Sommaire pour 01-Jun-2015 de The Simple Things

On a recent back cover we wrote, “The world is full of magical things just waiting for us to notice”. How true, and never more so than around midsummer when long evenings are made for ‘magical things’ to happen. Yet the real point is not the magic but our inclination to notice it. Sometimes it’s as simple as looking up. I took this picture at an open garden near my home but I’d been there half an hour before I noticed the creature peering at me from the porch roof. ‘Here be dragons’ is the obvious caption. If there’s a moral to the story it’s that we all need to take a step into the unknown now and then. Who knows what we’ll discover. #mysimplething…

LOUISE GORROD The Simple Things’ wishlist editor Louise is a Hove-based writer, baker, photographer and author of blog Buttercup Days www.buttercupdaysuk.blogspot.co.uk. See more of her things to want and wish for at www.pinterest.com/simplethings Fort tray | £34 Laminated ply trays designed by Donna Wilson in her distinctive, colourful style. Three designs to choose from, each one lovely. www.scp.co.uk Bearded Lady print | £35 One way to ensure that junior guests (and their parents) are on their best behaviour.www.onemustdash.com Brass spoons | £26 a pair Little (20cm long) spoons in solid brass. Perfect for dipping into honey or tucking into ice-cream. www.fermliving.com Desktop office set | £12 Keep your home office in order with these neat wooden containers. Tidy. www.atnumber67.co.uk Gold Dot tumblers | £25 for four Hand-painted porcelain pots…

Alive to the magic of the night, and aware that “a place familiar to us in daylight can seem suddenly strange and unknown beneath the velvet cape of darkness”, Dixe Wills heads to forests, moors and islands to experience the nocturnal side of life in the UK. She hears rumours of a devil dog on Dartmoor and is dive-bombed by Manx shearwaters before heading up Cader Idris in Wales to test out the theory “that anyone who spends the hours of darkness on the summit comes down magically metamorphosed into either a poet or a lunatic”. (AA Publishing, £16.99)…

250g butter, at room temperature 5 tablespoons chopped herbs Lemon juice (optional) 1. With a fork or in a food processor, cream the butter until it is very soft and easy to work. 2. Mash the chopped herbs into the butter and mix, adding a squeeze of lemon juice if you like. 3. Divide the butter into four and transfer each portion to a piece of baking parchment or cling film. 4. Lift the end nearest to you over the butter and, with the palms of your hands, roll into an even-sized oblong. Twist the ends firmly. 5. Chill for a couple of hours before serving, to allow the herbs to release their flavours or freeze and use within nine months. Winning combinations Finely chopped coriander, chilli, lime zest and…

Long, slow dusks and tall, cool drinks make for a magical combo. Throw in a few twinkly lights to match the stars, hang a lantern or two and break out the firepit. Now you’re set for a night to remember, of good conversation and even better cocktails, all made from fresh ingredients. You’ll have to concoct the syrups* earlier on in the day but there’s no need to do it all yourself, ask your guests to forage for finds and make it BYOB – bring your own berries. That’s our kind of garden party. WHAT IS A WILD COCKTAIL? It’s about extending your cocktail cabinet outdoors, using garden and foraged botanical ingredients to infuse and garnish your cocktails. For a long time cocktails meant wild in the sense of extravagant…

This is Lucy Levenson’s world: clouds are red, green and ditsy print; Big Ben rises striped and paisley from a technicolour London; and Highland cows are, of course, tartan. “I hate rules; why must a tree be green?” says Lucy, who creates folk art from a studio in the cellar of her home, a converted alehouse in Berkhamstead. Using a mix of machine embroidery, hand-sewing, decoupage and appliqué, Lucy’s tactile pieces depict a world of colour, charm and whimsy. “People say they make them smile,” says Lucy. “I love that someone might be having a rubbish day and one of my pictures cheers them up.” The uplifting effect of creativity and colour is something she understands well, having left a career in magazine photography 10 years ago to become a…

