Pausing mid-walk for a paddle in a crystal-clear pool (Vintgar Gorge near Lake Bled, Slovenia).
Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people
Photograph: Kristin Perers
Recipe: Summer spelt almond cake
This nutty, light cake is perfect for scattering with summer fruits. Some will sink in and some will rest on top. If you want a less sweet cake, leave out the rose water icing.
SUMMER SPELT ALMOND CAKE
Makes one 23cm cake (8–10 slices)
FOR THE SPONGE
175g butter, softened, plus more for greasing the tin
175g light brown sugar
2 eggs
1⁄4 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out 125g ground almonds
175g wholemeal spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
1⁄4 tsp salt
200g halved cherries, or whole raspberries or blueberries
200g peaches or nectarines, sliced 2 tbsp caster sugar, for sprinkling
rose petals, for scattering (optional)
FOR THE ICING (OPTIONAL)
200g icing sugar 1-2 tbsp rose water
1 Preheat the oven to 160/Fan 140/320F. Butter a 23cm cake tin and line with parchment paper.
2 In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Add the vanilla seeds. Add the almonds and mix to combine.
3 In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt, then gently beat these into the creamed butter mixture. The mixture will be rather stiff but that’s OK.
4 Spread the batter into your prepared cake tin and smooth top with a palette knife. Scatter the cherries (or raspberries or blueberries) over the batter, then press the slices of peach (or nectarine) on top to get the fruit inside the cake batter a bit.
5 Sprinkle with the caster sugar and bake for 60–70 mins, until a skewer comes out clean and the top is springy. Let the cake cool for 15 mins before turning it out.
6 If using the icing, whisk the rose water into the icing sugar until smooth and runny. Drizzle over the cooled cake. Scatter with garden rose petals if you have them. This is best eaten on the same day you bake it.
Recipe from The Violet Bakery Cookbook by Claire Ptak, photography by Kristin Perers (Square Peg, £20)
FREE! My City Guides
In each issue of The Simple Things we publish a local’s insider guide to some of the coolest, most interesting and simply favourite cities to visit. As the summer holiday begins, we’re releasing one online each week in association with our friends at Inntravel – The slow holiday people
This week it’s Berlin. Download Sandra Juto’s guide for free here
This guide was first published in October 2012 - issue 1*
Did you miss Helsinki, Paris, Copenhagen, Florence, Amsterdam or Marrakech? They’re still available to download.
Coming soon!
2 July – Palma
We'll post on our Twitter and Facebook when they are published.
*Since this guide was published, Café Slörm has now closed. The statue of Karl Marx is not in Karl-Marx-Allee but in the public park , Marx-Engels Forum in Mitte.
MY CITY is supported by INNTRAVEL, the Slow Holiday people, who have spent the last three decades exploring Europe’s most beautiful corners along the lesser-trodden path. When it comes to cities, their self-guided walking tours have been carefully researched using their own expert knowledge and insider tips from locals. These specially created routes take in the best-known sights, but also those hidden gems that others miss. Find out more by visiting http://www.inntravel.co.uk
If we don't get lost we'll never find a new route
Journey: July cover reveal
Let’s take a journey together. Where the lavender hums with bees and we can gather seashells. Where there is street food for the soul; empanadas, sweet drinks from Persia and fruity Caribbean barbecue. We’ll learn to dive and play croquet properly. We’ll jump on a bike or take a bus, packing a good read for the open road. Then we’ll head home to eat cake and pod peas. Because journeys can be big or small, real or of the mind. They are about the moment, about The Simple Things.
July's The Simple Things is on sale today - buy, download or subscribe now.
Image: Plain Picture
Wellbeing: Fatherhood
In June's The Simple Things, Sally Brown's piece on fatherhood explores just how important dads can be in the life of a child.
As it's Father's Day in the UK, we've put together a selection of our favourite books, films and songs featuring fathers.
Mrs Doubtfire (1993)
How far would an ordinary father go to spend more time with his children? Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) is no ordinary father, so when he learns his ex-wife needs a housekeeper, he applies for the job. With the perfect wig, a little makeup and a dress for all occasions, he becomes Mrs. Doubtfire, a devoted British nanny who is hired on the spot. Free to be the "woman" he never knew he could be, the disguised Daniel creates a whole new life with his entire family.
