A could-do list for March
Things you might want to do this month (no pressure!)
- Spend time with people who make you feel happy
- Note the seasonal changes in your garden
- Walk off a blue mood in the fresh air
- Hang a nest box
- When spontaneity strikes, go with it
- Treat yourself (a haircut, new trainers, candle – whatever)
- Write down three new skills you'd like to learn
What would you add? Come over and tell us on Facebook or Twitter.
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Illustration: Kavel Rafferty
Stories behind superstitions | White Rabbits
Why do we say white rabbits on the first of the month? These theories will keep you rabbiting on
It’s first thing on 1 March. Are your first words a hopeful request for tea, or something along more lupine lines?
Saying “white rabbits” or “rabbit, rabbit, rabbit” on the first day of each month dates back centuries in England. According to one article, it even reached presidents: "Mr Roosevelt ... has confessed ... that he says ‘Rabbits’ on the first of every month ... he would not think of omitting the utterance on any account.”
Given that the earliest known written mention was in 1420, it’s thought it may have come from a ritual charm by farmers. Or perhaps it’s simply because rabbits are considered “lucky” – just think of the practice of carrying a rabbit’s foot. Another theory is that the word ‘rabbit’ was often used in expletives, so it could be a continuation of the idea that swearing was a way to avoid evil.
Of course, another way to greet the new month is with a pinch and a punch, but that’s a whole other story...
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Photography: Catherine Frawley
Recipe | Lemon and Earl Grey loaf cakes
A twist on the classic lemon loaf cake, these mini loaves would make a lovely Easter gift
LEMON & EARL GREY LOAF CAKES
Makes 6 cakes
1 earl grey tea bag (or 1 tsp loose leaf earl grey)
120g golden caster sugar or demerara sugar
1⁄2 yellow courgette, grated
1⁄4 swede, peeled and grated
15g lemon juice
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
2 eggs
40g rapeseed oil
75g ground almonds
90g rice flour
11⁄2 tsp baking powder
1⁄4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1⁄4 tsp xanthan gum (optional)*
Coconut oil, for greasing
for the icing
120g golden icing sugar
Juice of 1⁄4 lemon
25g (2 tbsp) strongly brewed earl grey tea
1 tsp loose earl grey tea (from tea bags or loose leaf)
Blue cornflowers (optional)
1 Empty the contents of the tea bag into a bowl with the sugar, cover and infuse for a few hours or overnight if possible. Then grind in a blender until fine.
2 Place the courgette between sheets of kitchen towel to soak up excess moisture. Place 80g swede and 80g courgette into a bowl; add lemon juice and zest, and set aside.
3 In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and oil for 5 mins, or until pale and slightly thickened. Fold in the grated vegetables. Sift together the ground almonds, flour, raising agents and xanthan gum, if using. Fold into the cake mixture gently, until it is lump free. Leave for 10 mins.
4 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Grease 6 mini loaf tins, each about 9x6cm, with coconut oil, and line with baking parchment or disposable loaf cases. Fill the tins almost to the top with the mixture and bake in the top half of the oven for 30 mins, or until the tops spring back and an inserted cocktail stick comes out clean.
5 Cool the cakes in the tins until just warm, then turn out onto a wire rack. For disposable cases, just cool in the cases.
6 Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the lemon juice and enough brewed tea to form an icing the thickness of double cream. Pour over the cooled cakes, and top with a sprinkle of tea leaves and cornflowers, if using.
Recipe from Nourish Cakes by Marianne Stewart (Quadrille).
* Xanthan gum is used to replace gluten, helping to bring the cake together. If you don’t have it, just leave it out.
Cake in the House is our monthly recipe feature - get a cake recipe every month in The Simple Things!
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The Simple Things March issue comes with two cover options and a free Happiness patch. What makes you happy - being active? Connecting with friends? Something else?
Happy | March cover reveal
Spring is the happiest of seasons. Lighter, brighter and full of new beginnings. Happiness comes in many forms; cheery daffodils nodding in the sunshine, fresh eggs still warm in the hand, returning to settle where you grew up, even the satisfaction of spring cleaning and a job well done. But finding contentment does not come to those who wait, it rewards us when we seek it out by gathering friends, being outdoors, noticing the little things, keeping learning and giving what we can. Happy Easter!
Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe. There are two covers to choose from - which will you pick? Plus, each copy comes with a free Happiness patch.
Our four woven, sew-on patches are made in the UK, and designed to reflect the simple things that make us happy and remind us of everyday actions that can enrich our lives. Be an advocate for happiness and sew yours on to a jacket, bag or blanket to encourage others to take time to enjoy the simple things too.
Buy one, two, three or the whole set to keep or give – spread the joy and share the fun!
View the sampler here, buy back issues or try our sister mag, Oh Comely
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Journal sparks | Word Jar
This is one of the simplest yet most fruitful and rewarding journal prompts, because it’s uncomplicated and never fails to inspire, sitting on your shelf or desk, always available for spontaneous creativity.
Find a glass jar in the recycling bin or buy an inexpensive one. Fill it with random words. Leave trimmed paper and a pen next to it as a standing invitation to friends, family and visitors to contribute words.
Instant inspiration
Choose a word or a few words from the jar and write them on a journal page. Draw a sketch based on the word(s) or incorporate them into a small piece of writing – a poem, a blurb, the beginning of a story or a speech bubble. When you’re finished, add a new word to the jar.
Turn to page 77 of February's The Simple Things for another Journal Sparks idea: Picture your day in geological layers.
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The faces of Fairtrade
It’s Fairtrade Fortnight from 26 February, a time to reflect on how you could do more to support growers, farmers and producers in developing countries.
The message for this year’s campaign is “come on in”, encouraging people to open their doors and minds to Fairtrade. Women produce 80% of the world’s food and Fairtrade acts to ensure female farmers get the same opportunities and rights as their male counterparts.
Ivania Calderón Peralta is a single mother of five and organic coffee farmer in Nicaragua who works for a cooperative that supplies beans to Café Direct. “Before, women didn’t have the freedom to participate in the decision-making processes,” she says. “Now, we have managerial responsibilities and different roles and, thanks to training funded by Faitrade, women can make progress.” The work of the foundation spans industries from food to fashion to technology. The first Fairtrade African Gold from Uganda launched in the UK last year and food products bearing the Fairtrade logo are being introduced all the time.
Find out more about Fairtrade Fortnight at fairtrade.org.uk.
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Nest | Cacti
You can be fooled by cacti: they look unchanged week after week, bristling stoutly in their pots, not growing. Worried, you water around their roots, and then you water a little more. Then suddenly, they rot and die. “Cacti are a good option for the negligent plant owner,” says Alice Howard, owner of Botanique Workshop, artisan store and flower shop, “as long as you make sure the soil is dry before watering. And don’t water during winter.” Replicate their desert origins in a
well drained pot on a sunny windowsill and they will thrive.
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Photography: Bonnie Savage and Alan Benson
Recipe | Chocolate, orange and almond cake
This moist and decadent chocolate loaf cake with a gorgeous caramelised almond brittle crust is sure to have you sneaking back to the tin for more
CHOCOLATE, ORANGE & ALMOND CAKE
Makes 1 large loaf
50g butter, diced
130g soft brown sugar
Zest of 1 orange
40g honey
150g flaked almonds
170g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
11⁄4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
225g softened butter
340g caster sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1⁄2 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out (or 1⁄2 tsp vanilla paste)
160g buttermilk
1 Preheat oven to 160C/Fan140C/320F. Grease and line a 9x22x10cm loaf tin.
2 Melt the 50g of butter, brown sugar, zest and honey in a pan over a low heat, stirring, until thick and syrupy and the sugar has dissolved. Pour into the prepared tin, evenly sprinkle over the almonds. Set aside to cool.
3 In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa and bicarb with 1⁄4 tsp of salt, then set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
4 In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla seeds (or paste). With the mixer running slowly, gradually add the eggs to the butter mixture, ensuring each addition is fully
incorporated before adding the next.
