Recipe | Sweet potato with cauliflower and minted yoghurt

Good mood foods to welcome autumn and warm your cockles

In our September issue you’ll find a menu of ‘good mood food’ recipes designed to be as good for your wellbeing as they are for your tum. Jacket potatoes are a great comfort food and, combined with creamy minted yogurt, make they for a really filling no-fuss meal.

Serves 4
4 medium to large sweet potatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
250g natural yogurt (or dairy free alternative)
4 tbsp pomegranate seeds
2 large sprigs of mint, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and rub the skin with a little olive oil. Place on a tray and cook for about 40 mins (depending on size) until the insides are soft.
2 Spread the cauliflower florets onto a baking tray, drizzle with oil, season, and place in the oven for the last 20 mins of the potatoes’ cooking time.
3 Add the yogurt to a bowl, season to taste, then add the chopped mint and mix to combine. Set aside until the potatoes and cauliflower are cooked.
4 When the potatoes are done and cool enough to handle, cut a large deep cross to the top and open the potato up. Add the cauliflower, 2-3 tbsp of the yogurt mixture, then sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and garnish with fresh mint.

Why it’s a mood booster: Sweet potatoes are lower in carbohydrates than the average spud, but have all the comforting benefits. Meanwhile, cauliflower is high in fibre and B vitamins; pomegranate is also a good source of fibre and vitamins A and C, while yogurt contains nutrients that help with bone health.

You can find the rest of the Good Mood Food recipes, inclusing salmon, greens and rice bowl, simple shakshuka and a banana and brazil nut tart from page 62 in our September issue. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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Top ten National Trust ghosts

Spooks, spirits and scones: the National Trust boasts a cast of hundreds of ghosts

In our September issue, we’ve taken a look at national treasure, The National Trust, in its 125th year, and delved into some of the houses’ lesser known residents. So we thought we should also celebrate some of the properties’ former residents who are still hanging around the hallowed halls and creepy corridors of NT properties. Here are our top ten favourite National Trust Ghosts:

1 The Roman Soldiers at Treasurer’s House

A legion of weary soldiers has been spotted a couple of times in the cellars at Treasurer’s House in York, the most interesting being in 1953 when a chap installing boilers in the cellar saw a line of filthy, weary soldiers emerge from the wall. They wore green tunics and had round shields - both facts were dismissed as incorrect at the time - these soldiers were thought to wear red and have rectangular shields. And they were visible only from the knees up. Later, it was discovered that in fact there was a legion based here who used round shields and wore green. Later still, an old Roman road was discovered about 18 inches below the cellar floor. The soldiers had been walking on the original road. 

2 Francis Drake, Buckland Abbey

One of the Trust’s more famous residents who has outstayed his welcome is Sir Francis Drake who settled at Buckland Abbey in Devon when his days on the Golden Hind were over. His ghost is said to ride across Dartmoor in a black coach, driven by headless horses. 

3 Dripping Man, Scotney Castle

A dripping wet man is said to haunt Scotney Castle in Kent, allegedly a Revenue Officer, murdered by smugglers and thrown into the moat, who returns regularly, seeking revenge on his assailant. 

4 St Cuthbert, Lindisfarne

Holy Island in Northumberland provided sanctuary for St Cuthbert and the monk’s spirit is said to still wander near the priory to this day when the moon is full and the tide is high. 

5 Anne Boleyn, Blickling Hall

Blickling Hall in Norfolk is home to several spirit squatters but the most famous of them must be Anne Boleyn. Blickling is built on her birthplace and it’s said that every year on May 19th, the anniversary of her execution, her ghost, holding her head in her own lap, is driven by ghostly coach up to the door of Blickling Hall by a headless coachman. As it nears the entrance, the coach vanishes.  

6 Seven-foot skeleton, Dunster Castle

A proper, spooky, rattler of chains, this one… Dogs refuse to enter the room under the Gatehouse at Dunster in Somerset, where a giant skeleton was found manacled to several others. 

