Table of contents for 1-Oct-2015 in The Simple Things

FRANKIE, a ragdoll cat, lives with picture editor Jackie. While she is hard at work, Frankie divides his time between snoozing on his fleecy blanket and eating spiders. What’s your favourite thing your owner Being allowed to snuggle under the duvet with her on a chilly morning. ALFIE, a cockerpoo, lives with contributing editor Becs. He has just had his first birthday. His favourite activities are chasing birds, joggers and cyclists and wrestling youngest family (11), Martha (9) and Joseph (5). While Becs is writing Alfie is either sitting on her feet or by the window watching the world go by. What’s your favourite thing about your owner? She talks to me (a lot!) TRAVIS AND PERKINS live with associate editor Clare Gogerty. Perkins, although adorable, is the laziest cat…

LOUISE GORROD Our Wishlist Editor, Louise, is also our Stuff of Life shopkeeper (shop.thesimplethings.com). Look out for this symbol for items in the shop. She also blogs, bakes and photographs at Buttercup Days: buttercupdaysuk.blogspot.co.uk. Charlotte cape | £159 Channel Little Red Riding Hood in this natty, wearable cape.boden.co.uk Prep set | £64.99 A six-piece bowl and colander set to cover all your cooking and baking bases.falconenamelware.com Woodland cushion | £28 Bring the colours and leaves of autumn to your very own sofa.cathkidston.com Affonso stool | £225 Hand made from white ash: rustic and sculptural all at the same time. Could also be a bedside table. liamtreanor.co.uk Household scissors | £15 Made of steel with wide, leather-wrapped handles, these Home Address scissors are useful and good-looking. shop.thesimplethings.com Light | £22; copper…

Our shopkeeper’s picks for October... “This month, a few carefully chosen new accessories will give your living space a fresh look for the months ahead. The kilim rug [pictured] from Olli Ella has a versatile, neutral colour palette, while one (or two) of their belly baskets [pictured] will make stylish storage for magazines. Finally, the geo knit throws and cushions by Oubas Knitwear aid comfy sofa lounging.” Louise Gorrod, Shopkeeper FULL OF things to want and wish for things to make life a bit nicer things for inside the home and out Pay us a visit shop.thesimplethings.com…

wooden floors and crisp clean walls, which are re-decorated annually. And there’s Jenni Kayne and Richard Ehrlich’s abode, with its huge windows and high ceilings constructed with planks reclaimed from an Amish Barn. Thankfully, the book also provides handy hints on how to get the look, but in more compact spaces and with much smaller budgets. (Artisan) This books offers an opportunity for some rarefied snooping, as designers, artists and a practitioner of kintsugi (fixing broken pottery with lacquer) open their doors. There are the soothing, minimal rooms of Yukiko Kuroda, filled with soft light, tatami mats, shoji paper room dividers and tall jars full of home-made pickles. Yvonne and Rasmu Koné live in a 19th-century Copenhagen apartment with…

National Trust marks Halloween See the dark side of the National Trust’s properties, from castles to lighthouses, at special events around the country this month.nationaltrust.org.uk Hair-raising events From psychic supper to spooky sleepovers, Haunted Happenings has a line-up of eerie events at 24 locations.hauntedhappenings.co.uk Ghost trains Ride the spooky steam train along the haunted track from Bury to Rawtenstall and back (hopefully!). 29-31 October, eastlancsrailway.org.uk Criminal curios See the most fascinating exhibits, including the Krays’ briefcase (above) from The Crime Museum, usually only open to police and professionals, on display in a new exhibition at The Museum of London. Featuring high profile crimes such as the ‘Acid Bath Murderer’. From 9 October, museumoflondon.org.uk…

At Garden Organic, we think one of the best ways to add interest to your growing is to include some heritage vegetable varieties. There are hundreds of fantastic varieties (such as the ‘John’s Purple’ carrots, above), once found in gardens across the UK, that are at risk of being lost forever as they’re no longer licensed for commercial trading. Not only are these varieties an important part of our rich heritage, but they taste fantastic and many look unusual too – a great talking point over the garden fence or dinner table! Search our Heritage Seed Library (HSL) online to find out how you can bring a slice of history to your own growing space. HSL members receive a catalogue annually, and can choose six varieties plus an optional lucky…

