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Taking Time to Live Well
Songs to trigger your imagination and let you ponder...
Photography: Kirstie Young
With fragrant leaves and flavour-bomb seeds, sweet cicely is as tasty as it is easy to grow. On page 45 of May’s The Simple Things, Lia Leendertz proves sweet cicely’s worth in delicious salads, puds and aperitifs
A shrub is an old method of preserving fruit by boiling it with vinegar and sugar, creating a sharp concentrated syrup that is hugely refreshing topped up with soda water, or used in a cocktail, as here. Rhubarb and sweet cicely are natural friends, the sweet cicely bringing out the fruit’s sweetness.
To make the shrub:
Makes about 500ml
250ml white wine vinegar
200g granulated sugar
1kg rhubarb, chopped into pieces
A handful of sweet cicely leaves, roughly chopped
1 Put the vinegar and the sugar into a large saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.
2 Add the rhubarb and simmer until the fruit has disintegrated and the liquid is pink. Remove from the heat, add the sweet cicely leaves, and stir.
3 Allow to cool and then strain the mixture through a muslin into a sterilised jar.
To make the Aperol cocktail:
Rhubarb and sweet cicely shrub
Aperol
Soda water
Put a couple of ice cubes into a tall glass. Fill a third of the glass with the rhubarb and sweet cicely shrub and the next third with Aperol, then top up with soda water.
May is National Walking Month and the charity Living Streets is urging us to walk for 20 minutes a day as part of its Try20 campaign.
If you need motivation, try one of these:
An out of Africa experience can be had closer to home, if you know where to look. Find exotic and native wildlife on your doorstep (or near enough) on page 64 of May’s The Simple Things. Or read on for our picks of safari glamping and armchair safaris.
Safari-style tents for glamping with wildlife on the doorstep
Bear Lodge, Port Lympne, Kent
Family-sized tents look out across the safari park’s rhino, bear and cheetah paddocks aspinallfoundation.org/port-lympne
Knepp Safaris, near Horsham, West Sussex
The Knepp Castle Estate’s rewilding project on arable land. Keep a night vigil for bats, owls and nightingales in your own bell tent or yurt.
kneppsafaris.co.uk
Bleasdale Estate, Lancashire
Wake to the dawn chorus and watch wild deer from a canvas retreat in the Forest of Bowland. lanternandlarks.co.uk
Cledan Valley, Carno, Powys
Hide out at this secluded site and you might spot otters or hares, and red kites overhead. cledanvalley.co.uk
Spy on shy species via these webcams (David Attenborough-style commentary, optional)
The ospreys of Loch Garten return each year between April and August to nest at the RSPB’s Abernethy reserve in Scotland.
rspb.org.uk/lochgarten
Grey seals haul out on the spit at South Walney Island.
cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk
The comings and goings of waders and waterfowl at the Wildfowl and Wetfland Trust in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire are mesmerising.
wwt.org.uk/slimbridge
Life inside a bat cave (the roost where some of Devon’s greater horseshoe bats hang out) is just as topsy-turvy as it sounds.
devonbatproject.org
The colony of Atlantic puffins that breeds on Burhou, a small island off Alderney in the Channel Islands, is beamed live from an offshore camera between April and July. teachingthroughnature.co.uk
Turn May’s bank holidays into a reason to invite friends over, to linger over cocktails, moreish nibbles, a savoury tart and salad. The trick is not to plan anything too formal – just a chance to enjoy good company and the garden in its ready-for-summer prime. Dust down the garden furniture, hang the fairy lights and let the sun set on your holiday-at-home weekend in style.
Tangy mustard and sweet tomatoes with creamy cheese – the vibrant colours of the veg in this line-up celebrate spring’s fresh flavours
Serves 6
1 readymade sheet puff pastry
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
250g ricotta
5 small tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. Lightly grease a tart dish with butter and line with the puff pastry, leaving an overhang to allow for shrinkage. Leave to rest in the fridge for 20 mins.
