The Simple Things

Taking time to live well
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • SHOP
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Work with us
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • SHOP
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Work with us

Blog

Taking Time to Live Well

  • All
  • Chalkboard
  • Christmas
  • Competition
  • could do
  • Eating
  • Escape
  • Escaping
  • Fresh
  • Fun
  • gardening
  • Gathered
  • Gathering
  • Growing
  • Haikus
  • Interview
  • Living
  • Looking back
  • Magazine
  • magical creatures
  • Making
  • Miscellany
  • My Neighbourhood
  • Nature
  • Nest
  • Nesting
  • outing
  • playlist
  • Reader event
  • Reader offer
  • Shop
  • Sponsored post
  • Sunday Best
  • Think
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellbeing
  • Wisdom
Image: Lottie Storey

Image: Lottie Storey

Give it a grow: Beetroot

Lottie Storey July 4, 2016

WHY GROW THEM?

Don’t let the memory of eating that tasteless, shop-bought pickled beetroot put you off growing this wonderful vegetable. Try it roasted, blended (check out Ottolenghi’s incredible puréed beetroot with yoghurt & za’atar recipe) or raw to enjoy its delicious, earthy flavour, as well as benefit from all the vitamins packed within. It’s also one of those crops that can be harvested early as a baby vegetable, or left in the ground to grow to any size between a golf and a tennis ball.

WHEN TO SOW?

Sarah Raven recommends soaking seeds in warm water for half an hour before sowing in the veg patch or container. For a constant supply, sow every three to four weeks from March to July in a sunny spot and good soil. Sow thinly, so crops have a chance to form juicy bulbs, in rows about 30cm apart. You can sow more densely and pick the leaves as a tender, tasty salad crop.

WHEN TO HARVEST?

Crops are ready about 12 weeks after sowing, though pick earlier for a smaller, sweeter crop.

WHICH ONE?

‘Burpees Golden’ for its colour, ‘Chioggia’ to delight diners with its candy stripes, ‘Albinia Vereduna’, which is white so won’t stain hands and ‘Boltardy’, which, as it sounds, is bolt resistant. 

Read more from the July issue:

Featured
Jul 25, 2016
Escape: Sand, sea, surf
Jul 25, 2016
Jul 25, 2016
Jul 19, 2016
The Simple Things letterpress print
Jul 19, 2016
Jul 19, 2016
Jul 15, 2016
Dogs in blankets with Laughing Dog
Jul 15, 2016
Jul 15, 2016

More gardening posts:

Featured
Allotment Shed.jpg
May 14, 2024
Outdoors | Allotment Sheds
May 14, 2024
May 14, 2024
Kale 2.jpg
Jan 31, 2023
Veg | In Praise of Kale
Jan 31, 2023
Jan 31, 2023
Recipe: January dauphinoise
Jan 21, 2023
Recipe: January dauphinoise
Jan 21, 2023
Jan 21, 2023
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

In Growing, Miscellany Tags gardening, issue 49, july, vegetables, allotment, give it a grow
Comment

Recipe: Pea cheesecake

Lottie Storey June 30, 2016

This makes a delicious light lunch or summer starter, and uses everything but the pod itself from the pea plant. (If you want to save your pea flowers to turn into more peas, omit them or use other edible flowers.) Savoury cheesecakes are a great alternative to quiches and tarts and, as this recipe uses oatcakes for the base, it is wheat-free, too.  

Pea cheesecake

Serves 4–6 as a light lunch with salad, 8–10 as a starter
1 × 23cm spring-form tin, greased and base-lined

base tier

200g oatcakes
100g unsalted butter
parmesan crisps
20g Parmesan cheese, finely grated pea purée
100g butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
300g peas
filling
360g cream cheese
120ml double cream
4 eggs
zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
100g peas

decoration

handful of pea shoots, edible flowers (eg pea flowers, violas)

1 For base tier, put the oatcakes in a food bag and bash with a rolling pin until they are reduced to crumbs. Melt the butter, then combine with the crumbs in a bowl, mixing to coat. Press into the base of the tin in an even tier (a potato masher is the best tool here). Chill in the fridge for at least half an hour.

2 For the Parmesan crisps, preheat oven to 180C. Put 10 large pinches of grated cheese on a baking sheet, leaving space for them to spread. Place baking sheet in oven and, watching all the time, let the cheese melt into flat, slightly browned crisps. Remove from the oven and cool the crisps on the baking sheet.

3 For the pea purée, melt butter in a frying pan. Add garlic to the butter as it melts, but do not let it brown. Pour over the peas and blend to a rough purée.

