Playlist | What's in a name?

What’s in a name? April, May or June… just a few of the women who have inspired songs.

Take a listen on Spotify here
Or search ‘Simplethingsmag’ on Spotify to find all our playlists

Etymology | Tilting at Windmills

Etymology from the land of giants and jousting

The phrase ‘tilting at windmills’ is often said to ‘come from’ Cervantes’ Don Quixote. In fact, the phrase never appears there, but it does refer to the title character’s strange belief that windmills are giants… "with their long arms. Some of them have arms well nigh two leagues in length” that he must fight. 

Tilting, for those who are wondering, means ‘jousting with lances’, and the phrase has come to simply meaning ‘fighting an imaginary enemy’. 

It was first used in reference to Don Quixote 40 years after the novel was published, in The Character of a London Diurnall in 1644, where John Cleveland wrote "The Quixotes of this Age fight with the Wind-mills of their owne Heads." But the phrase as we know it today is first used in April 1870 in the New York Times, which reported that the Western Republicans “have not thus far had sufficient of an organization behind them to make their opposition to the Committee’s bill anything more than tilting at windmills.”

If you’d like to tilt at a windmill, or perhaps just enjoy a spring walk to a windmill, do read our Outing feature from page 60 of the March issue.

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More outings to enjoy this spring…

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Make | Garlic & Thyme Oil

The trick with making infused oil (be it chilli, lemon, orange or a herb oil like this) is to use dried produce. Fresh ingredients can dilute the preserving qualities of oil, which could lead to the growth of botulism. Dried oil infusions, however, are safe. This oil uses leftover woody stalks from fresh thyme and the papery skins from garlic – both of which don’t contain significant moisture yet offer a surprising amount of flavour.

MAKES 250ml
12-15 stripped thyme sprigs (just the woody stems, no fresh leaves)
The papery skins from 7 garlic cloves
250ml olive or rapeseed oil

Tuck the stripped thyme sprigs and garlic skins into a sterilised bottle or jar. Pour in the oil, ensuring the ingredients are fully covered. Seal the bottle or jar with a lid or cork and leave to infuse for 2–6 weeks at room temperature then strain or decant into a fresh (sterilised) bottle. Best used within 1 year.

Cook’s note: Always use a good quality extra virgin olive oil or rapeseed oil (which has a relatively mild flavour so it can take on the thyme and garlic). Store in a dark glass bottle (to prevent oxidation) in a cool, dark place, well away from the oven or any other heat sources.

This make is from our Early Spring Home Economics feature by Rachel de Thample, with recipes for now, for this week, for your freezer and larder, with clever ways to make more of a meal and use leftovers well. It includes recipes for Thyme & 40 Garlic Clove Roast Chicken, Sweet Potato Wedges, Lemon Kale with Marcona Almonds, Cheat’s Aioli, Anchovy Butter, Kale Caesar with Chicken Crackling, Chicken Bone Broth, Sweet Potato Soup, and even a Kale Stalk Powder for those serious about using every inch of their veg!

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More inspiration for your pantry…

More from our March issue…

Code Breaking | Beatrix Potter

How the author and illustrator’s codes  were finally cracked with a little help from history              

You might not necessarily associate the unassuming author of Peter Rabbit with ciphers and code-breakers, but if we learned anything from our Looking Back feature on Beatrix Potter in our March issue, it’s that she is the last person you should assume anything about at all.

After her death, a series of notebooks full of tightly curled, tiny cipher were discovered by a family member. The coded books were written by Potter between the ages of 15 and 30, and utterly defeated the relative who uncovered it, so they enlisted the help of Potter Superfan Leslie Linder. 

Even so, it took Linder years of scrutinising the tiny, indecipherable handwriting to find a breakthrough, which turned out to be the year 1793 and the Roman numerals XIV (16). He worked out that it must refer to the execution of Louis XIV in 1793, and from there he was away… Well. We say ‘away’... 

Though it transpired the ‘code’ that had eluded everyone for years was a simple alphabetical cipher of the type Scouts might use, Potter’s handwriting was so small, it was years until the code was fully broken and Potter’s teenaged thoughts about artists, museum, exhibits and more, were finally uncovered. 

The code is a simple switch of letters for other letters, some numbers and a few symbols, too. You can find a full list here if you wish. And Atlas Obscura has still more information on the code

Now, what’s the Potter Code for ‘Mr MacGregor’s juiciest radishes: this way’? Asking for a (furry) friend. 

You can read more about Beatrix Potter in our March issue’s Looking Back pages. The exhibition Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature is on at the V&A until 8 January 2023.

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More from our Looking Back pages…

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Recipe | Street corn (Elotes)

Classic Mexican street food that's traditionally charred on the grill then covered in a creamy sauce

Serves 4- 6

6 medium ears of corn, husks removed
120g sour cream
150g mayonnaise
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 garlic clove, crushed
¼ tsp ground chipotle powder (substitute with smoked paprika for a lower heat)
2 tsp lime zest
2 tbsp lime juice
40g Cotija (or feta cheese), crumbled
Lime wedges, to serve (optional)
Jalapeños, to serve (optional)

1 Preheat the grill to medium/high and place the corn on a baking tray underneath. Grill for 2-3 mins on each side, turning as the kernels become golden and charred. Remove and place on your serving plate .

