Competition | Win a Morsø Forno Gas Medio, worth £669

Spring is in full flow and summer is on its way. Warm, sunny days now start to stretch longer into the evenings, bringing that irresistible golden hour when all chores seem irrelevant and the only priority is sitting back and soaking it all in, ideally with a glass of something chilled. These are the days to invite friends over, prepare food together and to plan adventures for the months ahead to really make the most of what the season has to offer.

If this sparks happiness, then our competition may be right up your street. The Simple Things has teamed up with our friends at Morsø to offer one lucky reader the chance to win its beautiful Morsø Forno Gas Medio, worth £669.

With 170 years of pioneering design behind them, Danish brand Morsø prides itself on its range of sleek, cast iron grills, burners and kitchen accessories – and the Forno Gas Medio is no exception. Ideal for barbecues, this handy grill will take warm weather gatherings to the next level with its moulded aluminium and solid cast iron design, which is sure to complement any outdoor space, large or small.

So if this has fired up your imagination, enter our competition and start planning a summer of memorable meet-ups with friends and family.

For more information and inspiration, visit morsoe.com or follow on Instagram: @morsomoments.

How to enter

For your chance to win a Morsø Forno Gas Medio, worth £669, enter our competitionby clicking the button below and answering the following question by the closing date of 14 June 2023.

Q. Morsø is a brand from which country?

Terms & Conditions

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 14 June 2023. One winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. Subject to availability. The trolley shown does not form part of the prize package. The winner cannot transfer the prize or swap it for cash. Details of our full terms and conditions are on p125 and online at: icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

Listen | ENO Breathe calming playlist

Image: Adobe Stock

Just certain tracks can motivate you to run faster or exercise longer, in the same way, listening to calming music has been proven to decrease our levels of stress hormones. The ENO have a playlist precisely for this. Take a listen on Spotify here.

“These songs are a salve of song,” says Suzi Zumpe, “moments from operas chosen for their soothing, calming atmosphere.” Zumpe is the Creative Director of ENO Breathe, an online programme designed by the English National Opera in partnership with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to tackle post-Covid breathlessness and associated anxiety. 

To find out more about how breathing in the right way can help you feel better, inside and out, see our feature ‘Let it go’ by Johanna Derry-Hall in the May issue of The Simple Things.

ENO Breathe – A calming playlist

Competition | Win a £500 voucher to spend at Crocus and plant some joy

Take a leaf out of Crocus’ book and get planting, ready for the summer, with £500 and
reader discounts up for grabs

Summer’s on its way and if you’re itching to get your garden blooming lovely in time for those long, warm, sunny days, then this might just be the competition for you. The Simple Things has teamed up with Crocus to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a £500 voucher to spend on plants and flowers.

Now’s the time to plan and plant your own little sanctuary that will undoubtedly bring you joy over the coming year. Crocus has over 7,000 plants to choose from that will add a much needed burst of life to your space after the quiet wintering months.

And if you’re in need of advice, the clever team at Crocus know a thing or two about growing, with over 20 years’ of top-level garden design under their belts and more than1 million plants nurtured every year at their nursery. Their experts care for every plant, keeping them in tip-top condition before being sent to their new homes, and a dedicated team of plant doctors are always on hand with advice and answers.

Reader discount

So if you’re brimming with ideas and chomping at the bit to get started on your little patch of summery loveliness, head over to the website as Crocus is offering all readers 10% off every full-priced plant. Simply enter code SIMPLETHINGS10 at checkout. Valid until 31 May 2023.

For T&Cs, see crocus.co.uk/terms.

Enter the competition

For your chance to win a voucher worth £500 to spend at Crocus, click the button below and answer the following question by the closing date of 14 June 2023.

Q. Crocus have how many plants for you to choose from?

Terms and conditions: The competition closes at 11.59pm on 14 June 2023. One winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. Subject to availability. The winner cannot transfer the prize or swap it for cash. Details of our full terms and conditions are on p125 and online at: icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

Competition | Win a Craft Bundle of Paints and Brushes worth over £125

Paint specialist Guild Lane is offering three lucky winners the chance to get creative
with colour

Colour has the power to stir emotions, evoke memories, and create personal stories. So The Simple Things has teamed up with Guild Lane to offer three lucky readers the chance to win a hamper packed full of its most popular Jubilee and GILD paints, plus a selection of brushes, all worth over £125.

The Jubilee range of paints are a celebration of British history and culture, expressed in colour. A carefully curated palette of lively heritage hues, the line has its origins in the pioneering British Standard colours of the 1930s, and the water-based paint can be used on a multitude of surfaces without the need for priming or sealing. Suitable for indoor and outdoor projects, it provides excellent coverage and is certified safe for children’s furniture and toys.

Meanwhile, the GILD metallic range is an innovative enamel paint that’s a wonderful alternative to traditional gilding. With excellent coverage, it provides a rich lustrous finish, making it easy to add shine to any project. Available in a variety of acrylic colours, including gold, rose gold, silver, bronze, champagne, copper, and a stunning oil-based chrome.

