How to make egg box firelighters

Made from recycled material, these are super eco-friendly and non toxic

You will need:
Ends of candles
Empty baked beans (or other) tins
Egg cartons
Some sheets of newspaper
Sawdust
Scissors

1 Place the candle stubs in a rinsed out baked beans tin and place in a bain marie with a couple of inches of water.
2 Turn the heat on low to gently melt the candle wax.
3 Remove the lid from the egg boxes and place on a few sheets of newspaper to protect your worktop.
4 Put a large pinch of sawdust in the bottom of each egg holder.
5 When the wax is liquid, fill each egg holder to about half full.
6 Wait until completely cooled and set, before using scissors to cut up into individual firelighters.
The egg cartons light really easily and the sawdust acts like a wick for a candle, keeping it lit more than long enough for the fire to get going.

Idea from sugarandloaf.com/cottages/the-stable-at-huntington, who use these lighters for their wood-fired hot tub and Kotlich outdoor cooking pot/fire pit.
 

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Make: Detoxifying matcha tea face mask

This wonderful green paste may make you look like a witch temporarily but will cast a spell on your skin, leaving it refreshed and glowing

1 tsp matcha tea powder
1 tsp yoghurt

1 Put the matcha tea powder in a bowl and stir in the yogurt to make a smooth paste.
2 Apply to a cleansed face and relax for 15 minutes.
3 Remove gently with tepid water and enjoy a healthy glow.

Why it works
Matcha tea is high in vitamins, antioxidants, polyphenols, flavonoids and minerals. It is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and draws out impurities. Yoghurt is moisturising and nourishing.

From All Natural Beauty by Karin Berndl and Nici Hofer (Hardie Grant). 

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Recipe: Coffee, walnut and maple porridge

A bowl of hot porridge made with a cup of home-brewed coffee (that’s coffee to put in the porridge, rather than drink), toasted walnuts and a drizzle of syrup is tasty fuel to kickstart those midwinter mornings when getting out from under your duvet is almost unbearable. Toast walnuts in advance to build in extra snooze time.

This recipe for winter morning fuel comes from the co-owner of London-based Danish restaurant Snaps+Rye

MAKES 2–3 BOWLS
2 tbsp chopped toasted walnuts
125g jumbo oats*
250ml full-fat milk
250ml home-brewed coffee 

TOPPING
Drizzle of maple syrup

1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. Place the walnuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 15 mins, turning after 5 mins.
2 Meanwhile, put the oats, milk and brewed coffee in a pan and cook over a medium heat for 5–10 mins.
3 Remove the walnuts from the oven and leave to cool.
4 Spoon the porridge into the bowls, top with the toasted walnuts and drizzle over a little maple syrup.

Recipe from Spoon by Annie Morris and Jonny Shimmin (Hardie Grant). Photography: Hugh Johnson

* Jumbo oats lend themselves perfectly to full-fat milk, you get a creaminess that you cannot be achieved from other milks.

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Weekend project: Brioche tin candles

On a gloomy January day, why not take a bit of comfort from the relaxing glow of a candle? 

These projects offer bright ideas for refashioning bits you may well already have about into candleholders – then strategically place around the home, for instant cheer. We even tell you how to make – and scent – the candles themselves.

A quick word about wax. These projects use soy, which is made from vegetable oil (paraffin candles use petroleum oil). Soy candles have a longer burn time and less black soot than a paraffin equivalent. Using soy also means you can add essential oils to scent them – try vanilla oil for the hint of freshly baked brioches, or mosquito-repelling citronella oil to conjure balmy summer nights (remember those?). To get even fancier, you can buy colour wax flakes or add dyes. For wicks and wax, try Hobbycraft (hobbycraft.co.uk).

Brioche tin candles

Turn your old tins into something as sweet as the bread itself

Makes three candles
You will need:
3 x 10cm pre-waxed wick assembly
3 small brioche tins or metal jelly moulds, roughly 150ml capacity
Glue dots or glue gun
6 wick-supporting sticks (or wooden cooking skewers cut in half)
750g flaked soy wax – about 225g (or roughly twice the volume of your tin) for each candle
6 small elastic bands
Small pan or metal mixing bowl
Large saucepan
Old spoon
Scissors