We think of what we wear as a free choice, although we probably adjust what we put on depending on the occasion. But, over the centuries, women’s dress has been subject to scrutiny, criticism and control for a huge variety of reasons that aren’t just aesthetic. What constitutes ‘acceptable’ dress varies hugely according to time and culture, and countless examples of clothing ‘censorship’ can be found around the world. Here are just a few of the reasons why women in Britain have been prevented from wearing exactly what they want, when they want. FOR PIETY For many centuries, the church exerted a huge influence on women’s clothing. As Aileen Ribeiro points out in Dress and Morality, “immaculate”, a word commonly used to pass sartorial judgment, actually means “without sin”, and…

Whether or not you relate to your dad, you can’t deny his influence on your personality. Understanding him – faults and all – can help you understand yourself. Peter Saddington, therapist and spokesperson for Relate, says: ‘You have much to gain as an adult from investing in your relationship with your father. We know that both women and men who have a strong relationship with a father or close father figure tend to have better self-esteem and are less likely to develop problems such as eating disorders and gambling.’ Dads can also offer us a different perspective on problems from mums, as they’re more likely to take a ‘big picture’ approach, says Saddington. ‘Asking your dad for advice is a good way to improve your relationship as it makes him…

IT’S THE UNIVERSAL appeal of Wimbledon that makes it a summer tradition. Can you name one other sporting event your mum watches? Queuing from dawn in SW19 for a ticket has its own particular satisfaction and I’ve been courtside, watching big names fall apart on the dreaded Court Number Two. But real Wimbledon-watching is not what the last week in June and first in July is all about. It’s about sitting in the living room in the middle of the day with the curtains drawn – you can’t see the ball when the sun shines. It’s about the art of making a cuppa during end changes. Children have waited for tea because of tie-breakers that went on, bedtimes delayed, bathtimes scrapped when a fourth set failed to be the decider.…

When I had my first small garden I used to love eating supper outside as much as I could. Short of freezing temperatures and a splash of rain, from spring to autumn I ate al fresco. After a day in an office, it was heaven to be outdoors away from the computer. As it was a city garden, overlooked by neighbours, I surrounded my seating area with a screen of plants. It looked pretty in the day but as dusk fell, the area magically transformed: the small white flowers of a star jasmine scrambled up the arbour and glowed in the falling evening light, while a swathe of nicotianas filled the air with their delicious fragrance. It was a little bit of heaven and ever since, I’ve made sure I…

Serves 6–8 180g rhubarb, trimmed into 3cm pieces 200g strawberries, hulled and halved 40ml white wine 100g caster sugar 1 tbsp cornflour 1 tsp lemon juice 1 egg yolk ½ tsp grated fresh ginger 300g pastry – your own or readymade Equipment: 26–28cm tart tin 1 Combine the fruit, wine, sugar, cornflour, lemon juice and ginger in a large bowl and leave to macerate. 2 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160/350F. 3 Roll out the pastry to around 3mm. Gently press it into the base and sides of the tart tin. Prick the base a few times with a fork and bake for 10 mins. 4 Lightly beat the egg yolk, brush over the pastry and bake for a further 10 mins. 5 Take the tart out of the oven, trim…

While these methods cater to different levels of dedication, all need sleight-of hand skills to pull off successfully. There goes our membership of the Magic Circle… FOR COMMITTED MAGICIANS Conceal your rabbit in a hidden compartment on your ‘magician’s table’ and use some speedy handwork to move Thumper into the hat. The Masked Magician on YouTube has a how-to guide. FOR HOME MAGICIANS Try a readymade version, such as Marvin’s Magic Hat (£19.99), from www.argos.co.uk. AND THE THIRD WAY... Mallusionist (www.mallusionist.com) claims you can train a rabbit to shut its eyes, then coat it in dust to hide it in the hat. Distract the audience while you blow the dust away, before revealing the clean rabbit that was there all along. Hmmm...…

KEFIR This yoghurt-like cultured milk product is under the spotlight thanks to its popularity with the likes of ultra-healthy food bloggers Hemsley and Hemsley. It’s made by inoculating any type of milk with kefir grains (the grains are strained out before use). With a creamy texture and a tart flavour, kefir is packed full of ‘friendly bacteria’. TRY IT: Glasgow’s Polish Taste café serves kefir drinks BUY IT: Starter kits are available from www.nourishkefir.co.uk SEE IT: On our Tasty Trend pinterest board…