7 Mr Windham the book lover, Felbrigg Hall

Bookworm William Windham loved books so much he risked his life to save the library of a friend when it caught fire and died of his injuries a short while later. But staff at his former home, Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk, often report seeing him sitting in a chair or table in the library, catching up on his reading. Apparently he only visits when a certain combination of books are left on the library table. 

8 The floorboard-tampering poltergeist, Sizergh

A spirited poltergeist is said to create ‘happenings’ at Sizergh in Cumbria. Several times it has torn floorboards from the floor and flung them about the place; a sort of spirited 60-minute Makeover, if you will.

9 The White Lady, Washington Old Hall

Washington is home to many a ghost (there’s also a grey lady and a crying child) but the white lady wanders the corridors, wringing her hands. It’s said the smell of lavender pervades the place, too. We conclude that she can only be rubbing in some calming hand lotion. 

10 Tutting gent, Penrhyn Castle

At Penryhn Castle, pictured above, a volunteer encountered a short gentleman in a brown suit, who entered the room, tutted, raised his eyebrows and then disappeared around the corner and vanished completely. Suggestions were that it might be the third Earl of Penrhyn, unimpressed with the new layout of his furniture. 

If you’d like to go National Trust ghost-hunting near you, visit the NT’s page of their most haunted houses. Read our feature on the National Trust in the September issue starting on p70.

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Wellbeing | ways to feel better without a hug

We’ve all missed human touch over the last few months but take heart, there are lots of ways to feel the joy of touch without it - until we hug again

Our theme for our September issue is ‘touch’ but there are so many ways in we can enjoy and interpret that. On page 34, Rebecca Frank looks at how we can compemnsate for a lack of cuddles currently. Here are a few simple ideas:

• Take a long shower or a bath and notice the sensation of the water against your skin.

• Rub some oil into your body after your bath or shower and give yourself a face massage whilst cleansing your skin.

• Do things with your hands like baking or gardening and go barefoot.

• Talk to people face to face if possible, or on the phone rather than emailing or texting.

• Listen to music that makes you feel uplifted or relaxed, depending on your mood.

• Make sure you do something meaningful and enjoyable for yourself every day.

• Make conversation with people you meet while you’re out walking or shopping.

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Primer | colouring colours we loved

September is ‘new pencil cases’ time for us. Join us in a celebration of colouring crayons

There’s not much that cheers our hearts more than the idea of a bit of new stationery. Once you’ve sharpened your colouring pencils ready for the new term, buy a copy of our September issue, in which we have a Sketchbook Club feature with artist Jennie Maizels to help you learn to draw beautiful birds. We also were lucky enough to visit her colourful home, and you can see those pictures and read all about it from p94. We particularly coveted her bright studio with its pots upon pots of colouring pencils, paints and crayons, and it reminded us of a time when we knew the ‘names’ of all our crayons and always had a favourite - definitely a top ten at least. 

So here, in no particular order and judged completely on whim and without reason, are our favourite Crayola Crayon colours. Do share yours with us in the comments section below. 

1. Cerulean. Blue is repeatedly voted the nation’s favourite crayon colour. After all, it deserves some credit after all that stoic painting of skies and seas. Plus, we just loved the name. Why aren’t more children called Cerulean?

2. Inchworm. Named for the bright green caterpillar of the geometer moth (which disappointingly is itself a sludgy brown). It reminded us of the Hans Christian Andersen song, too. 

3. Macaroni and Cheese. A warm orange hue, named by a child as part of a competition Crayola ran in 1993 with Kraft Foods. 

4. Purple Mountains’ Majesty. This scores points for just being really fancy - and giving Farrow and Ball a run for its money. 

5. Corn silk. Back in the good old days, crayon colours were a bit educational, too. We mused for hours (while filling in suns and sandy beaches) over what corn silk might be. Turns out it’s the stringy bits on the top of a corn cob. Anyway, it’s a much better name than the brighter Unmellow Yellow… who wants their yellow UNmellow? 

