Table of contents for July 2018 in The Simple Things

VEGETARIAN SKEWERS WITH LIME & HONEY Partizan Lemongrass Saison, £2.60 From a London microbrewery with a great line in adventurous but well balanced brews, this is pale and citrussy, and works well with veg-based dishes. Dry on the palate, with a smooth mouthfeel for easy drinking. PEACH & PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM BURGERS Bianca Road Red Rye IPA, £2.70 The hops used in this beer produce flavours rich in mango, citrus, earthy pine and stone fruit notes. This is a spicy little number that works well with fuller flavoured dishes like the ‘meaty’ mushroom burger. COURGETTE & HALLOUMI PARCELS Small Beer Original Lager, £2.85 Refreshing and only 2.1% ABV, this light beer is ideal for long, lazy, sunny afternoon barbecues. Crisp and dry, it’s a thirst quencher that works with lots of…

1963 Born in Dublin, Ireland 1984 Graduates in Textile Design from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland 1984–85 Works in New York, learning to handmix gouache paints helps her understand the subtleties of colour 1990–92 Master’s degree in Knitted Textiles from the Royal College of Art, London 1993 Marries Dermott, future MD 1993 Commissioned by Harrods to produce a hat range based on her graduate collection 1994 Orla Kiely the brand’s first London Fashion Week 1995 First son Robert is born, followed two years later by Hamish 1999 Opens design studio in Battersea, London 2000 First Stem print launched as a bag 2004 Wins Irish Tatler Woman of the Year award 2007 Launches first item of Orla Kiely homeware – mugs 2011 Awarded OBE for services to…

BLACK CHERRY, CHOCOLATE & MERINGUE ICE-CREAM CAKE 100g dark chocolate 390g jar black cherries in kirsch or 400g tin black cherries in syrup* 250g black cherry conserve or jam 600ml double cream 85g meringue nests (5–6) TO SERVE Fresh cherries (with stalks) A handful chopped pistachios Icing sugar, to dust 1 Line the base of a 23–24cm springform tin with a square piece of baking paper, leaving the excess sticking out from the sides. 2 Melt the chocolate in a small bowl suspended over a pan of boiling water. Drain the cherries in a sieve set over a small pan, and set aside the kirsch or syrup. 3 With a food mixer, roughly blitz the cherries into a chunky, textured pulp. Stir the conserve or jam in a small bowl…

The Malabar coast of Kerala is where most visitors head when exploring this part of southern India. The tranquil lagoons and lakes, most often seen from the deck of a converted rice barge, are a world apart from the clamour of the cities. This watery existence is reflected in Kerala’s domestic architecture. Homes have generous verandahs to sit and survey the lush vegetation and wildlife, and to be protected from the bright sun, and roofs are pitched to withstand monsoon downpours. Inside, bright colours and patterns reference palaces and Hindu temples in nearby city, Cochin, and splashes of gold and brass catch the light. Carved wooden furniture and statues of Hindu gods sit beneath circulating fans. To bring a little of Kerala’s soothing brilliance to your own home without evoking…

Many of the places mentioned here feature land art, a movement that developed in the 1960s and 1970s and which involves using the land itself to make art. Famous land artists include Andy Goldsworthy, Chris Drury and Richard Long, who memorably turned a walk into sculpture, simply by striding back and forth in a grassy field. And that is the joy of it – if you’ve ever added a stone to a cairn on a walk, arranged some pebbles on a beach, made a den in the woods, floated some flower heads on a pond or even simply mown the lawn, then you too have created land art. And if you can do all that without really thinking about it, just think what you could do if you tried.…

Clouds Emee Begum When I was a child I had no idea how day and night worked. I thought, when it was night here it was night worldwide, and the same thing with the day. I thought cloud was made of cotton wool, and someday I would go there, and grab a piece of white, of the mysterious shapes I saw when I looked up at the sky. But when I was a child I also thought I would become a doctor, with all that strange equipment and a stethoscope round my neck and glasses on the end of my nose. And now I am grown up, I know it is impossible to grab that piece of cloud. And as for me becoming a doctor – the only thing lacking…