My Dad by Anthony Browne
He's all right, my dad. He's as strong as a gorilla and as happy as a hippopotamus. He's a great dancer, a brilliant singer,he's fantastic at football and he makes me laugh. A lot. But that's not all that's great about my dad . . . A warm, hilarious, witty and very personal tribute to Dad (and to dads everywhere) by the ever-brilliant and inventive Anthony Browne.
Life is Beautiful (1997)
Life Is Beautiful is a 1997 Italian tragicomedy comedy-drama film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni. Benigni plays Guido Orefice, a Jewish Italian book shop owner, who must employ his fertile imagination to shield his son from the horrors of internment in a Nazi concentration camp.
Big Fish (2003)
The story of Big Fish revolves around a dying father and his son, who is trying to learn more about his dad by piecing together the stories he has gathered over the years. The son winds up re-creating his father's elusive life in a series of legends and myths inspired by the few facts he knows. Through these tales, the son begins to understand his father's great feats and his great failings.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Atticus Finch, small town lawyer and widower, is arguably fiction’s greatest father. Atticus parents his ten-year-old son Jem and his younger sister, Scout, six, with a calm and approachable demeanour. For a man in the 1930s American South, he is a progressive. He’s against spanking, never yells, and gives his children truthful answers to difficult questions. Most importantly, for his parenting philosophy and the plot of the novel, Atticus models the behaviour he wants to see in his children.
Kramer vs Kramer (1979)
Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) is a workaholic advertising executive who has just been assigned a new and very important account. Ted arrives home and shares the good news with his wife Joanna (Meryl Streep) only to find that she is leaving him. Saying that she needs to find herself, she leaves Ted to raise their son Billy (Justin Henry) by himself. Ted and Billy initially resent one another as Ted no longer has time to carry his increased workload and Billy misses his mother's love and attention. After months of unrest, Ted and Billy learn to cope and gradually bond as father and son.
Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
Danny is only four months old when his mother dies; and at the beginning of the story, he lives with his widowed father, William, in a Gypsy caravan, where William operates a filling station and garage, and partakes in poaching pheasants. Danny thinks his dad is the most marvellous and exciting father a boy could wish for.
Compiled by Lottie Storey
Image: Alamy
Outing: Making a bus journey into an adventure PLUS a playlist
WHETHER YOU PLAY ‘CHARABANC ROULETTE’ AND GO WHERE FATE TAKES YOU, OR TAKE A SLOW CHUG IN A VINTAGE VEHICLE, LIFE LOOKS DIFFERENT FROM THE DECK OF A BUS.
On page 68 of July's The Simple Things, Julian Owen takes us on a trip down memory lane.
Need a soundtrack? Have a listen to our bus journey playlist for 41 minutes of songs to listen to while those wheels go round. Cheers drive, as they say in the west country.
FREE! My City Guides
In each issue of The Simple Things we publish a local’s insider guide to some of the coolest, most interesting and simply favourite cities to visit. As the summer holiday begins, we’re releasing one online each week in association with our friends at Inntravel – The slow holiday people
This week it’s Helsinki. Download Lauren Memarian’s guide for free
This guide was first published in June 2013 - issue 10.
Did you miss Paris, Copenhagen, Florence, Amsterdam or Marrakech? They’re still available to download.
Coming soon!
25 June – Berlin
2 July – Palma
We'll post on our Twitter and Facebook when they are published.
MY CITY is supported by INNTRAVEL, the Slow Holiday people, who have spent the last three decades exploring Europe’s most beautiful corners along the lesser-trodden path. When it comes to cities, their self-guided walking tours have been carefully researched using their own expert knowledge and insider tips from locals. These specially created routes take in the best-known sights, but also those hidden gems that others miss. Find out more by visiting http://www.inntravel.co.uk
Win! A three-night luxury glamping retreat (closed 31 July 2015)
Lantern & Larks are offering the chance to win a three-night break under the stars in the great British countryside
Imagine all the peace of an outdoor retreat in luxury canvas accommodation – with none of the faff that comes with camping. An ideal compromise! Lantern & Larks has a hand-picked collection of three beautiful sites tucked into hidden corners of the English countryside.