The colourful array of colouring things in the picture by Carmel King above is from artist and founder of Sketchbook Club, Jennie Maizel’s home, which is featured in our September issue. You can find a tutorial on how to draw birds by Jennie on page 102. Jennie has run Sketchbook Club from her home and online for five years. For all the kit you need to get started, including paints, pencils and paper, visit: jenniemaizels.com and head to Jennie Maizels’ Sketchbook Club YouTube Channel for supporting ‘How to’ videos for these projects. You can also follow Jennie on Twitter and Instagram at @jenniemaizels.

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Five fictional (and factual) attics

We’re all predisposed to love an attic aren’t we? The chance of finding a long lost treasure, the secrecy of a huge room, hidden at the top of a house, the thrilling idea that it could be a private space just for us? 

It’s little wonder they feature in so many books, both fiction and factual. The attic is a metaphor for the brain - a space right at the top of the house, where all manner of creative and imaginative happenings might occur, a place where memories are stored, and made. How many writers scribbled in garrets, locked away in a dusty loft, after all? You don’t hear of many writers furiously penning novels in sparkling open-plan kitchens, do you? They’re a space to get away, feel ‘above’ mere mortals bumbling about in living rooms and bedrooms. Here we celebrate five literary attics: 

1. Thornfield Hall’s attic in Jane Eyre

The first Mrs Rochester is the inhabitant of the attic in Charlotte Bronte’s best-known novel. Jane hears various crashes, moans and the like and it transpires that the source of them all is Bertha Rochester, one-time beauty and now ‘demon’ in the attic who starts fires, bites visitors and chews up Jane’s wedding veil. Since we know Rochester is about to marry Jane bigamously, frankly we’re with the first Mrs R on this one and think the veil-shredding (and probably some of the biting) is fair enough. (Also, Mr Rochester is pretty irritating. We might have bitten him too.) Poor Mrs R jumps to her death during a fire at Thornfield but holds a special place in our hearts as the first and our favourite ‘mad woman in the attic’. 

2. Jo March’s attic in Little Women

Like many women writing in attics, Jo is a bit of a bluestocking, who wished to be a boy and found her skirts cumbersome. She writes her way out of her femininity, wearing a ‘scribbling suit’ of a black pinafore to soak up the ink and a feathered cap, like a master craftsman, and into a comfortable inhabitation of confident womanhood. Again, the attic is both an escape and a sign of Jo’s superior intellect. And we loved her for her inky hands and the rats that nibbled her pencils. 

3. Anne Frank’s attic in the secret annex

Never could an attic be more thrilling than the real attic in Amsterdam in which Anne Frank enjoyed some fresh air, away from the stuffiness of the rest of the annex each morning. Anne wrote her famous diary in the secret annex in which she was hiding and the rat-infested attic, which was mostly used for storage was her escape, with one little window that it was possible to look out of without fear of being seen. 

4. The attic in Flowers in the Attic

Much though we love a creepy Gothic tale in autumn, we might not linger too long on this very disturbing tale by VC Andrews of incest and abuse that haunted many of our teenaged years. Suffice to say, the attic here holds many a secret and spawns many more secrets of its own. <Shudder> 

5. The attic in The Yellow Wallpaper

It’s the decor that’s the real star of this novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. When a young woman is sent to spend a period of rest in a colonial mansion at the turn of the last century, she’s shut up in the old nursery on the top floor of the house. Far from resting her mind, the room itself turns her imagination inside out as she endlessly describes the wallpaper, comes to believe there is a woman trapped inside it and then becomes that woman herself. A beautiful feminist novel that’s deliciously creepy, too. You aren’t sure whether you want to never go upstairs again or disappear to the top of the house forever. 

In our September issue our My Place feature is all about (much less creepy and much more beautiful) attic rooms like this one above by @finlay_fox.  Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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Garden pedantry | Don't call me 'Petal'

Ever said, ‘Hello, Petal’ to a bunch of dahlias? You’d have been incorrect!

