Taking time to live well

February

GLIMPSE
Chocolate cake for Book Club • Born to be mild • Knitting a weather scarf
Cat cafés & art in the wild • Navigating brain fog • Roast hogget flatbreads
Love letters lost – and found • The joy of a Thermos • How to eat a cactus
 Gorgeous knitting, crochet & embroidery supplies
Image by Mette Mehlsen

LOOPKNITTING.COM
@LOOPLONDONLOVES
 A could-do list
Glimpse
Have friends round for a walk
and a hearty stew

Head to a woodland to spot roe deer

more easily among the bare trees

Sow peas, beans and sweet peas on a

windowsill ready to plant in spring

Take a photo at the same time each

day for a week and print them out

Visit somewhere hidden - caves,

a stately home that doesn’t often
open, or a secret walled garden

These are just a few

suggestions. Feel free to do
them all or read, smile, and
turn the page. Jot your ideas
down in the space below.
IMAGE: ISTOCK
PHOTOGRAPHY: HOLLY JOLLIFFE
Sometimes, a glimpse is all you need.
A sign that the season is shifting,
a peek into another’s world, a little
understanding of a problem or a first
nibble of something you’ve never eaten
before. These everyday awakenings
open our mind to fresh ideas and clearer
thinking, they encourage us to slough
the hibernation of winter and move
a little more, take on projects and
get things done. It might be snowdrops
emerging from the frozen earth that
triggers your optimism, but it could
just as easily be discovering a new
initiative in your neighbourhood or
a moment appreciating a piece of street
art. All that’s needed is for us to
keep our eyes and minds open, ready
to embrace what comes our way.

Lisa EDITOR LISA SYKES

 GATHERING

Book club supper

HOST A GET-TOGETHER THAT’S WORTHY OF NOTE;
INVITING (OR MAYBE EVEN STARTING) A BOOK GROUP
TO SHARE GOOD FOOD AND STRONG OPINIONS

Recipes & styling: LOUISE GORROD Photography: EMMA CROMAN

T
he first rule of book club is books are
great, but talking about them is even
better. The second rule of book club
is some refreshments– and plenty of
them! The third rule of book club is…
well that’s it really, so gather fellow literature lovers
for a laid-back and cosy book club at home, to talk
about books while enjoying drinks and nibbles.
Welcome your guests with a cocktail to get the
conversation started and put on a help-yourself
mezze platter that can be grazed on during the
discussion. Take a break from the book to share
pasta, followed by a crowd-pleasing pud, just in
time to argue/discuss/agree (delete as appropriate)
your next book choice. A literary feast is just the
thing for a long winter’s night.

6
There's plenty to digest
when it comes to Book
Club banter, but will
you all see eye to eye?

Fig dark & stormy

Start with a sweet cocktail to
loosen things up, and find out
what everyone thinks of the book.

Makes 1
1 tbsp fig preserve
50ml rum
Juice of ½ a lemon
Ice
50ml ginger beer
Fresh fig and thyme, for serving

Into a cocktail shaker place the

preserve, rum and lemon juice and
shake well to combine. Fill a tumbler
with ice, pour over the rum mix and
top with ginger beer. Finish with a
slice of fresh fig and sprig of thyme. »

7
GATHERING

VEGETARIAN
MEZZE PLATTER
Create a sharing dish for
everyone, with some homemade
recipes alongside deli favourites
such as tzatziki, nuts, olives,
grapes and sun-blush tomatoes.

Roasted carrots
with cumin
Whether served hot or cold,
it's the fresh herbs that make
these veggies extra tasty.

Serves 4-6
400g carrots, peeled and chopped
into 5cm batons
2 tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
A handful of fresh woody herbs,
leaves picked and stems discarded
(such as oregano, rosemary, thyme)
Olive oil, to drizzle
Coarse sea salt and black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/

Fan 180C/Gas 6. Tumble the carrots
into a roasting tray and sprinkle
over the cumin and herbs.
2 Drizzle with olive oil and toss the
carrots so that they’re coated. Season
with salt and pepper and cook in
the oven for 30 mins, or until a knife
can be inserted, but the carrots still
retain a little bite.
Griddled pear
with honey
Should you have leftovers, these
work well in soups and salads and
elevate a simple cheese sandwich.
Serves 4-6
2-4 tsp butter
2 firm pears, cored and thinly sliced
Coarse sea salt and black pepper
Honey

1 In a frying or griddle pan over a

medium heat, melt the butter then
gently add the pear slices. Cook
until slightly golden on one side,
then carefully flip the slices and
cook the other side the same way.
Remove and place on a plate to cool.
You will probably need to cook the
pears in a couple of batches, adding
a little more butter as you go.
2 Once you have cooked all the
pear slices place them in a bowl
and sprinkle with a little salt and
pepper. Just before serving,
drizzle with honey to taste.
 With a delicious mezze platter for
grazing, a group of friends and lively
Toast with debate, this is one story that's
za’atar butter guaranteed to have a happy ending
Take your baguette to the next
level with a fragrant, middle-
eastern-spiced butter.

Serves 4-6
100g butter, softened
1 tbsp za’atar
Coarse sea salt and black pepper
1 large baguette

Place the butter in a bowl and mash

with a fork. Add the za’atar, season
with salt and pepper, and combine,
then set to one side. Meanwhile,
slice the baguette into 1.5cm rounds
and lightly toast before spreading
generously with the za’atar butter.

Griddled artichokes
& feta
Put your heart on a plate (with
a generous helping of cheese).

Serves 4-6
Olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
400g tin artichoke hearts in water,
drained and cut into quarters
70g feta cheese
Handful of flat leaf parsley,
roughly chopped
Coarse sea salt and black pepper
How to book club well
1 Heat a little olive oil in a griddle
Have a few ground rules How often Keep an open mind You’re in the club
or frying pan until hot, then add
do you meet? How are the books (presumably) to read a few different
the artichoke hearts and fry for
picked each time? (If you’re the picker, types of book, so try not to judge
a few minutes, turning regularly
do your fellow book clubbers a favour before you’ve even opened the cover.
so that each side becomes golden.
and make your choice easy to get Read the book Or, if you haven’t
Place the cooked artichokes on
hold of and not too lengthy). finished, graciously accept spoilers.
to kitchen paper and leave to cool.
Listen as much as speak, and be Actually talk about the book Perhaps
2 Meanwhile, crumble the feta
prepared for opposing opinions set an allotted amount of time to
cheese into a bowl, then add the
Being able to talk them through discuss the book before you get on
cooled artichokes and parsley.
in a non-judgmental gathering is to TV, holiday plans, politics and
Dress with a little more olive oil,
one of the delights of a book club. anything else likely to derail the chat.
salt and pepper, then serve. »

9
 GATHERING
Baba ganoush
This classic aubergine dip tastes
even better with crusty bread.
Serves 4-6
2 aubergines
4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for
drizzling
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
80ml crème fraîche
3 slices of white bread, crusts
removed and torn into pieces
60g tahini
A handful of flat leaf parsley,
finely chopped
Coarse sea salt and black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 180C /
Fan 160C/Gas 4. Halve and score the
aubergines, then drizzle the surfaces
with 2 tbsp olive oil, season with salt
42
and pepper and roast in the oven for
25 mins, or until soft. Leave to cool.
2 Once cool, finely chop the pulp of
one of the cooled aubergine halves
and set aside. Scrape the pulp out
of the other three halves and place
in a food processor along with the
remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil, the garlic,
lemon juice and zest, crème fraîche,
bread and tahini. Blend until smooth,
then transfer to a bowl.
3 Stir through the parsley and chopped
aubergine, season to taste and drizzle
with a little more olive oil.
Stuffed giant
pasta shells
A comforting lasagne-meets-
lentil-ragù. The ragù and pasta
can be prepared ahead, then left
to bake while you talk books.
Serves 4-6
For the lentil ragù:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 celery stick, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
250g pouch of ready to eat
lentils (we used Merchant
Gourmet’s Tomatoey French
Puy & Green Lentils)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250ml red wine
1 tbsp tomato purée
3 bay leaves
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
Pinch of sugar
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
For the pasta:
250g conchiglioni, or other large
pasta shells
200g mascarpone
250g mozzarella, drained and finely
chopped
Large bunch basil, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
to serve:
Parmesan, grated
A couple of handfuls of soft
herbs, leaves picked (such as
basil, dill, oregano)
1 To make the ragù, heat the oil in a
large pan over a medium heat. Season
the onion, celery and carrot and fry
for 20 mins until soft and lightly
golden. Add the lentils and garlic, fry
for 1 min, then pour in the wine and
allow to bubble for a few mins more,
scraping the pan to release any bits.
2 Stir through the purée, bay leaves
and tomatoes, with an extra canful of
water. Simmer for 35 mins, or until the
tomatoes have broken down and the
sauce is rich. Season with salt, pepper,

the sugar and balsamic vinegar.
3 For the pasta, tip the shells into
a large heatproof bowl with a pinch of
salt, then pour over a kettle of boiled
water. Cover and leave to soften
for 15-20 mins – they need to retain
some firmness so you can fill them.
4 Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C/
Fan 180C/Gas 6. Once soaked, drain
the pasta. In a separate bowl, use a
fork to mash the mascarpone with
the mozzarella, chopped basil, garlic
and black pepper.
5 The ragù should be a little wetter
than you’d like as the pasta will absorb
some of the liquid as it bakes, so add
a little water from the kettle if it needs
loosening. Remove from the heat
and spoon it into an ovenproof dish.
6 Using a teaspoon, fill the pasta
shells with the mascarpone mixture.
Nestle the shells into the sauce, filled-
side up. Bake for 20-30 mins, or until
the top is golden and bubbling and
the pasta is tender.
7 To finish, grate over some parmesan
and finish with a generous sprinkling
of fresh herbs. Serve with a seasonal
salad of watercress, baby spinach,
rocket and radicchio dressed with
extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze
of lemon juice. »
ENGLISH
WINES FOR
SHARING
WESTWELL PELEGRIM,
from £26.55 a bottle
This sparkling wine from
Kent came out on top in
our recent blind tasting
of English Fizz versus
Champagne, beating the
likes of Moët, Lanson and
Veuve Clicquot. Excellent
as an aperitif, its biscuity
tones will also be a good
match for the vegetarian
mezze platter.
NUUMBER 1, BACCHUS,
fro
om £12.59 a bottle
Produced in Essex from the
olddest and largest bacchus
plaantation in England, this
whhite wine has been
created as the go-to wine
for any situation. This will
goo really well with the
stuuffed pasta dish thanks
to its easy-drinking nature
annd refreshing taste. 
LITMUS, Pinot Noir,
from £22.94 a bottle
Brilliantly smooth, this
demonstrates how great
English reds have
become. Reminiscent
of a French Pinot (but
better in our opinion!),
we’d grab a glass of this
Kent-grown wine to go
with the chocolate ginger
cake as its velvety nature
is a lovely match.
Recommendations by Neil Walker, founder
of The English Vine. For more information and
to order online, head to theenglishvine.co.uk
11
 GATHERING

Chocolate ginger cake

Top off all your literary criticism
with a large slice of cake and
a dollop of fresh cream.

Serves 8
125g unsalted butter
100g dark chocolate, broken
into pieces
150g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs, beaten
300g ginger preserve
150g self raising flour
Crystallised ginger
Icing sugar, for dusting

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/
Gas 4. Meanwhile, grease and line the
base of a 23cm springform tin.
2 Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed
saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the
chocolate and remove from the heat
once the chocolate starts to melt.
Continue to stir with a wooden spoon
until all the chocolate and butter
have completely melted. Then add
the sugar, salt, eggs and the ginger
preserve. Stir until well combined
then incorporate the flour into the
mix, one spoonful at a time.
3 Pour into the prepared tin and
bake for about 35-45 mins. Cool
for 10 mins or so then remove
from the tin and leave to cool
completely on a cooling rack.
4 When ready to serve, transfer the
cake to a plate and top with a few
chunks of crystallised ginger and
a dusting of icing sugar. Delicious
served with a dollop of thick cream.

12

Book Club is a way to broaden
horizons and nudge you into reading
things that you wouldn't
otherwise have read
GATHERING
Books to get you
talking
We asked our friends, Kate Slotover
and Laura Potter, of The Book Club
Review – a bi-weekly podcast – to
recommend five books. "We've
picked books that generate lively
debate and which people can't wait
to discuss. For us, Book Club is a
way to broaden our horizons and
nudge us into reading things we
wouldn’t otherwise have read."
Margaret the First by Danielle
Dutton (Scribe UK) is an electrifying
short novel about the 17th-century
aristocrat Margaret Cavendish.
Dutton’s ability to bring to life the
age of Oliver Cromwell and Samuel
Pepys is a pleasure, but it’s her
evocation of Cavendish’s rich inner-
life that you’ll want to talk about.
Assembly by Natasha Brown
(Penguin) is a taut exploration of
contemporary life narrated by a
Black British woman. You’ll read
it in one sitting, but we reckon
that you’ll think about it forever.
Great Granny Webster by Caroline
Blackwood (NYBR Classics) is a
dark and brilliantly funny novel that
charts the devastating portrayal
of an aristocratic family in decline.
At Night All Blood is Black by David
Diop (Pushkin Press) is set in WWII,
where a young Senegalese soldier
seeks vengeance after the death of
his friend. Heartbreaking, yes, but
the writing is so good it's a joy to
read, and takes an unexpected turn
that you’ll certainly want to discuss.
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
(Vintage) sees a first-time mum
so overwhelmed by loneliness and
domestic servitude that she loses
her sense of self to the extent of
turning into a dog. There’s also
something a bit feral about the
other mums in the playground.
For more recommended reads, visit
thebookclubreview.co.uk
13
 LOVE 'QUEER EYE'? INTERESTED IN THE
Make-up Artist by day, CLIMATE CRISIS?
Buddhist Monk by night. A Powerful feminist nature
memoir for those who dare writing by the pioneer of
to be different. women's big-wave surfing in
Ireland.
MISSING WATERCOOLER
GOSSIP?
A fantastic collection of
funny, moving and
outrageous confessions.

FIND YOUR
NEXT BOOKCLUB PICK
MOVED BY 'IT'S A SIN'? DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE FOOD!
A compelling love story Punchy & fresh Indian-inspired Inspirational dishes from
through the AIDS epidemic. dishes in 30 minutes or under. a Michelin-starred chef.

Available to purchase online and in all good bookstores.

www.watkinspublishing.com
 PP R E C I AT I O N O F
A ROO
AN
Words: PETE DOMMETT
T
he rook on the ‘Welcome to Rooksbridge’ sign
isn’t very, well, rooky. Its beak is too big and
too black and more like that of a carrion crow.
It’s an understandable error: the two species
– closely related members of the corvid family
– are easily confused. With a good view, a rook
can be recognised by the bare, bone-coloured patch at the
base of its thin, pointed bill and by the scruffy feathers at
the tops of its legs that suggest it’s wearing baggy shorts.
But what of black birds seen from afar – are they crows
or rooks? There’s a country saying that can help: “A crow
in a crowd is a rook, a rook on its own is a crow.” And
this adage usually holds true: the carrion crow is mostly
encountered alone or as a pair, while rooks roost, nest
and feed together in large, sociable parties.
Omnivorous and opportunistic, rooks eat everything
from earthworms and insects to roadkill, eggs and seeds.
Consuming the last of these has earned them a bad rep
with farmers: that tatty scarecrow isn’t meant to guard
cereal crops from the solitary crow, but from flocks of its
grain-guzzling cousin. Revenge was once a dish served hot
ILLUSTRATION: ZUZA MIŚKO
– rook pie used to feature on the menu in many a rural pub.
As I walk through the Somerset village of Rooksbridge,
wondering how many other places in Britain are named
after this common and widespread bird, I come across an
impressive stand of horse chestnuts. In the tops of the trees,
half a dozen twiggy bundles stand out against the skeleton
KS
of bare branches. And when I peer up, a couple of rooks
silently swoop in to claim ownership of the biggest nest.
Rooks are early breeders, returning to their communal
nest sites on the edges of woodland and in farmland copses
not long after the year has turned. Rookeries range in size
from a handful of nests to a thousand or more and can be
used by generations of birds for decades or even centuries.
By the end of February, rookeries are fully occupied, with
birds noisily squabbling over the best places to breed. They
begin by repairing any damage done to last year’s nests
by autumn gales, or they build a new one from scratch.
I watch as one of the Rooksbridge pair (most likely the
male) carefully rearranges a few stray sticks in their
treetop des res, while his partner looks on.
In densely occupied territories, rook pairs will routinely
steal nesting material from their neighbours. According
to folklore, these thefts aren’t tolerated by the colony.
Rooks are said to hold court-like hearings, known as
‘parliaments’, where birds are tried and – if found guilty
– punished by having their own nests torn apart.
It’s supposed to be good luck for a place to be blessed
with a rookery and a bad omen for it to be deserted. Given
the changes in farming practice and the number of species
that have suffered as a result, it’s heartening to see the
small rookery of Rooksbridge springing to life again. As
I leave the village, another sign and another sort-of rook
thanks me for visiting.
15
 Things to
want and
wish for
2
Loving your home, inside
and out. Books and treats
for you to enjoy.
Edited by LOUISE GORROD
1
Book reviews by EITHNE FARRY

3
4

1 Superstar Duran tile > from £70 per sqm Not only are these tiles s i ,
Duran Duran, which somehow makes them even better. claybrookstudio.co.uk 2 Pendant > from £85 hollowaysofludlow.com
3 Teapot > £46 There will always be something brewing in this 70s-style handmade teapot. scp.co.uk 4 Soup bowl > £22
Just the right size for a good serving over the soup and stew season. uk.jonathanadler.com 5 Oak stool > £215
Take your flatpack furniture appreciation to a whole new level, with this stunning solid oak stool. anartfullife.co.uk 6 Smeg retro
four-slice toaster > £169.95 A gorgeous design to admire while you wait for your crumpets to pop. shop.smeguk.com

16
Rather than chucking out tired Ikea kitchen
units or furniture, rejuvenate them with chic
new fronts that will make you feel both stylish
and virtuous. Result!
Bamboo kitchen fronts > from £2,862
customfronts.co.uk
 WISHLIST

Shopkeeper
of the
Bookshop month
browse

A GOOD BREW
Ferment: Slow Down, Make
Food To Last (From Scratch)
by Mark Diacono Useful and beautiful
Time-honoured household goods
“Fermentation for everyday living
the gentle
rt of allowing ➛ Utility is an independent home goods
r encouraging store in Brighton’s North Laine selling
ood to transform no-nonsense household items. With
to something an excellent range of products including
elicious and many made by owners Jonathan, Adam
utritious under and Martha Le Roy, such as the classic
eneficial white enamel toothbrush holder.
bacteria,” says Mark Diacona “We’re very proud of our own-brand
in his breezy, beguiling guide enamelware and woodenware,” says
to sauerkraut, kimchi, Martha. “I love getting feedback from
sourdough, vinegar and all our customers. When they say something
things fermented. He clearly has really solved a problem, it’s a great
explains the practical feeling.” Utility champions well-designed
principles behind the process products that have had little or no
and offers up a slew of recipes change over the years, such as Duralex
that make the most of vital, Provence glasses, Brown Betty teapots
vivid ingredients. There’s the and practical items such as Spout
“delightful discombobulator” Doctors (like a tap swirl for teapots that
Kimchi Bloody Mary, with zing, are rotten pourers). There’s a range of
heat and a touch of bitterness, useful brushes, too; from clothes brushes
the warmth and sunshine of to dish brushes with replacement heads
preserved lemons and a dinner for when they wear out. Add to that
of Chicken Adobo, wildly salty bread boards with a crumb-catching
and sour and utterly addictive. groove, oiled oak light pulls and classic
(Quadrille) Silvine exercise books, and you’ll see why
it’s one of the most useful shops to know.
utilitygreatbritain.co.uk

L O S T AT S E A
Adrift: The Curious Tale of the Lego Lost at Sea by Tracey Williams

On 13 February 1997, a rogue wave hit
he Tokio Express tipping 62 containers into
he water off the coast of Cornwall, including
ne containing five million pieces of Lego,
ome of which were, very fittingly, sea–
hemed. Beachcombers began to find
miniature flippers and fins, illusive octopuses
and, most coveted of all, little green dragons.
Tracey Williams’ charming book celebrates the
wonder of these discoveries, often shared on
social media and transformed into beautiful
art; but also soberly recounts beaches and
sea beds littered with plastic, washed in with
the tides and covering the sand. (Unicorn)

18
 WALLPAPERS

,ivÀiÅޜÕÀ…œ“i܈̅V…ˆ˜Ìâ̅ˆÃ-«Àˆ˜}°iiÌœÕÀ
˜iܼ,œÃičÀLœÀ½Ü>«>«iÀëÀˆ˜Ìi`ˆ˜1°
ÜÜÜ°wœ˜>…œÜ>À`°Vœ“
 WISHLIST

Wallpaper that helps bring the outside in, is

appreciated whatever the time of year. You can
almost smell the clematis and honeysuckle.
Linnea wallpaper by Sandberg > £86.90 per roll.
janeclayton.co.uk

20
 Markets
& fairs
1

Worth the Weight Vintage

Kilo Sale > If you want to
avoid buying new this year,
head to these vintage fashion
markets where you grab a
bag on your way in and pick
& mix your vintage clothing,
all for £20 a kilo! Taking place
on 5 Feb in Glasgow and
Leeds, then in Newcastle 2
and Stockport on 6 Feb.
worththeweightvintage.com
Westpoint Antiques and
Collectors Fair > With up 3
to 400 stands of dealers from
all over the UK, exhibiting an
extensive range of antiques
& collectibles to suit every
pocket. Visit the fair at the
Devon County Showground in
Exeter on 12–13 February, entry
from £5. continuityfairs.co.uk
Collect Art Fair > The fair
for contemporary craft and
design returns to Somerset
House in London on 25–27
February. Spanning all forms
of craft, the fair showcases
work made in the last five
years. craftscouncil.org.uk/
collect-art-fair

1 Taw waxed canvas rolltop backpack > £99 Waterproof and made from reused leather, this is a bag to take
on your next adventure. kovered.co.uk 2 PJ set with bag > £79.95 If you spend a lot of time in your pyjamas,
choose this super soft set to work – and play – from home in. wearethought.com 3 Vase > £50 This hand-blown
vase is just the thing for spring blooms. marimekko.com 4 Cushion > £28 A rich velvet cushion always feels
opulent to us, especially with fringing. oliverbonas.com 5 Ercol Monza six drawer chest > £1,280
Mid-century style with a modern twist and bags of space. ercol.com 6 Tropical leaf earrings > £42 Ethical
jewellery handmade by women in the Flowering Desert Project in Tamil Nadu, India. homefrontinteriors.co.uk

21
WISHLIST

Maker
of the
month

packages featuring three greetings

Happy mail
A box of joy that ensures you always
have a beautiful card to hand.
ªIllustrator, Rebecca McMillan, works
with watercolours and a delicate hand
to create whimsical illustrations that
chime with the seasons observed from
her Cotswold studio. It was a passion of
keeping handwritten notes alive that led
Rebecca and her husband Karl to set up
Wildflower Illustration Co in 2015. The
Wildflower Paper Club soon followed
with beautifully-wrapped monthly
cards, stickers and a bonus item
such as a bookmark or mini art print.
Rebecca loves that their products
inspire others to find their inner creative.
“I strongly believe that we are all makers
deep down and can benefit hugely from
taking time to create and make,” she
says. “Often, our innate desire to express
our creativity can get squashed in
childhood if we compare ourselves
to others, but I think it can always
be cultivated and found again.”
wildflowerillustrationco.com

C O L O U R I N N AT U R E
Nature’s Palette by Patrick Baty

ª Nature’s Palette is like a beautiful antique
caabinet of curiosities, glimmering with over
1,0
000 illustrations of birds, plants and beasts,
with photos of shells, eggs, feathers and
buutterfly collections that are a delight to delve
intto. Accompanying the pictures are colour
swatches of naturally occurring hues, of which
sw
their original purpose was to identify minerals.
Devised by 19th-century geologist Werner,
and expanded by Scottish artist Syme, it has
inspired both decorative artists and scientists
alike and has provided a practical resource.
An evocative exploration of all the shades
of the natural world. (Thames and Hudson)
 ENGLISH ROSES
R E P E AT F L O W E R I N G FABULOUS FRAGRANCES E A SY TO G ROW

