Christmas | Know your festive lights

There are certain things in your home that are like good friends: they always cheer you up. This month we feel the love for festive lights 

The advent of LED bulbs has meant that fairy lights now come in various permutations, last for ages and are low voltage. Powered by transformers, they can connect up to 1,280 bulbs. Most can twinkle, flash, fade, chase or just be still.

String: a single length of cable, usually clear or green, with a variety of uses, from tree
decoration to trailing along mantelpieces and scattering among trees.
Most are 8m in length with about 80 LEDs. Cost: £19.99.

Icicle: a fringe of different lengths of lights best positioned over windows or from eaves. Most come in 2m lengths but each set is connectable and can be extended to a total length of 20m.
Cost: £17.99 for 2m.

Curtain: a 2m line of vertical strands, each 1m long, that look good hanging from a banister or lining a wall for a full-on twinkly grotto effect. Low voltage, so they don’t get warm and can safely hang alongside fabric. Indoors only. Cost: £27 for 2x1m curtain.

Net: a mesh of fairy lights that can be draped or hung, or used to net furniture or foliage. Cost: £34.99 for a 2x2m net.

All from lights4fun.co.uk    

Turn to page 140 of December's The Simple Things for more from The Comfort of Things festive feature.

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

View the sampler here

More from the December issue:

More Christmas posts:

Christmas | LAST ORDERS for giftwrapped subscriptions to The Simple Things

Make someone’s Christmas. A gift wrapped subscription is the gift that keeps on giving.

** Last order date: 17 December **

Who’s the special person in your life who would love recipes for slow food shared with friends, inspiration for home and garden, and learning new skills?

ALL WRAPPED UP

• They’ll enjoy 12 months of The Simple Things delivered to their door.
• We’ll giftwrap the first issue of their subscription in brown paper and string and send it (just in time for Christmas) along with a Christmas card on your behalf. Want to hand over the first issue yourself? That’s fine, too – just let us know in the box on the order form.
• Just £44 – saving 26% on the usual cover price.

To order this brilliant Christmas present, use code GIFTWRAP17. Visit ICEBERGPRESS.CO.UK/CHRISTMAS or call 020 7415 7238

We are a small team so at busy times we may be an answerphone – leave us a message and we’ll call you back.

Terms and conditions: Saving compares to buying 12 full priced issues from the UK newsstand. This o er is for UK subscriptions only – if you’d like a giftwrapped subscription and live overseas, then please contact us. Giftwrapped issues will be the January 2018 issue and will be delivered in time for Christmas. Last order date: 17 December 2017. Prices correct at point of print and are subject to change. For full terms and conditions please visit icebergpress.co.uk/tandc.

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

View the sampler here

More from the December issue:

More Christmas ideas:

Make | Marbled tree baubles

Give baubles a quick marble makeover courtesy of bright nail varnish 

You will need:
Colourful thread or string
Scissors
White Christmas tree baubles in various sizes (try hobbycraft.co.uk)
Large bowl
Nail varnish in two colours, here orange and lilac

1 Attach a piece of string to a Christmas tree bauble. Fill a large bowl with enough lukewarm water to completely submerge the bauble (leaving room for displacement).
2 Add a few drops from each of the bottles of nail varnish to the water. The nail varnish will form a thin, colourful film on the surface.
3 Now immerse the bauble completely in the bowl, holding the cap and ring to push it underwater.
4 A thin layer of nail varnish will coat the bauble. Hang it up to dry for a couple of hours.

Taken from Supercraft Christmas by Sophie Pester and Catharina Bruns, (Dorling Kindersley).

Turn to page 38 of December's The Simple Things where we celebrate the role of the bauble in Christmases past, present and many more into the future.

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

View the sampler here

More from the December issue:

More weekend projects to make:

A could-do list for December

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

• Take a night-time walk to see the Christmas lights
• Remember your time is as valuable as any present
• Aim to do one small act of kindness every day
• Do things one at a time rather than multi-tasking
• Replace perfect with good enough
• Sing, dance, play and smile...!
• Write down what you really want this Christmas to be like and start from there
  
  What would you add? Come over and tell us on Facebook or Twitter. 

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

View the sampler here.

