Inhaltsverzeichnis für October 2018 in The Simple Things

KALE & FENNEL SALAD Gruner Veltliner Ferdinand Mayr 2016, £10.50 Austria’s signature grape is zesty and bright, with a slight herbacious character, great with fresh, herby dishes like the kale salad. This approachable example is easy drinking, with a lovely touch of white pepper. picnic-friendly crown cap. PARMA-WRAPPED CHICKEN WITH GORGONZOLA Château de la Roulerie Le P’tit Cab, £16 This fresh, fruity organic Cabernet Franc is crunchy and bright, with well balanced acidity to cut through the cheese. It’s medium-bodied, so won’t overpower the dish. SCHIACCIATA DI UVA Delgado Zuleta Moscatel sherry (37.5cl), £10 Enjoy this sweet Moscatelbased sherry chilled. From the historic Sanlúcarbased Zuleta winery, it is dark mahogany, aromatic and full of intriguing floral and grapey notes. Deep, dark and delicious. Wines recommended by Borough Wines & Beers…

Even if you don’t grow your own, you’re likely to come across a glut from time to time – 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 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. Nutting time is here. In days gone by this was the moment we would have set out into the woods with our baskets to gather nuts, a free and precious source of protein to see us through winter. If you’re a forager, you may still…

“They are as close to perfect objects as exist in the world,” smiles AN Devers, describing her favourite subject – books. Five years ago, she was working as an arts journalist in New York City when occasionally buying a signed first edition by a favourite writer turned into a more serious habit. Devers started going to rare book fairs and quickly noticed a price discrepancy in modern first editions by men, and those written by women. “I knew that the rare book world was considered rather old-fashioned, but I hadn’t realised there were so few women book collectors or dealers compared to the number of men who sell and collect,” she says. Not long after, Devers was struck by the idea for The Second Shelf: a rare book business focused…

*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 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 Boston? Boston has always felt like home. I grew up just outside the city and moved into Boston for college six years ago. I graduated in 2016 and now share an apartment downtown with my best friend. I absolutely love it! Tell us what makes your city unique…

Apples have long held mystical significance; if an apple day outing isn’t enough excitement for you, test out one of these theories: • If you fall asleep in an apple orchard you won’t wake up for years (and not just if you sampled all the ciders). • Treasure buried beneath an apple tree will never rot. • If you can’t decide between several potential suitors, press apple pips onto your forehead and name each after a potential love interest. The last to fall from your head is the chap to hitch your wagon to. • For a vision of your future love, eat an apple by candlelight in front of a mirror. Your lover’s face will appear over your shoulder. Miraculous and terrifying. • If you can eat a crab…

An old-established inn at a well known beauty spot, where guests are guaranteed year-round, isn’t always the best choice of a place to stay. But when somewhere gets it right – as the 15th century The Sun Inn, surrounded by ‘Constable country’, does – it makes for a truly pleasurable weekend. Dedham Vale is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty through which runs the River Stour, marking the border between Suffolk to the north and Essex to the south. And it’s the setting for some of the most popular and famous English landscape paintings by Constable, who grew up here and credits the watery, low-lying scenery for making him the master painter he became. Where we stayed Sun a cheery yellow has long been a watering hole for villagers and…

DRACULA The vampire as seductive killer has become one of horror’s (and, latterly, romance’s) staples. These days Dracula is often reduced to a campy stereotype, but bloodsucking parasites are constantly reinvented for their age – as in Justin Cronin’s saga The Passage, where virus-carrying vampires ravage a post-apocalyptic wasteland. FRANKENSTEIN ’S MONSTER Another figure more often seen in pastiche, the monster is a tragic figure, man’s hubris made real and deadly. In an age when science is once again taking over what was once seen as ‘God’s work’ (with cloning, genetic modification, etc) it’s no surprise this idea sees multiple revivals on TV, film and stage. FREDDY KRUEGER Razor-clawed, pizza-faced Freddy has been sanitised into a clownish Halloween costume over the years (people often forget he started out as a…

Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus) Often found in September in birch, oak or conifer woodlands, these small blue-black berries on low-growing shrubs are delicious in jams or tarts – or eaten straight off the bush. Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) Shiny, conker-like nuts in spiny green casings are dropped from October onwards. Delicious roasted, just remember to pierce them before cooking to stop them exploding. Not to be confused with (poisonous) conkers. Hedgehog fungus (Hydnum repandum) You must always be cautious when eating wild mushrooms, but this is one of the easiest to identify and therefore one of the safest. Look out for its creamy coloured, convex cap with white spines (not gills) beneath. Scrape off the spines before cooking. Dog-rosehips (Rosa canina) – with no one to deadhead the roses in the…

Our shelves may groan with books, but these objects were once the possession only of the most wealthy, gradually becoming accessible to more people. They’ve appeared in all kinds of paintings from all over the world – as seen in the impressive scope of works featured in Books Do Furnish a Painting – moving from the hands of priests and scholars to become a common feature of our cultural and domestic lives. By the time of most of these paintings, they’d become a symbol of intimacy, comfort and escapism – isn’t that everything you’d want when you pick up a good read? QUENTIN METSYS, THE MONEYLENDER AND HIS WIFE (1514) There’s an ambiguous message in this depiction of an Antwerp moneylender and his wife. Is his…

ORANGE – APRICOT TO COPPER Orange can glow like the embers of a fire, or blaze like a flaming sun sinking below the horizon. Yet orange can also be soft and blushing – the antique powder colour of a pair of silk stockings, or the palest shades of orange blossom, apricot and peach. Orange is earthy like Tuscan terracotta, or the colour of autumn leaves and ripe pumpkin, it is burnished copper or the colour of cognac. Orange is nourishing and full of heat: think of ginger, paprika and cinnamon. The colour of tropical cocktails, of carnivals and marigolds. Orange demands to be noticed. HOW TO USE ORANGE In the natural world, orange signals the changing seasons, as the greenery of summer turns to the glow of autumn. It represents…

1 ALCEA ROSEA ‘NIGRA’ Tall, stately hollyhocks are a staple of the traditional English cottage garden. Subvert their easy charm by choosing the mysteriously dark variety, ‘Nigra’, with its glossy velvety petals. Available from crocus.co.uk. 2 ZANTEDESCHIA ‘BLACK STAR’ Sending their silky maroon spathes out from speckled green leaves, these arum lilies add an exotic flavour to patio containers. They also make elegant and long-lasting cut flowers.From vanmeuwen.com. 3 OXALIS TRIANGULARIS ‘BURGUNDY WINE’ The purple-leaf false shamrock is ideal in a conservatory or on a sunny windowsill. It’s lovely to look at, its deep-plum leaves folding themselves up at night.From thompson-morgan.com. 4 SAMBUCUS NIGRA F. PORPHYROPHYLLA ‘EVA’ A stunning variety…

1 Make The Shakers knew a thing or two about an orderly home: peg rails skirting around rooms were used to keep everything from tea towels to chairs off the floor. Channel a little of their creativity and make your own peg rail, fix on a wall or on the inside of a wardrobe door, and hang scarves, jewellery, bags and sundries on it. Buy screw-in hardwood Shaker pegs (these are from Ebay, £9 for 10) and fix to a piece of 4x2 timber at measured intervals. Paint your choice of colour and you’re all set. 2 Buy Shoe racks have their limitations – never being able to accommodate enough shoes being their main shortcoming – but there’s no denying their usefulness. Try to avoid the temptation to go cheap,…

If Esther’s story has inspired you to plant an urban orchard, The Orchard Project is the organisation to advise you. With a mission to refruit the country, it works in partnership with communities nationwide to plant, manage, restore and harvest from their own orchards, rebuild orchard skills and celebrate orchard heritage. Most recently it has helped to create 12 new community orchards in Leeds. Believing that such projects can transform communities, their aim is to swathe cities in trees, providing beautiful blossom and tasty fruit everywhere.…

Grip – Charles Dickens Dickens’ pet inspired Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven and Grip is now preserved in a glass case in Philadelphia Free Library. Bambino – Mark Twain Behind every great American novelist is a great cat. Or several – Twain lived with 19 at one time. Bambino was a favourite. Pinka – Virginia Woolf A cocker spaniel, given to Woolf by Vita Sackville-West. Like all Woolf’s dogs, Pinka was taught to put out a match after her mistress lit a cigarette. Boise – Ernest Hemingway Boise sat, slept and ate meals with his master, who showed more tenderness to his cats than to some of his women. Limpy – Flannery O’Connor Flannery collected chickens as a child, and later peacocks. Their ‘impressive tails’ are surely a good choice…