2 Spread the mustard over the pastry base then top with ricotta. Slice the tomatoes and dot them on top of the cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3 Bake for 35 mins until the pastry is cooked and the filling firm to touch. Leave to cool in the dish for a couple of mins before turning out to cool on a wire rack. Serve hot or cold.
Turn to page 24 of May’s The Simple Things for more of our long weekend get together menu, including Blueberry & thyme gin & tonic, Pear & blue cheese crostini, Roasted broccoli & quinoa, Parmesan crackers, Caramelised onions, Grape & raisin salad with honey mustard dressing and Raspberry & pistachio pavlovas.
Make the most of a special discount voucher code for readers of The Simple Things - get 20% off all body & bath and home fragrance products from Beefayre, plus free postage for orders over £40.
Made in the Uk and inspired by nature and the plight of the honeybee, Beefayre donates 3% of profits to bee conservation.
All the candle and room diffusers are made from natural wax and oils, with unique printed glassware that can be reused as vases or tea lights holders.
The designs are hand drawn by artist and founder Sharon Jervis, who takes her inspiration from the British countryside and the plants and herbs that bees forage on.
Visit the Beefayre website for more information.
The rich, sweet scent of vanilla is one many of us find familiar and comforting. Making your own vanilla extract is easy and economical, but you do need to be patient as it takes a couple of months to infuse.
Use it to make this versatile spray, which freshens up bedlinen and doubles up as a body and hair mist (any leftover extract can be dabbed on as a perfume or added to cakes, of course).
DIY VANILLA EXTRACT
8 whole vanilla pods (fresh with a strong smell of vanilla)
500ml spiced rum (such as Captain Morgan or any good-quality brandy, unflavoured vodka, bourbon or dark rum)
Pint-size mason jar with lid
Cling film
Slice each vanilla pod lengthwise and chop into tiny pieces. Add the chopped vanilla to the mason jar, then fill the jar with rum. Place a piece of cling film over the top of the jar and screw on the lid. Shake for one minute.Store the jar in a dark cabinet for two months, shaking daily for 10–15 seconds. There’s no need to strain the vanilla bits, just leave in the jar. The flavouring will get stronger and more aromatic as it ages.
LINEN SPRAY
2 tbsp vanilla extract*
2 tbsp purified water
Add the vanilla extract and water to a 60ml dark glass spritzer bottle, screw on the top, and shake vigorously. Set aside for 24 hours. Store at room temperature away from heat and light and use within one year. Shake before spritzing on sheets and pillowcases.
Recipe from Making Love Potions by Stephanie L Tourles (Storey).
* If you don’t have time to make your own, use an extract made with Madagascar Bourbon or Tahitian vanilla pods.
A lilac bush is the most bountiful of plants, festooned with frothy blooms and swathed in a heady scent
Snip off a few branches and bring armfuls inside – it won’t miss them. Put the blooms in a suitable vase, bottle or jug, relish the prettiness of the tiny mauve flowers and inhale deeply.
Heavenliness ensues.
Photography: Steve Painter
Made with oil rather than butter, this citrussy cake is light as a feather, bringing to mind warm summer evenings. Enjoy with a digestif for a fine end to a meal
2 large lemons
125g plain our, sifted
5 egg yolks and 4 egg whites
220g caster sugar
180ml olive oil
tsp salt
Decoration:
250g icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon
You will need:
23cm round loose-bottom or springform cake tin, greased and lined with baking parchment
1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. Finely grate the zest from both lemons and mix together with the flour. Halve one of the lemons and squeeze the juice into a small bowl.
2 Place the egg yolks and 150g of the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or use a hand-held electric whisk and large mixing bowl) and beat on high speed until thick and pale, about 3 mins.
3 Reduce the speed to medium and add the olive oil and 2 tbsp of the lemon juice, beating until just combined (the mixture may appear separated). Use a spatula to stir in the flour mixture until just combined.
4 Place the egg whites and salt into another large, grease-free mixing bowl. Make sure the whisk is completely clean, then whisk on medium-high speed using a hand-held electric whisk until foamy. Add the remaining 70g sugar gradually, whisking continuously until the egg whites form soft peaks, about 3 mins. Gently fold one-third of the whites into the cake mixture, before folding in the remaining whites thoroughly.
