The Best | Bookshops for Every Genre

Independent bookshops are always a joy but here we’ve rounded up some real specialists in their field. Whether your love is crime or cookery, there’s a bookshop somewhere dedicated to the genre…

Crime fiction

Murder & Mayhem, 5, Lion Street, Hay-on-Wye, Hereford

This bijou store in Britain’s bookshop capital specialises in the Golden Age of crime fiction as well as ghost stories, Sherlock Holmes and ‘cosy crime’. Don’t miss the chalk outline of a corpse on a floor or the amazingly detailed miniature reproduction of the shop itself in the window. 

Children’s books

Octavia’s, 24, Black Jack Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Whether you’re shopping with children or simply ‘for’ children, a trip to Octavia’s is always a treat. Colourful interiors and comfy seats make it an oasis on this bustling high street, and staff are excellent at giving targeted recommendations. 

Travel Fiction

Daunt Books, Marylebone High Street, London

Inside this magical Edwardian building sit rows of books on polished oak galleried shelves. Its outstanding collection of travel books is arranged by country, which makes for a really pleasant afternoon’s browsing and the choice is unbeatable. Daunt now has several stores and even its own publishing arm but the MHS store is the first and the best. 

Gay and LGBT interest

Gay’s The Word, 66, Marchmont Street, London

Established in 1979, Gay’s the Word has always been much more than ‘just’ a gay bookshop; it’s a community and social hub where everyone is welcome with a thriving events programme as well as a beautifully curated selection of books. 

Natural History

Pemberley Books, 18, Bathurst Walk, Iver, Buckinghamshire

Books on every topic of natural history from agriculture to zoology, passing through everything from entomology to lepidoptera. Good antiquarian stock, also. 

Geography

Stanfords Books, London and Bristol

Stocking huge arrays of maps, atlases and globes since 1853. If you can find your way to one of the two branches of Stanfords you’ll be able to find your way to anywhere in the world. 

Poetry

The Poetry Bookshop, The Pavement, Lion Street, Hay-on-Wye

If poetry is what you’re after,

This airy shop is packed to the rafters

With shelves and shelves of poetry

‘Pon which they’re quite an authority. 

Cookery

Books for Cooks, 4, Blenheim Crescent, London

Cookery and food books from all over the world jostle for space in this amazing book store in Notting Hill, given over entirely to the art of cookery. Feel like you can almost smell the delicious dishes wafting off the page? That’ll be the test kitchen at the back where they try out the recipes they want to champion most. 

Science Fiction

Durdles Books, 51, Cole Bank Road, Birmingham

Specialising in Sci Fi and Fantasy - for both adults and children and incorporating both fiction and non-fiction, Durdles is a geek’s Aladdin’s cave of treasures. 

This bookshops round-up was inspired by our new series called My Living. The first feature in the series looks at people who run their own bookshops and it’s in the April issue, which is out now.

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Tipple | Cornish Wrecker Cocktail

Gather some gorse while out on a walk to create a zesty cocktail that tastes of the coast

These royally good cocktails were served to the Queen on a visit to the Eden Project in 2021 – this is Cornwall in a glass. Makes 1 glass

For the syrup:
200g caster sugar
2 handfuls of gorse flowers
2 drops of natural coconut flavouring

For the cocktail:
50ml Wrecking Coast Clotted Cream gin (or your favourite gin)
12.5ml coconut rum
1½ tbsp lemon juice
1½ tbsp gorse flower syrup
Ice cubes
Soda water
1 lemon twist (or slice)
Edible flowers (we used borage), to garnish

1 First, make the gorse flower syrup. In a saucepan, heat the sugar, gorse flowers, coconut flavouring and 100ml of water over a very low heat for about 30 mins, or until the sugar’s dissolved, the flowers have wilted and the syrup has turned a gentle yellow colour.

2 Remove from the heat and leave to infuse and cool for at least 6 hrs, or ideally overnight. Strain then decant into a sterilised jar.

3 To make the cocktail, shake all the ingredients, except for the soda water and garnish, together in an ice-filled cocktail shaker until super cold.