4 For filling, whisk cream cheese, double cream, eggs and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add the pea purée, season, and whisk again until everything is incorporated. Stir in the whole peas. Pour filling over the base tier and bake for 35–40 mins until the cheesecake does not wobble when the tin is shaken, and the top is golden.

5 Turn the cheesecake out onto a plate, scatter over the pea shoots and flowers. Nestle the Parmesan crisps among them. Serve warm, with a peppery side salad.

Recipe from Grow Your Own Cake by Holly Farrell (Frances Lincoln) Photography Jason Ingram

 

Read more from the July issue:

Featured
Jul 25, 2016
Escape: Sand, sea, surf
Jul 25, 2016
Jul 25, 2016
Jul 19, 2016
The Simple Things letterpress print
Jul 19, 2016
Jul 19, 2016
Jul 15, 2016
Dogs in blankets with Laughing Dog
Jul 15, 2016
Jul 15, 2016

More summer recipes: 

Featured
JUNE PLAYLIST.png
May 22, 2024
Playlist | Songs for a barbecue
May 22, 2024
May 22, 2024
Crop dessert pizza Rebecca Lewis.jpg
May 18, 2024
Recipe | Nectarine & Apricot Pudding Pizza
May 18, 2024
May 18, 2024
Gathering Coleslaw.jpg
Aug 13, 2022
Recipe | Summer Veg Coleslaw with Coriander
Aug 13, 2022
Aug 13, 2022
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

In Eating Tags issue 49, summer, july, recipe, pea
Comment

Explore: July cover reveal

Lottie Storey June 29, 2016

Open the curtains and seize the day. There’s no better time than summer for exploring. What will you do? Perhaps pick your own cherries, swim in a stream or stay in a caravan. This could be the year you learn to sail or even just make a new cocktail. Lie still for a while among the buttercups, watch the bees and smoke from the barbecue. Holidays are memory makers; you’ll remember when you learned about jellyfish, ate cactus and stayed in a beach house. To explore is to go on a journey. Take one this summer with The Simple Things. 

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

More from the July issue:

Featured
Jul 25, 2016
Escape: Sand, sea, surf
Jul 25, 2016
Jul 25, 2016
Jul 19, 2016
The Simple Things letterpress print
Jul 19, 2016
Jul 19, 2016
Jul 15, 2016
Dogs in blankets with Laughing Dog
Jul 15, 2016
Jul 15, 2016
Jul 14, 2016
Escape: Caravan holidays
Jul 14, 2016
Jul 14, 2016
Jul 13, 2016
Escape: How to read water
Jul 13, 2016
Jul 13, 2016
Jul 12, 2016
Rules of the game: Croquet
Jul 12, 2016
Jul 12, 2016
In Magazine Tags july, cover reveal, issue 49
Comment

Competition: Win a year's supply of award-winning meat boxes

Lottie Storey June 27, 2016

TRADITIONAL METHODS, NATIVE BREEDS AND A WHOLE LOT OF LOVE ARE THE KEY INGREDIENTS FOR THE BEST BARBECUES AND MOST COMFORTING CASSEROLES

From the green hills and red soils of Devon, Pipers Farm produces slow-grown, 100% grass-fed, sustainable meat. And the farm is offering readers the chance to win a meat box every month for a year, including native Red Ruby beef, Saddleback pork, properly free-range chicken, Suffolk lamb and gluten-free sausages and burgers.

Pipers Farm believes in producing food in harmony with nature, encouraging a diverse ecosystem to inhabit the farm alongside the livestock. So fields remain small, with 400-year-old hedgerows marking their boundaries. And Pipers has championed other small family farms who are raising native breeds in a traditional way.

With a commitment not only to high animal welfare but also to creating a truly delicious product, Pipers Farm has received high praise from foodies such as Jamie Oliver (being featured on Chicken Out and Jamie Saves Our Bacon) and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and was named as one of Rick Stein’s ‘food heroes’.

Winning dinners

The farm is also one of the most decorated food producers in the country, having scooped a multitude of awards, including numerous Great Taste gold awards for its range of delicious meat.
Choose from boxes including The Big Breakfast, Student Survival , BBQ, Wellness or Offally Good – they even do a Doggy Bag box for your pet.

How to enter

Enter below by 15 August. You can see Iceberg Press’ full terms and conditions on page 129 of July's The Simple Things and at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules. The prize comprises a meat box delivered to your door once a month for 12 months, packed with seasonal cuts, to arrive on a day arranged with the winner. Each box is Pipers’ ‘box of the month’ and is worth £30. 