S C A N H ER E TO R EQ U ES T A F REE

2022 Handbook of Roses S H O P O N L I N E AT davidaustinroses.co.uk

6 0 T H A N N IV ER S A RY ED ITI ON

SEASONAL THOUGHTS TO HELP YOU ENJOY THE MONTH
THINGS TO NOTE AND NOTICE
Bi dwatch
Birdwatch
Mistle l thrushes
h h are one off the h ffirst
birds to begin to sing and build
nests, some even start this month
Look for: Tiny brown ‘chevrons’
on their chests, white sides to
the tail and a greyish hue on their
back, rather than the warmer
brown sported by a song thrush.
Spot them: All over the UK, other
than the northern and western isles
of Scotland, foraging at ground
level and singing high in tree tops.
Listen for: A song a little like a
blackbird, sung in a minor key,
which stops and starts. Their
‘call’ is more aggressive and raspy,
like an old-fashioned football rattle.
FOLKLORE: Blessing the Salmon Nets
It’s said
d that in the 12th century when
a vicar had lost the key to his church,
he found it (as directed by St Cuthbert)
lodged in the mouth of the first salmon
caught the next day.
Nowadays, on 1st February, the vicar
of Norham, in Northumberland, local
February
Sunset hour
Good ways to appreciate the end of the day
Draw moon portraits. The moon is one
of the most commonly depicted subjects
in art, appearing in many and various
symbolic forms across the centuries.
With a month or so still to go until the
clocks go forward, make an event of the
afternoon darkness and make sunset
hour ‘Moon portrait hour’.
Once it’s starting to become dark, head
outside with a hot drink, a blanket and
your art kit (just paper and pencil can
start you off) – or find a space by a window
– and draw the moon, on as many days as
it’s visible. If you get lots of clear nights, by
the end of February you’ll have an almost
full depiction of the moon’s various phases.
You might want to draw them all on one
sheet of paper, turn them into a flick book,
or depict each phase as an individual oil
on mini canvas, or even cut the shapes
out and mount them on black card at the
end of the month. Or you could just do a
little sketch in your diary on the bus or train
home from work; however it suits you.
The sun sets at 4.49pm on the first of the
month and at 5.38pm on the 28th.
fishermen and others with an interest
in salmon (and a wee dram afterwards)
gather on Pedwell Landing on the
banks of the Tweed to bless the nets,
the fishery, the crew and their catch.
Traditionally, the first salmon caught
is given as a thank you to the vicar.
Nature project
G
Gorse petall syrup
Gorse is in flower virtually all the time
but is more prevalent from February.
You can add the yellow petals to
ice creams, cakes and jellies for a
winter brightener, or make them
into a syrup to pour over desserts,
or to add to sparkling wine or water. 
To make gorse syrup, boil 1 ltr of
water with 500g of caster sugar. Once
bubbling, keep on a rolling boil for
10 mins while it thickens. Remove from
heat and tip in 500g of gorse flowers
and the zest of 2 lemons. Stir, cover,
and leave to cool for several hours, or
overnight if you can. Warm the syrup
through to allow it to become liquid
again and strain into sterilised jam jars
or lidd
lidded
dbbottles.
ttl StStore iin th
the ffridge.
id

COMPILED BY: IONA BOWER. ILLUSTRATIONS: CHRISTINA CARPENTER; SHUTTERSTOCK
A DAY OUT: Visit a Cat Café
We can’t think of many cosier
ways to spend a cold February
afternoon than enjoying a pot of
tea while stroking a purring cat.
Even if you have your own
cat (and your own tea), there’s
something delightful about
enjoying a different cat, and
a pot of tea you haven’t made.
Java Whiskers, a Swedish
cat café, has recently opened
in London’s Marylebone, and
we’ll be making a beeline for it
very soon (@javawhiskersuk).
However, there are cat cafés all
THINGS TO PLAN AND DO
over the country, from Maison
de Moggy in Edinburgh to
Cool for Cats in Newton Abbot.
Enjoy searching (and getting
distracted) for one online.
If you can’t make it to a cat
café, you might get some of
the same feelgood benefits that
come with stroking an animal
by joining Borrow My Doggy or
asking your local animal rescue
centres if they allow visitors.
Or, just turn up to your nearest
cat-owning friend, armed
with cake and catnip.
NOTES
Book group
The Wolf Wilderr by K
Katherine
atherine
Rundell (Bloomsbury)
A fabulous ‘quest’ tale of Feo, a young
‘wolf wilder’ and her adventures
as she searches for her kidnapped
mother, alongside three wolves. This
is a children’s/young adult novel but
just as enjoyable for any grown-up
looking for a story to curl up with.
Questions to ponder What is the
meaning of ‘wilding’? How do
we know what the essence of any
animal or human is in its ‘wild’ state?
Further reading A children’s classic,
also featuring a wolf, is The Wolves of
Willoughby Cha Aiken.
This iis interesting
t
A podcast to please
please:
THE REST IS HISTORY
Dark, cold days are made for
hunkering indoors and being
taken back in time to glimpse lives
from days gone by. Tom Holland
and Dominic Sandbrook take
you on trips to the past, from
tours of castles to deep dives into
wars, meeting Kings and Queens,
playwrights and peasants.
An album to enjoy: BON IVER
BY BON IVER
Justin Vernon once recorded an
album alone in the woods, so he
knows about the elements. This
album features a beautiful folksy
tone that evokes the last days
of winter and first days of spring.
 COMPETITION
Win a year’s supply of scented
blooms from Scilly Flowers
ENJOY YEAR-ROUND CHEER WITH FRESH FLOWERS DELIVERED
DIRECT FROM THE ISLES OF SCILLY TO YOUR FRONT DOOR
S
pring is just around the corner
and as the promise of new growth
pokes its head through the frozen
soil, we are reminded of the joy
that flowers can bring to these often dreary
grey days of winter.
With that in mind, we’ve teamed up
with Scilly Flowers to offer one lucky
reader the chance to win a whole year’s
worth of flowers delivered direct to your
front door. Just imagine receiving a fresh
box of 40 scented blooms every month for
a year – that’s sure to put a smile on your
face and add a burst of colour to your home,
no matter what the weather is up to outside.
In the winter months you’ll receive
scented narcissi with their pretty miniature
daffodil flower heads, while in summer,
scented pinks – similar to carnations but
with more delicate, pastel shades – will
perfume the air.
Churchtown Farm on St Martin’s, part of
the Isles of Scilly, has been sending flowers
26
through the post for the past 30 years
and is now is the capable hands of Zoë
and Ben Julian, the latest generation to
keep the flower growing tradition alive
and thriving. Located just off the coast of
Cornwall, the flowers flourish thanks to
the tall hedges and drystone walls that
provide shelter from the bracing Atlantic
winds, allowing them to grow outdoors
without any additional heat or light.
The ideal gift to brighten someone’s day,
Scilly Flowers are then picked and packed
in paper to minimise plastic packaging
and, as they are sent straight from the
farm direct to the recipient, they don’t
clock up any unnecessary ‘flower miles’,
keeping their environmental footprint
to a minimum. Once on display, these
beautiful blooms are guaranteed to
bring a smile to your face and remind
you of the joy that’s home grown in Scilly.
For more info, visit scillyflowers.co.uk
or follow on Insta: @scillyflowers.
HOW TO ENTER
For your chance to win a year’s
supply of scented flowers
(one box of 40 flowers every
month), enter our competition
at thesimplethings.com/blog/
scillyflowers2022 by the
closing date of 9 March 2022.
TERMS & CONDITIONS: The competition
closes at 11.59pm on 9 March 2022. One
winner will be selected at random from
all correct entries received and notified
soon after. Flower substitutions may
be made depending on 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.
 CAKE
RHUBARB AND
MARZIPAN CAKE
IN THE
Serves 12
150g butter (softened)
150g caster sugar
150g marzipan
HOUSE
3 medium eggs
50-75g plain wheat flour
3-4 rhubarb stalks, washed
30g granulated sugar, plus extra
Get the most from the forced for dusting the tin
10 sprigs lemon thyme, rinsed
rhubarb around this month with
and roughly chopped
this sweet cake made for sharing
1 Preheat the oven to 170C/Fan 150C/
Gas 3. Cream the butter, caster sugar
and marzipan together until smooth,
then add the eggs one at a time until
combined. Fold in the flour and stir.
2 Meanwhile, grease a spring-form
cake tin with a little butter, then
sprinkle the inside of the tin with
some sugar so that it sticks all the
way around. This helps the baked
cake to slip from the tin and gives
it a caramelised surface. Spoon or
pour the cake mixture into the tin.
3 Cut the rhubarb stalks into 1-2 cm
chunks and place in a bowl. Toss the
pieces in the granulated sugar, then
spread the rhubarb across the top
of the cake mixture, pressing a few
pieces down into the batter.
4 Sprinkle the lemon thyme over
the cake and bake for 30–35 mins.
5 Remove from the oven and allow
to cool before serving with yogurt,
whipped cream or ice cream.
Cook’s note: The cake can be
made the day before serving as it
retains moisture and freshness well.
Taken from Nordic Family Kitchen
by Mikkel Karstad (Prestel)
Photography: Anders Schønnemann
27
 My day in cups of tea
We asked anatomical embroiderer Cath Janes to tell us about her day in cuppas
– and how h nusual business began from her hospital bed
Mornin cuppa of the day? Elevenses! The kettle's on – what would you like?
It's ut I don’t make it until As it’s morning, a breakfast tea does the job. No sugar,
e first sip is pure joy. and so much milk that it horrifies most people.
ou do exactly? Do you trust others to make it the way you like it?
and medical Nobody makes my weak and horrifying tea like I do.
retty niche. I work We’ll leave it to you then! How about lunch?
d which means I I’ll usually have eggs scrambled up with veg, a stir-fry
mute. The first or tuna mayo on toast, all while reading the newspaper.
admin then I Sounds delish. What awaits in the afternoon?
ommission. The afternoons are all about the stitching. I pretty
ll start? much fall down an embroidery rabbit hole.
rted Has a strong tea ever helped you in a crisis?
from Absolutely. I have a history of depression and 13 years
CATH JANES lives in
south Wales and is the
y ago I had a serious breakdown following severe PND
anatomical embroiderer and PTSD. I still have days of anxiety and flashbacks,
behind Kraken and a cuppa forces me to slow down the panic.
Kreations. Follow at
The power of tea. What's your last cup of the day?
krakenkreations.co.uk
or on Instagram: y Peppermint tea. I have mint plants all over my garden,
@krakenkreationscath tthing. so I pick the leaves and pop them in an infuser.

28
inspiration from THE FOUR ELEMENTS

“Fire” moss-stitch cardigan, £109

and “Volcano” shawl, £24

REQUEST A CATALOGUE
www.gudrunsjoden.com
 A simple thing...
Who says you have to wait until Shrove
Tuesday to enjoy pancakes for breakfast
(or at any time of day for that matter).
It falls late this year – not until 1 March
– but for a cheery start on a still-dark
and gloomy February weekend, a little
flipping is sure to help.
PHOTOGRAPHY: KFIR HARBI/STOCKFOOD
Come on a journey
through the wonderful
world of independent
magazines w
r ne e
You gazin
ma its
a
aw

Pu
t
ket the
tle
on Oo
h!

Pick a subscription stream that sounds like

you. We’ll scout out the best indie mags
around and package them up nice. Then
deliver a different one to your door every two
months. Along with some tasting notes to
introduce you to your new magazine.

Sign up for you or as a gift

for a friend at freerangemags.com

CAMPAIGN
And the wi
winners
nners are…
e asked our readers back in
W autumn for your heartfelt
nominations of businesses,
charities, organisations or
neigh
community groups in your
neighbourhood that made
you feel good about the world.
And it turned out that quite a
few of you wanted, as we did,
to recognise those who have
helped our neighbourhoods not
merely to survive but thrive in these
trying times. We received almost 100
nominations, all of which have gone the
extra mile, so choosing ‘our favourite of
your favourites’ took a while.
The nominations were nationwide (with
Scotland particularly well-represented):
some were successful schemes in well-heeled
communities, others a lifeline in poorer areas;
GOOD NEIGHBOURS
there were big city projects and
ob u r h o o d aw tiny village initiatives; from the
hyper local to working across
whole districts. Many are
ardS
new, springing up in the wake
of the last two years’
lockdowns. Most had an eco
element to them and all were
involved in their local
t he gs
in community through helping
s imple t h
those less fortunate or simply by
being a good shopkeeper who
spends time talking to their customers.
Some have grown into bigger things, while
others are still just trying to help their
community in a small way. Clever or simple,
every single one was inspiring and a big round of
applause goes to everyone involved in making
them happen. There are a lot of good people out
there – read on and be inspired… »
33
 GOOD NEIGHBOURS
MOST NEIGHBOURLY
GESTURE
An organisation helping
people in need
Café ReCharge
Galashiels, Scottish Borders
Having experienced food poverty in
the past, Amy Wight approached friend
Amanda Robinson back in 2019 with the
idea of creating a Pay What You Can café.
“I know how isolating it can be when you
can’t go out for a coffee or for lunch with
friends,” explains Amy. However Café
ReCharge takes this a step further,
not only tackling food poverty but
also combating food waste by serving
North Wales dishes created from surplus food from
Recycle IT local supermarkets. Between Amy,
Amanda, and a dedicated band of staff
and volunteers, they collect unsold food
to create a simple but satisfying menu
with offerings such as spiced pumpkin,
carrot and coconut soup, slow-cooked
beef stew and chargrilled vegetable
pasta bake. “We had several big freezers
Café donated to us when we opened, so
ReCharge whatever we can’t use, we freeze for a
later date,” says Amy. “We’re not trained
chefs, but we like to use our creativity
to produce easy, but well-done dishes.”
A community interest company, the
café operates an anonymous payment
system with customers given a fabric
envelope with their order to pay what
they can. “Sometimes you get 50p,
sometimes you get £50,” admits Amy.
There’s a ‘suggested price list’, however,
and when anyone is able to pay a little
extra, every penny goes straight back
into helping this non-profit organisation
continue to help those who need it.
“Paying extra makes people feel good
in a tangible way,” says Amy. “Our aim
is to reduce social isolation, whether
that’s pensioners, people with addictions
or those with limited means. No matter
what your situation, we’ll find a place
for everyone here.” A warm welcome
is included in the bill.
Cooking facebook.com/caferechargeCIC
Without Nominated by Christie Wilson
A Cooker
34
WE ALSO LOVED
North Wales Recycle IT
Anglesey, North Wales
Established in 2019, this community interest
company was working towards gaining the
certifications needed for its ethical and
sustainable IT equipment recycling business.
But then the pandemic hit and it became
clear that many families in the North Wales
area had no or minimal access to computers
– vital for education, communication and
staying connected. NWRIT responded,
working with schools to identify those most
in need, and was able to get IT equipment
into their homes quickly. The initiative has so
far collected, refurbed and donated almost
200 devices back to the local community.
walesrecycleit.com
Nominated by Becky Lowther
CLEVEREST IDEA
A genuine innovation by
a group or business
Cooking Without A Cooker
Edinburgh
A group of second year medical students
at the University of Edinburgh came
up with an idea to make a cookbook of
cheap, easy and healthy meals aimed at
people experiencing homelessness, then
they researched and tested every recipe.
Organised by what equipment you might
have in temporary accommodation, it
also includes the breakdown of costs,
essential when every penny counts.
Among the many good ideas are a
breakfast burrito using only a kettle and
bean burgers made in a toastie machine.
Anyone can download the book at ed.ac.
uk/local/projects/recipe-book-for-people-
experiencing-homelessness
Nominated by Verity
WE ALSO LOVED
Foodbank DoorSteppers
West London
Back in March 2020 when the nation ground
to a halt as the pandemic hit, the need for
foodbank services rose at the same time
 as donations dropped. Margaret Blankson
came up with the idea for Foodbank
DoorSteppers – a local group formed
in Hammersmith and Fulham to collect
donations from doorsteps and deliver them
to the local foodbank at Olympia. They have
since collected over 20 tonnes of food and,
at times, have been responsible for over a
third of the total stock at the foodbank. They
also began asking for unwanted laptops and
computers which they pass to Ready Tech
Go, a local organisation which refurbishes
items and passes them on to people in need.
As Covid restrictions lift the group are keen
to widen their collection area in London.
foodbankdoorsteppers.com
Nominated by Mairead Cummins
NEW TO THE
NEIGHBOURHOOD
A fledgling business
Little Nest Bakery
Brockley, southeast London
Every neighbourhood deserves good
bread. Oh, and good babka, buns and
scones. Thanks to Little Nest Bakery, the
lucky residents of Brockley get exactly
COMPILED BY: LINDSEY HARRAD; FRANCES AMBLER; IONA BOWER; KAREN DUNN; REBECCA FRANK; LILITH HUDSON;
that, right on their doorstep. The women
behind it, Simrat (Sim) and Ayla, met on
the school run and decided to team up
when lockdown hit and both households
ABBIE MILLER; LISA SYKES. PHOTOGRAPHY: BECKY DUNCAN; CARLY LAMBERT; DAVID METZGER
found themselves without additional
support – Sim’s wider family being based
in India; Ayla’s in Turkey. Then there was
Sim’s new extension, originally intended
for an Airbnb, and Ayla’s passion for
sourdough… Both women had taken a
career break, asking “How do we do
something creative around family life?”
explains Sim. The answer proved to be a
micro-bakery, where they could set their
own hours, focusing on two busy bake
days each week. Launched in July 2020, it
works for them, and for their satisfied
customers who rave about their bakes. In
fact, Little Nest now know everyone who
buys from them, through doing drop-offs,
or when they come to pick up orders. “We
get to know all their dogs, too!”
When it comes to their neighbourhood,
“We try to get involved where we can,”
says Sim. That could be taking a batch of
scones to the local church’s food bank, or
dropping off a bag of buns to someone
struggling during the lockdown.
What started out as a challenge, has
been unexpectedly rewarding. “At the
moment, we’re ‘just mummies’ – this has
Little Nest
meant we’ve really got to know people of Bakery
all different walks of life,” says Sim.
“We’ve made proper friends from it.
We’re really plugged in locally.”
littlenestbakery.com
Nominated by Susan Hancock
Little Nest
Bakery
WE ALSO LOVED
Bear Bookshop,
Bearwood, West Midlands
When Jenny McCann opened her bookshop
in November 2020, she was adamant that
she “wanted to offer an experience rather
than a retail transaction.” So this former
teacher offers a personal recommendation
to her range of titles, as well as events – from
daily story time to arts and crafts activities,
all intended to immerse children and families
in the wonder that reading can bring.
Her willingness to go that extra mile is
appreciated by the community – our reader
nominator appreciated how Jenny “hand-
delivered a book to our house while I was in
the postnatal ward for me to come home to.”
The community have reciprocated that
support: “So many people say they’re
avoiding Amazon altogether now,” says
Jenny. “I love it when they tell me how much
a child enjoyed a book that I recommended.” »
bearbookshop.co.uk
Nominated by Heather Youngson North Wales
Recycle IT
Bear
Bookshop
35
 GOOD NEIGHBOURS
MOST-COMMUNITY-
MINDED
ORGANISATION
An initiative that brings
people together
Row the Erne
Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh, NI
For the last six or so years, a small
community group has been working to
bring a wild dream to everyday people.
Back in 2014, Olivia Cosgrove led a
volunteer group to build a traditional
Irish currach from scratch. It took three
months and 2,500 volunteer hours. Row
the Erne now welcomes local people of all
ages and backgrounds, from young adults
who come to blow away the cobwebs
Row the Erne after a day in the office, to folk in their
seventies in search of new adventure.
“We’re ‘cup of tea rowing’ here,” says
Olivia. “It’s not competitive and there’s no
financial barrier. To join a yachting club
you need a certain amount of wealth, but
anyone can join in here, including Pat,
who’s in his seventies and turns up with
his own bag of sugar every week. He takes
a wild amount of sugar in his tea,” she
explains, “But someone brings a tray bake,
someone else, soup. Everyone has a part.”
She describes the currach as “a first
rung on the ladder” for people who lack
water confidence. It’s large enough that
people feel ‘safe’ paddling away with
Row the Erne others alongside them. You don’t need
any skill; just a glimmer of enthusiasm.
rowtheerne.com
Nominated by Louise Bleakley
Kinver Fitness
WE ALSO LOVED
Collective
Kinver Fitness Collective
Kinver, Staffordshire
Making fitness part of your life can be
tricky, with time, location and money being
common barriers. That’s where Kinver
Fitness Collective steps in, helping its local
community to take part in activities including
running, walking and cycling. There are even
events such as autumnal and wildlife walks.
The collective was set up by two local
mums, Sally Harris and Jane Meyrick, along
36
with Kinver’s Community Officer, PC Wayne
Green, aiming to bring people together
for fitness activities in a safe environment.
Since its inception, the group has also
supported other local running events,
raised cash for charities and helped promote
and organise everything from Motivational
Mondays to menopause awareness events.
Sally and Jane say: “We love fitness
adventures and know how good it makes
us feel. We try to bring the benefits to
others for free, as we don’t think there
should be a barrier to healthy living.”
Part of the joy of the collective has been
the way it’s attracted others to get involved
in spreading the fitness bug. “We’re both
community minded and work where we
can, while juggling work and family, to
identify needs and make things happen.
Lots of people help us, though, which
is the real joy of being a collective.”
Kinver Fitness Collective is on Facebook
Nominated by Tracey Bayliss
WORKING TOGETHER
People who have co-operated
to get things done
Uphill Junior FC
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
Established less than a year ago, Uphill
Junior Football Club has already started
to change young lives in one of the
most economically deprived areas of the
country. The aim was to provide sporting
opportunities for children aged 4-15 in
the Bournville and Oldmixon areas of
Weston-super-Mare, where volunteers
and community supporters saw a need for
children to make friends and be part of a
team after the isolation of the pandemic.
At the heart of the club is an inspiring
couple – Carina Smith, assistant principal
at the local secondary school, and her
fiancé Ian Ridge, who are now the club
secretary and chairman respectively,
and are always there cheering the
children on at training sessions.
“Some of the children were trying
to get involved in local sport,” says Ian.
“But there was no sport provision in
the area and no investment in clubs or
facilities. There are so many barriers
for these families to overcome, not least
the cost of joining clubs – we believe
that sport should be accessible for all.”
Carina secured launch funding from
the local police’s Violence Reduction
Unit, and along with contributions from
volunteers and discounted use of the
local secondary school’s AstroTurf pitch,
the club bought equipment and more than
120 children have already joined up. “The
response has been fantastic,” says Ian.
“Our plans are to continue growing the
club and encourage even more children
to join, and we’re training up adults in
the community so that eventually we
will be able to pass the club back to
the community to run for themselves.”
facebook.com/Uphilljuniorfootballclub
Nominated by Kathleen McGillycuddy
WE ALSO LOVED
Poll Hill Community Orchard
Heswall, Wirral
It all started with the community joining
forces to go litter picking on Poll Hill, an area
of local parkland. Left to its own devices for
some years, Poll Hill had run a little wild, so
a group of volunteers got together to revive
and preserve this much-loved local green
space. Keen to balance any improvements
with preserving the ecology, the group’s
first project was to plant 20 cherry trees,
later followed by a small orchard of apple
trees, all producing local varieties. Projects
planned for 2022 include native wildflower
planting and the installation of a bug hotel.
Nominated by Gail Eglin
Uphill Junior FC
GOING GREENER
A worthwhile eco project
Climate Action East Linton
East Lothian, Scotland
Climate Action
East Linton
In 2018 when the world was given the
target of reducing CO2 emissions by 45%,
residents of East Linton decided to take
matters into their own hands. “It started
with a few of us meeting in the pub to
discuss ways in which our community
could make a difference,” says Jo Gibb,
one of the founding members. After
reaching out to the community, the group Poll Hill
Community
embarked on its first project, Fixing For
Orchard
A Future, a tool library and repair café.
Since then they’ve also refurbished a
phone box to be used as a community
resource from seed swaps to a book
library. And during COP26, local children
displayed messages to world leaders in its
windows, which they discussed with
their local MSP when they paid a visit.
The replanting of Twa Burns Wood Climate Action
became a social event as families turned East Linton
up to plant trees, each donated in return
for bags of firewood sold and specifically
planted for biodiversity on local land.
While serious about their mission, the
group, which comprises of over 20 active
members and many more volunteers,
make their work fun and sociable. “It’s
a fantastic group that is really helping
to make more sustainable choices in the
area,” says local resident Rebecca Wall.
cael.community
Nominated by Rebecca Wall
WE ALSO LOVED
Stronsay Waste Matters
Stronsay, Orkney Islands
An innovative recycling venture developed
on the small island of Stronsay has reduced
waste and provided a valuable resource for
locals. The huge piles of cardboard that were
once either burned or shipped back to the
mainland are now compressed into logs on
a new machine operated by Stronsay Waste
Matters, providing environmentally friendly
fuel for use on open fires and stoves. »
facebook.com/WoodsYard
Nominated by Viv Erdman
37
 GOOD NEIGHBOURS
BRIGHTENING OUR
STREETS
A group that is making
things look nicer
My Green Valley
Swansea Valley
When Laura Santiago moved to this
beautiful part of south Wales four years
ago, she was shocked at the amount
of litter. “People didn’t seem to notice
– it was like litter had become part of the
landscape,” she says. Instead of moaning,
she decided to do something and put
out a call on Facebook to organise a litter
My Green Valley pick. Kerina Lake responded and together
they ran the first one two years ago in
Pontardawe and set up My Green Valley.
Their ‘picks’ quickly became social events.
“In lockdown, group events weren’t
possible so we started loaning out litter
picking kits for families to take on their
daily exercise, and they’ve carried on.”
There are now more than 160 regular
volunteers helping to clean up their area.
“If you can think of it, we’ve found it,”
says Laura, for whom My Green Valley
has become what she does most days.
“The councils are supportive, taking the
waste away, local primary schools have
got involved, and we’re finding new
schemes to get things recycled. We’re
also going to be creating a community
My Green Valley garden at a disused chapel in Trebanos.”
Our reader nominator sums it up:
‘Simple, cheap, vital for public health
– homemade fun with attitude!’
facebook.com/mygreenvalleyorg
Nominated by Heather Pudner
WE ALSO LOVED
Knighton Wild
Knighton, Leicestershire
A volunteer group who tend to a pocket of
green space in the city. So far they’ve sown
a meadow, put up bird boxes and bug homes
and organised a river of painted stones
in lockdown to promote togetherness.
knightonwild.org.uk
Nominated by Lucy Baker
Zero waste shops
38
SPECIAL AWARD
Zero waste shops
The bright new hope of many
a high street, these modern grocers
are where environmental concerns
meet old-fashioned shopkeeping.
There were no less than 12 of them
nominated, so we felt they deserved
a special mention. Our favourite was
The Cut Back
Saltburn by the Sea, North Yorkshire.
Navigating the world of ethical
consumerism can prove tricky, but
The Cut Back are doing all the hard
work for their local community with
their zero-waste shop. They offer
a host of refillable produce, from
food to cleaning products, helping
shoppers to be more sustainable.
The majority of profits then go
towards their Eco Hub where they
run workshops for the community.
They also recently organised a
community action to help prevent
sewage being pumped into the
sea, and a bra recycling scheme
to raise money for breast cancer.
Owner Edith Reeve started
the business after redundancy
in 2020. “It was now or never, so I
put everything I had into something
that felt purposeful,” she says.
thecutback.co.uk
Nominated by Cat O’Neill
bh o u r h o o d a
wa r
neig
d
gs
th in
e si
mple th
We plan to run the Neighbourhood
Awards annually. Meanwhile, be
inspired in your own patch by stories
of ‘Good Neighbours’ in every issue.