4 Strain over ice and top up with soda water. Garnish with a lemon twist and a borage flower to serve.

Bartender’s note: When picking gorse flowers, always wear gloves and check thoroughly for bugs. Only pick open buds.

Taken from Time & Tide by Emily Scott (Hardie Grant). Photography: Kristin Perers

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Competition | Win a Janome Sewing Machine worth £439

JANOME sewing machines are synonymous with innovation, quality, and ease of use. This Spring JANOME have a great all-round sewing machine for one lucky reader to win.

Whether you are sewing for thrift, sustainability or simply pleasure, the Janome 230DC computerised sewing machine (pictured below) is the perfect companion. With a few easy steps you will be up and sewing in no time.

The model 230DC has lots of easy-to-use features which make sewing a pleasure, it is ideal the machine to grow with your skills and is suitable both for beginners and more experienced sewing fans. It’s fully computerised with stitches and settings at the touch of a button, has no-fuss threading with the auto-needle threader (pictured below), top loading bobbin and a hard cover for storage.

The Prize: a JANOME 230DC computerised model

There are 30 stitch choices and a variety of buttonhole styles, making this machine ideal for beginners and more advanced stitchers alike. The new JANOME Spring 2024 ‘Sewing with Style’ brochure can be downloaded from janome.co.uk/special-offers Visit your local Janome retailer to see the JANOME range.

How to enter

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 31 May 2024. 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 many stitch choices does the Janome 230DC computerised model have?

Think | Local Words for Rain

As a nation that ‘enjoys’ its fair share of the rain, at least we’ve embraced April showers with various terms for the many and varying types of rain, and some rather specific regional words, too. Here are just a few of our favourites from across the country.

Bange (East Anglia) - dampness in the air

Damping (Midlands) - generally pretty wet

Bouncing off the ground (Lancashire) - raining so hard it’s bouncing back

Degging (Northumberland) - sprinkling or moistening

Dibble (Shropshire) - slow rain drops

Dringey (Norfolk) - light rainfall

Hadder (Cumbria) - from ‘heather’, a feathery, light rain

Harle (Lincolnshire) - drizzle from the sea

Hi’n brwr hen wraegedd affyn (Wales) - meaning ‘it’s raining old women and sticks’

Letty (Somerset) - enough rain to make outdoor work hard. From the old English let, meaning to disallow

Mizzle (Devon and Cornwall) - might sound like a portmanteau of misty and drizzle and it does mean ‘a misty drizzle’ but likely derives from the Dutch miezelen

Picking (Wales) - from pigan meaning ‘starting to rain’

Pleasure and pain (Cockney) - rhyming slang

Plodging through the clart (Northumberland) - so wet you’re wading through mud

Raining forks tiyunsdown’ards (Lincolnshire) - very hard, painful rain, raining like pitchforks

Smirr (Scotland) - a drifting, fine rain

Smithering (Suffolk) - drizzling

Wet rain (Northern Ireland) - that soft, sheeting rain that gets into everything

Our dialect words for rain were inspired by our feature, All Weather Friend from our April issue, which is an extract from In All Weathers: A Journey Through Rain, Fog, Wind, Ice And Everything In Between by Matt Gaw (Elliott & Thompson).

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Recipe | No Bake Cheesecake

Photography by Emma Croman

Pretty as you please cheesecake, with fresh fruit and flowers doing decorative duty

You will need

170g digestive biscuits
100g unsalted butter, melted
300ml double cream
100g icing sugar
250g cream cheese
1½ lemons, zested and juiced
A handful of fresh berries (we used raspberries and blueberries), a sprig of thyme and edible flowers

To make

1 Line the base of an 18cm springform cake tin with baking paper. Blitz the biscuits in a food processor until they resemble breadcrumbs. Combine with the melted butter then press evenly into the base of the tin with the back of a spoon. Cover and put in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

2 Whip the double cream in a fresh bowl until it forms soft peaks. Sift in the icing sugar and add the cream cheese, lemon juice and zest. Fold the mixture until thoroughly combined.