 

ENTER NOW
 

More competitions:

Featured
gtc competition.png
Sep 19, 2018
Competition | Win £500 to spend at Garden Trading
Sep 19, 2018
Sep 19, 2018

 

 

In Competition Tags issue 49, july, competition
1 Comment

Recipe: Vietnamese vegetable summer rolls

Lottie Storey June 27, 2016

These pretty, light rolls are delicious with a piquant sauce

 

Makes 14

80g vermicelli rice noodles
14 edible rice papers
14 butterhead or other soft lettuce leaves
100g beansprouts
14 thin carrot batons, peeled
14 thin cucumber batons
2 handfuls fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
14 fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, sliced

For the dipping sauce:
4 tbsp hoisin sauce
4 tbsp peanut butter
lime juice to taste

1 Prepare the dipping sauce by mixing together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

2 Cook the vermicelli according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and set aside.

3 Soften the rice papers. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Carefully and slowly dip the rice papers in one by one. Leave each one for about 20 seconds until totally soft. Lay the rice papers out on a dry cloth as you finish.

4 On top of each rice paper, arrange a lettuce leaf (trimmed to size if needed) a small handful of vermicelli and a small handful of beansprouts. Add carrot, cucumber, herbs and chilli, always keeping about 5cm of wrapper uncovered on each side of the filling.

5 Fold the uncovered side inwards, then tightly roll the rice paper into a sausage shape around the filling. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

6 Serve the rolls chilled with the dipping sauce on the side. 

 

Recipe from Modern Dim Sum by Loretta Liu. Photography: Louise Hagger (Ryland Peters & Small)

Read more from the July issue:

Featured
Jul 25, 2016
Escape: Sand, sea, surf
Jul 25, 2016
Jul 25, 2016
Jul 19, 2016
The Simple Things letterpress print
Jul 19, 2016
Jul 19, 2016
Jul 15, 2016
Dogs in blankets with Laughing Dog
Jul 15, 2016
Jul 15, 2016

More recipes from around the world:

Featured
Jan 11, 2016
Food from Afar: Som Tam
Jan 11, 2016
Jan 11, 2016
Food from afar: Bento box
Sep 24, 2014
Food from afar: Bento box
Sep 24, 2014
Sep 24, 2014
Food from afar: Pintxos recipe
Jun 4, 2014
Food from afar: Pintxos recipe
Jun 4, 2014
Jun 4, 2014
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

In Eating, Escaping Tags recipe, food from afar, issue 49, july, summer
Comment

Festivals 2016: The Simple Things

Lottie Storey June 25, 2016

We’re taking time to switch off at some of the finest festivals this summer. Come along to enjoy good food, being outdoors, interesting music and a chance to learn a thing or two.

The Simple Things will be at the following festivals, you can find out more and book tickets at the links below

Caught by the River

6-7 August, Fulham Palace, London

Two remarkable days of music, arts and nature. Gathering bands and brewers, authors and artists, thinkers and drinkers on the banks of the River Thames

Valley Fest

2-4 September, Chew Magna, Somerset

Smile 'til your cheeks ache. Family fun in beautiful countryside. Dancing, music, movies and top-notch sustainable food.

The Good Life Experience

16-18 September, Hawarden Estate, Flintshire

A weekend of fun and discovery. Music, books, food and the great outdoors for all the family

Readers of The Simple Things will get 10 per cent off festival tickets until the end of July – quote TGLESIMPLE to claim your discount. For more information and tickets visit thegoodlifeexperience.co.uk

In Escape Tags festivals, summer, ticket offer, issue 49
Comment

Competition: Win a luxury bell tent worth £650

Lottie Storey June 19, 2016

Come rain or shine, you’ll be the envy of any campsite you head to this summer with The Glam Camping Company’s stylish ‘Sugar & Spice’ tent, a luxury four-metre bell tent, exclusively designed in the UK. Devised with an Indian summer theme, it is beautifully appointed with wooden poles and pegs, porthole windows in the doors, contrast trims and handmade, golden, bell-tipped bunting.

If showers threaten, you’ll stay toasty in this tent, which features a fully zipped-in PVC groundsheet and a heavy duty outer in 100 per cent cotton canvas, which is fully waterproofed, PU-coated, mould and rot resistant and comes with its own canvas bag.

The ‘Sugar & Spice’ bell tent is ideal for glamping trips away, as well as kids’ sleepovers, wedding celebrations and garden parties.

In addition to its beautiful bell tents, The Glam Camping Company also has a fantastic range of handpicked essentials. Whether you’re heading to the beach, the countryside or venturing no further than your back garden, it offers everything you need for outdoor fun, from vintage-style windbreaks, stunning picnic and barbecue essentials, pretty sleeping bags and throws and a gorgeous selection of lights and lanterns to add a touch of sparkle to your gathering.  

