Embrace a rainbow of colours with our October playlist. Take a listen on Spotify here.
We publish a playlist every month: you can browse through them all here.
Our October issue, SEED, is on sale from 27 October. Visit picsandink.com to order a copy, or pick one up in your local shop.
Photography: Kirstie Young
Recipe | Green Tomato Salsa
This simple side dish adds some gentle heat and vivid colour to any meal, from barbecued fish and meats to an omelette or cheese on toast. Best eaten in the garden.
Serves 1, or 2 as a garnish
125g green tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Combine everything in a bowl and leave for 10 mins so the flavours can mingle before serving.
This recipe is from our Veg Patch Pantry feature in our September issue. The recipes, which use seasonal vegetables, include a Traybake of White Fish with Courgettes, Tomatoes and Peppers, Hedgerow Blondies and Thyme Buttered Plums with No-Churn Plum and Clotted Cream Ice Cream. The recipes are by Kathy Slack and the photography by Kirstie Young.
More ideas for a glut of tomatoes…
More from our September issue…
A Brief History | Dolls' Houses
Tiny things hold a special sort of charm. It’s no wonder dolls’ houses have been popular for centuries. Join us on a journey through dolls’ houses across the years.
In the beginning
No one is quite sure when the first dolls’ house was created but it may be as early as the 16th century and the earliest were likely made in Germany. Probably originally known as ‘dockenhaus’ or ‘miniature houses’, these were not toys, but statements of wealth. In Holland they were known as ‘cabinet houses’ and they were essentially posh storage for all your expensive treasures. They had glass fronts on hinges, and inside, a rabbit warren of ‘rooms’ in which to display your precious and tiny things.
Dolls’ houses in education
Their next incarnation was as an educational tool for young ladies. Dolls’ houses were an ideal way to show them how to run a household, deal with servants and generally become au fait with being the lady of the house - all in miniature. They would have contained all the usual furniture as well as brooms, cooking pots and other practical pieces. Like Upstairs Downstairs but REALLY small.
Baby steps
By the 18th century, the next step in the development of the dolls’ house was the ‘Baby House’, an exact replica of the owner’s home, down to the furniture in every room. Like the original cabinet houses, they were created in order to show off the owner’s fabulous wealth (but without having to let your friends nose about your actual house).
Play houses
It was not until the 19th century that dolls’ houses became objects for children to play with. And it took an industrial revolution for them to become mass-produced enough for anyone but the incredibly rich to own one. In the aftermath of World War II, manufacturers got up and running again, plastic was suddenly becoming available and many toy producers began their own dolls’ house lines, which began to sport ‘working’ parts, such as washing machines that span, doors that opened and shut and taps that turned on and off.
Life in Plastic
The 1960s to the 1990s was a bit of a boom time for dolls’ houses. With Playmobil, Barbie and other toy brands producing their own houses in increasingly different themes and styles, suddenly there was a dolls’ house for everyone. Leaving the traditional Victorian town house look behind, now you could have houses for dollies that dwelt in Miami apartments, bungalows, tree houses and more.
Dolls’ house reboot
Was it Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist that did it? Or were dolls’ houses in all their tiny glory just always waiting in the (miniature) wings, ready to return to popularity? Dolls’ house enthusiasts, and miniature model-makers are big news on Instagram and you could lose yourself for hours in the impossibly tiny worlds of accounts such as @daily mini, @theclaykitchen and @nunushouse.
If you’re inspired to see more tiny things, The National Trust website has a list of their properties that feature dolls’ houses for you to visit. You might also like to read our Modern Eccentrics feature ‘The Miniaturist’ in our September issue, which features Elizabeth Joseph, Resident Miniaturist at London’s Museum of the Home.
More historical fun…
More from our September issue…
Competition | Win a National Trust Book Bundle worth more than £250
Autumn is fast approaching, and the colder evenings call for a hot beverage, a cosy spot, and a good read. That is why we’re giving away the ultimate National Trust library worth more than £250!
This prize includes 20 beautiful books that are perfect for any occasion, whether you like to cook, bake, garden, travel, admire nature or find ways to be more sustainable.
