fjords of Norway… there are countless memories to be made. Inntravel’s carefully crafted holidays ease you into the rhythm of everyday life as you journey through wonderful landscapes, discover hidden gems and encounter friendly local people along the way. Slow holidays allow you to travel at your own pace, giving you time to enjoy delicious regional cuisine and relax in family-run hotels and inns. Remember the moment with Inntravel. Enter here.
Please note: £500 holiday voucher is to be used against the purchase of any Inntravel holiday for departure before 24th October 2015, subject to availability.
Fruits of the hedgerow
Go foraging this month and find out what you can make with the fruits of the hedgerow.
More than mere borders, our hedgerows host amazing biodiversity. Here's a little of what they hold.
Turn to page 127 of September's The Simple Things for a guide to hedgerow berries, and try these ideas for using them in the kitchen.
Rosehip
Jekyll and Hyde of a species. Rich in vitamin C, delicious in wine and jam. Just avoid the fine hairs - a key ingredient in itching powder.
Try: Rosehip syrup
Damson
Higher in sugars than its kin in the plum family, and the go-to ingredient for a flavoursome home-pimped vodka. Peak harvest time is right about now.
Try: Damson cheese
Rowan
Too sharp in taste to enjoy solo, but a piquant addition to many a conserve. Try with roast meat. Note to bee lovers: its scent is catnip to pollinators.
Hawthorn
Staple hedging material. Fruit good for syrups, magnificent for brandy. Beware pedants insisting that, botanically, they're not berries, but pomes.
Sloe
A foraging favourite, the fruit of the blackthorn tree is among the last around before winter. Pick from now until early November, bottle with gin and sugar.
Try: Salted sloes
For the rest of our Fruits of the Hedgerow identifier, turn to page 127 of September's The Simple Things. Buy or download now.
September sea swimming
Dive in, the water's lovely! Try sea swimming this September.
Take that, Mediterranean... Sea temperatures are at their annual peak this month - with 2014 being an especially good year to take swim off British shores.
If you've got a free weekend this month, head to the coast. All this year's hot weather has raised sea temperatures to their highest since records began and with September always providing the warmest waters, this month promises to be balmier than ever.
Swimming, particularly outside in a natural environment, has been proven to rejuvenate mind and body. In his new book, Blue Mind, Wallace J Nichols looks at the scientific evidence behind the life-enhancing effects of being in or near water.
"Water meditates you," he asserts, "unleashing the uninhibited child in all of use and unlocking creativity and curiosity, the antidote to the blue screens that keep us awake, nervy and twitchy."
Nichols explores how being close to water makes us happier, calmer and also more successful in life and relationships. If you don't fancy immersing yourself, you can experience the benefits simply from watching water, where we enter a state of 'drift', almost hypnotised by the seemingly static but gently changing scene.
Give it a go and share your favourite swimming spots with us please - leave a comment, tell us on Facebook or Twitter.
Want to know more? Visit the Outdoor Swimming Society
Want a good read? Try Haunts of the Black Masseur - The Swimmer as Hero.
Recipe: Shakshuka
Shakshuka: Tom Hunt's Middle Eastern breakfast, taken from The Natural Cook.
A breakfast of substance - for traditional Brits, at least - involves quite a bit of frying. How lovely, then, that this Middle Eastern-hailing dish poaches its eggs. In spiced passata, no less.
"We serve this in huge pans from my festival cafe," says Tom Hunt, "with hundreds of eggs poaching in the rich tomato sauce."
We'll take four, please.
Shakshuka
Serves 2
For the passata:
600g ripe tomatoes
2 basil leaves
For the shakshuka:
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
Glug of light olive oil
1 mild green chilli, sliced (optional)
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 eggs
3 sprigs of parsley or coriander, roughly chopped
1. To make the passata, wash the tomatoes, then blend to a fine pulp in a food processor. Gently simmer in a wide saucepan for 15-30 minutes, until they have reduced to a thick sauce. Taste them as they reduce, decide when you have reached your desired consistency and flavour, then stop cooking.
2. To store passata, line a sterilised jar with basil, pour in hot passata and seal.
3. Gently fry the onion with the cumin and paprika in the light olive oil, adding a pinch of salt and half the chilli for ten minutes until soft. Add the garlic and fry for a further five minutes.