Sweffling Hall Farm is close to the sandy beaches of the Suffolk coast, Bleasdale in Lancashire is surrounded by the Forest of Bowland, and Exton Park in Rutland is just a few miles from the diverse wetland habitat of Rutland Water Nature Reserve, home to birds, butterflies, badgers and much more. At all the sites, you’ll enjoy a back-to-nature theme with all the essential conveniences: fully furnished rooms, hot running water, a shower, toilet, bedrooms with real beds and a kitchen. They’re all close to nearby attractions and towns, so you can spend the day exploring and come home to a barbecue over your fire pit and a chilled-out supper on your private terrace.
Whether you’re looking for a family holiday or a romantic get-away, the colonial-style luxury tents in fantastic British beauty spots provide a sense of comfort under canvas. Find out more at www.lanternandlarks.co.uk.
You could win:
A three-night Lantern & Larks stay for up to six people, including a breakfast pack, barbecue pack, campfire pack and fire pit, together worth more than £700.
Enter below before 23.59 on Friday 31 July 2015.
Read more camping posts from The Simple Things...
- Recipes: The Picnic Loaf, Sunshine Hash, Campfire Beef & Beans
- How to pitch a tent like a pro
- Britain's best wild camping spots
You can see Iceberg Press’ full terms and conditions on page 129 and at www.icebergpress.co.uk/comprules/
Moments that matter
Taking a well-earned rest by the fountain in the village square (Cerdanya, Catalunya).
Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people
Anna Potter's Instagram picks
Anna Potter is the founder of Swallows and Damsons, a Sheffield flower shop that's a treasure trove of natural, seasonal flowers, rustic posts and curiosities.
Anna describes her day in cups of tea on page 58 of June's The Simple Things, saying her favourite way to switch off is to head to Instagram.
"I dive into my Instagram world and immerse myself in the most beautiful flower feeds and inspiration."
Follow Anna's Instagram account at @swallowsanddamsons for more of her beautifully blowsy blooms (above) and dramatic vignettes (below).
Anna's favourite Instagram florists are @putnamflowers (above) and @saipua (below), both based in New York.
Anna also loves bloggers' favourite, @designsponge (below) - it's easy to see why.
If you don't already, head over to Instagram and follow @simplethingsmag for snaps from your favourite magazine.
June's The Simple Things is available from all good newsagents, supermarkets and our official online store. Sold out? Download it from Apple Newsstand or subscribe now.
How to mix the perfect gin and tonic
Gin-lovers of the world rejoice as World Gin Day returns for its seventh year on Saturday 13 June 2015! Learn how to mix the perfect gin and tonic with our expert guide.
A warm summer's evening calls for this most British of aperitifs. We asked the experts at The Gin Garden how to mix one like a pro.
The gin
Some gins are dry, some floral, some citrussy. To establish your favourite, sample a nip, neat. A good traditional gin is No 3 London Dry Gin: its juniper, balanced with sweet orange, grapefruit and cardamom, marries well with a range of tonics.
The tonic
Buy it in the smallest bottles/cans you can find, to maintain fizz. Fever-Tree is an excellent low-sugar option; Fentimans has a distinctively citrus flavour. Waitrose's own-brand tonic has won several 'blind' taste tests.
How much?
Ratio is a personal thing, some prefer 1:2, others, 1:3. We prefer 1:3 - say 50ml of gin to 150ml of tonic water.
Ice matters
Keep ice trays in zip lock bags so that your cubes don't pick up any freezer odours. Look out for an ice tray that will give you bigger cubes - they melt more slowly.
A chilled glass
Keeps your drink as cool as possible for as long as possible. Serve the Spanish way, in big balloon glasses (or red wine glasses), to let the aroma of your gin blossom.
And to finish
Add a citrus twist: using a peeler or sharp knife, shave a thumb-sized strip of rind off a lemon or lime (avoiding the pith), then squeeze, shiny side down, onto the drink to release the oils before plopping it in.
More cocktail recipes to wet your whistle.
June's The Simple Things is available from all good newsagents, supermarkets and our official online store. Sold out? Download it from Apple Newsstand or subscribe now.
FREE! My City guides
In each issue of The Simple Things we publish a local’s insider guide to some of the coolest, most interesting and simply favourite cities to visit. As the summer holiday begins, we’re releasing one online each week in association with our friends at Inntravel – The slow holiday people
This week it’s Paris. Download Nichole Robertson’s guide here
This guide was first published in May 2013 - issue 9*
Did you miss Copenhagen, Florence, Amsterdam or Marrakech? They’re still available to download.