1 Fix the wick assembly to the centre of the bottom of your tins by using a glue dot or a dab of hot glue from a glue gun. 
2 Take the supporting sticks or skewers in pairs and bind them together by wrapping a small elastic band around them at either end. Use the skewers to hold the wicks vertically by resting them across the rim of each tin, the wicks pinched firmly between the skewers. 
3 Put the wax in a small pan or bowl and set the bowl in a pan of water on the hob over a medium heat. Add about three drops of fragrance oil (if using) to the wax. When melted, the wax will appear completely clear. Use your spoon to stir the oil into the wax.
4 Pour a small amount of the liquid wax 5 into the bottom of your prepared tins to just cover the metal wick assembly in each one. Leave to harden for about ten minutes. This is to make sure that the wicks stay in place for the main pour in the following step.
5 Return the pan to the hob to ensure the wax is fully melted, then pour it into your tins to within about 6mm of the top edges and leave to cool and harden fully. If the wax dries with a small dip around the wick, top it up with more melted wax and thinly cover the surface of the candle evenly.
6 Using scissors, trim the wicks to about 12mm from the top surface of the wax. Leave your candles for at least 24 hours before lighting.

Adapted from Take a Tin by Jemima Schlee (GMC, available from thegmcgroup.com)

Turn to page 113 of January’s The Simple Things for two more candle projects: gold painted hurricanes and a candle in a jar. 

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My kitchen is for dancing

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A could-do list for January

Things you might want to do this month (no pressure!)

Turn up your internal central heating with spicy stews and aromatic teas

Have your sledge at the ready for the first snowfall

Enjoy the peace and order that this month brings

Take a pot of steaming soup to a friend or neighbour in need

Change your route for a month and notice new things around you

What would you add? Come over and tell us on Facebook or Twitter. 

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Finding hygge

January is full of possibilities. Plans and hopes and dreams. As it should be at the start of things. But no need to rush. The warmth of hearth and home is what we need during these dark midwinter days. Appreciating what we have and where we live, embracing being indoors, cosy and comfortable together — a hygge life. Let your mind wander while you sit; make the case for adventure, for exploring the unfamiliar, for strange languages, for the mountains and for the stars and where they could lead you. 

January’s The Simple Things is all about hygge. Pronounced hue-gah, hygge is a Danish word to portray a feeling or mood that comes taking genuine pleasure in making ordinary, every day moments more meaningful, beautiful or special. Get your copy now for plenty of ideas to try this month. 

We might not have the snow here but you can pretend you’re in Scandinavia with one of these fun Nordic experiences. If you can’t beat them and all that...

l If you’re going to Paris and fancy a very different experience, head to the Insitut Finlandais and spend the night in a Finnish wood cabin (above). The cabins are a temporary installation (until May) designed in a pared-back Nordic style and guests will be treated to a taste of the Finnish hospitality with a traditional breakfast and themed events from music to film screenings. kotisleepover.com

l There’s plenty of hygge to be had in London this winter. At Southbank Winter Festival (until 25 January) pop into the Rekorderlig Cider Lodge to sample the new Spiced Plum cider and huddle round firepits with bowls of Swedish food. Or go to Winter Wigwam in Hoxton and feast at a long table, warm up with hot mead by the fire and join a hair braiding or ukulele session. queenofhoxton.com

l It’s bound to be chilly in Scotland but keeping warm is easy in the new 40ft loch-side sauna with panoramic views of Loch Tay in the Taymouth Marina. When it all gets too sweaty, you can jump into the loch to cool off before cosying up by the firepit.
taymouthmarina.com

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Christmas: Share your favourite decorations with The Simple Things

It's one of the best bits of Christmas... Getting the box of decorations out of storage for another year and opening it up. The first glimpse of those favourite baubles, the ones that take pride of place year after year, always make us smile. Even though we like to add to our collection every year, the continuity of the heirloom decorations is reassuringly peaceful - a tonic before the madness of the Christmas rush sets in. 

The Simple Things team would love to see which decoration embodies Christmas for you so, before you take down your tree, take a high res snap and send it to us. 

Email: thesimplethings@icebergpress.co.uk

Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @simplethingsmag

Hygge: January cover reveal

January is full of possibilities. Plans and hopes and dreams. As it should be at the start of things. But no need to rush. The warmth of hearth and home is what we need during these dark midwinter days. Appreciating what we have and where we live, embracing being indoors, cosy and comfortable together — a hygge life. Let your mind wander while you sit; make the case for adventure, for exploring the unfamiliar, for strange languages, for the mountains and for the stars and where they could lead you. Happy New Year from The Simple Things.