MAKER OF THE MONTH Bold rugs and wall-hangings, woven with love Christabel Balfour weaves rugs and wall-hangings from her south London studio, working on a 1976 Harris floor loom and a 1992 Don Porrit loom, both of which she restored herself. Her designs are inspired by modern architecture, yet evoke a sense of space and tranquillity. Working every day at her loom is deeply meditative, and this translates into designs that are beautifully balanced and timeless. Christabel also runs regular weaving workshops for those wishing to try this slow craft for themselves. christabel-balfour.co.uk ONCE UPON A BEDTIME Lucy Mangan introduces Bedtime Stories for Stressed Out Adults The world can sometimes feel like a whirlwind; a constant rush of home, family and work demands, where down time is scarce and stress…

“Higher, more spindly heels are best kept for when you want to ramp up the sass” As temperatures fall, thoughts turn to boots. Buying a new pair of boots, like buying a winter coat, marks the changing of the seasons as much as leaves dropping from the trees or the return of Strictly. And it is an exciting prospect. Boots offer your feet – exposed throughout summer – comfort and protection. They envelop toes and heels safely, enabling you to tramp merrily along rain-splashed pavements without fear of chilliness or wet feet. You can wear them with skirts or trousers, to work or to play. They make life simpler and smarter. They rock. Until a year or so ago, knee-length boots were the winter footwear of choice; worn over straight-leg…

PORTUGESE CUSTARD TARTS (PASTÉIS DE NATA) Makes 12 Butter, for greasing 110g caster sugar 2 tbsp cornflour 3 egg yolks 225ml double cream 175ml milk 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 sheet of ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry Ground cinnamon, for dusting Icing sugar, for dusting 1 Grease a 12-hole muffin tin (unless using a non-stick tin). In a saucepan, mix together the caster sugar, cornflour and egg yolks. Gradually add the cream and milk, whisking until smoothish. Don’t worry about lumps – they will whisk out. 2 Stir over a medium heat until the mixture becomes very thick and, just before it comes to the boil, stop whisking, remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract and tip into a bowl. 3 Cover with cling film directly on the custard to prevent…

Happiness is… …the most popular class in Yale University’s history, says psychology professor Laurie Santos. A class titled ‘Psychology and the Good Life’ is so popular that one in four undergraduate students have enrolled. Assignments include showing more gratitude, performing acts of kindness and improving social connections. Solar Chernobyl A solar power plant has started producing electricity within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, marking a new epoch for the notorious nuclear facility in Ukraine. The €1m (£870,441), one-megawatt solar farm went live in May. “We decided that the best way to promote green energy was to construct a solar farm in an area that has suffered a lot from human activity,” said Evgeny Variagin, head of Solar Chernobyl. No ticket to ride Estonians can stop rooting around for loose change at…

Favourite shop BOVA’S BAKERY Bova’s has fantastic Italian pastries and calzones. It’s family owned and always open.bovabakeryboston.net Favourite gallery ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM A lesser-known museum, the Isabella Stewart Gardner has one-of-a-kind art collections, and was the site of a $500 million art burglary almost three decades ago. gardnermuseum.org Favourite restaurant ANTICO FORNO Antico Forno is home to delicious Italian food from an authentic brick oven. I get the Rigatoni Salsiccia every time.anticofornoboston.com Favourite bars LANSDOWNE PUB With live music at the weekends, this bar, across from Fenway Park (home of the Red Sox), is the place to go if you enjoy dancing at night.lansdownepubboston.com BELL IN HAND TAVERN The oldest tavern in America, and still thriving. Bell is a popular choice among Boston’s young locals, so get there early…

There are varying rules for a conker fight, but these are the ones laid out by The Woodland Trust, so you can run your own back garden championships: • Wrap the loose end of the string around your hand. One player should dangle their conker on about 25cm of string, keeping it absolutely still. • The other player then swings their conker at it to try to break it. • If the attacking player misses, they can have two more chances before it’s their opponent’s turn. • Take turns until one of the conkers breaks and you have a winner. • A new conker is called a ‘none-er’ as it hasn’t beaten anyone yet. When it beats another conker, it’s a ‘one-er’. If it beats another, it becomes a ‘two-er’…