More from the December issue:

More could-do lists:

Christmas | Giftwrapped subscriptions to The Simple Things

Make someone’s Christmas. A gift wrapped subscription is the gift that keeps on giving.

As with our regular weekend projects, preparation is key when it comes to Christmas. Which is why we don’t think it’s too early to consider our lovely giftwrapped subscription. Who’s the special person in your life who would love recipes for slow food shared with friends, inspiration for home and garden, and learning new skills?

ALL WRAPPED UP

• They’ll enjoy 12 months of The Simple Things delivered to their door.
• We’ll giftwrap the first issue of their subscription in brown paper and string and send it (just in time for Christmas) along with a Christmas card on your behalf. Want to hand over the first issue yourself? That’s fine, too – just let us know in the box on the order form.
• Just £44 – saving 26% on the usual cover price.

To order this brilliant Christmas present, use code GIFTWRAP17. Visit ICEBERGPRESS.CO.UK/CHRISTMAS or call 020 7415 7238

We are a small team so at busy times we may be an answerphone – leave us a message and we’ll call you back.

Terms and conditions: Saving compares to buying 12 full priced issues from the UK newsstand. This o er is for UK subscriptions only – if you’d like a giftwrapped subscription and live overseas, then please contact us. Giftwrapped issues will be the January 2018 issue and will be delivered in time for Christmas. Last order date: 17 December 2017. Prices correct at point of print and are subject to change. For full terms and conditions please visit icebergpress.co.uk/tandc.

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

View the sampler here

More from the December issue:

More Christmas ideas:

Recipe | Soft gingerbread tiles with rum butter glaze

A tin of Ottolenghi’s fabulously festive biscuits will prove invaluable over the coming weeks. Serve to unexpected guests with a pot of coffee, offer to eager little hands searching for something sugary, or simply dip in whenever you need a sweetly spiced pick-me-up.

Makes 12–14 depending on size of stamp and cutter*
85g unsalted butter, at room temperature
90g soft dark brown sugar
100g black treacle (or blackstrap molasses)
1 egg yolk
235g plain flour, plus extra for dusting and printing
1⁄2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
1 tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder (such as Green & Blacks)
For the rum butter glaze:
80g icing sugar
tiny pinch ground cinnamon
15g unsalted butter
1 tbsp dark rum (or lemon juice if you want to keep the glaze booze-free)

1 Place the butter, sugar and treacle in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
2 Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl with 1⁄4 tsp each of salt and black pepper. Reduce the speed of the mixer and add the dry ingredients to the butter and treacle. Once the mix comes together, tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently.
3 Roll out the dough so it’s about 6mm thick (no need to chill it first, but the dough can be wrapped in cling film and kept in the fridge for up to two days before baking). Preheat oven to 170C/ Fan 150C/325F. Line two baking trays with baking parchment and set aside.
4 Dip the biscuit stamps in a small bowl of flour, shake off any excess and then press them firmly into the dough, one at a time, to create a deep imprint. (Bear in mind the biscuits will rise when cooked so light imprints will disappear.) Using a round biscuit cutter that is slightly larger than the pattern, cut out the pieces of imprinted gingerbread.
5 Transfer the biscuits to the lined baking trays about 2cm apart. Re-roll the dough and continue to stamp and cut until all the dough is used up. Bake for 9-10 mins, rotating the trays halfway through, until firm to the touch. They will continue to firm as they cool.
6 Prepare the glaze while the biscuits are in the oven, as it needs to be brushed on while they are still warm. Sift the icing sugar and cinnamon into a bowl. Add the melted butter, rum (or lemon juice) and 1 tsp of warm water and mix with a spoon until smooth. The glaze will thicken slightly if it sits around, so stir through a little more warm water if you need to – it should be the consistency of runny honey.
7 Remove the biscuits from the oven, leave to rest for 5 mins, then brush or dab the glaze all over with a pastry brush. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Biscuits will keep for up to five days in an airtight container.

Recipe from Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh (Ebury).

*Try to get hold of some biscuit stamps if you can – they can easily be bought online. Sold as ‘springerle’, they come in all patterns, shapes and sizes. If you can’t get hold of any, the biscuits can be made using regular round cutters or cut into squares or rectangles with a knife, or try using the ornate base of a cut glass tumbler.