How to enter

Enter now

 

Enter by 15 August 2016. You can see Iceberg Press’ full terms and conditions on page 129 and at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules

The prize consists of a Sugar & Spice 4m bell tent, including poles and pegs, bag and full instructions. The tent will be delivered to the lucky winner by 3 September.

 

Enter more competitions:

Featured
gtc competition.png
Sep 19, 2018
Competition | Win £500 to spend at Garden Trading
Sep 19, 2018
Sep 19, 2018

More from the July issue:

Featured
Jul 25, 2016
Escape: Sand, sea, surf
Jul 25, 2016
Jul 25, 2016
Jul 19, 2016
The Simple Things letterpress print
Jul 19, 2016
Jul 19, 2016
Jul 15, 2016
Dogs in blankets with Laughing Dog
Jul 15, 2016
Jul 15, 2016
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

 

In Competition Tags issue 49, july, competition, camping
Comment

Listen: Journeys playlist

Lottie Storey June 19, 2016

Something for your holiday? Listen to our songs about journeys. 

Listen now

 

Read more from the July issue:

Featured
Jul 25, 2016
Escape: Sand, sea, surf
Jul 25, 2016
Jul 25, 2016
Jul 19, 2016
The Simple Things letterpress print
Jul 19, 2016
Jul 19, 2016
Jul 15, 2016
Dogs in blankets with Laughing Dog
Jul 15, 2016
Jul 15, 2016

More playlists from The Simple Things:

Featured
Screenshot 2025-09-15 at 11.39.43.png
Sep 17, 2025
Playlist | Sunday songs
Sep 17, 2025
Sep 17, 2025
Screenshot 2025-07-17 at 17.31.48.png
Jul 17, 2025
Playlist | Everybody's Talkin’
Jul 17, 2025
Jul 17, 2025
July playlist.png
Jun 18, 2025
Playlist | Fruit
Jun 18, 2025
Jun 18, 2025
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

 

In Escape Tags issue 49, playlist, journeys, summer
Comment

Recipe: Smoked bitter chocolate

Lottie Storey June 19, 2016

In July's The Simple Things, we throw a grown-up barbecue; where veggies and even desserts go on the grill. Ben Tish is chef director at the Salt Yard Group, which runs four restaurants in London. Recipes are taken from his new book Grill Smoke BBQ. 

Try the recipe for Smoky bitter-chocolate puddings with melting whipped cream on page 39 - you can just use plain chocolate (at least 70% cocoa) or try this recipe for smoked bitter chocolate.   

'Smoked chocolate is a revelation, whether you eat it raw or melted and cooked into a pudding. At Ember Yard, we tried several methods and types of chocolate but found that those with a cocoa content of 70% or more works best. I’ve used pistols (buttons) as they are all the same size, so they absorb the smoke evenly. It’s imperative that you leave the chocolate for 24 hours after smoking to allow the flavours to settle and balance.' Ben Tish

Smoked bitter chocolate

Makes about 250g (9oz)

250g (9oz) bitter chocolate (at least 70% cocoa) buttons, or a block cut into small, even-sized chunks
You’ll also need a cold-smoking device and some oak wood dust

Set up the cold-smoking device in the barbecue with the wood dust and get it going.

Place the chocolate in a single layer on a baking sheet. Transfer to the barbecue, then close the lid and vent and cold-smoke the chocolate for 45 minutes. Transfer the chocolate to a container, seal and leave for24 hours before using.

Read more from the July issue:

Featured
Jul 25, 2016
Escape: Sand, sea, surf
Jul 25, 2016
Jul 25, 2016
Jul 19, 2016
The Simple Things letterpress print
Jul 19, 2016
Jul 19, 2016
Jul 15, 2016
Dogs in blankets with Laughing Dog
Jul 15, 2016
Jul 15, 2016

More Gathering recipes:

Featured
Orange Galettes Cathy Pyle.jpg
Aug 9, 2020
Recipe | Orange and Cardamom Galettes
Aug 9, 2020
Aug 9, 2020
R&C jellies Photo Jonathan Cherry Recipe Bex Long.jpg
Mar 14, 2020
Recipe | rhubarb jelly and custard pots
Mar 14, 2020
Mar 14, 2020
Banoffee pie Catherine Frawley.JPG
Feb 12, 2020
Recipe | Banoffee pie
Feb 12, 2020
Feb 12, 2020
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

In Eating, Gathering Tags issue 49, chocolate, pudding, gathering, barbecue
Comment
Image: Katharine Davies

Image: Katharine Davies

Don't mind that roses have thorns, be glad that thorns have roses

Lottie Storey June 19, 2016
In Magazine Tags issue 48, june, back cover
Comment

FREE! Reykjavík city guide

David Parker June 15, 2016

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 re-publishing some of them to download, in association with our friends at Inntravel – The slow holiday people

Download Jenna Gottlieb's Reykjavík guide for free here. This guide was first published in July 2015.