4. Add 300g passata and simmer for 10 minutes. If the sauce becomes too dry, add a little water.
5. When you're ready to eat, make four hollows in the sauce and crack in the eggs. Cover with a lid and simmer for five minutes for soft yolks, ten minutes for hard. Serve, sprinkled with the herbs and a little pepper, on your favourite toast. Sprinkle with the rest of the chilli.
Taken from the book The Natural Cook by Tom Hunt.
Organic September
Make one small change this month with Organic September.
That's the theme of Organic September: whether it's trying out an organic veg delivery box or swapping your usual face cream or chocolate bar for an organic product, every little helps to make a difference.
Here are ten ideas to make it easy to go organic:
Eat at least one piece of organic fruit each day Switch one beauty product such as shampoo Sign up for an organic veg box Join the Soil Association Have an organic cake bake off at work Buy organic tea & coffee Plant organic bee-friendly seeds Take part in #organicbeauty weekend Buy an organic pair of jeans Throw an organic dinner party
Find out more by visiting the Soil Association's Small Change Big Difference website.
Autumn fruit jam recipes
Go foraging for fruit and get jamming with some autumn preserve and jam recipes. Make the most of all the blackberries, plums and damsons this month. Stew with a bit of sugar and serve cool with cream on late summer days when you want to be outdoors, or pass a rainy afternoon happily in the kitchen making jars of homemade jam or jelly.
Jam recipes
How about trying one of these jam recipes for rosewater plum compote, bramble jelly, damson jam, or plum and Earl Grey jam?
For more ideas on our September 'could-do' list, turn to page 17 of The Simple Things. Not got your copy? Buy or download now.
The Simple Things September issue cover reveal!
Psst! Have a look at the cover of the August issue of The Simple Things.
Let September surprise you. Blousey blooms are back; pouffes return to the lounge, and garlic gets gorgeous. Even the adventures are small and midweek. Culinary wonders come courtesy of plump blackberries and ripe tomatoes. There are new notepads, new trousers, and new ways to pack your lunch.
Signs of summer linger in recipes full of sunshine, holiday souvenirs and a lakeside retreat. The season is turning in The Simple Things.
Out today, The Simple Things September issue is available from all good newsagents and supermarkets, or you can buy online or download an issue now.
Ideas, recipes, and inspiration every fortnight: sign up to The Simple Things newsletter!
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Competition: Win! A £500 new wardrobe from People Tree (closed 13 October 2014)
People Tree, the ethical fashion website, is giving away £1,000-worth of vouchers with four brilliant prizes in this month's competition.
Ethical fashion has come a long way since it started: rustically styled capsule collections have been replaced with clothes and accessories to rival any online fashion store, nowhere more so than at People Tree, the ethical fashion pioneers. We're celebrating the arrival of their Autumn/Winter 2014 collection with four fabulous prizes this month (see box for details).
A wardrobe upgrade
This is your chance to win a wealth of vouchers to spend on their covetable new 'Sustainable Elegance' collection. It's inspired by the grace and style of classic Hollywood, using a rich palette of bordeaux, teal, golden palm and peacoat navy. Then, there are the cuts: cinched waists and elegant shifts in a great range of fabrics from striking prints, to embroidered cottons and hand knits. You'll find everything from tops to trousers, dresses, skirts – even accessories and sleepwear – with a smattering of pieces from well-known designers, too.
Clothes with a conscience
People Tree were the first international clothing company to be awarded the World Fair Trade Organization Fair Trade product label. They launched the first Soil Association certified Global Organic Textile Standard for organic fabrics manufactured in the developing world. Today, the company work with 50 Fair Trade groups of organic cotton farmers and artistans around the world. In a nutshell – for every beautiful garment People Tree makes, there's an equally beautiful change happening somewhere in the world.
What you could win
First prize: £500 in vouchers to spend at People Tree
Second prize: £250-worth of People Tree vouchers
Runners-up: two prizes of £125-worth of People Tree vouchers
How to enter
Visit www.futurecomps.co.uk/
Closing date: 13 October 2014.
How to ripen tomatoes indoors
This month, the plot's most versatile fruit makes a blushingly late arrival. Find out how to ripen green tomatoes with our top tips.