Coming soon!
18 June - Helsinki
25 June – Berlin
2 July – Palma
We'll post on our Twitter and Facebook when they are published.
* Since this guide was published The Kooka Boora café is now called KB Café and Nichole’s favourite store, A l’Etoile d’Or, a chocolate shop, has closed (the building collapsed in 2014 after a spectacular gas explosion).
MY CITY is supported by INNTRAVEL, the Slow Holiday people, who have spent the last three decades exploring Europe’s most beautiful corners along the lesser-trodden path. When it comes to cities, their self-guided walking tours have been carefully researched using their own expert knowledge and insider tips from locals. These specially created routes take in the best-known sights, but also those hidden gems that others miss. Find out more by visiting http://www.inntravel.co.uk
Event: GROW London and ticket offer
Join The Simple Things at GROW London and take advantage of our half price ticket offer.
Taking place 19-21 June 2015, GROW London is an inspiring day out bursting with ideas on how to transform your outside space, no matter how large or small. 100 exhibitors will be offering an unrivalled selection of contemporary and classic garden furniture, rare and hard-to-find plants and flowers from some of the country’s finest nurseries, and a tempting edit of fine garden sculpture, covetable pots, planters, accessories and tools, as well as consultations with experts from the Society of Garden Designers.
We’ve teamed up with GROW London to offer you half price entry to this year’s fair. Use the code SIMPLETHINGS online at www.growlondon.com to enjoy half price access to the fair, 19-21 June 2015.
Photography by Kirstie Young
Recipe: Gooseberry and honey cake
Lia Leendertz loves a summery cake dotted with whatever fruit is in season at the allotment. This one is fragrant with gooseberries, honey, lemon and elderflower, and is the ultimate cake for afternoon tea on the lawn. Because of the fresh fruit content this is not a cake that ages well: you’ll need to finish it off within a few days. Tricky...
Gooseberry and honey cake
100g gooseberries, washed, topped and tailed
225g butter
225g ground almonds
2tsp baking powder
4tbsp honey
3 eggs
2 tbsp elderflower cordial
zest of one lemon
Equipment:
20cm cake tin
1 Heat the oven to 170C/Fan 150/325F.
2 Line the base and sides of the tin with baking parchment.
3 Firstly, the butter needs to be very soft (see below for a short cut – there isn’t always time to get it out of the fridge in advance).
4 Put all the ingredients bar the gooseberries into a large bowl and mix together, ideally with an electric whisk or in a food processor, until the mixture is fluffy and light.
5 Add the gooseberries and fold in by hand until they are well distributed.
6 Smooth the mixture into the tin and bake on a middle-to-low shelf for about an hour, until a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
7 Leave to rest in the tin for 10 mins before placing onto a rack to cool.
8 Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche, if you like, and a pot of EarlGrey.
LIA'S TIP TO SOFTEN BUTTER
My kitchen is naturally cool and my butter never really gets soft enough for easy creaming. But I have a trick. I fill a bowl with lukewarm water
– just slightly warmer than hand temperature, but no more or it will melt – then cut the butter into chunks and drop it in. I leave it to
sit for about five minutes, then drain off the water and tip the butter into my mixing bowl, as soft as can be.
This recipe is featured in June's The Simple Things. You can buy print editions from our online store, download it from Apple Newsstand or subscribe.
Want more cake recipes? Type cake into the search box and we defy you not to drool...
Competition: Win a Gaggia Baby Class Coffee Machine with Betta Living!
For those of you who love nothing more than enjoying a cup of coffee in your kitchen each morning, we’re offering you the chance to win your very own Gaggia Baby Class coffee machine - courtesy of Betta Living - worth £350.
The art of coffee making is becoming increasingly popular and having the ability to create your favourite flat white or cappuccino in the comfort of your own home is even better.
Your coffee kitchen personality
A Betta Living kitchen provides the perfect backdrop for a morning coffee; sipping a latte within the rustic charms of an arts and crafts kitchen, its romantic style and vintage themed interior making for an ideal afternoon in.
If you can’t get through the day without an espresso moment then a more contemporary setting can be found in the form of a New York style kitchen, with all the gloss and glamour of being in the city that never sleeps.