You can also download guides to Helsinki, Paris, Copenhagen, Florence, Amsterdam Berlin, or Palma by clicking on the links.

You’ll find a resident’s guide to Bristol for the July EXPLORE issue, on sale now. Or you can buy here

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

 

In Escape Tags Reykjavík, Iceland, city guide, Inntravel, Slow holidays
Comment

Competition: Win a PRIMUS Onja Stove from the new CampFire range! (closed 18 July 2016)

Lottie Storey June 15, 2016

As the temperature rises and thoughts turn to entertaining family and friends outdoors, Swedish stove brand Primus has the perfect solution for cooking up culinary delights.  Made using smart Scandinavian design and sustainable ingredients, CampFire is a beautifully crafted three-strong range of double burner stoves, high quality pots, pans and accessories that are perfect for outdoor dining and entertaining.

Out of the three double burner stoves in the range ONJA (SRP: £105) is a show-stopper stove made from a unique blend of stainless steel, oak, brass, cloth and leather.  We’ve got an ONJA stove to give away to one lucky winner.

Compact and portable, it’s easy to assemble and pack away, yet suitable for large pots for cooking up culinary treats outdoors.  Plus there’s no need for expensive, heavy gas cylinders as the all the stoves run off easy-to-buy self-sealing LP gas cartridges.  Simply cook, eat, laugh, pack up, pop on your shoulder and plan your next outdoor culinary adventure.

Find out more about the Primus range.

Enter now - closing date 18 July 2016:

Enter now

You can see Iceberg Press’ full terms and conditions on page 129 of June's The Simple Things and at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

More competitions:

Featured
gtc competition.png
Sep 19, 2018
Competition | Win £500 to spend at Garden Trading
Sep 19, 2018
Sep 19, 2018

 

More from the June issue:

Featured
Jun 19, 2016
Don't mind that roses have thorns, be glad that thorns have roses
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Recipe: Lavender lemonade
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 8, 2016
Gardening: Make your own organic fertiliser
Jun 8, 2016
Jun 8, 2016
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

In Competition
Comment
Recipe: Lia Leendertz, photography: Kirstie Young

Recipe: Lia Leendertz, photography: Kirstie Young

Recipe: Lavender lemonade

Lottie Storey June 13, 2016

A refreshing, sweetly herbal fizzy drink for the moment the lavender is at its most fragrant, just as the flowers are starting to open. Add a shot of gin for an adult version.

Makes 6 glasses

500ml water
200g caster sugar
10 lavender flower heads, plus more for decoration
12 lemons
fizzy water

1 Place the water, sugar and lavender flowers into a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Simmer very gently for ten minutes, before removing from the heat and leaving to cool completely. Transfer to a jug or jar, lavender flowers and all, and chill.

2 When you are ready to serve, squeeze the lemons into a jug, tip in the lavender syrup and top up with fizzy water, aiming for about a third of each ingredient. Serve over ice with a lavender stalk and a piece of lemon. 

For more of Lia Leendertz's Seed to Stove midsummer menu, including Gravadlax with dill yoghurt and crispbreads, Latvian midsummer cheese, and Strawberry, apricot and cherry shortcake, turn to page 24 of June's The Simple Things.

 

More from the June issue:

Featured
Jun 19, 2016
Don't mind that roses have thorns, be glad that thorns have roses
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Recipe: Lavender lemonade
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 8, 2016
Gardening: Make your own organic fertiliser
Jun 8, 2016
Jun 8, 2016

 

Read more Seed to Stove recipes:

Featured
sun bread.jpg
Dec 21, 2021
Bake: sun bread for Yule
Dec 21, 2021
Dec 21, 2021
May 2, 2021
Recipe: Wild garlic bannocks with asparagus pesto
May 2, 2021
May 2, 2021
Jul 25, 2020
Recipe: Deep-fried courgette flowers with broad bean, pea and mint puree and basil pesto
Jul 25, 2020
Jul 25, 2020
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

In Eating, Growing Tags seed to stove, issue 48, june, lemonade, drink, recipe, lavender
Comment
Image: Kirstie Young

Image: Kirstie Young

Gardening: Make your own organic fertiliser

Lottie Storey June 8, 2016

As well as needing protection from insects and diseases, plants need nutrients, too, particularly if they grow in pots or hanging baskets. Making your own organic fertiliser from comfrey is as simple as making sprays – and very satisfying.

Comfrey is easy to grow, though it is best in a container, as it is rather vigorous.