5 Alternate between adding a third of the dry ingredients and a third of the buttermilk to the mixture, mixing well between each addition, until all the ingredients are added and the batter has just come together.
6 Pour over the almonds in the tin; bake for 60–70 mins, until firm and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7 Leave to cool for a few minutes in the tin, then set a wire rack over a tray lined with
baking parchment. Invert the warm cake on to the rack and gently lift off the tin, taking care to avoid the caramel, which will be extremely hot*. Leave to cool completely.
8 To serve, cut with a serrated knife, gently sawing through the topping. The cake will keep for a few days in an airtight container.
Recipe from The Tivoli Road Baker by Michael James with Pippa James (Hardie Grant).
* If the topping sticks in the tin or falls off when you invert the cake, use a spoon or spatula to quickly stick it back onto the cake, taking care not to touch the scorching caramel.
Cake in the House is our monthly recipe feature - get a cake recipe every month in The Simple Things!
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Alternative funerals
Losing a loved one is never easy, but new ways to deal with death can help us find comfort after bereavement, some of which are explored on page 72 of February's The Simple Things.
Alternative funerals
- Sacredstones.co.uk offers last resting places for ashes inspired by Bronze Age funeral barrows – a network of underground passages with candlelit niches set into the wall for urns – in Wiltshire and Cambridgeshire.
- The Natural Death Centre lists green burial sites throughout the UK, where trees and wild flowers mark resting places for bodies and ashes (naturaldeath.org.uk).
- DIY funerals are growing in popularity (there is no legal requirement to use a funeral service). For more information, see goodfuneralguide.co.uk, onlywithlove.co.uk and finalfling.com.
- Cardboard coffins are an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional versions, and can be customised with your own design or photograph. See creativecoffins.com.
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Listen | Spring cleaning songs
Put a spring in your step and a duster in your hand.
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Competition | Win a VIP package to The Good Life Experience
A VIP package to The Good Life Experience is the prize up for grabs for the winning designer of our fifth patch
These are our four happiness patches. Each one is a visual reminder of the things that can help us find greater contentment – whether it’s being active, connecting with friends, learning something new or taking time to notice the little things.
Buy The Simple Things happiness patches
You can buy one, two, three or all four patches here – to keep or to give; spread the joy and share the fun.
Design our fifth patch
Our fifth patch – currently blank – is all about giving. Doing something nice for someone or getting involved in your community can make you feel good and help you to build strong relationships with those around you. So, how would you capture the art of giving in a patch? You have until 16 April to get creative! Our downloadable PDF has all the instructions you need to enter, including a patch template that shows you the exact size the finished patch will be.
The prize
The winning design will be turned into a sew-on patch. We’ll add it to our collection of patches to buy and give, and all the profits will go to charity. The lucky winner also gets a VIP package to The Good Life Experience festival in September, including festival tickets for four, camping accommodation and tickets to The Simple Things Picnic Feast. If you’re not lucky enough to win, or want to find out more, details and early bird tickets for The Good Life Experience are already on sale here.
The small print
The closing date for entering is 11.59pm on 16 April 2018. The winner will be chosen after this date from all complete entries emailed, and notified soon after. The prize includes four tickets to both The Good Life Experience and The Simple Things Picnic Feast, as well as festival accommodation in a four-person bell tent. The prize can’t be transferred or swapped for cash, and it doesn’t include travel costs – you’ll need to make your own way there and back. Oh, and the judges’ decision is final. You can find more terms and conditions here. Good luck!
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My Spode Mug by Vera Fletcher
What I treasure | My Spode Mug
My mug has kept me company for almost a decade, gifted towards the end of a friendship that would inevitably decant, leaving only the gritty sediment swirling in the bottom, hard to digest. It’s a memento of the surreal; a whirlwind romance, a move across oceans, an incapacitating illness and a slow recovery as everything else fell apart. It’s a reminder of simple kindnesses, of which there were many, in a place without the familiar, a talisman from another life.
It’s been half empty and half full. It’s caught tears and echoed laughter. I’ve cradled it delicately and been tempted to hurl it at various things, even a few people. . . It’s seen me stripped bare; contorted by rejection and rage, wallowing in self pity. It’s been by my side as I’ve learned and evolved... matured.