“There’s nothing like clutching a globe to properly comprehend our place in the world” When his father turned 80, Peter Bellerby decreed his default gifts – socks, ties, etc – were not going to cut it. It was time to give him the world. Or, at least, a globe for his study. When he couldn’t find one of sufficient quality, Peter’s present-seeking path took a sharp left. “It didn’t look that complicated to make,” he recalls. “Just a sphere with a bit of metal around it – how difficult could it be?” Almost unfeasibly, he swiftly realised. Firstly, says Peter, you have to make a measuring tool yourself, as no one else has done it for you. And then comes tolerance. “If you’re going wrong by 1mm, at times you could…

Long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) With its protruding spines, downward gaze and prehensile tail, this most beguiling fish looks like a shy, prehistoric ghost. Floating upright, it hangs motionless waiting for its prey to pass, which it then sucks up through its long snout. Found in seagrass habitats from Scotland to Dorset. Moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) Most often seen when masses, known as a ‘bloom’, are washed up on the beach. Which is a shame, as they look most beautiful floating in transparent clusters. Moon jellyfish can grow up to 40cm in diameter and have short hairy tentacles that hang from their dome like a fringe. They are mostly harmless, though may sting sensitive skin. Brittle star (Ophiothrix fragilis) This elegant starfish has long slender arms which they…

There is something to admire about the stubborn determination of the plants we so disparagingly call ‘weeds’. They insist on choosing their own place to live, in spite of our efforts to discourage them. So, whenever you find yourself kneeling, trowel in hand, ready to rip out those ‘perennial nightmares’, spare a thought for the qualities of these plants, which make them such dogged colonisers of the soil. They are just being themselves, as much a part of the natural world as are you. Learn to love your so-called ‘enemies’, however much pain you think they cause you. If you can approach your weeding in this manner, then instead of it being a battle of toil and sweat, accompanied by various expletives, you can help to recognise some of the…

Edible forest gardens imitate the tiered structure of natural woodlands, but have a higher proportion of edible species. When creating a forest garden, it is important to ensure enough light reaches the lower layers for healthy plants and maximum yields. The seven primary layers are: 1 Upper canopy The tallest tier is typically made up of standard fruit trees, nut trees and trees that fix nitrogen. Only suitable for large gardens. 2 Sub canopy, or canopy trees for smaller gardens: mid-sized trees, including most familiar fruit trees. 3 Shrubs Bushes that produce berries and plants that attract pollinators and offer habitats for wildlife. 4 Herbaceous plants A perennial layer including some herbs and medicinal plants. 5 Ground cover Low-growing edible and often nitrogen-fixing plants which enrich the soil and help…

1 MAKE To make a plant pot barbecue, take a clean terracotta plant pot (this is from waitrosegarden.com, 35cm wide x 29cm high, £11.49), and line the base with 5cm of clean, dry sand. Place a circle of silver foil on top. Fill with a layer of charcoal and light. Lay a grill on the pot (you could use one from an oven or grill pan or buy some metal mesh), wait for flames to turn to embers, and you are ready to barbecue. To turn it into a smoker, cover with another plant pot: smoke will exit via the top drainage hole. 2 BUY The advantage of buying a readymade bucket barbecue is that it will come with air holes, a neatly fitted grill and feet to raise it…

The baby pink velvet sofa was much too large for their parlour, as if a marshmallow had stealthily self-replicated until it dominated their lives while they were busy doing other things. Pristine, still, of course. The plastic protection that it was delivered in kept it perfectly preserved. Untouched. Fresh from the truck. As the rest of the room grew tired, (the yellow roses in the wallpaper had lost their bloom, the fibres in the forest green carpet were rather flattened), the sofa flaunted its vitality. Valerie brushed her plum perm away from her forehead with the heel of her hand and spritzed the plastic with antibacterial cleaner, wiping the residue with an orange cloth, admiring her silver charm bracelet as it caught the light while she worked. There was barely…