3 Remove the cheesecake base from the fridge and spoon on the cream mixture, smoothing the top with the back of the spoon. Cover and return to the fridge for 2 hrs 30 mins, or until fully set. When ready, gently remove the cheesecake from the tin and decorate with fresh berries, thyme sprigs and edible flowers.

This is just one of the recipes from our Gathering feature in our April issue, which we’ve called ‘Dinner For Good’. The menu is for a charity supper club and also includes ideas for Smoked Salmon Rostis, Herb Focaccia, Courgette, Mint and Ricotta Polpette and more. Recipes are by Louise Gorrod and photography by Emma Croman.

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Traditions | Osterbaums

This Easter decoration is simple to make and is an easy way to bring a little spring indoors

Osterbaums have a long history in Germany. Sometimes trees outside are decorated for Easter, but more often, branches are brought into the home. Blossoming boughs – perhaps cherry or blackthorn – are particularly pretty, or those with catkins such as pussy willow or hazel. It’s traditional to adorn them with painted or dyed eggs, though you could also use feathers or ribbons – anything colourful that captures that feeling of spring.

Photography by Sussie Bell. Styling by Selina Lake/Living4Media

This idea is from the March issue of The Simple Things, which you can still buy from our online store and includes lots of ideas for celebrating the season.

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Learn | Basic Origami Folds

The Japanese art of folding paper into shapes and figures is a rather pleasant and mindful way to spend an afternoon. Here’s how to get started.

Before you begin, it’s a good idea to learn a few of the basic folds. Once you have these under your belt there’s actually quite a lot you can do, so it’s satisfyingly quick to get to the stage where you can make small paper shapes. Buy yourself a cheap pack of origami paper (it just needs to be square, basically) and start with some folds. Engaging in such activities not only sparks creativity but also opens up opportunities for craft work at home, allowing you to turn a simple hobby into a productive and enjoyable way to spend your time

Mountain folds

Nearly all origami folds are either mountain folds or valley folds (see below). A mountain fold is any fold where the crease is pointing up and the paper is bending downwards - like a mountain. Take a square or paper, fold it in half any way you like and then place the paper, mountain style, with the two edges on the table and the pointy bit at the top.

Valley folds

These are simply the opposite of a mountain fold. The edges of the paper are pointing upwards and the crease is at the bottom on the table, resembling a valley. It’s the same as a mountain fold, just upside down. You can see some examples of valley folds in the top line of the folds diagram above. 

Squash folds

This gives 3D shape to a piece of origami. You slightly prise open a fold, crease it in the opposite direction, and then flatten it again. 

Reverse folds

You can have inside reverse folds or outside reverse folds; they just go different ways. They’re most famously used to make origami cranes* but are also regularly used to make heads and tails for lots of animals. In an inside reverse fold, a small fold is made on an already folded piece of paper and then unfolded before being pushed inside out into the main fold. With an outside reverse fold, the small fold sticks outwards of the paper rather than inside. You can see an inside reverse fold in the bottom row of the diagrams above.

* Cranes are a classic origami make. Japanese folklore says that if you fold a thousand cranes, the Gods will bring you good fortune.

To see diagrams and step-by-step instructions for all these folds, visit http://www.origami-instructions.com/, which also has instructions for lots of other folds and basic origami patterns. In our March issue we learned to fold origami blossom from the book Blossom Origami by Clover Robin (Nosy Crow). Find the instructions on page 42. 

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Playlist | Whatever the weather

Never let rain stop play. Our latest playlist celebrates all kinds of weather, whether sunshine or showers.

Take a listen on Spotify here.

Sponsored post | Live the Dream with Blackdown

As Part of its Fusion Brace hut, Blackdown Shepherd Huts has created the ultimate bedroom retreat to switch off and fully recharge. Can someone dim the lights please?

There are times in life when the busyness of the everyday builds and builds and the only remedy is to retreat to the sanctuary of a serene bedroom, with a good mag (The Simple Things, of course) and a warming mug of tea.

