Indice dei contenuti per September 2017 - Issue 63 in The Simple Things

“Beatniks, intellectuals and jazz musicians adopted it as their headwear of choice” Few items of headgear strike an attitude like the beret. Put one on and you instantly have a choice of identities and postures to adopt. You could accessorise with a slash of scarlet lipstick and channel a chic Parisienne. You could smoke a fat cigar, emblazon your beret with a star, look defiantly into middistance and summon up the revolutionary spirit of Che Guevara. Or you could clutch a shooter and pout crossly thus becoming Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde. You could even wear one with a belted raincoat and come over all Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em (right), although that would probably be foolish. Of course you could also choose to wear a…

COFFEE & WALNUT MINI LOAF CAKES Makes 8 90g walnuts, toasted and chopped 150g unsalted butter, softened, plus a little extra for greasing 150g caster sugar 1 tbsp instant coffee granules 100ml milk 150g eggs (weight once shelled) 150g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder for the icings 2 tsp instant coffee granules 200g fondant icing sugar 2 tsp cocoa powder (optional) for the decorations (optional) Chocolate flowers Toasted walnuts, crushed you will need Individual loaf tins, approx 10x7x4cm 1 Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F. Lightly grease the tins, then place a strip of baking parchment across the width of each, leaving an overhanging edge on each side. 2 Toast the walnuts in a skillet or frying pan set over a low heat for a few mins. Give the pan…

* 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 armchair travel. How long have you lived in the city? I grew up in Venice and went to university here. I’m passionate about my city, I did my thesis on ecology and the urbanisation of the Venetian Lagoon. I currently live and work in both Venice and Vienna. Tell us what makes your city unique.…

Literary friendships are the stuff of legend. The image of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth tramping the Lakeland Fells has long been entwined with their joint collection of groundbreaking poems. The tangled sexual escapades of Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley fuelled gossip in their own time, and remain a source of endless fascination. By the mid 19th century, Charles Dickens was taking Wilkie Collins under his wing: publishing the younger writer’s stories and initiating excursions to bawdy music halls. And the memoirs of Ernest Hemingway offer a ringside view of his riotous drinking sprees with F Scott Fitzgerald, thereby enshrining the pair’s friendship in literary lore. But, while these male duos have gone down in history, the most celebrated female authors are mythologised as solitary eccentrics or isolated…

Pebbles always keep their cool. Literally. In the stultifying humidity of a spring day in Hanoi, the pebble in my clammy palm is an unwaveringly smooth lozenge of cold, hard stone. There are things you should know about this particular pebble. It has been my travel companion for ten or so years and it has a name. It is called Travel Pebble. It resides in a mesh pocket on the outside of a small rucksack that tends to accompany me on most trips overseas. It is conker-sized, a muddy shade of mushroom and surprisingly unspeckled. Not that I care much about its looks. Travel Pebble’s value lies in weight and constancy. This pebble weighs just enough to reliably stay put in its pocket home. I have never stopped to actually…

THE HEROINE Must be flawed but only to a small extent. Will either start off hating the school (see the O’Sullivan Twins and Elizabeth, The Naughtiest Girl in the School) or will be desperate to please but have to work to overcome said character flaw (see Darrell and her oft-referenced hot temper). THE VILLAIN The most disliked girl in the school will usually have committed a crime so heinous as to scoff an entire box of chocs in bed or be secretly working class and ‘put on airs and graces’. See Pauline at St Clare’s who is ‘outed’ as working class when her mother visits and is mistaken for a school cook – the shame… Basically, being cowardly, nouveau riche or a little plump is equal to being Carlos the…

You don’t need to do much to help bees in your garden. Planting one or two of these should do it: 1 Crocus tomassinianus: this earlyflowering bulb with lilac leaves and orange stamens is a good source of nectar when nothing else is in bloom. 2 If you have a veg patch, let your brassicas and/or a couple of onions or leeks flower – all bees love them. 3 Any flowering herb will lure bees, but especially oregano and rosemary. 4 Native hedges such as hawthorn, elder and crab apple provide valuable food sources for pollinators. 5 Grow annuals from seed or plant herbaceous perennials in preference to commercial bedding plants. 6 Other plants to try include catnip, lupins, cornflowers and poppies. Jennifer runs ‘Introduction to Sustainable Beekeeping’ courses in her…