Based in Kent, Guild Lane has been supplying the hobby, craft, and DIY markets for over 45 years, and continues to strive towards providing crafters, makers and artisans with the highest quality materials and tools. So, whether you’re upcycling a pre-loved item of furniture, tackling DIY projects, or you just want to add a splash of colour to your life, Guild Lane’s selection of paints have you covered.

For more information, visit guildlane.com or follow on Instagram: @guildlane.

How to enter

For your chance to win one of three Guild Lane bundles, worth over £125 each, enter our competition by clicking the link below and answering the following question by the closing date of 14 June 2023.

Q: The Jubilee paint line has its origins in which decade?

Terms and conditions

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 14 June 2023. Three winners will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. Subject to availability. The winners cannot transfer the prize or swap it for cash. Details of our full terms and conditions are on p125 and online at: icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

Weekend Project | Crocheted fruit placemats

Bring extra flavour to a table – whether inside or out – with these crocheted lemon and peach placemats.

You will need:

Rico Design Ricorumi DK yarn (25g 100% cotton):

x2 balls Yarn A Smokey Orange (024)

x2 balls Yarn B Yellow (006) - if making lemons as well as peaches

x1 ball Yarn C Fir Green (050)

1 x 23m roll of 10mm white chunky macramé cord (We got ours from woollymahoosive.com) 

4mm crochet hook

Stitch marker

Finished size 

Approx. 25cm x 25cm 

Techniques

Magic loop (ML) 

To start a magic loop, create a loop in the same way as you would when making a slip knot. Insert the hook into the loop, from front to back. Wrap the yarn around the hook anticlockwise and pull the yarn through the loop. Ch1 to secure the magic loop. Work the stitches as indicated into the centre of the magic loop, making sure all stitches are worked over the loop itself and the tail end. Once you have worked your first round, pull the tail of the yarn to the close the loop.  

Chain (ch)   

Hold the crochet hook in your hand and make a slip knot on the hook. Bring yarn over hook from back to front and pull the hook towards you to catch the loop. Pull the hooked yarn through the slip knot and onto the hook. One chain made. Repeat these steps, keeping your stitches even, until you have the desired number of stitches. One loop will always remain on the hook.   

Double crochet increase (dcinc)  
Make two double crochet stitches into one from the previous row/round. Insert hook into required stitch, yarn over hook (when you place your hook under the yarn and pull the yarn over the hook from back to front) and pull up a loop (two loops on hook), yarn over hook and then pull through both loops. Repeat once more in the base of the same stitch. 

Double crochet 2 stitches increase (dc3inc) 
Make three double crochet stitches into one from the previous row/round: Insert hook into required stitch, yarn over hook and pull up a loop (two loops on hook), yarn over hook and pull through both loops. Repeat twice more in the base of the same stitch.   

Working in the round: spiral method   

When working in the round, the pattern starts with a Magic Loop or a chained foundation ring. For the first round of the pattern, stitches will be made into the centre of the loop or ring. When working the spiral method, at the end of the round no join will be made to connect the last stitch of the round to the first stitch of the round, and the work is not turned.  

Pattern

For the peach placemat

Using Yarn A, carrying cord. Create a Magic Loop and ch1. See below.

Take the end of your cord and fold the end over by 2–3cm to form a loop, with the end of the cord sitting on top. Insert the cord loop into your ML and pull to close. See below.

Rnd 1 Working into the centre of the cord loop, 12dc evenly around the loop. (12sts). See below.

Rnd 2 working into the prev rnd, carrying the cord as you go, *inc; rep from * 11 more times. (24sts) 

Rnd 3 *1dc, dcinc; rep from * 11 more times. (36sts) 

Rnd 4 *2dc, dcinc; rep from * 11 more times. (48sts) 

Rnd 5 *3dc, dcinc; rep from * 11 more times. (60sts). See below.

Rnd 6 *4dc, dcinc; rep from * 11 more times. (72sts) 

Rnd 7 *5dc, dcinc; rep from * 11 more times. (84sts) 

Rnd 8 *6dc, dcinc; rep from * 11 more times. (96sts) 

Rnd 9 *7dc, dcinc; rep from * 11 more times. (108sts) 

Rnd 10 *8dc, dcinc; rep from * 11 more times. (120sts) 

On the last stitch of rnd 10, change colour to Yarn C. 

Cut and fasten off Yarn A by weaving in end. 

For the peach leaf 

Using Yarn C only. 

1 Moving the cord aside, ss into next dc from prev rnd, ch7. 

2 Starting in 2nd ch from hook, 6dc back down ch, 1ss into the base of the same stitch as ch7, using Yarn C, carrying cord. See below.

3 Make 5dc along the chain, dc3inc in top of chain, 5dc back down other side of ch. (13sts) 

4 2ss into next 2 unworked dc from prev Yarn A rnd. 

5 Crocheting over the top of the cord only, 16dc, ss into next unworked dc from prev Yarn A rnd. 

6 Cut and fasten off Yarn C using a ss, leave a 15cm tail. Cut the cord, leaving a 5cm tail. See below.

7 Turn the placemat over and use a yarn needle to sew over the top of the cord end 10-15 times, catching the stitches behind to anchor it down. Fasten off Yarn C and sew in all ends. See below.