1. Harvest leaves from the base of the comfrey plant and remove stems. 

2. Chop the foliage and pack tightly into a container with a lid, as the solution can smell as the leaves break down. 

3. Use a brick to weigh down the leaves.

4. After a few weeks, top up with fresh leaves and collect the liquid, storing it in a cool, dark place.

5. Dilute the liquid, one part comfrey to 10 parts water.

6. Water with a rose head for a potassium-rich liquid fertiliser to encourage flowers and fruit to set. 

7. Add ash to the water to boost nutrients for greedy plants such as broad and runner beans, courgettes, cucumbers and squash.

 

Read more from the June issue:

Featured
Jun 19, 2016
Don't mind that roses have thorns, be glad that thorns have roses
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Recipe: Lavender lemonade
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 8, 2016
Gardening: Make your own organic fertiliser
Jun 8, 2016
Jun 8, 2016

 

More gardening posts:

Featured
veg posy Stocksy.jpeg
Jul 26, 2025
Gardening | Make a Veg Bed Posy
Jul 26, 2025
Jul 26, 2025
@docleaves.jpg
Jul 16, 2024
Word Origins | Up The Garden Path
Jul 16, 2024
Jul 16, 2024
Topiary for cloud pruninng.jpg
Jul 20, 2023
Try Out | Cloud Pruning
Jul 20, 2023
Jul 20, 2023
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

In Nest, gardening Tags issue 48, june, homemade, gardening
Comment

Make: Homemade gardener's hand scrub

Lottie Storey June 7, 2016

Give your hands some TLC. Just because you like to get your hands dirty, doesn’t mean you want them to stay dirty. This hand scrub will combat the perma-dirt that any keen gardener is familiar with.

Homemade gardener's hand scrub

Makes 300-350g scrub

60g coconut oil, melted
60ml liquid castile soap
225g sugar
10 drops rosemary essential oil
10 drops peppermint essential oil
5 drops tea tree essential oil


1 In a medium bowl, combine the coconut oil, castile soap and sugar. Let the mixture cool, then stir vigorously with a spoon. This will “whip” the oil for a pourable but creamy texture.
2 Stir in the essential oils then scrape the scrub into a clean jam jar. The hand scrub will last six months, though the scent may fade. If the scrub begins to separate, just give it a good stir.

To use: Wet hands, spoon a generous dollop of scrub into your palms. Scrub away, paying particular attention to the sides of the fingers and crease lines where dirt likes to stick. Rinse.

Extract from The Hands-On Home: A Seasonal Guide to Cooking, Preserving, and Natural Homekeeping by Erica Strauss (Sasquatch Books). Photography by Charity Burggraaf
 

Read more from the June issue:

Featured
Jun 19, 2016
Don't mind that roses have thorns, be glad that thorns have roses
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Recipe: Lavender lemonade
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 8, 2016
Gardening: Make your own organic fertiliser
Jun 8, 2016
Jun 8, 2016

More homemade cosmetics: 

Featured
Dec 26, 2016
Christmas Survival Tummy Tonic
Dec 26, 2016
Dec 26, 2016
Oct 8, 2016
Make: Luxurious Body Butter
Oct 8, 2016
Oct 8, 2016
May 31, 2016
Homemade rose face cream
May 31, 2016
May 31, 2016
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

In Making Tags homemade, home remedies, hand scrub, issue 48, june, gardening
Comment

Sponsored post: PRIMUS CampFire

Lottie Storey June 6, 2016

As the temperature rises and thoughts turn to entertaining family and friends outdoors, Swedish stove brand Primus has the perfect solution for cooking up culinary delights.

Made using smart Scandinavian design and sustainable ingredients, CampFire is a beautifully crafted three-strong range of double burner stoves, high quality pots, pans and accessories that are perfect for outdoor dining and entertaining.

Out of the three double burner stoves in the range ONJA (SRP: £105) is a show-stopper stove made from a unique blend of stainless steel, oak, brass, cloth and leather.  Compact and portable, it’s easy to assemble and pack away, yet suitable for large pots for cooking up culinary treats outdoors.  Plus there’s no need for expensive, heavy gas cylinders as the all the stoves run off easy-to-buy self-sealing LP gas cartridges.  Simply cook, eat, laugh, pack up, pop on your shoulder and plan your next outdoor culinary adventure.

Clever little touches to the range include stackable stainless steel pots with integrated colanders in lids that can be packed away neatly into a storage bag; a utensils kit, complete with oak and stainless steel knives and accessories, that’s held in a polycotton wrap that can rolled out flat or hung; a cutlery set that packs neatly into a leather sleeve; and a utility sack with a watertight roll top closure – handy for carrying water or food in, then taking home used cutlery, plates after a memorable outdoor cooking experience.

