Competition | Win Seasonal Soups (plus a microwave to heat them up)

HungryHead soups are packed with flavour and are ready to enjoy in just a minute

With the hustle and bustle of modern life, finding time to enjoy a delicious, wholesome meal can be a challenge, let alone making every meal from scratch. But thanks to HungryHeads, you can now savour stunning soups in no time at all.

To celebrate the launch of its new range, HungryHeads is inviting readers of The Simple Things the chance to win a microwave that’s packed with rich servings of SoupHead meals to keep you warm in the cold months to come, plus two additional meal bundles to give you even more bowl-ready options. In total, the prize is worth more than £200.

The SoupHead range is made up of five sensational flavours – vegetable and sweetcorn, tom yum, yunan congee, hot and sour, and tom kha gai. The winner will be well stocked up with Asian-inspired, flavour-packed meals that you can have piping hot on the table in 60 seconds. They’re just what you need to keep you well fed during your busy day.

SoupHead is just one of the tantalising varieties available. NoodleHead, PastaHead, Mac ’n’ CheeseHead and RamenHead ensure that whatever else you’re in the mood for – a hearty noodle dish, a pack-a-punch pasta, a cheesy pleasure or a soothing ramen – HungryHeads will fill you up.

Find HungryHeads in Tesco. Discover more at thehungryheads.com/noodlehead and follow on Instagram @Be_a_noodlehead

How to enter

For your chance to win a microwave and range of soups, enter our competition by clicking the button and answering the question below by the closing date of 13 November 2024.

Q: How many flavours make up the SoupHead range?

Terms and conditions

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 13 November 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 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

Competition | Win One.World for your Home

This season, design and create a warm, elegant and truly personal living space with One.World’s range of stylish furniture and homewares

As the seasons shift, it’s the ideal opportunity to update your living space. One.World is inviting readers of The Simple Things to embrace the changing seasons with a chance to win £500 to spend on its thoughtfully curated collection of furniture, lighting and homewares. Known for its distinctive designs, craftsmanship and accessible pricing, One.World has been transforming interiors since 1990.

A home that’s both functional and stylish is key to comfortable living. As autumn sets in, create a cosy retreat in which to unwind.Begin with a colour palette that resonates with you. Then, identify a central element, whether it’s a fireplace, a piece of furniture or an eye-catching piece of artwork. Design your room around this focal point to create a sense of balance. One.World’s sought-after Monomoy collection, with its classic design and practicality, is the ideal candidate for such a centrepiece. While its new Livingston collection, handwoven from cane by skilled artisans in Malawi, adds a natural elegance to your room.

Introduce textures and pattern to add dimension. Lighting is crucial for setting the right mood, so incorporate a mix of options, such as table lamps, floor lamps and ceiling lights, to ensure a warm and inviting space. For example, the bold, chunky glass designs of One.World’s new Da Gama pendant lighting range bring a contemporary flair to any room.

Adding plants and flowers can add a burst of life and colour, while details such as rugs, mirrors, cushions, throws and decorative items add the finishing touches that make your home a place of pride and relaxation after a busy day.

For more information, visit one.world

How to enter

For your chance to win a £500 voucher to spend at One.World, enter our competition by clicking the button and answering the question below by the closing date of 13 November 2024.

Q For how long has One.World been transforming interiors?

Terms and conditions

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 13 November 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 and online at: icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

10 Reasons | To Live on an Island

If, post holidays, you have a yearning to throw it all in and head off to live on island, well, we wouldn’t blame you one bit. Here are just a few reasons why island life is the best life - and a few things to bear in mind before you board the ferry.

1.  You’re never far from a sea view. It might sound obvious but one of the best parts of island life is making the coast part of your everyday routine. Have a run on the beach each morning, walk the dog along the shoreline in the evenings, or make an event of your lunchtime sarnie by enjoying it while listening to the waves. You never get bored of it. 

2. You’ll notice the seasons more. The weather tends to be a little bit ‘extra’ on islands. When the wind gets up you really feel it and a sunny day feels that little bit brighter. 

3. You appreciate the small things on an island. When you understand that nearly everything you buy has made its last journey by boat to your shores, it gives you a greater appreciation for the simple things. Your teabag for your cuppa may have come all the way from Yorkshire but then it made the brave journey across the waves just for you. It’s enough to make you quite emotional.

4. You use local products and services more because everyone likes to support other islanders. Discovering a cheese or gin or chocolate made so close to home is VERY exciting. 

5. You can feel a bit smug about actually understanding the Shipping Forecast on Radio 4. Or at least can point out the names on a map. 

6. You will soon move on to ‘Island Time’. Forget BST and GMT; island time is simply S-L-O-W-E-R and it’s a wonderful way to live. 

7. In times of crisis, you feel just a little bit safer and sheltered, cocooned in your community. 

8. Long commutes are a thing of the past. And the nearest you’ll get to a traffic jam is the queue for the ferry when you visit the mainland. 

9. You’ll get to know your neighbours quickly. Yes, everyone DOES know everyone else’s business, but that usually means everyone is happy to help when needed, too. 