Stroll through history with Britain’s Landmarks and Legends, an illustrated collection that reveals the secrets of fifty icons of our landscape, from Stonehenge to Schiehallion. Enjoy a comforting bowl of goodness with National Trust Soups, the perfect companion for chilly nights. Or start planning your gardening year with The National Trust Gardener’s Almanac 2024, a small but mighty book packed with month-by-month tips and trivia for beginners and old hands alike.
And that’s not all, of course. This bundle also includes copies of Simple Pleasures, 100 Great Pub Walks, National Trust Favourite Recipes, Gardens of the National Trust, The Nature Lover’s Bucket List, and many more. To view the range please visit https://collins.co.uk/collections/national-trust-book-library
Looking to treat yourself – or a loved one – to a beautiful book? Enter now for a chance to win!
How to enter
Just click on the button below and answer the following question.
Q: How many books are included with this prize?
Terms and conditions
For Iceberg Press’s full terms and conditions, see our website.
Photography by Alamy
Life Advice | From Roald Dahl
In our September issue, you can take our quiz to find out which Roald Dahl character you are most like. While we were doing the quiz ourselves, it occurred to us just how much sense many of Dahl’s characters speak, and how much of that wisdom chimes with all the things we try to fill The Simple Things’ pages with each month. Here are ten life lessons from Dahl Land that we think will help you live a simpler and better life.
Be curious
‘There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours you haven’t started wondering about yet.’
James and the Giant Peach
Enjoy armchair travel
‘The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.’
Matilda
Believe in magic
‘Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.’
Billy and the Minpins
Think good thoughts
‘A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.’
The Twits
Read more books
‘So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install a lovely bookshelf on the wall. Then fill the shelves with lots of books.’
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Cherish silliness
‘A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.’
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Throw yourself into what you love
‘I began to realise how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. He taught me that if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it, and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be.’
My Uncle Oswald
Suspend your disbelief
‘The matter with human beans,’ the BFG went on, ‘is that they is absolutely refusing to believe anything unless they is actually seeing it right in front of their own schnozzles.’
The BFG
Retain a sense of childish wonder
‘Never grow up,’ she said, ‘always down.‘
George’s Marvellous Medicine
Travel widely, especially within your own imagination
‘That’s why they alway put two blank pages at the back of the atlas. They’re for new countries. You’re meant to fill them in yourself.’
The BFG
You can take the Which Roald Dahl Character Are You quiz in our September issue from page 37, and if you feel like dressing up as your Dahl character, Roald Dahl day is on 13 September.
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More fun from children’s classics…
More from our September issue…
September | Things to Appreciate
A few things to see outdoors this month and a thing to do, too…
As well as being a bountiful time for your nature table. September seems like a good month to appreciate the coast now it’s quieter and to make some memories to see you through winter, too. Here’s an idea for a simple make that does both those things - Scented Seashell Candles.
You’ll need: a bain-marie; a selection of seashells*; beeswax and tealight wicks (both available from craft suppliers); essential oil of your choice – we like sweet orange and ylang ylang.
1 Clean and dry your shells, then place them in a plastic container of sand to help them stay still.
2 Set up your bain-marie with a small metal bowl inside a larger pan of boiling water.
3 Add the beeswax to the smaller bowl and wait for it to melt. Once it’s liquid, add in a few drops of your essential oil and stir.
4 Pour some of the beeswax into the empty shells and then add a tealight wick to each one. Wait for them to set before lighting, and enjoying the relaxing scent and a reminder of happy days by the sea.
*Only take empty shells from the beach and only a few at a time. Have a look round your house and garden, too – you may well find a few seashells from beach days gone by.
This kitchen table project was featured on our Almanac Pages, where each month we collate a few seasonal things to note and notice, plan and do. The nature table image above was taken by Alice Tatham of The Wildwood Moth who takes a photograph for our back cover each month, featuring things to appreciate in nature. She also runs workshops on seasonal photography and publishes seasonal journal stories from her home in Dorset.
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Photography by Rebecca Lewis
Tipple | Turmeric Gingerade
A refreshing tipple for grown-up fans of a Blytonesque picnic
You can make this gingerade in advance and keep it in the fridge ready to add to your picnic hamper just before you leave the house.
Serves 6–8
1.3 ltr fresh apple juice
1 tbsp fresh turmeric root, grated
1 tsp fresh ginger root, grated
Juice of 2 large lemons
1 bottle of sparkling water
1 fresh orange, sliced, to serve
Handful of fresh mint sprigs, to serve
1 Place the apple juice, turmeric, ginger and lemon juice into a blender and blitz until smooth (you may need to do this in two batches).