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39
 1

MY CITY*

LIMA
LIVING IN THE PERUVIAN CAPITAL BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS AND
THE OCEAN, SIMEON TEGEL ENJOYS CEVICHE AND SURFING

PHOTOGRAPHY: SIMEON TEGEL; ALAMY; ISTOCK

2
 MY CITY

*There’s no better way to get to the heart

of a city than through the people who
live there. Every month we ask someone,
clearly in love with their city, to take us
on a personal tour and tell us what makes
it so special. You may feel inspired to
visit one day, but for now just sit back,
relax and enjoy some armchair travel.

How long have you lived in the city?

I moved to Lima in 2009, however, I first visited
the country back in 2004 when I spent three months
travelling all over Peru.

What inspired you to make the move here?

I’m originally from London but have been quite the
nomad. I always wanted to be a foreign correspondent 5

and learned Spanish in my spare time. I moved to

Mexico City, and then on to California. What first
brought me to Peru was my fascination with its
landscapes, especially the Andes and Amazon.

Tell us what makes your city unique

Lima is, without doubt, the culinary capital of Latin
America. The food here is wonderfully varied thanks
to Peru’s amazing natural pantry, with just about every
kind of ecosystem on earth, and influences that range
from the pre-Columbian to French, Chinese, Japanese
and, of course, Afro-Peruvian. Lima also overlooks
the Pacific Ocean, so the seafood is particularly
delicious and the city has a rich surfing culture, too.
4
What’s it like in February?
February is arguably the best month here. Being in
the tropics, Lima should have sun all year round.
However, the city is trapped in a thermal inversion,
with the Andes immediately to the east blocking
1 Lima’s main square,
humid air cooled by the ocean’s Humboldt Current. the Plaza de Armas,
This means that for most of the year, Lima is overcast. is home to many
The exception is the city’s ‘summer’, which roughly important buildings,
including the Cathedral
covers the first three months of the year, when it’s of Lima. 2 The desert
typically sunny with temperatures of around 27°C, city sits between
and because this is a desert city, it almost never rains. ocean and mountains.
3 Take the winding

path down the sea cliffs

What time of day do you most enjoy and why? to the beach.
Probably the evening. There’s something special about 4 Historic downtown

sweltering heat after dark. I love doing yoga or having Lima. 5 Shopping in
Barranco has all the
a cocktail on my terrace late at night. makings of a certain
marmalade-based
What’s the nature like? snack favoured by
a popular Peruvian
Lima is one of the world’s largest desert cities, so
personality. 6 Street
there’s a lack of greenery. It’s also loud, chaotic, and 6 musicians liven
characterised by shades of grey or brown. However, » up Lima

41
 “When I first arrived here, I had no idea just how
much of a gastronomic powerhouse Lima was”
it does have one wilderness: the Pacific ocean. The
water is cold and the waves can be big, but if you surf
– as many here do – just getting 100 yards out to sea
is a wonderful escape from the hectic pace of the city.
One of my greatest experiences was being surrounded
by dolphins as I floated on my surfboard.

Where’s your favourite outdoor space?

After the ocean, it’s the Malecón – a Spanish word
that means seafront boulevard. Havana, for example,
famously has its Malecón, but Lima’s is a little different
because it runs along the sea cliffs overlooking the
Pacific. Most of it runs through the touristy districts of
Barranco – where I live – and neighbouring Miraflores.
The Malecón is home to a thin, linear park that runs for
1
a couple of miles, which is a wonderful space to hang
out, jog, cycle, have a picnic or just look out at the ocean.

2 Tell us about the colours of your city

From around May to October, Lima’s sky is a blanket of
grey. That all changes in January, February and March,
when there is bright sunlight, and you can get sunburnt
in no time. The most attractive parts of the city are
beside the Pacific, where there are green spaces and
trees. However, Lima is a large city, with a population
of almost 10 million mainly living in low rise properties,
and some areas can be a little drab, especially where
people can’t afford to paint their homes.

Tell us about the people who live in your city

Limeños, as people from Lima are known, are a pretty
no-nonsense bunch. You need to know how to use your
metaphorical elbows, especially if driving. But they’re
also creative, especially when coming up with a new
twist on one of the country’s huge repertoire of recipes.

Where do you like to go with friends?

There are various bars in my neighbourhood, Barranco,
that are a bit like a British pub. My favorites are Juanito
de Barranco and Bar Piselli. Both have wood-lined
interiors, lager on tap and a menu of classic Peruvian
sandwiches with turkey, pork or ham and chopped
onions and chili peppers. The locals will sometimes
even bust out a guitar and have a Peruvian singalong.

Tell us about eating in your city?

Peruvian cuisine is both highly original and extremely
varied. It absorbs so many foreign influences, from
woks and soy sauce to Italian pasta, French-style
mousses or thick sashimi-style cuts of raw fish for
3
ceviche. There are cevicherías (restaurants which serve
ceviche and seafood dishes, usually for lunch), chifa

42
 MY CITY

(Peruvian-style Chinese), Nikkei (Peruvian-style

Japanese) and comida criolla (hearty coastal cuisine,
with Spanish, French and Afro-Peruvian influences).
Peru’s national dish, everyone agrees, is ceviche, the
marinated, raw seafood salad that originated here. One
of my favourite Nikkei restaurants is Shizen, which also
serves original versions of ceviche. But there are so
many other classics to try, including arroz con mariscos
(rice with seafood) and chupe (a rich, chowder-like
soup). Another speciality is pan con chicharrón (fried
pork in a bread roll, usually with a thick slice of steamed
sweet potato, chopped onions and chilli peppers).

What’s the shopping like?

You probably wouldn’t come to Lima for the shopping,
but alpaca wool clothing is a great deal here, costing
a fraction of what it would in the UK. Other things
to look out for include ceramics, silver and leather.

Where do you like to escape to?

It depends on the season. In winter, I usually journey 5

inland, with the sun coming out after an hour’s drive.

There are some beautiful villages in the Andean
foothills, with great walks. In the summer, like
most limeños, I head south to the beaches.

What has been your best discovery about your city?

It’s neither original nor a secret, but when I first arrived
here, I had no idea just how much of a gastronomic
powerhouse it was.

What do you miss most if you’ve been away?

Hanging out in my neighbourhood, grabbing a coffee,
and even though you can get ceviche all over Peru now,
including freshwater versions in the Amazon, going
to my favourite local cevicherías.
1 Despite being
What one thing would you change about the city? surrounded by
desert, there
The traffic. The reckless driving here can be shocking, is greenery dotted
especially for a first-time visitor. If Peruvians could only around. 2 Ceviche
drive like they cook, this city would be perfect. – fresh fish or seafood
cured in citrus juices –
is the national dish.
Where would you recommend somebody to stay 3 Eye-catching

if they were visiting your city? art decorates

Barranco. It’s small, easily navigable on foot, and the exterior of a
restaurant in the
is the most bohemian part of the city. It has numerous Barranco district.
bars, galleries, cafés and restaurants for all budgets, 4 A city by the ocean

including the critically acclaimed Central, just voted is always an appealing

travel destination.
Latin America’s restaurant of the decade. 5 Alpaca my bag!

Pure woollen
What keeps you in your city and where would souvenirs are a must.
6 Music to
you like to live if you could not live here?
your ears – a band
My son, now 12, keeps me in the city. But at some point, performs in the
I plan on moving out to the sticks. I’m not sure where city’s main square
yet, but possibly somewhere in either the Amazon
or the Andes, or better yet, a combination of the two – 6
somewhere in Peru’s spectacular Cloud Forest perhaps. »

43
 2 3

SIMEON TEGEL is a British journalist

based in Lima. He’s equally at home
bivvying 17,000ft up in the Andes or
dining at Lima’s finest restaurants.
Visit simeontegel.com, or follow him
on Twitter at @SimeonTegel.

SIMEON’S PERSONAL TOUR

1 Peru’s ecosystem
produces an amazing
natural pantry.
2 Local artist
Jade Rivera creates
beautiful murals.
3 Pick up a memento
at Dédalo boutique.
4 With the Pacific
on its doorstep,
many limeños take
to the waves and
escape city life
on a surfboard
Favourite shop and café
DÉDALO
A boutique selling beautiful
handicrafts and art, including
ceramics, alpaca-wool clothing,
leather, wood and jewellery.
It also has a great outdoor
restaurant and café.
Saenz Peña 295, Barranco
Favourite gallery
JADE RIVERA GALLERY
A small gallery and shop from
the young Peruvian artist,
Jade Rivera. It’s just off the
Bajada de Baños in Barranco.
jadeuno.com
Favourite restaurant
HUÁSCAR COMBATE
PERUANO
This not-too-pricey haunt
offers ceviche and seafood
dishes as well as many other
classic Peruvian recipes.
Jirón Luís Varela y Orbegoso
275, Surquillo.
Favourite market
FERÍA
Imagine a very small Latino
slice of Camden Town, selling
everything from candles to
hipster clothing and food.
Jirón Unión 108, Barranco.
Favourite way to
spend an hour
I love to walk or run along the
sea cliffs, watching the surfers
and occasional dolphins below.
The best place to
see at night
The bohemian Barranco
district is full of bars and
restaurants, especially the
main square, the Parque
Municipal de Barranco. It’s just
a great place to hang out at
night, grab a bite and maybe
try a classic Peruvian Pisco
sour cocktail or two.
The best view
The best view is from the
top of the sea cliffs. There are
various points where you can
see them stretching off in each
direction. Any time of day is
great, but watching the sun set
over the Pacific is hard to beat.
The one thing to see
The inside of a cevichería. It
could be almost any cevichería,
from an internationally-
acclaimed one that appears
in all the guidebooks to just
a neighborhood cevichería
on the corner. It’s hard to go
wrong wherever you end up.

44
 A POETIC PAUSE

The Dipper
By Kathleen Jamie

It was winter, near freezing,

I’d walked through a forest of firs
when I saw issue out of the waterfall
a solitary bird.

It lit on a damp rock,

and, as water swept stupidly on,
wrung from its own throat
supple, undammable song.

It isn’t mine to give.

I can’t coax this bird to my hand
that knows the depth of the river
yet sings of it on land.

About the author:

Kathleen Jamie is a poet and a writer of non-fiction. She began writing poetry in her teens
and since then, writing has remained the touchstone of her life: “It’s where I do my best
thinking, and where I rub up against the world.” She is especially interested in the natural
world and she’s walked and sailed many miles to encounter other species, like the small
bird in this beautiful poem. Taken from Kathleen Jamie’s Selected Poems (Picador).

45
 HOME ECONOMICS
The winter kitchen
RACHEL DE THAMPLE LIKES TO MAKE A ROAST
GO FURTHER WITH MEALS THAT LAST ALL WEEK
AND CAN FILL YOUR FREEZER AND PANTRY, TOO
Recipes and words: RACHEL DE THAMPLE Photography: ALI ALLEN

The new home economics

is all about a simple way to
use our time and ingredients
well. Doing it while wearing
a gorgeous dress (see above)
is optional .

46

Cold weather
comforts
I love February as my birthday
falls in this chilly month, but
I know for many cooks it can
be a tricky time of year when
the novelty of root veg and
citrus has started to wane.
If I’m ever feeling in a winter
ADDITIONAL IMAGES: SHUTTERSTOCK
slump, I get the spices out
and I turn to sunnier climes
for inspiration. The following
recipes offer warmth on all
levels and layers of comfort. »
MAKING MEALS OF IT
MAIN EVENT Moroccan-spiced
hogget with tahini parsnip purée
NEXT DAY Pulled hogget with
kefir flatbreads, parsnip houmous,
citrus dressing and rainbow slaw
FREEZER Winter-spiced root
tagine (made with hogget bone)
PANTRY Ras el hanout spice mix;
Preserved citrus
NIBBLES Parsnip wisp crisps
GOOD THINGS TO EAT
Home economics needn’t mean
stretching the monthly budget
while being tied to the stove – but
it can mean a new approach to the
way we plan our meals. The concept
of household management stems
back to ancient Greek philosophers,
who believed that everything is
and should be interconnected.
Using their thinking, we can revive
an approach that deeply values all
our resources: our time, ingredients
and the money we invest in them.
And makes us feel good too.
47

Pantry
RAS EL HANOUT
No two ras el hanout blends are the
same as the point is to make a fragrant
mix of your choice. Sweet, earthy spices
form a large part, but you can up the
spiciness with more pepper or a little
chilli if you like and do, by all means,
tailor the mix according to what you
have to hand. Once you have this blend
sorted, you can use it to jazz up just
about any veg dish (dust over steamed
greens, roasted roots, use it on your root
crisps) or dust over cooked flatbreads.
MAKES APPROX 30g
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 whole cloves
48
Stuck in a rut with
root veg? Crack open
the spice cupboard Side
and whisk yourself
off to sunnier shores TAHINI PARSNIP
PURÉE
A brilliant take on a classic parsnip
purée featuring the calcium-rich
deliciousness of tahini. It adds to
the North African flavours of the
other dishes but is also great if you have
any leftovers as you can serve it cold
with the flatbreads, like a houmous.
SERVES 4–6
1kg parsnips, peeled and diced
2 lemons, juice and zest
50g tahini
A few drizzles of olive oil
A few sprigs of thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Pop the parsnips in a pan with a
squeeze of lemon and plenty of salt
and pepper. Cover with boiling water
and boil for 15-20 mins, or until tender.
2 Drain the parsnips, saving a mug of
the cooking water. Place the parsnips
in a blender with the zest, the rest
of the juice from the lemons and the
tahini and blend until smooth and
creamy, adding a bit of the cooking
liquid and/or olive oil, if needed.
3 Season and finish with a drizzle
of olive oil and fresh thyme leaves.
1 tsp black or pink peppercorns
Seeds from 3 cardamom pods
1 tsp rose petals (optional)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp ground allspice
1 In a frying pan over a medium
heat, toast the coriander, cumin,
cloves, peppercorns and cardamom
seeds for 2-3 mins, or until fragrant.
2 Grind the toasted spices in a pestle
and mortar (or in a metal bowl using
the bottom of a jam jar). Crush in a
pinch of edible rose petals, if using.
3 Mix in the remaining (already
powdered) spices. Taste and adjust
the spice balance to suit your palate.

MOROCCAN-SPICED
HOGGET
Sweet and earthy with notes of chilli and
citrus, this slow-cooked joint is a great
lazy roast, which will set you up for a
week of eating well. Hogget (lamb in
its second spring or summer) develops
a subtle sweetness – still as tender as
lamb but not quite as rich as mutton.
SERVES 4–6
2kg hogget shoulder, bone in
1 tbsp ras el hanout or smoked
sweet paprika
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp black peppercorns
½ tsp ground cinnamon
A pinch of chilli flakes
½ tsp sea salt
2 clementines or 1 blood orange
6–8 bay leaves
1 bulb of garlic, cloves separated
1 onion, cut into 2cm chunks
1kg root veg, cut into 3cm chunks
1 tbsp olive oil
250–300ml white wine or water
1 tsp honey (optional)
1 Preheat your oven to 220C/
Fan 200C/Gas 7. Place the hogget in
a roasting tin and pat dry with kitchen
paper. Leave to come to room temp.
2 Mix all the spices with the salt and
pound in a pestle and mortar. Grate
the zest of 1 of your clementines or
the orange straight into the spice mix.
3 Prick the joint all over the fatty
top with a knife, then massage the
spice mix all over the meat, rubbing
it into all the nooks and crannies and
focussing on the meaty underbelly.
4 Tuck the bay leaves under the meat.
Meanwhile, halve your clementines
or quarter the orange and arrange
around the lamb. Gently crush each
garlic clove to loosen the skin and
draw out flavour, then tuck them
around and under the joint. Mix the
onion and root veg with the olive oil
and arrange around the meat. Roast
for 45 mins, or until it has a golden
crust. After the initial roasting time,
remove from the oven and add the
water or wine to the tin. Cover with
a double layer of foil, and reduce the
heat to 160C/Fan 140C/Gas 3,
then roast for a further 4 hrs.
5 Remove the tin from the oven and
unwrap the meat (mind the steam!).
Transfer the meat to a chopping
board and rest for 30 mins to 1 hr
before carving. Spoon the vegetables
and citrus from the tin and save for
your tagine (or serve them with fresh
herbs in place of the parsnip purée).
6 Strain the pan juices into a saucepan
and gently boil until reduced and
slightly thickened. Taste and add
a little honey, if needed, to create a
light gravy (save any leftover gravy
to add to the tagine). Serve the
carved meat and gravy with a side
of greens and tahini parsnip purée.
PULLED HOGGET Take any leftover
hogget from your roast and pull it
into shreds with your hands. Wrap it in
the foil you used to cover the hogget
during roasting. Drizzle over any
leftover gravy, seal, and place in a dish.
VEGGIE OPTION If you’re vegetarian
or vegan, you can swap out the
hogget for a whole celeriac, peeled
and rubbed in a similar melange of
Moroccan spices, roasted whole in
the centre of the roasting citrus and
root veg – just lower the cooking time
to 2 hrs after the initial blast of heat.
GOOD THINGS TO EAT
Nibbles
ROOT PEEL
WISP CRISPS
It’s incredible how tasty some oven-
crisped veg peelings can taste. I love
these with parsnip peel, coconut oil,
chilli flakes and sea salt – such a simple
combo but delicious and healthy, too.
The key is to scrub your veggies well
before peeling. I prefer coconut oil
but you can use olive, rapeseed or
sunflower oil as well.
SERVES 2–4
1–2 handfuls of parsnip or
beetroot peel
1–2 tsp coconut oil
A pinch of chilli flakes
A pinch of sea salt
1 Preheat your oven to 200C/
Fan 180C/Gas 6. Massage the
coconut oil into the peelings,
then season with chilli and salt.
2 Arrange in a single layer on a baking
tray, then roast on the top shelf of the
oven for 15-20 mins, stirring once or
twice, or until they’re crisp and golden.
Cook’s note: These are best cooled
slightly and will keep for 1–2 days.
You can also cook them during the
initial roasting stage of the hogget
(just keep an eye on them). »
49
 GOOD THINGS TO EAT

Side
RAINBOW SLAW
Grated raw winter roots are a fantastic
carrier for citrus, which softens and
almost cooks them a little while still
allowing them to retain a fresh zing.
This is a refreshing side for the richness
of the leftover hogget.

SERVES 4
350g beetroot, parsnips, celeriac
and/or swede, coarsely grated
A thumb of ginger, finely grated
A pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2-4 tbsp citrus dressing (below)
Olive oil
A small drop of honey (optional)
A large handful of sunflower
and/or pumpkin seeds, toasted
A pinch of seasonal herbs
and/or seasonal salad leaves

1 Mix the root veg with the ginger,

chilli, garlic and dressing. Drizzle
in a glug of olive oil and a pinch of
salt. Toss and let the flavours mingle
for at least 15 mins, ideally overnight.
2 When ready to serve, add a drop
of honey to soften the heat, if needed.
Finish by gently mixing in toasted
seeds and herbs or leaves. Leftover meat becomes
a tasty tagine that marries
beautifully with fluffy
Pantry flatbreads
CITRUS DRESSING
Most dressings use 2–3 parts oil to 1 part
acid. The citrus has a more even playing
field here for a lighter dressing that
works with both salad and leftover meat.

SERVES 4
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp fresh orange or lemon juice
A big pinch of sea salt
Zest of 1 orange or lemon
A small pinch of caster sugar
or a drop of honey

1 Add the oil, juice and salt to a lidded

jar. Grate in about 1 tsp of zest and…
shake, shake, shake! It should become
thicker and creamy-looking. Taste and
add more juice and/or a little sugar
as necessary. Shake before serving.
It’ll keep in the fridge for 1 week.

50
Side
KEFIR FLATBREADS
While you can use natural yogurt, kefir
makes a brilliant base and it contains
more good strains of gut-friendly
bacteria (up to 32 versus 2-3) which
gives it a more complex flavour. If you
have time to make the dough in advance
(a few hours or ideally, overnight), these
good bacteria will help break down the
complex starches and sugars in the flour,
which put these flatbreads on a par with
sourdough. It’s delicious with pulled
shreds of hogget, rainbow slaw, and
a little extra kefir drizzled over the top.
MAKES 8
225g plain white flour
½ tsp baking powder
A pinch of sea salt
1 tsp cumin seeds, plus extra
for adding to the tops
250g kefir (coconut kefir is a great
vegan alternative) or natural yogurt
A little olive oil, for glossing
Freezer
WINTER-SPICED ROOTS
& CITRUS TAGINE
This is the easiest tagine ever as it
embraces all the flavours lapped
up from the roast. I like to bundle
everything left from my hogget into
a casserole dish and pop it in the
freezer to cook later (or you can cook
it in a slow cooker or in a low oven
overnight, eat some and freeze the rest).
SERVES 4–6
The bone from the hogget
Any leftover hogget
The citrus left from the roasted
hogget, roughly chopped
690g passata
400g tin chickpeas, drained
500ml veg stock
350-500g leftover or freshly roasted
roots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 fresh bay leaves (or use the ones
from the roast)
100g pitted olives
1 Add all the ingredients to a large,
lidded casserole dish. Bring to the boil,
then reduce to a simmer and gently
cook for 2–3 hrs, stirring occasionally.
2 Remove the bone and bay leaves
before serving. Shred any meat
from the bone and add it back into»
the tagine. This dish works really
well with the kefir flatbreads.

1 In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour

and baking powder with the salt
and cumin seeds. Pour in the kefir
(or yogurt) and stir well. Use your
hands to incorporate the flour and
the kefir and form a ball of dough.
2 Lightly flour your work surface
and sprinkle a tablespoon or two of
flour on top of the dough. Transfer the
ball of dough to the floured surface
and press into a circular shape, then
divide into eight even portions.
3 Re-flour the surface, then take
one portion of dough. Using a
rolling pin, roll it into a circular shape.
Repeat until you have eight uncooked
flatbreads. Sprinkle each one with
a small pinch of cumin seeds.
4 Heat a large, non-stick frying pan
over a medium-high heat. Once
hot, cook each flatbread for 2–3 mins,
before flipping and cooking on the
other side for another 2 mins. Repeat
until all the flatbreads are cooked.
Gloss with a little oil.
Cook’s note: The dough keeps in the
fridge for up to 1 week. Alternatively,
you can freeze the dough or cooked
flatbreads (they heat nicely in the
toaster, straight from the freezer).