Better still, instead of collapsing, exhausted, into a weary sleep, imagine if you could properly unwind and recharge, perhaps with a long, leisurely bath before curling up under to covers to drift into a dreamy slumber.

If this sounds completely idyllic, then Blackdown Shepherd Huts may just have created the dreamiest of bedrooms thanks to its Fusion Brace hut – its most innovative shepherd hut to date with two huts joined together perpendicularly by Blackdown’s signature glass walkway.

Fusion’s full-height, rich velvet headboard, against which you can arrange a mountain of pillows to sink into, is sumptuously paired with a handcrafted Naturalmat king-sized mattress, both are made for pure relaxation. Alongside the Tom Raffield bedside lamps, which add a warm and cosy glow.

The curved stargazer roof window guarantees the best seat in the house for nature’s light show – lie in bed and watch the stars, and once sleepiness sets in, simply pull the blind for a restful night’s sleep. Come the morning, you’ll wake, fully refreshed. Open the blind and let the sun’s rays wash over you, gently warming your skin. In fact, dragging yourself out of bed will likely be the day’s biggest challenge.

Designed to be screen free, the Fusion bedroom is slower living at its finest. Instead, immerse yourself in a great book or put pen to paper and journal your thoughts away in a beautiful notebook, always, of course, with a good mug of tea close to hand.

Whether it’s at home or away, a night in Blackdown Shepherd Hut’s Fusion bedroom is sure to leave you feeling ready to tackle life’s busyness once again, and will certainly inspire future sweet dreams.
For more information and inspiration, visit blackdownshepherdhuts.co.uk or follow on Instagram: @blackdownshepherdhuts 

Competition | Win one of 5 vouchers for £200 to spend at Lazy Susan

We have five Lazy Susan vouchers to be won, so you can create a fuss-free outdoor space
to relax in this Spring

Spring is here and with it, the prospect of getting outdoors and enjoying fresh air, sunshine, and all that your outdoor space has to offer. For many, the arrival of spring often means laborious chores maintaining garden furniture ready for the year ahead. However, if you’d prefer to be sowing and potting rather than sanding and treating, then Lazy Susan garden furniture may be the answer.

After years of struggling to maintain his teak garden table, it became clear to Michael Scott that the long-term solution was not fighting a losing battle with wood, but using cast aluminium instead. After much searching, product testing and deliberation, Lazy Susan was born, back in 2007, and now features timeless designs that are maintenance-free, rust-proof and can be left outside all year round.

There’s also a range of finishing touches, such as cushions, parasols and accessories, which are crafted with durability in mind. If this sounds like your cup of tea, then The Simple Things has teamed up with Lazy Susan to offer five lucky readers the chance to win a Lazy Susan voucher, worth £200 each. So, whether you’re looking to furnish a garden, patio or balcony area, Lazy Susan has sets suitable for all spaces, in a variety of sizes, which are powder-coated for resilience – all you need to create equally long-lasting outdoor memories this spring and summer.

For more information, visit lazysusan.co.uk or call 01243 684873.

How to enter

For your chance to win £200 to spend at Lazy Susan, enter by clicking the button below and answering the following question by the closing date of 14 May 2024.

Q: What is Lazy Susan furniture made from?

Terms and conditions

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 14 May 2024. Five 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 for cash. Details of our full terms and conditions are on p125 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules. 

Sponsored post | Meet the people at co-operative wholefoods company, Suma

“We’re just a bunch of ordinary people trying to do the right thing”

Leading the way in the wholefoods market, we chat to Suma co-operative member Sophie Ziegler-Jones to find out how the co-op is going from strength to strength

Hi Sophie, tell us a little bit about Suma

We’re a vegetarian wholefoods wholesaler and we also sell directly to customers via our online shop. I think most people will know us for our Suma food, Ecoleaf household and ALTER/NATIVE bodycare ranges. We were set-up as a worker co-op where everyone is paid the same wage and has an equal say in how we’re run.

How did Suma come about?