The lie in Half an hour, without an alarm ringing. That’ll do. Could someone else walk the dog too, please? Brunch Sunday is the day for gathering around the table. The meal can be lingered over, the newspapers can be read, but in the spirit of keeping it relaxed the food should be easy. Our favourite Mexican-inspired breakfast (see right) hits the spot every time. The walk Nothing beats a leg stretch to blow away the cobwebs. Gather any stray guests, children and dogs; wrap up, close the door on chores, dirty dishes and life in general and get outdoors. Walk to the pub, walk to the park, map a new route or stick with one you know. Burn off some energy, for an afternoon of movies and the sofa…

HITACHINO NEST WHITE ALE, 5.5% £3.50 Match with: Tomato, mozzarella and basil pizza Style: With refreshing notes of coriander, nutmeg and orange peel, this Japanese beer would emphasise the herby basil and complement the sweet tomatoes. BEAVERTOWN SMOG ROCKET SMOKED PORTER 5.4%, £2.80 Match with: Ham, mushroom and courgette pizza Style: The smoky character brings out the flavours of the ham and mushrooms, while the resinous hops cut through the sweet courgette. THE FIVE POINTS BREWING CO. FIVE POINTS PALE, 4.4%, £2.60 Match with: Chorizo, mozzarella and rocket pizza Style: This Hackney-brewed pale ale is zingy and aromatic, but quite light and easy-drinking too. The punchy hop flavours would go with rocket.…

FAVOURITE SHOPS Old Faithful Shop 868 Queen St. West Beautiful general store specialising in well-made products for everyday living. oldfaithfulshop.com Good Eggs 267 Augusta Ave. An eclectic bookshop in the heart of Kensington Market; great for gifts. goodegg.ca Côte de Boeuf 130 Ossington Ave. A fantastic little butcher shop and food store. The front window is also a walk-in fridge with cutting meats, eggs and seasonal goodies. cotedeboeuf.ca BEST GALLERY AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) 317 Dundas St. West Beautiful, spacious gallery with fantastic views of the city from every direction and a great shop. ago.net FAVOURITE CAFE Crafted 135 Ossington Avenue One of the best coffee shops in the Queen West District using alternative brew methods such as the ‘cold drip coffee’ that takes six hours to brew. pilotcoffeeroasters.com…

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SIRI REITER is a graphic designer and artist. She also works as a website designer in collaboration with her husband, Jonas Smedegaard. sirireiter.dk “When I discovered this house was up for rent, I was so excited,” says graphic designer Siri Reiter of her home in Zealand, Denmark. “It is big enough for me to combine my studio with my home and its location is magical – just what we had been looking for.” The house of her dreams is straight out of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. Built in 1670, it was originally a laundry for nearby Torbenfeldt castle: clothes were washed in the pond and dried in the meadow. It is half-timbered, thatched and located on the edge of a forest by a lake. A stream runs through…

With every passing year, we stare at screens a little more, and out of windows a little less. We literally lose sight of the people around us. The world, it can feel, has never been more fractured. So let us be reminded of those things that unite us. The fundamentals that still apply. We all sleep. We breathe. We eat pizza. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and not just a slice. No one shines a brighter light on pizza’s universal appeal than Scott Wiener. He has lectured on the joy of pizza across the globe. He is the author of a book called Viva La Pizza! He runs Scott’s Pizza Tours, bringing the history of New York’s most enduring pizzerias to dough-thwacking, lip-smacking life: 2,200 tours, 34,000…

Sewing boxes are comforting things. Tucked into a cupboard and stashed full of carefully orchestrated haberdashery*, your sewing box is the place to go to put things right or to make them better. This is where you will find needles of various lengths and thicknesses to re-attach a button. It is where coils of ribbon or rick-rack sit waiting to jolly-up a tired garment. Where zips entwine around tape measures until they are inserted into a pair of jeans or fashioned into a pencil case, and where pins sprinkle pincushions with silver studs in readiness for fixing a dropped hem. Our mothers and grandmothers understood the importance of the sewing box. Theirs, frequently made of wicker, lined with soft pads of upholstered satin and puckered side pockets, were crammed with…