10. In summer, you can bask in the glory of being a Proper Islander rather than Just A Tourist, and in winter you can glorify in knowing that really this is the BEST time of year. The island is quieter, the tourists have gone home and now the fun can really begin. 

And a few things to think about before you take the plunge…

1. You’re always just a bit behind. You might not get to see the latest art exhibitions or films for months after anyone else or have to go to the mainland for them. But the local exhibitions and Friday Film Nights in the village hall go a long way to making up for that. 

2. You can feel isolated at times. You can’t ‘just pop over’ to a friend or relative if they’re on the mainland. You’re at the mercy of ferry timetables, wind speed etc. On the other hand… you can’t be surprised by unexpected visitors either. 

3. Shopping is very much limited. Your days of wandering the shops trying on shoes will be gone. But the internet does at least mean you won’t miss out completely. You just might have to wait for your parcels to arrive by boat. And arguably the wait makes the moment of ripping the box open all the sweeter. 

4. Infrastructure is a bit more… shall we say ‘rustic’? Be prepared for more power outs and black outs than you are used to. But it’s always a good excuse to light a fire and get the candles out. 

If you like the thought of becoming an islander yourself, don’t miss our ‘My Neighbourhood’ feature in our September issue, in which we visit the Isle of Wight, as pictured above by Holly Joliffe.

More from our September issue…

More Island Fun…

Cake | Sweet Potato & Chocolate Loaf

Otherwise known as Torta Do Patata Dolce e Cioccolato, this simple Italian loaf cake with added veg is great for a teatime snack or for breakfast with a strong coffee

Serves 6-8

1 large sweet potato (approx. 300g)
3 eggs
150g caster sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
150g butter, melted
225g 00 flour, sifted
16g baking powder (we used a 16g sachet of Paneangeli baking powder)
60g dark chocolate, finely chopped

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4 and line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper.

2 Start by cooking the sweet potato. Either bake it whole in its skin in the oven for about 50 mins, or bring a pot of water to the boil and cook it for about 40 mins until tender. Alternatively, for speed, you can peel it, chop it into small chunks and place in a bowl with about a tablespoon of water, then microwave it for about 8 mins until tender. Once cooked, mash the potato, then set aside.

3 Meanwhile, place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat until creamy and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the mashed sweet potato, the lemon zest and melted butter until well incorporated, then fold in the flour, baking powder and chopped chocolate.

4 Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake in the oven for about 50 mins, or until well risen and golden on top. Leave to cool in the tin, then carefully remove, slice and serve.

This recipe featured in our September issue and was taken from Gennaro’s Verdure: Big And Bold Italian Recipes To Pack Your Plate With Veg by Gennaro Contaldo (Pavilion Books) Photography: David Loftus

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More from our September issue…

More cakes to bake…

Think | Memories of School PE

Whether we were Sporty Susies or, erm… Last-To-Be-Picked Lucys, all of us have a strong memory or two of PE at school. Here some of the Simple Things’ team share theirs

“I'm weirdly nostalgic about musty smelling netball bibs even though they would only let me play wing defence and still shout 'pivot, pivot, chest pass'! in my head whenever I think about netball.” Fiona, Subscriptions Manager

“We used to play rounders in the summer at school - I think by that point of the academic year, the PE teachers had given up persuading us into the more traditional/taxing sports. I remember it being good fun, and one particularly hot afternoon, running to catch someone out, arm outstretched, and the ball landing right into my hand like a mini miracle. Probably the high point of my sporting prowess.”
Jo, Commissioning Editor

“Every year my school held ‘The Dale’, a punishing cross-country run across local fields and woodland. And every year I miraculously came down with an ear infection at the just the right time to hand in a handwritten note from my mum asking for me to be excused (thanks Mum!). However, in my final year, they sprung it on us out of the blue so I had no option but to pull my socks up (quite literally) and get on with it. Having never run it before, I had no idea of the route, so in a panic, I fixed on a girl in my class to follow. I remember several points where I thought my lungs would burst, but I knew I couldn’t lose sight of my classmate, especially as there weren’t many other girls around to latch onto. It was only when I crawled across the finish line that I realised this girl was pretty athletic and in my one and only time running The Dale, I had come in the top five of my year.”
Abbie, Sub Editor

“When I was at secondary school I was fairly happy to do PE as most of the sports I didn’t mind. but as you near the end of secondary, you hit that phase where you want to get out of it and just chat with your mates. I remember a form tutor raising the amount of PE absences with the class once and a girl asked why they have to do PE. Her reply was brilliant. She said that when you're older you'll have to pay to participate in a class, join a gym or do a team sport. This is the one time it’s free and you get to do it with your mates. So make the most of it. Youth really is wasted on the young as she was completely right. What i'd do to be able to play football or cricket with mates twice a week for free now (ignoring the physical pain it would cause)!”
Rob, Sales Director

“I hated almost every sport we had to do (apart from rounders and badminton) until we got to year 10, I think, and bowling - as in ten-pin bowling - became an option. If you picked it, you went into town on a Monday afternoon, bowled as quickly as possible then you were allowed to leave for the day and me, Lila and Carrie would go to Littlewoods in the town centre and share fish and chips. Not sure that was the athleticism they were looking for. I felt it was fair payback for being made to run around our school field in winter in running knickers.”
Karen, Commissioning Editor

“At my rather old-fashioned convent school, we were ‘lucky’ enough to have an outdoor swimming pool, which was the stuff of nightmares. I vividly remember the games mistress using a pole to break up the thin strips of ice that would form on the top of the pool before we got in. We complained about it to our parents bitterly and generally considered the swimming pool to be a form of child abuse. It makes me laugh now to see all the people on Instagram indulging in cold water therapy and posting about how great they feel after a session. I consider myself an early adopter now! Maybe it was character building after all…”
Iona, Editor at Large

This blog was inspired by our wellbeing feature ‘One For The Team’, from our September issue, in which we look at how revisiting childhood team sports as an adult can benefit both body and mind. 