MAKER OF THE MONTH Chisel & Mouse sculpt landmarks and cityscapes from plaster Brothers Robert and Gavin Paisley of Chisel & Mouse sculpt physical representations of architectural landmarks and cityscapes in plaster. Combining an artisan’s approach (chisel) with modern technology (mouse), each is a faithful impression of an iconic building or cityscape including the Bauhaus Dessau, Trellick Tower and the Helsinki Central Station. Colour is introduced in their PopArc collection – a set of wall-hanging sculptures, featuring Brutalist Britain and London Icons. chiselandmouse.com GRAPHIC NOVEL Orla Kiely reveals the mood-boosting power of prints in A Life In Pattern This is a book that delights the eye and heartens the heart. Orla Kiely’s archive is a thing of beauty, and this celebratory book is packed with pictures of her pleasing prints,…

“A sun hat is less messy than walloping on SPF at summer events” A wide-brimmed straw hat is one of the more elegant symbols of summer. The simple act of placing one on your head not only protects your face and eyes from the sun, enveloping them in soft shade, but it bestows instant chic. Whatever you wear with it – from swimsuit, to shorts, to a summer dress – a sun hat adds an extra flourish. It’s a rare thing: an accessory that is both stylish and practical. If you think that wearing a sun hat is not for you – it will make your nose look big, lead to ‘hat hair’ or make your head hot, perhaps – think again: there is a sun hat to suit everyone.…

* There’s no better way to get to the heart of a city than through the people who live there. Every issue, 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 or to rediscover the charms of a city closer to you, but for now just sit back, relax and enjoy some vicarious travel. How long have you lived in the city? Since 1989! I was born and raised in Lincoln Park, about a mile from the lake on the city’s north side. I’ve also lived in Boston and New York, but have been back in my hometown for the past four years. Tell us what makes…

Home to the Jurassic Coast and Thomas Hardy, the beautiful south-western county of Dorset is, of course, the birthplace of Dorset Tea. It is also the home of sunshine, where Dorset folk are lucky enough to enjoy 364 more hours of sunshine a year, compared to the UK average. SUNSHINE IN EVERY CUP Tea that tastes as good as sunshine feels is at the heart of the Dorset Tea range, where each blend is inspired by the radiance of the brightest star. From the gorgeous golden black tea blend to Strawberries & Cream, Green Tea with Lemon Sunshine and Cool Camomile, each tea tastes of the summer rays. Plenty of sunshine, rolling countryside, and a coastline packed with beautiful beaches means Dorset is the perfect setting for glorious adventures and…

There are many pleasures to be had from cycling. For some it is simply about self-powering a journey from A to B. For women particularly, cycling was empowering in the early part of the 20th century when mobility (social as well as literal) was largely out of their control. For others it is the bicycle itself – an efficient machine that may now feature the highest of hi-tech materials but in essence is still about the beautiful forward motion that comes from a well-built combination of cogs, chain and wheels. For artist Nick Higgins it is cycle racing – seeing the best riders compete over the highest mountains, longest routes and roughest cobbles. And it is unique in sport that you too can have a go. Cycle racing is run…

There are plenty of local courses online, or look at those run by the National Trust (nationaltrust.org.uk/build-your-skills). Wild guides (wildthingspublishing.com) also list local courses by region. Woodcarving with Woodmatters, Cumbria Try your hand at carving anything from spoons to stools. From £65, woodmatters.org.uk. Woodland Women, near Bristol All-female day and weekend retreats in Tortworth Arboretum, eg, willow skills and campfire cooking. From £16.50, honeywoodscamping.co.uk. Wild Things weekends, Scotland Women-only wilderness weekenders include foraging, wild medicinal plants and natural navigation. From £160, wild-things.org.uk. Wild Bushcraft Company knife-making course, Wales You’ll use 100% recycled materials to forge your own knife, complete with an antler handle. Four-day course, from £350, wildbushcraft.co.uk. Wood craft courses, Sheffield Craft courses are run throughout the year in Ecclesall Woods in Sheffield. From blacksmithing to furniture-making, the bustling…

It’s strange to think that my most treasured possession is a pair of boots that are so actively ignored when I don’t need them. Usually, accidental steps in hidden bogs that cause stagnant water to seep inside is the reason for their being left in the boot of the car. Always with a pledge of a deep clean and oil, but so often exchanged for a brisk bash in the car park to get rid of the biggest clods of mud before the next walk. These boots are older than I am. Worn in for 15 years by my mum and then passed down to me, the tricky size five-and-a-halfs have been moulded to fit from a constant cycle of damp fields, sea salt and mossy woodland paths. The laces…