2 While the corn cooks, make the sauce by whisking together the sour cream, mayonnaise, coriander, garlic, chipotle, lime zest and juice. Taste and season if needed .

3 Using a brush or spoon, coat each ear of corn with the sauce and sprinkle with the cheese. Serve with lime wedges and jalapeños.

Elotes are great on their own and with crusty bread to mop up but if you want to make an occasion of it, you can find all the recipes for our Mexican Gathering in the March issue, starting from page 40, and including crab and mole tostadas, spiced cauliflower and black beans,. pulled pork carnitas and prawn and pineapple rice salad, alongside much more.

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A fancy pancake recipe for Shrove Tuesday

Empty the larder with an inventive twist on the French classic Crêpe Suzette for a Shrove Tuesday pudding (or a pancake pick-me-up any time of year). They’re quite fancy but if you’re up to making them for breakfast, who are we to stop you?

Ingredients
For the crêpes

• 110g plain flour, sifted

• pinch of salt

• 2 eggs

• 200ml milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water

• 50g salted butter

• 1 medium Seville orange, grated zest only - Available in some supermarkets

• 1 tbsp caster sugar

For the sauce

• 150ml orange juice (from 3-4 medium oranges)

•  1 medium orange, grated zest only

• 1 small lemon, grated rind and juice

• 1 tbsp caster sugar

• 3 tbsp Chase Marmalade Vodka

•  50g unsalted butter

• a little extra Marmalade Vodka, for flaming

Method

1. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets an airing. Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs - any sort of whisk or even a fork will do - incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.

2. Next gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don’t worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk). When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream. Now melt the 50g of butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl and use it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake. Stir the orange zest and caster sugar into the batter.

3. Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you’re using the correct amount of batter. These little crêpes should be thinner than the basic pancakes, so when you’re making them, use 1⁄2 tbsp of batter at a time in a 18cm pan. It’s also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it’s tinged gold as it should be.

4. Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife - the other side will need a few seconds only - then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate. If the pancakes look a little bit ragged in the pan, no matter because they are going to be folded anyway. You should end up with 15-16 crêpes.

5. Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest.

6. For the sauce, mix all the ingredients - with the exception of the butter - in a bowl. At the same time warm the plates on which the crêpes are going to be served. Now melt the butter in the frying pan, pour in the sauce and allow it to heat very gently. Then place the first crêpes in the pan and give it time to warm through before folding it in half and then in half again to make a triangular shape. Slide this onto the very edge of the pan, tilt the pan slightly so the sauce runs back into the centre, then add the next crêpe. Continue like this until they’re all re-heated, folded and well soaked with the sauce.

7. You can flame them at this point if you like. Heat a ladle by holding it over a gas flame or by resting it on the edge of a hotplate, then, away from the heat, pour a little Marmalade Vodka into it, return it to the heat to warm the spirit, then set light to it. Carry the flaming ladle to the table over the pan and pour the flames over the crêpes before serving on the warmed plates.

This receipe was originally created for our February 2013 issue by the Chase Distillery and London's Crémerie Crêperie. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

How to | Plan a Good Walk

As with so many things in life, the key to a good walk is all in the planning and anticipation… and the pub

Spontaneity definitely has its place, but sometimes you just need a solid plan, and a spring walk is one of those times. Heading off into the great outdoors, breathing the cold air and the world opening up before you can fill us with a confidence like nothing else. But a fair idea of how far away the nearest fish pie and a pint and a clean toilet is can really improve the mood on a long walk. Here are a few steps to planning a good walk and putting the pedestrian fates in your favour. 

Start with a good map. 

An Ordnance Survey Explorer map is best, as it gives you the best scale for walking and enough detail to be able to see where you can cross private land, find a phone box and might need wellies to cross a stream. If you don’t have a paper map you can always plan online at https://explore.osmaps.com/en?l. 

Devise a circular walk or at least make sure there’s a bus back

Many planned walks you’ll find in books or online can leave you five miles from your start point with no hope of getting home, so plan your own but do your research. Circular walks (where the end is back at the start) are ideal, dropping you back home or to your car. But if you want to go out and not back, plan your walk to some public transport (and don’t forget to check timetables and make sure the buses run on Sundays and don’t stop at 4pm). 

Get the boring but important bits out of the way first

Are you walking at the coast? You might need to check tide times. How about crossing railway tracks or busy roads?  It might be an idea to check busiest times and ensure you’ll be able to cross safely. It’s also important to check the weather; not only will you need to be properly dressed and kitted out but the weather might also affect your route if high winds are predicted, for example, and you need to avoid areas that are high up or close to trees that might shed branches, perhaps. 