It started in Leeds, in the 1970s, when our founder, Reg, spotted a gap for bulk vegetarian provisions. Back then, people thought wholefoods were just for hippies! He set up a collective and would deliver after hours from the back of his van – I guess you could call it an early zero-waste store! Since then, we haven’t looked back.

Ingenious! How have things changed since then?

Well, the wholefoods market has gone from strength to strength; vegetarianism has become mainstream, closely followed by veganism. Sustainability and environmental impact – which we’ve championed from the off – are now the urgent issues of the day. Suma is still run on the same principles as day one: cruelty-free, sustainable, ethical, fair trade, organic and co-operative.

You must have racked up some serious eco-credentials over the years

Where to start? We’re certified by the Soil Association, the Vegetarian Society and the Vegan Society. We’ve been cruelty-free since day one and all our Ecoleaf and ALTER/NATIVE products are approved under the Leaping Bunny programme. We’re Fair Tax certified and proud members of Business Declares, too, a network of businesses acknowledging the climate emergency.

We can tell that you’re passionate about the industry

It’s hard not to get excited. We regularly win awards – in fact last year, we were chuffed to make it to the top of Ethical Consumer’s Best Ethical Supermarket listing, which is no mean feat given their stringent criteria. I think our new and ambitious sustainability strategy played a big part in this.

Oh yes?

Our aim is to be Net Zero by 2030. We already do a lot to support the environment, like reducing waste and carbon emissions, supporting local suppliers and organic agriculture, while promoting fair trade, co-ops and B-Corps. We plant trees every year to help prevent flooding in our local area and are continuing the switch to electric and bio-gas fuel vehicles powered by food waste. We’re also working towards being a ‘zero waste to landfill’ business and are already really close to that.

That’s incredible!

Thanks. It’s going to be hard work, but we know it’s the right thing to do and that’s what we’re about – we’re just a bunch of ordinary people trying to do the right thing.Suma is clearly setting the bar for the competition. All of our members live and breathe wholefoods. We’ve always been a trailblazer for vegetarian, vegan, and sustainably-sourced wholefoods and aim to support innovative, independent suppliers who aren’t stocked by the big supermarkets. We offer a huge range of products from storecupboard essentials, such as cereals, soups, sauces and baking ingredients, plus everything to keep your cleaning cupboard and bathroom cabinet well stocked, too. New product development is really important to us and we often bring to market UK firsts. One product that we’re excited about is our new gluten-free oat pasta. The future is very exciting, indeed.

For more information, to find your nearest stockist and to shop online, please visit suma.coop

Wellbeing | Slowing Down

There are plenty of lessons we can learn from nature, but one of the most important is that nature is never in a rush

There’s a valuable lesson for most of us here as we hurry around from one task to another, rarely taking time to pause and reflect. We’re increasingly impatient, seeking instant gratification. We’ve lost the ability to be bored, to idle away an afternoon feels wasteful and indulgent.

Yet this downtime is part of our cycle just as it is in the natural world. We too need time to germinate, grow and produce, followed by fallow periods of rest and rejuvenation. Often the expectation is that we spend most or all our time in the productive stage, but if we don’t take time to find new inspiration and let our minds wander, we soon end up burnt out or stuck in a creative rut.

Neuroscientists now understand what happens in our brain when we stop and do nothing and have found that this is when creative and intuitive thinking happens. Rather than filling your time with more stuff to do and rushing to finish so you can move on to the next thing, allow yourself some time to do nothing and let your mind wander. Often you’ll find that your best ideas or solutions spring into your conscious mind when daydreaming.

Lie down on a rug and look at the sky for a while and see what thoughts arise. Try to be patient and let events in your life take their natural course as they do in nature. Plant some seeds and observe how with daily watering and sunlight they slowly grow into seedlings and plants producing fruit, vegetables or flowers. Slow down and observe, listen, reflect, and ponder. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, ‘Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.’

The words above are an extract from our wellbeing editor’s new book Just Add Nature by
Rebecca Frank (National Trust Books, out 11 April).