John Wright, mushroom foraging expert at River Cottage, has some words of advice: “Don’t forget to collect single specimens for identification to avoid having to throw away large numbers of fungi if you discover they are not edible or unknown. There are a few edible species that are very easy to identify, so start with those first.” Here are a few he suggests: • Giant puffball • Hedgehog mushroom • Chicken of the woods • Hen of the woods • Chanterelle • Winter chanterelle • Cauliflower fungus • Penny bun • Oyster mushroom • Jelly ear • Black morel • Horse mushroom…

“We love scary stories, especially in the chill nights of autumn” You might think the world is terrifying enough right now, but despite that – or perhaps because of it – there’s been a surge of interest in the scary. Horror book sales are soaring, shows like Stranger Things are huge hits, and Hollywood is cashing in with original stories (A Quiet Place; the Oscar-winning Get Out) and rehashed classics (the 2017 remake of Stephen King’s IT has made over $700 million). With Jamie Lee Curtis returning to the Halloween franchise this autumn and a TV series based on The Blair Witch Project in the works, it seems our appetite for horror shows no signs of abating. So, what makes us so keen on being scared? And have we always…

On a quick tramp through the park last autumn, I was stopped in my tracks. A flame of red seemed to blaze among a bank of non-descript greenish trees. As I approached I saw it was a gum, a liquidambar, magnificently living up to its name with its maple-like leaves running the gamut from orange and scarlet to burgundy and copper. I was on a mission and shouldn’t have dallied, but the sight held me there, muting the nearby traffic and the urban snarl. Such is the power of trees. Perhaps it’s not surprising. Our history, literature, myths, our very lives, are bound up with them. They provide the oxygen we need to breathe and absorb the carbon dioxide we produce. Through the centuries they have offered shelter, food, medicines…

Oak Impressively large, ancient and strong, the oak has long been considered sacred by cultures from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the Norsemen and the Druids. Its spreading canopy and sturdy, twisted limbs make it ideal for boatbuilding: around 30,000 oak trees – more than 800 acres of forest – were felled for the Navy during Elizabeth I’s reign (1558–1603) alone. Alder The alder has an affinity with water and is often found growing alongside rivers and canals, and supporting buildings or structures which stand in water (bridges, jetties; much of Venice), since the wood lasts indefinitely when submerged. Perhaps surprisingly, it also burns well and makes a superior charcoal, the gunpowder from which was said to add 50 yards’ range to a ship’s cannon. Beech The overlapping branches…

When did you last fall in love? That thrilling, almost magical, reciprocal glance of understanding followed by a sense of infatuation is often mirrored as we cultivate our relationship with words: pursuing them with fascination; becoming an expert in their nuances of meaning and effect, and using them with delight and love. Begin by expanding your vocabulary. This is where a traditional dictionary wins over computer spellcheckers. As we flip through the pages, seeking a word’s meaning or spelling, unlooked-for words catch our attention. Choose a page at random and find a word you haven’t heard of. Try to write a sentence containing this word, ensuring you use its meaning correctly. Think about the way the word sounds – beyond its meaning. The words “shriek” and “shout” have similar meanings,…

PROUDLY HOMEMADE Most family pictures these days are snapped on a phone – very occasionally pausing to get everyone to pose nicely. Capturing these moments was a lot trickier before photography, especially if you didn’t have the wallet to get your portrait painted. No wonder then, that cut-paper-silhouette-making took off in the mid 18th century. Much more accessible, these scenes of a single colour (but usually black) could be made at home and, even without surface detail, convey both the likeness and personality of a portrait subject or group. This project encourages you to put one of your portraits to paper. You’ll be cutting it out, so keep the complexity of the image you pick in line with your skills (and take a look at our issue 54, for more paper-cutting…

Are you ever overwhelmed when standing in front of your wardrobe? It may be full of clothes but there’s not one thing you want to wear. Time is running out and you need to leave the house but all you can see is a jumble of items. There is probably something in there that will do the job, but it’s a question of finding it. Imagine, then, how it would feel if that wardrobe was gutted of all extraneous stuff. Be gone dress bought in foolish anticipation of miraculous shape shifting! Farewell preposterous yellow shoes bought in a misguided moment of flamboyance! “The days of wardrobes big enough to house a surprised lover are over” Instead there will be neat rails of things that you actually like to wear. You’ll…