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More from our September issue…

More sporting and school days memories…

Competition | Win One of Two Weleda Skin Food Bundles

We have two skincare bundles to give away, each worth more than £150

Since its introduction in 1926, Weleda Skin Food has evolved from a cult secret into a firm favourite with everyone looking to soothe and comfort dry skin, and today the range is a go-to for beauty insiders – from top make-up artists to celebrities, such as Victoria Beckham, Rita Ora and Drew Barrymore.  A tube of our best-selling Skin Food Original sells every 8 seconds, whilst one product from the Skin Food range sells every 3 seconds globally. What’s more, Skin Food has more than 70,000 5-star customer reviews and is kept in the kits of more than 600 British makeup artists.

Combining botanical extracts, plant oils and natural waxes, the Skin Food formula intensely nourishes skin, and the range has something for everyone, including the iconic Skin Food Original and its lighter sister, Skin Food Light. Plus, there’s Skin Food Body Lotion and Body Butter, Skin Food Lip Balm, Skin Food Ultra-Light Dry Oil, and the new face care range which includes Skin Food Nourishing Day and Night Creams.

No matter your skincare needs, every Skin Food product is NATRUE-certified natural and made with sustainable ingredients from UEBT-certified responsible sources.

What you could win

There are two bundles to be won, each worth over £150 and featuring the full Skin Food line-up:

Skin Food Nourishing Day Cream

Skin Food Nourishing Night Cream

Skin Food Nourishing Cleansing Balm

Skin Food Ultra-Light Dry Oil

Skin Food Body Lotion

Skin Food Body Butter

Skin Food Lip Balm

Skin Food Original (75ml)

Skin Food Original (30ml)

Skin Food Light (75ml)

Skin Food Light (30ml)

How to enter 

For your chance to win one of two Weleda Skin Food bundles, worth over £150 each, enter by clicking the button below and answering the following question by the closing date of 18 October 2024.

Q: How many 5-star customer reviews has Weleda Skin Food accrued?

 Terms & Conditions The competition closes at 11.59pm on 18 October2024. Two winners 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.

Tipple | Hedgerow Fizz

Nothing signals the season like a pile of foraged hedgerow finds. Dilute with sparkling wine or fizzy water, delicious either way.

Makes around 500ml

200g sloes
200g blackberries
200g elderberries
200g damsons
250g granulated sugar
Sparkling wine or sparkling water

1 Leave any foraged berries outside for an hour to give bugs the chance to escape, then soak them in cold water for a couple of minutes. Drain, transfer to a pan and add enough water to just about cover them. Bring to the boil then simmer for 5 mins, or until soft.

2 Using a potato masher, crush the berries in the pan and then push the mixture through a sieve or leave to drip through a muslin into a bowl. Pour the resulting liquid into a clean pan and add the sugar.

3 Bring to an almost boil before reducing the heat and giving the occasional stir. The sugar needs to dissolve and thicken the juice, but you’re not making jam so it should only take 10 mins or so.

4 Pour the liquid into a clean, sterilised glass bottle. When ready, pour around 20ml into a glass then top up with sparkling wine or water and serve. Bartender’s note: This can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Or, you can freeze in an ice cube tray. This recipe is adaptable – if you can’t find elderberries or sloes, then increase the amounts of the other fruits or berries.

The recipe for Hedgerow Fizz, above, is just one of the ideas from our September issue’s ‘gathering’ feature, a menu for an early autumn supper that we’ve called ‘Merry Michaelmas’. You’ll also find recipes for Rosemary Roasted Nuts, Roast Carrot & Lentil Salad, Michaelmas Roast Duck Salad with Sticky Damson Sauce and Parsnip Chips and an Apple, Pear & Ginger Cobbler with Cardamom Custard. The recipes are all by Lucy Brazier with photography by Jonathan Cherry.

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More things from the hedgerow…

More from our blog…

Outings | Days out for You and Your Dog

Fancy a grand day out with your four-legged friend? Here are a few ideas that go beyond a simple ‘walkies’.