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Recipe | Crab, Radish and Chilli Bruschetta

When the sun shows its face, let optimism win over the actual temperature and lure friends outside with something tasty… Or maybe just throw open the back door and tuck in indoors

This recipe for crab bruschetta will bring some spring zing to the lunch table and the promise of many more outdoor meals to come. Serve on crusty bread with big wedges of lime.

Serves 6

Ingredients

200g fresh crab meat
Zest and juice of ½ small unwaxed lemon
½ small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
50g mayonnaise
1 handful of finely chopped fresh parsley
6 slices of fresh crusty bread (such as sourdough or baguette)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
6 large radishes, finely sliced
2 small limes, cut into large wedges

To make

1 In a large mixing bowl, mix together the crab meat, lemon juice, chopped chilli, mayonnaise and half the chopped parsley.

2 Brush the slices of bread with the olive oil and rub them with the raw garlic clove, then toast on both sides under the grill.

3 Top each slice with the crab mix, then sprinkle with the remaining parsley and lemon zest. Top with the finely-sliced radish pieces and add a twist of freshly ground black pepper to each slice. Serve immediately with the lime wedges.

This recipe is from the gathering feature in our March issue, which is a ‘Plant Party’. Get together with friends to swap houseplants, seedlings, cuttings and seeds and when you’ve finished swapping, sit down to a seasonal lunch of crab bruschetta, halloumi, basil and beetroot skewers, ricotta and spinach dumplings and spring mixed pea salad with mint and pistachios. Finish with a homemade lemon and blueberry tart. The recipes and styling are by Kay Prestney and the photography is by Rebecca Lewis.

More recipes to welcome in Spring…

More from our March issue…

Language | Buttons

We defy anyone not to smile at the sight of a tin of buttons, so we’re taking a moment to consider the humble button and its place in the English language.

The word ‘button’ comes from the Old French ‘boton’ meaning ‘bud. ‘Bouter’ means to thrust or push - like a bud bursting into bloom, you see? - and we guess, like the way a button pushes through a button hole. It’s all starting to make sense. It’s striking how much buttons crop up in metaphors, sayings and phraseology, though. 

Should you be ‘as bright as a button’, you’re probably smart and quick-witted enough to spot the double meaning of bright as in shiny and bright as in clever. Or perhaps you’re as ‘cute as a button’, a phrase some think refers to a button quail, which were allegedly very cute little birds indeed. 

If you’re less cute and more prone to angry outbursts you might ‘bust your buttons’ in reference to Bruce Banner, whose shirt would bust open, buttons popping all over the place, whenever anger turned him into his alter ego, Hulk. On the other hand you might bust your buttons because you have swelled with pride, although perhaps not with pride at your own sewing skills.

And don’t boast about the source of that pride too much or you might be asked to ‘button your lip’, a phrase originating in The States, used as a (slightly) politer way of asking someone to stop talking. This is less likely to be a problem if you’re the sort of person one would describe as ‘buttoned up’, meaning excessively conservative in appearance or approach; not the sort to loosen your collar, much less let your hair down or chat away garrulously. 

Fascinating stuff. And if you wish to share it with friends who seem less fascinated than we are, you may want to ‘buttonhole’ them, that is to grab them by the buttonholes on their coat to prevent their escape while you talk at them. 

And with that, we’ll button it. 

The buttons pictured above are from our March issue’s back cover, the first of a new series we’re calling ‘Treasures’. We hope you like it.

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Poetry | Carpets of Flowers

In our March issue, we look at outings where you can see flowers en masse. Here are a few poets who were inspired by the sight of hosts of golden daffodils, bluebells, heather and more.

Wordsworth’s Daffodils

We’ll start with the ‘daddy’ of flower carpets. “Continusous as the stars that shine and twinkle on the Mily Way, They stretch’d in never ending line along the margin of a bay. Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.” Wordsworth was wandering (lonely as a cloud) around Glencoyne Bay in Ullswater with his sister Dorothy when he spotted the daffs that were to inspire one of the most famous poems of all time. 