SCIENCE IS EXCITING To make any book seem less exciting than it actually is, first use the word ‘exciting’ in the title. Then put an obscure bit of machinery on the cover. Poor Science is Exciting is struggling from the off. Shame, because the simple experiments in this 1959 book are at least interesting, sometimes bordering on fun. “It would not be surprising if you were one of the first people to go on a trip to the moon!” it says, in frankly rather unlikely proclamation. Unless a copy found its way to a young Armstrong, Aldrin or Collins, of course. Found in Halcyon Books, Greenwich…

KING HENRY VIII’S WIVES Probably more easily dredged from the brain than some historical facts, thanks to the recent popularity of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall , there’s also the useful mnemonic that helpfully encapsulates the fate of Henry VIII’s six wives in turn: ‘divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived’. And, if you’ve survived that question, how do you then remember which lucky lady was which? There’s another helpful mnemonic for that too: ‘All Barons Should Carry Heavy Parcels’, which should prompt the recollection of Aragon, Boleyn, Seymour, Cleves, Howard, Parr. Sadly, for the first names, no one yet seems to have obliged with a suitably catchy memory aid. As the answer is Catherine, Anne, Jane, Anne, Catherine and Katherine, we’re going to put our neck on the line, Boleyn…

KIRSTIE YOUNG Kirstie shot our Seed to Stove feature on page 40. She loves to capture the story behind food; the people that grow it, the chefs that prepare it, the people that gather around the table to share it. Your most magical moment of last summer? The first evening on holiday in France with some old friends. All the children asleep in bed, and a long evening of good food and wine ahead of us. SHERYL GARRATT After years as the editor of The Face and then the Observer magazine, Sheryl vowed to escape office jobs. She’s now a freelance writer. She interviewed Tracey Thorn for our Wisdom feature on page 36. Your most magical moment of last summer? Sitting on the beach in Deal one warm night, sipping…

on the moors – she was described by Charlotte as a “solitude-loving raven”. Anne’s neat and beautiful needlework sampler hints at her orderly mind, while Charlotte’s bracelet, created from the entwined hair of Anne and Emily, serves as a melancholy reminder of their early death and Charlotte’s grief over their loss. Compelling. (Norton, £25) Historian Deborah Lutz offers a fresh perspective on the Brontës and their fiction through the things they owned. Contemplating nine objects – from the brass collar worn by Emily’s dog, Keeper, to a collection of miniature handmade books, Lutz recreates their lives. It’s a fascinating character study of the siblings. A walking stick recalls Emily’s tramps…

Att Pynta is one of those finds you want to keep to yourself, but it is hard to stay quiet about something so good. A beautiful online shop offering a stylishly curated collection of homewares with a Scandinavian influence, Att Pynta stocks some very purse-friendly products. From independent Scandi designers who craft exclusive products for the shop to UK designers producing ethically sourced, made-in-the-UK goods, this shop stylishly champions them all through informative features on their inspirational blog. If, however, you ever want to see their products in the flesh, pop down to East London’s Broadway Market where you will find them every Saturday. www.attpynta.com…

Spice Festival Head to Kew Gardens this summer for an exotic day out in the capital. Ride on a rickshaw, learn about the history and medicinal uses of spices, barter at the spice exchange, make your own spice mix and sample dishes from street food vans and pop-up kitchens. 23 May-6 September, www.kew.org Grow London Come and meet the team of The Simple Things at this contemporary garden fair on Hampstead Heath, 19–21 June.www.growlondon.com Food in Fife The Crail Food Festival is one of Scotland’s biggest food events, with producers from all around the country assembling in this charming seaside village. 12–14 June, www.crailfoodfest.co.uk Textile trove The Hatched, Matched, Dispatched – & Patched exhibition at the American Museum in Bath gathers garments and cloths made to mark family milestones, from…

Parmesan & poppy seed shortbread THIS SAVOURY TWIST ON SHORTBREAD IS CHEESY AND SEEDY – IN A GOOD WAY Makes approx 24 biscuits 150g plain flour 75g finely grated parmesan 100g unsalted butter, soft 1 egg yolk 2–3 tsp poppy seeds 1 Place all the ingredients together in a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon, electric mixer or food processor, until a dough forms. 2 Turn the dough out onto a surface and knead for about 30 seconds until smooth. Flatten the dough down a little to form a disc shape, wrap with cling film and place in the fridge for 45 mins. 3 Remove the dough from the fridge and allow to soften a little before rolling. Preheat the oven to 180C/ Fan 160/350F. 4 Place a…