5 Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and gently tap against the work surface to release any air bubbles. Bake in the preheated oven for 40–50 mins or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
6 Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, transfer to a serving plate.
7 To decorate, place the icing sugar into a bowl and mix in the lemon juice using a hand whisk or fork until it’s a pouring consistency similar to double cream. Gently pour over the cake, allowing it to drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle with grated lemon zest and serve.
Recipe from Lola’s: A Cake Journey Around the World by Lola’s Bakers and Julia Head (Ryland Peters & Small).
This huge, decorative bloom is a sunflower you can enjoy all year
YOU WILL NEED:
Assorted colours of tissue paper
Scissors
Fuzzy pipe cleaners
1 Carefully stack approximately 12 sheets of tissue paper, lining up all the edges carefully. The flower pictured uses four yellow sheets for the centre, these are stacked on top, then two or three white and then six sheets of orange. (To make smaller versions, just omit the inside yellow pieces and use fewer sheets, cut smaller, for the outer petals.)
2 Start to fold all sheets over at the same time in 5cm folds. Now fold back the other way, and repeat accordion-style until you have folded all the paper.
3 Unfold all the paper carefully and take out the yellow paper that will be used for the centre of the flower. Fold the yellow paper back in pleats, then fold the folded paper in half widthways. Trim off half of the unfolded ends.
4 Make 5cm-long cuts into the trimmed edge of the folded yellow paper.
5 Now fold the white and orange sheets back up together and fold in half widthways. Trim the unfolded edges together with a rounded edge for your petals. If you find them too thick to trim all together, do half at a time.
6 Carefully unfold all of your papers, place them back in their original stacked order and then fold them back up all together in the concertina style.
7 Fold this in half and wrap a pipe cleaner through the centre of the folded tissue paper. Twist to secure.
8 Starting with one side of the yellow paper, gently pull out and fluff up one piece of the tissue. Separate each piece as you work through the layers of the tissue paper. Be careful not to pull too hard on the papers as they rip easily.
9 Continue on the other side, gently separating and pulling up each piece of tissue paper and fluffing it until you have a full flower shape.
Adapted from Decorate for a Party by Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring (Jacqui Small)
Things you might want to do this month (no pressure!)
What would you add? Come over and tell us on Facebook or Twitter.
Image: Calum MacAulay/Unsplash
Why is it that we are so hard on ourselves - and other women? In their new book – WE: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere (Thorsons) – Gillian Anderson and Jennifer Nadel explore how we can transform criticism into compassion. Turn to page 38 of May's The Simple Things for more from Gillian and Jennifer, or try these two mindful exercises:
BEING IMPERFECTLY PERFECT
If we don’t embrace our so-called imperfections then how can we expect anyone else to?
GAINING PERSPECTIVE
This exercise will connect you to that which really gives your life meaning.
1 Have your journal ready and then centre yourself by taking five deep breaths in and five slightly longer breaths out. Close your eyes and imagine you are a much older version of yourself, coming to the end of your life. Look back at your time and ask this older you what has really mattered. What are you glad to have experienced, and what do you care about most?
2 Open your eyes and write down what the older you has to say. Stay in this future state with your wiser self until you feel she has given you all you need to know.
3 Now close your eyes again and allow yourself to time travel back to today. Centre yourself in the present. Take a look at what you wrote down and think about how you spend your time now.
How much of your energy is focused on the things on your list? How many of the items on your list have to do with looks, achievements and material possessions? How many are about relationships and love? If you keep this list in mind you’ll find that the awareness it gives you will gently result in your priorities starting to shift.
The boom in restaurants serving brunch is unstoppable and, while the joys of going out for this most leisurely meal are not to be sniffed at, hosting brunch at home is even better and costs a great deal less. Not only do you handpick your guests (no rowdy people or ill-behaved kids on neighbouring tables), but you can collapse on the sofa with the papers afterwards.