My teenage stepson lives with us part time – a set-up I enjoy very much, but with one reservation. He is the master of the ‘floor drop’, ie, the notion of hanging clothes up is totally alien to him, so they lie heaped on the floor mouldering away. I am loathe to tiptoe into his room when he’s out, pick up his jeans and T-shirts and put them away in his wardrobe for him, but I can’t bear to see them lying there. What to do? Answer in brief: make hanging up clothes cool The ways of the teenage boy are indeed mysterious. Whereas you take pleasure in rows of neatly hung jeans, to him that idea is beyond consideration. Clothes are to be worn, then discarded until they…

Being alone at night is not the worst thing. The worst thing is the sudden knowledge that you are not alone. Someone breathes by my ear. He wears white. I start awake to a series of short, high beeps, like a lorry reversing. Then it stops. The house is full of its slight, familiar night noise. The floorboards sigh to one another, releasing the heat of the day. From the attic comes a sound like handfuls of gravel landing on the ceiling. Old houses are never free of mice. The beeping resumes. It has a nasal, piercing quality. I climb out of bed, protecting my injured arm. The batteries in the smoke alarm must have run down again. I fetch the stepladder and find new batteries (in the knife drawer.…

October is when hedgehogs start looking for a place to hibernate, so make their day by leaving some logs and branches in a shady part of the garden, ready for them to move in. GLASSHOUSE THEATRE The restored Temperate House at Kew Gardens is a wonder in itself, but a week of theatre at half term brings music, puppetry and performance together for an extra sprinkling of magic, helping visitors discover more about its precious plants; kew.org. “If you’re always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be”Maya Angelou WISH UPON A STAR Moorland walks, moonlit swims, astrophotography workshops and stargazing are all part of the Exmoor Dark Skies Festival, from 20 October to 4 November.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/enjoying/stargazing/dark-skies-festival FRIGHT NIGHT A creepy castle or haunted house is…

1969 Sarah is born in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. 1984 Joins the ANC. 1985 Arrested for challenging the apartheid government at a political forum. 1995 Starts tourism company, African Horseback Safaris, with friends in the Okavango Delta. 1999 Starts Planet Okavango with six local communities. 2004 Founds Take Back The Future, an economic empowerment programme for women in 700 communities across southern Africa. 2008 Gets involved in the formation of Women Forward, the first women’s political party in South Africa. 2008 Creates the first Wonderbag. 2011 The Guardian reports on the Wonderbag at the UN conference on climate change, known as COP17. This leads to an invitation for Sarah to speak at the Eye on Earth summit in Abu Dhabi, a meeting with Jane Goodall, and a partnership with…

You never know when you might discover a new passion I was working as an actress doing a lot of TV work – including Silent Witness and Outnumbered – which means a lot of sitting around with not much to do. Someone suggested I start knitting. My mother taught me, and I got hooked. Other people spot potential before you I was knitting on set and people started asking me to make them scarves and socks. I started creating knitting patterns for independent designers, and one said, “You should start your own label”. I dismissed it, but the idea was a seed. I started thinking maybe I could start investing some proper time into knitting. It coincided with my husband and I deciding to leave London and move to Amsterdam.…

Good morning. Too early for a cuppa? Never! The very first thing I do is go downstairs and put the kettle on. Sometimes, if I’m lucky and my husband is up before me, I get a cup brought to me in bed – heaven! A smashing start to the day. What’s next? I’ll make sure everyone is up. I have two children – both with fabulous red hair, hence Ginger Bakers. Then it’s off to the bakery. I started the business from my kitchen 12 years ago, but we’re now in a purpose-built bakery outside Kendal, where we look out onto hills filled with sheep. The working day starts at 8am, and soon after we all arrive the kettle goes on for morning coffee. And what goes on at the bakery?…

If buying for a lantern... • Pick one with an oval, rather than round shape, if carving a face… but if you see a mad bumpy one you love, go for it! • Look for a pumpkin with a flat bottom (this isn’t Miss World, you know). Flat bottoms mean less wobble. • Give it a knock – a hollow sound makes for a good carver. If buying for eating... • Look for firmness and brightness of colour. • Watch out for frost damage – any dullness around the stem suggests frost has hit. • Don’t throw away the seeds: these can be washed and roasted for a tasty snack.…