BASICS: 2–4 players; 24 card deck (using the cards from 9 up); Ace high. Each player receives six cards. Remaining cards are placed face down as the stock, with top card turned over to establish trumps. Left of the dealer leads, thereafter winner of the trick. Hand is replenished from stock. Highest trump wins trick or, if no trumps, highest card of suit led. A “marriage” is declared by playing King and Queen together (K&Q trumps = 40 points; K&Q other suit = 20 points). It’s not necessary to follow suit. Winner notes total value of trick (A = 11, K = 4, Q = 3, J = 2). After winning a trick, 9 of trumps can be swapped for the upturned trump. A player announces “close” to begin end…

PHYSALIS WHAT IS IT? This pretty herbaceous perennial provides delicate flowers in summer followed by papery lanterns in autumn, which are an eye-catching feature and protect a bright, bold orange or red berrry. Pick fresh or dry and use in natural decorations for seasonal celebrations – the red lanterns make a gorgeous alternative to holly berries on Christmas wreaths. WHY WOULD YOU? Stephen Dance from Burncoose Nurseries (burncoose.co.uk) says, “there are some beautiful varieties of physalis (or chinese lantern). It is very decorative, with its fiery red lanterns that form in the autumn. More hardy than most varieties, it’s a great feature in a border and makes a colourful addition to cut flower displays, too.” WHY WOULDN’T YOU? Hailing from warm, subtropical regions, most physalis are tender and will need…

INGREDIENTS 1 cup dry dog or cat food ½ cup peanuts (not salted or roasted) ¼ cup raisins 30g cheddar cheese 1 medium potato, boiled, skin on HOW TO MAKE 1 Chop the cheese and the potato into cubes of about 1cm. 2 Add the ingredients to a bowl and mix together. TO SERVE 1 Put the mixture into a shallow dog bowl or equivalent and offer it at dusk. 2 Most foxes are crepuscular, or nocturnal, when it comes to feeding so, to get a view of your visitors, ensure the bowl is visible from a window and has at least a small amount of artificial light falling on it. Placing a desk lamp near a window and directing it at the bowl usually suffices. 3 Foxes prefer to…

Here at The Simple Things we loved our pets even before we found out they were good for us (see page 116). My dog Biscuit is simply the best companion; he thinks he’s a lapdog, despite being the size of a retriever – he just wants to be with me. My hens, on the other hand, only come running when I rattle their corn. Yet I wouldn’t be without them, for the feel of a warm egg in my hand and the sounds of them rustling amongst the shrubbery. Every garden should have some. EDITOR LISA SYKES #mysimplething…

This intriguing book gets to grips with our sometimes bewildering onslaught of feelings – from anger to apathy, wanderlust to worry – and explains how emotions and our perceptions of them have changed throughout history. Watt Smith also explores how different cultures have specific vocabulary for some unexpected, but resonant moods. There’s the Dutch gezelligheid – the cosy feeling that comes from being inside with friends on a cold night, the Finnish kaukokaipuu – the craving for a different land – and awumbuk, a word used by the Baining people who live in the mountains of Papua New Guinea to describe the heaviness and sorrow left behind after visitors depart. (Profile Books)…

Josh Spero studied Latin and Greek at university and second-hand copies of The Iliad, The Aeneid and The Latin Love Poems graced his bookshelves, often with the names of previous owners scribbled inside. Intrigued, he tracked down 11 of them to hear their stories, and to discover what place these books had in their lives. He meets a scholar-turned-spy, a priest poet who fell in love with his friend’s wife, a man who took part in a recreation of Jason’s sea voyage to find the Golden Fleece and a contrary Latin teacher. You’ll look at your own book collection in a whole new way. (Unbound)…