Brunch feels very modern but the term was first coined in an 1895 feature in British magazine Hunter’s Weekly, which described the meal as “cheerful, sociable... it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” All of which is as true today.
The great advantage of this hybrid meal is that it is easy to assemble and doesn’t involve fancy cooking, table-laying and general showing-off like a dinner party might. It’s an easy-like-Sunday-morning affair, laden with everyone’s favourite carbs (Bagels! Toast! Waffles! Muffins!), eggs cooked in various ways and lashings of juice and Bloody Marys. It’s unhurried, unpretentious and the antidote to weekend hangovers. The king of meals. We love it.
As this is the most laidback meal there is, there are no rules. But a few pointers might help make yours even more chilled, so here you go:
Turn to page 114 of May's The Simple Things for more of our look at Brunch.
Just around the corner... Bank holidays conjure thoughts of summer and sun-filled days off. All the excuse you need to treat your wardrobe with our White Stuff discount
Why let the reality of a British summer get in the way of a wardrobe update? The promise of fine weather, getting outdoors – or even abroad – is our cue to don lighter fabrics, shorter lengths and embrace a bit of seasonal colour.
The new summer collection from White Stuff covers the shift from spring to summer seamlessly. There are great staples, covetable holiday buys and summer-friendly separates you can take anywhere from park to picnic to party. Throw-on-and-go jumpsuits, embroidered jackets and leather tote bags are all on our wishlist.
To celebrate the launch of their new summer collection, White Stuff has teamed up with The Simple Things to bring you this brilliant offer on all fashion and accessories, in shops or online. To save 20%, simply take your copy of May's The Simple Things to your local White Stuff shop or visit whitestuff.com/thesimplethings.
Terms and conditions:
*This 20% reduction is valid in White Stuff shops and online at whitestuff.com until 26 May 2017. The offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or in White Stuff outlet shops and concessions. Offer applies to full-price items only and excludes selected footwear. Offer cannot be used to buy gift cards and charity items. Prices correct at time of printing.
Plants need only four things to flourish – light, soil, nutrients and water. Our own list of needs seems more complex but it is actually much the same. The light-filled days of late spring lift our mood; getting our hands dirty while planting and sowing is earthily satisfying; while food and drink is nourishing and there’s a joy in sharing it. Learning from nature is an ancient idea – and one that works when we take the time to understand it.
Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe
View the sampler here
Buy back issues, subscribe or try our sister mag, Oh Comely
A rainy walk with friends or family feels somehow enlivening, as if you’re defying the weather, having fun and making memories... even when water gets in your wellies
“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing”
Lake District fellwalking legend Alfred Wainwright (originally from a Norwegian adage)
Feel the rain on your skin, see it drip through a hazel leaf funnel onto the forest floor. Touch the bark of a gnarled, rough oak or a smooth, grey beech trunk made dark by running water. Run your fingers over a velvety bracket fungus. As the sun comes out from behind a cloud, find a clearing and hold your face to the sky. A free dose of Vitamin D, courtesy of spring.
Hear the squelch and suck of wellies in gloopy mud, splash through a puddle, or linger on a bridge over a babbling brook. Hush up a little and you’ll notice birdsong all around, maybe a woodpecker at work. If the wind picks up, the branches creak and groan in an arboreal conversation that makes you believe in magical creatures. Big kid or little kid, climb a tree and feel the breeze whistle through the branches around you.
Turn to page 24 of April's The Simple Things for more of our April Showers ideas.
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
Wear our Slapdash Patches and show your support for ‘good enough’
Illustration: RACHEL WARNE
Even if your garden is really tiny, it can still produce an abundance of delicious food. All you need is a planter and a plan.
We’ve all been there; you get lots of seeds you fancy but are not sure when, where or how to plant them, so you just stick them in soil, water, and hope for the best. If you don’t succeed, it can be hard to work out why.
Some plants grow well together, others don’t. Some crops will need other plants to give them shelter and support to grow to their best, others prefer open space and to be left alone to get on with it.