For the lemon placemat 

Using Yarn B, carrying cord. Work as for Peach until end of Rnd 4. 

Rnd 5 dc3inc, 18dc, dc3inc, ch2, dc3inc, 18dc, dc3inc, ch2. (60sts) 

Rnd 6 dc3inc, 24dc, dc3inc, ch2 and sk ch2 from prev rnd, dc3inc, 24dc, dc3inc, ch2 and sk ch2 from prev rnd. (72sts) 

Rnd 7 dc3inc, 30dc, dc3inc, ch2 and skip ch2 from prev rnd, dc3inc, 30dc, dc3inc, ch2 and skip ch2 from prev rnd. (84sts) 

Rnd 8 dc3inc, 36dc, dc3inc, ch2 and skip ch2 from prev rnd, dc3inc, 36dc, dc3inc, ch2 and skip ch2 from prev rnd. (96sts) 

Rnd 9 dc3inc, 42dc, dc3inc, ch2 and skip ch2 from prev rnd, dc3inc, 42dc, dc3inc, ch2 and skip ch2 from prev rnd. (108sts) 

Rnd 10 dc3inc, 48dc, dc3inc, ch2 and skip ch2 from prev rnd, dc3inc, 48dc, dc3inc, ch2 and skip ch2 from prev rnd. (120sts) 

For the lemon leaf 

Work as for Peach Leaf. 

Maker’s notes:

The macrame cord is never crocheted with but carried, tapestry crochet style, throughout. 

The placemats are worked in the round in a continuous spiral. Use a stitch marker to mark the last stitch of every round and move it each round to help you keep your place. 

If your placemats start to curl, you are working your stitches too tightly. When you pull up a loop, exaggerate this action to make the loop longer than normal. It should reach up and over the cord, to sit comfortably on top. 

Extracted from Modern Crochet Style by Lindsey Newns (Pen and Sword). Photography: Jesse Wild and Lindsey Newns. Find more patterns, crochet kits and books by Lindsey at lottieandalbert.com

Reader offer

For 20% off the RRP, please use the code CROCHET20 at the checkout on pen-and-sword.co.uk (paperback only, cannot be used in conjunction with other offers). 

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More things to stitch…

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Sponsored post | Rhino Greenhouses Direct

“‘Our core values are still the same as they were on day one: strength, durability, style and community’”

— Andrew White, Rhino Greenhouse Direct

Andrew White, Head of Sales & Marketing at Rhino Greenhouses Direct, tells us why a greenhouse isn’t just for sowing season…

Tell us a bit about Rhino

Rhino was established back in 1999 after the founders grew frustrated at what the market had to offer. They knew that they could come up with a greenhouse made from the highest quality materials, that wouldn’t succumb to weather damage or wear and tear within the first few years.

I think we can see the inspiration behind the name

Yes, the founders take conservation seriously, and were inspired to name the brand after one of the strongest, most resilient creatures on the planet.

So, after almost a quarter of a century, how have things changed?

Well, we’re a little bigger now, with more staff, but our core values are still the same as they were on day one: strength, durability, style and community. We’re also proud to be British. Rather than moving production overseas, we invested in a brand-new, purpose-built building at our base in East Harling, Norfolk – just across the yard from where it all started.

Remaining part of the community is clearly important

It really is. Staying in the UK means we’re able to support other local businesses and also keep an eye on all the materials being used, ensuring the quality we’re so proud of. However, the Rhino community stretches far further than just our little corner of Norfolk.

Tell us more…

Everyone who buys a Rhino greenhouse becomes part of the family. Our customers take us with them on their greenhouse journey, sharing photos, tips and progress on social media and the Rhino forum – and we’re not just talking photos of successful tomato crops, either. In recent years, we’ve seen a move from greenhouses being purely functional to being part of an overall lifestyle. They can obviously provide a quiet space – somewhere to enjoy a peaceful cuppa and a moment of calm – but we’ve also seen them used as a venue for intimate dinner parties under the stars, home gyms, cosy living spaces, yoga studios and even as pop-up shops. Our loyal customers continue to inspire us, and we must inspire them too, as we’ve been voted Britain’s Best Loved Greenhouse for four consecutive years now.

Wow, what an accolade!

It’s a huge honour! It’s stuff like that and the fact that we’re still British made that keeps us motivated.

So, where can we see a Rhino greenhouse?

You might already have seen one as part of your Friday night viewing. Our beautiful Rhino Premium in Silver Sage often makes an appearance in Carol Klein’s segment on Gardener’s World, and on her own Channel 5 show, Gardening with Carol Klein. We’ll also be taking a selection of our greenhouses on tour during show season – we’d love people to pop over and say hello.

And what seeds are being sown for the coming year?