Plan the pub

Now for the fun part. Locate the pubs (look for a PH) on the map and then do some research. There’s nothing so disheartening as arriving at the pub in the rain, ready for a roaring fire and a large glass of red only to discover it’s closed for refurbishments. Call and check they’ll be open on the day and check out the menu as well so you know what you’re looking forward to. 

Plan in your snacks

While we’re on the subject of sustenance, pack plenty of water and check that there will be shops or pubs where you can refill along the way. And plan to pack up a few snacks, too, if it’s a long walk. Some cake or flapjack, wrapped in foil and a flask of tea or coffee will see you right when lunch feels a long way off.

Ditto your walking companions

Think carefully about whether your walk pals will be up to the route you’ve planned, will get on with each other and will appreciate the walk as a whole. If you choose to go alone, perhaps plan in a podcast to listen to along the way. 

Seek out an adventure

Find a ‘main event’ to plan your walk around. It might be a fabulous view, an ancient church to look round or a geographical feature you want to stop off at and explore. Try to plan the walk so that the ‘event’ is about a third of the way through. You don’t want to peak too soon but you also don’t want the walk to feel like the first third of The Lord of the Rings. 

Keep them guessing

Plan in a surprise, too. Your companions will thank you for something that lifts their spirits in the last part of the walk, and post pub. It could be something as silly as a great photo opportunity, or a good ice cream shop, or as impressive as a fine piece of architecture or a point of historical interest. If you’re struggling, a good tip is always an ice box with ice creams inside, stashed in the boot of your car when you get back to the start. 

In our March issue, we have a feature all about ways to walk, adapted from 52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time by Annabel Streets (Bloomsbury). Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our blog…

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Recipe | Emergency Brownies

Grab a mug and set destination to the microwave. This will deliver an intense chocolatey hit in two minutes flat, using only store-cupboard ingredients.

“Like their key ingredient – chocolate – brownies have a near-miraculous ability to make us feel good,” says Leah Hyslop, author of The Brownie Diaries. “A single bite sends sugar and serotonin racing through the body, ready to patch up confidence or piece together a shattered heart.”

And there’s a brownie for every occasion, as Leah explains: “A brownie can say a lot of things, very easily and very unfussily. It can say I love you; I’m sorry; I’m thinking of you; let’s be friends; are we still friends? There are people who, when looking back over their lives, can identify occasions and events by the clothes they wore, or the music they listened to. I can chart my life in brownies; from the crumbly squares I scoffed in the school canteen, to the everything-but- the-kitchen-sink blondies I inhaled with friends after a break-up. Whatever else is going on in the world, a brownie always makes things better.”

Hear, hear, we say. And with that, our gift to you, straight from The Brownie Diaries and our March issue, is Leah’s recipe for Emergency Brownies. We think one should always have the ingredients in for these, because you just never know when a brownie emergency might occur…

You will need:

3 tbsp self-raising flour
2½ tbsp caster sugar
1½ tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp melted butter or vegetable oil
4 tbsp milk (ideally whole milk)
Handful of milk chocolate chips

To make:

1 Put all the ingredients in a large mug, except for the chocolate chips. Stir together until you have something resembling a batter, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mug. Stir in the chocolate chips.

2 Microwave until set on top – this usually takes between 1 min and 1 min 30 secs (microwaves vary in power, so it’s best to cook this for 1 min, check, then blast again in 30-second increments if needed).

3 Enjoy in pyjamas, on the sofa, perhaps with a scoop of ice cream on top.

Cook’s note: Make sure to use a microwave mug without any metallic decorations, such as a gold or silver trim, as this will spark an emergency of a different variety.

This recipe is featured alongside two others from The Brownie Diaries: Utlimate Fudgy Brownies and First Day on the Job Brownies, beginning on page 82 of the March issue of The Simple Things. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More baking for weekend days…

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Primer | Street Artists

Do you know your Banksy from your Ben Eine? Get a quick street artist 101 here and feel a little more informed and a lot more ‘street’. Just don’t do any ‘yoof’ hand gestures, ok?

With Banksys selling for thousands and colourful murals cheering our town and city walls more than ever, there’s never been a better time to start becoming a bit more aware of what you’re looking at on your local walls and pavements. Street artists all over the country are using the great outdoors to bring joy, make statements and just make us stop and stare. Next time you’re thinking ‘that’s clever, I wonder who did that…’ you might find the answer here.

Banksy

The daddy of street art currently. Banksy’s art tends not to be fabulously beautiful but more political with a dose of humour. 

Look for: His trademark black and white stencil style with spots of colour. 

Find it in: Very public places (he doesn’t do railways sidings or out-of-the-way spots). He also always asks permission so if you want to know if it’s a Banksy, knock on the door of the building and ask!

Do say: “I think you’ll find latest belief is that Banksy is not in fact Robert del Naja of the band Massive Attack, but a whole art collective.” 

Don’t say: “I can’t believe he shredded that lovely picture. What a waste!”