Italian heritage can be found within a Cranford charcoal and chalk mix; just like a cappuccino, this kitchen incorporates classic style with a sprinkle of modernity for a delightful weekend brunch with all the family.
Closing date: Sunday 5 July, 23.59pm
June's The Simple Things is available from all good newsagents, supermarkets and our official online store. Sold out? Download it from Apple Newsstand or subscribe now.
FREE! My City Guides
In each issue of The Simple Things we publish a local’s insider guide to some of the coolest, most interesting and simply favourite cities to visit. As the summer holiday season begins, we’re releasing one online each week in association with our friends at Inntravel – The slow holiday people
This week it’s Marrakech. Download Maryam Montague’s guide for free here
This guide was first published in November 2013 - issue 16.
Did you miss Copenhagen, Florence or Amsterdam?
Coming soon!
11 June - Paris
18 June - Helsinki
25 June – Berlin
2 July – Palma
We'll post on our Twitter and Facebook when they are published.
MY CITY is supported by INNTRAVEL, the Slow Holiday people, who have spent the last three decades exploring Europe’s most beautiful corners along the lesser-trodden path. When it comes to cities, their self-guided walking tours have been carefully researched using their own expert knowledge and insider tips from locals. These specially created routes take in the best-known sights, but also those hidden gems that others miss. Find out more by visiting http://www.inntravel.co.uk
Photography by Catherine Gratwicke.
Make: Homemade reed diffuser
The roots of homespun alchemy lie in the play of childhood – sneaking bits and pieces from the garden and mixing them in jam jars, hoping for a magical scent. This kind of experimentation is no less fun as an adult, but with these recipes from Rachelle Blondel, author of Forgotten Ways for Modern Days, you’ll get far more satisfying results. Harnessing the natural power of the likes of beeswax, nuts, seeds and rosewater, these are great weekend projects that will reward you – or, in the case of the perfume, perhaps someone else – with some gentle, natural pampering throughout the working week.
To make a reed diffuser you will need:
5-6 thin bamboo skewers
50ml surgical spirit
50ml light oil (grapeseed, sweet almond or light olive oil)
Narrow-necked vase or bottle
30-40 drops of your favourite essential oil or blend
1 Remove the pointed ends of the wooden skewers with a pair of sharp scissors and put them to one side.
2 Place the surgical spirit and oil into the vase or bottle and swirl around to mix the two.
3 Add the essential oils and swirl again.
4 Place as many skewers into the bottle as will fit, but don’t over-fill as the skewers will need space to release the fragrance.
5 Leave for several hours, swirling the liquid every now and again, then flip the skewers so that the dry ends are in the liquid.
6 You can repeat the previous step until the wood is completely saturated with the oil and then flip the skewers every couple of days to keep the fragrance wafting. The volume of oil and surgical spirit can be increased according to the size of your vase or bottle, but keep the ratio 1:1. Essential oils can be added at 10 drops to 100ml of base oil: experiment with this volume for a stronger or weaker fragrance.
Taken from Forgotten ways for Modern Days: Kitchen cures and household lore for a natural home and garden by Rachelle Blondel (Kyle Books, £14.99). Photography by Catherine Gratwicke.
There are more homemade projects in June’s The Simple Things, available from all good newsagents, supermarkets and our official online store. Sold out? Download it from Apple Newsstand or subscribe now.
Moments that matter
Savouring lunch with a view – amid the clear mountain air of Switzerland’s Engadine Valley.
Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people
FREE! My City guides
In each issue of The Simple Things we publish a local’s insider guide to some of the coolest, most interesting and simply favourite cities to visit. As the summer holiday season begins, we’re releasing one online each week in association with our friends at Inntravel – The slow holiday people
This week it’s Amsterdam. Download John Bezold’s guide for free here.
Did you miss Copenhagen or Florence?
This guide was first published in November 2012.
Coming soon!
4 June - Marrakech
11 June - Paris
18 June - Helsinki
25 June – Berlin
2 July – Palma
We'll post on our Twitter and Facebook when they are published.
MY CITY is supported by INNTRAVEL, the Slow Holiday people, who have spent the last three decades exploring Europe’s most beautiful corners along the lesser-trodden path. When it comes to cities, their self-guided walking tours have been carefully researched using their own expert knowledge and insider tips from locals. These specially created routes take in the best-known sights, but also those hidden gems that others miss. Find out more by visiting www.inntravel.co.uk