51
 GOOD THINGS TO EAT
The preserve of a well-
stocked pantry, use these
citrus fruits to add bursts
of zing to winter dishes
52
SHOPPING LIST
FRESH Shoulder of hogget, root
veg (celeriac, beetroot, swede,
parsnips), onions, garlic, ginger,
blood oranges or clementines,
lemons, kefir or natural yogurt
STORE CUPBOARD Passata,
tahini, chickpeas, olives, olive
& coconut oils, honey or sugar,
veg stock, white wine, plain
flour, baking powder, sunflower
& pumpkin seeds
HERBS Rosemary, thyme, bay
SPICES Cumin & coriander
seeds, ground cinnamon, nutmeg,
paprika, allspice, cloves, rose
petals, chilli flakes, cardamom,
sea salt, black peppercorns
Pantry
PRESERVED CITRUS
This is one of the easiest and most
delicious ways to preserve citrus. The
traditional variety used in Morocco is
citron beldi, which are small and highly
aromatic. Bergamot lemons, which
are larger but have a similar fragrance,
are also favoured, while blood oranges,
Seville and navel oranges are all
spectacular when preserved in this
way. However, when I offer a taste test
of all the citrus possibilities preserved
in salt, it’s the limes that send people’s
taste buds into an excited frenzy. Every.
Single. Time. They then start to think
of all the possibilities… used in place
of an olive in a ‘dirty’ gin or martini,
rubbed into a shoulder of lamb with
fresh coriander, or used in a salsa
verde as an alternative to anchovies.
MAKES 2 x 200g JARS
400g unwaxed citrus
60g good-quality sea salt
Seasonal herbs and/or spices
1 Wash your citrus and cut into
1 tbsp-sized nuggets. Set a sieve
over a bowl and squeeze out the
juice, then discard any pips caught
in the sieve. Add the salt and herbs
and/or spices and mix.
2 Spoon the salted citrus into
sterilised jars, then pour the brined
juice over the top, dividing it evenly
between the jars.
3 Press the citrus down as much as
possible. The brine should cover the
fruit but if not, top up with filtered
or mineral water (not tap water, as
it contains chemicals that inhibit
the fermenting process).
4 Seal the lid and leave in a cool, dark
place to mature, shaking regularly and
checking to ensure the fruit is always
covered in brine. If it’s not, top up
the jars with a brine solution using
100ml filtered water and 4g sea salt.
Cook’s note: They’ll be ready in about
4 weeks but will keep for years. Once
opened, store in the fridge and use
within 3 months (although if your jar
is clean and the fruit is fully covered
by brine, they’ll keep longer).
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 All in your mind?
NAVIGATING THROUGH BRAIN FOG CAN
MAKE YOU FEEL ALL AT SEA. BUT
UNDERSTANDING ITS CAUSES WILL
LIGHT THE WAY TO CLEARER THINKING

54

E
ver feel like your brain and
mouth aren’t connected and,
try as you might, the words/
name you’re desperately trying
to remember just won’t come
to you? Or that important thing
you needed to do has completely slipped
your mind… again? We all have momentary
lapses of concentration and focus but
sometimes brain fog can become so regular
and debilitating that it starts to interfere
with day-to-day life, leaving many women
fearing they’re going out of their minds.
Brain fog symptoms are similar to
the way you feel when you’re really sleep
deprived or jet lagged, except you haven’t
been out partying the night before or had
a far-flung holiday – and it doesn’t lift
after a good night’s sleep. Slow thinking,
a lack of mental clarity, inability to focus
or concentrate, problems with learning
or remembering things or words and
clumsiness are all commonly experienced
symptoms. Even everyday tasks can feel
insurmountable when you’re struggling to
think clearly. “I can’t think straight,” “I feel
slow and dull,” and “I don’t have the mental
energy for anything,” are just some of the
ways brain fog can affect your mood and
behaviour. The good news is that there
are things you can do to lift the brain fog,
and understanding why it’s happening
is the first step to feeling human again.
H O R M O N A L H AV O C
Having your feelings dismissed as
hormonal can bristle at the best of times
but if you’ve ever linked symptoms of brain
fog with your menstrual cycle or referred
to it as ‘baby brain’ or ‘menopause memory’
you’ve already made that connection. Our
hormones are fundamental to who we are
and critical to our health. These chemical
PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY; ISTOCK
messengers keep various bodily systems
on the same page and even small changes
in hormone levels can have adverse effects
on how we think, eat, sleep and behave.
Our sex hormone levels can fluctuate for
a variety of reasons and these changes can
WELLBEING
“Stress and hormones can
be big contributors to
symptoms of brain fog”
often be accompanied by brain fog
symptoms. Oestrogen receptors are widely
distributed throughout the brain so when
the hormone is released it is picked up by
these receptors, influencing your thinking,
memory, emotions, and other cognitive
processes. Brain fog, fatigue and sleep
disruption are all symptoms associated
with too little and too much oestrogen
and are commonly experienced when
oestrogen levels decline in the peri-
menopause and menopause. The other
female sex hormone, progesterone,
promotes good sleep and feelings of calm,
however, when it fluctuates it can lead
to mood swings. This can happen during
the menstrual cycle and during the
menopause years, causing mood instability,
sleep problems and anxiety. Testosterone
is present in women as well as men and as
levels decline gradually with age it can also
cause a variety of symptoms from memory
loss to depression, anxiety and irritability.
T H E S T R E S S FA C T O R
Stress is another major contributor to
brain fog because it interferes with the
neural networks in the brain’s prefrontal
cortex, which allows you to make decisions
and judge situations appropriately. This
part of the brain also supports working
memory and is the reason why you
may feel absent-minded, have difficulty
following a plot in a film or perhaps
doing mental maths. If you’ve ever
had to whip out the calculator on your
phone to do a simple calculation, it’s
a sign your working memory is out
of sorts. Combine hormonal fluctuations
and stress (welcome to mid-life!) and
there’s no wonder around two thirds of
menopausal and perimenopausal women
say that they’re affected by brain fog. »
55
 WELLBEING
Brain-healthy habits
If your concentration is becoming clouded, there are some simple
steps you can take to refocus your mind
Eat a healthy diet – what you eat
directly effects your brain and how
it functions. The best diet to follow
to keep your brain and body in
good shape is a Mediterranean-
style diet. Eat plenty of daily veg,
wholegrains, nuts, seeds, fruit and
olive oil as well as fish, eggs, beans,
poultry and limited red meat. And
don’t forget to keep hydrated
– your brain is a thirsty organ.
Prioritise sleep – sleep deprivation
can make you forgetful, clumsy,
irritable, moody, depressed,
demotivated – and hungry! Aim
for seven to nine hours and no
less than six or more than ten.
This can be broken up into a
night-time sleep and a daytime
nap if that suits you better.
Go with your natural rhythms
– your circadian rhythm works
best with regular sleep habits
so try to go to bed and get up
at roughly the same time every
day, even at weekends.
Get organised – make life easier for
yourself by setting some systems
in place. If you keep forgetting to
make payments, set up some direct
debits, book in a regular weekly
shop, add reminders on your phone,
and stick to a bedtime routine.
And make lists of everything!
56
Avoid multi-tasking – focus on one
thing at a time and you’re less likely
to make mistakes, and feel stressed
or overwhelmed.
Try mindfulness instead of
autopilot – consciously give things
more of your attention rather than
doing things without thinking.
Slow down – relaxation techniques
such as yoga, deep breathing,
self-massage and meditation can all
help you to put the brakes on a bit.
Know your limits – taking on more
than you can handle is a recipe for
stress. This might seem impossible
when you’re overloaded with
work and responsibilities, but
you have the power to make
different choices when it comes
to your responses and thoughts.
Do activities that challenge the
brain – learning a language, a
new skill or an instrument is linked
with changes in the brain. Increased
cognitive activity helps preserve
the volume of your whole brain
and the size of the hippocampus,
the part of your brain involved
in memory and learning.
Adapted from Beating Brain Fog:
Your 30-day Plan to Think Faster,
Sharper, Better by Dr Sabina
Brennan (Orion Spring)
“Keeping a record of
when symptoms occur
will help to address
the triggers”
When it comes to restoring hormonal
balance and alleviating brain fog there
are several things you can do to help
that don’t require medical treatment.
Developing good sleep habits, managing
stress, maintaining a healthy weight and
being active can all make a real difference
(see left for more advice). Keeping a record
of when your symptoms occur will help
you take steps to address the triggers (such
as minimising late nights) and match your
activities to your capabilities at any given
time. Simply knowing that something has
triggered your symptoms can give you great
comfort and remove frustration and restore
some control. It will also help you if you
have hormonal issues to build up a more
detailed picture so that if things become
unmanageable, you and your doctor can
decide on the appropriate course of action.
If brain fog is mild or even moderate, it’s
probably better to persist with the activity
(try to work out that sum rather than
reaching for your calculator) because if
you don’t challenge your brain, you risk
losing further function. By contrast, if your
symptoms are severe and you’re feeling
mentally exhausted or anxious, persisting
with something isn’t going to help. Instead,
stop what you’re doing, take time out,
do something less challenging, rest or go
for a walk. You can always go back to that
task when the fog as abated, when you’re
better able to cope – or when you have help!
When brain fog strikes it can be easy
to panic and catastrophise (I’ve got early
dementia/a life-threatening disease), so
make a conscious effort to remind yourself
that brain fog is usually temporary, has
multiple causes, many of which you can
eliminate, and is a sign to take action.
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 The life of
a Thermos
Imparting a taste of home, no matter where it’s taken,
the Thermos warms hearts and bodies alike. For
Tim Hayward, it’s an object rich with memories
– and ready to be filled with more

PHOTOGRAPHY: ISOBEL WIELD/LOUPE IMAGES

58

T
he Thermos sits at the
back of the bottom shelf
in my kitchen cupboard.
You have to mine to find
it, through strata of rarely
used gadgets. It’s a little
rusty around the bottom rim, the
plastic cup on the top is a probable
mismatch and the tartan would be more
associated with cheap, mass-produced
shortbread than any actual clan. I found
it in a smelly old fishing bag when I was
cleaning out Dad’s stuff and, obviously,
I couldn’t throw it away.
The Dewar or vacuum flask was
invented by Sir James Dewar in 1892,
a delicate double-walled vessel of
silvered glass that, for a while, would
slow the process of cooling or warming
the liquid stored in it. The flask itself
“The Thermos has a
magical ability to
carry a piece of home”
was usually clad in a protective layer
of cork and then a decorated metal
sheath: the ‘Thermos’ we know so well.
Both my grandfathers carried
Thermos flasks through the war: one
in the freezing fuselage of a bomber, the
other to the factory where he built aero
engines and at night to the anti-aircraft
battery he manned, protecting his
factory, town and family. During that
era, men carried Thermoses in the
bottom of a gas-mask bag, slung over
a shoulder as they climbed cranes, dug
holes, drove trains, manned lathes and
won coal. By the time my father was
going to work, there was an office kettle
and he could stop at a transport caff
when he was out on the road. But the
Thermos would still come out, packed
for long drives, family picnics and
fishing trips.
I got the Thermos when I was
sent to a horrible school, a miserable,
repressive joysink, where my parents,
bless their hearts, thought I might
benefit from its brand of education.
I have never been unhappier in my
life, but Mum (who knew) understood
that hot soup had therapeutic value.
She could see that the essential element
of the Thermos had never really been
James Dewar’s miraculous thermal
engineering, but its magical ability to
carry a piece of home, the hearth and
the person – usually wife or mother
– who had filled it before you left. Like
a tribal fetish or saint’s relic, it could
hold spiritual power and transmit love.
I don’t use the Thermos anymore.
I’ll probably never pick it up and
shake it to see if the fragile interior
is still intact. I’ll probably never taste
again the stewed orange tea with
evanescent undertones of coffee and
the background redolence of Heinz
Cream of Chicken. Maybe I don’t
need to carry ‘home’ in my bag; just
a laptop is enough, and I can always
grab a hot drink or soup wherever
I am. It even feels a little embarrassing,
oddly gendered – an accoutrement of
masculinity that has outlived its role.
I still can’t bring myself to dump it.
Maybe I should dig out Dad’s old rods
and take it fishing, maybe I’ll take it to
the hill where the anti-aircraft battery
stood, or maybe I’ll keep it – it would
make an admirable urn for my ashes.
‘The Life of a Thermos’ by Tim
Hayward is taken from The Food
Almanac by Miranda York (Pavilion)
REFLECTION
What to keep in
your Thermos
Tea
This is what you’d expect to
find in a Thermos. It needs to
be brewed strong, preferably
to the point of being orange
and tannic. The tea is going
to stew while it’s being
stored, so consider using
UHT milk, which is slightly
sweet and caramelised, or
go full Singapore style and
add condensed milk. So sweet
it’s an entirely different drink,
but utterly gorgeous.
Coffee
Your barista won’t be thrilled
about filling your Thermos with
milk-based coffees. Flat whites
and cappuccinos depend so
much on foam structure and
can’t survive storing. If you
can carry your milk separately,
pour-over coffee can be held
for ages in a Thermos, but
my personal favourite is oily,
Italian-style espresso. You lose
the crema but it’s rocket fuel.
Tomato soup
Straight out of the tin and
poured in hot. This is what
you take if you’re sea fishing
with Dad and you expect
frostbitten fingers. Available on
prescription in some regions.
Daal
The Thermos has a variety of
medical uses but the best is
carrying a really good daal to a
friend’s house when they’re ill.
Martini
To sip a profoundly chilled
Martini from a Thermos as
you stand in a trout stream
on a summer evening is one
of life’s exquisite pleasures.
59
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 GAZETTE

GOOD THINGS POSITIVE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

SMALL CHANGE

HIV breakthrough
There’s new hope for the 38
million people living with
HIV as an Argentinian
woman has been found to
have defeated HIV through
her own immune system,
creating new avenues for
scientific research. After
exhaustive tests using
advanced and sensitive
tests to scan over 1 billion
of her cells, researchers
were unable to find any
PHOTOGRAPHY: © SOUVIK KUNDU, WWF

viable virus in her body.

Unique mosaic
A huge, one-of-a-kind
Roman mosaic has been
excavated by archaeologists
in Leicestershire. It
FEBRUARY 1ST IS CHINESE NEW YEAR, the first day of the Year of the Tiger, and the culmination of a decade-long campaign
provides evidence of an by WWF to double the number of wild tigers. In far eastern Russia, in the Land of the Leopard National Park, Amur tiger
alternative ending to the numbers have tripled since 2012. While there’s more to be done, there’s clearly a glimmer of hope for the future of wild tigers.
ancient Greek story of
Achilles’ battle with Hector
and is an unprecedented
discovery in the UK for
its size and completeness.
W ere tistics et

Electric flight
Just two years after
revealing a prototype,
the world’s first all-electric
passenger aircraft, Alice,
21% 8.45k 400m
of us still own a cuddly toy
as adults, according to
miscarriages a year could
be prevented thanks to
year old extinct
armoured worms have
is set to make its first
research (9% of us still new guidelines from the been ‘virtually’ brought
test flight. Its lithium-ion
sleep with one). But there’s National Institute for back to life using micro
batteries makes the plane
no shame in it – experts Health and Care CT-imaging, allowing
significantly quieter than
believe it’s a healthy coping Excellence recommending scientists to study 3D
regular jets, and it can
strategy, providing comfort progesterone as a ‘robust models of their skeletal
already travel an impressive
for those with mental treatment option’ during system for insights on
650 miles.
health issues such as stress, early pregnancy for those their evolution that might
anxiety and insomnia. at risk of miscarriage. offer clues to our own. »

61
 GAZETTE
Queens of the
highway
MOTORBIKING WOMEN IN KENYA ARE CHANGING
SOCIETY BY RIDING THE ROADS
Z
ipped into leathers and
riding free, more and more
women are taking to the
road on motorbikes in
Kenya’s congested capital of Nairobi.
It’s an act of liberation. Kenya’s
traffic-jammed roads make slow
going, and many of the women who’ve
taken to riding motorbikes have
slashed their journey time to work
by hours, saving themselves money
on public transport at the same time.
There’s strength in numbers,
and as more women bought bikes
during lockdown to get about in a
62
EXCELLENT WOMEN
Empowering women with clothes and kindness
SOL ESCOBAR knows that
some connections are life
changing. Her friendship
with Ilda (not her real
name), a woman living in
Cardiff seeking asylum in
the UK, is one. Before the
pandemic, Sol regularly
volunteered at the refugee
PHOTOGRAPHY: KATIE CASHMAN
camps in Calais, France,
and during the week she supported resettled
families in her hometown of Cambridge. But stuck
at home during the lockdown in March 2020, she
felt unable to offer tangible help. Until she met Ilda.
They connected through Instagram, and Ilda
told Sol about the challenges of living on £5 a
day. They shared a dress size, so Sol sent her some
clothes. But the other eight women living with Ilda
in Home Office accommodation also struggled to
find affordable clothing, so Sol collected clothes
from her friends and uploaded photos on Instagram
so the women could choose what they wanted.
It sparked an idea and Give Your Best was born.
Now anyone can submit photos of good quality
clothing they want to give, and women resettling
in the UK can browse, choose, and ‘shop’ for what
they want. The parcel also includes a personal note.
more Covid-secure way, female biker
PHOTOGRAPHY: GIVE YOUR BEST
“At Give Your Best, a donation becomes a gift,”
collectives have sprung up and grown says Sol, “The gift of choice, of empowerment and
in number. Groups like the Inked of connection with the person sending the item.”
Sisterhood (pictured) and Throttle “They give us hope,” was one woman’s response.
Queens support one another for “Knowing there are people with huge hearts who
example by sharing routes with clean support people in search of help.”
accessible toilets, or helping other giveyourbest.uk or follow on Insta: @giveyourbest.uk
women in their group if they get stuck
in a neighbourhood they don’t know.
It’s more than merely transport.
Riding is a radical act, a flash of
The Happy Broadcast
Taken from The Happy Broadcast by Mauro
pink from a jacket and a helmet
Gatti. Follow @the_happy_broadcast
flagging to those around them that
they’re women who are bucking the
stereotypes of how they’re meant
to behave in a society that is still
very much patriarchal.
“We turn up to school career days
with our motorcycles, and you can see
it in the girls’ eyes: their worldview
COMPILED BY: JOHANNA DERRY-HALL.
shifts even before we speak,” says
Rhoda Omenya, a member of Throttle
Queens. “When we do talk, we open
up their minds further, to do away
with the word impossible. We hope to
spark their desire to chart their paths,
follow their passions, and put in the
work, not just follow a societal norm.”
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OUTING
 ART IN THE WILD
YOU DON’T HAVE TO HEAD TO A GALLERY OR
MUSEUM TO BE INSPIRED. SIMPLY STEP OUT
YOUR FRONT DOOR TO DISCOVER ART THAT
CAN CHALLENGE, STIMULATE AND PERHAPS
EVEN CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE THE WORLD
Words: FRANCES AMBLER

A tree sea monster

by the intriguingly
monikered artist
Phlegm brings interest
and lots of imagination
to a car park in Digbeth,
Birmingham
 OUTING
A
s I turned down an
otherwise unremarkable
side street, I was taken
aback: in front of me
was a huge concrete wall,
transformed into abstract,
playful shapes. It looked modern, but also
as if it might have been left there by some
ancient, alien species. Thanks to a quick
Google, I discovered this was a work by
William Mitchell, a prolific British sculptor
in the 20th century, known for creating
Above, from left: A pieces in concrete rather than traditional
William Mitchell at The ‘art’ materials, for ordinary people
Water Gardens, Harlow; to discover on the street, rather than
detail from Sunlight on
Cathedral by Kevin for galleries or rich collectors.
Atherton, at the Forest Once I’d seen that first one, I began
of Dean Sculpture Trail; noticing his work everywhere: Liverpool,
Emmeline Pankhurst,
by Hazel Reeves, in
Harlow… even on the monumental doors
Manchester; and the of my old hometown bank. I love walking
controversial (and around somewhere new, glimpsing
rather diminutive) Mary
something and thinking, could it be? Now
Wollstonecraft statue
‘Mother of feminism’ every time I find a new one, it’s like seeing
by Maggi Hambling an old friend. When I moved house recently,
66
I discovered one of Mitchell’s works just
around the corner. It felt like a blessing, and
it still makes me smile every time I see it.
That’s the joy of ‘art in the wild’. Unlike
an exhibition, where you know what to
expect, on the street you may turn a corner
and find something unexpected, perhaps
a style of art you never knew you would
love, and it can transform how you see the
landscape. It’s free and accessible to all:
just keep your eyes open to discover it.
SEEKING SCULPTURE
There’s a long history of sculpture in our
towns and cities. The intricately carved
façades of some churches and cathedrals
were intended to impart religious teachings
to those who couldn’t read, and tell tales
of local folklore. It’s fascinating to work
out the people and symbols depicted, and
what messages they were trying to convey.
Leap forward a few centuries, post-war
idealism made a significant contribution to
 street sculpture, when the likes of Barbara
Hepworth and Henry Moore made works
to sit in social housing estates and shopping
centres. Keep your eyes peeled for art
nestled among 1950s or 60s developments,
one of the most famous examples of which
is in Harlow, Essex. You can find a map
of all its sculptures at sculpturetown.uk.
The tradition is also seen in Chesterfield
in Derbyshire, where new work is actively
commissioned (chesterfield.gov.uk).
Sculpture trails do the detective work for
you, and are brilliant ways to discover new
artists. The Line (the-line.org), along the
Thames in London, features many eye-
catching artworks – including an upside-
down pylon, ‘A Bullet from a Shooting
Star’ by Alex Chinneck – while the Irwell
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY; MARK BAKER; GUERRILLLA GIRLS; TESSA HUNKIN
Sculpture Trail stretches across 33 miles
of the North West (irwellsculpturetrail.
co.uk). The Forest of Dean Sculpture
Trail (forestofdean-sculpture.org.uk)
has a beautiful woodland setting, while
you can explore the RSPB’s nature reserve,
Lake Vyrnwy, in Powys (rspb.org.uk),
while following their sculpture trail.
Sculptures also make a statement about
a place. The four ‘Panopticons’ in East
Lancashire, sited for views, are intended
to signify the area’s ‘renaissance’. They
include The Singing Ringing Tree, designed
by architects Tonkin Liu, made of steel
pipes that catch the wind and ‘sing’.
Sometimes, sculptures become local
symbols of identity, such as the Angel of the
North, Another Place at Crosby Beach and
the Kelpies (see TST 113). Last year, Sky
Arts hosted Landmark, a competition to
create a ‘landmark sculpture for Coventry’.
The winner, Favour Jonathan, created a
huge sculpture of Ira Frederick Aldridge,
a Black Shakespearean actor, theatre
manager and anti-slavery campaigner.
 
S P O T T I N G S TAT U E S
Jonathan wrote on the plaque of her work:
‘I believe that public art should fuel and
empower our minds, and this sculpture
is made to enrich its surroundings and
honour Coventry’s history,’ – a statement
that touches on perhaps one of the most
discussed types of art in the public realm
recently: statues. Every town, if not village,
too, will likely have a statue of a notable
figure, and it may inspire you to do some
research into their legacy. It’s fascinating to »
“Sculpture trails do the detective work for you
and are brilliant ways to discover new artists”
Putting art on the map
Many sculptures are still waiting
to be mapped, so why not
create one for yourself? Follow
the example of the walks at
cambridgesculpturetrails.co.uk,
put together by enthusiasts who
wanted to share the pleasure
they had in discovering artworks
across the city, whether on
the streets, or tucked away in
the grounds of colleges. One
way to begin your own walk
is by visiting the site artuk.org,
putting in your location and
ticking the ‘outdoor artwork’
box. Over the last four years,
they’ve recorded about 15,000
of the UK’s public sculptures.
67
 OUTING
wonder what a statue reveals – or perhaps
doesn’t reveal – about their character.
Britain’s sculptures are predominantly of
historical figures once considered to be the
most important: mostly rich, white men.
Shockingly, Art UK found that, in London,
there are twice as many animal statues as
there are of named women! To promote
statues of women, you can log examples
you come across at pssauk.org/women.
Crowdfunding is changing the status
quo, too – a campaign begun by a teenager
will honour 19th-century palaeontologist
Mary Anning in Lyme Regis, while funding
is underway for a Virginia Woolf statue in
Richmond. But even sculptures of people
worthy of the honour can be controversial.
The depiction of Mary Wollstonecraft
in London’s Newington Green by Maggi
Hambling attracted much criticism when
it was unveiled last year. Whether to your
taste or not, if the art makes you think or
provokes a conversation, it’s already done
part of its intended job – whether that’s
in the street or in a gallery.
ADMIRING STREET ART
Murals and other forms of street art are
often more spontaneous and affordable to
install, whether commissioned or, shall we
say, less legally compliant, and in the right
“Art in the wild is never static. Even the weather
can change the viewing experience”
68
hands can bring colour and excitement
to otherwise dull urban environments.
Inspiringcity.com is a useful site for finding
more about street art across the UK. Many
cities known for their street art – such as
Bristol – have guided tours, or self-guided
options, in the case of Digbeth, Birmingham
(walkruncycle.com/graffiti-art-of-digbeth-
walk). Tours can help you figure out which
artists and styles you like, and you can
then follow them/their hashtags on
social platforms to see where new work
is being created. A couple of favourites
are mural artists Lakwena (@lakwena) and
@camillewalala, who often create colourful
installations – such as the former’s ‘Queen
of the Air’ at Cricklewood station, which
honours the aviatrix Amy Johnson.
Keep an eye out for the festivals where
artists are invited to take over spaces, such
as Aberdeen’s NuArt. It’s an additional
thrill to be able to see the artists at work.
MODERN MOSAICS
Spotting this ancient craft in the wild – it
dates back to at least the 3rd millennium BC
– can be as simple as keeping an eye out for
ornate mosaic flooring in shops. There are
plenty of spectacular examples, too, such
as Alan Boyson’s 1963 ‘Three Ships’ mosaic
in Hull. Around 20 metres high, and made
using around one million pieces of Italian
glass, it was Grade II listed in 2019, thanks
to local campaigning. Or there’s artist
Carrie Reichardt’s mosaic house in
Chiswick, or the pops of delight provided
by Eduardo Paolozzi’s 1980s mosaics at
Tottenham Court Tube station – a prime
example of how mosaics can transform
even something seemingly utilitarian.
On a smaller scale, French street artist
Ememem (facebook.com/emememstreet)
uses mosaic to beautify pavement cracks
and potholes all over the world.
This art form doesn’t only honour the
famous. The Hackney Mosaic Project
(@hackneymosaicproject) creates
community mosaics in East London.
Particularly delightful is the ‘Hounds
of Hackney Downs’ mosaic, featuring

portraits of local canine regulars at the
park. Likewise, locals helped create ‘Mosaic
way’ in Southampton (so18biglocal.org.uk/
mosaic-way), featuring designs big and
small. Often more accessible than other
art forms, look out for community mosaic
projects near you.
LO ST TO T H E W I L D
Art in the wild is never static; even
the weather can change the viewing
experience. Some of the best art in the
wild is the temporary kind – and that makes
it even more special. The pandemic has
perhaps encouraged even more creativity
in this area: with billboards given over for
art rather than advertising – for example,
when the legendary New York art collective
Guerrilla Girls took over billboards across
the UK last year questioning the art
collected and displayed by our museums
(artnight.london/artist/guerrilla-girls)
– or shop windows transformed, as with
Manchester’s ‘50 Windows of Creativity’
in autumn 2020.
You don’t need to be an ‘Artist’ to put
creativity out in the wild. From hiding fairy
doors to yarn bombing (meet the Dorking
yarn bombers in The Simple Things issue
101), there are countless ways to introduce
art to our everyday in unofficial ways – it’s
exciting to think creatively. Ben Wilson,
dubbed the ‘pavement Picasso’ by
The Guardian, even creates works
of art on discarded chewing gum.
Out in nature, simple interventions
can create something magical. If you’re
not familiar with his work, look up Andy
Goldsworthy who shows how leaves,
pebbles and even ice can be transformed
into things of temporary beauty. It can
be as simple as carefully collecting and
rearranging colourful fallen leaves.
Combining old and new art sometimes
makes an even more powerful statement:
in 2018, a ‘Here and Now’ installation was
unofficially created to sit beneath Edward
Colston’s statue in Bristol (the one famously
toppled in 2020). Showing figures arranged
as if they were on a slave ship, alongside
words spelling out roles associated with
modern slavery, such as nail bar workers.
Almost impossible to ignore by anyone
walking past the installation, it was a
visually compelling way to bring history
into the present.
And that’s another wonderful thing about
art in the wild – you don’t always have to
make a special journey to see it, maybe it
just stops you in your tracks while you’re
going about your day. Just keep your eyes
open, and let yourself get distracted.
Left to right: Colourful
Crossings by Camille
Walala; the Mosaic
House is the home of
artist Carrie Reichardt,
in Chiswick, London.
Guerrilla Girls Billboards
for Art Night UK; just
one of the Hounds
of Hackney Downs
How to DIY
Fancy having a go yourself?
Graffiti workshops can be found
in most of the places associated
with street art: check out
graftworkshop.co.uk in Bristol,
graffitiartist.com in Digbeth and
those run by graffikgallery.co.uk
and alternativeldn.co.uk in
London. Then there’s freshpaint.
org which brings the skills to
the Highlands, while positivearts.
co.uk work on community
murals throughout the UK.
Alternatively, learn to capture
the work in action with a street
art photography walk: see
shoreditchstreetarttours.co.uk
or intotheblue.co.uk. For mosaic
lovers, check out the expertise
available at London School
of Mosaic (lsomosaic.com),
including some online courses.
And there are plenty more
courses to be discovered
on skillshare.com, covering
everything from street art
to yarn bombing.
69
 O U R E V E R Y D AY
A N T H O LO GY
W H AT W I L L YO U D O T O DAY ?