Park

Dogs that love to run but don’t have great recall will thrive in Wrenbury Hall’s enclosed woodland in Nantwich, Cheshire. Totally secure with fencing around 1.5 metres high, it’s a totally safe space to let your dog off-lead to explore on its own. unleashedwrenbury.co.uk

Cinema

Ducie Street Warehouse in Manchester is a brilliant dog-friendly dining and drinking space with its own pet-friendly cinema. Check the run-times to find out which screenings are letting dogs in, pick up your popcorn and head in to enjoy a dog-friendly film on the big screen. duciestreet.com. Curzon cinemas in London, Canterbury, Knutsford and Sheffield also run Dog Day Afternoons, where you can bring your pet. The volume is lower, and there are also treats for dogs (and people). curzon.com

Café

There are dog-friendly cafés, and then there’s Love My Human Townhouse in London. Less dog-friendly and more dog-first, this pet-obsessed café is built for dogs. Anything goes here, with dogs encouraged to sit at the tables and on sofas, plus a full dog menu, because surely your pet deserves a brunch of scrambled eggs or a hearty lunch of beef Wellington with pumpkin purée? lovemyhuman.co.uk

Sport

Dog Masters Festival, in Bournemouth, is all about four-legged surfers. The UK dog surfing championships is held every July on Branksome Dene Beach, a soft, yellow-sand stretch, and features live music, street food and, of course, surfing dogs. shakasurf.co.uk

Festival

If you can imagine Glastonbury, but instead of bands, it’s dog experts, and instead of people, it’s dogs, then you’re picturing DogFest, the UK’s biggest and most chaotic dog-friendly festival, held at various stately homes around the UK. This two-day extravaganza, features fun dog shows, an obedience ring, expert speakers and fun dog displays, plus interactive activities such as hay-bale racing and agility, and is a riot for humans and dogs alike. dogfest.co.uk

These ideas are taken from Dog Days Out: 365 Things To Do With Your Dog In The UK And Ireland by Lottie Gross (Conway). You can read a longer extract in our September issue.

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More blogs about dogs…

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Think | Blackberries and Poetry

Blackberry season is such a memorable and brief time of the year, perhaps it’s no wonder writers and poets love a good blackberry metaphor…

Imbued with myth and symbolic meaning, the humble blackberry crops up frequently in both prose and poetry, as heavy with metaphor as the thorny branches are heavy with fruit. (See? It’s impossible to avoid!) The roots of blackberry symbolism go back to the Bible and beyond. The mortal who tried to ride Pegasus to Olympus in Greek myth falls into a thorny bush and is blinded. Similarly, Satan himself was said to have fallen into a blackberry bush when he was cast out of heaven. Christ’s crown of thorns is also said in some cultures to have been woven of blackberry branches. It’s easy to see why the blackberry has become linked with ideas of sin, or pursuing pleasure and of ultimate downfall. If you want to taste those sweet and juicy berries, you have to prepare to be scratched or, worse, find that when you get them home they’ve gone over and taste sour. Sad times. If you enjoy a blackberry metaphor as much as we do, here are a few thorny verses you might like to have a read of…

If you like the idea of blackberries as a dark, menacing presence try…

Blackberrying by Sylvia Plath

“Nobody in the lane and nothing, nothing but blackberries. Blackberries on either side…” she begins, and you can imagine the dark berries, glowing… growing and watching the narrator with their beady blackberry eyes. She describes them as “big as the ball of my thumb and dumb as eyes”, having clearly underestimated their malevolent genius as they reel her in. “Fat with blood red juices. These they squander on my fingers. I had not asked for such a blood sisterhood. They must love me.” Run, Sylvia!! Run from the blackberries, we scream silently. 

If you enjoy blackberries as a metaphor for the fragility of life try…

Blackberry Picking by Seamus Heaney

“Late August, given heavy rain and sun for a full week, the blackberries would ripen” and Heaney and his family would gleefully collect them, their palms “sticky as Bluebeard’s”. You can almost feel the disappointment coming, can’t you?... “Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour. I always felt like crying. It wasn’t fair that all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot. Each year I hoped they’d keep, knew they would not.” Ah… that’s life for you, Seamus, and especially the fleeting life of blackberries. 

If blackberries for you are a symbol of sensory overload and greed try…

August by Mary Oliver

Oliver describes spending “all day among the high branches, reaching my ripped arms, thinking of nothing, cramming the black honey of summer into my mouth.” You go for it, Mary. Don’t wait to take them home for crumble; blackberries are best scoffed greedily enjoyed in the moment. 

If you like to dance with the devil when blackberrying, you might like…

Blackberry Eating by Galway Kinnell

Kinnell gives the distinct impression of entering a pact with Satan as he makes his way among the brambles: “the stalks very prickly, a penalty they earn for knowing the black art of blackberry-making.” And like others before him (well, mainly like Eve in the Garden of Eden) he loses his innocence to the lure of fruit. “The ripest berries” he insists “fall almost unbidden to my tongue.” Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Galway. That’s what all Satan’s Blackberry Minions say.  

If blackberries symbolise deep and real love for you, try…

The Heart Under Your Heart by Craig Arnold

Blackberries here represent the very real, unswerving sort of love that exists when you know someone completely, with all their thorns and foibles. Arnold tells us “The heart under your heart is not the one you share so readily so full of pleasantry & tenderness. it is a single blackberry at the heart of a bramble.” We’ll raise a jug of custard to that. 

You’ll find more blackberrying nostalgia in our feature ‘Down Memory Lanes’ in our September issue, which is on sale now.