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Hangover-busting body oil

It’s worth having this uplifting body oil ready for those dreaded hangovers that can take you by surprise at this time of year. After the first obvious step of a bacon sarnie, try taking a hot shower, then applying this soothing tonic

Things you’ll need:
3 tbsp jojoba oil
3 tbsp almond oil
8 drops eucalyptus essential oil
8 drops peppermint essential oil
8 drops lavender essential oil
4 drops tea tree essential oil
4 drops geranium essential oil

1 This is the easiest of recipes. Simply combine all the oils in a glass bottle and shake until they’re mixed and ready. Use this body oil after a refreshing shower and, voilà, hangover no more!

Why this works...
Eucalytpus is invigorating and purifies the body. Peppermint supports digestion, improves focus, boosts energy, helps to clear headaches and eases muscle pain. Soothing lavender has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Tea tree reduces bad odours and can help to stimulate the immune system. Geranium helps skin to stay healthy. Jojoba oil contains vitamin E and has high levels of antibacterial iodine. Almond oil calms irritation and is moisturising. 

Taken from All Natural Beauty by Karin Berndl and Nici Hofer (Hardie Grant). 

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Christmas Survival Tummy Tonic

Settles the stomach after overindulging in rich foods, making it as much of a festive essential as sprouts and brandy butter

MAKES: 415g
KEEPS: 1 year
INGREDIENTS
Dried ground herbs: 
15g angelica root
15g chamomile
15g liquorice
15g marsh mallow root
15g artichoke roots or milk thistle seeds
340g jar of runny honey

1 Mix the ground herbs thoroughly with the honey to make a paste or thick syrup.
2 Take 1–2 tsp in a glass or cup of hot water, 1–3 times daily for as long as needed.

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

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Merry Christmas from The Simple Things

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Christmas: Boxing day walks

Cheek-chilling walks, daredevil dips or a day at the races, turn to page 74 of December’s The Simple Things for plenty of energetic ideas to persuade you from your sofa to make a day of it on the 26th

Read on for three Boxing Day walks with a twist.

Go with a guide

Joining a guided walking tour can bring a whole new dimension to your country ramble or parkland stroll. Check out the National Trust (nationaltrust.org.uk). Hinton Ampner in Hampshire,
is holding a four-mile tour around the estate led by the head gardener; at Bodiam Castle in East Sussex a guided walk also offers an exclusive preview of the castle interiors followed by a breakfast bap.

Take to the streets

Explore the urban landscape on your doorstep. You may think you’ve seen it all before, but have you? Stop to read plaques and signs, take the turns you usually pass by, and discover a new-found love for those familiar streets (see our feature on urban walks in October 2016, issue 52).

Set up a treasure hunt

It’s just not Christmas without a quiz. Add a bit of fun and healthy competition to your festive walk by setting up a Christmas- themed treasure hunt. The prize? The last of the mince
pies of course! 

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Pukkapedia: Herbs to help rebalance

Many of us take the new year as a cue to give our bodies an MOT, with rebalancing what we eat as good a place as any to start. Nature’s medicine cabinet contains many cleansing plants.

Fennel, a key ingredient of Pukka’s Detox tea, is great for easing nausea and indigestion and can help to reduce the other physical effects of alcohol. A warm cup of fennel tea will help to relieve digestive ailments, making it a handy hangover tonic and a gentle cleanser.

Marvellous matcha
Matcha is made from a special type of powdered green tea. It’s packed full of antioxidants which help to fight free radicals built up by pollution, exposure to alcohol and those not-so-healthy party foods. Sip this tea, perhaps with a squeeze of lemon, the next time you feel the need to rebalance your body. Or try Pukka’s Clean Matcha Green.

Turn to page 15 of January’s The Simple Things for more rebalancing herbs, including Mint, Ginger, Rosemary, Chamomile, Parsley and Turmeric.

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Competition: Win a copy of The Wicked Plants Coloring Book

Some plants are the root, berry and bark of all evil. In January’s Miscellany we take a look at the darker side of horticulture.

In The Wicked Plants Coloring Book, Amy Stewart and Briony Morrow-Cribbs offer up 40 menacing plants in gorgeous, vintage-style botanical illustrations to colour. from the vine that ate the South to the weed that killed Lincoln’s mother to the world’s deadliest seed. 

We’ve got five copies to give away. Enter below

ENTER NOW

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Listen: Scandi playlist

Some are moody – some, poppy: songs with a Nordic soul to make you feel cooler.  

Listen to our Scandi playlist

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WIN! A walking holiday worth £600

Have a breath of fresh air and head into the hills with a three-night guided walking break with HF Holidays

There’s a drama that comes with mountain ranges and rolling hills. Snowdonia, the Scottish Highlands, the Lakes... the UK is home to some spectacular mountain scenery – close enough to home to be enjoyed in a short break. Walking specialist HF Holidays has teamed up with The Simple Things to give away a guided walking break for two, staying at one of its 19 country houses. Your first challenge? Deciding where to go... 