Inspired by the worlds of art, design, entertaining and individual style, Anthropologie is a one-of-a-kind shopping destination, offering an aspirational assortment of home décor, fashion accessories and gifts. Whether it be a renowned illustrator, emerging ceramicist or far-flung designer, exclusive collaborations and a penchant for unexpected finishes lay at the heart of its house and home collection. The result? Witty twists on everyday items and covetable pieces to treasure. As the new season arrives and autumn’s transition takes hold, Anthropologie turns its attention to helping you create the cosiest, and most unique, of homes. Paying special attention to snug elements for every room, the collection brims with knitted throws and textured cushions to add extra layers to sofas, handmade quilts imbued with the richest hues to add warmth to bedrooms,…

GO TO THE FLICKS It’s a good month for film lovers. The much-applauded screen adaptation of Macbeth with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard is out on 2 October and Carey Mulligan and Meryl Streep star in the first feature film about women’s fight to win the right to vote in Suffragette, out on 12 October. FOOD SCRAPS Serious foodie? The Food Journal (Laurence King) is the scrapbook for all your recipe clippings and cards, plus a glossary of seasonal foods, conversions, smoke points, and explanations of all those terms you’re never quite sure of. What is a court bouillon again?... LIGHT A FIRE It’s that time of year – to turn the heating on or not? If you battle with your other half over the thermostat, it’s with good reason.…

Chalkboards have so much more potential than just recording the daily specials or children’s homework tasks. Chalkboard art is something of a lost skill (take a look at thesimplethings.com/blog/chalkboardart for some amazing, turn-of-the-century examples), but has irrefutable appeal. It’s inexpensive, easy to correct and undeniably show-off-able. Don’t let less than perfect handwriting stop you from giving it a go. Valerie McKeehan devised these projects for the gorgeous The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering, but says her own handwriting is poor. She advises, “Instead of thinking about a letter as a letter, think of it as a shape. This simple mind-shift can have a profound impact.” Prep your chalkboard Before you begin drawing, ‘season’ your chalkboard. Simply rub the side of a piece of chalk over the chalkboard until it’s completely…

ALI MURPHY, JANE POWELL AND CLAERWEN JAMES are sisters and co-founders of Cambridge Imprint, a design partnership making a name for its patterned papers and ceramics.cambridgeimprint.co.uk* The sun’s up – are you also rising and shining? I have four children between eight and 13, so the morning is a maelstrom of lunch-making, music practice and sock-searching! The first thing I do is put on the kettle and make a strong cup of tea. I Iike Yorkshire Gold or 1706, Twinings’ full-bodied version of builder’s tea. Kids dropped off. What’s next? In the studio, we deal with orders, then get out the ink and start printing. The business is young so we’re still doing almost everything ourselves. We regularly have to down tools to fulfil a big order, or tweak the…

WHAT CAME FIRST, the rice ball or the risotto? We tend to think of arancini (named after ‘little oranges’, because they’re as firm and golden as citrus fruits) as an attractive way to use up leftover risotto. However risotto is a traditional food of the chillier north and it was actually the Sicilians who invented arancini. They began shaping rice into balls as long ago as the 10th century, after Arab conquerors arrived and established Italy’s first paddy fields. Reflecting the way rice is eaten in many Eastern and African cultures, they’re stuffed with meat, fish or vegetables and eaten by hand. The custom of coating and deep-frying them is attributed to the 13th-century court of King Frederick II: it made them easier to transport on long journeys and hunting…

Late October. It is afternoon. My daughter and I walk through the leaf-strewn Corridors of the park In the light and the dark Of the elms’ thin arches. Around us brown leaves fall and spread. Small winds stir the minor dead. Dust powders the air. Those shrivelled women stare. At us from their cold benches. Child, your mittens tug your sleeves. They lick your drumming feet, the leaves. You come so fast, so fast. You violate the past, My daughter, as your coat dances. Hitting the right note Anne Stevenson was born in England in 1933, moved to America as a child, and headed back to England as an adult. Before she became a poet, she trained as a musician, specialising in cello and piano, and melody still plays its…