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More from our blog…

More ways to enjoy blackberries…

Recipes | Get a Cob On

Fresh corn cobs are one of late summer’s simple pleasures. And while they’re delicious in themselves, they’re also a great vehicle for flavour. Here are a few ideas for things to put on your corn cobs to make them taste amazing

Every Herb Green Sauce

Corn on the cob, in their husks 

Big bunch of green herbs (parsley, mint, basil, chervil, sorrel, tarragon), leaves picked 

50g tin anchovies in oil 

1 tbsp capers 

2 tsp apple cider vinegar 

2 fat garlic cloves 75ml(ish) extra virgin olive oil 

1 Once your barbecue is stable, place the cobs at the edge of the fire. (If you are cooking the venison as well, then the corn will do its thing at the side while you prepare the fire to cook the meat.) Leave to cook for 10-15 mins, allowing the husks to blacken and the kernels inside to steam safely. 

2 Meanwhile, make the green sauce by whizzing the rest of the ingredients in a food processor. Adjust the seasoning as needed – adding more salt, vinegar and/or oil to balance it all out and create a thick, just-pourable sauce that is both sweet, tart and salty in equal measure. 

3 Remove the corn from the heat and, very carefully, peel back the burnt husk to reveal the kernels within. Return the cobs to the fire and cook for a further 2–3 mins over a direct flame, turning regularly until gently charred. Transfer to a plate, spoon over the sauce and serve. 

Vietnamese Spring Onion Oil

Corn on the cob, husks removed

Bunch of spring onions

100ml vegetable oil

1 tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp fish sauce

1 Thinly slice the spring onions.

2 Heat the oil in a small pan and add the onions once hot. Stir continuously for 30 seconds until they start to frizzle.

3 Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and fish sauce until dissolved.

4 Cook your corn cobs and once cooked, drizzle over the spring onion oil.

Basil Butter

Corn on the cob, husks removed

Bunch of basil or whatever herb you prefer

A pack of butter

Black pepper

1 Finely chop your herbs.

2 Chop your butter into cubes, sprinkle in the herbs and a good grinding of black pepper then mix and mash it into the butter until evenly distributed. Roll your butter back into a log, wrap in cling film and refrigerate. 

3 When your cobs are cooked, remove the herb butter, cut into discs and place a disc to melt on top of each cob.

Mediterranean Yogurt and Feta

Corn on the cob, husks removed

Greek yogurt

Feta cheese

Fresh oregano and basil

Olive oil to drizzle

1 Chop the fresh herbs.

2 Crumble the feta into the yogurt - use as much as you like to taste and depending on how many cobs you’re serving (if you have leftovers it makes a great dip).

3 Slather the yogurt and feta mix over the cooked cobs, sprinkle with herbs and then drizzle with olive oil.

Easy Elotes (Mexican street corn)

Corn on the cob, husks removed

Cumin

Chilli powder

Sour cream

Crumbled Feta

Grated parmesan

Coriander

Lime wedges

Fresh red chilli

1 Mix the sour cream with a little cumin and chilli powder (amounts will depend on how powerful you want the punch) and crumble in the feta.

2 Spoon the creamy mix over hot corn cobs.

3 Sprinkle over the grated parmesan and chopped coriander.

4 Serve each loaded cob with a lime wedge on the side and fresh chopped red chillis if liked.

The recipe for Every Herb Green Sauce, above, is by Kathy Slack and is one of the recipes from her Tales From the Veg Patch feature in our September issue. It also includes recipes for Venison with Blackberries and Raw Kale Salad, Smoky Tomato Harissa and Damson, Thyme and Cobnut Cake.

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More summer recipes…

More from our blog…

Competition | Win a six-week delivery of Isle of Wight Tomatoes

Discover the true taste of tomatoes and treat yourself to the finest Isle of Wight
Tomato selection

We’ve been championing the true taste of tomatoes from our home on the Isle of Wight since 2007, benefiting from the exceptional climate to nurture the most flavourful varieties. The Isle of Wight is ideal for growing tomatoes, boasting some of the highest sunshine hours in the UK, its valuable light intensified by the surrounding sea. It’s how we’re able to deliver tomatoes that are rich, full-flavoured and delicious – just as they should be.

From red to green, and everything in between, we’ve introduced Britain’s foodies to an amazing array of cooking and eating varieties. To continue producing the finest tomatoes, in the best way possible, is what we’re here to do. That’s why we’re on a mission to make great flavour sustainable, helping to build a better food system where people and planet come first. We’re working to become a zero waste business, incorporating harvesting rainwater to irrigate our crops, recyclable packaging, and zero produce to landfill.

The Prize

We’re offering one lucky winner the chance to enjoy our best selection of seasonal tomatoes, delivered fresh to their door for the next 6 weeks. Savouring the taste of summer before we say farewell to this year’s crop and a chance to add a little sunshine to your dishes.

How to Enter

Simply click on the button below and answer the following question by 25 September 2024.

Q: In what year did the company begin?

For more information, visit iowtomatoes.co.uk or follow us on Instagram @iowtomatoes.