Working on winning that fifth Best Loved Greenhouse award, of course! There are some exciting new products and projects in the pipeline, too – including a very special appearance at a certain prestigious event… although our lips are sealed for the moment. We’ve never been one to rest on our laurels and we’ll continue to strive to be the very best that we can be, but 2023 is set to be the year of the Rhino.

For more information on Rhino, visit rhinogreenhouses.co.uk or follow on Instagram: @rhinogreenhouses.

Nature | Surprising Things About Hedgehogs

Think you know everything about hedgehogs? You might be surprised by how many hedgehog ‘facts’ are in fact fiction. To avoid the little fellers getting too prickly about things, we’ve unearthed the truth about some common hedgehog myths.

1. Hedgehogs use their spines to collect apples and fungi 

Afraid not. They may look very sweet, drawn with little pieces of fruit on their back, waddling off to store them safely in their cupboards (Brambly Hedge style) for winter, but they don’t really do this. Firstly, they don’t eat apples. Secondly, they don’t store food; they simply eat what they need when they need it. Thirdly, if they did do this, how on earth would they retrieve the apples from their spines anyway? 

You can be forgiven for being taken in though, as this myth dates back centuries. In mediaeval times, hedgehogs were frequently shown in illuminated manuscripts rolling on fruit and carrying it away. Even the Roman Pliny the Elder mentioned it in his Naturalis Historia. But both examples are more Miss Tiggy Winkle than David Attenborough. 

So, if you see a hedgehog with an apple stuck to its back, you can remove it and know you have done the hedgehog a favour. 

2. Hedgehogs love milk and will even steal it from cows.

No. Dairy farmers, relax. Firstly, they are lactose intolerant, but quite how anyone ever believed a hedgehog (even standing on tippy toes) could reach a cow’s udders or that a cow would put up with it for a moment, we are not sure. But it is an interesting myth that has persisted over the years. 

3. They are riddled with fleas.

Like all creatures, some hedgehogs will have fleas but they are not particularly known for it. Also, hedgehog fleas are specific to hedgehogs so they won’t give you or your pets fleas, even if they do have them. 

And here are a few hedgehog facts that might sound like nonsense but are in fact, true.

1. They weren’t originally called ‘hedgehogs’.

They were actually once known as ‘urchins’ and sea urchins are named after them as they also look kind of round and spiky. 

2. They shed their spines, even though you never see them.

We don’t know why you never see hedgehog spines just littering the pavement either, but the fact is that each spine on a hedgehog’s back only lasts about a year before it is shed and a new one grown in its place. 

3. Their collective noun is most confusing. 

Hedgehogs are very rarely seen in a group; they are solitary creatures. However, they do have a collective noun, just in case. A group is called an ‘array’ of hedgehogs, which is also confusing because there isn’t much of an array available. Although there are 15 species of hedgehog across the globe, there is only one species in the UK -  the European Hedgehog. So if you do see a gang of hedgehogs, it will likely be more of a uniform collection than an array. 

If you’d like to know more about hedgehogs, you might like to read our feature ‘Prickly Customers’ in our April issue, which is taken from Ghosts in the Hedgerow by Tom Moorhouse (Doubleday).

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Idea | Radish Slammers

Swoosh, salt and scoff – the most fun to have with a radish

Serves 4 as nibbles

1 bunch of radishes
100g salted butter, softened
3 tbsp flaky sea salt

1 Wash the radishes and pick off any soggy leaves. Pat dry – they need to be very dry otherwise the butter won’t stick to them.

2 Arrange the radishes on a board with a mound of salt next to them and a slab of softened butter. Encourage people to pick a radish, swoosh it through the butter then dunk it in the salt before tucking in.

The radish slammers are just one of the ideas from this month’s Veg Patch Pantry feature by Kathy Slack, which also includes recipes for Chard & Herb Frittata, Whole Poached Chicken with Kale & Mushroom Broth with Barley and Caramelised Radish and Feta Salad.

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Sponsored post | The Best Choice for Your Best Friend

We’re proud to be a nation of dog lovers, with approximately 13 million pet dogs in the UK. As well as being perfect companions, they make it easier to appreciate the simple things in life, whether that’s a long walk in the great outdoors or an afternoon snooze on the sofa.

Every single dog has their own unique needs, tastes, and quirks – that’s part of the reason we love them so much. Tails.com celebrates this diversity, with their mission to give every dog the precise nutrition they need to thrive, wherever life leads them. Changing the world of pet food for good, tails.com is delivering millions of meals each month!

Simply answer a few questions about your dog’s breed, age and lifestyle, and tails.com will create a tailor-made kibble blend just for them, using high-quality ingredients that your dog will love. You can choose to add wet food, treats and chews, and there’s even a free scoop to help with portion control – and it’s all delivered straight to your door in one handy box.

Each nutritionally complete blend contains tailored ingredients like salmon oil for shiny coats, yucca for healthy poos and glucosamine for joint support. No added sugars or preservatives here, just a whole lot of flavour with delicious high-quality proteins. Everything your dog needs to stay healthy, inside and out. And because dogs’ needs change as they age, their blend will automatically change to support every life stage.