HF Holidays has been organising walking trips for more than a century, so the company knows its stuff. All of its UK guided walking breaks come with a choice of walks each day – easier, medium, harder – which means you can pick a route to suit your mood/the weather/energy levels.
As well as bases at Derwent Water in the Lakes, Glencoe and two properties in Snowdonia, highlights include escapes in the Yorkshire Dales, the Cotswolds and Peak District, and coastal getaways from Northumberland to Dorset. All HF Holidays UK locations are within National Parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Its country houses can be as sociable or relaxed as you like. 

Walk together during the day or explore independently. Meet up in the bar before dining with fellow walkers. Each house offers a different experience; from legendary packed lunches to dedicated boot rooms, maps and books galore… If you’re new to walking, opt for one of HF Holidays’ taster breaks – self-guided and guided walks, from gentle rambles to longer hikes. And there are experts on hand to give advice on everything from boots to routes. 

For more info, visit hfholidays.co.uk/taster or call 0345 470 7558

HOW TO ENTER

For your chance to win a three-night guided walking break for two on a full-board basis at a country house in the UK, courtesy of HF Holidays, enter below

ENTER NOW

The winner gets to choose from any of HF Holidays’ UK country house locations, subject to availability and some peak-season restrictions. You have until 31 October 2017 to take your holiday. And you cannot transfer it or swap it for cash. The closing date for entries is 8 February 2017.

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Christmas: How to light your Christmas pudding

These methods will set off your plum pudding with aplomb

These two loved and trusted ways of getting a fabulous flame on your pud both rely on the same essentials – that is getting your brandy, your serving implement and the pudding itself warm. Our additional serving suggestions include keeping your audience calm and seated, and moving anything flammable well out of range.

FLASH IN THE PAN

1 Pour cooking brandy into a small pan and gently warm until it begins to start steaming.
2 Tip to the side of the pan, then light.
3 Angle the pan away from you and pour over a warm pudding.

LADLE IT ON

1 Fill a metal ladle or large metal spoon about three-quarters full of cooking brandy.
2 Heat over a flame.
3 Carefully tip the candle flame towards the brandy to light.
4 Pour your flaming brandy over the top of the pudding. 

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How to be a better caroller

Hark! The herald angels sing... more harmoniously by following our suggestions

While these tips won’t magically gift you the voice of an angel, they will improve what you’ve got, or at least make you more confident about it.

Take the stand

Singing is a lot about breathing. Stand with legs apart, chest lifted up, and shoulders back to help with air flow.

Stay hydrated

Step away from the egg nog. Water keeps vocal cords hydrated and happy.

Open wide

To create air space within your mouth, your tongue should be forward, touching your bottom teeth; your mouth open (long, not wide).

Tune in...

Singing with others is great for aspiring improvers – listen to other voices to work out when you’re getting it right. Resist the opportunity to belt it out – mid-volume is better.

... and keep going

Stronger voices come with practice, so keep carolling, whether in the shower or the car, and by next year you should be ding donging merrily on high. 

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Christmas: Gingerbread tree decorations

Edible tree baubles with built-in festive fragrance, as well as heaps of homemade charm

Makes 20
180g dark brown sugar
4 tbsp golden syrup
100g unsalted butter
350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
11⁄2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg, beaten

For the icing
White icing pen or ready-to-use decorating icing (transferred to an icing syringe) – both available from Lakeland or Hobbycraft

1 Melt the sugar, syrup and butter together in a pan. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
2 Tip the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon and beaten egg into a large bowl. Add the syrup mixture and stir to combine. Gently knead in the bowl to form a soft, streak-free dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
3 Remove from the fridge and set aside to soften for about 5 mins. Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F and line two baking trays with baking parchment.
4 Dust a work surface with flour, roll out the dough to around 1⁄2 cm thick, cut out your shapes and place on the lined baking trays. Keep re-working the dough until you have used it all. If you’re hanging the biscuits, make holes for the string – a skewer or chopstick works well.
6 Bake for 8–10 minutes, until a darker brown. While still hot and on the baking sheet, sharpen up the holes with your chosen instrument, before transferring to racks to cool.
7 Once completely cool, decorate the biscuits with white icing, then loop through some string for hanging.

More scents of Christmas on page 24 of December’s The Simple Things, including Orange pot pourri, Filo mince pies, Pine drawer sachets, Chestnut and mushroom pate and Herb smudge wands.

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