THANK YOU APPLE and all your techie friends for changing the way we officially end summertime and embrace dark nights and more sleep. Somehow you just ‘know’ when British Summertime ends and adjust the clocks on our phones, laptops and tablets accordingly. Spoilsports. Now we have only the memories of mishaps caused by forgetting to put the clocks back (or forward). We know it always happens at 2am the last Sunday of October in the UK but that never stopped someone you knew being an hour out of step right into the following Monday. However, not every clock is digital and there’s something of a ritual about marking the changing of the seasons by altering the hands of a clock or watch. And come Christmas, a well-meaning relative is bound…

A week or so before Christmas, I inevitably reach a point at which I wish I had been a bit more organised. It’s not that I could have started my present-buying earlier or planned festive feasts in more detail – it’s because I realise, once again, that we won’t have fresh flowers in the house over the holidays because I didn’t remember to plant any bulbs in October. Winter is a tricky time of year to decorate your home with anything other than berries and greenery (gorgeous as they are). Very little is in bloom in the garden and, although cut flowers are available from florists, if you’re buying British, the choice is limited. Poinsettias and Christmas cacti might have their place – though this is debatable in our house…

Plant pot: Plant an annual within the soil-filled shell and dig into the ground. As it decomposes, it’ll fertilise your plant. Compost: Put leaves inside the shell to speed the process. Break it into small pieces for a wormery. Pumpkin printing: A potato printing alternative – cut into pieces and add paint. Ant colony: Place your pumpkin near an existing colony (outside!). Honey or something sweet will bring all the ants to the gourd. Bird feeder: We whipped one up last Halloween; search for pumpkin bird feeder on our blog at thesimplethings.com/blog. And a few suggestions from the internet that we don’t recommend: Base for decorative floating candles: That’s likely to be one leaky vessel. Eating it: Come November, it’s debatable how appetising your old Halloween lantern will look.…

FREEKEH Already weary of autumn’s soups? Time to get your freekeh on. Although often used as rice replacement, this versatile grain is in fact a wheat – young green wheat with its husk roasted off to give a smoky, earthy flavour that works well in salads, stews and soups. TRY IT: The tagine at Bournemouth’s veggie Zoukinis includes freekeh “meatballs” (zoukinis.com) BUY IT: Get the Ottolenghi-approved version at ottolenghi.co.uk/pantry SEE IT: On our Tasty Trend Pinterest board.…

Centuries-old Italian dairy staple, recognisable by its blue-green veins. Although named after a town near Milan, Gorgonzola’s origins are passionately disputed. Bacteria are added to unskimmed cow’s milk and, during the 3- to 4-month aging process, metal rods are periodically inserted and removed to encourage mould growth. TASTING NOTES: Crumbly and soft, the blue veins give bite. A cornerstone of the quattro formaggi pizza.…

THE HOME ENTERTAINER “Entertaining friends, making them feel at home, and making them come again is a gift, but a gift that can be acquired.” The following pages of this 1938 book, with its small type and smile-inducing illustrations reveal how this can be achieved. Party games are explained, sandwich fillings are created and tricks are conjured. We enter a genteel era where cocktail dresses and three-piece suits are obligatory and where alcohol is seemingly non-existent. I can now play lemon golf, frill celery and juggle with cups and plates. I can also see why television was invented. Found in Barnardos, Leigh-on-Sea…

FERMENTATION Like the bacteria used to make tasty Gorgonzola, there’s another microorganism that many have reason to be thankful for – yeast. It’s down to yeast that we can enjoy beers and wine (although, when we were learning this at school, we definitely didn’t enjoy beers and wines… honest). Fermentation is the production of ethanol, ie. alcohol. For that magic to happen, you need yeast to break down sugars in the absence of oxygen, which is a type of anaerobic respiration. To produce booze, yeast is added to the sugar of malted barley and grapes in an airlocked container and then fermentation does its thing. The product is then clarified, followed by pasteurisation in the case of beer, bottled and subsequently drunk. For which we owe the process of fermentation…