A N E V E R Y D AY
ANTHOLOGY

PHOTOGRAPHY: CATHERINE FRAWLEY

LISA SYKES

From early morning tea through to your bedtime drink, our everyday anthology will keep you
company and be on hand to dip into. Featuring good food and forgotten wisdom, mindfulness
and microadventures, projects and pastimes, it’s a companion guide to dawn, day, dusk and
dark. Whatever the season, our 256 beautiful pages, curated by The Simple Things’ Editor,
are full of reminders that there are plenty of quiet pleasures and small ways to live well.
It makes a lovely gift for anyone who enjoys The Simple Things. Or maybe as a treat for yourself?

B U Y A C O P Y F O R J U S T £ 2 1 * ( P L U S P & P ) AT P I C S A N D I N K . C O M

*UK only. See website for international postage prices

 STYLE

WEARING
WELL
Stories of the clothes we love
BROGUES
Words: SIAN MEADES-WILLIAMS

M
y affinity with brogues farmers across Scotland and Ireland.
happened quite literally by Those instantly recognisable
accident. While I was tackling perforated holes across the toe
a pastel interpretation of a fruit bowl – the ‘brogueing’ that gives the shoes
in an art class fifteen years ago, trying their name – weren’t just decoration,
to get the shading on an orange just they were for draining bog water.
right, I felt a twinge in my foot. Three The shoe’s working class status had
days later a nurse told me that I’d a transformation in the 1920s, when
trapped a nerve. However, despite my they became a popular dance shoe and,
hobbling, it wasn’t x-rayed for another by the 1930s, brogueing was becoming
two months. I had actually broken a common adornment to women’s
my metatarsal. The break had healed shoes, on heeled pumps before flats
on its own, but badly, meaning that became more fashionable with women.
my beloved and fairly extensive high Fast forward to 1957 where the brogue
heel collection was put out to pasture. had its own iconic moment when Elvis
I knew that hanging up my heels was Presley wore a black and white pair
the right thing to do, but my chunky in the then cult film Jailhouse Rock.
platforms and stilettos – and the A shoe that’s had more than one
dresses that went with them – felt fashion makeover was more fitting
like a part of my identity. My 1950s for my own style reinvention than
style – which included pencil skirts, I had realised. Switch up the colours
halter dresses and flared coats – just and fabrics and the brogue feels
didn’t feel the same with flat shoes. modern and fun without ever straying
And without this uniform that I’d from their classic design. I’ve got
created for myself, I didn’t feel the my eye on a hot pink pair from fellow
same for a long time after my injury. flat shoe lovers Rogue Matilda, while
PHOTOGRAPHY: SOLOVAIR; STOCKSY

So, it’s ironic that what helped me I’m an admirer of Embassy’s unique
the most was an item that felt a lot patterns – buying brogues offers an
like part of a uniform: brogues. excellent opportunity to choose British
Although they’re commonly seen brands, and designers that prioritise
in an office, brogues have had their
“Those perforated holes craft and quality materials. While I
own reinvention since they were first
designed. They were originally made
across the toe were for occasionally miss my stride in a pair of
high heels, brogues helped me discover
to be worn outdoors by 19th-century draining bog water” my style – and myself – again.

71
A simple thing...
Many of the best things about winter
(snow, mountains, hygge) belong to
countries that do proper full-on cold.
So often our own temperate version is
more soggy than stunning. But the joy
of apricity – the warmth of the sun in
winter – can be appreciated anywhere.
As soon as rays appear, wrap up and
step outside to feel sunbeams on
your face. It’s sure to leave you smiling.
PHOTOGRAPHY: LIAM GRANT/STOCKSY
 MAGICAL CREATURES MAGICAL CREATURES

THE OTTER THE FROG

MAGICAL CREATURES MAGICAL CREATURES

THE SQUIRREL THE HEDGEHOG

Magical Creatures Collection

Limited Edition letterpress prints
In every issue of The Simple Things, we appreciate a magical creature
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IDYRXULWHVDQGDVNHG1RPDG/HWWHUSUHVVWRPDNHDKDQGprinted collection

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Each print is approximately 8x6”
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£15 each or all four for £50, unframed, plus £2 UK p&p*

BUY AT PICSANDINK.COM
*Check online for overseas postage prices

Letters of love
AN ENTHUSIAST OF THE WRITTEN WORD, LIZ MAGUIRE
FOUNDED FLEA MARKET LOVE LETTERS, AN ARCHIVE OF
FOUND CORRESPONDENCE DATING FROM THE LAST 100 YEARS
THE STORY BEHIND THE
DIGITAL VINTAGE LOVE
LETTER ARCHIVE, Flea
Market Love Letters, starts like
all good romantic stories should:
with a teenage girl discovering
a shoebox of yellow paper on
a card table at a flea market in
Skippack, Pennsylvania, on a
hot summer’s day. It was almost
a decade ago when I found that shoebox of letters from
the 1920s, and it began a whole new adventure for me.
I began sharing the letters that I ‘found’ – sourced
from flea markets and (in pandemic times) online
auctions – on Instagram in 2017. Our apartment
was remodelled after a fire that took place before my
husband and I moved in, and I became consumed with
the idea that if it went up again the letters would go
with it. They were so precious to me. I used Instagram
as a way to record their existence, only to discover the
letters would become precious to many others as well.
PHOTOGRAPHY: RAFAŁ KOSTRZEWA; SHUTTERSTOCK
Since then, I’ve shared more than 500 letters with
first-hand accounts of history – including both World
Wars, the Great Depression, the Queen’s coronation,
and more – previously only read about in textbooks.
And it’s my privileged job as the keeper of the letters
to preserve and share these truly one-of-kind stories.
The letter writers are not always sweethearts. They
are sons writing to parents, husbands writing to wives,
friends writing to one another. The list of potential
writers and recipients is endless. These aren’t just
stories: they are the legacies of real individuals.
PASSIONS
For me too, it’s a labour of love. When a letter
collection arrives, I photograph each one in detail,
then transcribe before sharing on Instagram and the
website, before they’re filed into a binder. A Second
World War series that I shared last year was 130 letters
long – it took me seven months to publish, totalling over
144 pages of typed manuscript; some 57,495 words.
At last count there were more than 1,600 letters in
the archive. The most frequent time periods for letter
writing are a surprise to no one. In storage, I’ve got close
to 100 First World War letters and nearly 400 Second
World War letters and, while I couldn’t possibly choose
a favourite letter, I do have a favourite time period. I’m
particularly drawn to the 1920s and 1930s: when the
First World War is in the rear view, then there’s the
Great Depression so soon after. In those 10 to 15 years,
you’re looking at mentions in letters about unrest
in Europe but also residual trauma from the Spanish
Flu and mass unemployment and poverty from 1929.
It’s a very rich time for human stories.
As a letter writer myself, I started Flea Market Love
Letters with the intention to preserve and advocate
for the handwritten letter. In September 2020, to give
back, I launched the ‘Write More Letters’ Project,
a fundraiser to support the U.S. Charity ‘Hope For
The Warriors’ which works with Veterans and Military
Families. I believe that everyone has a letter story.
What’s yours?
Do you have a vintage or found letter you’d like to
tell Liz about? She may be a handwritten letter fan
but she loves email, too. You can write to her and
share letters at info@fleamarketloveletters.com.
75
 ISTER* 1920s: STOCKER
ey, if I could only have ‘I don’t feel as if my letters have
you here and was snuggled in given any idea of the wonderful
your arms tonight making all trip we are having, for I have
our plans right with you. If you often had to write them where we
but knew how lonely I am to are so hurried. We find something
be held in your arms and feel to do all the time in the day and
your kisses. It makes me so often do not have dinner until
very impatient at times.’ seven or eight o’clock. We enjoyed
(November 1914) every minute. Arthur sends love
and Harry, too. With much love
The McAllister letters start in 1912, from here, Alice’ (6 August 1924)
a little over a decade into the new
century. The McAllister letters are
In 20th-century America, the
named for their recipient ‘Harriet
concept of a European Tour was a
McAllister’. The collection tells
month-long trip taken by the well-
of a young, pure and ardent love
to-do for their cultural betterment.
between Harriet and her ‘Boykins’
There are 33 ‘Stocker letters’, named
George Tietema. George and
after Alice Stocker, from 1918 to
Harriet would marry in late 1914
1929. Alice, her husband, and son
but were active pen pals before,
FIRST WORLD WAR: are living in New York in 1924 when
accumulating some 60 letters from
they are sent on a European Tour by
January 1913 to November 1914. BUSHNELL
her parents. The family photograph
With Harriet in St. Paul, Minnesota, ‘Dear Mother… Received your and write home to her parents
and George in Slayton, Minnesota, most welcome letter and was from such exotic places as England,
the two are separated by just two entirely glad to hear from you. France, and Switzerland. In 1924,
hours, but the letters are full of
Received two of your letters that most of Europe was just recovering
young anguish at being kept apart.
were addressed to Ft. McDowell from the horrors of the First World
and were forwarded here. The War, and the Stocker family are
money was welcome too to say not protected from the harsh truths
the least. I couldn’t even send of that. However, there is still an
element of the Romantic adventure,
a letter as I didn’t have money
perhaps captured here best in an
enough to buy a stamp.’
excerpt from this letter, written
(14 April 1918) by Alice to her father, about their
time in Lucerne, Switzerland.
In 1918, Walter Bushnell in Pismo,
California, enlisted in the U.S.
Military and set off to play his
part. Writing to his mother Ada
throughout his deployment, the
archive has 38 letters from March
1918 to August 1920. Letter writing
and postcards in particular were
popularised in this period: ‘the poor
man’s telephone’. In the 14 April
1918 letter, the war is almost seven
months from ending with Walter,
it seems, not yet having left U.S.
shores for conflict but certainly
feeling the pinch on his wallet.

*You can use these names to search for the full collection of letters in the archive at fleamarketloveletters.com

76

1930s: LINDSAY
‘Dear darling wife, I got your
loving letter this afternoon and
was glad. I am feeling good
tonight but am a little lonesome
at present. Have had a little hard
week and have been too tired to
do much of a night but eat and
sleep but would feel better if
you was here to cheer me up.’
(7 August 1936)
Historians say that The Great
Depression started in 1929 with
‘Black Thursday’ and ended in 1933.
However, first-hand accounts of life
in the American South like those in
these ‘Lindsay letters’ – named after
their authors Walter and Virgie
Lindsay, based in Tennessee – show
that the hardships of the Depression
extended well beyond 1933 and into
the start of the Second World War.
Through the 14 letters between the
couple, we’re treated to romantic
and bittersweet professions of love
and aspirations for life. The letters
date from August 1935 to October
1940. Most often Walter and Virgie
are separated, with Walter working
at whatever jobs he can find to
support their small family. It
wouldn’t have been unusual at
all during the Great Depression
for husbands and wives to live
and work apart for months or years
at a time. This August 1936 letter
shows Walter confiding in Virgie
that while separated, her letters
bring him comfort.
1930s: ROTH
‘My Dearest: I got two letters
from you today and did I enjoy
hearing from you! I am warning
you in advance that this won’t be
a two page letter because every
one in this house is in bed. I guess
they won’t be asleep until I finish
my letter though. (I was working
at the house until 10 o’clock.)
Honey, I am so glad that you liked
everything in your surprise box.
Your mother and Dotty picked the
dresses for you and Dotty selected
the nail polish. The only thing
I did was to pay for them. It is
needless to say that the box of
candy brought back pleasant
memories to me too when
I purchased it.’ (25 July 1939)
The Roth letters magnify the
everyday details of a husband and
wife – Kaye and Nelda “Nonie” Roth
– in Pennsylvania. The 20 letters
go from spring 1938 to summer
1939. While Nelda recuperates at
a hospital for a condition we’re not
privy to, Kaye is renovating their
dream house, which the couple
write about. Their tenderness is
evident with Kaye’s sweet greeting
and focus on happier times.
PASSIONS
SECOND WORLD WAR: SMITH
‘Dear Mom + Pop… I sure hope
that by now you have received
some word from Manny. I believe
there was very strict censorship
concerning where he is, and the
mail was held up on account of it.
That happens very often. I write
him every week and I’m sure I’ve
got a bunch of mail from him on
the way. Mom, those socks should
come in handy. I’ve got enough
now but they wear out easy and
sometimes they’re hard to replace.
I filled out some and I’ve got
dimples. Ain’t that cute?? Pop,
are you keeping track of the
Russians? They’ll be in Berlin
by the time you get this. I’m in
sound health. Don’t worry about
a thing. Your loving son, Herman’
(9 February 1945)
Milton “Manny” Smith and
Herman Smith were two Jewish
brothers from the Bronx. In reading
the Smith letters home – 34 letters
from spring 1942 to winter 1945
– it’s evident that the brothers felt
they couldn’t always be honest
about their experiences. There are
also a number of V-Mail (or Victory
Mail) letters. A V-Mail one page
letter was written by a G.I. on
a particular type of stationery.
The letter was then scrutinised by
censors. When it passed censorship,
it was photographed onto microfilm
and shrunk to 60% the size of their
original editions. The reduced size
of the letters meant more could
be carried without affecting space
on military vessels for life saving
supplies and weapons.
77
 Call of the song mother
As they gather to mark the beginning of Lent, the Seto people – one of Europe’s
last indigenous folk cultures – help preserve their heritage through singing songs
passed on through generations of women. Sarah Thomas gives us a glimpse
into their unique way of life
S
now lies thinly on the ground in
the woods just outside Värska,
Estonia – one of the most sparsely
populated nations in Europe. It’s
melting as spring approaches. It’s
the day before Great Lent begins
in the Orthodox Christian calendar, a period of
fasting and abstinence; the last day it’s allowed
to eat milk and eggs. At the edge of the trees
a woman fries pancakes over an open fire
and, gathered in a circle, a happy choir of
Seto women sing to one another and to a
small crowd of onlookers. Their headscarves
–indicating that they are married – are tied
tight to keep the cold at bay. A lead singer calls
the verse. The choir choruses a polyphonic
response. Their long white lambswool coats sway way
as they chant so s much h older than the trees.
The Seto are one of the last remaining
indigenous folk cultures in Europe. They are an
ethnic and linguistic minority group numbering
about 12,000, with approximately 4,000 of those
inhabiting a region referred to as the Kingdom
of Setomaa, which was created after the fall of
the Soviet Union. An unratified border between
south-eastern Estonia and the Pechorsky
district of the Russian Federation transects
this region, and only 300 Seto now live on the
Russian side. The threat of fragmentation posed
by the border has galvanised the Seto’s efforts
to preserve their cultural identity. They are
sometimes referred to as ‘half believers’ by the
Orthodox church as their distinctive language
and culture twines an original pagan belief
system with their 15th-century adoption of
Orthodox Christianity.
Threading through the Seto people’s lives are
leelo – these polyphonic songs – a cornerstone
PHOTOGRAPHY: SARAH THOMAS/@JOURNEYSINBTWN; SHUTTERSTOCK
of their identity. In a leelo the lead singer delivers
a verse line, then the choir joins in for the final
syllables then repeats the whole line. These
songs are mostly the domain of women and are
passed on through the generations. Women
gather together to sing at community events in
traditional dress. In 2009, the Seto’s exceptional
preservation of their folksongs over centuries
was recognised by the addition of leelo to the
UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage,
alongside fascinating skills from Nordic Clinker
boat building to Polish tree bee keeping culture.
The songs reflect the beliefs, culture and way
of life of their ancestors. There are narrative
songs, wedding songs, laments and work songs.

Work songs may include spinning songs, harvest
songs, shepherd songs and hand mill songs. Even
if the work itself is a distant memory, the songs
about it are kept alive. Contemporary leelo are
composed, too, weaving current events into song
to become the history of the future. The very
best lead singers, honoured by the title ‘song
mothers’ (lauluima), are storehouses of memory.
The most famous could recite up to 30,000
verses. Not only memory but skill in composition
is the mark of an excellent lauluima, who is
given their official title on Seto Kingdom Day.
As a gesture of Seto cultural sovereignty, the
first Seto Kingdom was announced in 1994 in
Obinitsa, and a Kingdom Day is held annually
on the first Saturday in August. The Seto believe
that their king, Peko, who is also a fertility god,
sleeps eternally in a sandstone cave near Petseri,
and will awake if the Seto are in great danger.
He must be helped to govern by earthly
representatives to whom he issues directions
through their dreams. The vice king and queen
are chosen by the community on Kingdom Day.
The candidates must be backed by at least 10
people and a leelo choir must support them by
singing their merits. Each one stands on a tree
stump and their supporters stand before their
choice, the most popular becoming the new
ruler until the next Kingdom Day.
This year’s Seto vice queen, Maarja, is one
of the choir members gathered today. She wears
a headdress – signifying an unmarried woman.
She holds regal wooden staff festooned with
the handwoven ribbons of her predecessors, and
her own. She tells me she learned to weave her
ribbon from an old woman, by attaching threads
to a door handle to make the loom. I ask her
what wood it is. “I don’t know the name in
English but smell it.” What I can smell is smoked
meat coming from the teahouse kitchen, where
another group are preparing a funeral feast.
“Juniper!” she remembers.
The Seto vice king looks on, white-coated,
trilby-hatted, leaning on his own ribbon-strewn
staff of juniper. I had met this man a few nights
earlier at a cultural centre-cum-restaurant
TRADITIONS
Protecting the
Seto people’s
heritage, the
Vice King stands
proud with his
staff made of
juniper and his
traditional white
coat and hat
Threading through the Seto
people’s lives are leelo
songs – a cornerstone
of their identity
housed on the ground floor of his home. It was
the only place near where I was staying that
I could buy a meal in March, off season, and
I was the only patron. We had chatted over
dinner in broken English. He had introduced
himself: “Aare. Like King.” I had thought he was
describing the meaning of his name, but today
I realise he is the king, at least for this year. He
raises his juniper staff and says “Power!” He is
talking about the power of juniper, not himself.
These are a humble people, proud of their
identity and finding creative ways to celebrate it.
As the stack of pancakes grows tall, I watch
a child discover the large bowl of jam on the
table beside them, and spoon it delightedly and
messily into his mouth, not yet caught by the
cook. The circle of singers relaxes into a laughing
gaggle and forms a queue at the table, ready
to feast before the downtime.
“I want to make it the norm
for people to buy reusable”
We caught up with Tabitha Eve founder Debbie Rees to see how keeping
your impact on the planet small can produce big results
Morning. What beautiful
products – how did it all begin?
I’ve always been aware of the need
to make positive environmental and
ethical choices and, as a keen scuba
diver, I’ve witnessed the impact
of plastic pollution in our oceans
first-hand. During maternity leave
I took up sewing and decided to
make some items that could replace
single-use or plastic products. One
of the first things I made was the
‘None’ sponge – a washable dish
sponge – then friends and family
started asking me to make the same
for them. The rest, as they say, is
history – I left my career in finance
and launched Tabitha Eve online.
And things just blossomed?
At first it was just me and my
sewing machine at home, but it soon
became clear that I needed more
space – essentially my husband got
fed up of living amongst packing
boxes – so I moved into a separate
studio and hired my first employees.
We’re now a team of eight and we
have over 500 stockists all over the
world, which amazes me to this day.
Wow, that’s really impressive.
You sound like a natural
Well, I’ve had to learn a lot of things
on the job, such as barcodes and
marketing. And something that
I wasn’t familiar with was Tik Tok
– I’m so grateful to the younger
members of the team who showed
me the ropes! As a small business,
we change weekly – there’s always
a new challenge to face or a new
opportunity to explore. It can be
nerve-racking, but mostly it’s all
just part of the fun.
What are you most proud of?
The fact that we go that extra
mile by providing products that are
not only eco-friendly, but ethically
made, too. The majority of our
textile products are made by our
UK-based team, all of whom are
paid at least the minimum wage
and have the opportunity to share
in the business’s profits. I’m also
hugely proud of the fact that we
provide flexible working for those
who need it – those with disabilities
and parents who have to fit work
in around childcare. I know I’d have
found it almost impossible to return
to the career I had before becoming
a mum and I want to make sure
that we provide an environment
that’s 100% non-discriminatory
and enables everyone to flourish.
You’re making a real difference
Well, I believe wholeheartedly
in the power of business for good,
not just for profit. We’ve run
various charitable campaigns and
have donated to a number of causes,
both through product sales and also
through wider objectives such as
Green Friday. My ultimate goal is to
produce beautiful, quality products
that enable our customers to lead
lives with a smaller impact on our
planet – I want to make it the norm
for people to buy reusable.
You have a great range, which
products stand out for you?
The None sponge will always have
a special place in my heart, but
another favourite is our Reusable
Nail Polish Remover pads. Did you
know that one pack of five pads
could replace 1,000 single-use
cotton pads, saving around 80
bathtubs-worth of water! It’s not
hard to see why they’re so popular.
Fantastic, we’ll be popping those
on our wishlist. So, what does the
year ahead hold for Tabitha Eve?
I want to expand our home and
giftware range so that customers
can gift more consciously and
accessorise their homes ethically.
For info, visit tabithaeve.co.uk or
follow on Insta: @tabithaeveco.
The Simple Things readers can
enjoy 20% off online by using
the code SIMPLE20 at checkout.
Valid until 28 February 2022.
 ADVERTISEMENT PROMOTION

Debbie (left) took up sewing

during maternity leave, creating
products that could replace
plastic and single-use items and
from there, Tabitha Eve was born

81
 THE ICE FANTASTIC
ALL EYES ON THE SLOPES, AS WE CELEBRATE THE RECORD-
BREAKING ATHLETES AND EVENTS THAT HAVE SHAPED THE
WINTER OLYMPICS INTO THE SPORTING SPECTACLE IT IS TODAY
Words: NATASHA TIDD