Browning’s Snowdrops

Always here early in the year and then gone so fast, Robert Browning’s snowdrops in ‘The Lost Mistress’ are all about the fleeting magic of those carpets of little white bells, using them as a metaphor by which to compare his neverending love: “For each glance of the eye so bright and black, Though I keep with heart’s endeavour, Your voice when you wish the snowdrops back, Though it stay in my heart forever.”

Stevenson’s Heather

Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Heather Ale’ is all about the dark magic of an ale brewed from heather and the magical sight of the carpets of blooms that made them. “From the bonny bells of heather They brewed a drink long-syne, Was sweeter far than honey, Was stronger far than wine.” The flowers, the ale and the legend are all intertwined in mystical fashion in this celebration of the wildness of the heather flower. 

Anne Bronte’s Bluebells

Bronte views the bluebells not in carpets but each as its own little person: “A fine and subtle spirit dwells In every little flower, Each one its own sweet feeling breathes With more or less of power.” The sight of one amongst a carpet of other flowers brings back to her memories of childhood and deep, and slightly disturbed, feelings. 

If you’ve been inspired to wander among the daffodils, too, turn to page 58 to read our feature, ‘Show Time’ by Cinead McTernan, in our March issue.

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More from our March issue…

Sponsored post | Guild Lane

Discover the Timeless Beauty of GILD by Guild Lane

Experience the timeless allure of gilding with GILD by Guild Lane—a game-changing solution for designers, decorators, and DIY enthusiasts. Simplifying the intricate craft of gilding, GILD empowers you to achieve breathtaking metallic finishes with ease and affordability.

GILD Gold, embodies the richness and warmth of pure gold leaf. Its water-based formula ensures smooth application, featuring a semi-viscous flow with self-levelling properties for exceptional coverage. This luxurious gold enamel paint leaves a durable, lustrous finish that maintains its vibrancy and remains tarnish-free over time.

Crafted for versatility, GILD Gold adheres flawlessly to various surfaces including paper, wood, glass, metal, ceramic, plastic, and even textiles. With minimal odour and rapid drying times, projects are completed swiftly with professional-quality results. Whether tackling large-scale endeavours or smaller tasks, GILD Gold offers the perfect alternative to gilding with traditional gold leaf, in one easy step.

Set foot into the newly transformed Drawing Room at Solberge Hall—a Georgian Manor near Yorkshire being transformed as a lavish wedding venue. Designed and styled by Avalana Design and installed by decorator Lucia-Kreate, this creative team of two has infused the space with opulent contemporary glamour. Adorning the historic architectural accents with GILD Gold, including the ornamented fireplace, skirting, cornices, picture rails, window reveals and doorways, this dynamic duo has seamlessly blended traditional elements with modern sophistication.

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Make | Natural Watercolours

In our March issue, we met artist Caroline Ross who makes pigments and paints from natural materials, largely earth. We were inspired to give other natural materials a go. Here are a few ways of making natural paints and dyes from things growing nearby or sitting around your kitchen.

1. Onion skin - makes beautiful pinks and yellow colours. Boil in water, strain, cool and use as a fabric dye. 

2. Beetroot - for a lovely deep pink, boil beetroot for a couple of hours then blend and strain through a muslin to make paint. 

3. Blueberries - make a blue or purple paint when you mash, strain, mash again and then add a little flour to the juice to thicken.

4. Spinach - create a green paint by steeping the leaves in water.

5. Paprika - mixed with water makes an easy orange paint. 

6. Wood ash - mix with a little water to make grey.

Turn to page 46 of the March issue to meet artist Caroline Ross and find out about the earth pigments she uses in her painting.

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Recipe | Rhubarb & Marzipan Cake

Topped with forced rhubarb and almonds, inside the crumb are chewy nuggets of marzipan

You will need

(Makes one large cake)

250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
70g butter
200g caster sugar
2 eggs
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g marzipan, cut into
5mm chunks
100g forced rhubarb, in 5cm chunks
15g flaked almonds

To make

1 Preheat the oven to 160C/Fan 140C/ Gas 3. Grease and line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.

2 In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

3 Meanwhile, beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, lemon zest and juice in another bowl.

4 Stir in the vanilla extract and the marzipan chunks.

5 Fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture briefly. You want this to be barely combined and still lumpy.