2 Pour into a glass bottle or Thermos flask and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
3 To serve, fill a glass two thirds full with the apple juice mix and top up with sparkling water to taste. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and a slice of orange.
The Turmeric Gingerade is just one of the recipes from our feature ‘Take the Lead’ in our September issue, which is a menu and ideas for a picnic and dog walk with friends. The other recipes include Veggie Frittata, Late Summer Salad, Roasted Goats’ Cheese Stuffed Figs and Apple & Cinnamon Dark Chocolate Muffins. There’s even a recipe for some homemade dog treats! The recipes are by Kay Prestney and the photography by Rebecca Lewis.
More picnic ideas…
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Sponsored Post | Lightbulb Moments with Crocus
Plan ahead for some springtime colour with Crocus’ specialist bulb collections
As we squeeze the last few months of enjoyment from our gardens before autumn gives way to winter, it’s time to turn our thoughts to planting plans. Nothing gives more joy than those first bursts of colour as the springtime shoots poke out through the soil and then flourish to give colourful cheer.
Now’s the time to start planting bulbs ready for next year and online nursery Crocus has a vibrant selection of tulips, daffodils and snowdrops to choose from, including three unique collections created with Rebecca Stuart from The Garden Gate Flower Company – an expert in floral design who grows her own cut flowers for beautiful displays.
If you love a vintage look, try Rebecca’s Black Forest collection, which pairs tulip-of-the-moment La Belle Epoque with Black Hero, a gorgeous deep-toned classic black tulip – the collection is reminiscent of sepia movies with dusky shades of apricot and maroon-black. While the elegant white and apricot Rhubarb and Custard collection combines the eye-catching Crème Upstar, a peony-style double tulip with pastel yellow and pink colours, with the lily-flowered Très Chic, which has pointed petals to give an elegant silhouette.
Rebecca loves to grow her flowers in pots to bring a riot of colour as Spring arrives. You too can fill your garden with colour from January to May as all Crocus’ tulip collections are designed by garden experts to pair the most stunning tulips and spring bulbs for sure-fire displays in seasons to come – and all readers of The Simple Things can get 20% off all full-priced bulbs. Simply enter code SIMPLEBULBS20 at checkout. Valid until 11 October 2023. For T&Cs, see crocus.co.uk/terms.
For more information and inspiration, visit crocus.co.uk or follow on Instagram at: @crocus.co.uk.
Photography by Alice Tatham
August | Things to appreciate
Fieldwork: exploring sand dunes
Dunes are formed when grains of sand and shells blow across the beach and become trapped in plant life growing above the strandline. The more sand that’s trapped, the easier it is for more grains to pile up, and eventually dunes are created. The grey-green spiky tufts that you’ll see blowing in the wind is marram grass, the daddy of the dunes. Its matted roots literally hold the dunes together, keeping them stable and allowing other plants to colonise. Dunes are in a constant state of development, so you’ll find them in various stages, from ‘embryo’ and ‘mobile’ dunes to the more stable ‘fixed dunes’ and ‘dune heaths’ once the marram’s done its work. Sheltered hollows in more developed dunes are home to everything from sand lizards and Grayling butterflies, to stonechats and sand wasps. Wander further inland and you’re in the ‘fixed dunes’ where plants such as Kidney vetch and Biting stonecrop thrive. Pay attention to signs and never go ‘dune surfing’ on designated reserves or beaches where wildlife thrives. However, they’re fascinating habitats to explore and one of the most impressive examples you’ll see of nature working in harmony.
This fieldwork idea was featured on our Almanac Pages, where each month we collate a few seasonal things to note and notice, plan and do. The nature table image above was taken by Alice Tatham of The Wildwood Moth who takes a photograph for our back cover each month, featuring things to appreciate in nature. She also runs workshops on seasonal photography and publishes seasonal journal stories from her home in Dorset.
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Photograph courtesy of Beamish Living Museum
Think | We are history
History is about so much more than dusty books and chalky memories of school days. You can bring history into your everyday easily by engaging with it in real life. Here are a few ways to immerse yourself in history and feel more meaningfully linked to the past.