We featured this fabulously blousy bunch of dahlias in our September issue and were inspired to find out a bit more about dahlias. As well as learning that the Aztecs grew dahlia tubers as a food crop, we were most fascinated to learn that each ‘petal’ is actually called a ‘floret’ (yes, like broccoli) and is a flower in its own right.

So all those colourful petals are not petals at all but individual flowers. Suddenly that bunch of dahlias seems even more like excellent value for money!

Read more about Dahlias in our September issue, on sale now.

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Recipe | French apple tart

An orchard pudding with a bit of ooh la la!

This buttery French tart is a lovely way to round off an early autumn meal but a cold slice is also excellent with your morning coffee the following day.

Serves 6

1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
2 tbsp plum jam (use greengage, apricot or rhubarb jam if you prefer)
5 small apples of your choice, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Double cream, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5. Line a baking tray with greaseproof parchment.
2 Put the pastry on the lined baking tray and, using a round-bladed knife, gently score a 2-3cm border around French apple tart Buttery pastry, sweet jam and fresh apples combine to create a classic dessert or teatime treat the edge – this will help to keep the sticky cooking juices from escaping. Inside the border, prick the pastry all over with a fork, then spread over a very thin layer of jam.
3 In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples with the lemon juice and sugar. Arrange the slices in overlapping rows over the pastry, then sprinkle with the cinnamon.
4 Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 mins until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and, while still warm, slide the tart from the greaseproof paper to a serving plate.
5 In a small saucepan, gently heat the remaining jam with a splash of water, stirring constantly, until it starts to bubble. Use a pastry brush to brush the glaze over the apples, then set the tart aside to cool.
6 Slice and serve with a jug of cream on the side.

This recipe is part of our Autumn Picnic gathering feature in our September issue., with recipes by Kay Prestney, including apple and parsnip soup, orchard salad, and pork and apple rissoles.

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August | a final thought

From Am I Overthinking This by Michelle Rial (Chronicle Books)

We’ve reached the end of our August ‘Promise’ issue. September is winging its way to your shops and doormats as we speak.

We had some hot days in August here at Simple Things Towers. We hope you were lucky enough to get some nice weather (and a few ice creams ), too! Here’s an illustration from our August back cover to raise an end-of-summer smile.

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Folklore | Blackberries

This beautiful blackberries image is from our August issue, where we’re celebrating the beginning of blackberrying season.

Make the most of them now, though; folklore has it that you shouldn’t eat blackberries after Michaelmas Day (September 29th).

When St Michael, for whom the day is named, battled Lucifer and kicked him out of heaven, Lucifer landed in hell, on a thorny blackberry bush. So angry was he, that he cursed the blackberry bush and ensured its berries would taste foul from St Michaelmas Day onwards.

We’re unsure why the poor blackberry bush suffered the blame for Lucifer’s thorny and sore behind rather than St Michael, but it sounds like a good reason to us to get picking your blackberries now. Don’t forget to freeze a few so you can make them into a blackberry pie for St Michaelmas Day and stick it to Lucifer with your delicious early autumn blackberries.

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Competition | Write a story to win a Seasalt shopping spree!

Write a 100-word inspirational story for the chance to win a £250 Seasalt gift voucher or one of two runner-up prizes of £100 Seasalt gift vouchers

One thing the last few months have taught us is that there’s no place like home. For clothing brand Seasalt, home is the sea-whipped cliffs and sandy dunes of Cornwall. The same dramatic scenery that inspires its practical, beautiful clothing, has inspired artists and writers for centuries. 

We’d like to hear a story inspired by the place you live or somewhere you love. In a maximum of 100 words, tell us a story about the unique spirit of somewhere that is meaningful to you – it could be a cosy spot in your living room, a wild coastal landscape you long to revisit or a sun-dappled lane with special memories.

The writer who truly whisks us away will see their winning entry in print and receive a £250 Seasalt gift card, while two highly commended entrants will each receive a £100 gift card.

How to enter

For your chance to see your story in print and to win £250 of Seasalt vouchers, press the enter button below and type in or copy and paste your 100-word story. Entry closes at 11.59pm on 22 September 2020.
Rules
1 Entries over 100 words will not be accepted.
2 The closing date is 11.59pm on 22nd September 2020.