It’s a mug I’d never have picked; the crockery is too thin, the pattern too old. It’s too refined for my raw edges; too British for my Antipodean routes. Inexplicably, I like it. But I treasure it because she gave it to me, one Christmas. Alexander McCall Smith taught me later that Spode could fuel an argument and feed a story, as I sat alone in an Edinburgh flat with my steaming mug in hand. You Brits sure do put a lot of heat into tea. Time has carved out many lines on us both; the handle now too cracked to house any hot liquids. And still it remains, home to a family of toothbrushes. It’s neglected and toothpaste splodged but never unloved.
As I write this, the mug shatters, as if guided by a force bigger than the tiny hands which clambered up and tried to ‘borrow’ it from the shelf. “It don’t matter, Mummy,” my toddler comforts me. And while my heart aches as I collect up all the pieces, I know he’s right. It is just a mug. I treasure it not for the pattern or the pottery.
I treasure it as a waymarker to memories. And they will come to me without this prop. All these things it held still exist, true memories are imbibed. The broken pieces bring a freedom to choose new possibilities, to make my own happiness. Maybe I’ll finally take that mosaic course I’ve wanted to do for years. Or maybe, just maybe, I’ll get in touch with the lady with the cracking smile and infectious laugh that once upon a time gifted me my beloved Spode mug.
We’d like to know what you treasure - whether it’s a sentimental artefact, a person, a place or something else. Tell us in 500 words what means a lot to you - email thesimplethings@icebergpress.co.uk
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The Comfort of Things | Grown up tableware
There are certain things in your home that are like old friends: they always cheer you up. This month we feel the love for grown-up tableware - turn to page 116 of February's The Simple Things.
This month's home quandary:
I love having friends over for meals and enjoy preparing and cooking the food but by the time the doorbell rings and they all pile in, the table is still bare. As a result, I throw plates and cutlery on it in a higgledy- piggledy fashion that looks nothing like those attractive overhead shots you see in magazines. How can I master table laying?
Table laying is actually a pretty straightforward business that should not daunt you. Unless you live in a stately home and have to wrestle with silverware, napery and cut glass, all you need to do is place a few plates and cutlery on the table in an orderly fashion. Dragoon another member of the household to carry out this task, preferably an hour or so before guests arrive, and it becomes even simpler. With a little supervision, children can lay a table as well as anybody, and often respond positively to being trusted with this grown-up task. You can swan in at the end to straighten napkins and make sure glasses are fingerprint-free.
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Recipe | Comforting little casseroles
Tender spiced meat topped with cheesy mash... What’s not to like?
Makes 4 portions
600g stewing beef, cubed
50g butter
Olive oil, for frying
3 onions, finely chopped
1 bottle of dark beer
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1⁄2 tsp ground ginger
1 bay leaf
1 thick slice of ginger loaf (about 50g)
1.25kg floury potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
150–200ml hot milk
50g butter
2 egg yolks
125g mature cheddar cheese, grated
Fresh nutmeg, for grating
1 Season the beef and set aside for 5 mins. Heat the butter and a splash of oil in a heavy-based pan and sear the meat for 3–5 mins, turning, until browned. You will need to do this
in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2 Fry the onions in the same pan for 10 mins, until golden. Add the beer, vinegar, mustard, ground ginger and bay. Crumble in the ginger loaf and return the meat to the pan. Bring to the boil, cover and turn the heat down as low as you can. Cook for about 2 hrs, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender. You might need to add more liquid, or reduce the liquid at the end.
3 Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a large pan of salted boiling water for 20–25 mins. Drain and mash with the milk and butter. Mix in the yolks and half of the grated cheese, then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
4 Season the meat to taste, and divide among 4 mini casserole dishes. Top with the mash and remaining cheese.
5 To eat at once, bake in an oven preheated to 200C/Fan 180C/400F for 10 mins, until the cheese has melted. For a crisp, golden crust, brown under the grill for the last few mins.