Try historical re-enactments
Don’t panic. You don’t need to be able to joust or throw axes for this. Historical re-enactments have had a bad press historically (sorry) as something slightly nerdy and perhaps seen as the preserve of beardy middle-aged men. Today lots of historic sites and houses put on re-enactment days where you can get a taster for the past (and no beard required). Kentwell Hall in Suffolk, for example, runs Hands On History Days in August where you can meet more than 200 Tudor historians who’ll take you back to 1564 and help you get involved with brewing, stitching, felt-making, bread baking and many more activities from the time.
Visit a historic site
We’re blessed with historical sites scattered all over our countryside here in the UK. Whether it’s climbing an iron-age hillfort or walking the corridors of a Georgian manor house, there’s nothing like walking in the footsteps of our ancestors to connect us immediately to the past. You can find the nearest historic sites and houses to you on The National Trust’s website.
Learn an ancient skill
The past is a different country; they do things differently there. So there’s no way to connect with the past like learning how to do things the way they were done hundreds of years ago. You might want to learn how to build a dry-stone wall or how to spin wool into yarn by hand. Whatever tickles your distaff there’s sure to be a course in it somewhere near you. For a bit of inspiration, have a look at The Field Studies Council website, which offers courses in everything from bookbinding to spoon carving.
Immerse yourself in a podcast
If the plethora of podcasts about the past had been around when we were at school, the Industrial Revolution might have felt a lot more accessible. Listening to a podcast is a very simple way to learn a little about an event or period you know nothing about. We particularly love The Rest is History, available on the BBC, Spotify and all the usual podcast platforms.
Listen to sounds from long ago
There are several sound libraries available online, but we love the British Library’s version, where you can listen to everything from Fairground music from the 1980s to Queen Victoria’s voice.
Archive of smells
The thing about history is it’s pretty smelly. Those pomanders only go so far. If you want a real sense of what the past was like, you’ll want to give it a sniff. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) you can’t be transported so easily to the times of plague pits but you can get an idea by browsing the Odeuropa Smell Explorer, where they have collected information about various smells from visual and text sources, from coffee houses to public baths.
Go to a history festival
Pick an era and transport yourself there with one of the many historic festivals that take place around the UK. You can even dress up if you like, though it isn’t usually mandatory. We like the look of The Largs Viking Festival near Glasgow, and the medieval Loxwood Joust in Sussex.
Enjoy an immersive experience
You won’t get much more immersive than an immersive historical experience, from escape rooms to theatre, there’s something for everyone and every era, and you’ll leave feeling like you’ve time travelled. The Gunpowder Plot Experience, which is currently being staged next door to the Tower of London, is full of 1605-style thrills and spills, using a mixture of live theatre and digital technology.
Volunteer for local heritage projects and museums
Appreciate history while giving a little back by volunteering for a local museum or heritage project. The opportunity to be there ‘after hours’ gives you a connection to the past that you don’t get as a mere visitor and you’ll have the joy of imparting your newfound wisdom to others, too. Historic England has some good ideas about how to get started.
See a living museums
Wander down an Edwardian high street at Beamish, or sit around a fire in a Tudor kitchen at the Weald and Downland… There are so many living museums to visit in the UK, where you don’t just look at the exhibits but become part of them. You’ll find more inspiration in our feature, A Slice of Life, from page 68 in our August issue.
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More fun for history buffs…
More from our August issue…
DJ: Frances Ambler; Illustration: Shutterstock
Playlist | A September ramble
Join us on a ramble this month with our latest playlist. Take a listen on Spotify here
Or have a browse of all our playlists here.
Recipe | Tandoor Lemon Chicken with Mango & Coriander Salad
In our September issue you’ll find a Weekend Project to help you make your very own Flowerpot Tandoor. Moist and full of flavour, this a great recipe to test out on your tandoor. You’ll find the instructions for the Tandoor on page 96 of the September issue.
Serves 4
8 chicken thighs, slashed through the skin to the bone a few times
For the marinade:
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 small shallot (or ½ small red onion), roughly chopped
2 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp light brown sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
1 tsp Chinese five-spice
For the salad:
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp light brown sugar
3 tbsp cold water
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 unripe mango, cut into thin matchsticks
1 small shallot (or ½ small red onion), thinly sliced
A small bunch of coriander, finely chopped
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 In a blender, whizz all the marinade ingredients together to form a coarse paste, then toss the chicken in the marinade until thoroughly coated. Refrigerate for at least 1 hr, preferably overnight if possible.