The addition of fruit vinegar to a pan of roasted vegetables gives them a little extra something. The bright colour and sweet-and-sour tang are a feast for the eyes and the taste buds alike. You can mix and match with other vegetables such as fennel or sweet potato, and serve on its own or with a roast or some chops. For the recipe turn to page 128.…

Charlotte Robinson is studying Product and Furniture Design at Kingston University. She’s also one of four designers whose products make up Heal’s Discovers 2015 collection – a programme offering a platform to new designers. Charlotte’s collection, Pour, consists of handmade vessels produced from earthenware slip and includes a spoon (£4.95), jugs (small, £16.45) and bowls (small, £13.95). Their beauty lies in the flowing movement of an inky-blue pouring stain, which means that no two pieces are the same. Lovely. heals.co.uk…

Hedgerow harvest Transform your autumn walks into an altogether more productive and entertaining outing by foraging for ingredients to use in your own beers, wines and spirits. This month wild food expert and brewer Andy Hamilton will be leading keen foragers on a wild booze walk along the Kennet and Avon canal in Bath as part of The Great Bath Feast, educating them on how to find fruits and plants among the hedgerows and use them to create home brews. “In October, rosehips* are plentiful and they’re great in cocktails,” says Andy. “Simply boil a handful in 550ml water, strain, and then stir in 500g sugar until fully dissolved. Allow to cool, add a splash of vodka (which acts as a preservative) and refrigerate.” Perhaps one of the easiest fruits…

It may be home to a lively arts scene, good pubs and its location on the edge of the Peak District, but Sheffield has never been known for its boutique hotels… until now. Newly refurbished Brocco on the Park, with its Scandi decor, smart fittings and little extras, such as independent magazines and homemade cake in your room, is raising the bar. There’s a bird theme running throughout (a nod to Picasso, who once stayed here) depicted in earthy tones, while beds are sumptuous and bathrooms luxurious. Brocco Kitchen was bustling, both at dinner and breakfast, with happy locals and hotel guests sampling the fresh, innovative ‘good-for-you’ food. The location is spot on for pottering around Ecclesall Road’s shops, restaurants and cafes and the city’s lovely Botanical Gardens. Rooms from…

When the evenings draw in and there’s a chill in the air, it’s the ideal time to plan a low-maintenance meal that can be dipped in and out of, while you dust off a pack of cards* and cosy up for an evening of relaxed chat, drink and play. With a little forethought – make the dough and tomato sauce ahead, prep some fresh, seasonal ingredients for toppings and salads and assemble a no-cook dessert in pretty glasses – you’re left to enjoy a stylish pizza party. MENU Nibbles with Aioli DIY pizzas Savoy ’slaw and green salad Craft ales Autumn mess Aioli THIS GARLIC DIP IS SERIOUSLY SIMPLE TO WHIZZ UP Enough for 6 300g mayonnaise 3 garlic cloves, peeled 1 Blitz both ingredients together in a food processor…

We’re now more open to arts and culture than ever. Last year, visitor numbers to museums and galleries increased by six per cent compared to 2013, yet we only spend a measly 15–30 seconds looking at a painting. It’s easy to see why. Visit a major arts institution for a mega exhibition and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a rock concert. The surge of the crowd towards the ‘hit’ paintings, the determined ‘me with Matisse’ selfies, the pressure to see the star turn – the whole experience can be exhausting. But we can choose to slow down. A gallery or museum isn’t somewhere to do battle before collapsing in the cafe, but an opportunity to calm the mind. SLOW DOWN There’s already a growing backlash to busy. The…

A CUP OF CUSTARD Good design can last a lifetime: a more contemporary variation of the three birds logo is still in use today on the instant custard powder invented by Alfred Bird in 1937. Britannia & Eve, 1929 GET SAUCY The text on the reverse of the card proclaims this is ‘The Popular National Sauce of America... Most Delicious!’ Ketchup was an anglicisation of ‘catchup’ – a spiced sauce brought back from the Far East. Heinz was actually a latecomer to ketchup but is now synonymous with it. Trade card THE GRAVY TRAIN ‘Aaah Bisto!’ The Bisto twins were created by illustrator Will Owen in 1908, and remained in use until 1996. This example dates from 1929. By then the development of psychological science was well established and led…