TO FREEZE AND REHEAT
Wrap, dish and all, in freezerproof clingfilm or put in freezer bags, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw, unwrap and reheat for 20–25 mins in an oven preheated to 200C/Fan 180C/400F. Reheat from frozen for 45–60 mins at the same temperature.
Turn to page 46 of February's The Simple Things for more meals for one. It does take time, but when you’re done, you’ll have a wealth of comfort food to squirrel away.
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Make | A three-hole pamphlet
Give the basics of bookmaking a try by crafting this nifty three-hole pamphlet.
You will need:
2 sheets A2 paper (it should be no thinner than 80gsm and no thicker than 130gsm, short-grain; standard printer paper is 80gsm)
Bone folder (londonbookarts.org)
Shoe knife (or an old butter knife can do the job)
1 sheet colourful or decorative A4 paper thicker than your text paper (no thinner than 100gsm and no thicker than 175gsm, short-grain)
Waste paper
Mechanical pencil
Metal ruler
Scalpel
Cutting mat
Scissors or shears
Awl
Bookbinding needle (ratchford.co.uk)
About 60cm of linen thread, 18/3 or 25/3 thickness (see the selection at londonbookarts.org)
- First make two sections from your A2 sheets of paper. Take one sheet and fold in half, short edge to short edge. Make sure the edges are exactly aligned, before making a sharp crease using your bone folder.
- Slit the paper two-thirds of the length along the fold using a shoe knife. This helps to avoid ‘crow’s feet’ or wrinkles from forming at the corners of the folds.
- Turn the folded sheet 90 degrees and fold the sheet a second time.
- As before, slit the sheet two thirds of the way using a shoe knife.
- Turn the folded sheet 90 degrees and fold the sheet a third time.
- Do not slit the sheet again. You now have an A5 16-page, or octavo, section.
- Repeat with second sheet of A2.
- Take your two octavo sections (16 pages each) and combine the two sections by inserting one inside of the centre fold of the other (step 1). This will give you a 32-page section.
- Fold the A4 cover paper in half widthways, or short edge to short edge. Make sure the edges are exactly aligned before making a sharp crease using your bone folder (step 2).
- Make a sewing station template: take a piece of waste paper and cut to the same height as your pamphlet and roughly 60mm wide (step 3).
- Make three marks on the edge of the waste paper (step 4): one at the centre (find this by folding the sheet in half lengthwise) and two at either end, around 30mm in from the top and bottom. The sewing stations will be at these points.
- Place the section inside the folded cover (step 5).
- Lay the book on the work surface with the spine edge aligned to the edge of the work surface. Open the book to the centre fold and place the sewing station template along the fold. Using an awl or pricker, make holes at each of the sewing stations (step 6).
- With a needle and about 60cm of linen thread (or a length 2.5 to 3 times the height of the book), begin stitching the section from the centre hole, station B (see step 7).
- From the outside in, insert needle and thread at station B, leaving a tail end of approximately 3cm.
- Bring the needle out through the top hole, station C.
- Go along the spine and in again at station A, then out through central station B.
- Tie the two ends of thread together with a reef knot and trim any excess thread (step 8). Make sure that the two ends are on either side of the thread running from A to C, so that the knot is firmly in place.
- Once the book has been bound, close the book, place a sheet of waste paper over the spine and go over the spine with a bone folder. If desired, trim the book.
Extracted from Making Books by Simon Goode and Ira Yonemura (Pavilion).
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How to draw a realistic portrait
You may not be quick on the draw, but these suggestions will help you make your mark
Portraiture is hard, especially if you know the person – it’s easy to notice if the likeness isn’t spot on. Suffice to say, you won’t become Leonardo overnight, but if you want to improve your skills, using this process may be helpful...
Forget what you think you know about the face. Don’t bother about the details initially – consider the whole head. Lightly sketch out the structure of the head first, using an H or HB pencil: focus on the areas where bones are nearest to the skin: that’s cheekbones, brow, forehead, chin and jawline.
You could draw a very light line down the middle of the face to centre the nose, and another for the eyes so they don’t go wonky later.