Terms & Conditions

The comp closes at 11.59pm on 25 September 2024. One winner selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. The winner cannot transfer the prize or swap it for cash. Entrants must be able to confirm a mainland UK delivery address. The blend of tomatoes will be subject to change depending on seasonality of varieties. 6x 3kg seasonal tomato boxes in total are available as the prize. These can be claimed over a 6 week period and multiple deliveries or boxes in week are permitted.Our full T&Cs are on p125 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

Playlist | My patch

Whether it’s your house or your neighbourhood, our latest playlist celebrates your patch. It’s taken from our September PATCH issue (see what we did there?) in shops from 28 August 24.

Take a listen on Spotify here
Have a browse of all our playlists here

Sponsored post | Enjoy Small Wonders with Salamander Stoves

Cosy up with Salamander Stoves, specialists in manufacturing elegant stoves for small spaces

Sometimes, owning the smallest of abodes can lead to the biggest of dreams. Devon-based Salamander Stoves knew this only too well and were inspired to create the Hobbit, a small, cast iron, 4.1kw multi-fuel stove that is traditionally styled to fit with any interior.

Whether it’s a cosy cottage, a cabin, a shepherd hut, glamping tent, camper van or something more unique, Salamander Stoves specialises in compact stoves for when space is limited. They also produce the Little Range Cook stove, with the same great features as the Hobbit plus a stainless steel cooktop and oven, capable of producing enough off-grid heating and hot water for your small space.

Salamander’s wood-burning stoves are optimised for environmental sustainability and fully comply with the 2022 Ecodesign Regulations. They’re over 80% efficient, releasing far fewer particulate and gas emissions, plus 20% of every stove is made from recycled cast iron. To further support their eco credentials, Salamander Stoves has partnered with TreeSisters, a UK reforestation charity, and funds the planting of three trees for every stove bought.

With a wide range of flue kits available, alongside its bespoke flue consultancy service, Salamander Stoves guarantees helpful and personalised advice on your unique project.

READER OFFER

Salamander Stoves is also offering all readers of The Simple Things 5% off all new online orders – simply add code SIMPLE5 at checkout. Valid until 31 December 2024.

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

Competition | Win Glerups for the Whole Family

Treat your toes to pure woollen footwear from Danish brand glerups, including the stylish Langdal design

Walking in through the front door and popping on your slippers is one of life’s simplest pleasures. Nanny Glerup certainly thought so, so when she handcrafted her first pair of slippers using natural wool from her own beloved Gotland sheep, friends and family were suitably impressed and wanted in on the action… and glerups was born.

Over three decades on, the Danish brand is fiercely committed to upholding strict environmental and ethical standards and is proud of its Project Zero Waste philosophy, upcycling leftover materials in the production of new glerups. For example, leather scraps are used to make the company logo that adorns every pair of slippers, shoes or boots, while its insoles are made from leftover wool. Other natural materials that have been carefully selected include coir, natural rubber and organic cotton.

“We work purposefully to use all bits and pieces from our carefully selected production materials,” says glerups co-owner, Allan Timm. “This has always been Nanny’s philosophy and is now deeply integrated into our DNA.”

The brand’s popularity continues to grow, especially with the recent launch of the Langdal, a stylish lace-up shoe. Made from 100% pure wool, soft, chrome-free leather and coconut fibres – a waste product from the food industry – the Langdal is designed to be worn all year round.

In celebration of the Langdal, we’re offering one lucky reader the chance to win glerups for all the family, worth up to £450. Whether you prefer cosy toes or out-and-about comfort, the whole family can enjoy beautiful woollen footwear, handcrafted with ethical and natural materials. So, best foot forward and enter our competition today…

For more information, visit glerups.co.uk or follow on Insta: @glerups_official and enter the competition below…

How to enter 

For your chance to win glerups for the whole family, enter our competition by clicking the button below and answering the following question by the closing date of 9 October 2024. 

Q: What is the name of Glerups’ new lace-up shoe?

Terms and conditions

The comp closes at 11.59pm on 9 Oct 2024. One winner selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. Prize is four pairs of glerups of choice, subject to availability, worth up to £450. The winner cannot transfer the prize or swap it for cash. Our full T&Cs are on p125 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

Make | A Beetle Bucket

This simple back garden project means you can offer a safe haven for beetles and other bugs

You’ll need: a plastic bucket, a drill, a spade, some logs or branches (shorter than the bucket), stones of varying sizes, bark chippings, leaves.

1. Drill holes of different sizes (for different beetles) in the sides and bottom of your bucket.

2. Dig a hole slightly bigger than your bucket and a couple of inches deeper.

3. Place the bucket in the hole and put some stones in the bottom, then carefully place the branches or logs in, in an upright position.

4. Use more stones, bark chippings and leaves to fill the rest of the space and cover with some of the soil you removed when digging the hole.

5. Wait for your six-legged guests to move in.

This project is taken from our August Almanac pages, by Iona Bower, where you’ll find seasonal things to note and notice, plan and do each month.

More from our August issue…

More ideas from our Almanacs…

How to | Do a Swimming Pool Handstand

Want to look effortlessly sporty and stylishly carefree at the same time? Here’s how to do an underwater handstand. 

Practise the following steps in secret - perhaps on early mornings at the pool - until you can do an underwater handstand with ease (and without causing alarm… or a tidal wave). Don’t be tempted to try it on land though (unless you are a gymnast or under the age of 12).