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

View the sampler here

More from the December issue:

More Christmas posts:

Make | Foraged Christmas wreath

If you’re short of foliage in your garden, a wintry walk to fetch some is just the thing before getting creative with your finds

You will need:
Bronze medium flat wreath frame, approx 25cm across
Hobby wire
A selection of greenery (we used eucalyptus, ivy, holly, thistle and gypsophila)
Length of narrow ribbon for hanging Ribbon for decoration (we used velvet ribbon)
Scissors
Secateurs

1 Using secateurs, trim the ivy and eucalyptus to manageable lengths of approx 20–30cm. Secure the foliage to the wreath ring, using wire to hold the sprigs in place at various intervals. Gradually work around the ring. Continue attaching the foliage until the ring is covered and none of the wire ring can be seen.
2 Once you have an initial layer secured to the ring, you can start to add in shorter lengths of foliage among the greenery. You should be able to secure these additional pieces without wire by weaving them into the base coverage.
3 Next take some of the holly, thistles and gypsophila and trim them into lengths of approx 7cm each. Gather two or three together to create small bunches and wrap the stems with a little wire to secure. Make three of these and place them at regular intervals around the wreath. Push each one into the wreath and secure with wire from the back.
4 Add in a few further individual thistles and gypsophila sprigs until your wreath has enough interest and balance.
5 Take a length of ribbon and tie centrally around the base of the ring, securing with a bow. Trim the loose ends to make it neat.
6 Finally, turn the wreath over and, using your fingers, feel to find the top of the wreath ring. Thread a length of narrow ribbon through the ring to create a hanging loop. Your wreath is now ready to hang. To keep it fresh and green, spritz it with water every few days.

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

View the sampler here

More from the December issue:

More weekend projects to make:

Alternative Christmas shopping ideas

Christmas shopping needn’t be stressful. Make a magical day of it by taking your list to a department store, quaint town or festive market

Christmas is the one time of the year that’s all about sensory experience, so we’re bound to feel short-changed by virtual shopping and the lack of satisfaction in handing over the ill-gotten goods to members of our families. We're not saying that online shopping is the devil’s work – sometimes, it comes in pretty handy – but it’s also time to celebrate bricks and mortar shops and buy gifts from actual people rather than online marketplaces when we’re in search of not only the perfect presents but our own Christmas spirit. Not just anywhere, though – a run-down high street littered with pound shops and mobile phone sellers is unlikely to fill you with joy. Instead, seek out inspirational places, true artisans and the best Yuletide events to ensure that you jingle all the way.

Try some of the following:

• Window shopping - try London’s Liberty and Fortnum & Mason, Newcastle’s Fenwick and Leeds and Edinburgh’s Harvey Nichols. Further afield, there’s Paris’s Galeries Lafayette and New York’s Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy’s
• Markets - the best this year are at Bath, Edinburgh, York and Birmingham
• Independent shops - try towns renowned for their lack of chain stores such as Ledbury, Hebden Bridge, Totnes or Dartington
• Craft fairs and open studios - try London’s Contemporary Applied Arts’ Present & Collect, Oxford Botanic Garden Christmas Fair or Cardiff’s Craft in the Bay
• Make your own! Plenty of ideas in our monthly Weekend Project series. 

Turn to page 79 of December's The Simple Things for more alternative ways to shop.

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

View the sampler here

More from the December issue:

More Christmas posts:

Feast | December cover reveal

What we love about Christmas is the tradition of it all. It’s a familiar succession of rituals that rarely differ - each year the family gather, with additions and absences as the years go by. The homes and hosts may vary, the gifts under the tree and the baubles hanging from it move with the times. But the recipe remains the same. And what a feast it is. Not just literally of food and drink but a feast of time to spend with loved ones, a feast of giving and sharing and maybe remembering those for whom a home, family and a laden table is but a distant hope. There’s no better time of year to appreciate the simple things. Happy Christmas! 

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

View the sampler here, buy back issues or try our sister mag, Oh Comely 

More from the December issue:

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

Make | Craft your own countdown

Channel your excitement about the festive season into making this simple and pretty project

Not that we need bribery, but the pleasure of opening an advent calendar each day is an extra reason to look forward to getting out of bed in December. The first commercially produced advent calendar dates to 1903 but our project harks back to the very first, 18th-century versions, which were handmade. This easy-to-make design combines natural foliage, a bit of festive sparkle and a little treat in each envelope to be opened in the countdown to Christmas. Who could resist? And, on that note, it’s as easy to adapt for grown-ups as children.

