What it's really like to live in the woods

Jessica lives in the middle of a wood in Kent with her husband, Paul, an oak framer, and her daughter. Previously a graphic designer, Jessica now chronicles her outdoor life spent living slowly with her family, and in tune with nature and the seasons, on her blog, thewoodlandwife.co.uk. 

Turn to page 106 of the March issue for more about the joys and the hard work of life beneath the boughs.

What it’s really like to live in the woods

• You never get bored
  There’s always something to do, whether for pleasure or out of necessity.
• Woods are a daily inspiration
  Nothing inspires me more than the smallest things I see here; from morning birdsong to the gentle rustle of the trees.
• Daily routines have built-in health benefits
  Pushing wheelbarrows, shifting timber, running chainsaws and swinging the odd axe involves a lot of physical labour. While the monotony of the work can get testing, it has a great pace which does its part in keeping us all fit.
• We live simply
  We also live with a lot less than others – owning somewhere like this in the South East of England comes at a price. But we are more than happy, as this gives us more freedom.

Buying woodland is a dream held by many, with numbers of private owners growing year by year. According to the Forestry Commission, there are more than 40,000 small woods of less than ten hectares in England, and these make up 17% of England’s woodlands. 

Once you have decided on the area and what acreage you can afford, it is relatively easy to buy woodland as there is no chain and most are freehold. 

Run by small woodland ownership evangelist Angus Hanton, woodlands.co.uk is a good place to find one. 

Managing woodland is less simple, as Jessica points out. The Forestry Commission’s Land Information Search (forestry.gov.uk) produces a useful free booklet, ‘So You Own a Woodland’, which has advice. 

Small Woods Association (smallwoods.org.uk) offers courses on managing a woodland and is a generally useful resource.
 

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Cucumber, matcha and lime face mask

This refreshing, zingy mask can be made with ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen.

Makes approx 380ml
1 green tea bag or 5g (1 tsp) Matcha green tea powder
75g cucumber
2.5g (1⁄2 tsp) vegetable gelatine powder, such as Vegeset
20 drops lime essential oil

1 Pour 300ml hot (not boiling) water on the green teabag or matcha powder in a mug or jug (follow the packet instructions for ratios of tea to water). If using powder, stir to combine or leave the teabag to infuse for 10 mins. Leave to cool a little.
2 Chop slices of cucumber and whizz in a blender with the green tea until cucumber is fully blitzed. When completely cool, add gelatine to the liquid and stir to combine (check the ratios of gelatine powder to water on the packet (typically 1 tsp per 600ml).
3 Place mixture in a pan over a low heat, stirring all the time. Once it has reached boiling point, remove pan from the heat and allow to cool to around 40C. Add the lime essential oil. For 300ml use 20 drops.
4 Pour into a bowl and allow to cool before placing in the fridge to set.
5 Spread mask over face and neck and relax while the antioxidant, anti-ageing green tea and cooling, soothing cucumber get to work. Leave for 5–10 mins before removing with warm water and a muslin cloth.
6 Use straight away ideally, but can be stored in the fridge for up to two days. 

Taken from Handmade Spa by Juliette Goggin and Abi Righton (Jacqui Small).
 

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How to be happy

The theme for our March issue of The Simple Things is HAPPY. Free with every issue - one of four Happiness patches (find out how to get yours). Meanwhile, here are a few everyday actions that can enrich your life

Be active
Climb a hill. Or go for a walk or run. Simply stepping outside will have a positive impact. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good, so discover which physical activity you most enjoy and that works for your level of fitness.

Connect
Gather friends. Spend time and share good food with those around you. Think of home, work and your local community as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing relationships there. These connections will support and enrich you every day.

Keep learning
Make a campfire. Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things is a confidence booster – and is fun.

Take notice
Watch clouds. Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.

What makes you happy? Come over and tell us on Facebook or Twitter. 

Plus - enter our competition! Design our fifth patch and you could win a VIP experience to The Good Life Festival 2018.

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A reading list for March

Books to make you literally (and literarily) LOL. As loved by The Simple Things team

How Hard Can It Be? by Allison Pearson
An about-to-be-50 mother juggles her return to work with teenagers, ageing parents and hormonal hell.

Nomad by Alan Partridge
Steve Coogan’s creation travels in the footsteps of his father to Dungeness power station while trying to secure a TV series.

Love, Nina by Nina Stibbes
The (real) letters written by a nanny to her sister as she’s plunged into the midst of the London literati in the 1980s. Even more hilarious for being true.

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
A series of essays following Sedaris’ attempt to learn French after moving from New York to Paris.

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Recipe | Nettle & seed crackers

Spring brings tender new nettle shoots. Harvest them to bring a punch of flavour to these delicious, seedy crackers. These crunchy, tasty crackers are great for dipping, loading with toppings or just eating alone

Makes 16–20 crackers
50g sesame seeds
50g linseeds
80g sunflower seeds
80g pumpkin seeds
20g chia seeds
50g buckwheat flour
2 large tbsp dried or fresh nettle tops (blanched)*, plus extra to scatter
Pinch of xantham gum
31⁄2 tbsp cold pressed rapeseed oil or good olive oil
150ml boiling water
1⁄4 tsp salt
Flaky sea salt, to taste

1 Preheat oven to 150C/Fan 130C/Gas 2. Take two baking sheets and line with baking parchment. Add all the ingredients (apart from the sea salt and extra nettles) to a bowl and stir well.
2 Split the mixture in half and place one half on each lined baking sheet. Place another piece of baking parchment on top (sandwiching the mixture between) and roll out the mixture thinly and evenly to fit the baking sheet.
3 Remove the top layer of parchment and scatter with more nettles (for a stronger flavour) and some flaky sea salt, to taste. Repeat with the second batch of mixture. 
4 Bake for around 50 to 60 mins – do keep an eye on them to check the seeds don’t brown too much – until they are completely cooked and dry. Then turn the oven off and leave crackers in the oven while it cools down, to ensure they are completely dry. Break it up into smaller pieces and store in an airtight container.

Taken from ScandiKitchen Summer by Brontë Aurell (Ryland, Peters & Small).

 * If using fresh nettles, harvest in spring. To remove the sting, immerse in boiling water and 16 make sure you press all the water out before use or the crackers will be too wet.
 

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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 

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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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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.

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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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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.

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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.

Listen to our spring cleaning playlist now.

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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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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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