Sea salt Unlike processed salt, minerals including potassium, magnesium and calcium have not been removed from sea salt. The result is a clean, intense flavour favoured by chefs. If you are concerned about the amount of salt in your diet, remember that only about about 5% of the salt we consume is added by us: the rest is in processed foods. Try: cornishseasalt.co.uk; maldonsalt.co.uk. Seaweed The Japanese have always known the nourishing value of seaweed, which is rich in minerals and vitamins as well as protein and carbohydrates, and now we are finally cottoning on. Edible species on the UK coast, including dulse, laver and gutweed, are available for the responsible shoreline forager and can be used in soups and fish stews. Or buy dried seaweed online. Try: justseaweed.com; atlantickitchen.co.uk.…

Nigella With its tangle of spiky foliage, Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist) is the quintessential cottage garden plant. “Nigella lends itself well to meadow-style jar arrangements, small posies and wedding bouquets,” says Ellie Marlow, florist at Catkin & Pussywillow. “The dried seed pod is beautiful, too, and looks great matched with autumn colours when summer has passed.”…

Lazing in a hammock is hard to beat: especially in a shady spot on a warm summer’s day, ideally with a book in one hand and a cool drink in the other. And if you’ve managed to make the hammock yourself – well, you can bask in satisfaction, as well as sunshine. This hammock is surprisingly easy to make, and is much sturdier than one of the knotted ones. We’ve added pompoms, too, because who doesn’t love a pompom? Put the labour in now and hopefully you’ll get the payoff in sunny days to come. Outdoors canvas hammock MADE OF WEATHERPROOF CANVAS, AND AS ROBUST AS IT IS COMFORTABLE YOU WILL NEED 2m of 140cm-wide strong, canvas fabric Pins Sewing machine and thread Tape measure Pencil or fabric marker Scissors 22…

“A picnic in the garden turns a simple lunch into a minibreak” Anyone who has spent summer in an office knows that every opportunity to get outside should be grasped. Instead of wistfully looking at a patch of blue sky through the slatted blinds of the meeting room, getting out under it is of paramount importance. Which is why parks are full of lunchtime workers munching on sandwiches, bare legs stretched out, grabbing a few al fresco moments. It’s much easier to eat outdoors when you are at home, of course. If you have any outdoor space, from a tiny balcony to an expansive garden, all you have to do is open the door and step forth. There is a transformative power in enjoying a cup of tea on the…

I like the idea of eating our meals in the garden on warm summer evenings, but the thought of lugging the contents of the kitchen (crockery, cutlery, wine glasses, salt and pepper, etc) out and back again defeats me. Plus there is the danger that things might get smashed in transit. Have you got any suggestions to make it easier? Answer in brief Manage your trays and avoid cutlery. It’s a terrible shame that you are denying yourself this most agreeable meal because of domestic practicalities. But do not be disheartened: there are ways to remove the pain. Tray management is key. Load up two or three with Melamine tableware, plastic tumblers and paper napkins, then employ other members of the household to ferry them in and out. Pile…

Chimpanzee If this creature appears to ape human behaviour, it’s because it’s our closest living relative, sharing 98% of our DNA. Gorilla The largest primate and biggest softie shows emotions like compassion and grief for other primates, including humans. Mandrill The largest monkey, known for its colourful face and rump. Also has good cheek pouches for snack storage. Diademed sifaka Big in Madagascan rainforests, with adults measuring around 1 metre tall. In numbers, sadly less big – it’s endangered. Indri This lemur is upright when climbing and clinging, and upstanding morally, too, practising long-term monogamy. Orangutan This red-haired ape likes to hang around – an activity aided by its large arm span, sometimes measuring up to two metres. Golden-headed lion tamarin So called for its leonine mane of hair. Also…