Shade in the shadows with a softer pencil (something like a 3B). Again, go lightly. You could take a photo and change the filter to black and white to help you work out where the shadows should be. Keep blending, using your finger or a smudging tool.
Finally, add the details, such as the eyes and lips.
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Illustration: Joe Snow
How to breathe a bit better
Learn to fill your lungs more efficiently
Check yourself
- Put one hand on your chest, the other just below the ribcage.
- Take slow, deep breaths and see which hand moves the most.
- It should be the one on your ribcage – meaning you are using your diaphragm to breathe, rather than your chest. Chest breathing makes your body stressed.
Then practise
- Get comfy on a bed or chair, with loose clothing.
- Sigh out through your mouth – it’ll relax your shoulders and neck muscles.
- Take slow, gentle deep breaths down to the bottom of your lungs. Breathe in through the nose and out through the nose and mouth.
- Slow your breath down further, checking that your ribcage is still moving more than your chest.
- Aim to practise for five minutes each day. You can also use it to relax any time you get tense.
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How to be mindful
Mindfulness - learn the basics of this super-useful sanity saver
“In bringing your attention to the breath, you’re necessarily bringing your attention to the present moment,” says Zen master Julian Daizan Skinner, author of Practical Zen (Singing Dragon). He suggests you aim for 25 minutes, starting with less and building up to that if you need to.
1 Find a comfortable sitting position and create a firm triangular base for your body. You can sit cross-legged on the floor, with your bottom on a cushion so your hips tilt forward, keeping your spine straight, or sit upright on a chair with feet firmly planted on the floor.
2 Make it your intention to sit still, but if you need to move occasionally, that’s fine. Don’t force anything.
3 You can either shut your eyes or keep your eyes gently focused on the ground in front of you.
4 Slowly bring your awareness to your breathing. Don’t try to change it, just watch it. Notice where it is in your body and bring your attention there.
5 Mentally count your breaths. In-breath: one. Out-breath: two. And so on, up to ten. Then start again at one.
6 Thoughts, worries and memories are bound to arise and that’s fine. Just notice them. Allow every moment to be exactly as it is.
Turn to page 85 of February's The Simple Things for more on our Mindfulness special.
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Photography: Ben Mostyn
Recipe | Smoked parsnip soup
With a mug of soup to thaw the hands and warm pasties to tuck into, a winter walk on the beach can be a jolly affair
Root veg cooked over woody herbs make a great soup.
Smoked parsnip soup
Serves 4–6
4 tbsp uncooked rice (any kind)
10 sprigs of rosemary and/or thyme, plus extra to serve
1 cinnamon stick, broken
750g parsnips, topped and tailed but not peeled
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
750ml vegetable stock
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
250–500ml almond milk
Zest of 1 lemon, and a squeeze of juice
A pinch of mixed spice
1 Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F. Line a heavy lidded casserole with two sheets of foil large enough to fully line the pot.
2 Tip the rice, herbs and cinnamon into the pot, arrange the parsnips on top and set over a high heat.
3 When the rice starts to smoke, add 2 tbsp of water, cover tightly with a lid and smoke the parsnips over a high heat for 10 mins. Transfer to the oven and cook for a further 20 mins or until the parsnips are tender.
4 Meanwhile, in a large pan, simmer the onion and garlic in the stock for 10–15 mins until tender.
5 Cool the cooked parsnips slightly, then either strip the skin off with your fingers or scrape it off with a teaspoon. Transfer the parsnips to a blender, add the apples and blitz, adding the stock a little at a time, until you have a smooth, thick purée.
6 Blend in as much almond milk as you like, until the soup is your preferred consistency and creaminess. Use milk or cream, if you prefer.
7 Add lemon zest, juice, mixed spice and seasoning, to taste. Warm through the soup just before serving, and finish with a sprinkling of fresh thyme and a grinding of black pepper.
Blow the cobwebs away with a bracing winter wander on the beach, fuelled en route by toe-warming fare - turn to page 26 of February's The Simple Things for more, including Apple & thyme soda bread scones, Kale & feta rolls, Fish pie pasties, Marmalade brownies and Chai coffee.
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