2 When ready to cook, preheat the tandoor to a medium heat. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about 20 mins before you plan to cook it, to bring it up to room temperature.
3 Thread the chicken onto metal skewers (long enough for the top of the skewer to be easy to grab out of the tandoor) and cook for about 15–20 mins, or until the skin is crisp and richly browned. Remove and brush with the remaining marinade, then cook for a further 15 mins, or until the meat is cooked through. Take out of the tandoor and set aside to rest for 5 mins.
4 Meanwhile, place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Serve alongside the chicken.
Cook’s note: Cooking times can vary with the tandoor, so check your chicken is thoroughly cooked before serving.
Taken from The DIY BBQ Cook Book: How To Build Your Own BBQ And Cook Up A Feast by James Whetlor (Quadrille). Photography: Sam Folan
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Sponsored Post | Flour Power with Doves Farm
Celebrate Organic September by baking a batch of delicious chocolate-chip cookies, made with Doves Farm Organic Flour
September is National Organic Month in the UK, but, when you think about organic food, flour may not be the first thing that springs to mind. However, the flour you use in your favourite recipes can have a big impact on the planet (and your bakes!).
Before the mass production of flour, all of our food was created without artificial input and grown with very little human intervention. Once the crop was sown, it was simply nurtured by the soil, wind, rain and sun until it was ready to harvest and, once cut, the grain would be milled into flour without added preservatives or artificial ingredients.
Today at Doves Farm we aim to grow and mill our organic flour in much the same way, working with our surroundings to help protect the environment and produce grain as nature intended.Not only is the resulting flour produced with higher levels of environmental welfare, lower levels of pesticides and no genetically modified ingredients or artificial fertilisers, but organic farms are also havens for wildlife and provide homes for bees, birds and butterflies. In fact, on average, they’re home to up to 50% more wildlife and 75% more wild bees!*
So, this Organic September, why not try a simple switch to organic flour to make a positive difference to our planet, whilst elevating your everyday bakes? With 24 different flours to choose from in the Doves Farm organic flour range – including plain white, plain wholemeal and bread flour, as well as ancient grains like spelt and rye, and speciality flours including teff, coconut and oat flour – there’s a flour for every type of baker and every single delicious recipe.
Make oat flour chip cookies
Packed with chocolate chips and wholegrain goodness, these are a real crowd pleaser.
Makes 24 cookies
175g Doves Farm organic oat flour
1 tsp Doves Farm bicarbonate of soda
75g butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing
100g caster sugar
1 egg
150g dark chocolate chips
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Meanwhile, grease two oven trays with butter or line with baking paper.
2 Add the oat flour and bicarbonate of soda to a bowl, stir to combine, then sieve into a separate bowl.
3 Chop the butter into a mixing bowl, add the sugar and beat until well incorporated.
4 Break the egg into the bowl and beat until combined.
5 Tip the flour blend into the bowl and mix well.
6 Add the chocolate chips and stir everything together.
7 Divide the mix into 24. Roll each portion into balls and place on the baking trays .
8 Flatten each cookie gently with the back of a fork.
9 Bake for 10-12 mins. Once cooled, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
For more information and inspiration, including over 400 free recipes, visit dovesfarm.co.uk or follow on Instagram at: @dovesfarm.
Competition | Drink it in with Cupsmith
When the pace of life heats up, slow down with a Cupsmith break – we have two hot drink hampers to win, worth over £230 each
You know the moment: those precious few minutes when you take time out of your busy day to sit down and savour your favourite hot drink. Husband and wife team, George and Emma, knew it only too well, which is why they established Cupsmith back in 2013 with the shared goal of producing the best-tasting hot drinks possible so that everyone can enjoy that ‘First Sip Bliss’ feeling every single day.
Whether your tipple of choice is coffee, hot chocolate or tea, the dedicated team at Cupsmith work hard to make sure that only the finest speciality beans are roasted slowly, in small batches, to produce satisfying and flavoursome coffee blends.
Or that their single-origin Colombian chocolate is hand flaked for the smoothest of hot chocolates. While their organic tea leaves, in compostable pyramid bags, provide the very best cuppa.