There are some among us who don’t see the point of cushions. These are the sort of people who sweep them off the sofa or a bed with a lofty paw, tut-tutting all the while about what a nuisance they are and how they have no purpose in the modern world. These are the sort of people who are misguided… Wiser folk appreciate that cushions add a rich layer of decoration to the home and, contrary to the naysayers’ opinions, are actually useful. Add a few to a sofa and you will have a comfortable place on which to rest your neck during a Netflix binge, and something to support your back or lay a tray upon when you want to sit up to enjoy a lazy pizza. Cushions have…

MAKER OF THE MONTH Tom Gyr lovingly crafts pens for calligraphers and doodlers alike Seeing his calligrapher wife Gemma Milly use a mass-produced calligraphy pen inspired Tom Gyr to craft a collection of pens that matched the quality of her work. Using a 60-year-old engineering lathe, he now makes pens for some of the world’s best calligraphers. His next project is the Studio Pen: “a writing instrument that switches between a fountain, rollerball, fineliner or brush pen. Why own several mediocre pens when one will make writing, drawing or hand-lettering a joy?” he says. tomsstudio.co.uk STAYIN’ ALIVE Maggie O’Farrell on survival in I am, I am, I am: Seventeen Brushes With Death Novelist Maggie O’ Farrell has been a hair’s breadth from death on several occasions: a terrifying encounter on…

Fairytale ballet Move over Disney, the Northern Ballet’s beautiful production of The Little Mermaid with excellent choreography and costumes inspired by mermaid folklore will capture the imagination. Touring eight UK cities from 21 September. northernballet.com Modern sculpture Rachel Whiteread was the first woman to win the Turner Prize. This exhibition at Tate Britain traces her monumental sculptures of everyday things. From 12 September. tate.org.uk Art on the big screen Exhibition on Screen launches its fifth season, taking viewers on a cinematic journey to discover more about our best-loved artists. From 26 September with Canaletto and the Art of Venice, to tie in with an exhibition at Buckingham Palace. exhibitiononscreen.com Stanza extravaganza It’s National Poetry Day on the 28 September. To find out about lyrical events near you or just to…

Brunch is an indulgence you could head to a café for, but invite a few friends over for a mid-morning graze of your own creation and it becomes an altogether more relaxed affair. There’s no need to toil with this menu that allows you to prepare some dishes ahead (bircher muesli, fruit muffins) and cook others on the day (bacon buns and veggie skillets); getting friends involved and sharing the prep is part of the fun. MENU Bircher muesli with cinnamon & grated apple Iced espresso smoothie Pear & blueberry breakfast muffins Bacon brioche buns with tomato relish Skillet of mushrooms, tomatoes and egg with thyme Bircher muesli with cinnamon & grated apple ENJOY THE LUXURY OF TIME AND SOAK MUESLI OVERNIGHT Serves 4 200g gluten-free oats 200ml coconut milk…

LIA LEENDERTZ is a garden and food writer and was recently shortlisted for Cookery Writer of the Year by the Guild of Food Writers. Her next book, The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2018, will be out in October. If you have ever felt daunted by the growing of herbs, start with fennel. Being a perennial, fennel only ever needs to be planted once, and it will come back year after year unbidden. Once it is up, it produces a spray of feathery foliage all summer long, followed in late summer by flowers and seeds. It is one of the prettiest of herbs, the acid yellow umbrellas of flowers looking very much at home in the garden among the dahlias and rudbeckias. There is no need to confine it to…

Take responsibility and do a bit at a time. The seeds for Zero Waste Week were sown, though I didn’t realise it at the time, in 2004, when my family and I were on holiday in Boscastle in Cornwall and got caught up in the flash flooding. A hundred people were airlifted to safety. I remember standing with my daughter and thinking that climate change, which I thought would happen in a hundred years’ time, was happening right in front of me. Get your family on board In 2008, I made a new year’s resolution to recycle. I lasted about three days – faced with having to pull a tin covered in teabags and vegetable peelings out of the dustbin, I gave up. Later in the year I saw a…

Walter was my first love. A 1970s, belted woollen coat, with a big fake furry collar that made me feel like I was stalking the streets of New York – perhaps wisecracking in a Woody Allen film, or maybe on my way to shimmy at Studio 54 – rather than mooching around the local shopping precinct. A coat with such a personality that my friends felt it had to be given a name. And, even better, Walter had only cost me 50p from a local jumble sale. He was the gateway find in what became my second-hand obsession. Through jumbles, charity shops and markets, I realised I could access a whole new – and affordable – world of dressing up: fitted 1950s dresses, shimmery disco tops, bags worthy of a…