The boxes are delivered monthly, so you’ll never run short, and a fully flexible subscription means you can pause or cancel your deliveries whenever you want. Even the cost is tailored, with subscription prices depending on the size of your dog.

Reader discount

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Eggshell tea lights

A smashing make to light up a long weekend - and you can use the eggs themselves for a leisurely breakfast

YOU WILL NEED: 
Empty eggshells
Candle wax (or leftover bits from old candles)
Old saucepan
Egg carton
Wicks (try hobbycraft.co.uk)

1 Clean the eggshells in soapy water and let dry.

2 Heat the wax in an old pan over a low heat until it melts. Take off the heat.

3 With the eggshells held in their carton, carefully pour the wax into the shells.

4 As soon as the wax starts to become solid, stick a piece of wick of about 10cm length into the centre of each eggshell, so that it reaches the bottom.

5 Leave to harden, occasionally wiggling the wick into the middle. The wax should take a couple of hours to harden completely.

This was originally published in the March 2018 issue of The Simple Things. Get hold of your copy of this month's issue - buy, download or subscribe

More eggspiration…

From the April issue…

Recipe | Easter Pie (Torta Pasqualina)

A traditional Easter pie from Liguria, Italy, that can be traced back to the 1500s and still enjoyed today

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

500g whole milk ricotta
550g chard, spinach, or a mix
160g parmesan, finely grated, or a mix of parmesan and aged pecorino
5 medium eggs
Nutmeg (optional)
Olive oil or melted butter, to brush
1 pack filo pastry (around 270g)
Fine salt

To make

1 If your ricotta is watery, drain it for 30 mins in a sieve set over a bowl.

2 Discard any tough stems from the greens. Rinse and divide across 2 large pans and allow to wilt, stirring occasionally over a medium heat (or blanch in a pot of boiling water for a minute or two, just until wilted), then refresh under cold water. Transfer to a colander and squeeze out as much water as possible, then chop finely.

3 In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the greens, parmesan and 1 egg. Add a few gratings of nutmeg and season with salt to taste.

4 Preheat the oven to 210C/Fan 190C/Gas 6–7 and brush a deep, 23cm springform tin with olive oil or melted butter.

5 Layer sheets of filo over your tin, letting them settle so they cover the base and drape over the sides. Brush each sheet with oil or butter as you layer. Reserve 1 sheet for the top.

6 Spoon the ricotta mixture into the pastry, level out with the back of a spoon, then use the spoon to create 4 small hollows in the filling.

7 Crack the remaining 4 eggs into the holes and season the yolks. Dot a little butter onto each egg. Fold the overhanging pastry over the top and use the remaining sheet, to cover any gaps. Brush oil or butter over the top.

8 Cook for 40 mins until golden on top, then cover with baking paper. Cook for a further 20–30 mins.

Cook’s note: Can be stored in the fridge for 5 days and eaten cold, or gently reheated. Traditionally, families without ovens took their pie to a local bakery to be cooked, carving their initials into the crust so that the right pie came home for Easter Sunday

Taken from: Stagioni: Contemporary Italian Cooking to Celebrate the Seasons by Olivia Cavalli (Pavilion, HarperCollins Publishers). Photography: Sophie Davidson

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More from our April issue…

Recipe: Easter rabbit biscuits

Studded with juicy currants and scattered with caster sugar, these biscuits would make an alternative sweet treat when chocolate eggs are beginning to cloy. Who says you can’t eat the Easter bunny?

MAKES 14
120g unsalted butter, softened
80g golden caster sugar, plus more to sprinkle
1 egg, separated
200g plain flour, plus more to dust
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp mixed spice
Pinch of salt
80g currants
1 tbsp whole milk 

TOOLS
10cm rabbit cutter, or other shape

1 Line two baking trays with baking parchment. Using a food mixer or a large bowl with hand-held electric whisk or wooden spoon, cream the butter and sugar together and beat in the egg yolk. Sift in the flour, spices and salt. Stir in the currants and milk to make a pliable dough. Do not over-mix, or the biscuits will become tough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170/375F.
2 Lightly flour a work top and a rolling pin and roll the dough out to 5-6mm thick. Cut biscuits out quite close together. You need to press down hard to cut through the currants! Re-roll the dough and cut out the
biscuits until all the dough is used. (At this point, you can freeze the cut-out biscuits.) Place on the baking trays and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 mins.
3 Remove from the oven, brush each biscuit with a little ofthe egg white and sprinkle with caster sugar. Return to the oven for 5–7 mins, until golden. If you’ve used a smaller cutter, bear in mind that the baking time will be slightly less than for these 10cm-long rabbits,
so keep an eye on them.
4 Leave on the tray for a few mins to harden a bit, then carefully remove to cool on a wire rack. These will keep well in an airtight container for a few days.

Recipe taken from Seasonal Baking by Fiona Cairns (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, £17). This recipe was originally published in The Simple Things for Easter 2015.

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More from the April issue…

More Easter inspiration…

Competition | Win a Janome Sewing Machine

Find your creativity with the chance to win a Janome 360DC sewing machine worth £469

Across the UK JANOME sewing machine retailers are gearing up for the renowned JANOME Spring Promotion. With the increase of focus on sustainability, reimagining our clothing and home textiles has become an essential skill for saving money.