Envelope advent calendar

1 Gather two near-identical bunches of foliage and bind them together with wire. Attach the foliage bunches to the wooden hoop, securing at intervals with wire. Allow the two bunches to overlap slightly at the base of the hoop to hide the join. Any visible wire can be hidden with the addition of a leaf or two.

2 Take three of the mini baubles and string onto a piece of wire, twisting to secure and form a cluster. Repeat with the remaining three. Secure each cluster along the base of the hoop on opposite sides.

3 Remove any hanging loops from your tree decoration, then glue it securely to the
centre of the hoop base using a glue gun. Leave the whole hoop piece aside to dry.

4 Paint the numbers 1 to 24 on the front of the envelopes. Once dried, fill with miniature gifts and treats (see opposite for inspiration) and seal the envelopes. Using a hole punch, create a hole in the top of each envelope.

5 Thread a length of twine through each envelope hole and secure with a double knot. Secure the other end to the decorated hoop. It’s best to hang your hoop (using
the length of satin ribbon) before attaching the envelopes to avoid tangles. Vary the lengths of twine a little, so that the envelopes don’t all hang at the same length. 

Carefully hang your advent calendar in its final position and let the countdown begin.

Makes 24 days of festive cheer
Wooden embroidery hoop 20cm (inner ring); try hobbycraft.co.uk
Beading/thin jewellery wire (hobbycraft.co.uk)
Foliage – long-lasting and fragrant, such as ivy, eucalyptus and rosemary
6 mini baubles (these are from dobbies.com)
Christmas character tree decoration (search eBay for vintage options)
Twine
24 small brown envelopes approx 6x9cm
60cm satin ribbon for hanging (uk.flyingtiger.com)
24 mini treats (see below for ideas)
Scissors
Ink and brush
Hole punch
Glue gun

1 Gather two near-identical bunches of foliage and bind them together with wire. Attach the foliage bunches to the wooden hoop, securing at intervals with wire. Allow the two bunches to overlap slightly at the base of the hoop to hide the join. Any visible wire can be hidden with the addition of a leaf or two.
2 Take three of the mini baubles and string onto a piece of wire, twisting to secure and form a cluster. Repeat with the remaining three. Secure each cluster along the base of the hoop on opposite sides.
3 Remove any hanging loops from your tree decoration, then glue it securely to the
centre of the hoop base using a glue gun. Leave the whole hoop piece aside to dry.
4 Paint the numbers 1 to 24 on the front of the envelopes. Once dried, fill with miniature gifts and treats (see below for inspiration) and seal the envelopes. Using a hole punch, create a hole in the top of each envelope.
5 Thread a length of twine through each envelope hole and secure with a double knot. Secure the other end to the decorated hoop. It’s best to hang your hoop (using the length of satin ribbon) before attaching the envelopes to avoid tangles. Vary the lengths of twine a little, so that the envelopes don’t all hang at the same length. Carefully hang your advent calendar in its final position and let the countdown begin.

l Chocolate coins l Mini playing cards l Lip balm l Hair slides l Cinema tickets l Badges or patches l Bookmarks l Temporary tattoo l Teabags

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

View the sampler here

More from the November issue:

More weekend projects to make:

Recipe | Parsnip and maple syrup cake with parsnip crisps

Autumn in a tin, this moist and delicious cake is just what you need after a brisk walk. If you have plenty of parsnips, make extra crisps to nibble

PARSNIP & MAPLE SYRUP CAKE WITH PARSNIP CRISPS
175g butter, plus extra for greasing
100ml maple syrup
3 large organic eggs
250g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp mixed spice
250g parsnips, peeled and grated
1 eating apple, peeled, cored and grated
50g pecans or hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Zest and juice of 1 small orange
Edible flowers, to garnish (optional) 

FOR THE PARSNIP CRISPS
1 large parsnip, peeled
Sunflower or groundnut oil, for frying 