In Sponsored post Tags sponsored post, camping
Comment

Dogs in blankets with Laughing Dog

Lottie Storey June 6, 2016

MURPHY, JACKAPOO, 4 YEARS

“Stop there! No access without a pawsword! Why all the mystery? Well, when not scampering around and chewing things, I’ve been plotting a top-secret plan for dogs to take over the world. It may look like I’m hiding in blankets but they’re actually high-tech, instant-activation, cat- resistant habitation units being issued to each canine comrade around Britain. Instructions will follow imminently, along with emergency biscuits and a cunning disguise. Next step, world domination. But, first, perhaps, a nap.”

Tweet a pic of your #dogsinblankets @simplethingsmag
#doghappy @laughingdogfood

 

Dogs in blankets is brought to you in association with Laughing Dog

Three generations ago, our bakers discovered that slow-baking was the secret to creating deliciously tasty food. By oven-baking we can protect the wholesome goodness of our farm-grown ingredients, creating a delicious taste loved by even the fussiest of dogs.

 

 

To discover more about Laughing Dog’s mission to bake the nation dog happy, visit laughingdogfood.com. Save 25% on your first order! Quote ST16 when ordering

Read more from the June issue:

Featured
Jun 19, 2016
Don't mind that roses have thorns, be glad that thorns have roses
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Recipe: Lavender lemonade
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 8, 2016
Gardening: Make your own organic fertiliser
Jun 8, 2016
Jun 8, 2016
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

In Miscellany, Sponsored post Tags dogs in blankets, dogs, issue 48, june
1 Comment

Recipe: Cherry pie

Lottie Storey June 2, 2016

‘No one does fruit pies quite like our cousins across the pond. When I lived in North America, I ate more than my fair share of pie. I couldn’t pass a bakery or coffee shop without being lured in by golden sugared crusts spilling with bubbling, sweet fruit fillings. This is my version of the ubiquitous cherry pie. I use a small heart- shaped cookie cutter to make holes in the top crust, and it always goes down a storm. Eat it for afters with a mug of ‘joe’, like in Twin Peaks.’ - Rosie Birkett

Cherry pie

SERVES 8

for the pastry
2 tbsp granulated sugar
260g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
40g ground almonds pinch of salt
180g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 large egg, beaten
1 tbsp demerara sugar, for sprinkling

for the filling
100g good-quality black cherry jam
1 tbsp cherry brandy, kirsch or amaretto (optional)
1⁄2 tsp grated nutmeg
1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cornflour, mixed to a paste with 2 tsp cold water
500g fresh black or red cherries, pitted and halved

1 For the pastry, put the sugar, flour, ground almonds, salt and butter in a food processor, and blitz until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the motor running, add 3 tbsp of the egg and 2 tbsp of ice-cold water, and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together into a dough.
2 Divide the dough into two, flatten each portion into discs, wrap each disc in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
3 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F and grease a 24cm pie dish. Remove a disc of pastry from the fridge, unwrap it and roll it out on a floured work surface to 3mm thick and about 2cm wider than the dish. Transfer to a floured baking sheet and chill for 10 minutes. Repeat this with the remaining disc of pastry.
4 Heat the jam for the filling in a saucepan with 100ml water, the alcohol (if using), nutmeg and the vanilla extract. When it’s all melted together, add the diluted cornflour, and stir together until smooth and thickened. Add the cherries and gently coat them in the mixture, being careful not to mush them up. Remove from the heat and set aside. 
5 Using a floured rolling pin, transfer one of the chilled pastry sheets to the greased pie dish and drape it across
the dish. Let it sink into the dish, and, holding on to the edges, lift and tuck the pastry into the edges of the dish, all the way round, to line it. Trim off any excess pastry, and lightly prick the base with a fork. Fill the dish with the cherry filling. Use a pastry cutter to cut holes in the remaining pastry sheet, covering an area just smaller than the diameter of the pie dish, leaving a large border intact. Place it
over the pie filling, and fold the edge of the top crust over the edge of the bottom crust, crimping it together with your fingers to seal.
6 Brush the pastry with the remains of the beaten egg and sprinkle over the demerara sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, until the crust is golden, and then reduce the oven temperature to 180C/Fan 160C/350F, covering the top of the pastry with foil if need be, and bake for a further 35–40 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden and firm. Allow to cool and serve with cream.

Rosie Birkett is a food writer, food stylist and home cook living in Hackney, east London. Her book, A Lot On Her Plate (Hardie Grant) speaks of her love of a good meal and enthusiasm for food generally.