82
 LOOKING BACK

T
he first official Winter Olympic
games were held 98 years ago
against the sweeping base of the
Mont Blanc range in Chamonix,
France. Those 1924 games saw
258 athletes from 16 countries compete in
a handful of events; almost a century later,
the 2022 Winter Olympics will see just
under 100 nations expected to compete
and thousands of athletes set to descend
on Beijing and towns in the neighbouring
Hebei province for their shot at gold.
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY; GETTY IMAGES; MARY EVANS PICTURE LIBRARY; TOPFOTO
response, the World Championships swiftly
voted to ban women from future events.
However, after much lobbying, a separate
ladies competition was set up in 1906, with
female figure skating added as an Olympic
sport for the 1908 Summer Games, where
Madge Syers took the gold.
Just like Madge, the 11 women at the first
Winter Olympics were sporting pioneers,
fighting not only to medal, but to prove
the worth of female athletes. Among their Clockwise from top left: The
number was gold medalist, Herma Szabo 1924 inaugural Winter games

featured just 11 women

S K AT E S , S K I R T S A N D
RECORD SMASHERS
Perhaps the starkest difference from those
first games to today’s are the number of
female athletes. Just 11 women competed
in 1924, in the only category open to them:
from Austria, who went on to become one
of just four women to also win the world
championships five times. Herma caused
controversy thanks to her daring decision to
ditch her long skirt for a knee length number
– the first adult skater to compete with her
ankles visible! This wasn’t style related, but
including figure skating
champion Herma Szabo
(far left); Record crowds
gather in Norway in 1952.
Gold medalist Madge Syers;
American downhill skier
Gretchen Fraser; ice-skating
royalty, Torvill & Dean

figure skating. Yet for those women to
even be there was a major achievement.
In 1902, British skater Madge Syers
caused international scandal when she
competed in the World Championships.
Then considered an all-male sport, Madge
found a loophole – the Championships
discouraged female skaters but hadn’t
outright banned them. She swept the
competition, placing silver – and, in
aerodynamic, allowing for more technique
and tricks – and by the 1936 games it was
de rigueur. The sea of short skirts wasn’t the
only major difference at these games, thanks
to the introduction of a second event that
allowed female athletes: Alpine Skiing. »
The 2022 Winter Olympics is set to be one
of the most gender balanced games yet
83
 LOOKING BACK

RECORD
BREAKERS
AND OTHER
OLYMPIANS
OF NOTE
OIn 1988 the US figure skater Debi

Thomas became the first Black

athlete to medal at the Winter
Olympics, winning bronze.
OThe German Paralympian

Reinhild Möller has a whopping

23 medals: 19 in Alpine skiing
and another four for athletics
in the summer games.
OThe ice-dancing duo, Torvill

and Dean, won gold in 1984 with

perfect 6.0 artistic impression
scores from all the judges.
OHenri Oreiller, who honed his

alpine skiing skills as a part of the

French Resistance’s skiing unit in
the Second World War, won two
gold and one bronze at the 1948
Olympics, despite losing his skis
the morning of competition!
OAfter failing to make the US

Olympic track team, the sprinter

Vonetta Flowers was ready to
hang up her hopes of Olympic
gold, until she was scouted
for bobsleigh. In 2002 she
made history, not only winning
gold in the inaugural women’s
bobsleigh, but becoming the
first Black athlete to win gold
at the Winter Olympics.
OEric Heiden, the 21-year-old

speed skater had a historic run in

1980: over nine days, he won five
golds, smashing five Olympics
records and one world record.
OThe Norwegian figure skater
Sonja Henie, who placed last
at the 1924 games when she
was just 11, went on to Olympic
glory, winning gold three times
in a row, in addition to becoming
one of 1930s Hollywood’s
most loved starlets.
FIGHTING FOR FIRST
Since then, the journey towards equality for
female athletes has become a decades-long
battle, with events slow to open to women:
Cross Country Skiing was introduced in
1952, Luge in 1964 and Bobsleigh not until
2002. The 2022 Winter Olympics is set to
become one of the most gender balanced
games yet, with women expected to make
up over 45% of competitors. However,
they’re still fighting to be allowed to
compete at the same level as men.
In 2009, a group of 15 female ski jumpers,
tired of being frozen out of the Olympics,
sued for their right to compete at the 2010
games in Vancouver. The group included
Lindsey Van – an American ski jumper who
set a world record for men and women in the

84

K95 hill – the very same hill that was to be
used in Vancouver. Despite this, the lawsuit
was denied – it wasn’t until the subsequent
Sochi Winter Olympics that the women’s
ski jump was included. Female ski-jumpers
are still fighting for equality; Olympic
regulations currently stop them from
competing on the same hill heights as men.
Alongside this fight for gender equality is
one for international inclusion. 2022 will see
Haiti’s debut at the Winter Olympics, with
Alpine Skier Richardson Viano the first to
carry their flag. Getting to this point has
been a rocky road for nations like Haiti that
don’t have easy access to year-round snow
and ice. The 1980s saw a flood of athletes
from more tropical countries, including the
beloved Jamaican bobsleigh team in 1988.
However, that year’s games would serve a
blow to the Olympic gold hopes of tropical
counties for years to come, all thanks to
Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards. Following the
British ski-jumper’s infamous participation,
a so called ‘Eddie The Eagle’ Rule was put
into place barring athletes who hadn’t come
in the top 50 of international competitions.
With winter sport still at the fledgling
stages in many of these countries, this ruling
iced out all but a small handful of athletes.
Yet the Olympic spirit cannot be broken
and athletes have found ingenious ways
to continue their training and dreams of
gold. Take the Vietnamese snowboarders
who used the sand dunes of Mui Ne as their
practise slopes. Then there’s the Nigerian
women’s bobsleigh team, who utilised
crowdfunding to fund their bid for Olympic
glory, with international donations enabling
them to move from practising in a sports
(Clockwise from top
left) American ski jumper
Lindsey Van challenged
gender equality at the
games; The Nigerian
women’s bobsleigh team
set records of their own;
skip to the good part
– the British curling
team in 1924; golden
wonder Eric Heiden
The ‘Eddie the Eagle’ Rule
barred athletes who hadn’t
placed in the top 50
hall to getting time on the ice. In 2018, the
women competed as the first Nigerians at
the games and the first African bobsleigh
team. This level of tenacious creativity has SLANG ON
opened the door once more for athletes from THE SLOPES:
around the world to take up ‘winter’ sports.
TALK LIKE AN
B U I L D I N G U P PA C E OLYMPIAN
The actual mechanics of the games have Mogul: a bump in a ski run
been evolving, too. First broadcast to select Skip: the athlete that determines
European countries in 1956, 2022 is set to a curling team’s strategy
see new advances in technology, including Piste: a downhill ski trail
bullet time cameras and multi-angled shots, Knuckle: the top of the landing
allowing viewers to choose their viewpoint. on a snowboard jump
Creative solutions are also being found to Flutz: when a skater fails
make the games eco-friendlier, including a lutz jump
overhauling the star of the show – the snow. Icing: an infraction that stops
Lack of it has long been an issue: in Italy play in hockey
in 1956 and Austria in 1964 armies were In-run: a steep portion of ramp
deployed to bring in truckloads of snow where ski jumpers gain speed
for the skiing events. Since 2010, artificial before jumping
snow has been used – 90% of the snow
used at PyeongChang’s alpine skiing event
was artificial. New technology is being
developed to better recycle and conserve
water, which can be turned into a far greener
(if still fake) version of the white stuff.
In a little under a century the Winter
Olympics continues to evolve. Beyond
2022, as it looks to broaden its horizons
even further, thaw out restrictions and
create a greener global event, let’s hope
it’ll be truly gold-medal-deserving.
85
 Painlessly shy
IT’S TIME TO TAKE THE SHAME OUT OF BEING SHY
AND CELEBRATE THE POSITIVES OF THIS UNSUNG
CHARACTER TRAIT

E
Words REBECCA FRANK

verybody has experienced faced with a situation you’re uncomfortable

moments of shyness. There are the
familiar physical symptoms (dry
mouth, butterflies in the stomach,
trembly voice, blushing) and the
emotional (social awkwardness,
nerves, fear of saying the wrong thing, of being
judged). It might happen occasionally, when
with like public speaking or going to a party
full of strangers, or something you’re aware
of more frequently. “Shyness is a basic human
emotion,” says clinical psychologist and founder
of the Social Fitness Center, Lynne Henderson,
“which many people experience but has become
negatively stereotyped. Sixty years ago, shyness

86

was considered a normal personality trait,
indeed it was valued.”
S H Y N E SS AS A S U P E R P OW E R
In her book The Shyness Workbook (Robinson)
Henderson draws a comparison between
humans and other animals who also commonly
exhibit shy behaviours. These animals tend
to form hierarchies where the strong and
dominant lead and the less powerful and
more wary maintain the social order. “To some
degree social anxiety may be good for social
harmony,” she explains. “The main difference
between humans and animals is that humans
have a high sensitivity for how we want to
exist in the mind of others, the need to be
liked. We’re far more concerned with social
and psychological threats than the physical.”
In a world that seems to celebrate the loud
and competitive, this fear of being judged,
disliked or passed over can cause anxiety for shy
people, leading to shame, submissiveness and
avoidance. Rather than hiding or pretending
not to be shy, Henderson wants people to
develop compassion towards their shyness.
“Once we stop seeing shyness as a negative
characteristic, we’ll notice the strengths
and qualities that come with being shy,” says
Michelle Elman, life coach and author of The
Joy of Being Selfish (Welbeck). “Being a quieter
person has many advantages. You often find
they’re the observers and are good at noticing
things.” Henderson agrees, adding that shy
people tend to be good listeners and are more
collaborative, conscientious, and compassionate.
T H E S H Y E X T R OV E R TS
Shy people are often misunderstood and
ILLUSTRATION: EVELYN DAVIDDI, COURTESY OF TOI ART GALLERY
there are lots of people out there trying to
cover their shyness by being the loudest in
the room. “It’s commonly assumed that shy or
quiet people are unconfident and the loud and
outgoing are confident, but this is often not the
case,” says Elman. “People can use loudness to
hide insecurity.” The quieter, ‘shy’ person on the
other hand might just have a ‘pause-to-check
approach’, preferring to observe and assess
a situation before speaking up. Shyness isn’t
the same as introversion and shy people don’t
necessarily have social anxiety. “Introverts
prefer solitary to social activities but aren’t
“Too often shyness is
framed as a problem that
needs to be solved”
IDEAS
afraid of social encounters,” says Henderson. Social fitness
“Many shy people have introverted traits, but Try these techniques to
in truth, we all have some such behaviours.” help build confidence at
times when you feel shy
BORN TO BE MILD
Many people can recall experiencing shyness • Keep practising
as a child which is when we often become Spending time in familiar,
labelled as ‘shy’ and have our first negative unchallenging contexts,
experiences. “Too often shyness is framed as such as at home, may result
a problem in children that needs to be solved,” in higher levels of shyness,
says Elman, who insists that there are many whereas putting yourself
positives to forming relationships at a slower out of your comfort zone
pace. Shy children are “usually more sensitive is likely to boost confidence.
to the thoughts and feelings of others, more • Fake it until you feel it
cooperative and altruistic, showing sympathy When you look confident
to other children in distress,” says Henderson people believe you are and
adding that these children are also more it becomes easier for you
likely to behave in similar ways as adults. to adopt this persona.
Writer Annie Ridout describes herself as • Rather than think of your
a ‘formerly very shy, now-just-a-little-bit shy’ shyness as a weakness,
person. “Being shy forced me to listen, observe, think about how it has
empathise, examine,” she says. “Favouring served you well in the past
quiet time meant I read a lot, I learned to write. Playing to your strengths
But it did create barriers, too, and I’ve had to is always powerful.
find ways to overcome these.” In her book Shy • Check your body
(Fourth Estate), Annie shares how she learned language When you feel
to overcome the social aspects of shyness anxious your inclination
and fear of rejection. “Being born with a is to protect yourself by
propensity towards shyness can feel inhibiting crossing your arms or
but it means you’re forced to find ways to legs. Uncross your legs
compensate. As a child I couldn’t comfortably and arms and you’ll appear
perform or be the loud kid, but I could channel more relaxed and will
my energy into learning new skills. In the hopefully start to feel it too.
workplace, I’ve been able to focus on what • Talk about it When
I want and find clever ways to get it – without shyness crosses into social
being the loudest or the most flamboyant.” anxiety disorder or social
If shyness is holding you back or causing you phobia it needs addressing.
anxiety, Henderson says there’s lots that can
CBT is successful in treating
be done to break the avoid/shame/blame cycle people with social anxiety
and improve confidence and self-compassion. by helping to recognise
“What shy people don’t often realise is that and trap negative thoughts
these thoughts and insecurities are universal, and behaviours.
we can all feel threatened and insecure,
and they shouldn’t be so hard on themselves.
Shyness is not a disease to be cured.”
Annie is keen for fellow shy people to
reveal their true selves. “If you’re shy and
feel ashamed, tell a friend that you experience
shyness,” she says. “This might make you
feel vulnerable, but it might also help you to
feel lighter as you’ll no longer be carrying the
secret.” And if somebody opens up to you about
feeling shy or you observe shyness in them,
Annie says to remember that “while they
may seem cocooned and unavailable, there’s
a butterfly in there waiting to come out.”
87
 Rain, wind or storm – come
what may, the garden still calls
and the Rhino greenhouse
weathers it all. We can’t
predict the weather, but we
can guarantee your Rhino
greenhouse for 25 years.

rhinogreenhouses.co.uk
0800 694 1929
 FLOWERS IN THE HOUSE
Bringing blooms indoors: it’s what every home needs

Irises
Finding flowers from a winter garden
can be challenging, but the Algerian
iris (Iris unguicularis) is one of the few
that not only blooms at this time of
year, but releases a sweet scent and
adds a dash of green, violet and yellow
to remind you that the seasonal shift is
just around the corner. Bring the pots
inside (and make a note to plant some
in September ready for next winter),
along with a few snowdrops, for
a cheering glimpse of spring.
PHOTOGRAPHY: LAURA SOLFI/STOCKSY

89
 HOME TOUR

DESIGN FOR LIFE

A TIMELESS HOME WITH A CAREFULLY PLANNED ADDITION AND
AN ABUNDANCE OF VINTAGE FINDS IS AN OASIS IN THE CITY

Words: NAOMI JONES/NARRATIVES Photography: EMMA LEWIS/NARRATIVES

90
Stephen’s background
in interior design shows
in the cohesive colour
scheme, choosing
a white backdrop with
darker accents and the
odd splash of colour
from soft furnishings
 HOME TOUR
N
estling between London’s
‘super-hip’ Dalston and ‘ever
chic’ Islington is a leafy area
of Hackney called De Beauvoir
Town, which Midlands-born
Stephen Nash and his wife
Miranda May feel incredibly lucky to call home.
It’s here that the couple have transformed a once
dark and dated Victorian semi-detached house
into a contemporary and flexible family home
filled with inherited pieces and vintage finds.
“Miranda had a flat in this neighbourhood and
I’d also lived here previously, so we both knew
the area well,” explains Stephen, interior designer
and creative director at All & Nxthing Interiors.
The pair first met nine years ago when Miranda,
who moved to London from Bath, approached
Stephen for help with her flat. However, that
project was soon side-lined when the pair fell
in love and decided to start from scratch on
a new house together. “We were both completely
immovable on the location,” says Stephen. “There
92
was only one square mile that was of interest to When Stephen and
us as this area has everything you could ever hope MIranda renovated
their home, future-
to have in London: access to excellent nightlife and proofing it was a
transport links, good schools, loads of green spaces, priority. By extending
and a proper community feel that you don’t get and combining the
old kitchen and dining
in more transient parts of the city – I see the same room they now have an
people at the same time every day and there’s area that is just as suited
a genuine feel of comfort in that, especially to family life as it is to
when you want to settle for the long term.” hosting large parties
Stephen designed a back extension with several
original walls removed to maximise space and
incorporate what was the existing kitchen and
dining area. “My top priority was to future-proof
the house by increasing the space to make
an open-plan living area that would work for
day-to-day family life as well as for large social
gatherings,” he explains.
Stephen’s pride and joy in the kitchen is the
reclaimed parquet worktop on the island. “A lot of
work went into this, so I make sure I mop up after
every spill and wipe it down each night before bed.”
It also has terrazzo, which was cast on site around »
 “A LOT OF WORK WENT INTO THE
WORKTOP, SO I MOP UP AFTER EVERY
SPILL AND WIPE IT DOWN EACH NIGHT”
Panelling in the
hallway conceals
clever storage and a
downstairs cloakroom,
while the rich, dark
colour – Squid Ink by
Paint & Paper Library –
gives a welcoming vibe
 HOME TOUR

The snug at the front

of the house is a cosy
and quiet grown-up
space that can be shut
off from the rest of
the house – just the
spot to idle over
the weekend papers

95
 HOME TOUR
the built-in sink to avoid water damage and to
make it both practical and beautiful.
Miranda insisted, however, that they leave
the front sitting room intact as she loves having a
space that can be shut off from the rest of the house.
“When Miranda turned 30, we had a party for
about 50 people in the back room, with a cocktail
bar and food out in the garden, it was brilliant,”
says Stephen. “But I do admit that when we want
to sit quietly and read the papers, the snug is lovely,
and it’s unsurprisingly Miranda’s favourite place.”
Stephen also wanted to move the bathroom from
its position next to the kitchen up to the first floor;
this meant nibbling some space from one of the
bedrooms as well as the hallway. “Luckily, I had
the best builder,” he says. “No job was too big; he
wasn’t fazed when I asked if we could tank the
new bathroom so that we wouldn’t need a space-
hungry shower cubicle, or when I suggested we
open up the ceiling to the rafters to let natural light
into what would have been a windowless space.
Miranda thought my plans were a bit extravagant
as she’s not one for a long soak like me, but I felt
very strongly that if it could be done it should be
96
done and now, even though it’s the smallest room The spare room (far left)
in the house, it’s definitely my happy place.” shares a chimney with the
open-plan seating area
Although the couple have different opinions on below: cue another lovely
their favourite room, what they both agree on is the fireplace. The room is soon
choice of colours. “We wanted to keep it simple and to be renovated to
become River’s bedroom.
have gone for a crisp white as a main backdrop on
Meanwhile, moving the
the walls and have been gradually adding colour,” bathroom (right) upstairs,
explains Stephen. “We wanted darker shades for stealing space from a
the kitchen units, the snug and the entrance hall, bedroom and the landing,
was a big renovation job.
and we used a soft pink upstairs, but generally we Now vaulted with plenty
want to make sure the house feels cohesive. of natural light, it’s
Keeping it simple allows us to bring in our vintage become Stephen’s
favourite part of the house
finds and colourful soft furnishings without it all
looking too busy – or even messier when our two-
year-old daughter River’s toys are strewn about!”
After six years living in their transformed home,
Stephen and Miranda are still as content as ever.
“This project was technically quite challenging,
but there was nothing we couldn’t figure out and I
can honestly say Miranda and I still feel incredibly
lucky to live here. We may update a few colours
and switch out some of the pots and furniture
as time and budget allow, but we both love
this house as much as the first day we saw it.”
STEPHEN’S STYLE
l Colour is a useful foil for zoning

spaces and adding mood.

l Under-floor heating negates

the need for radiators, which

take up valuable wall space.
l Stay honest to the space:
don’t try to make a room full
of traditional features look too
modern, or fill a new space with
faux period details or furniture.
l I love mixing different types

and ages of wood – we have

200-year-old antiques, vintage
pieces and modern carpentry.
 HOW TO EAT AND
DRINK A CACTUS
IT TURNS OUT THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS YOU CAN USE
A CACTUS IN THE KITCHEN. SABINA PALERMO, FOUNDER OF
BRIGHTON’S HI CACTI, SHARES A FEW RECIPES – AND, YES,
YOU DO NEED TO TAKE THE SPINES OFF FIRST

T
he first time I ever
heard of eating cactus I
was on a trip to La Casa
Azul, Mexico, the home
of my childhood hero,
artist Frida Kahlo. We
spent a sunny day floating down the
canals in Xochimilco on a brightly
decorated gondola-like boat. We
drank cold Carta Blanca beer and
chatted with our boat driver. As we
passed a bank lined with cacti, I told
him that I had a cactus business in
England. He beamed, then proudly
described to us how in Mexico they
eat nopalito
nopalitos or nopal – which comes
from the word nõchtli in Nahuatl,
the language of the Aztecs – and
describes the paddles (paddle-
shaped leaves) of the prickly pear
cactus (Paddle cactus). While the
deliciously pretty and pink prickly
pear cactus fruit is known as atún,
translating to ‘tuna’ in English.
Being raised in Texas, I was
familiar with prickly pear fruits,
which were used in jams and
margaritas, but had never heard of
eating the cactus itself. Our guide
showed us how to prepare, cook and
eat it and after that I was a convert
– I ate cactus at every opportunity.
Nopal isn’t just an iconic symbol
of Mexico, research reveals several
health benefits, too, such as reducing
inflammation and lowering blood-
sugar levels in diabetics. It’s also rich
in antioxidants, fibres, vitamins and
minerals. For those with a sweeter
tooth, the prickly pear fruit has many
similar benefits, plus it’s uniquely
high in vitamins C and D. Opuntia
is the botanical name for the prick
pear genus and there are over 200
species. They all bear fruit, altho
not all are edible. Most prickly
fruits on the market are harve
from the Indian Fig Opuntia.

AT A C AC T US
WAYS TO E b them
t o ff th e p ads and scru
1 Cu move all
A N D o ta to peeler to re
G h a p normal
S O U R C I N G N O PA L
wit
n d s p in e n odules. It’s
IN spines a e of its
P R E PA R c a c tu s to release som
for the ff and pat
n op a l c a n be as liq u id , s o rinse this o
ourcing slim y
For some, s h ike o r growing with paper
towel.
r a ry
easy as g o ing fo d f the pads
. H o w ever, for s h b oth sides o
ga rd e n 2 B ru season
them in the p a l c a n b e ly w ith o live oil and
us, fresh n o spari n g rika.
the rest of e x ic an s a lt , p ep p er and pap
ty M lightly with
me speciali s on
found at so l in ja rs (u su a lly
ll fo r a b out 5–6 min
d no p a 3 G ri ed.
markets, an n b e fo u n d at id e u n ti l s lightly charr
in brine) ca each s
is would be
done
preserved o r o n lin e . If you itio n a ll y , th
d shops Trad oal, but
organic foo p re p are o o d fire or charc
ortun it y to ov e r a w ll, too.
get the opp re c o m m end o r b a rb ec ue work we
nd, I highly your grill
nopal by ha h o w …
nce: this is
the experie

98
 GOOD THINGS TO MAKE

P R I C K LY P E A R &
ONION CHUTNE
Y
I met the ladies of Pla
nted vegan
catering at the early sta
ges of us all
starting our plant-ins
pired
businesses. Gabriella,
the co-owner,
SHUTTERSTOCK

and I bonded over ou

r love of prickly
pears. Her unique and
alternative
recipe creates a chutne
y that’s lovely
with bread, added to
a sandwich or
KENNY MCCRACKEN;

used as a dip.

C AC T U S TAC O S Tortillas of your choice

Makes around two 30
0g jars Salt and ground black pepper
16 prickly pear fruits
IER BUENDIA;

500g red onion (slice In my hometown, Austin, we eat

d) 1 If preparing fresh nopal, see the
125g golden caster su tacos for breakfast. Commonplace
gar instructions left and then follow
75ml white wine vineg all over Mexico and the American
ar
INA PALERMO; XAV

1 cinnamon stick (or ½ Southwest (though they vary in from step 2. If using jarred nopal
tsp in brine, rinse the pads and then
ground cinnamon) style and ingredients), in Texas,
A grating of fresh ging breakfast tacos are a serious lay them in between paper towels
er (or dash to dry. Once dry, lay them in a dry
of ground ginger) business! I usually rustle up a batch
PHOTOGRAPHY: SAB

Big pinch of salt of my taco filling on a Saturday frying pan over a medium heat,
morning so we can reheat to enjoy season lightly with salt, pepper and
1 Set aside 3–4 prickly over the weekend. Quick and easy, a sprinkle of paprika. Heat on each
pears. Prepare side for about 3 mins until slightly
the rest by slicing each this plant-based ‘all-day taco’ is my
in half and brown or charred. Take the nopal
scooping out the midd adaptation of a taste of home.
le (compost off the heat and set aside.
or discard the skins). Pla
ce the 2 Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat
scooped-out flesh in a Serves 4
saucepan the oil over a medium heat and
and cook down until it 100g nopal cactus pads or strips
has turned when hot add the potatoes, corn
into a liquid mush. Stra (fresh or jarred, and it works
in it through kernels, black beans, vegetable
a sieve, making sure yo without the cactus, if you’re
u push all the stock, cumin, paprika, garlic powder
bits through apart fro struggling to source it)
m the seeds. (if using) and liquid smoke. Cook
2 Meanwhile, in a pan 1 tsp paprika, plus extra
over a medium for about 8–10 mins, stirring
heat, add the onion, su for sprinkling
gar, vinegar, occasionally to combine the
cinnamon, ginger, salt ½ tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
and sieved seasoning and ingredients.
prickly pear. Whilst th 2 x 300g tins of peeled potatoes
is is heating, 3 Cut the nopal into 2cm pieces
peel and roughly chop (roughly 360g once drained)
the prickly and stir into the taco mix. Season
pears you saved from 170g corn kernels
earlier and with salt or hot sauce to taste.
add them to the pan. 1 x 400g tin of black beans
Bring to a 4 Serve the taco mix on warm
boil then simmer for 1–2 (roughly 250g once drained)
hrs, or until tortillas with (vegan) sour cream,
thickened. Spoon the ½ vegetable stock pot
mixture into salsa or some chopped avocado.
sterilised jars and seal 1½ tbsp ground cumin
with a lid. You can mix in scrambled tofu or
3 Once cooled, store in ½ tsp garlic powder (optional)
a cool scrambled egg before you serve,
place. Once opened, re 1 tsp liquid smoke (alternatively,
frigerate and if you like. Now y’all enjoy your
consume within one m use soy or tamari)
onth but for plant-based Tex-Mex tacos
best results, eat fresh 1 tsp your favourite hot sauce (or
the same day. and consume within five days.
more to taste for extra kick)

99
 GOOD THINGS TO MAKE

R I N K A C ACT U S
WAYS TO D
P R I C K LY P E A R
DESERT SHRUB DRINK

This desert shrub drink is hydrating,

naturally rich in vitamins and
minerals, and the apple cider vinegar
is great for digestive issues – a ‘shrub’
is a fruit-based syrup drink mixed
with vinegar. This recipe is from
Monique Carr, founder of Spellbound
Syrups, creating delicious artisanal
beverages from produce foraged
in the desert.
For those of us who aren’t lucky
enough to live in climates where
prickly pear fruits can be foraged,
speciality food markets usually sell
them from September to December.
Monique uses a gas stove to singe
the glochids (the spiky spines) off
before peeling them with a potato
peeler. As well as her recipe below,
she suggests using “shrub for soft
drinks, cocktails, dressings or to
pour over ice cream or yogurt.
Get creative and have fun!”