With natural planting, you create a diverse pocket of wildlife in an urban space and one that will provide rich tastes, colours and textures.
If you follow the simple planting plans on page 105 of May's The Simple Things, you’ll realise how easy growing your own food can be. They are designed for 1 sq m raised beds but are scaleable and feature plants that work well together, as nature intended. If you don’t like a particular vegetable then replace it with something similar that likes the same conditions. The plans allow you to grow several crops at different heights, each of which provide symbiotic benefits, resulting in more food. This means less watering, no digging, few weeds and no chemicals. Result!
Below is a plan for edible perennials.
If you don’t have a lot of time, or just think that growing annuals is a bit of a waste of energy, then you could grow plants that keep going for years and years, and indeed only get better over time.
· At least 4-6 hours of full sun
· Water every other day
· 1-2 hours a week of your time
· Eating your veg within 25-30 days
Consider using a portion of your plot for perennial crops, which live for a long time so you’ll only need to plant them once to get harvests for many years. They’ll also need less watering once they’re established, as they will develop more extensive root systems than annual or biennial crops. Some of these vegetables, such as the artichokes and asparagus, will actually need a few years to establish before you can harvest them, but after that they will go on and on. Others, cavolo nero and rainbow chard, for example, should provide you with a crop within a season, but they are perennial so they should see you through many years. Fruit trees, like a delicious apple or pear, are a good perennial choice as they keep producing year after year. I'd suggest either going with rhubarb or a dwarf fruit tree. Even if you don’t have a lot of space you can grow these – choose a dwarf tree, place it in any container and it will fruit for you. Other fruit, such as strawberries, are perennial too and won’t need much attention either.
Taken from The City Grower by Matt Franks (Kyle Books)
In September's The Simple Things we meet Sebastian Pole, herbalist, tea-maker and co-founder of Pukka who turned his fascination with herbs into one of the biggest do-you-good cuppa brands, learning a few life lessons along the way. Read the interview on page 32.
Try Pukka’s quiz to discover your dosha, designed to help you understand more about yourself, what’s good for you and what’s not. It's an amazing way to find out more about who you are and provides tips for your own personal health and happiness – including ways in which you can sleep better.
The theory behind the quiz comes from ancient wisdom that has passed down for centuries in India, through a system known as Ayurveda, which actually means ‘the art of living wisely’.
To start you have to find out what your ‘dosha’ or body-mind type is, you’ll then be able to know what helps you thrive the most; what foods to eat, what exercises are best for you and what relationship types of other body/mind types suit you best. It even gives an insight into how each different type typically responds to the need for sleep. In essence, it brings you special insight about your health, informing your choices and decisions that you make everyday.
Following the wisdom of Ayurveda there are said to be three constitutional types; “wind (vata), fire (pitta) and water (kapha). They destroy or maintain the body, according to whether they are sick or healthy.”
We all want to be healthy so that we have the best chance to enjoy and fulfil our potential in life. But excellent health seems to be such a complicated subject that it is not always easy to know how to achieve this holy grail. Although at first it might appear an alien concept, understanding your constitutional dosha goes a long way in helping you to realise your perfect health.
In Ayurveda your personal constitution is known as prakriti, which means ‘nature’, as in your inherent genetic type. Ayurveda teaches us how to find out what our constitution is by observing who we are and how we feel. And this lesson is a very simple and enriching one. As you learn what your real nature is you can live a truly authentic life – a life that suits you and allows your health to flourish.
This quiz will give you an example of your current state of health. The result you get after the test gives you an idea about how balanced your health is at the moment. You will probably be a mix of each of the dosha but it is likely that one will dominate. You have to be something. Each of the dosha have some advantages and some disadvantages. By following the recommendations appropriate for your constitution, Ayurveda can help you fulfill your potential and to be really comfortable in who you are.
So, if you feel inspired, run through the quiz questions to determine your Ayurvedic constitution...and Pukka will send you some life-changing insights every now and then that will add clarity and colour to your life.
To discover your dosha, head to the Pukka site to take the quiz...
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.