Cornbread

Lesser known as Darryl McCray, this Philadelphia artist is considered to be the first modern graffiti writer. In that sense he’s really a tagger rather than an artist. 

Look for: His famous ‘Cornbread’ tag. It’s very simple and he’s all about the tag rather than visuals. 

Find it in: Philadelphia, naturally. Often on road signs. 

Do say: “Did you know Cornbread got his nickname in juvenile detention centre?”

Don’t say: “But it’s just his NAME! Where’s the art?”

Keith Haring

You’ll know Keith Haring even if you think you don’t; he’s the pop artist with the colourful faceless figures. Once part of the NYC subculture, now his art is all over galleries and calendars for us all to enjoy. 

Look for: His famous ‘continuous line’ - he was able to paint a whole picture without using several ‘strokes’ like most graffiti artists. If the piece is signed by him (and they often aren’t) the signature will be subtle and hard to spot. 

Find it in: New York City where there are still five murals. Or in galleries around the world. There was an exhibition at Tate Liverpool in 2019 so keep your eyes peeled for more. 

Do say: “You can really see Haring’s fascination with semiotics coming through in the text-like shape of his art, can’t you?”

Don’t say: “Did he forget to draw the faces on those guys?”

Annatomix

Birmingham street artist Annatomix is known for her geometric murals of birds and wildlife - as well as some humans, including a mural of David Bowie. 

Look for: Colourful, geometric animals - often mistaken for being origami. “ I can understand why people may see a relation to origami in my work, but my influence actually comes from geometry, low poly modelling, crystalline structures and architecture,” she says. 

Find it in: Birmingham and other places. Don’t miss the amazing birds mural in Wandsworth, south London. 

Do say: “It’s fascinating the way her style clearly nods to our future with nature - more robotic and less organic in many ways…”

Don’t say: “Ooh! Can you do a swan out of a napkin?”

Ben Eine

Londoner, Ben Eine is known for his colourful, often circus style, typographic art. One of his most famous pieces to date is his mural on the side of Shoreditch’s Village Underground, a tribute to the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster that reads: “You saw it in the tears of those who survived.”

Look for: Huge, brightly coloured letters. 

Find it in: London - all over but particularly East London, though he’s now so famous he has his own shop where you can purchase your own Ben Eine in the form of a face mask if you wish.

Do say: “The words represent so much more than the mere letters they are made up of…”

Don’t say: “Well that’s confusing. It clearly says ‘Social Club’ here in large letters but in fact it’s just a garage. Am I in the wrong place?”

If you’re inspired to see more beautiful things on the streets near you, don’t miss our feature Art in the Wild, starting on page 64 of our February issue. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our February issue…

More outings to enjoy…

Sponsored post | Contain your Delight

Create blooming lovely floral displays with inspiration and a 20% discount from Sarah Raven

Spring has finally sprung and the welcome sight of blue skies and sunshine are now becoming more frequent, so, for many, it’s time to start planning and get planting, ready for the year ahead.

One of the easiest ways to spruce up your garden or outdoor space is with pots – a low maintenance transformation that will add colour and interest. And now is the time to plant up as we’ve teamed up with Sarah Raven to offer The Simple Things readers 20% off their top container collections.

Sarah Raven herself shares her rules of thumb when it comes to putting together the ideal display pot. “When putting together our container collections, I follow two overlapping recipes,” she says. “Firstly, I always think about colour – I’ll either harmonise and plant several plants of the same hue, or I’ll opt for contrast and will usually select two plants from the same colour palette and a third in as strong a contrasting shade as possible.”

Another key consideration is form and Sarah sticks to her failsafe ‘thriller, filler and spiller’ set up. “I’ll choose a crowdpleaser (the thriller), a quieter sidekick (the filler), and a trailer (the spiller) to soften the overall look.” With this easy-to-remember plan, you’ll be producing colourful containers to be proud of in no time. However, for more inspiration, go online or visit Sarah Raven’s Perch Hill base in East Sussex, on one of the pre-bookable open days, for tried and tested combinations.

For more information and inspiration, visit sarahraven.com or follow on Instagram: @sarahravensgarden.

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Sponsored post | Visit Wales

After a long winter of what feels like hibernation, is there any greater feeling than pulling on your walking boots and getting out and about in the fresh air? We all know that exhilaration when we feel the wind in our hair and the sun on our face – a feeling backed up by Ramblers UK research which shows that 89% of people find that walking amongst nature helps them unwind and relax, leading to a boost in health, wellbeing and feelings of positivity.

This year, the iconic Wales Coast Path celebrates its 10th anniversary and, with an impressive 870 miles of glorious coastal paths, there are hundreds of unique walking experiences mapped out to make the most of stunning views and all the wellbeing benefits that walking can deliver.