Makes approx. 500ml

6 medium-sized prickly pears
CLASSIC (about 400g)
OPTIONAL TO GARN 200g raw cane sugar, maple syrup
M A R G A R I TA ISH:
Sea salt flakes or Him or agave
alayan
pink salt 50ml spring or filtered water
This recipe pays hom
age to the Slice of lime
queen of the desert – 40ml raw apple cider vinegar
the agave. Thin slice of fresh jalap
Agave is the big, bad eño
and beautiful Orange or lime zest
plant mothership from 1 Once peeled, cut the fruit into 5cm
which
tequila is derived, as we pieces and place them into a blender
ll as the 1 Combine all the liquid
agave nectar that we’ll ingredients with half the amount of sugar and
use to with the ice in a cockta
sweeten our super su il shaker the water. Pulse until frothy.
cculent- or mason jar with a lid
based cocktail, the m and give 2 Strain the blended mix through
argarita! it a thorough shake.
Tequila is harvested fro a fine mesh strainer and cheesecloth
m the piña 2 Optional, but highly
or heart of the agave, into a clean bowl.
which is then recommended, is to ga
roasted and pressed to rnish by 3 Add the rest of the sugar and the
make a rubbing one of the jui
clear sugary liquid that ced limes raw apple cider vinegar and stir until
’s fermented along the rim of the gla
and distilled to make ss to wet, the sugar is dissolved. You can store
tequila. and then dip the rim ed
ge into it in a clean mason jar in the fridge
a small dish of salt flake for up to 1 year.
Makes 1 cocktail s. Then
add a thin slice of lime
40ml tequila blanco to float on
(good quality top of the cocktail and/
100% agave tequila) or a slice
of jalapeño for a little Adapted from Hi Cacti by Sabina
20ml freshly squeezed kick. For Palermo (Leaping Hare Press)
lime juice zesty taste and colour,
20ml Cointreau or or grate some
ange curacao orange or lime zest an
5ml–10ml agave nect hour or
ar syrup so before to dry out, th
75g ice cubes or crus en mix
hed ice into the dish of salt ga
rnish.

100

W H AT I T R E A S U R E
My heart of glass
By Lydia Bailey
N
ot many people can say they
found their heart on a beach
– but in this case, I can. In
more ways than one… I’m lucky
enough to live on the north
coast of Cornwall and enjoy nothing better
than sifting through the sand along the
shoreline as a tide turns, hunting for ‘sea
treasure’. My usual finds are simply the
flotsam and jetsam of beach life: driftwood,
so worn it feels like silk to touch, shells of
course, and, best of all, sea glass jewels;
discarded broken bottles kindly laundered
by the Atlantic, scrubbed clean and then
deposited, rejected, back to the shore. Green
and clear glass is the most common, brown
is plentiful but not as pretty to look at, blue
is my favourite, and red as rare as rubies.
A few years ago, my father-in-law sadly
died and a couple of days later, still in a
state of disbelief, my husband and I took my
mother-in-law with us on our beach sojourn.
We all got caught up sifting through the sand
and shingle. Although therapeutic, there
was nothing much to be found and after
a while we all sat on the sand, backs against
the ancient stone sea wall, looking out to sea
at the myriad boats bobbing about. It was a
cloudy evening in mid-summer. We chatted
of my father-in-law, a proud Cornishman,
when suddenly the clouds parted and the
BELONGINGS
sun burst forth dazzling our eyes and
transforming the scene before us; the sea
turned from grey to turquoise, the sand to
white, and a million diamonds bounced off
the water, twinkling in the evening light.
I also became aware of light twinkling in
the sand in front of me, on reaching forward
I pulled out a piece of beautifully smooth,
translucent glass – I could feel it was
embossed with a pattern on one side and, as I
looked closer, I realised it was in the shape of
a heart. I collect hearts. I collect sea glass. To
me it was the most fitting find and I believed
that my father-in-law had helped me find it.
I’m still a keen treasure seeker. I haven’t
found any other pastimes to better it;
exercise, fresh air and mindfulness all rolled
into one. My favourite time to hit the beach
is early morning or late evening, and just
after a storm. Not only does the ozone flow
through your system without even trying,
but the sea is guaranteed to have released a
new batch of jewels. The only time I avoid
going is high season when the ‘car park full’
signs are up before the sun is risen and even
the gull cries are masked by human ones.
I return when the beaches empty and
when the treasure trove’s been restocked.
What means a lot to you? Tell us in 500 words;
thesimplethings@icebergpress.co.uk.
101
 Hold on to
your heads
SEEDHEADS CAN BRING STRUCTURE, SUSTENANCE, AND
SUSTAINABILITY TO A GARDEN IN WINTER, SAYS ALICE
WHITEHEAD, AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SAVE THEM

T
idiness can easily creep unseen
from the house into the garden.
For years I was one of those overly
fastidious gardeners. By October,
dead stems would be cleared
and stacked, leaves raked, and
seedheads confined to the compost bin. Then
one autumn after the work/life balance tumbled
out of control, I had to let my plants and plans
run to seed. And the results were spectacular.
Bare earth and buzz cuts of stems were
replaced by a fairground of seedheads: whirling
carousels, spiky coconut shies, tufty candy floss
and Ferris wheels. And when the temperatures
dropped, the skeletons came out of the closet.
Under the low winter sun, edges were picked
out by frost and the bare bones of hollow stems
and spent flowers were illuminated. Orbiting
satellites of phlomis were dipped in glitter,
eryngiums became ghosts and beards of
clematis winked from on high. Memories of
summer captured in a cyanotype sun print.
As plants fragment and colours crumble, it’s
easy to think of the garden as a dead space. But
reframe this idea of decomposition as a ‘resting’
PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREA JONES
or ‘releasing’, and you can begin to appreciate
the soothing effect of this natural cycle.
Seed production is a valuable process for a
plant, so while you might ruthlessly deadhead
to get more of what you like, such as colour
and flowers, it’s easy to shun the papery
treasures that follow.
GARDENS
“Many plants form beautiful embryos of
seeds if left well alone – accidental heroes”
If you’re not collecting for propagation, you
can dry your seedheads for long-lasting flower
arrangements. Leave them in the garden, and
they’ll not only add striking sculptural form to
the blank winter canvas, but they’ll also provide
homes to hibernating insects and valuable food
for finches, tits, and wrens.
R E T H I N K I N G CO LO U R
We’ve been conditioned to think the winter
garden is devoid of colour. But the truth is, you
just need to look a little bit closer. Where once
there were reds and yellows, there’s now subtle
toffees, burnt sugars and the walnut of a sepia
photo. Add to this the white of snow, or morning
sun after an icy night, and the effect can be
While many instinctively
mesmerising. The plants, quite literally, shine. clear the garden after
The monochromatic palette of winter brings summer has faded,
tones, tints, and shades to the fore. Without leaving plants to die
back and turn to seed
distraction, the piercing winter light clarifies can produce sculptural
dark corners and details that are barely noticed displays of shape, texture
in the riotous colourwash of spring and summer. and colour for winter in
the garden
And seedheads add architectural structure 1 Teasel (Dipsacus
better than any wall or fence. fullonum) and silver
grass (Miscanthus
A R T I ST RY I N ACC I D E N TS sinensis ‘Silberfeder’)
2 Sea holly (Eryngium)
So how do you bring more of these pods and 3 Cow parsley
particles into your garden? The easiest place » seedheads
103

to start, is to stop tidying. Many of the plants
commonly grown for their blousy flowers
will form beautiful embryos of seeds if left well
alone. I like to call these the ‘accidental heroes’.
From a spring sowing, these include plants
such as Nigella damascena, or ‘Love-in-a-mist’,
with its inflated, balloon-like seedheads from
September, topped with tiny horns resembling
a children’s space hopper. Known as ‘sow and
forget’ flowers, they’ll happily self-seed and
reward you with a larger crop each year.
Also planted in late spring is Crocosmia,
commonly grown for its fiery red or orange
An icy coating of
frost only adds to
trumpet flowers. But as the blooms fade, their
the beauty of nature’s long nodding stems produce seeds like little
winter bounty, while clusters of popcorn, which can hold their colour
seedheads can also
well into December. First green, then bright
provide essential
food and habitats to orange and finally brown. They make lovely
garden guests, from cuttings for the vase when air-dried in bunches.
overwintering insects Sedums and aster, often cut to the base after
and spiders to a whole
host of bird life flowering, are stunning topped with freckles
1 Sunflower of ice crystals. Their broad seedheads attract
(Helianthus) seed head. overwintering insects and spiders – so they’re
2 Phlomis tuberosa
‘Amazone’, Corylus
natural bird tables, complete with perches.
avellana ‘Contorta’ and And don’t be in a rush to deadhead your roses.
Aster ptarmicoides. Many of them can be enjoyed for their blush and
3 The beautifully
buxom hips. Those with simpler flowers, which
named Angel’s fishing
rod (Dierama can be more easily pollinated, tend to produce
pulcherrimum) the more voluptuous fruits, which resemble tiny
104
“Sedums and aster, often cut
after flowering, are stunning
with freckles of ice crystals”
peaches or cherry tomatoes. Try Rosa canina, or
the ‘wild dog rose’, with crimson egg-shaped
hips; Rosa Helena for orange-red, mini crab
apples or Rosa setipoda for hips with bristles.
E M B R AC I N G E D I B L E F O R M S
If you’ve ever let an allotment or veg bed go to
seed you’ll know that vegetables can also offer
beautiful structures after flowering. When
onions and leeks set seed, they produce floating
globes on spikes that turn from blush to buff as
they desiccate, and give a strong vertical accent.
If you want to capture this more deliberately,
buy bulbs such as Allium Christophii with its
firework blast of seeds, Allium Globemaster for
its round pom poms, or Allium sphaerocephalon,
which bears two-tone maroon and green
flowers. It loses much of its colour on drying
but retains interesting egg-shaped drumsticks.
Globe artichokes also keep their majestic
stalks and heads well into winter. The fluffy
seeds provide a downy bed for insects and
a hunting ground for birds. Cut a few in late
summer to enjoy indoors, but leave the rest as
a garden ornament until new growth emerges.
L O V I N G YO U R W E E D S
Weeds surely understand what it means to be
marginalised, but many deserve a place in the
winter border. Teasels such as Cephalaria
litvinovii, or the common teasel (Dipsacus
fullonum), hold their statuesque bottle-brush
heads all winter. As biennials, sow in spring for
flowers the next summer – but teasels are
beautiful in the winter vase, and beloved by
birds. Similarly, Knapweed, dubbed ‘hardheads’
for its tough pinecones, is lovely in drifts.
Another often over-looked biennial is Daucus
carota, or wild carrot, which can be sown from
March to May. The seedlings look like grass
(so label them well) and produce lacy umbels
the following year – hence the common name
‘Queen Anne’s lace’. But from midsummer to
autumn, you’ll be rewarded with extraordinary
seedheads, when the flowers fold into
themselves to form furry goblets.

PLANNING AHEAD
Once you’ve witnessed a chiselled cone of
echinacea glittering in the gloam, you’ll want to
start choreographing your garden’s final encore.
Think about location – planting east to west
so your stems catch the morning and late
afternoon sun. And build combinations
of textures for added impact by designing
the garden with seedheads in mind.
One plant grown deliberately for its seeds
rather than its flowers is biennial Lunaria
annua, or honesty. Sow in June for flowering
the following spring and enjoy the moon-
like paper discs from August. It looks lovely
combined with whispering grasses, snake heads
of Verbena Lavender Spires, or the thimbles
of eryngium. Eryngiums prefer poor soils, so
need very little care and you can even buy dwarf
varieties such as ‘Blue Hobbit’ for containers.
Fences and walls can be draped with climbing
hydrangeas, which provide platforms of lacy
planets. Or consider the silky tassels of Clematis
tangutica Bill MacKenzie or Clematis alpina
Jacqueline du Pré.
Only when you see the green shoots at
the bottom of your plants – and maybe a
little bit after this, should you start to think
about clearing your garden. Celebrating your
seedheads is a great excuse for some low-
maintenance gardening, and a foolproof way
to bring texture and tone that would be missed
in the frenzy of high summer. Winter is often
the forgotten season in the garden, but it is
as transient and tantalising as the rest. So
perhaps the question should really be: will
you have enough time to enjoy it?
GARDENS
Home and dry
Enjoy seedheads from the comfort of your
sofa by bringing them indoors
• Dried flower and seed arrangements are
a fantastic way to recycle and reuse, reducing
reliance on shop-bought flowers often flown
from halfway around the world.
• Just as texture plays a part in the winter
garden, so it does in the vase. A variety of
shapes works best, so consider pairing grasses
with dried flowers and papery seedheads.
• Varieties to try include poppies, nigella,
quaking grass, eryngium, bee balm, and the
pin cushions of Scabiosa stellata paper moon.
• Cut on a dry day and gather into bunches
with string. Air-drying is simple and easy: just
hang somewhere dark and cool – the darker
the better, to retain any lingering colours.
Two weeks should be enough to turn them
crisp. Peel off the casings for honesty to
reveal the white discs and brush off any seeds.
• Some plants such as hydrangea, gypsophila
and grasses can also be dried in water. Stand
them upright in a vase and let the water
evaporate naturally.
105
Lo g i n...

PHOTOGRAPHY: ISTOCK

T h e Si m ple T h i n g s w a y.
SUBSCRIBE
Av ai la ble o n Apple, A m a zo n,
B a r n es & Noble, Zi n io,
Pres sRe a der

Sa ve m o n ey with a ye a r’s
s ubs criptio n (12 i s s u es).
T h e ch oice i s si m ple.
That’s a wrap!
Talented Josie George
documented the weather
and temperatures
throughout the year by
knitting a row every day

T H E T E M P E R AT U R E G A U G E
WITH A WEATHER SCARF, YOU CAN FIND
INSPIRATION AND INSTRUCTION BY JUST LOOKING
OUT OF YOUR WINDOW
Words: LILITH HUDSON

PROU
H O M E D LY
MADE
C
ommitting to a making
something isn’t always easy.
Many enthusiastically start
a project only to put it down
again a few weeks later. If
this sounds familiar, you
may benefit from some daily routine and
inspiration. Weather scarves are a way
of recording what’s going on outside your
window every day of the year to culminate
in a scarf. The idea is to use whatever
the environment is outside to influence
the colours you choose to work with.
“There are no hard or fast rules,” says
artist and writer Josie George who has
completed two weather scarves to date,
sharing them through social media. “You
could record the highest temperature;
the daily rainfall; whether it’s sunny,
rainy or snowy. I’ve even seen people
record the colour of the sky. I knit my
scarves, but you could use crochet instead.”
Josie started her first scarf at the start
of 2020 and completed a second in 2021.
Mostly housebound due to chronic illness,
she says she found it “a way to help anchor
myself to what was going on outside.”
For her scarves, she likes to record the
temperature. Her key consists of nine
colours, ranging from a deep burgundy
for scorching summer days to a cool
grey-mauve for sub-zero days in the
depths of winter. She intertwines these
with finer mohair fibres which represent
the weather: sunny, overcast, rain or snow.
Like many things done on a regular basis,
Josie has admitted that “at different times,
it’s beautiful, moving, soothing, infuriating,
exhausting, boring and surprising.” But
above all the activity has proven to be
grounding, acting as a gentle reminder
for Josie to look outside each day and check
in with the world. It’s an opportunity to
practise being mindful – taking a short
amount of time out of the day to stop and
PHOTOGRAPHY: JOSIE GEORGE
pause, and appreciate the surroundings.
Because we can’t predict the weather
– especially the great British weather –
a weather scarf develops in surprising and
unexpected ways. This unpredictability
brought Josie so much pleasure. “I loved
noticing the sudden highs and lows
of temperature, the joy of turning
to my yellow yarn on the days bright
with sunshine, knitting as the rain
poured down outside or sweating over
the sweltering oranges of a heat wave.”
Although weather scarves are simple to
make, they do require dedication. “There
have been times when I felt sick of it and
wanted to quit and do something else,” says
Josie. However, if an entire scarf seems
too ambitious, there are less daunting
ways to get creative while documenting
the weather. Josie suggests knitting a few
stitches each day rather than a whole row,
or simply colouring in squares in a journal.
For the more experienced knitters, you
can experiment with interesting stitch
patterns. Josie wanted to have a go at
something a little more challenging, so
she used a garter stitch to create a chevron
pattern and used two yarns simultaneously
for a more rounded representation of
what was happening outside. “The thicker
yarn shows the highest daily temperature,
and a thin mohair yarn records whether
it was sunny, rainy, cloudy or snowy.”
You can start a weather scarf at any
point in the year, and your colours don’t
have to range from red to blue to reflect
temperature. Your key could be made of
pink and mauve hues, or a spectrum of blue
tones. After all, the world is your canvas.
PROJECT
WEATHER SCARF
Josie’s guide to knitting your way
through a year of weather
You will need:
A pair of knitting needles (or
crochet hook)
Various coloured yarns
Scissors
1 First, design a key using a different
colour yarn to represent each aspect
or range that you’d like to record.
2 Cast on stitches until you have
something that’s a scarf-sized width.
Use any type of stitch to make your
rows but garter stitch is the easiest.
(There are handy tutorials for
beginner knitters at woolandthegang.
com/t/how-to, including how to
switch between colours). Just
remember that two rows – front and
back – make one stripe.
3 Each day, notice the aspect of the
weather you’re recording and, using
the corresponding colour from your
key, knit two rows/one stripe.
Josie George is a writer, author and artist
living in the West Midlands. Find her on
Instagram and Twitter: @porridgebrain.
109
 My place
THE CORNERS OF OUR HOMES THAT MEAN THE MOST.
THIS MONTH: THE VIEW FROM THE BED

Words: LOTTIE STOREY

“I always wanted a
bedroom that was
both cosy and moody.
A place that lifts my spirits in the
morning but also a place for reflection
at the end of the day. The muted dark
blue of the walls complements the
natural warmth of the vintage wood
furniture, while shutters help to
disperse the sunlight that hits the
room, creating a dappled romantic
light. I went for a dramatic extra-big
print over the fireplace, which we
buffed up and brought back to life.
I try to avoid clutter but I like to add
texture and interest, with things
such as rugs, prints, books, plants
and more plants!”

Steph Emmerson, Folkestone, Kent

@thefernhouse_plantshop

110
 HOW WE LIVE

“This is a soothing space,

and it’s quiet because it’s
two floors up - away from the
whirlwind of family life. I feel
calm, and tucked away from the
world. The joy of a window with
a view like this - the tulip
tree, sky, birds, rooftops - is
being able to observe the flow
of light and weather through
days, months and years.”
Laura Pashby, Stroud, Gloucestershire
@circleofpines

“I have three beautiful

windows in my room, all with
a different view depending
on where I sit, lie or stand.
You’ll also always find a
cat perched on a windowsill.”
Abi Garvey, Stourbridge, West Midlands
@abis_snaps

“This room in the

attic of my parents’
house was a stop gap
for me in a period
of change. The view inspired
me. I did it all here; considered my next
steps and made them happen. It was
my sanctuary and my launch pad.”

Rachel Lees, Bournemouth, Dorset

@theforagedlife

111
 “I love waking up with
the light hitting the
brick work. It’s always magic hour
in this room. Waking up in a peaceful room
is everything – until the kids arrive! Those
first moments of the day when you can set
your intention, feel grateful and figure out
whether or not you need to wear rain gear!”
Bex Hartman, Kingham, Oxfordshire
“I feel very lucky to wake up @bexhartman
to this view, especially in
London. From my bed, I can see
my husband’s trunk, a family
heirloom, and I reupholstered
the Victorian chair myself.”
Charlotte Bland, Dulwich, London
@charlottebland

“I always feel calm here.

It’s a quiet space to shut
off from the outside world
The wallpaper and mahogany finishes add grandeur,
while the warmth of the floorboards – which are lush
to walk on barefoot – and the velvet of the soft
furnishings keep the comfort that you would want
in a space to relax in at the end of the day.”

Mark Lewis, Highgate, London

@mark_lewis_i_d

112
 Where we stayed
Tucked away down what feels like a
road to nowhere, in a tiny hamlet in
South Devon, near the small town of
Kingsbridge and the beautiful South
Hams region, Leigh Barn is part of
the remains of a medieval monastic
grange and outbuildings, which is
now Grade-I listed and a designated
ancient monument. The place just
oozes historical charm, with arched
windows, oak floors, beamed
ceilings and thick stone walls,
paired with modern comforts such
as a well-equipped kitchen diner,
super comfy beds, two beautiful
bathrooms and a log burner.
But one of the main attractions

Weekend away here are the large gardens, at their

most vibrant in spring and summer,
apparently, but still magnificent in
AFTER A BIT OF QUIET SOUL-REPLENISHING? winter, with spectacular views and
well-placed benches for stopping
WHERE BETTER TO FIND IT THAN A WINTER and appreciating the peace.
STAY AT AN IDYLLIC MEDIEVAL MONASTERY

Words: LINDSEY HARRAD

A
n out-of-season getaway calls for a quiet and cosy rural retreat with
a bit of character. Somewhere, if the weather turns inclement, you
feel perfectly happy to stay indoors for board games and sitting by
the fire. This stretch of the South Devon coast can be a little quieter
than some of the more obvious tourist draws, especially so in winter
and spring. And if the weather behaves, the beautiful beaches and
clifftop walks here are ideal for those who need time to think (or not think) and blow
the cobwebs away with a dose of fresh sea air.

114

What we did
Blessed with winter sunshine, we
headed to Bantham beach, a wide
expanse of pristine sands flanked by
dunes where the Avon flows into the
sea. With dreamy views of Bigbury
beach and Burgh Island opposite,
we spent several happy hours
pottering here. In the attractive
harbour town of Dartmouth, we
watched boats coming and going on
the River Dart and popped into the
small but fascinating Dartmouth
Museum. The museum’s star exhibit
is a 12-foot replica of the Mayflower,
which visited the town before
heading off to the New World.
From there, we took the ferry
upriver to Greenway, the restored
former holiday home and gardens
of Agatha Christie, now owned by
the National Trust, which proved to
be a fine way to spend an afternoon,
and easy to transport yourself into
the worlds of Poirot and Marple.
What we ate
One of our favourite pitstops was
refuelling at the vintage Gastro Bus
at Bantham beach serving breakfast,
lunch and snacks, where we tucked
into homemade salted caramel
brownies and very good Cornish-
roasted Tamar Koffi cappuccinos.
After a bracing clifftop walk from
South Milton sands to Hope Cove,
we were ready for a good pub lunch
and the Hope & Anchor did not
disappoint. We ordered the cod in
St Austell ale and seaweed batter
with chips and crushed minted peas,
and were intrigued by the vegan
alternative – battered banana
blossom with the same trimmings.
For dinner with a view, the Venus
Café at Bigbury beach was hard to
beat. Thanks to the mild weather we
ate at one of the outdoor benches and
watched the sun set behind Burgh
Island as we enjoyed pea and mint
falafel wraps and a generously
stuffed bacon buttie, before we
set off on the long drive home.
We also liked
Burgh Island is one of the most
intriguing local landmarks in this
part of Devon, and when the tide
is out on both sides it takes only
10 minutes to walk across the sandy
causeway to the island. When the
tide is in, there’s a giant sea tractor
to ferry people across, and it’s rather
A PLACE TO STAY
nerve-wracking to walk across with
the sea edging closer on both sides.
The iconic Art Deco Burgh Island
Hotel is the island’s main attraction,
but a walk around the island offers
great views and the historic Pilchard
Inn by the causeway is a great spot
to grab a pint or a bite to eat.
The best thing
Our day at South Milton sands will
stick in the memory for a long time.
A National Trust beach, this sandy
bay backing onto wetlands rich in
birdlife looks out onto crystal clear
waters and the local landmark – the
Thurlestone rock arch, standing just
a few metres from the shore. After
exploring, we took the coast path
along the cliffs to Hope Cove, a fairly
easy 1.5-mile walk, to discover the
smaller, sheltered rock pool-rich
beach and enjoy a pub lunch. Full
of fish and chips, we headed back
up the cliffs to South Milton, which
is well known locally as a great place
to watch the sunset – the fabulous
Beachhouse restaurant up there
is ideally placed to watch the
horizon, and serves seafood and
drinks if you fancy a sundowner,
too. As we’d hoped, the sunset
was breathtakingly beautiful and
a fitting end to a glorious day out.
Leigh Barn sleeps four and short
breaks start from £443. Book at
classic.co.uk
115
RURAL WORKWEAR & ACCESSORIES FROM NORFOLK.
carriercompany.co.uk +44 ( 0 ) 1328 820699

What will you do with them?