In order to capture that First Sip Bliss moment, The Simple Things has teamed up with our friends at Cupsmith to give two lucky readers the chance to win a hot drinks hamper, worth over £230 each, and packed with all Cupsmith’s offerings, plus there’s a Smeg milk frother, worth £180, for an extra touch of indulgence. So forget grabbing a drink on the go and fitting each mouthful into your busy routine and instead press pause for just a few minutes, make that drink, and take time to enjoy every sip and the First Sip Bliss that comes with it.
For more information, visit cupsmith.com or follow on Instagram: @cupsmith
How to enter
For your chance to win a Cupsmith hamper worth over £230, enter by clicking the button below and answering the question by the closing date of 11 October 2023.
Terms & Conditions: The competition closes at 11.59pm on 11 October 2023. Two winners will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. Subject to availability. The winners cannot transfer their prizes or swap them for cash. Details of our full terms and conditions are on p125 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.
Illustrations by Anneliese Klos
Wellbeing | Exercise your laughter muscle
Try this simple laughter exercise from Melissa at Big LoLz
1 Find a quiet, comfortable space where you won’t be disturbed.
2 Stand up and take a few deep breaths. Shake off any tension or stress that you may be feeling and allow your body to completely relax.
3 Fake it until you make it. Start with a small chuckle and gradually increase the intensity. It may feel forced at first, but that’s okay.
4 If you’re struggling, try repeating phrases like “ho ho ha ha” or “ha ha hee hee” while laughing. Experiment with different sounds and variations to find what feels most natural to you.
5 Notice how your mind tries to get in the way. Don’t worry about how you sound or look; just focus on fully embracing the joyful feeling that laughter brings.
6 Keep going. Sustain the laughter for several minutes. Allow it to build and continue without forcing it. If the laughter subsides, bring it back by using the laughter prompts again.
7 Relax and enjoy. Gradually reduce the intensity of laughter and take a couple of moments to breathe deeply and enjoy all of the benefits of the practice.
This exercise is meant to be playful and enjoyable, so don’t be afraid to really let go and have fun with it! If you’d like to try a laughter yoga class, find out more about Melissa and Holly’s workshops on Insta: @energetics.explained or at energeticsexplained.com.
The laughter exercise above is from our August issue feature, ‘Looking for LOLs’, which is all about rediscovering your laughter.
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Recipe | Summer Panzanella with Anchovies
Pretty tins and the canned fish inside them make for fresh summer dishes that can transport you from the back garden to the Medterranean or Atlantic coast. Mackerel, tuna, sardines and anchovies have been storecupboard staples for over 200 years, now enjoying a renaissance – good for you too.
Serves 4
300g Sourdough bread, 2–3 days old, cut into cubes
300g mixed tomatoes
1 small cucumber, peeled, sliced and cubed
½ red onion, thinly sliced
Small jar mixed olives
1 x 50g tin anchovies, drained and cut into small pieces
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for the bread)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Bunch of basil, torn into pieces
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/ Fan 180C/Gas 6. Add the cubed sourdough to a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season. Bake for 10 mins until golden, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
2 Add the tomatoes to a bowl, sprinkle with salt and leave for 5 mins. Then add the cucumber, onion, olives and anchovies and mix.
3 Add the bread and pour over the olive oil and vinegar, followed by salt, pepper and the torn basil. Mix together thoroughly, taste, and adjust the oil or vinegar as needed. Serve with fresh basil as a garnish
This recipe is one of the ideas from Catherine Frawley’s feature, Changing Your Tuna, in our July issue, which includes several recipes for tinned fish, including Mackerel Burgers, Nicoise Salad, Spaghetti with Sardines and Capers and Sardine Traybake.
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Sponsored Post | Tailor-made Dog Kibble Blends from tails.com
Every dog is one-in-a-million; their food should be too!
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Think | In praise of shade
In summer our thoughts are with light and sunshine. But here, we appreciate all that is wonderful about shade
Sunny days are wonderful but isn’t it lovely to step into the shade, too? To cool off, open ones eyes a little and appreciate the sunny side of the street from the shadier side?
In sunshine terms, it’s easy to forget that shade is not its own entity but merely a shadow. Its etymology is in the Old English sceadu, or ‘shadow’ . There is literally no shade without light.