Creativity gives the gift of refocusing in a busy world. Just a few minutes sewing every day helps improve wellbeing and build on your achievements, whether it’s practical repairs or sketching free style with thread, just for fun. The sewing community is active online, on TV and in your local area. Wherever you are on your sewing journey, JANOME has a machine for you. They work together with retailers, sewing groups and experts all over the UK to help inspire sewing.

With more than 100 years of manufacturing sewing machines, JANOME create machines which are made to last. By supplying machines to meet today’s demands you’ll be free to unleash your creativity and engage in sewing projects to boost your well-being.  JANOME produces a wide range of machines, from easy set-up beginner models to The Professional Series, with their advanced intuitive features. From standard size machines to larger-arm space models which can accommodate all types of fabrics, and even have enough room to sew large quilts. JANOME sewing machines are easy to thread and most have a built-in needle threader. With a top-loading bobbin model you can even see when the bobbin is running out.

The Competition Prize

JANOME 360DC is an easy-to-use computerised model. There are 60 stitch choices and a variety of buttonhole styles, this machine is perfect for beginners and more advanced sewists alike. Begin your sewing journey with a smooth operating, robustly built JANOME, make the right choice first time!
The competition closes at 11.59pm on 10 May 2023. One winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. The winner cannot transfer the prize or swap it for cash. Details of our full terms and conditions are on p125 of the magazine and online at at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

To enter, simply click on the button below and answer the following question:
Q: How long have Janome been manufacturing sewing machines for?

Wellbeing | Reads to make you wonder

In our April issue, we met Katherine May, who set out on outings to reawaken her sense of wonder. Here, we’ve collated a few books (including one of Katherine’s own) that might help you do the same…

Enchantment: Reawakening wonder in an exhausted age by Katherine May (Faber)

Exhausted and overwhelmed, Katherine sought out a different ways to be in a more meaningful relationship with the world and rekindle that sense of wonder and play that comes so easily to us as children. Rather than something that is given to us or requires grand adventures, she discovers how it’s something that’s everything – it just requires our small but deliberate attention. Honest and inspiring.

Awe: The transformative power of everyday wonder by Dacher Keltner (Penguin)

A scientific exploration into awe and how finding and experiencing it can help to make us feel happier. Dacher’s extensive research has led him to conclude that this feeling of awe or wonder at something greater than us gives us a sense of worth and belonging and connection with the people and natural environment around us. We can experience every day awe in our own way, says Keltner, whether it’s a panoramic view, meditation, music or the laughter of a loved one, if we just allow ourselves to pause and wonder.

Twelve Moons: A year under a shared sky by Caro Giles (Harper North)

A beautiful memoir written over the course of a year from the author’s Northumbrian home where she lives with her four young daughters. Structured according to the twelve moons of the lunar calendar, Giles writes honestly about the challenges of single motherhood and how she finds strength and guidance from the natural world beyond her four walls and the ever-present, shimmering influence of the moon.

The Other Side: A Journey into Women, Art and the Spirit World by Jennifer Higgie (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)

Longing for ‘a kind of re-enchantment’ at a moment of transition in her life, art writer Jennifer turns to often much neglected women artists, such as Hilma af Klimt and Ithell Colquhoun, who tried to explore realms beyond the physical with their work. Their fascinating stories, dating from the 12th century through to today and interwoven with the writer’s own – suggest a myriad of other possibilities and ways of being in this world.

 Read more about Katherine’s outings in search of wonder in our April issue.

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Make | a Hand-Dyed Fresh Leaf Indigo Scarf

Make this pretty scarf using natural ingredients and a bit of elbow grease

In our March issue, we met Liza and Luisa of Indigo Garden London, who told us all about growing and using indigo and shared this weekend project with us.

You will need:

Tops of 10–15 indigo plants
Metal bowl
1–2 tsp salt
Rubber gloves
Silk scarf

1 The easiest and most direct plant-to-fibre method for dyeing with indigo is to pick the tops of 10–15 indigo plants and give them a rinse. If you want to be a purist, you can wake at sunrise and pick while still fresh from the morning dew, as this is when they have the highest indigo content.

2 Remove the stalks from your plants so you’re left with just the leaves.

3 Place your leaves in a non-reactive bowl and sprinkle on the salt. Put your rubber gloves on to protect your hands from the dye and start to mash the leaves with your hands to break down the plant matter.

4 The plants will start to look like wilted spinach and some indigo juice will start to form in your bowl. At this point, add a small, pre-wetted silk scarf (or other protein fibre*) and continue to mash the scarf with the leaves. At first, your scarf will look a greenish colour, but keep pounding and slowly the liquid and your scarf will turn blue – the more you mash, the bluer it will become.

5 Once you’re happy with the colour, give the scarf a gentle rinse in water. No further fixatives are required.

MAKER’S NOTE: To speed up the process, you can half fill a blender with leaves and top up with ice cold water – no salt needed. Blend until blitzed and use immediately. Always use the leaves straight after picking otherwise the fresh enzymes will die and the process won’t work.