At the end of the season there are always a few unripe tomatoes kicking about. You can of course but them in a paper bag in a drawer to ripen (never on a window sill: it toughens the skins) or whip them up into a batch of chutney, but all of this slightly overcompensates. A green tomato is actually rather a lovely thing. Cooked – and they do need to be cooked – they have the same tomatoey taste but with a more savoury, vegetable edge.
For a recipe for fried green tomatoes, turn to page 24 of September's The Simple Things.
How to ripen tomatoes indoors
Make sure you pick your green tomatoes before the risk of any frost.
Wash each tomato in cold water, dry with a clean towel, then allow to dry completely.
Remove any tomatoes that have signs of damage, bruising, or spotting.
Source a container large enough to contain all of your tomatoes with around 5cm between each fruit. They should not be touching. Choose a container that will not leak in case any of your tomatoes rot. Line with an absorbent material such as newspaper or paper towel.
Place your tomatoes spaced out, one layer deep in the container.
Store in a cool, dry place, such as a garage, porch or outhouse.
Check on the tomatoes every other day, removing any that are 50% or more red (let these finish ripening in the kitchen) and removing/disposing of any with signs of rot.
It could take three weeks to three months for your tomatoes to fully ripen, depending on the conditions you create for them. You could be eating delicious, ripe, homegrown tomatoes for Christmas.
Food from afar: Pasteis de nata recipe
It's got sweet, flaky pastry, it's got custard - what's not to love about Portugal's Pasteis de nata?
There’s something divine about the transformation of eggs, cream and sugar into gently set custard. So it is fitting that the most revered of custard tarts has monastic origins.
Portugal’s pastéis de nata were created in a monastery in Belém. When the cloisters closed in 1820, its clergy sold their trusty tart recipe. The buyer founded a bakery dedicated to the pastel de Belém: a flaky pastry tart filled with egg-yolk custard and baked until its crust is patchily blackened. It soon became a national treasure, travelling wherever the Portuguese went, too. In Hong Kong, via the colony of Macau, they became a staple of the dim sum house.
The Portuguese originals are still made by hand in Belém, where people queue to eat them warm, dusted with cinnamon and sugar. Like the keepers of secret recipes everywhere, the guardians of the monks’ prized formula hint at a ‘mystery’ ingredient. Various cookbook versions suggest vanilla, cornflour, even lemon. But then they also recommend – oh, the sacrilege – shop-bought puff pastry...
London’s Lisboa Patisserie is the place to sample their melt-in-the-mouth authenticity, with shots of bracing Portuguese coffee. A word of warning to the frugal, however: one is never enough.
Want to make your own? Try this Pasteis de nata recipe from Leite's Culinaria.
For more, turn to page 32 of August's The Simple Things. Not got your copy? Buy or download now.
Potato print competition: Winner announced
Back in April, The Simple Things teamed up with Kettle Chips and Red Hen Originals to invite you to create a potato print. Were you the winner of our competition?
Congratulations to Diane Rose, who is the winner of the potato print competition. Julia Burns of Red Hen Originals said of Diane's entry:
'This is a really up-lifting painting. The composition is beautifully balanced. The complimentary use of oranges and blues, set against a shimmering yellow background gives the work a vibrant sense of warmth and joy. But perhaps most important of all given the nature of the competition, the repeat pattern- making, the over-lapping shapes and the unique textural qualities achieved are all so obviously indicative of potato printing. A lovely piece of work.'
For all the entries, view our gallery.
Diane wins an overnight hotel stay with Handpicked Hotels, a Red Hen Original (worth £250), and a year's supply of Kettle Chips.
Sponsored post: August's cut flower patch planting diary
Louise Curley, author of The Cut Flower Patch, shares this month’s planting diary.
'There are bountiful harvests of blooms at the moment and my home is chocked full of vases but it’s hard to ignore the sense that autumn is not far away. As this year’s cut flower patch slowly fades it’s time to start thinking of next year. There’s a short window of opportunity to have bigger, stronger plants which will be more floriferous next year. By sowing certain hardy annuals now they will germinate and form small plants which are able to withstand the winter weather. Then, when the ground warms up next spring, they will romp away. Don’t sow too early as they may be encouraged into flowering prematurely if we get a mild autumn but likewise don’t sow too late as they won’t form large enough plants to cope with winter. The optimum time is mid-August to mid September.