1. Choose a depth of water you feel comfortable in. Deep water will support your body more, meaning you don’t have to use as many muscles or exercise so much balance. However, the deeper the water, the harder it is to keep your hands on the pool floor. Shallower water makes it a little easier to stay on the bottom but you won’t be buoyed up by the water so much. Experiment a bit and find what suits you best but maybe start with the water about waist height.

2. Plant your feet firmly together on the floor of the pool and take a deep breath into your lungs. Hold your breath and in one, hopefully swift, movement lift your feet, bring your knees into your chest and plant your hands, palm down, where your feet were. 

3. Once your palms are firmly on the floor of the pool, steadily push your legs up into a handstand position. Once they’re there, point your toes and press your legs together (this will help you stay in position). While you’re practising, you can always ask a trusted friend to catch your legs for you.

4. When you can’t hold your breath any longer let your legs fall forward over your body and return to a standing position. Once you’ve taken a breath of air, you may shout “TA-DAAAAH!” if you wish. 

Once you’ve mastered a handstand, if you want to be REALLY fancy you might like to take inspiration from the synchronised swimmers (pictured here) that Ella Foote met for our August issue’s Modern Eccentrics page. Photography by Jonathan Cherry. 

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The Rules | Tomato Sandwiches

Any job, even a simple one, is always worth doing properly. Particularly if it makes the end result even more pleasurable. There’s definitely a simple pleasure in a properly done tomato sandwich… a world away from soggy bread and seeds everywhere. Here are our rules for making the very best tomato sarnie.

1. Let’s begin with the bread. The scaffolding that will hold your tomatoes together. Put down the flimsy pre-sliced plastic bread. That will not do at all. What you need here is something with substance - sourdough is a good choice as it’s dense, so it holds things together well, but anything nice and crusty will do. Wholegrain or very seedy breads are good for texture, too. If you’re worried your bread is too soft in the middle, try toasting it lightly first.* Once you have made your bread selection, cut two nice, thick slices. 

2. What to spread on your bread? The juiciness of a tomato is both its best aspect and its achilles heel, because a sliced tomato will immediately make the bread soggier than a November afternoon on Skegness seafront. To counteract this, you need to create a ‘barrier’ between bread and tomato. The best way to do this is with a reasonably thick layer of salted French butter. Specific? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely. Vegans should replace this with the best quality olive oil or plant-based spread they can muster. Hipsters may use a little mashed avocado as a barrier. If you feel like something a little richer, cream cheese also makes for a good bread/tomato barrier and adds a cool, creamy foil to the sharpness of the tomatoes. A smothering of Pesto will give it some Italian attitude. 

3. Onto the main event. Ideally, your tomatoes will be picked from the garden that morning, leaving the grassy scent of the vines all over your hands and clothes as you bring them in. If you aren’t a grow-your-own type, just look for the freshest tomatoes you can find, preferably on the vine. The variety is entirely up to you - pick your favourite! But we love a large, knobbly beefsteak type as it has lots of pink flesh in the middle for plenty of bite and fewer seeds. Whichever you choose, slice the fruits about half the width of your bread and then place them in two layers across one slice of the buttered bread.

4. What about condiments? Well, the most important question is: salt and pepper? Or… and bear with us here… sugar? If you’ve never given it a go, it’s worth trying at least once. Just sprinkle a little crunchy sugar over your sliced tomatoes. The acidic nature of the tomatoes will soften the sugar slightly and bring out the sweetness of them a little more. If salt is your preferred condiment, a rough, flaky salt with big crystals is best for added crunch. If you want to be very fancy, a smoked salt such as Viking Salt, available from specialist food stores, adds a depth of flavour to the sandwich. A generous grinding of black pepper is optional but always welcome. 

5. And herbs? Basil is classic, of course. Snipped chives also add oniony savouriness to tomatoes. Any fresh herbs will bring new flavour to your tomato sandwich. Dried herbs need not apply. 

6. Let’s close this lunch deal. Pop your top slice on the tomato layer, press down firmly and slice your sandwich in half. We think triangles taste better than rectangles but you do you. 

*A word about toasting your bread. If crunch is the way you choose to go, we highly recommend trying our three-ingredient recipe for Grated Tomato on Fried Bread, from our new series ‘Please Yourself’ in our August issue. It might just be the simplest and most delicious thing you’ll try this month.

Photography by Kirstie Young

Our Tomato Sandwich Rules were inspired by our colourful back cover image from our August issue. The issue is in shops now and can also be purchased from our online store. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More ways with tomatoes…

More from our August issue…

Nature studies | How spiral shells are made

We’ve all picked up a spiralled shell on the beach and marvelled at how nature can produce something so intricate and mathematically beautiful, but how are they actually formed?

The shape of spiral shells, such as nautilus shells, are known by mathematicians as ‘logarithmic spirals’. These are shapes that follow the Fibonacci sequence and there are many examples in nature, from sunflower hearts to entire galaxies: for any rotation angle in these shapes, the distance from the origin of the spiral increases by a fixed amount. 

In nautilus shells like the Necklace Shell, above, there are many chambers, which the mollusc inside inhabits. As the creature grows, it needs bigger and bigger chambers to live in, so it creates these via a process called biomineralisation. 