Terms and conditions

The prize is as stated and can’t be transferred or swapped for cash. You can find our full terms and conditions on page 127 of the magazine and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules

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Playlist | Touch

“Reach out and touch
Somebody’s hand,
Make this world a better place If you can”

Listen here: Touch

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Cake facts | Lamingtons

Lamingtons are the sort of cake we think we should have in the house more often. If you haven’t come across one before, they’re cuboid sponge cakes dipped in chocolate sauce and then rolled in desiccated coconut. 

Another classic Australian gem no one should miss out on is the beautifully illustrated children’s book Possum Magic by Mem Fox. Every Australian child since it was published in 1983 has a much-loved copy of this tale of a young Possum called Hush and her Grandma who has turned Hush invisible, using bush magic, to hide her from snakes. Together they travel around Australia sampling national dishes to find the dish that will make Hush visible again, and the final cure is a lamington. We don’t usually do spoilers, but here’s the very end of the book so you can appreciate the importance of Lamingtons, too. 

In Hobart, late one night, in the kitchens of the casino, they saw a lamington on a plate. Hush closed her eyes and nibbled. Grandma Poss held her breath - and waited.

"It's worked! It's worked!" she cried. And she was right. Hush could be seen from head to tail. Grandma Poss hugged Hush, and they both danced "Here We Go Round the Lamington Plate" till early in the morning.

So from that time onwards, Hush was visible. But once a year, on her birthday, she and Grandma Poss ate a Vegemite sandwich, a piece of pavlova and half a lamington, just to make sure that Hush stayed visible forever.

And she did.

The photo above is taken from One Tin Bakes: Sweet and Simple Traybakes, Pies, Bars and Buns by Edd Kimber (Kyle Books). You can find the recipe on p27 of our August issue, which is in shops now, or you can buy it direct from us online and have it arrive on your doormat.

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Science lesson | the toast centre of the brain

Some fascinating facts about how your brain smells toast

There’s something strangely evocative about the smell of burnt toast. You can probably remember the last time you suddenly detected it and dashed for the grill. 

But did you know there’s a part of your brain specifically dedicated to smelling burnt toast? 

In 1950, Canadian Dr Wilder Penfield was working on a treatment for cerebral seizures that worked by zapping particular nerve cells with electrical probes. One of his patients was a woman with epilepsy who smelled burnt toast whenever she was about to have a seizure. 

With her sedated but awake, Dr Wilder removed part of her skull and stimulated various parts of the brain until the woman exclaimed “I can smell burnt toast!” He was able to remove this small bit of brain tumour and stop the seizures, and the process, which later became known as the Montreal Procedure would go on to help millions of people with epilepsy.

So next time you burn your breakfast, spare a thought for Dr Wilder Penfield and raise a crust to him. 

In our August issue, we’re celebrating more impressive work with toast, looking at some of the ‘toast art’ by Manami Sasaki (@sasamana1204), such as the one above. You can read more on p16. The August issue is in shops now, or you can buy it from our online store.  Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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Sponsored post | Jason Head to Toe

Trust Jason for the head to toe needs of all the family

Self-care of the physical body is an important part of mental health and wellbeing. We’re busier than ever and thanks(?!) to modern technology now in partnership with the pandemic, it can be difficult to unplug for some me-time even for a short while.

We all know how much better we feel when we have taken even just a few minutes out of our day to pamper ourselves, and we all need to practise self-care, more so than ever at the moment.  To help you adopt a few moments of self-care into your day to day lives, JASON have picked out their self-care favourites for you, and shared a tip for each product to help you get the most out of the products. Feel good about keeping your beauty rituals, not to mention looking and feeling great this season, come rain or shine!

Self Massage & De-Stress

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SELF-CARE TIP: this is a low-foaming, creamy body wash so take advantage of the glide that comes with the product and massage any muscle aches and knots or particularly dry patches of skin. For best results, follow up with the De-Stress Cannabis Sativa Moisturizing Creme.