Friends Liza Mackenzie and Luisa Uribe founded a garden together in east London where they grow indigo and run workshops teaching others how to extract colour from nature. Follow them on Instagram: @indigo_garden_london. You can read more about Indigo Garden London in our April issue.

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Sponsored Post | Gilding with Guild Lane

There is something special about gilding that has been admired and prized by cultures around the world for millennia. The bright illumination of metallic finishes elevates the beauty of an object and gives the perception of elegance, sophistication and importance.

Today, gilding is still a specialist trade that requires careful preparation, precise application, and attention to detail. That’s why Guild Lane has developed a range of paints to make adding metallic finishes easy and economical with stunning results, so you can do it yourself at home.

GILD is a remarkable range of metallic enamel paints that have excellent coverage, eye-catching luminosity, and superb depth of colour. In a one-step application that leaves a lustrous, tarnish-free finish, GILD is a wonderful alternative to traditional gilding. Formulated with the finest metallic pigments and locally manufactured with the most advanced paint technologies, GILD is available in six innovative water-based enamels, and one oil-based chrome. All have superior self-levelling properties and are suitable for primarily non-porous surfaces including glass, metals, ceramics, plastics, leather, sealed wood and other hard surfaces.

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The one and only oil-based enamel in the range, GILD Chrome is a remarkably reflective, superior metallic paint that resembles mercury. With its excellent fluidity and self-levelling characteristics, GILD Chrome produces an incredible mirror-like finish to non-porous objects.

So when finishing your next project, try adding some timeless beauty the easy way. Make your creations shine, with GILD.
For more information on Guild Lane paints, visit guildlane.com or follow on Instagram: @guildlane. Readers of The Simple Things can enjoy free shipping over £30 by using the code SPRING30 at checkout. Valid until 30 April 2023.

Travel | When in Rome

Photography by Flavia Brunetti

It’s one of the most fascinating historical cities in the world, but there are a few things you might need to know in order to do as Romans do on a visit.

1. Cross the road with a nun. Or an old person. But preferably an elderly nun. Drivers in Rome show little care for pedestrians but they make exceptions for the elderly and women of the cloth, so if you’re crossing the road with one of them, you’re a little safer.

2. Do not ask for a cappuccino or a latte after midday. You will not only be laughed at but they’ll probably refuse to serve you, too. Milky coffees are for breakfast. Espressos or machiatos are for later in the day.

3. Ice creams, however, are for any time, any day. And you should have at least one gelato a day. But aim for three. Go for a gelateria with the steel tubs, never white plastic ones. Steel tubs probably means they made it themselves.

4. Beware Romans bearing gifts. A common scam is to ‘give’ you something on the street… and then charge you a fortune for it. Simply say ‘non, grazie’. 

5. Only make a wish at the Trevi Fountain. There are many fountains around the city where you will be encouraged to hurl your Euros into the water, but the Trevi Fountain is the ‘proper’ one and the only one Romans bother with where wishes are concerned. 

6. Go for the rectangular pizza, not the stuff cut up like a pie. It’s called Pizza al Taglio and you can buy it on most streets in Rome. Trastevere is the best district to buy food in. 

7. Don’t buy water - fill your reusable bottle from one of the 2,500 free drinking fountains around the city. They knew what they were doing when they built those aqueducts - it’s fresh, clean and cold. 

8. If you’re dining on a budget, have ‘aperitivo’ rather than dinner. For around 6-8 euros you can have a drink and a good, cheap plate of something (often a buffet) and leave full but not broke. Sometimes, aperitivo plates are actually free!

9. The best coffee is at Saint Eustachio cafe. It’s a fraction of the price if you have it standing at the bar rather than taking up a table.

10. Don’t look like a tourist by standing in a queue for hours. Buy your Vatican tickets online to skip the queue. And if you’re visiting the Colosseum, first visit the less popular Palatino and buy your Colosseum tickets there so you can just saunter through the door at the Colosseum later. 

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Tipple | Aperol Tonics

A more substantial take on the much-loved spritz. Still refreshing, but with added depth.

Makes 1

50ml Aperol
25ml grenadine
1 tbsp lemon juice
125ml tonic water
Ice
Orange slices, to serve

1 Combine the Aperol, grenadine and lemon juice together in a glass and add ice.

2 Top with the tonic water, garnish with orange slices and serve.

Cook’s note: Serve with moreish taralli (traditional Italian nibbles) or breadsticks.

This aperol tonic recipe is just one of the ideas from our April issue for a Sunday Roast with an Italian twist, including Roast Fillet of Beef with Salsa Verde, Crispy Roast Gnocchi and Peperonata, Simple Shaved Asparagus Salad, Roasted Parmesan Cabbage and Lentils and a Traditional Colomba Cake. The recipes are by Lottie Storey and the Photography by Kym Grimshaw.

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Cakecasions | Stately Home Car Park Cake

If wine is good enough for pairing, then so is cake. Just match your cake to your occasion. Any occasion.