You might not notice honesty in summer: its fragrant purple flowers on long stems are sweet but not striking. Come autumn, its seedheads shed their coating, revealing translucent discs of rice-paper delicacy. Clustered in luminous, nodding groups they have been likened to the moon*, hence the plant’s Latin name, Lunaria annua. Cut and brought into the house, a few stalks will keep delivering ethereal loveliness until the spring. * The circular seedheads have also been compared to coins, earning the plant the nicknames Money-in-both-pockets and Devil’s ha’pence.…

Now most associated with witches, or possibly Hogwarts, the besom broom is a traditional British craft that deserves promotion from the fancy-dress box. A satisfying one-off project, it also offers an introduction to the materials and tools of woodland crafts. Besom brooms were usually made of birch, but heather was sometimes used. A broomsquire – a traditional Sussex besom maker – would bundle and stack birch twigs and protect them from the weather so that he had stock for the coming year. Heather was gathered from the heaths and commons during March, for its bushy stems. Handles were harvested from coppiced* ash and hazel. Traditionally, besoms were bound using fresh strips of binding material that varied depending upon what was available locally. It might be ash, hazel or chestnut, pulverized…

MARK DIACONO is a green-fingered foodie who grows, cooks and eats produce on his Devon smallholding. His latest book The New Kitchen Garden (Saltyard Books, £22) is available on a ‘pay what you can afford’ basis from otterfarm.co.uk. Across the farm, the pace of life – along with temperature – has dipped somewhat. It’s quite the relief after the madness of peak harvest. The almonds, chestnuts, walnuts and hazelnuts might be ready, but – unlike the tomatoes of last month – they can wait until tomorrow, or the day after, to be picked. The leaves are on the turn, morning mists sit in the valley and amidst all the slowing down into the heart of autumn, my vineyard antennae are on full alert. The damp and chill can bring disease…

BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL Echoing the look of European station clocks, this design has timeless appeal. BEST FOR: Helping households as busy as European stations stay on time. £95, newgateclocks.com MATHEMATICAL MARVEL Work out the sums to work out the time. BEST FOR: Those quick enough at maths to not be permanently late. £24.95, presentindicative.com WHEELIE GREAT ‘Upcycling’ gets new meaning with a clock made from a bike wheel. BEST FOR: Cycling enthusiasts who consider every day a personal time trial. £60, vyconic.co.uk…

You might think the idea of reusing unwanted items is a modern notion, yet ancient Romans were wise to the advantages of recycling, too. A thrifty bunch, they secreted amphorae – earthenware storage jars – in walls to reduce the amount of concrete needed and keep upper floors lightweight. Why not go one step further, dispense with the concrete altogether and use plastic bottles to create the walls for a cloche, cold frame or even mini greenhouse? Cheaper and safer than glass, it’s an ideal structure for the allotment as their transparency is ideal for growing plants. 1. Collect a stash of 2-litre plastic bottles – you’ll need about 1,500 bottles for a full mini greenhouse complete with apex roof. 2. Wash them in soapy water. Remove the labels and…

Yarrow (achillea millefolium) Achilles was a firm fan of Yarrow’s abilities to staunch wounds – hence its Latin name. Obviously not quite as good at heel protection. Burdock (arctium lappa) Just like velcro – which was inspired by this herb’s prickly burrs – herbalists are hooked on burdock for lowering blood sugar and stimulating the kidneys. Meadowsweet (filipendula ulmaria) A lovely herbaceous perennial, with shower of creamy white flowers, a distinctive smell and added anti-inflammatory properties. Lady’s Mantle (alchemilla vulgaris) Once believed to hold the secret to eternal life. Not quite. But its tiny green-yellow flower and cape-like leaves do look perennially pretty. Wormwood (artemisa absinthium) Also known as ‘Lad’s Love’, probably because this bitter herb is commonly used to flavour alcohol, most famously in mind-altering absinthe. Milk Thistle (silybum…