During biomineralisation, the mollusc’s mantle (a soft organ that secretes a substance high in calcium carbonate) gets to work, making a deposit at the opening of the shell, following the ‘expand, rotate, twist’ rule to create the spiral. Here’s how that works:

1. Expand: it must deposit more material than it did when creating the previous part of the spiral.

2. Rotate: by depositing more material on one side of the opening, it creates a full rotation of the aperture, making a doughnut shape.

3. Twist: It rotates the point of deposition each time. The twist part is what gives a helicospiral shell, rather than a planospiral shell like that of the nautilus. So it’s not always necessary but it’s rather cool and clever, so we’ve included it here. 

Nearly all shells rotate to the right and are known as dextral shells. It’s very rare to see a sinistral shell, where the spirals rotate to the left. But what’s fascinating is that the fossil record shows this was not always the case and the direction of spiral shells changes over the centuries. Why? Nobody really knows. Perhaps, as a species, they got giddy…

The shell images used here are taken from The Shell Spotter’s Guide by Helen Scales with illustrations by Ella Sienna (National Trust Books). We have an extract and a short guide to shell spotting in our August issue, which is on sale now.
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Augur shell by Ella Sienna

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Recipe | Sunflower Heart Tarte Tatin

Sunflowers, when prepared properly, have a texture like aubergine and taste like a perfumed artichoke heart, making for a tasty seasonal tart.

Ingredients

Serves 4

10g butter
6 shallots, finely sliced
4 small or 2 large sunflower heads, with petals
1 glass of white wine
2 tsp oregano leaves
2 tsp thyme leaves
320g puff pastry
25g mature cheddar, grated

To make

1 Heat a splash of olive oil and the butter in a pan over a medium low heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and sweat for about 10 mins, or until golden. Set aside.

2 To prepare your sunflower hearts, remove any petals (set aside) and pull off the seeds (if they don’t push out easily, lever out with a spoon). Next, use a knife to scrape the paper cases from the spongy base, discard, and trim away the green parts of the flower head, including the leaves and where the stem joins underneath. You should be left with a round, white, slightly spongy base of the flower head.

3 Slice the spongy bases into long strips and place in a bowl along with the wine and half of the oregano and thyme. Submerge the strips under the wine, ensuring 128 that they’re covered, otherwise they’ll oxidise and will go brown.

4 Return the pan of shallots to the hob, adding the sunflower strips, the wine and the remaining oregano and thyme leaves. Heat until the wine evaporates and the sunflower strips start to soften.

5 Line a round 32cm dish with baking paper. Spoon the sunflower and shallot mixture into the middle of the dish and leave to cool.

6 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. When the filling is cool, roll out the puff pastry to the same size as the dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the filling and carefully place the pastry disc on top, ensuring all the ingredients are tucked inside. Press down the pastry and tuck in the edges. Prick a couple of holes in the centre to allow steam to escape. Bake for 35–40 mins, or until golden.

7 Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before turning out onto a serving platter. Discard the baking paper and scatter over the reserved sunflower petals to serve.

Taken from Buds & Blossoms by Liz Knight (Hardie Grant). Photography: Kim Lightbody

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Summer Reads | And Summer Tipples

With a book in your hand you can travel the world from the comfort of your deckchair. Here’s a read that will transport you to a sunny island…

The Orange House by Isabelle Broom (Hodder & Stoughton)

Somewhere warm and beautiful, with waves lapping the shore is surely the stuff of many summer fantasies. In (TST short story contributor) Isabelle Broom’s dreamy novel of second chances, and of love lost and regained, she adds in a rambling house, with apricot-coloured walls and surrounded by citrus trees in Mallorca. Violet and Henry bought the dilapidated La Casa Naranja when they were young and hopeful; 20 years on, their marriage is faltering, the house is up for sale, and both are nursing grievances and keeping secrets as their marriage tethers on the edge. Add to the mix their troubled son Luke and his protective girlfriend Eliza, and their summer has taken a turn for the fractious. But with the scent of the lemons, the sound of the sea and the shimmer of the sun, Broom sets the course for emotional reckonings and romantic realisations. Bliss.

To go with this book, we recommend a Sunshine Negroni

Serves 1

25ml citrus gin, such as Gordon’s Sicilian Lemon Gin
25ml Aperol
25ml Dolin Blanc vermouth
10ml orange juice
35ml grapefruit soda
5ml grenadine
Slices of orange, to garnish

1 Add the gin, Aperol, vermouth and orange juice to an ice-filled highball glass and gently stir.

2 Top up with chilled grapefruit soda and slowly pour the grenadine down the inside of the glass. Garnish with orange slices to serve.

Bartender’s Note: Any grapefruit soda can be used, even Lilt, but for the best visual effect, choose white grapefruit soda over the red variety, such as Sanpellegrino.

The Sunshine Negroni recipe is taken from Spritz Cocktails: 35 Thirst-Quenching Sodas, Highballs & Sparklers (Ryland Peters & Small) Photography: Alex Luck

To find more reads to transport you to other locations, turn to page 67 of our August issue, where Eithne Farry introduces us to some books for summer armchair tourism.

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