6 Transfer to the prepared cake tin and then arrange the rhubarb chunks and flaked almonds over the top.

7 Bake for 40-50 mins, or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.

8 Leave in the tin for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.

This recipe is from our feature ‘Think Pink’ in our March issue, which also includes ideas for Pickled Rhubarb, Rhubarb & Ginger Negroni, and a Rhubarb, Beetrot and Goat’s Cheese Salad. The recipes are by Lottie Storey and the photography by Kym Grimshaw.

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Outing | Visit a Glasshouse

If you’re hankering to get out for a bit of lush greenery and a good blast of warm air, get thee to a glasshouse.

Glasshouses arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries as explorers began to bring back tropical plants. Of course, it was the Victorians who brought them to the middle-class masses, with their distinctive architecture, which you can still admire today in the palm houses of botanic gardens such as Kew and Belfast.

Dress for the environment with layers you can remove in the heat and take a bottle of water, too. If you want to make a day of it, modern versions, like the Eden Project, let you lose yourself in steamy walkways for hours. Smaller ones, like Sheffield’s Winter Garden, allow you to pop in from the grey February streets for a blast of tropical warmth.

You might see bananas, bromeliads and palms. Darwin’s Down House in Kent is home to a magnificent collection of carnivorous Sundews. Maybe you’ll be inspired to build your own small glasshouse or tiny terrarium when you get home.

This outing idea is taken from our February Almanac pages where we offer ideas for things to note and notice, plan and do each month.

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Breakfast Rules | How To Do a Full English

Photography by Alamy

Where breakfast is concerned, we think if a job’s worth doing it’s worth doing properly. Before you switch on the gas under your frying pan, read our ‘Full English Breakfast Rules’, which, if not actually enshrined in law, are certainly on the side of right.

1. Lard not butter for cooking sausages, please. It has a higher smoke point than butter so it achieves a crispier sausage without burning. It’s also high in Vitamin D. Who knew? Practically a health food. Vegetarians and vegans are permitted to use vegetable oil. 

2. A word about food-pairing: mushrooms should be eaten with sausages; bacon should be eaten with grilled tomato. Don’t ask us why; it’s just the rules. 

3. Hash browns have no place in a Full English (ignore the photo above!). Save them for your American breakfasts of pancakes that are a bit too thick and mis-monikered jams. If you need a bit of beige crunch it can be achieved by the addition of fried bread, the English Hash Brown. Fried potatoes are permitted if they are already cooked and left over from last night’s dinner. 

4. Beans should be served in a separate ramekin. It’s not about being fancy, it’s just about not mixing your yolk and your bean juice (or frantically chasing your beans round the plate with your fork until 11am).

5. Brown sauce is the best sauce. Tomato is acceptable. Anything else really belongs with another meal. 

6. You should include one, and no more than one, fancy extra. Black pudding for meat eaters perhaps? Grilled halloumi for vegetarians? But don’t stray too far from the original or before you know it you’ll be chopping smoked salmon and chives into your eggs, and then where will we be? 

7. Speaking of eggs… Obviously fried is best, sunny side up, with a yolk that spills all over the plate as you cut into it. Other types of eggs are available, but fried is really where it’s at.

8. Stay trad with your drinks. Orange juice or a good strong cup of tea, please. Absolutely no fancy milky coffees - we are not here for smashed avocado on sourdough type breakfasts. 

9. Toast should be served in a toast rack alongside your Full English (yes, as well as fried bread) to enable you to move seamlessly into toast and marmalade for ‘breakfast pudding’ from the same plate. Use your first piece of toast to mop up egg yolk and bacon fat as a sort of palate and plate cleanser before moving on to the marmalade or jam toast course. Toast plates are for wimps anyway. And you’ll save on the washing up. 

10. Finish with a(nother) cup of tea and the crossword if possible.

In our February issue, we look at the history of breakfast from cereals and grapefruit to fry-ups and fancier fare. Turn to page 84 to read more.

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