FAVOURITE SHOPS Milleunaceramica Via Pietro Capuano, 36, Amalfi For beautiful ceramics created by local artists on the Amalfi Coast, Milleunaceramica on Amalfi’s main street has one of the best selections. www.milleunaceramica.com La Scuderia del Duca Largo Cesareo Console, 8, Amalfi Set in the historic arsenal area, this paper shop sells paper handmade in Amalfi made into beautiful stationery, journals and artwork. www.carta-amalfi.it FAVOURITE MUSEUM Museo della Carta Via delle Cartiere, 23, Amalfi Located in a historic paper mill, this small museum walks visitors through the history of papermaking with a hands-on demonstration. www.museodellacarta.it BEST SPOT FOR A DRINK Bar Gran Caffè Corso delle Repubbliche Marinare, 37/38, Amalfi Ideal for a coffee, light lunch, aperitivo or after dinner drinks. The outdoor tables overlooking the harbour have a gorgeous sunset view. www.bargrancaffeamalfi.it…

• Ryewater Farm, Dorset Long, thin hay meadows bordered by deep hedges and dotted with large oaks make for butterfly-rich fields on this organic farm.www.plantlife.org.uk • Hughenden estate, Buckinghamshire Once the home of Disraeli, the grassy parkland studded with giant trees and ox-eye daisies is a lovely place for children to roll in the buttercups.www.nationaltrust.org.uk • Bo Peep, East Sussex High up in the South Downs, this grassland ridge is a wonderful place to see the wildflowers that grow in the remaining three per cent of chalkland meadows. • College Lake, Hertfordshire Set within a flooded chalk quarry, miles of paths wander through wildflowers, including poppies and cornflowers. Plenty of nature-focused activities for kids and a sedum-roofed café.www.bbowt.org.uk • Barnack Hills, Cambridgeshire With swathes of wildflower carpet, this undulating landscape…

Recently, the great outdoors has been the subject of some of the most evocative and inspiring writing around. Ecologically aware, poetically inclined and fully alive to the beauty in hills, fields and dales, the latest crop of nature writers capture their love of the landscape and the creatures that inhabit it, as the six shortlisted for the Thwaites Wainwright prize show. Created to celebrate the legacy of Lakeland walker Alfred Wainwright, its aim is to turn the spotlight on the finest nature books around. This year’s list included Helen MacDonald’s H is for Hawk, in which the author movingly recounts her struggles to train a falcon called Mabel, and Richard Askwith’s Running Free, a journey through rural highways and byways on the free running trail. The winner was Meadowland by…

• France’s ‘headscarf ban’ prohibits the wearing of any religious symbols in state primary or secondary schools. • Anti-pornography laws passed in Uganda in 2013 banned ‘indecent’ clothing resulting in the harassment of women wearing mini skirts. • The production, import and sale of lace underwear was stopped in Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia last year, partly because of the high number of imports. • In 2008, Russia also legislated against ‘dangerous teen trends’, including ‘emo’ clothing, claiming it contributed to depression and social withdrawal. • In Malaysia, wearing the yellow T-shirts of the activist anti-Government group Bersih can lead to arrest.…

Folklore tapes Ian Humberstone and David Chatton Barker are bringing the nation’s folklore to life by interpreting its myths, mysteries, magic and strange phenomena via musical reinterpretation. Various artists and musicians contribute to the project with subjects including customs surrounding May Day and the folklore of Devon and Lancashire. The results can be bought on cassette tapes from their website www.folkloretapes.co.uk There was a time when the folk enthusiast was derided. Woolly-jumpered, bearded, beer-bellied and old-fashioned, he (he was usually a man) and his interests felt fusty and out-of-step. Not any more. A new generation in search of authenticity and tradition has come to appreciate the customs, stories and music that help make sense of the past and define our national identity. “There’s a greater interest in preserving and promoting…

Lily of the valley With its tiny, prettily-bonneted flowers, lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis, looks as if it has been sprinkled in the woods by fairy milliners. Small, delicate and pure white, it is often the choice for the bridal bouquet (The Duchess of Cambridge had it in hers). Its sturdy stems and sweet scent* make it an ideal cut flower, too. Put a few sprigs in a glass bottle or bundle them together with raffia into a posy. Sweet. * The flower’s heady fragrance is often used in perfume: Yardley’s Eau de Toilette being a prime, retro example.…