Meditation Plus Pink Salt Pampering

Make time every morning to just be alone with your thoughts, either meditating or practising movement meditation. After your meditation and/or movement, take some time to pep yourself up and pamper with JASON Pampering Himalayan Pink Salt 2-In-1 Foaming Bath Soak & Body Wash.

SELF-CARE TIP: Not sure where to begin when it comes to meditation? Some people just lay still, others sit cross legged and light a candle to focus on, the more energetic of us will engage in some movement meditation, such as yoga or mindful fitness, but the most important thing is just to spend some time with your thoughts just being you.

Skin Oil Soak

Show your skin some love and with JASON Vitamin E 5,000iu All-Over Body Oil. Faster absorbing than body lotions and creams, this oil that feeds your skin with deep-penetrating moisture from a blend of apricot, avocado, sunflower and wheat germ oils, along with sweet almond oil which provides a wonderfully uplifting fragrance. Perfect for use on dry areas.

SELF-CARE TIP: Apply all over post-bath or shower, for best results use on slightly damp skin. Perfect for mini self-massages. You can also add to your body lotions and creams for a bit of extra skin nourishment.

Find JASON at Whole Foods Market, all good independent health stores nationwide, and jasonnaturalcare.co.uk

Reader offer

As an introductory offer, JASON are offering The Simple Things Readers 20% off valid until 30th September 2020. Quote TST20 at checkout.

Wish you were here

How a postcard spread a little sunshine eight decades late

We do love a postcard, and with so many holiday plans cancelled this year, we’re appreciating them even more. So we thought we’d bring some postal cheer with a story about a postcard that was also all the more enjoyable for being rather delayed. They do say the best things come to those who wait…

The postcard, featuring a black and white photo of a war memorial, was sent from Burnham-on-Crouch in Essex to a Mr and Mrs Richardson in East Dulwich, south London in 1929, the year of the Wall Street Crash and the same year John Logie Baird began his first experimental television transmissions from the BBC. It finally arrived at Lacon Road in 2008, the year of the bank bailout (for TV context the most-watched TV show that year was Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death).

The postcard reads simply:

Dear Auntie and Uncle,

Have arrived safely, got down about one o'clock, will write soon.

Love, May and Nel

But where did it get to in the intervening 79 years? Possibly it found its way accidentally into a nook or cranny somewhere at the Royal Mail and was rediscovered during renovations. The Royal Mail itself said at the time that it was more likely it had ‘re-entered the mail system’ all these years later so was perhaps misdelivered initially and then put in the post again. Mr and Mrs Richardson, whoever they might be, are presumably no longer with us but the current owner of the house held onto the postcard in case someone related to them ever wishes to claim it on their behalf. 

You can read more about the joy of postcards in our August issue, on sale now.

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Recipe | Orange and Cardamom Galettes

Bring a bit of sunshine to your coffee time or enjoy as a light but sweet pudding in the garden

These pretty orange galettes are super simple to make, with only five ingredients but look so impressive and authentically Spanish. They’re part of our tapas feast in our August issue, with recipes by Kay Prestney, including parma ham and peach bites, garlic prawns, kolokithokeftedes and more.

Serves 4

320g ready rolled puff pastry
3 tbsp marmalade
3 large oranges
1 tsp cardamom seeds
2 tbsp honey

1 Preheat oven to 160C/Fan 140C/ Gas 3. Unroll the dough and cut out four circles, then place into individual greased baking tins and prick with a fork several times.
2 Spread a layer of marmalade onto the bottom of each circle. Peel and slice the oranges and lay the segments on top of the marmalade, then scatter the cardamom pods evenly between the four tarts. Bake for 20-25 mins or until the pastry turns golden.
3 In a small saucepan, gently bring the honey to a simmer until it's liquid. Using a baking brush, lightly coat each warm tart with the honey. Serve warm with a glass of sherry.

Find the rest of the tapas gathering recipes in our August issue.