Weekends in May,
October, November 2022 www.sea-change.me
 ǎ
A very
merry

iscellany
February

l
d FRANCES AMBLER Illustrations KAVEL RAFFERTY
FR

down to a tea towel

We'd save this Baking
design by Louise
Lockhart from dr ing
up dut and make
it our tea towel of
choice to place upon
fresh-out-the-oven
goods. The design ma
inspire a few more
bakes too. £12.50
edinburghart.com The PR ACTICAL,
the PLAYFUL and the SILLY

MATCHBOXES PUZZLE A little bit of flour power.

PRACTICAL: Pop playing
cards in a bag with around
15g flour, and shake to
absorb any greasy marks.
PLAYFUL: Make DIY
playdough or puffy paint
using salt and warm
water. There's a tutorial
at happyhooligans.ca.
SILLY: Children’s party
favourite, the flour game.
Place a sweet on a mound
of flour. Everyone takes
a spoonful away without
toppling the sweet, or pays
the price of fishing out the
sweet using only their mouth.

No-one really
knows its origins, Ơketchplanation
PHOTOGRAPHY: ISTOCK; SHUTTERSTOCK

but the heart

symbol is thought
to have developed
between the
13th and 15th
centuries,
possibly from
classical leaf
(
(answers on p
page
g 124)
4) depictions, and
helped along by
hing
“In Februar y there is ever yt
the card suit.
It has certainly
g ret”
to hope for and nothing to re
won the world's
affection since.
Patience Strong

117
 R
READE DS
M E N
RECOM
COLLECTIVE NOUNS
A GOOD READ
I loved The Breakup
Monologues b Rose Wilb . It
identified lots from m own
relationships: those that
went well but especially
those that went wrong. It
made me think how I could
make my current one
more successful
too. It’s also ver
funn especiall
when you recognise
things that you've
said or done!
As nominated by Diana James

Read a good book you want to

share? Tell us all about it by emailing
thesimplethings@icebergpress.co.uk.

³ IT'S IN THE BAG

A g l i n t o f g o l d fi s h

ARDER Pow(-pow):
fresh,
TALK LIKE … A SNOWBO
y sn o w ; Ba il: fa ll; G ro m m et: a young,
powder
p ract is ed sn o w b o a rd er; Ste eze: stylish
un
WINTER CAR BOOT ESSENTIALS ³ PET CORNER
For icy conditions, remember your ice scraper and an eco
de-icer. A foldable shovel for the boot can be handy, too.
Rather than rely on your mobile light, have a torch and
batteries (though it’s always a good idea to have a fully CATS ON MATS
charged mobile and a charger). A pair of sunglasses helps
with low winter light while driving. Pack extra layers Harriet, 5, “Who needs yoga
of warm clothes or blankets – something hi-vis is also
sensible. Then these are useful any time of year but
when you can get your paws
might come into their own with the perils of winter into positions like I can?”
driving: a first aid kit, road atlas (in case the Sat Nav isn’t As nominated by Emma,
working), an empty fuel can, tow rope and jump leads. Edith and Vera Szczyrba

118
 Love you
lots like
apricots
GOOGLE VOX…

+ + =
Two out of ten
British people eat a
cupboard sums… sandwich ever da .

Pickled apricots Makes about 500g. Preheat the oven to 130C/

Fan 150C/Gas 2. Put 450g dried apricots (use fresh apricots in
summer) into a ceramic dish and sprinkle with 225g sugar. Pour
enough white vinegar onto the fruit to cover, add 2 short cinnamon
sticks, 2 cloves, ½ tsp whole allspice and 2 pieces of root ginger The same percentage
(about 2cm,) then put the dish at the bottom of the oven for
would pick out a
20 mins until the fruits feel soft and the juices start to run. Remove
the apricots with a slotted spoon and pack into a sterilised jar. Boil
bacon sarnie as
the remaining liquid until it becomes syrupy; discard the spices, their favourite.
then pour the liquid over the apricots. Leave in the fridge overnight.
Next day, remove the apricots from the jar and strain the syrup
into a pan. Put the apricots back in the jar and bring the syrup to SEEING
SEEING DOUBLE
DOUBLE
the boil, then pour over the apricots. Leave until cold, then seal. Each pair of words share two middle
letters The first has been filled in as an
Preserves & Pickles by Gloria Nicol, published by Ryland Peters example. Complete the remaining
& Small. Photography © Ryland Peters & Small words to find the mystery keyword
reading down the middle.

³ SIMPLE YOGA

A BIT OF A stretch
Cow pose – Great as a warm up
before class along with other spinal
movements, gently massages the spine
and stretches the front of the torso and
neck. 1 Start from all fours in a tabletop
position. Your knees under your hips and
wrists under your shoulders or slightly
forwards of them. 2 Spread your
fingers, root down through the base
of the fingers and press your fingers on the mat. 3 On an inhalation,
lower the belly, lift your chest, tailbone pointing up and look up.
4 Exhale, and come slowly back into your neutral ‘tabletop’ position.

Instructions provided by EkhartYoga.com, an online yoga studio

where you can deepen your practice. They offer a 14-day free trial. (answers on page 124)

119
 The story of songs
T R U E B Y S PA N D A U
B A L L E T As anyone who
has attempted to pen a love letter
(let alone a love song) knows, it’s
a difficult thing to pull off. It’s that
difficulty that a young Gary Kemp,
writing from the bedroom in his
parents' house, pining over an
unrequited love, captures in this
classic… “Why do I find it hard to
write the next line?” We’ve been
there, Gary. Looking for inspiration
he turned to the book Lolita
– several references in the lyrics
such as “seaside arms” are adapted
from the book. Why Lolita? Well, it
was given to him by the object of his
affections… Clare Grogan, then in
r co m es ca n sp ri n g be … We’re nearer
“If winte
eptember”
to spring than we were in S
HERE'S ONE YOU MADE EARLIER
This fab upc cled
drinks cabinet
is the work
of interiors
instagrammer
Sophie Parr (@
ones_parry_home .
Found on Facebook
marketplace she
painted it an
indigo-blue with
bright gold for
the final touches. Sophie even wallpapered
the inside doors with an art deco-inspired
print. Raise a glass to her success! Tell
us about our DIY pro ects b emailing
thesimplethings@icebergpress.co.uk.
120
the band Altered Images. But
Clare isn’t the only love that helped
shape the song: he also namechecks
Marvin (Gaye), a proclamation of his
passion for soul. True found legions
of romantics and made number one
in 21 places, including the UK. It’s
a staple on the soundtrack to films
PHOTOGRAPHY: PICTORIAL PRESS/ALAMY
and TV shows. In fact, we reckon
Drew Barrymore must hold a bit
of a candle for the song, appearing
in three of her films between 1998
and 2004 (The Wedding Singer,
Charlie’s Angels and 50 First Dates).
Drew + Spandau = a True rom-com
match made in heaven.
Sylvia Plath
HOW TO...
USE UP T H E LAST BIT OF CANDLES
First of all, get your wax out of your candle holder. A popular
way is to pour boiling water into the container, so the wax rises
to the surface. Once the water cools, scoop the wax out (you
may have to repeat a few times). Another method is to pop
the holder into your freezer. Once frozen, ease wax out with
a spoon. Then put the wax to some romantic new uses:
Flickering candlelight: Melt wax in a bain marie (don’t let it
get hotter than 80C). You can combine various bits of old
candles, add newly bought wax, even melt down wax crayons,
if the occasion demands it. Add a new wick into your old
container and carefully pour in the wax, trimming the wick
once everything is cooled. The sweet smell of romance:
Melt scented wax as above and reshape into a 'melt' (a
wickless wax block for melting in a burner) by pouring into
a mould. Or break wax into bits and put in muslin bag as a DIY
air freshener. A roaring fire: Use with egg boxes to get a fire
going. Search ‘egg box firelighters’ on thesimplethings.com/
blog. For your eyes only: Add medieval charm by finishing
love letters with a wax seal. There’s a ‘homemade sealing wax’
how-to on instructables.com. Or the most romantic thing
of all: tackling a really annoying job around the house. A bit
of wax could be just the thing to lubricate that stuck drawer.r
 Take THREE QUICK FIRE QUIZ

Things to make you smile. Let these happy faces help bring some cheer
SMILEY LAMP
This is 45cm of pure,
illuminated fun from the
Danish brand, Mr Maria.
Best for: lighting up your
life, of course.
£135, roosbeach.co.uk
SUNNY RAYS SOCKS
Bring sunshine to your feet,
at least, with this colourful,
bamboo set. Best for:
feelgood vibes, with a pair
donated for every pair bought.
£12, leiho.co.uk
HAPPY FACE CARDs
Hand-printed in four neon
colours with a pleasingly
90s flavour. Best for: popping
in the post for someone who
could do with a pick-me-up.
£12.50 a set, themamahood.co.uk
1 Y mis bach – an alternative
name for February in Welsh
– translates into English
literally as what?
2 'I write this sitting in
the kitchen sink' is the first
line of what book?
3 In February 1909,
Leo Baekeland shared
his invention of what? It
was the first of its kind.
4 Which bird can be known
as ox eye, willow biter,
pickcheese, pinchem
or blue bonnet?
5 60 years ago this month,
John Glenn became the first
person to orbit earth. Which
mathematician did he ask
to check the figures before
he flew?
(answers on page 124)

³GIVE IT A GROW LOTUS

To solve: • Each arc must contain numbers 1-7 • Each ring of shaded

BOSTON FERN petals must contain numbers 1-7 • Each ring of white petals must
contain numbers 1-7 • No number can be repeated in any arc or ring.

There are so many choices to make when it comes to choosing

a fern, but one of the most beautiful and popular is the Boston
Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata ‘bostoniensis’) with its lacy patterned
leaves and graceful arching fronds. Despite popular belief, ferns
are not wholly shade lovers. In their natural habitat they’re used
to the dappled bright sunshine of a tropical climate, so they’ll
appreciate good indirect sunlight. Keep the compost damp at all
times. If it does dry out, the frond tips can turn brown. However,
make sure you don’t leave it in soggy compost as this can lead
to root rot. This plant loves a humid
environment so mist regularly,
too. Boston Ferns are easy to
propagate – either divide and
repot or carefully remove
and replant any new
growth produced.
Adapted from The Little Book
of House Plants and Other
Greenery by Emma Sibley
(Quadrille). Photography:
© Adam Laycock

(answers on page 124)

121
 ³WILD WORDS
AG BORRADH
(egg-borrar) Irish Gaelic, Noun
Colourful Irish writer John O’Donohue
joyously translated ag borradh as “a quivering
life about to break forth.” It evokes tumescent
bulbs on the verge of bursting through the
earth, sheep’s bodies tightening with lambs,
the coy nodding of virginal white snowdrops,
and the rude tang of wild garlic. In Ireland
and across the UK, the February festival of
Christian Candlemas or Pagan Imbolc marks
and welcomes these first shoots of spring
and the growing strength of the sun; both
important milestones for those who relied
on the soil and agriculture to survive. The
season’s wheel is turning, and bounteous
spring is set to return.
Taken from Wild Words: A Collection of Words From Around
the World That Describe Happenings in Nature by Kate Hodges
(Portico). Illustration by Yang Sio Maan.
a jolly good follow
@veronicadearly
Artist Veronica shares funny, illustrated posts that might
give you the motivation you need; or the reassurance
that you’re managing just fine as you are (Instagram)
³FAB GADGET
BLANK CASSETTES No, you haven’t
accidentally opened a magazine from the 1980s.
The cassette is back in our lives, promising
90 minutes of joy per play, and just in time
for you to lovingly put together
a heartfelt mixtape (without
having to brave a trip to
Woolies for the raw materials).
Bonus romance points if you
decorate the sleeve, too.
£7.99, iwantoneofthose.com
122
Eco DILEMMAS
We answer the green questions you were too afraid, or too confused, to ask
HOW CAN I MAKE MY HOUSEPLANTS GREENER?
Perhaps the most significant
contribution you can make is
in your decision of where you’re
getting your plants from. If you’re
buying, look for places that
will supply them in peat-free
compost, with minimal use of
plastic and packaging. Investigate
whether their environmental
practices stack up in terms of
things such as pesticide use.
Alternatively, rather than driving
to the garden centre, can you
exchange seeds or cuttings with
others instead? The
Facebook Group
‘Plant Exchange
UK’ may be
helpful for this.
If you’ve got
plastic pots, hang
Number of years
American Charles
Osborne suffered
the hiccups (said
to be the world’s
longest attack)
– around 70%
of his life. They
finally came to a
stop 32 years ago
this month.
on to them to keep them in use
for as long as possible, rather than
getting rid of them – also, look
out for second-hand decorative
pots, rather than buying new.
Do your research before buying
plants, so you know you’ve got
the right conditions to keep them
alive, and try and care for them in
a way that’s as planet friendly as
possible. For example, avoid peat-
based compost (it'll be banned
from garden centres in 2024),
and you don’t have to water with
the stuff that comes out the tap:
collect rainwater, if you can, or
even reuse cooled cooking water
(if it hasn’t been salted): plants
will like water that’s been used
to cook starchy things such as
eggs, veg and pasta.
 IDENTIFIER
Chinese odiac sign
It’s Chinese New Year on 1 February, and we’re entering the Year of the Tiger. Our handy
guide can help you distinguish your rats from your roosters from your rabbits…

Ra t Ox Ti g er
Clever, and a bit cunning. Legend says it rode Want a job done? Like the Rat, get on board the Fearless, fun and born leaders. Let’s hope
the Ox’s back for most of the ‘Great Race’ (which Ox. Known for being hardworking and their reputation for good luck applies this year
determined the order of the signs) to win first. persistent. But, dare we say, a little stubborn? (but not their one for getting in trouble).

Ra bbit Dr a g o n S n a ke
Sweet and kind, it’s no wonder rabbits tend to be Strong, spirited, successful. Those Dragon Doesn’t need a charmer – they already have that
popular. But they don’t just rabbit on – they’re babies are so valued that birth rates can peak quality. Thinks on the hoof, too – it wrapped
also known for being good listeners. in their years: up by 5% in Hong Kong in 2020. around the Horse’s leg for the Great Race.

Hors e Go a t Mo n key
You’ll need to saddle up if you want to spend In the Chinese Zodiac, you really do want to get You want a monkey around if you need a
some time with a horse. Warm hearted but free- on someone’s goat. They’re considered to be problem solved – or to be entertained. Keep them
spirited, it’s a life on the open road for them. creative, calm and caring. busy or they swing off the ceiling.

Roo ster Do g Pi g
Hard-working and honest, they’re also known as Those born in dog years share attributes with Known for their good temper, good manners
the romantics of the zodiacs. Though they won’t our favourite canines: loyal, brave, full of energy and good fortune, too – you’d really want to
stop crowing about it in the morning. and – is that a stick? – easily distractible… be as happy as a pig in muck.

Illustrations taken from The Chinese Zodiac: A Seriously Silly Guide by Anita Mangan with Sarah Ford (Portico)

123
 How hard can it be...
T O PICK U P A N O T H E R L A NGUAG E
It requires a pronounced dedication to communication
Every 21 February is ‘Mother
Language Day’, a UN-initiated
celebration of languages and
multilingualism. But though
you won’t reach fluency by
then, these steps may help you
wrap your tongue (and ears)
around another language.
Much advice applies to any
resolution: make yourself
accountable, rope in others
to help, make it a regular
habit, and have specific aims
– such as being able to read a
magazine feature – then tailor
your learning towards that.
One approach is focusing on
the 100 most popular words:
they can be around half of
all the words used in chat. As
well as popular apps such as
st
What’s thought to be the olde
DID YOU KNOW?
st ration w as in R ob er t Plot's 1677
dinosaur bone illu ght it
to ry of O xfor dshi re. H e th ou
The Natural His u rus.
bu t it ca m e from a M egal os a
was human,
NICE FIND
We’re not sure about your
retirement plans but Dr Jerem
Lockwood used his to record
IMAGE: JOHN SIBBICK
iguanodon bones from the Isle
of Wight. His careful work
revealed a previousl unknown
t pe with
an elongated
nose: now
Bri hstoneus
simmondsi. Or
as the dinos
may say ‘oh-he-
did-he-saw-us’.
124
³BODY LANGUAGE DECODER
Duolingo, try post-its around
your home – or tie each word
to a memorable mental image,
or, yes really, a distinct action.
But while trying to remember
words, forget yourself. You will
get things wrong and have to
ask for help – remember that
instant feedback is one of the
most effective ways to learn
languages. Also proven to
be particularly significant is
hearing words spoken: forvo.
com lets you listen to words
voiced by different speakers.
Play local radio stations (find
one on tunein.com) or watch EYEBROW FLASH
films and TV shows with
Imagine you are in a crowd and see someone you
subtitles on (or off, to push know and like across the room. Chances are that
yourself!). Good luck! Bonne when you make direct eye contact with them, you'll
chance!! And Buena suerte! spontaneously raise your eyebrows while you smile.
This is called an eyebrow flash: an instant sign that
lets a person know that you recognise them and are
happy to reconnect with them. It doesn’t tend to
occur when people meet for the first time. When you
receive this signal from someone, you know that they
are happy to see you again. If this doesn't come
naturally, try consciously raising your eyebrows to let
people know that you welcome the reconnection.
Adapted from Body Language Decoder: 50 Cards to Tell What
They’re Really Thinking by Martin Brooks (Laurence King)
PUZZLE SOLUTIONS
Quick fire quiz Lotus solution
1. The little month. 2. I Capture
the Castle by Dodie Smith.
3. Bakelite (first synthetic plastic)
4. Blue tit. 5. Katherine Johnson
(see the film Hidden Figures)
Matchboxes
Telltale, Listless, Ladylike,
Erasable, Amending,
Bootlegs, Pleasure
Mystery keyword: Mill
Seeing Double
1. Threat 2. Stream
3. Appeal 4. Expert 5. Action
6. Entice 7. Notify 8. Attire
9. Sponge 10. Bronco Puzzles provided by Lovatts Crosswords
Mystery keyword: Repetition & Puzzles (lovattspuzzles.com)
 MARCH ISSUE

TONIC
Gathering Wellbeing My place
A taste of Mexico New ways to walk Indoor jungles

Know a thing or two Ideas Wearing well

Ethical beauty A day off, just for you Why we love a cardie

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS ISSUE…

PHOTOGRAPHY: CATHERINE FRAWLEY; LUC ROYMANS/LIVING INSIDE

… you can buy the next one at picsandink.com from 23 February 2022
If you really liked it, might we suggest a subscription delivered to your door? – see page 106

ON SALE 23 FEBRUARY 2022

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 PLAYLIST

Soundtrack to February
FEEL GOOD TUNES

Right Back Where We Started From Maxine Nightingale

Ooh La La Faces
Something Good Can Work Two Door Cinema Club
Move On Up Curtis Mayfield
A Minha Menina The Bees
Walk Like an Egyptian The Bangles
F George Michael
Iko Iko The Dixie Cups
The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap) Shirley Ellis
Better When I’m Dancin’ Meghan Trainor
I Want to Hold Your Hand The Beatles
Th N Avicii
On Top of the World Imagine Dragons
Perpetuum Mobile Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Kids MGMT

DJ: LILITH HUDSON. IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK

Higher Power Coldplay

thesimplethings.com/blog/feelgoodplaylist

stop
look
listen “This joy is electric and you’re circuiting through
I’m so happy that I’m alive
Happy I’m alive at the same time as you”

126
 CU
A N DT - O U T

FOOD TO SHARE
-KE
EP

Too good to keep to ourselves. Try it and pass it on.

Chickpea
crumble cake
Full of the flavours of Gujarat,
✁

this makes for a great weekend

breakfast and subsequent
snacks (it’s gluten-free, too).

127
 Chickpea crumble cake
Serves 4–6
FOR THE DAL:
180g dried split chickpeas
7.5cm of fresh ginger, peeled
and chopped
3 green chillies, stems removed
3 garlic cloves
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
FOR THE SEASONING:
4 tbsp oil
1½ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp asafoetida
5 dried red chillies
2 tbsp sugar
¾ tsp ground turmeric
FOR THE GREEN GARLIC CHUTNEY:
120g chopped coriander
3 garlic cloves
2 green chillies, stems removed
TO SERVE:
45–60g nylon sev (thin
crunchy noodles)
15g chopped coriander
115g pomegranate seeds
1 Put the chickpeas and 350ml
of water in a bowl. Soak for 2 hrs.
2 Place the ginger, chillies and
garlic in a food processor and blitz
for 40–50 secs. Add the soaked
chickpeas and water, along with
the bicarbonate of soda, a pinch of
salt and 6 tbsp of fresh water. Blitz
128
for 10–15 secs to achieve a coarse
consistency, then set aside.
3 Place a heatproof 28cm plate
into a steamer and pour in the
mixture. Cover and steam for
15–18 mins. Remove the plate and
allow the mixture to cool. Crumble
it with your hands then set aside.
4 For the seasoning, heat the
oil in a frying pan over a medium
heat and add the mustard seeds.
Once they start to crackle, add the
asafoetida and dried chillies. Add
the sugar and 125ml water and
cook for 1-2 mins. Tip in the dal
mixture and the turmeric and
stir well to combine. Add another
185ml water and cover the pan,
cook over a low heat for 4–5 mins,
stirring occasionally. Add another
2–4 tbsp of water if the mix looks
dry, then transfer to a serving bowl.
5 To make the green garlic chutney,
place all the ingredients in a
blender and blitz until smooth.
Add 2-3 tbsp water if needed.
6 Garnish with the nylon sev,
coriander and pomegranate seeds
and serve warm with green garlic
chutney and lime wedges.
Taken from From Gujarat with
Love by Vina Patel (Pavilion Books).
Photography: Jonathan Lovekin

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 BEDTIME STORY

GLIMPSE
A short story by ISABELLE BROOM

A
s I set out from home the dawn was little
more than a suggestion; a faint rub of gold
against a sky bruised by night. My breath
spooled around me in the cold air, and
I burrowed my gloved hands deep into
the pockets of my warm winter coat.
There was frost on the lane that crunched beneath
my boots, glistening dust which had transformed the
landscape, breathing new life into all those elements that
were glanced at but never seen – the low stone wall with
its pattern of moss, the puckered mouths of twisted tree
trunks, and the silvery bars of the kissing gate that creaked
a greeting as I passed. All the while there was the sea,
an insistent whisper that spoke not only of the past, but
also of what was to come.
Or so I hoped.
The chill had reached my ears below the knitted folds
of my hat and I thought fleetingly, longingly, of our bed The sky that had been ominous was at last beginning
beneath the eaves; a nest of blankets ample enough for to lighten, and although the sun was shrouded by clouds,
two people to warm up their cold toes on the other. I had it managed to drench the breaking of day with colour.
lain there alone for the past seven nights, staring up into I saw pinks and purples, blues, and whites; I marvelled at
the corners where spiderwebs hung, feeling not alone the majesty of the world, of all this beauty tendered without
but adrift, flotsam that searches the ocean for purpose. fare. I understood what drew him out, away from me,
Life had washed me up on these shores long ago, yet why he could never have abided a role that came with walls
I was destined to stare out across the sea, watching, and desk attached, yet I still lamented the fear that chased
waiting, yearning. through me each time – a dread that spoke of wreckage
Those who talk fancifully of love liken the feeling to and grief. Fate had continued to flip our future like a penny,
a headiness, a sudden loss of one’s mind along with the and all I could do was hope that it landed the right way up.
offering of a heart. But it had not been that way for us. I I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, I saw
had always preferred to view the deepening of affection it – the outline of a boat with edges shimmered by distance.
as the spreading of roots through the earth, foundations The fist that had become my heart untightened, and
born of nature that twisted and curled into tight bonds. I relinquished my breath in a single, merciful whoosh.
I did not have to lose any part of myself to make space I would see those faded grey eyes again, clasp those
for another; I had simply grown. hands corrugated by labour in my own, and feel the
A sharp-edged wind found me as I reached the brow warmth of his rough, chapped lips pressed against
ILLUSTRATION: LARA PAULUSSEN

of the cliff, and I paused for a moment to absorb its power.
The spread of water far below me remained stubbornly
bare save for the cresting waves, and I was struck by
an urge to yell a message into the whipping, swirling
air – words that would be carried somehow to him.
I chose instead to whisper.
“Come home to me.”
mine. The relief flooded in like the tide, and I smiled.
Grateful, never complacent, that my wish had come true.
Suffolk-based Isabelle Broom is the author of eight romantic
novels, all set in wonderful locations around the world. Her latest,
The Getaway (Hodder) heads to Hvar, Croatia, in the company
of Kate, who’s hoping to flee the fallout of a falling apart life.

130
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REPRINTED FROM MAYBE THIS WILL HELP: HOW TO FEEL BETTER WHEN THINGS STAY THE SAME
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