The roots of homespun alchemy lie in the play of childhood – sneaking bits and pieces from the garden and mixing them in jam jars, hoping for a magical scent. This kind of experimentation is no less fun as an adult, but with these recipes from Rachelle Blondel, author of Forgotten Ways for Modern Days, you’ll get far more satisfying results. Harnessing the natural power of the likes of beeswax, nuts, seeds and rosewater, these are great weekend projects that will reward you – or, in the case of the perfume, perhaps someone else – with some gentle, natural pampering throughout the working week. Sunny sunflower seed mask CHEAP AND EASY TO MAKE, THIS FACE MASK IS PACKED FULL OF SKIN-FRIENDLY ANTIOXIDANTS You will need: ½ cup sunflower seeds, ground…

FLORAL FANCY Sweetness and light. Just like the best cakes. PAIR WITH Victoria Sponge. Sometimes there’s no need to mess with tradition. £45, bluebellgray at www.amara.com BLUE BEAUTY Pressed glass is always impressive, especially when it’s an unconventional shade. PAIR WITH Red Velvet. Bold colours call for bold baking. £50, www.liberty.co.uk JAZZY GLASS Nobody could put this attention-seeking baby in a corner. PAIR WITH: Black Forest Gateau. The guilty pleasure of the cake world. £12.99, www.hm.com/gb…

A recycled plastic water bottle is a good way to ensure plants won’t wilt in the summer sunshine. While herbaceous plants, annuals and crops in your garden will be crying out for a drink in the summer, chances are you will be out and about making the most of the gorgeous weather. Most delicate or container-grown plants will cope with a decent glug every morning (before the sun gets too strong and can burn wet leaves) or in the late afternoon, but left any longer, can experience problems. The solution is fairly simple – once you’ve quenched your own thirst with a bottle of water, save it and use it to ensure your plants don’t suffer in the sun. 1 Use a 1-litre plastic bottle if possible, though 500ml is…

Fruit Pastilles First made by Rowntree in 1881, these irresistibly chewy treats are one Victorian invention that wasn’t intended to last. Coltsfoot Rock This Lancastrian speciality is a brittle rock candy, flavoured with coltsfoot, a plant reputed to ease coughs and asthma. Still rots your teeth though... Chocolate limes Like the perfect yin and yang, this zen-like classic pairs a crunchy citrus exterior with a runny chocolate interior. Acid drops Sour enough to give you a sucking-on-lemons expression, the acid drop is a boiled sweet so mouth-stripping, it could make a grown man weep. Everton toffee Unlike Everton FC, Everton toffee wears black and white stripes. It’s one long-lasting and jaw-jamming suck. Humbugs A traditional hard-boiled sweet with characteristic brown and beige stripes. Frequently found in old ladies’ handbags, but…

100g very thin rice noodles 850g sugar 125ml lime juice 2 tbsp Persian rose water lime or lemon wedges to serve 1 Boil the rice noodles for a minute in a large pan of hot water. Drain and pour ice-cold water over them. 2 Boil the sugar, 500ml water and the lime juice until the sugar dissolves, in about a minute or so. Let the liquid cool. Add the noodles and rose water to the cooled syrup and churn in an ice-cream maker (see point 4 if you don’t have one). Serve straight away or freeze for later. 3 Pile the Faloudeh high in martini glasses and serve with lime or lemon wedges. 4 If you haven’t got an ice-cream maker, pour the mixture into a tray, freeze for 30…

Oliver sat at the piano in his Nan’s house. All the rooms were empty; his Nan’s belongings had been sorted and boxed, and anything she couldn’t take with her to the home had been distributed around the family. Only a few piles of yellowing newspapers remained, horse names circled in blue Biro. Oliver had still been in the hospital, recovering on the high-dependency ward when his mother had asked whether there was anything he wanted of his Nan’s. “The metronome,” he had said, without thinking. “That old tickety-tockety thing?” his mother said. “What do you want that for? You don’t have a musical bone in your body. I don’t know if it still works mind you, won’t have been used for years. It was probably Pop’s, once upon a time,…