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Make | a room in the garden

Does anyone not dream of their own room in the garden? Whether you have a fancied up shed, a multi-tasking summerhouse or a posh, purpose-built outdoor studio, there are a few bits and pieces that will make a home of any outdoor room.

A nice vacuum flask for tea or coffee

You don’t want to have to be back and forth to the house every half an hour for refreshments. Take your own tea out to your garden room, made just the way you like it and you’re set fair for the afternoon. We like this fox design by Rex London.

A radio to chunter in the background

Whether it’s Farming Today early in the morning, or a bit of Classic FM late in the evening, you need a battery-powered radio for a bit of company in your garden room. A Roberts radio will never fail you and comes in very compact designs these days. 

Some lights to guide you home

A simple string of outdoor lights will illuminate the entrance way of an evening or help you find your way to the back door when you’ve lost track of time and stayed out in your garden room too long. Try these string lights from Cox & Cox.

A spot to read or have a nap

A comfy floor cushion or bean bag is essential for a little surreptitious garden snoozing, like this beanbag from Little Ella James at Not On the High Street.

Some good biscuits and a statement biscuit tin

We like a biscuit tin that says a lot about you. This musical tin with carousel horses plays La Traviata, making an event of every elevenses, and comes stocked with posh biccies, too. 

In our August issue, we have collated some images of real, inspirational rooms in the garden. It’s in shops now or you can buy it from our online shop.

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Eggs: scrambled, not stirred

Why scrambled eggs were nearly the undoing of James Bond but are still the best breakfast

It was Fay Weldon who originally advised us all to 'Go To Work on an Egg’ for the Egg Marketing Board in the 1950s. And it seems James Bond took her at her word.

If you expected Bond’s favourite dish to be something a little sexier, think again; Britain’s most famous spy liked nothing more than a plate of scrambled eggs and was regularly depicted getting stuck into a plate of them, with bacon, or kidneys… always with a fancy tipple. In fact, there are only three of the Ian Fleming books in which they don't appear (if you’re interested, they are From Russia With Love, The Man with the Golden Gun and You Only Live Twice). It must be pointed out that 007 does eat eggs in all those books, too, just not scrambled. 

They made so many appearances in Live and Let Die that a proof reader pointed out to him that Bond’s scrambled egg habit was so impressive it may be his undoing; for any enemy on his tail would only have to nip into a restaurant and ask if an Englishman eating scrambled eggs had been in. He eventually edited a few instances of scrambled eggs out of the second draft, but Bond’s penchant for his favourite breakfast was, in general, unswerving.

In his short story 007 in New York, Fleming included a recipe for ‘Scrambled Eggs James Bond’, which you might like to try for brunch this weekend. It serves four.

Scrambled Eggs James Bond

12 fresh eggs
Salt and pepper
5-6 oz. of fresh butter

Break the eggs into a bowl. Beat thoroughly with a fork and season well. In a small copper (or heavy bottomed saucepan) melt 4oz of the butter. When melted, pour in the eggs and cook over a very low heat, whisking continuously with a small egg whisk.

While the eggs are slightly more moist than you would wish for eating, remove the pan from heat, add rest of butter and continue whisking for half a minute, adding the while finely chopped chives or fines herbes. Serve on hot buttered toast in individual copper dishes (for appearance only) with pink champagne (Taittinger) and low music.

It’s a certainly a classic recipe, but if you’re looking for something a little different, don’t miss our feature on second breakfasts on page 34 of our August issue. It includes a recipe for the Indian Scrambled Eggs with Naan (above), as well as homemade beans on toast, bay-roasted grapes and ricotta on toast and a delicious frittata, all taken from Home Bird: Simple Low-Waste Recipes for the Family and Friends by Megan Davies (Ryland Peters and Small) with photography by Clare Winfield.

Reader offer

Readers can buy a copy of Home Bird for the special price of £12 To order go to rylandpeters.com and use code HOMEBIRD12 at checkout. Offer valid until August 31 2020.