'You could sow direct into a dedicated patch of ground, moving plants in spring to their final planting place or you could sow into pots and overwinter in a greenhouse or cold frame. The best plants for autumn sowing include cornflowers, larkspur, calendula, nigella, ammi and euphorbia oblongata. Autumn sown cornflowers and larkspur on my own flower patch can be a third taller than spring sown plants and produce flowers 3 to 4 weeks earlier.
'There are a few things to bear in mind if you fancy a spot of autumn sowing. If you grow them under protection you’ll need to keep an eye out for fungal problems such as botrytis, a grey fluffy mould that thrives in moist conditions and low light levels. Keep plants slightly on the dry side and ventilate your greenhouse or cold frames on milder autumn and winter days, but remember not to leave them open at night. If you’re growing them directly in the ground and winter turns out to be very cold your little plants will benefit from the protection of fleece or cloches. And, just because it’s winter it doesn’t mean you can forget about those pesky slugs. Check over your plants regularly and use organic slug pellets if necessary. It might seem like a bit of effort but when you’re picking your flowers next may it will all be worth it.'
Louise Curley is the author of The Cut Flower Patch, published by Frances Lincoln.
Recipe: Chocolate fridge cake
No need to bake in August with our indulgent chocolate fridge cake.
This cocoa-laden treat embodies indulgence, not least because you only need a fridge to make it. And it's the perfect way to celebrate National Afternoon Tea Week (11-17 August 2014).
Chocolate Fridge Cake
150g unsalted butter 100g golden syrup 200g dark chocolate, chopped 1 medium egg, lightly beaten 330g digestive biscuits (or similar) 60g walnuts 60g sultanas 100g glacé cherries 75g brazil nuts
1. Line a 23cm square tin or similar flat dish with baking parchment.
2. Melt the butter and golden syrup in a pan and bring to the boil. Add the chocolate, reduce heat to low and whisk until the chocolate has melted.
3. Gradually add the beaten egg and continue to stir with the whisk until the mixture has thickened a little and formed a shiny emulsion. The egg will cook in the heat of the mixture but don’t let it boil (it shouldn’t reach above 85C). Remove from the heat.
4. Break the biscuits into chunks (quarters are fine), put them in a bowl with the walnuts, sultanas and half the cherries. Pour the hot chocolate mix over the dry ingredients and mix gently. Decant into the prepared tin, leaving the runny chocolate on the side of the bowl for now. Press the mixture flat in the tin.
5. Put brazil nuts in the chocolatey bowl and, using a spatula, coat them in the leftover chocolate. Sprinkle in a loose pattern over the biscuit cake, then add the remaining cherries. Chill for 3 hours or until set.
Recipe taken from Konditor & Cook: Deservedly Legendary Baking by Gerhard Jenne (Ebury Press, £20)
Cake in the House - page 51 of August's The Simple Things. Buy or download now
Wordless Wednesday
Flying boat on the water in Mortsund, Norway.
Photograph: Inntravel, the Slow holiday people
Recipe: Three ways with cherries
Go cherry crazy! This year’s crop of British cherries looks like it is the longest and largest ever, mostly due to our mild winter. They’re around until September so find a ‘pick your own’ and use with gay abandon to add colour and sweetness to meals.
Here, we've picked three delicious recipes for a sweet treat this summer.
Cherry Compote
The original, simple way with cherries. We love what Rachel writes about her favourite fruit. Cherry Compote recipe by Rachel Eats.
Image above: Rachel Eats
Sour Cherry Milkshakes
These sound incredible. Although it may be a job to hunt down Montmorency or Morello cherries at a 'pick your own', we think it looks worth the effort.
Sour Cherry Milkshakes recipe by Orangette.
Image above and at top of page: Orangette
Pluot Summer Salad
Not a fan of sweet desserts? Cherries make a surprising addition to a summer salad.
Pluot Summer Salad recipe by 101 Cookbooks.
Image above: 101 Cookbooks.
Find more seasonal recipe delights in August's The Simple Things (buy or download now).