Why are we so fascinated by the moon? Is it because it’s our nearest celestial neighbour? Maybe it’s because we can gaze on it in a way that’s impossible with the fiery sun? Or perhaps it’s because the moon shifts and changes, like our own moods. It’s mysterious, magical, potent with myth. Even its origins can’t be precisely pinned down. Scientists believe the moon was formed around 4.51 billion years ago, shortly after Earth itself. The most popular theory is that it was created from the debris left over from a massive collision between Earth and a body called Theia. What we do know for sure is that the moon isn’t round; it’s slightly egg-shaped, with the large end pointing towards Earth. Its orbit is oval-shaped – when it’s closest…

It’s an undeniable fact that a bookshelf improves a room. The addition of a row of books, no matter how small, instantly adds warmth, colour and personality. Novelist Anthony Powell knew this when he entitled the tenth book in his ‘Dance to the Music of Time’ series Books do Furnish a Room. Any house without at least one bookshelf feels empty and unloved, and its owner risks the danger of looking like someone with a sketchy, suspicious identity. Nosing around other homes lined with a bookshelf or two, on the other hand, can reveal much, and is as irresistible as poking around a vinyl collection once was. Assemble a row of books by favourite authors, with their familiar spines and covers, and the house starts to feel like a home.…

PROUDLY HOMEMADE BÖREK Eke out summer with these Turkish spinach and feta pastries. Rolled in this unusual way they look even more impressive Makes 6–8 Oil, for greasing and brushing 350g/12oz fresh spinach or Swiss chard leaves, rinsed Good handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped 100g feta cheese, crumbled ¼ tsp salt 1 x 350g packet of filo pastry 1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. Oil a shallow, round cake tin, approx 30cm in diameter. 2 Lightly cook the spinach and parsley in a lidded pan with just the water that is left clinging to the leaves after washing. When the leaves have wilted, drain them through a sieve and leave them to cool. When they are cool to the touch, give them a good squeeze to get rid of any…

SAVE UP TO 50% For almost 30 years Abel & Cole has been delivering boxes of seasonal organic fruit and veg to doorsteps up and down the country. These days they’ve extended their range far beyond broccoli, also offering marvellous meat and fantastic fish – all meeting Abel & Cole’s organic, seasonal standards. SAVE TIME, GAIN FLAVOUR Having fresh groceries delivered saves a journey to the supermarket, scanning endless shelves, and queueing at the checkout. As nifty as that is, however, sometimes there’s still not always time to cook from scratch, let alone come up with new ideas. Luckily, Abel & Cole have a brilliant solution that does the hard work for us. Introducing their magical recipe boxes. They’re full of everything you need to create stunning suppers at the…

BACON BRIOCHE BUNS WITH TOMATO RELISH Atkinsons Colombia La Maria, £5.50 for 250g A complement and a contrast for your bacon buttie: satsuma notes are lovely against the sweet brioche, and – as the coffee cools – its hints of walnut oil go brilliantly with bacon. thecoffeehopper.com SKILLET OF EGG, MUSHROOMS & TOMATOES WITH THYME Volcano Coffee Works Single Origin: Rwanda Mwasa, £7.50 for 250g Soft floral and savoury notes, and a light, fruity acidity that cuts nicely through the grease of this herby veggie fry-up. volcanocoffeeworks.com PEAR & BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST MUFFINS El Cairo by Pact, £8 for 250g This Colombian coffee has notes of orange and mandarin that go well with a fruity muffin, while its syrupy feel in the mouth is ideal with a sweet treat. pactcoffee.com…

TANYA KUZNETSOVA lives in Devon and, as the force behind Ravenscourt Apothecary, creates natural perfumes for tea and book lovers. Her simple thing is the crackling of a bonfire on a summer night. ravenscourtapothecary.com Morning! Are you rising and shining? I’m not a morning person, so I try to ease into it. I like to start my day with black coffee. And where can we find you? I live in rural Devon in a barn conversion cottage. Its interior is Scandinavian-inspired: lots of white and natural wood. I work from home, in my tiny loft office. It’s decorated with fairy lights, which makes it bright and cosy. Sounds lovely. Tell us a little about your work? My daily tasks vary. Sometimes I make batches of my natural perfumes. Two or…