Autumn coming Benjamin Myers The first tree to turn is a flinted spark in the tinder of the valley, a burst of flame in the outer dark; a lit wick in the tallow to tarry About the author Novelist, poet and nature writer Benjamin Myers was born in Durham, and now lives in West Yorkshire. He wanders and wonders about landscape and history, myth and literature. ‘Autumn coming’ is taken from Under the Rock: The Poetry of a Place by Benjamin Myers (Elliott & Thompson).…

A pounding heart, tense muscles, an urge to hide behind the sofa – there’s no denying the physical reaction we have to watching horror. We also experience an adrenaline rush – our body’s response to stress or fear – similar to when we are in genuine peril or indulging in extreme sports. But, because we know we’re safe, we (or at least some of us) can enjoy these sensations of danger. In his 2004 paper ‘Understanding the Popular Appeal of Horror Cinema’, Dr Glenn D Walters listed ‘unrealism’ as an essential element of horror. You get thrills without risk, and without the uncomfortable empathy that would make you turn off a news report, where the suffering was real. Roger Clarke, author of A Natural History of Ghosts (Penguin), thinks ghost…

Druids revere the natural world above all else. Trees, particularly oaks (‘Druid’ is thought to have meant ‘knowledge of the oak’), are considered sacred, and meetings are held in forest groves. Druids believe in the interconnectedness of all life and in an afterlife. Some of their traditional beliefs and rituals are still around in altered forms: The Yule Log Druids believed that the sun stood still for 12 days at midwinter, and so they burnt a log throughout this period to banish the darkness and to keep evil spirits at bay. Mistletoe The cream berries of the mistletoe in the depths of winter were seen as a symbol of life. Pliny the Elder records a moonlit ceremony in which a priest would cut the bough of mistletoe with a golden…

Kangaroo paw Kangaroo paw, also known as Anigozanthos, is native to Australia and has a paw-like structure, hence the name. It’s now available in shades of silver and pale pink though it’s best known in its fiery colours of ochre, amber, red and rust. The flowers work well in a mixed arrangement due to their stiff structure. Kangaroo paw is also good in mini bouquet-style buttonholes as its native climate means it can last all day without water.…

“Plants with deep, rich foliage stand out against paler colours, while black flowers bring a really unusual touch” Judicious use of black and other deep, rich colours can totally transform your outside space, adding depth and drama to your borders, and providing a striking backdrop for bright flowers and foliage. Black planters look bold and smart, while dark walls or fences can enlarge small gardens by receding into the background, rather than defining your boundaries, which a lighter colour will do. Plants with deep, rich foliage stand out against paler colours, while black flowers bring a really unusual touch. Embrace your dark side and introduce a touch of noir elegance to your borders. DARK ART OF PLANTING A few carefully selected dark plants can add interest to even the smallest…

WOODEN Much the most attractive option and nothing says ‘orderly’ like a row of wooden hangers all facing the same way. Some are shaped to suit jackets, some have a bar on which to hang trousers, and others are made of cedar to prevent moisture. There’s a huge selection at thehangerstore.co.uk, starting from 82p each. MULTIPLE AND TIERED A neat option when space is tight: you can layer several skirts or pairs of trousers from one hook and clip in place to secure. Four and six tiers are available, from £6.98, at containerstore.com. PADDED Although they have a hint of Granny’s wardrobe about them, these are an ideal choice for dresses and jumpers. A padded hanger will not introduce unwanted bumps in fabric or damage it, so Granny really does…

The story so far There’s a history of growing, orchards and market gardens in Hackney, so it feels right that we’ve planted one. It started with a community garden on a disused piece of amenity grass that functioned as a dog run/toilet. Since then, we have expanded to create a foraging garden with a wild area, including a pond teeming with frogs, toads, newts, damsel and dragonflies – all of which have found their way through the buildings and concrete to us. It always astounds me how little nature needs to thrive and regenerate. Back in 2012 The Growing Kitchen approached the management organisation that runs the estate to create an orchard with The Orchard Project on a disused piece of land on the estate. We were given some funding…