Whether you’re after a light amble or a more dedicated ramble, there’s something for everyone with breath-taking views to make even the most inclement British weather worth getting outdoors for. For nature lovers, the short Mwnt circular walk provides an ideal opportunity to spot local wildlife such as seals, choughs and dolphins, with views over Cardigan Bay and, on clear days, the epic vista of Snowdonia. The St Davids Loop takes in the UK’s smallest city, including its 12th century cathedral, while anyone with an interest in the country’s heritage will enjoy the Conwy Quay to Llanfairfechan stretch which meanders past the Druids circle and ancient standing stones near Penmaenmawr that have stood sentry for more than five thousand years.

With its abundance of nature, secluded beaches and charming villages, the beautiful Welsh coast and countryside is just the tonic needed to get walking

For further information and inspiration on where to go, visit visitwales.com (@visitwales) or walescoastpath.gov.uk (@walescoastpath) for walking routes.

Best routes for…

Stunning rock formations – New Quay to Aberporth

Bird watching – Holy Island, Anglesey

A beach picnic – Morfa Nefyn to Porthdinllaen

Watching the sun set – Deer Park to Marloes, Pembrokeshire

Playlist | Let's drink to that

Our drink-themed playlist may be just the tonic – cheers!

Take a listen on Spotify here
Or search ‘simplethingsmag’ on Spotify to find all our playlists.

How to | Make a Thread Journal

Keeping a record of your days doesn’t have to mean picking up a pen and paper; you can be as
creative as you like

If we say so ourselves, we loved the weather scarf in our February issue (pictured above by Josie George). It seems like an ingenious way both to keep a small record of each day as well as to keep up a hobby. But if you aren’t a natural knitter, you might like to try a different sort of thread journaling.

Look up ‘thread journaling’ on Pinterest and you’ll see hundreds of examples from people who’ve kept an embroidery record of their year. Here’s how it’s done. 

What you’ll need
An embroidery hoop
Some cloth (a large napkin is good)
A good collection of differently coloured embroidery threads
Needles, thimbles, embroidery pen and other notions

How to do it
* Think about how you want to record your days. You can do a year (you don’t have to start with January, of course) or just a month or a specific period in your life.

* Sketch out a few ideas on paper for how you’d like your design to work. You could set it out like a calendar grid, present it as a wheel or just go completely higgeldy piggeldy and stitch each day or week’s motif wherever you please.

* Pop your cloth in your hoop and get started. You might like to stitch a motif to represent each day or each week. What you stitch is up to you. You could do a castle or a hill to represent a relevant day out, a cake to represent a party you went to, a pair of curtains for a theatre trip, a flower or vegetable for something you’ve grown in the garden. If you prefer, and have the chops, you could get quite specific - perhaps embroidering something to represent every book you read in a year, or everything you grow in your veg patch this summer.

If you’d like to read more about Josie’s Weather Scarf you can find out all about it on page 108 of our February issue. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our February issue…

More journaling inspiration…

Knowhow | Thermos Hacks

Dig out your vacuum flask for a good long walk and you’ll never have to be home in time for tea… you can take it with you!

A Thermos full of tea on a spring walk (tartan blanket not essential) is always pleasing, but are you using your Thermos flask to its full potential? Obviously you can fill it with soup or a chilli too but thinking further outside the box is always fun. We’ve put together a few ideas for ways to use a Thermos you might not have considered to help you make more of your outdoor adventures. 

1. A sausage supper. Cook sausages at home. Fill your Thermos with boiling water, empty it, and pack it with the cooked sausages and fasten the lid on quickly. Throw some bread rolls and ketchup in a bag with it and voila! Instant hot dogs at the end of your walk. 

2. Have breakfast outdoors. Fill your flask with porridge, top with honey and a few dried fruits and nuts if you like, and go and watch the sunrise over a hot breakfast. 

3. Go for grains for lunch. Things like quinoa and couscous are a great Thermos meal if you want a hot lunch on a hillside or on the beach. Warm your Thermos by filling with boiling water and emptying it, then throw in your chosen grain plus enough boiling water to cover it. Ignore it for a few hours. Pack a few cold toppings - maybe some cold chopped meat or cheese and some chopped herbs, nuts and salad veg - and when you open your Thermos, throw them on top of your fluffed grains for an instant warm grains salad. 

4. Make a party of it. You can keep things like sausage rolls, quesadillas and mini pies both warm and crispy by lining the bottom of your Thermos with a few folded pieces of kitchen towel and piling the hot food on top. No more soggy sarnies. 

5. Keep cold things cold as well as hot things hot. Did you know you can use a Thermos to take ice cream out with you? Be everyone’s best friend on the beach by filling the bottom part of your Thermos with crushed ice and then either slide your tub of ice cream in if it will fit, or decant it onto the ice. Seal the lid quickly and prepare to sing a tinkly version of Greensleeves as you unscrew it later and offer round the cones. 

Read more about why we all love a Thermos in our feature by Tim Hayward in our February issue. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our February issue…

More ideas for outdoor eating…

Food | Fictional Feasts

Remembering a few of our favourite books in which fabulous feasts were served

Tables groaning with dishes, foodstuffs from days gone by or perhaps even foods that exist only in our imaginations… the feasts from some of our favourite books stay with us forever. Here are a few that still make us hungry to think about them…

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 

A fishy feast sets the scene for the meal over which the Count plots to bankrupt the evil Danglars.