Yorkshire Pudding Rules Ian McMillan The tin must not gleam. Must never be new. If there is dried sweat somewhere in its metal It must be your mother’s. The flour must be strong And white as the face of Uncle Jack When he came back from the desert. The eggs Must come from an allotment. The allotment Must belong to your father-in-law. The eggs have to be broken With one swift movement over the bowl. If there is dried sweat somewhere in its Pyrex It must be your mother’s. The milk Must have been delivered by Colin Leech At 0430. The fork has to be an old one. The wrist Must, simply must, ache after the mixing. The flour must introduce itself to the yolk of the egg. The egg…

N egative thoughts – worries, doubts and irritations – are like weeds. Despite our best efforts to think positive, look on the bright side, or be grateful for what we have, they still spring up. But what if the reason they are so persistent is that they serve a purpose and are even sometimes useful? According to an increasing number of experts, it’s time we stopped demonising negativity. It could help you feel happier. “Fundamentally, human beings are vulnerable,” says Svend Brinkmann, psychologist and author of Stand Firm: Resisting the Self-improvement Craze (Polity). “We are born helpless children, we fall ill, grow old and eventually die. These are the basic realities of life. However, much of Western philosophy has been based on the idea of a strong, autonomous individual, at…

String of hearts This pretty plant with its string of heart-shaped leaves is just lovely tumbling from the top of a cupboard; add a couple more to create a delicate screen. “Let the soil dry out and then give them a good drenching,” says Alice Howard, owner of Botanique Workshop, artisan store and flower shop. “And mist the leaves, otherwise they can get scorched.” They are easy to propagate, too. Each strand can be planted in a new pot to make a new one – in no time at all, your flat surfaces will be festooned with verdant delicacy.…

The story so far When I moved into my 1950s cottage in East Sussex in 2008, the garden was mainly planted with shrubs. The house backs onto arable farmland and there are large areas of meadow along a former railway line nearby. To encourage bees, I replaced the shrubs with bee-friendly perennials and annuals. The arable farmland can be feast or famine for bees depending on the crop. I allowed the dandelions and clover to flourish and planted hundreds of early-flowering bulbs. This is a really easy way to help bees of all kinds; honeybees are efficient pollen- and nectar-gatherers and will out-compete other species, so it’s vital to provide enough food for all of them. I have a background in agriculture and ecology and started keeping bees seven years…

India Hobson and Magnus Edmondson live in a world dominated by greenery. Their home in Sheffield is piled high with house plants, all dripping with good health, which trail, creep and flourish on every surface. Many of these have been captured by photographer India on their blog haarkon.co.uk and Instagram, @haarkon_. Now their love for the verdant has expanded to include greenhouses. Their Greenhouse Tour of the World, has taken them to glasshouses, conservatories and nurseries all over the UK and abroad. We asked them to compile images of three favourites and tell us a little about each one. THE GREAT GLASSHOUSE, NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS OF WALES, CARMARTHENSHIRE This sits at the heart of the gardens, which have lots more attractions, including a butterfly house and apothecary’s garden packed with…

Grass The green green grass of home produces a dye of yellow green. Different blades produce different shades, so have fun experimenting. Red onions No crying over this result – onion skins make for a pretty brownish-pink colour. Try brown onion skins for a lighter shade of brown. Avocado The most millennial of foodstuffs? Well, they do dye fabric a beautiful millennial pink. Try using both the stones and the skins. Acorns Squirrel away acorns this autumn. You’ll be nuts about the shades they can make, ranging from pale beige to grey. Hibiscus While you’re stockpiling hummus at a Middle Eastern grocery, pick up some dried hibiscus. Produces a colourful pinkish hue. Turmeric Often hailed as a wonder spice, it certainly works magic as a natural dye, producing an amazing…

“Ihave to admit it is not an unreasonable question. It’s the kind of thing people in a relationship ask each other every day; when will you be home, what do you fancy to eat, shall we watch another episode of that show? It is an entirely reasonable thing for Ryan to ask me. The trouble is that, as of today, we have very different ideas of where home actually is. I started to suspect a few weeks ago. It was the little things at first; calls left unanswered that once would have been picked up on the first ring. A new aftershave. The shadow of something I couldn’t decipher when he looked at me. And then I noticed he was starting to stay late at the office more often. A…