Faloudeh is the world’s oldest ice-cream: a mixture of shaved ice, rice noodles, sugar and rose water. The recipe has hardly changed since it was created 3,000 years ago and street vendors in Yazd, Iran, still sell it straight from giant white copper pots. This simple recipe is quick to make, and it cleanses the palate and satisfies a sweet tooth. In Iran they use rice starch noodles, but thin rice noodles will do. Turn to page 128 for the recipe.…

Take a sipof Talia Baiocchi’sSherry: AModernGuideToTheWineWorld’sBestKept Secret “bitter and intensely savoury flavours” that we currently favour. Wine writer Talia Baiocchi explores the history of the drink, visits the sherry triangle in Andalucía and raises a glass to sherry-infused cocktails, including the delicious sounding Remember The Alimony – a potent mix of Fino, gin, Cynar and orange zest, a perfect cure for heartbreak. (Jacqui Small, £20) Sherry was the drink of choice for 15th- and 16th-century explorers and adventurers, and the favourite tipple of Shakespeare, Poe and Dickens before falling out of favour and heading to the back of Miss Marple’s drinks cabinet. But fashion’s changed again, like our palates, and the “delicacy and dryness” of Fino and Manzanilla sherry are perfect accompaniments to the…

DOWNLOAD AND TRAVEL Forget out-of-date guide books, the gorgeous new online Petite Passport City Guides (from Pauline Egge, who wrote about Rotterdam in our My City feature in the April issue) contain all the latest info you need from best addresses to unique places with beautiful design and photography. Amsterdam, Barcelona and London are ready to download now at www.petitepassport.com/guides HAVE A HEALTHY CHASER Pomegranate juice could be your best choice for a summer digestif as new research shows it helps balance sugar levels and can ward off Type 2 diabetes. Antioxidants in the fruit help avoid the surge in blood sugar that happens immediately after a meal. Try Pomegreat juice, which contains no refined sugar. GRAB A RACKET The tennis season is upon us but don’t just sit back…

Picture the scene: you are at a garden party in a full-on summer frock, and the temperature drops. What do you reach for? You could tussle with a pashmina and try to look sophisticated among its swathes of folds and fringes. You could pull on a jumper, if prepared to muck up your hair in a frizz of static. Or you could opt for a neat, easy-to-wear, waist-enhancing cardigan and channel the spirit of Grace Kelly (pictured). There really is no contest: a cardigan is your real friend when things get chilly. Originally a type of knitted waistcoat worn by British officers during the Crimean war and named after their Major General James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, the cardigan gradually morphed from military garb into a wardrobe staple, reaching…

Sartorial consideration is often a luxury lost in the hubbub of daily life. Who has time to style an outfit before breakfast or space to think about a change of clothes for after-hours dinners or family gatherings? Thanks to Great Plains’ versatile collections – premium designs that fulfil the demands of a modern lifestyle – you don’t have to. The British brand sets its sights on quality and longevity, meaning collections are always on-point without feeling too trendy and fashion-forward without appearing overt. Ticking the boxes for every eventuality, tailored shift dresses and premium separates are well-considered, savvy investments, made to work for every hour, whether you’re en route to the office, dropping the kids off at school or hosting Sunday brunch. Building a capsule wardrobe you can be confident…

When self-confessed spice geek Axel Steenberg founded the artisan herb-and-spice brand Steenbergs with his wife Sophie in 2003, pepper was the first thing he went in search of. “To me, pepper is the king of spices,” says the former investment banker and finance director. “It has been prized since pre-Christian times and it changed the course of history and trade. During Medieval times, it was said to be more valuable than gold; it was used as currency, which is why sailors on the Tudor warship Mary Rose were found with peppercorns in their pockets. Vasco de Gama sailed to India from Portugal in 1498 because he was trying to bring pepper back to Europe. That was the start of the Portuguese Empire, and the Dutch and British soon followed.” Axel’s…