"They began to pass around the dusky, piquant, Arlesian sausages, and lobsters in their dazzling red cuirasses, prawns of large size and brilliant colour, the echinus with its prickly outside and dainty morsel within, the clovis, esteemed by the epicures of the South as more than rivalling the exquisite flavour of the oyster, North. All the delicacies, in fact, that are cast up by the wash of waters on the sandy beach, and styled by the grateful fishermen “fruits of the sea.”

 Five Get Into Trouble by Enid Blyton

Famous Five Feasts must be among the most memorable in fiction but it wasn’t <all> lashings of ginger beer… 

“Once again they bought food for their lunch – new bread, farm-house butter, cream cheese, crisp lettuce, fat red radishes and a bunch of spring onions. Richard bought a magnificent chocolate cake he saw in a first-class cake-shop… ‘Woof,’ said Timmy longingly.”

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Dickens is synonymous with food, both for his depictions of the hungry and food-poor, best depicted in novels such as Oliver Twist, but also for his descriptions of food and its deeper meanings. Here’s one such meal from A Christmas Carol, a celebration of enough being as good as a feast…

"There never was such a goose. Bob said he didn’t believe there ever was such a goose cooked. Its tenderness and flavour, size and cheapness, were the themes of universal admiration. Eked out by apple-sauce and mashed potatoes, it was a sufficient dinner for the whole family; indeed, as Mrs. Cratchit said with great delight (surveying one small atom of a bone upon the dish), they hadn’t ate it all at last! Yet every one had had enough, and the youngest Cratchits in particular, were steeped in sage and onion to the eyebrows!"

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling

Like Dickens, JK Rowling plays regularly on the differences between the haves and have-nots where food is concerned. Having seen Harry’s terrible life and meagre rations at his home with the Dursleys, as readers, we gasp along with him in Hogwarts Great Hall as he sees dish after dish of delicious food magically appear on a table. 

“Harry’s mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup and, for some strange reason, mint humbugs.”

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

Gatsby’s ridiculous parties on Long Island must get a mention in any rundown of fabulous fictional feasts…

"At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down with several hundred feet of canvas and enough coloured lights to make a Christmas tree of Gatsby’s enormous garden. On buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors-d’oeuvres, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold. In the main hall a bar with a real brass rail was set up, and stocked with gins and liquors and with cordials so long forgotten that most of his female guests were too young to know one from another."

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

There’s nothing quite so irritating as unexpected guests is there? But even an enforced fictional feast has an air of jollity about it…

"Already it had almost become a throng. Some called for ale, and some for porter, and one for coffee, and all of them for cakes; so the hobbit was kept very busy for a while. A big jug of coffee bad just been set in the hearth, the seed-cakes were gone, and the dwarves were starting on a round of buttered scones, when there came-a loud knock. ‘I hope there is something left for the late-comers to eat and drink!’

‘What's that? Tea! No thank you! A little red wine, I think, for me.’

‘And for me,’ said Thorin. 

‘And raspberry jam and apple-tart,’ said Bifur. 

‘And mince-pies and cheese,’ said Bofur. 

‘And pork-pie and salad,’ said Bombur. 

‘And more cakes-and ale-and coffee, if you don't mind,’ called the other dwarves through the door. ‘Put on a few eggs, there's a good fellow!’ Gandalf called after him, as the hobbit stumped off to the pantries. ‘And just bring out the cold chicken and pickles!’”

We were inspired to recall these fictional feasts, having enjoyed our Gathering feature in our February issue: Book Club Supper. It includes recipes by Louise Gorrod for a Fig Dark and Stormy cocktail, vegetarian mezze platter, stuffed giant pasta shells and a chocolate ginger cake. The issue is on sale now or you can buy it in our online store.

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Reflection | Re-emerging

As we are poised between seasons, now is the time to prepare and ready ourselves to emerge into spring, suggests Katherine May, author of the best-selling book, Wintering

Instead of spring cleaning this year, I’m redecorating my study. I have a Pinterest board full of ideas and a vision that involves clear surfaces, extra bookshelves, an armchair with plumped cushions and an awful lot of plants. This is very far from the current state of affairs (books stacked sideways, carrier bags destined for the charity shop, stained coffee mugs and, for reasons I don’t quite understand, the whole family’s collection of wellies). But spring is coming, and I’m an optimistic soul, as well as an untidy one. 

Now is the time to do it. The Gaelic festival of Imbolc arrives on the first day of February, when snowdrops are showing. It marks the end of winter, a time when the ice would traditionally melt, and its debris could finally be cleared away. But it is also the beginning of spring, when the first lambs are born. At Imbolc, the ewes are pregnant, and the year is pregnant, too, full of expectation and promise. 

Imbolc is the last beat of winter, a time to get ready for better things to come. It always arrives just at the moment when I’m ready to stretch my wings again, and to engage with the outside world after several months of sheltering indoors away from the cold.