ALFRESCO FILMS Pop-up Screens has added new locations to its programme of outdoor screenings in and around London this summer, kicking off with The Breakfast Club in Bishop’s Park, Fulham on 20 July.popupscreens.co.uk 8 July FIN ROMANCE Wales is celebrating Year of the Sea, with plenty of events along its 870-mile coastline this summer. One is Cardigan Bay Seafood Festival in Aberaeron (aberaeronfishfest.com), where local fishermen and top chefs collaborate to show off the local catch. A wilder garden with a few weeds, wild flowers and areas of longer grass will help British bees and other wildlife whose numbers are suffering from loss of habitat. Find out more at friendsoftheearth.uk. “When we first learned to walk, we walked just to enjoy walking. We can walk that way again”Zen master, Thich…

Even if you don’t grow your own, you’re likely to come across a glut of produce from time to time – given to you from a friend’s allotment, perhaps, in your weekly veg box, or at a stall at the farmers’ market. Finding varied ways to eat and to store this seasonal bounty is satisfying to mind, appetite and pantry. Spend a few hours with your glut and make a dish to eat right away, another for the next day, and a little something for the larder as a future treat. Reach your hand into the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy of a plum or greengage tree this month and you should find bounty. Those dusted with a bloom should be given a little squeeze, to see if the…

What are mornings like round your place? I’m up at 7am to do packed lunches over a mug of green tea, although it’s not a sit-down cuppa. After the school run, I might pop into the village store and join a few of the other parents for a quick cup of lemon and ginger tea and a catch-up. Delightful. Presumably it’s now time for work? I rethought my working life after a health crisis and now design and build household items out of copper piping, such as towel rails, candle holders and wall lights. I head to my workshop in our garden and start making. The heated towel rails, especially, take time to make and test, requiring a lot of careful soldering.  What do you do to take a break from…

Favourite shop MYOPIC BOOKS Get lost in this Wicker Park used bookstore, Chicago’s own Shakespeare and Company. This stretch of Milwaukee Avenue is littered with fantastic vintage shopping. myopicbookstore.com Favourite bars ESTEREO Fab tequila cocktails – this is the place to be in the summer.estereochicago.com BEST INTENTIONS Killer cocktails, an old-school Chicago aesthetic and a poppin’ backyard space.bestintentionschicago.com Favourite gallery PILSEN MURALS Pilsen is covered in incredible street art. The walk from the 18th Street Pink Line station and around Harrison Park is one of the best art tours in the city. The 18th Street Pink Line Station is at 1710 W 18th Street. Favourite café THE BAKERY AT FAT RICE Taste fresh-baked treats inspired by Macau and Portugal at the bakery attached to Fat Rice. Don’t miss the egg…

Ostensibly just a hole in the roof of a building – old or new, underground or not – through which to view the heavens, American artist James Turrell’s Skyspaces are gaining traction over here as one of the most meditative and moving forms of outdoor sculpture there is. Since creating one in a circular drystone chamber in Kielder Forest in 2000, he has now built another three; at Houghton Hall in Norfolk, at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and, most recently, at Cornwall’s sculpture gardens, Tremenheere, just outside Penzance.…

Northumberland is best known for its castles and coastline, but what about inland? There has to be more to it than Harry Potter locations, we reasoned, and packed up the family for an exploration of the county’s Dark Sky Reserve, staying near Kielder Water. We’re in ‘savage country’, between Hadrian’s Wall and the Scottish border, surrounded by National Park. Our destination is country estate Hesleyside, just outside Bellingham and home to a handful of purpose-built glamping huts as well as Hesleyside Hall. It’s the children’s first trip to Northumberland, first time to Hadrian’s Wall for my husband and I, and a new experience for all of us, staying in an American-style wilderness cabin. Where we stayed Rowan Hut (left) is one of two cabins at Hesleyside able to host families…

It’s possible to achieve a level of outdoors awareness that, although once common, is now so rare that many would label it a ‘sixth sense’. This is the practised ability to draw conclusions from all of the evidence presented to our senses almost without thinking. It is not mysterious but expert intuition, a honed ability to join the dots offered by our senses to complete a fuller picture of our environment. Once you know how, it is easy to sense direction from stars and plants, forecast weather from woodland sounds, and predict the next action of an animal from its body language – instantly. At the most basic level, we have not entirely lost these skills. Imagine you wake in a room that is perfectly dark, thanks to heavy curtains,…