Some of its meanings are darker still. In the 15th century, a ‘shade’ was a ghost - a shadow of a former person, if you like. In Dante’s Divine Comedy, his guide, Virgil is described as a ‘shade’. It was not necessarily something to be feared; more a fact of life. Or death. And the state of being dead was often described as being ‘in shadow’ as in ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…’ It was believed that the dead lived in shadow in the underworld, with only a very select through making it into heaven’s light. Well, we can’t all excel at everything.
Wander through a graveyard and you’ll see many an older stone referencing shade… ‘Peace to thy gentle shade and endless rest’, as Alexander Pope wrote. The idea of death here is as a place of rest and cool, somewhere to lay down your head and look back on the sunshine years of your life. Not something to be feared, merely to yang to life’s yin. The shade to the sunshine. It almost sounds a little lovely.
So next time you pass under a shady tree, sit down a moment and enjoy looking out at the sunshine from its shelter. Cool down, rest. Shade is not only the foil to the sunshine; it’s something to be treasured in itself.
In our August issue, our My Place feature is all about shady spots, such as the one pictured above, belonging to Liz Boyd, The Simple Things’ Picture Editor.
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More inspiration from My Place…
More from our August issue…
Photography by Emma Croman
Recipe | Charred Peach Eton Mess
Peaches and cream, with added amaretti and amaretto – a summer stone-fruit treat, cooked over an open fire…
Serves 8
8 flat peaches, halved and stoned
600ml double cream
2 tbsp caster sugar
300g raspberries
100g blackcurrants
30g fresh mint, chopped
100g toasted flaked almonds
300g soft amaretti biscuits
60ml amaretto (optional)
1 When the embers are ready, place a cast-iron skillet or pan over the fire. Place the peach halves, cutside down, on the warming skillet.
2 Pour the cream into a bowl, add the sugar and gently whip until it thickens. Add the raspberries, blackcurrants mint, some of the almonds and some of the amaretti biscuits, leaving some back for garnishing at the end. Mix through the amaretto, if using.
3 Keep gently turning the peaches until they’re soft and golden. Once done, take them off the heat and place one half, cut side up in a desert bowl. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then add a generous dollop of the cream mixture on top. Place a second peach half into the cream and top with a few mint leaves, some flaked almonds and one final crush of amaretti biscuits before serving.
This recipe is just one of the ideas from our Gathering feature in our August issue, which is a feast over fire for friends. The menu also includes Pisco and Vanilla Sours, Burnt Lemon Broad Bean Houmous, Charred Crudites, Charred Greens with Dill Mustard Sauce, Woodfired Side of Trout with Dill & Caper Creme Fraiche, Quick Pickled Cucumbers and Woodfired Focaccia. Wash it all down with a Peach, Blackberry & Mint Iced Tea. The recipes and styling are by Amy Moore and the photography is by Emma Croman.
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More from our blog…
More ideas for eating outdoors…
Photography by Becki Clark
Make | Folk art enamelware
This enamel tumbler make is a simple and mindful way to spend an afternoon. You could even make a whole set for summer garden gatherings.
You will need:
Enamelware tumbler
Posca paint pens 3m tip, or enamel paint and brush
Clear spray varnish
1 Make sure your enamel surface is clean and dust free before starting. Your first motif is made up of four branch lines working upwards to the top of the tumbler.
2 Repeat this motif around the tumbler, leaving equal space between each of your motifs.
3 Add small bud shapes at the ends of the branches using other colours. We used ochre and pink, to complement the blue and give a nod to traditional folk art colour palettes.
4 Add your bottom border by drawing lines (around 5cm long) at the base. Along each of these lines add small teardrop-shaped ‘leaves’ that join at the same point along the line and mirror each other.
5 You can then use one of your alternative colours to add a small heart shape at the end of the blue line, creating a folk art floral.
6 Create your top border by drawing on curved lines that have curved teardrops working out from the main stem (a similar shape to paisley) and then use your alternative colour to add a collection of dots working outwards from these teardrops.
7 Add a final border of dots underneath your central branches, working around the whole tumbler. Leave to dry.
The instructions for this make were taken from our August issue feature, Paint Your Flagon, in which Becki Clark shows us how to paint the tumbler above, as well as a bowl and plate, all in a pretty folk design. You’ll find the project from page 106 of the issue, which is in shops now.
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