In my book, Wintering, I write about the fallow periods of life when we feel cut off from the rest of the world, perhaps after an illness, a period of grief, or a rejection that floors us for a season. I’ve wintered many times in my life, through periods of depression and ill health, and through times when I could feel change coming, but didn’t know where to turn next. Over the years, I learned that nature could show me a way through these times. From hibernating dormice and trees shedding their leaves, to the female reindeer who keep their antlers until spring so they can defend their young, I discovered that winter is a time to mass our energies, to rest, repair and recuperate, and to pare life back to its essentials until we are ready to emerge again, remade. 

The most important thing that nature teaches us is that wintering is a cycle: the cold visits us over and over across the course of our lives, and we can’t avoid it. When we endure a personal winter, it’s not a failure. It is normal. I’ve come to believe that these winters are important times of personal transformation, even if they are unbearably painful. They are moments of metamorphosis, when we fall through the cracks of life for a while, and spend time working through the agonies of change. 

But I also believe that we can learn to cherish our winters. Not enjoy them exactly – that might be asking too much – but recognise them for what they are and sink into them. In the process of writing Wintering, I learned the pleasures of swimming in the ice-cold sea, and discovered just how much colour could be found in the woods at midwinter. I let the cold bite, but I also defended against it, lighting a series of bonfires in my back garden, and snuggling up on the sofa with my favourite children’s novels. I retreated as much as I could, and let some of my social ties fall slack for a while. 

I rested. In the middle of a relentlessly busy life, it was hard to do. It seemed indulgent to ask for the right to keep my calendar empty and to spend time doing simple things like baking and reading, rather than competing and achieving. But in the space it made, I realised that I had been on the run since my son was born six years earlier, relentlessly trying to show the world I still had something to give it. I was trying to work like a machine – teaching until I was exhausted, putting everyone else’s needs before my own, writing my books in the tiniest of gaps left in my day – without ever stopping to refuel. Winter helped me to understand that a dormant period was essential. And if I hadn’t recognised that, winter would come for me anyway. My only job was to surrender. 

So when I’m approaching Imbolc, I’m not really thinking about cleaning, because I never could get terribly interested in dusting and hoovering. Instead, I’m thinking about moving to the next phase in my life. The revitalised study is at the top of my list because I’ve finished one book and I’m ready to start a new one. Now is exactly the right time to imagine the space I’d like to write it in: calmer, less cluttered. It’s all I hope for the inside of my mind, too, but that particular wish may have to wait. 

I’m not convinced that spring cleaning was ever really about tidying anyway – it’s surely more about dreaming. When we clear away the dust of a long winter, it’s an act of imagination, sowing the seeds of a life yet to come. This starts with a simple act of hope: I will create order. I can’t make everything perfect, but I can gain control over my tiny corner of the world. 

In between bouts with my study, I’m tackling the freezer, too, gradually eating my way through all the weird things I’ve frozen while in the grip of winter madness. Portions of pumpkin soup provide a week of decent lunches; a sad tub of cut-price blueberries are stirred into a batch of muffins, and become glorious. Other things – a pasta bake I hated the first time around; an aubergine stew that I know will have turned mushy – go straight into the bin. In the bottom drawer, I find a bag of frozen rosehips that I gathered in an October frenzy, feeling like I was saving them from rotting on the bough. Today, I simmer them with sugar and water, and pass them through a sieve to make a coral pink cordial, full – I assure myself, as I shake it with gin – of vitamin C. After all, the last efficiencies of winter don’t have to be joyless. 

This piece was originally published in The Simple Things, issue 92. You can order a copy of Wintering here

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Brain fog | And how to beat it

Concentration becoming clouded and a mind fug descending? Try some of these ways to a clearer head

• Eat a healthy diet – what you eat directly effects your brain and how it functions. The best diet to follow to keep your brain and body in good shape is a Mediterraneanstyle diet. Eat plenty of daily veg, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, fruit and olive oil as well as fish, eggs, beans, poultry and limited red meat. And don’t forget to keep hydrated – your brain is a thirsty organ.

• Prioritise sleep – sleep deprivation can make you forgetful, clumsy, irritable, moody, depressed, demotivated – and hungry! Aim for seven to nine hours and no less than six or more than ten. This can be broken up into a night-time sleep and a daytime nap if that suits you better.

• Go with your natural rhythms – your circadian rhythm works best with regular sleep habits so try to go to bed and get up at roughly the same time every day, even at weekends.

• Get organised – make life easier for yourself by setting some systems in place. If you keep forgetting to make payments, set up some direct debits, book in a regular weekly shop, add reminders on your phone, and stick to a bedtime routine. And make lists of everything!

• Avoid multi-tasking – focus on one thing at a time and you’re less likely to make mistakes, and feel stressed or overwhelmed.

• Try mindfulness instead of autopilot – consciously give things more of your attention rather than doing things without thinking.

• Slow down – relaxation techniques such as yoga, deep breathing, self-massage and meditation can all help you to put the brakes on a bit.