AS SPRING ARRIVED we produced a set of four sew-on badges (you can buy them, see page 23), each reflecting an everyday action that can enrich your life. The first four were on the themes of be active, connect, keep learning and take notice. We asked readers to design the fifth Happiness Patch, in the style of our series, on the theme of give. And you rose to the task – we had over a hundred patch designs submitted – some of our favourites are printed over the page. The winning design ‘Share with Others’ (above) by Lauren Bowers is being made into a real patch and she wins a fantastic VIP glamping festival package with The Good Life Experience (thegoodlifeexperience.co.uk). All good things come to those who wait and,…

Whatever the weather, some sort of centrifugal force propels us to the sea, whether it’s to swim in its waters, surf its churning waves, paddle in the shallows, or simply to stand on a clifftop and stare at the vast ocean and its shifting colours. On a warm summer’s day, there are few better places to be than lying on a beach towel, a book open but probably unread, listening to the waves tumble and the gulls squawk. It is a combination of elements that soothes and restores the senses. Perhaps it is the enormity of the sea that continues to draw us. Most of the earth’s surface is covered by it, approximately 70%. Even now, only roughly 5% of it has been explored – there are things down there…

THE SELKIE-FOLK Stories about these shapeshifting creatures, found in Orkne Shetland, are generally doomed romances. Selkies live in the ocean as seals but transform into humans by shedding their skin. They can only return to the sea by putting their skin back on: if it is lost or stolen they are doomed to live as humans. Once on land, male selkies – notoriously handsome and seductive – often get involved with women. When they go back into the ocean, the women contact them by shedding seven tears int the sea. Female selkies are similarly attractive, and men have been known to steal their seal skin to stop them returning to the water. THE KRAKEN  The kraken is a fearsome mythical sea creature first mentioned in a 13th-century Icelandic saga and…

“I ONLY SELL PRODUCTS I LIKE AND USE. IT’S ALL ABOUT BUYING LESS BUT BETTER” It’s a familiar story: a creative couple, who have forged their careers in London, look beyond the city’s boundaries for a larger home to raise their children. “I had to be dragged away from Brixton,” says Emily Mathieson who moved to St Albans with her husband Jon and their two children Lola (9), and Otis (6) in 2015. “But, although it took a while to adjust to living here, life gets better the longer we stay.” Like many other decisions Emily has made, the move was carefully considered. She and Jon looked along the Thameslink route until their eyes alighted on the cathedral city. “It’s on the north side of London, so the commute is…

SOLAR LIGHTS Most come with a stake to sink into your borders thus creating a row of lights to guide your eye (and guests) along the garden parth. Try: Solar bubble outdoor stake lights, £24 for four (johnlewis.com), which change colour and add a little festival flavour to proceedings. FESTOON LIGHTS Bigger and brighter than fairy lights with round bulbs best hung in swags. They look good strung from trees or a pergola and provide enough light to eat by. Try: Elan solar festoon lanterns, 20 LEDs, £19.98, thesolarcentre.co.uk; LED connectable perspex festoon lights, £35, lights4fun.co.uk. GARDEN TORCHES Garden torches with LED lights exist but are tame compared to the guttering flame of an oil lamp. Try: Iron garden torches, £15.95 each; 120cm high (allthingsbrightonbeautiful.co.uk); bamboo garden torches, £5.90 each;…

COOK Fresh Shellfish parcels 7 •  Veg box barbecue 24 Peach & portobello mushroom burgers 26 Halloumi & courgette parcels 27 Quinoa salad with new potatoes, edamame & nectarines 28 Vegetarian skewers with a lime & honey dressing 29 Watermelon triangles 30 Today, tomorow, to keep: Plums 42 Plum tart tatin 44 Duck flatbreads with spiced plum sauce 46 • Plum cordial 47 •  Black cherry & chocolate ice-cream cake 53 Tasty trend Radicchio del Veneto 124 Tipple of the month Boulevardier 125 THINK Magical creatures Butterflies 19 •  Orla Kiely On pattern, passions and progress 36 A job well done Palava vintage-style fashion 50 My day in cups of tea Copper piping craftsman Paul Knowles 52 A poetic pause ‘Clouds’ by…