FOR THE FILLING
300g cream cheese
2 tbsp maple syrup

1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. Brush two deep 20cm sandwich tins with a little melted butter and line the bases with baking parchment.
2 Melt the butter and syrup in a pan over a gentle heat; set aside to cool slightly. Whisk in the eggs, then stir the mixture into a large mixing bowl containing the flour, baking powder and mixed spice. Stir in the parsnips, apple, chopped nuts, orange zest and juice. Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for 35–40 mins or until just starting to shrink from the sides of the tins. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
3 While the cakes are baking, make the parsnip crisps. Either slice the parsnip into wafer-thin discs or peel off long slivers with a swivel-top peeler. Leave to dry out on kitchen paper.
4 Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 150C. Fry the parsnip by dropping in a few slivers at a time (they colour and crisp up very quickly). Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle lightly with salt.
5 To make the filling, mix together the cream cheese and maple syrup. Spread over the base of one cooled cake and the top of the other. Sandwich together. Decorate the cake with parsnip crisps and edible flowers, if available.

Recipe from Grow, Cook, Nourish by Darina Allen (Kyle Books). 

Cake in the House is our monthly recipe feature - get a cake recipe every month in 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 November issue:

More Cake in the House recipes:

You can do anything but not everything

More from the November issue:

More back covers:

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

View the sampler here.

Nest | Calathea

No one puts a calathea in the corner. This most flamboyant of houseplants with its dual-tone leaves – stripes on one side, deep purple on the other – deserves to be centre stage. As long as it’s kept out of direct sunlight, that is: “Its natural habitat is the jungle floor,” says Alice Howard, owner of Botanique Workshop Artisan Store & Flower Shop, artisan store and flower shop, “so direct light will scorch its leaves. Mist regularly and water consistently, so the soil doesn’t dry out.” Do all of that and a pot of tropical lushness will be yours. 

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

View the sampler here

More from the November issue:

More Nest inspiration:

Sprouts and Crackers

Challenge friends and family to join you in Sprouts and Crackers, a festive The Simple Things version of the popular board game. Bad jokes all our own work.

Download your counters now

This game was published in the December 2017 issue of The Simple Things. You can buy back issues in the Iceberg Press shop.

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

View the sampler here.

More from the December issue:

More festivities:

Listen | Unlikely Christmas carollers

All the favourites, sung by unexpected minstrels.

Listen to our carols playlist now

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

View the sampler here

Listen to more Christmas playlists:

More from the December issue:

Festive services in tiny churches

Some churches are so small, they only hold mass once a year. Dixe Wills, author of Tiny Churches, shares some of his favourite diminutive chapels for singing a carol or two at Christmas on page 81 of December's The Simple Things

Here’s where to find a carol service or Christmas communion in a cosy setting near you

St Michael of the Rock, Brentor, Devon – Carol service, 3pm, Christmas Day, weather permitting

Milldale Methodist Chapel, Derbyshire – Carol service, 4pm, Christmas Eve

Church of the Holy Cross, Mwnt, Ceredigion – Holy communion, 9pm, Christmas Eve

St Mary’s Church, Lead, West Yorks – Christmas carols, 2pm, Sunday 17 December

St Edwold, Stockwood, Dorset – Carol service, 6pm, Monday 18 December. Dress warmly, bring a torch!

All Saints near Keswick, Norfolk – Holy communion, 8am, Christmas Eve & 9am Christmas Day

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

View the sampler here.

More from the December issue:

More festivities:

Homemade cough drops

These antiviral lozenges help to soothe sore throats and ease tickly coughs. Make in advance for the winter months ahead, or boil up a batch for a poorly friend

You will need:
5cm piece of fresh ginger, sliced
1 tbsp whole cloves
4 tbsp dried elderflowers (or 5 fresh elderflower heads, main green stalks removed)
Elderflower cordial (optional) 
400g unrefined sugar
250ml honey
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
Icing sugar, to dust or for covering

1 Take a very large, heavy based saucepan (2-litre capacity is ideal). Put the spices into the pan with 300ml water. Bring gently to boil, then simmer, covered, for 10 mins.
2 Remove from the heat and add the fresh or dried elderflowers, set aside to infuse for 20 mins.
3 Strain the liquid into a heatproof jug and measure it – you’ll need 250ml of the infusion for this recipe (if it needs topping up use water or elderflower cordial for extra flavour). Return the 250ml liquid to the pan and then add sugar, lemon juice and honey.
4 Carefully heat until the mixture comes to a gentle rolling boil. Continue boiling gently until the sugar reaches hard crack stage (149–154C on a sugar thermometer), about 15–20 mins. This is the point at which a drop of liquid turns to brittle strands when dropped into chilled water (caution: the liquid is extremely hot). Take off the heat.
5 Drop teaspoonfuls onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper and leave to set. Then, once hardened, sprinkle with icing sugar to prevent them sticking together.
6 Suck one sweet as needed. Store wrapped in greaseproof paper individually or covered in a thick layer of icing sugar in an airtight container.