There’s always time for cake. But some events call for a very particular sort of cake. Cake should always come out for a new job or a new baby, of course. But cake ought not to be saved just for special occasions. Cake is the stuff of life – the trick is to recognise when it’s needed and, more specifically, what sort of cake fits the bill. These moments are ‘Cakecasions’. Sunday afternoon spent sorting the shed? That needs a nice, stoic fruitcake – plenty of fruit and nuts for decluttering energy and a good excuse for punctuating the work with several cups of tea. Crafternoon with a friend? A simple Victoria sponge always hits the right note. But the cakecasion might simply be ‘Tuesday afternoon’. Who said the occasion had to pass a validity test? If it demands cake, that’s good enough for us. As the American author Dean Koontz once said: “Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake.” To help you get started with your cakecasions practice, in our April issue, we’ve matched a few delicious cakes to some events and situations that practically demand them. Here’s one of them…

Picture this Sunday scenario: you’ve de-mucked the walking boots, piled the anoraks into the back of the car and are ready to set off to a National Trust property for a bit of light history and a couple of hours spent nodding appreciatively at the Capability Brown features of a large garden. What have you forgotten? A Thermos and some cake for after your walk, obviously. What this Cakecasion calls for is something cheering and practical. It should be easily transportable, and preferably not require the use of a fork so that you can hold your cake in one hand and your flask top of tea in the other.  Mini limey olive oil cakes are ideal. Sensible, but with a hit of Mediterranean sunshine. Moist, but with a light crust that allows them to be held without covering yourself in icing. They’re sturdy, easy to munch one-handed and individually portioned so you don’t even need the knife you’ve inevitably left at home. The other inevitability, of course, is that it’ll rain. So when the heavens open as you arrive, you can gaily abandon your plans to admire the landscaped gardens and, instead, enjoy cake in your car. Try not to look smug: rather, smile beatifically as damp dog owners and wet walkers stagger past you, back to their cars.

MINI LIMEY OLIVE OIL CAKES Individual cake bites with a crunchy edge and a moist centre. Makes 12

163g plain flour 
80g fine or medium polenta
11/2 tsp baking powder 
3/4 tsp salt 
2 tbsp lime zest 
250g granulated sugar 
250ml extra virgin olive oil 
3 large eggs 
2 tbsp fresh lime juice 

For the glaze:

120g icing sugar 
2½ tbsp fresh lime juice 
A couple of drops of vanilla extract 

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4 and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

2 Whisk together the flour, polenta, baking powder and salt. 

3 Put the sugar in a large bowl, then rub the lime zest into the sugar using your fingertips. Add the olive oil, eggs and lime juice, and whisk until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula until just combined. 

4 Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20-22 mins, or until golden. As soon as the cakes are cool enough to handle, pop them out of the tin and place them upside downon a cooling rack.

5 In a small bowl, whisk the icing sugar, lime juice and vanilla extract. Drizzle the glaze over the warm cakes. Wait a bit for the glaze to set before serving. Cook’s note: Store at room temp in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipes taken from Baking By Feel: Recipes to Sort Out Your Emotions (Whatever They Are Today!) by Becca Rea-Tucker (Harper Wave). Photography: Amy Scott

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Sponsored Post | Work in Progress

Working from home just got a promotion, with Blackdown’s new super stylish workspace shepherd hut. All work and no play doesn’t apply here.

Life, it feels, is very much back to full pace, but with more of us working from home than ever before, the need for additional space has never been greater. While some find an escape in curling up with a good book and a cuppa, or pulling on wellies and heading for the hills, four-legged friend in tow; for others, it’s a physical place to retreat to that’s needed. Especially for those that set up office at the kitchen table – how many times has work been halted when it’s time to clear the table for dinner. And for the crafters out there, packing up can be a mammoth task, not only interrupting productivity, but creativity, too.

Somerset-based Blackdown Shepherd Huts knows this only too well, having helped many an artist and hobbyist to create their ideal studio space with its fully-built Retreat huts and self-build Tasker huts. A garden shepherd hut gives a degree of separation between workplace and home space, meaning you can stop the distractions of life getting in the way of work – and, more importantly, the distractions of work getting in the way of life. Inspired to create a full tech solution, Blackdown created its new workspace hut.

The Tech Spec

Creating a meridian between home and work, stepping into your workspace has never felt so good. A sit-stand desk faces the full-width window, providing great light for photographers, or somewhere to simply take advantage of views. To the rear, there’s purpose built shelving and file storage, as well as a coffee machine, hot water tap and drawer fridge to keep snacks and lunch fresh. The built-in seating area makes an informal meeting space, or just somewhere comfy to enjoy your mid-morning cuppa. Meanwhile, the workspace is also fully alarmed and the lights and music can be controlled by phone. This is creative thinking at its finest, and possibly the one workspace that you’ll be reluctant to leave… and the commute is pretty good, too.

For more information and inspiration, visit blackdownshepherdhuts.co.uk, or follow on Instagram: @blackdownshepherdhuts