TURKISH FIG CAKE WITH POMEGRANATE SYRUP Serves 8–10 170g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease demerera sugar to sprinkle 4 large, ripe, black figs 140g soft light brown sugar 3 eggs at room temperature 200g self-raising flour pinch of salt 1 tsp baking powder 1½ tsp ground mixed spice FOR THE FIG PURÉE 200g soft, dried figs 2 tbsp date syrup 3 tbsp water 80ml evaporated milk FOR THE POMEGRANATE SYRUP 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses 1 tbsp icing sugar 1 tbsp boiling water (approx) 1 Grease the base and sides of the cake tin and sprinkle generously with demerera sugar. 2 Cut the fresh figs vertically into quarters, cover with cling film and set aside. 2 To make the fig purée, cut the dried figs into small pieces and…

WHEN PERUVIANS SAVOUR PLATES of zingy raw fish salad washed down with ice-cold beer at the end of this month, they’ll be enjoying more than a tongue-tingling lunch. So integral is ceviche* to Peru’s culture that the country’s government has designated a national holiday in its honour (28 June). This dish of sliced or diced raw white fish marinated , at its simplest, in lime juice with finely chopped chillies and onions, encapsulates the spicy, colourful vitality of a cuisine that is now wooing food lovers across the world. The country’s long Pacific coastline boasts one of the richest fisheries on the planet, and when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, they brought the other key ingredient with them: citrus fruits. The acid in the lime juice cures fresh-from-the-ocean…

This month, our friends at Inntravel turn the spotlight on the area between the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Wolds that they are proud to call home. This leisurely short break is a winning combination of self-guided walks (during which you can visit some of the area’s jewels) and privately guided, food-themed visits to a variety of independent producers. For behind-the-scenes access, beautiful scenery and a mouthwatering succession of culinary treats, it’s hard to imagine anywhere better. 1. THE STAR AT HAROME Harome, at the southern tip of the North York Moors National Park, is an idyllic place to begin. Besides the main street – lined with thatched, golden-stone cottages – there’s precious little to disturb the peace. The Pheasant Hotel overlooks the village duck pond, while Andrew Pern’s…

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 www.otterfarm.co.uk. IN JUNE Even if the spring has been wet and cold, the leaves, shoots, herbs and fruit know it’s June and somehow grow through it. There are hearting lettuces such as Reine de Glace and Buttercrunch, plenty for cut-and-come-again harvesting, such as Green Oak Leaf and Australian Yellow Leaf, and – in a tribute to my laziness – there’s also quite the jungle of self-sown leaves springing up in pathways, under bushes and in the vegetable beds themselves. No two salads need be the same at this time of year, and, thankfully,…

The classic family favourite. Sniggering at the word ‘trumps’ never gets old. BASICS: 2–7 players; 52 card deck; Ace is high Seven cards are dealt to each player. The next card is turned up and becomes the trump suit. The player to the left of the dealer places the first card. Each player must follow the suit led, if possible. If not, play any other card, including a trump card. The highest trump wins the trick or, if no trumps are played, the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads the next trick. Once all cards are played, players without any tricks are eliminated. The player with the most tricks picks trumps for the next hand; if two people have the same amount of tricks, cut cards to…

LUPINS WHAT ARE THEY? Gorgeous spires of colour, Lupins add height and interest to a border in May and June – not surprising then that plantswoman to the stars, Rosemary Verey, used lupins in a rainbow-coloured border she designed for Elton John. They’re stalwarts of the garden too, as they’re happy to grow in poor soil and will also cope in a north-facing spot. Ideally, however, they prefer a well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic soil and full sun is said to improve their colour. WHY WOULD YOU? Gardener and presenter Sarah Raven (www.sarahraven.com) says, “I love lupins – their great plume flower spikes in early summer, with that wonderful candy floss-like scent. These are a classic of any cottage garden and look fabulous in a vase.” They can also be…

Seed Balls INGREDIENTS 400g beef suet (not dripping or lard, they’ll go rancid in the sun) 50g raw, shelled sunflower seed hearts 50g raw, shelled peanuts, crushed into crumbs 2–3mm across 10–20g whole dried mealworms HOW TO MAKE 1 Finely chop or crumble the suet into a large saucepan. Melt on a low heat until there is plenty of liquid fat – not all the suet will melt down. 2 Add the other ingredients (don’t soak the mealworms) and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. 3 Allow to cool. As it is becoming opaque, divide into 8 portions. Shape into balls a little larger than a golf ball with your hands. Compress the mixture until it holds together well. Keep in the fridge until ready to use. TO SERVE Present…