 

Read more from the June issue:

Featured
Jun 19, 2016
Don't mind that roses have thorns, be glad that thorns have roses
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Recipe: Lavender lemonade
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 8, 2016
Gardening: Make your own organic fertiliser
Jun 8, 2016
Jun 8, 2016

More recipe posts:

Featured
Orange Galettes Cathy Pyle.jpg
Aug 9, 2020
Recipe | Orange and Cardamom Galettes
Aug 9, 2020
Aug 9, 2020
R&C jellies Photo Jonathan Cherry Recipe Bex Long.jpg
Mar 14, 2020
Recipe | rhubarb jelly and custard pots
Mar 14, 2020
Mar 14, 2020
Banoffee pie Catherine Frawley.JPG
Feb 12, 2020
Recipe | Banoffee pie
Feb 12, 2020
Feb 12, 2020
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

In Gathering, Eating Tags issue 48, june, gathering, cherries, cherry pie, pie, pastry
Comment
Image: Unsplash

Image: Unsplash

Homemade rose face cream

Lottie Storey May 31, 2016

When the roses are in bloom all things floral become a little addictive. Make like a kid and stir up a summer potion for your dressing table 

MAKES: 175ml
KEEPS: 6–12 months

INGREDIENTS
100g coconut oil
25ml avocado oil
1 tbsp honey
5 tsps rosewater
10–15 drops rose (or rose geranium) essential oil

METHOD
1 Melt the coconut and avocado oils and honey in a bain-marie. Warm the rosewater in a separate bowl in the bain-marie.
2 Remove from heat, and whisk the oil and honey mixture, adding a drop of rosewater.
3 Keep whisking and adding rosewater until you’ve used all of it, then whisk until it starts to solidify. Add the essential oils and whisk until well blended.
4 Keep in a sterilised jar.

Courtesy of Lynn Rawlinson. Found in The Domestic Alchemist: 501 Herbal Recipes for Home, Health and Happiness by Pip Waller (Leaping Hare Press). 

Turn to page 123 of June's The Simple Things for more Miscellany wisdom. 

 

More Domestic Alchemist herbal recipes:

Featured
Dec 26, 2016
Christmas Survival Tummy Tonic
Dec 26, 2016
Dec 26, 2016
Oct 8, 2016
Make: Luxurious Body Butter
Oct 8, 2016
Oct 8, 2016
May 31, 2016
Homemade rose face cream
May 31, 2016
May 31, 2016

Read more from the June issue:

Featured
Jun 19, 2016
Don't mind that roses have thorns, be glad that thorns have roses
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Recipe: Lavender lemonade
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 8, 2016
Gardening: Make your own organic fertiliser
Jun 8, 2016
Jun 8, 2016
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

In Making, Miscellany Tags issue 48, june, home remedies, the domestic alchemist, roses, beauty
Comment

June cover reveal

Lottie Storey May 26, 2016

The promise of summer is a measure of hope. We eagerly await its sunshine, which brings outdoor living, picnics and trips to the sea. So now it’s here, let’s make the most of it. Set a table in the garden and gather friends in the long evening light. Stay up late to see the stars or rise early and run while there is still dew on the grass. Be busy in the veg plot but make time to smell the roses. Take a moment for a midsummer celebration with fresh cheese, honey and homegrown berries. The glass is always half full when you remember The Simple Things. 

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

 

From the June issue:

Featured
Jun 19, 2016
Don't mind that roses have thorns, be glad that thorns have roses
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Recipe: Lavender lemonade
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 13, 2016
Jun 8, 2016
Gardening: Make your own organic fertiliser
Jun 8, 2016
Jun 8, 2016
Jun 7, 2016
Make: Homemade gardener's hand scrub
Jun 7, 2016
Jun 7, 2016
Jun 6, 2016
Dogs in blankets with Laughing Dog
Jun 6, 2016
Jun 6, 2016
Jun 2, 2016
Recipe: Cherry pie
Jun 2, 2016
Jun 2, 2016
May 31, 2016
Homemade rose face cream
May 31, 2016
May 31, 2016
May 26, 2016
June cover reveal
May 26, 2016
May 26, 2016
May 25, 2016
Escape: Wide open space
May 25, 2016
May 25, 2016
In Magazine Tags issue 48, june, cover reveal
Comment
  • Blog
  • Older
  • Newer
Featured
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well
Aug 29, 2025
Aug 29, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Order our new Celebrations Anthology

Pre-order a copy of Flourish 4, our new wellbeing bookazine 

Listen to our podcast – Small Ways to Live Well

Aug 29, 2025
Join our Newsletter
Name
Email *

We respect your privacy and won't share your data.

email marketing by activecampaign
facebook-unauth twitter pinterest spotify instagram
  • Subscriber Login
  • Stockists
  • Advertise
  • Contact

The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

facebook-unauth twitter pinterest spotify instagram