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More from our August issue…

Eggstra inspiration for you…

Wild camping | bedzones

Sailors, mountaineers, hikers, cyclists, canoeists and pilgrims have been wild camping for centuries . These are the four traditional ‘bedzones’ used by wild campers…

WILD ZONE Aka Scotland – from Cape Wrath to Gretna, every loch, trail and beach, the lowlands, the peaks and what’s left of the forest. Freedom to sleep and wild camp was restored as a right in 2003 under the Land Reform Act.

FORESHORE ZONE The coast is possibly the most important common ground in Britain and Ireland. Our law has enshrined the right to fish, dig bait and navigate, without having to pay. This means that while the tide is out, it’s perfectly reasonable to camp, eat, light a fire and rest on the foreshore (the area below the high-tide mark).

MIDDLE EARTH The area between the foreshore and the mountains – where we all, pretty much, live. It’s wrong to say camping here is illegal. It’s like saying it’s illegal to sit down at a table in a restaurant without asking. It’s not, but just polite to ask first.

MOUNTAIN ZONE Mountaineers and ramblers have been enjoying free sleep in the hills for ever. Today, there’s still no one up there collecting pitch fees. Many landowners consider the minimum necessary height for wild camping to be 450m – and hundreds of hills within the UK fall into that category.

If you fancy a bit of wild camping yourself, turn to page 21 of our August issue, where Stepehn Neale, author of Wild Camping: Exploring and Sleeping in the Wilds of the UK and Ireland (below) tells us how to wild camp safely and considerately.

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Wild Camping Book Reader Offer

To order at a discount of 20%, go to bloomsbury.com and use the code SIMPLE20 before 27 August. 



More from our August issue…

More camping inspiration…

Recipe: Deep-fried courgette flowers with broad bean, pea and mint puree and basil pesto

Deep-fried courgette flowers with broad bean, pea and mint puree and basil pesto

As ‘by-products’ go, courgette flowers must be one of our favourites and this is the time of year to enjoy them. This recipe by Lia Leendertz makes a delicious summery weekend lunch or substantial starter. We’ll be planting even more courgettes next year so we can enjoy even more of these crispy, delicate flowers.

Make the purée and the pesto ahead, and fry the courgette flowers at the last minute for a gorgeous plate full of high- summer flavours. Freshly made basil pesto is just right for a touch of something piquant and herbal among the gentler flavours. The smooth veggie purée is easy to whizz up and complements the crunchy deep-fried parcel with its delicate morsel of courgette flowers within.

Serves 4
For the purée
250g broad beans, double podded* (about 1kg unpodded weight)
250g peas, podded (frozen peas thawed in a little lukewarm water will also do fine)
250g ricotta cheese
handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
squeeze of lemon juice
salt and pepper
For the basil pesto
50g toasted pine nuts
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 large bunch of basil (for leaves) extra virgin olive oil
50g finely grated parmesan
For the deep-fried courgette flowers
8 courgette flowers
sunflower or vegetable oil
125g plain flour
1⁄2 tsp salt
175ml ice cold water

1 Put all the ingredients for the purée, except the lemon juice, in a bowl and whiz to a smoothish texture with a hand blender. Add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to a day.

2 For the basil pesto, use a pestle and mortar to crush the pine nuts and garlic together. Season to taste, add the basil leaves and grind to a paste before slowly adding olive oil until you have the consistency you want. Stir in the parmesan and set aside.

3 Prepare the courgette flowers by teasing them open and pulling out the yellow stamens or style. Aim to create a completely empty space within the petals. It doesn’t matter if the flower rips a little in the process.

4 Heat the oil in a high-sided saucepan. It should fill no more than a third of the pan to allow for bubbling up. Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl and whisk in the water.

5 When the oil is ready (a cube of bread will fizz and go brown), dip the flowers into the batter and lower into the oil. Fry up to three at a time for 1–2 minutes, until golden brown on one side, then flip over and brown the other side. Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately. 

This recipe was originally published in our Journey issue (no. 37) in July 2015. You can buy the issue in our online shop here.

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From our July 2020 issue…

More recipes for summer…