• Know your limits – taking on more than you can handle is a recipe for stress. This might seem impossible when you’re overloaded with work and responsibilities, but you have the power to make different choices when it comes to your responses and thoughts.

• Do activities that challenge the brain – learning a language, a new skill or an instrument is linked with changes in the brain. Increased cognitive activity helps preserve the volume of your whole brain and the size of the hippocampus, the part of your brain involved in memory and learning.

  Adapted from Beating Brain Fog: Your 30-day Plan to Think Faster, Sharper, Better by Dr Sabina Brennan (Orion Spring). Read more about beating brain fog in our February issue, which is in shops now. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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How to | Have a Proper Lie-In

Leave your guilt at having a lie-in at the bedroom door. Done properly, it’s an artform. 

Oh the joy that is waking up early on a Saturday… and then remembering you don’t have to get up at all; it’s like stealing back a couple of hours from the world. While the element of pleasant surprise is a large part of a truly joyous lie-in, there’s a lot to be said for planning it well so you can really make the most of it. 

Here’s how to prepare thoroughly for a thoroughly decadent hour or two of extra duvet time. 

1. Set a date. If you live with others, let them know about your lie-in so there’s no chance of anyone asking you to help with anything come the time. If you have pets or children that need attention in the early morning, delegate these tasks in advance. 

2. Get to bed reasonably early the night before, and definitely don’t drink too much. A hangover is a total waste of a lie-in, You want to be able to enjoy it properly. 

3. Arrange catering. If you’re lucky enough to have someone willing to help with your lie-in, you could let them know whether your preference is for tea or coffee and what sort of breakfast you would like in bed. In our experience, though toast is the ‘go-to’ breakfast-in-bed item, it is the most crumb-sheddy also. A small fruit salad, or a little yoghurt with granola might actually be a better option. Or even a bacon sandwich. If there are no catering staff available, you’ll have to think a little out of the box; a Teasmade is always a good investment, but tea or coffee in a Thermos, taken up to bed with you the night before should stay nice and warm. In terms of sustenance, a cake tin under the bed containing a bit of banana loaf or something else to accompany your tea might work. No need to worry about what anyone thinks about your breakfast choices - no one else need know. 

4. There are a few things you’ll need to hand that can really make a lie-in. Firstly, a good alarm clock that you can set late but then put on snooze if you feel you want another forty winks before you are awake for the day. A radio is also a bit of a must. You can listen to whatever your choice of station is, but we must say The Rev Richard Coles on Radio 4 on a Saturday makes for excellent lie-in listening. Bonus points if you manage to stay in bed until the end of The Kitchen Cabinet at 11am. Also important is a light cardi to throw over your shoulders should you have a sudden burst of energy and decide to sit up in bed to drink your tea. Do also have a spare pillow to hand - because there’s nothing like a nice cold pillow to press your cheek to - a lie-in, after all, is a new event not a continuation of the night that precedes it, and as such it needs a new pillow. 

5. Consider media. You’ve got your radio, of course, but you might like to read a book or magazine as the sun peeks through the curtains. There’s nothing more annoying than not having exactly what reading material you fancy to hand, so take a good selection to bed with you and make sure they are within reaching distance. If you’re a podcast fan, that might also be a pleasant way to while away an hour or two. 

6. We are not fans of mobile phones in bed. Idle scrolling is not luxurious and won’t feel like a morning well spent. However, if you enjoy a natter of a weekend morning, you might like to have a phone to hand to call a friend. Even better, arrange for your friend to synchronise lie-ins with you and you can hold a duvet conference. Please note, this is no time for video calls - unless you know you happen to look very good first thing in the morning. 

7. Regarding a time to actually, rise, we recommend somewhere between 9am and 11am. You don’t want to be downstairs too early or it doesn’t feel like you’ve given the things a proper go. On the other hand, stay malingering in bed too long and it all starts to feel a bit sweaty and unwholesome. Enough is as good as a feast. 

8. When you’re ready to get up, do so slowly. Perhaps put on a little relaxing music and do a few stretches under the duvet before letting your toes reach out and find their way to your slippers. Morning!

The picture above is just one of the ‘views from my bed’ featured in our My Place pages in the February issue. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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Birdwatch | The Mistle Thrush

Illustration: Christina Carpenter

This month, in the Simple Things bird hide, we look at the mistle thrush…

Mistle thrushes are one of the first birds to begin to sing and build nests, some even start this month

Look for: Tiny brown ‘chevrons’ on their chests, white sides to the tail and a greyish hue on their back, rather than the warmer brown sported by a song thrush.

Spot them: All over the UK, other than the northern and western isles of Scotland, foraging at ground level and singing high in tree tops.

Listen for: A song a little like a blackbird, sung in a minor key, which stops and starts. Their ‘call’ is more aggressive and raspy, like an old-fashioned football rattle.

Birdwatch appears every month on our Almanac pages. Find more seasonal things to note and notice, plan and do in the Almanac each month. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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