Taken from The Handmade Apothecary by Vicky Chown and Kim Walker (Kyle Books). 

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

View the sampler here.

More from the November issue:

More homemade remedies:

Reading mindfully | How to quiet your butterfly mind

Book lover and academic Martyn Evans suggests ways to focus when you read

1 Switch your phone to silent or leave it in a different room.
2 Don’t rush ahead in your mind before you reach the end of a sentence.
3 To help remember what you’ve read, engage in debate and discussion. Book clubs are great for this*

• randombookclub.co.uk brings “the thrill of browsing dusty shelves to your doorstep” by delivering a monthly hand-picked book and access to an online forum of book lovers.
• Feminist book club ‘Our Shared Shelf’ is founded by actor Emma Watson in her role as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and includes book recommendations, essays and a reader forum (goodreads.com).

4 Read with a dictionary and a pencil to hand. Look up words you’re not sure of and underline sentences that catch your attention.
5 If a book isn’t working for you, take a break and come back another time.
6 Switch genres as much as possible and keep your reading material varied.
7 Allow yourself an hour or two to get lost in a good bookshop.

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

View the sampler here.

More from the November issue:

More bookish posts:

The art of cosiness

When keeping warm can be this much fun, bring on the darker, chillier days

• Although the temptation to lie in bed can feel insurmountable, a walk or yoga class or gentle jog will fire up your circulation and lift your mood. Make sure you have a good hat, warm socks and gloves – treat your extremities well and you’ll be a lot happier within.
• If the house feels chilly, wake up and bake. Kneading and mixing will quickly banish any chills and fill your home with good smells as well as warmth. 
• Make yourself a spicy soup to take to work in the week.
• And finally, get snuggling. Pets are so good for this but if you don’t have one, curl up with a hot water bottle, soft woollen blanket (or willing human).

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

View the sampler here.

More from the November issue:

Recipe | Pear & quince crumble with almond custard

You can make this with just pears if that’s all you have to hand, but quince adds a beautiful aromatic note. 

The quince needs to be poached first, to soften it; if your pears are unripe, add them to the poaching for the last 10–20 minutes, or until they’re soft. This recipe presumes ripe pears. The topping is as dark, complex and rubbly as the apple and blackberry one (page 47 of the November 2017 issue) is light and simple.

Serves 4–6
1 quince, peeled, cored and quartered
2 tbsp sugar
8 ripe pears, peeled, cored and quartered
2 tbsp apple juice
Juice of 1 lemon 

For the crumble: 
75g butter
150g spelt/rye flour
75g demerara sugar
100g oats
1 tsp ground ginger
100g almonds, roughly chopped

For the almond custard:
There are a few ways to make this, using the vanilla custard recipe (opposite) as your starting point. In summer you can infuse the milk with a handful of peach or nectarine leaves before you start on the custard: scald the milk with the leaves in it and leave to infuse while it cools, then strain and use the milk as per the recipe. For a cheat’s version, add a little almond essence once the custard is made, tasting as you add. And for a grown- ups-only version, add a shot or two of amaretto to the finished custard. 

 1 Poach the quince in a saucepan of water with the sugar for around 30 mins, or until softened. Slice. Meanwhile, toss the pears in the apple and lemon juice.
2 Preheat oven to 190C/Fan 170C/ 375F. Tip the fruit into a baking dish and pour over around 240ml of the quince poaching juice or some apple juice.
3 For the crumble, rub the butter roughly into the flour, then add the sugar, oats, ginger and almonds and rub them in a little, too. Sprinkle the mixture over the fruit and bake in the preheated oven for around 30 mins, or until the top has browned.

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

View the sampler here.

More from the November issue:

More comfort food: