Table of contents for January 2016 - Issue 43 in The Simple Things

You don’t have to try very hard to find the ultimate escape. There’s no need to travel far or to send your mind on a journey of the imagination. Pick a clear night when the moon is large and step outside. Stand in your back garden and simply look up for a trip through the heavens that never fails to humble and awe. A telescope or an app are brilliant if you want to learn about the names and patterns of the constellations but sometimes all you want to do is wonder. And wander. I call it Wonderlust; the desire to be amazed by what’s around us.…

Photographer Jane Bown worked at the Observer for decades, mostly shooting portraits. She liked black-and-white film, eschewed colour, pared down her working method to the bare minimum and made herself as unobtrusive as possible, arriving at shoots with her camera in a carrier bag. One of her mottos was, “Photographers should neither be seen nor heard.” Another was, “Some people take pictures. I find them,” and the wonderful images collected in this book capture both these ideas beautifully. There’s a lovely, sad stillness to her photographs of harvesters, circus workers and children, and a revealing candidness in her famous portraits of celebrities from Lauren Bacall to Björk. (Faber)…

This gem of a retailer in Forest Hill, South London, sells inspiring materials from far and wide, with a focus on reclaimed and vintage fabrics, beautiful yarns and haberdashery as well as a platform for designers to sell their wares. Owners Pascale Spall and Cyrus Colquitt also run a number of popular craft and textile workshops in their new studio including weekly craft mornings, knitting and crochet clinics and more unusual and specialist classes like blackwork embroidery – a beautiful graphic-style embroidery that was popular in the Tudor period. A one-stop shop where the modern maker can bag a new skill along with their ribbons and trimmings. stagandbow.com…

Reuse your favourite Christmas cards by making them into gift tags, decorations or postcards for next year Pick one new ’s resolution you’ve made more than once before and make it happen Give someone a cuddle whether it’s other your half, a baby or a pet Keep a weekend free so you can something totally spontaneous Switch off your phone for the day When good things happen write them down on a little piece of paper and put them in a jar. At the end of the year you can look back on them and smile * We’d love to read your could-do lists for winter. Send them to becs@ icebergpress.co.uk…

SWEET CHARITY Caroline Jones, aka ‘Knickers Model’s Own’ – pledged to wear only charity shop clothes each day for a year. Except for her underwear, that is The idea was inspired by Caroline’s mother, who’d sadly died of cancer the previous year. She’d volunteered for 13 years at her local Cancer Research UK shop so Caroline wanted to fundraise for the charity in her memory and, in part, to give herself a focus. She was up for a challenge but, truthfully, thought this one wouldn’t be too tough. “I’ve always worn secondhand clothes so I assumed it would be easy,” she says, “a giggle for my friends, and something Mum would have loved.” Her focus shifted on day six, when a BBC journalist discovered her Facebook page – it meant…

ORANGE POPPY SEED CAKE Serves: 8 Preparation time: 10 mins Cooking time: 3½ hours (slow cooker) 1¼ hours (oven) 200g ground almonds 120g quinoa flour 2½ tsp baking powder 4 tbsp poppy seeds finely grated zest and juice of 2 oranges (approx 250ml) 125ml light olive oil 130g Greek yoghurt 185ml honey 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 eggs, lightly beaten Candied oranges and syrup juice of 1 large orange 4 tbsp honey 1 large orange, thinly sliced In the slow cooker 1 Grease slow cooker and line with baking paper. Cover the lid of the slow cooker with a clean tea towel, securing corners around the knob with string or an elastic band – this is to prevent condensation dripping onto the cake as it cooks. 2 Combine ground almonds,…

‘SALAD’. IT’S A WIMPY word for such a vivacious dish. But that is what this Thai street-food staple usually becomes in translation – green papaya salad. Its native name is far more appropriate to a dish that assaults the lips and tongue with its combo of sweet-sour zing and fiery heat: ‘som’ and ‘tam’ could be the percussive thwacks of a comic-book hero, punching you in the mouth. The true translation of Som Tam isn’t a million miles away: tam means ‘to pound’ (while som is ‘sour’). Traditionally it is made using a pestle and mortar, the green (unripe) papaya – which is mildly savoury and slightly crunchy – grated or hand-sliced into matchsticks* before being gently crushed with garlic, bird’s-eye chillies, toasted peanuts, dried shrimps, cherry tomatoes and green…

Who’s the quintessential jeans wearer? The cowboy? The rebel without a cause? Or the proud born-in-the-USA-er? They could be any one of these and countless more – approximately 50 per cent of the global population will be wearing jeans at any time. And the history of denim encompasses both nostalgia and reinvention. As American Fabrics magazine wrote in 1969, “denim is one of the world’s oldest fabrics, yet it remains eternally young”. THE FIRST JEANS The 19th-century jeans genius was Jacob Davis who, inspired by horse blankets, increased the sturdiness of workwear trousers by using copper rivets. He wrote to his textile supplier requesting help in patenting his improved design and enclosed two examples – one made from cotton duck and one in denim. The ‘Improvement in Fastening Pocket Openings’…

Hellebores When there is little else to pick in the garden, the hellebore* steps up. Or bows down, such is the coy nature of its earth-gazing blooms. You could snip a few flowers and float them in a bowl for coffee table showiness, but better to cut a longish stem and pop into a vase, like this splendid swan. Sarah Raven advises ‘conditioning’ – lowering stem ends (about 2cm) into boiling water for 30 seconds – first, and if that keeps them flowering longer, we’re all for it. * The hellebore is also known as ‘Christmas rose’ due to its early flowering. Still pretty good in the new year, though.…

While days are short, put a couple of dark hours to use and make your own branch lamp – its light will provide instant gratification. Nils Holger Moormann devised this project when looking for a lamp for the conference room of his German design studio. It uses a natural find that’s possible to stumble across even in the depths of winter. One day, a storm blew a branch into his yard and that branch became the basis for this striking branch lamp. Since then, he’s been asked many times how to recreate the lamp. The essential thing, he advises, is seeking out your own “fine branch, the kind you’re most likely to find on a long hike through the woods.” Nils recommends you look for attractive cords with a pattern.…

SOMETIMES THE EVENING meal is loaded with impossible expectations: the food must be home-cooked; all the family must be gathered and engage in lively sharing-of-the-day conversations; the table must be laid with attractive crockery and cutlery. It can all be too much. Which is when the comfort of the sofa, a tray on the lap, and the easy sociability of watching TV together, beckon. Eating a meal in the living room in front of the television is a small yet satisfying act of hedonism that should be embraced with an easy conscience. There’s no need to feel guilty about occasionally circling around the TV rather than the dining table. This can be an equally valid bonding time: it can feel more companionable to sit and laugh at a comedy in…

Dragon roll A western style of sushi, so called because of its ‘scales’ of avocado topping, rather than its (mild) flavour, which is unlikely to make you breathe fire. Uramaki Inside-out rolls, with nori on the inside. These were supposedly devised to get Americans to eat their seaweed, making them the courgetti of their day. Inarizushi Named after the Shinto god of fertility, rice, agriculture and foxes (his favourite food). No foxes are harmed in the making of these tofu pouches. Hosomaki Small but perfectly formed sushi rolls with nori on the outside. Originally using only one filling, this example is spruced up with caviar. Sabazushi Traditional to Kyoto, salt-cured mackerel with pressed rice – use your knowledge of this lesser-known sushi to impress maki-guzzling friends. Futomaki The fat boy…

BLACK HOLES AND DARK MATTER It’s dark out there, so put it in perspective by studying the dark side of the universe. Black holes are formed when large stars collapse in on themselves at the end of their lifecycle. As the star contracts, it produces such a strong gravitational field, nothing can escape, including light. They can continue to grow by absorbing mass to make supermassive black holes (and inspiring a song of the same name from Muse). Dark matter, meanwhile, is a whole other matter. While we can see the likes stars and planets, dark matter refers to everything else that we can’t see that makes up the mass of the universe – thought to be up to 85% of it. It’s believed to exist because of the rate…

ELLA FRANCES SANDERS is a writer out of necessity and an illustrator by accident. She currently lives and works in Bath, without a cat. An extract from her beautiful book Lost in Translation is on page 81. Where do you escape to in winter? When my hands decide to make cold a permanent state, I escape to warm coffee shops. KEN THOMPSON is a semi-retired academic with an interest in the science of gardening, who spends much of his time writing and speaking about growing things. He is the ‘sceptical gardener’ featured on page 120. Where do you escape to in winter? To the terraces of course – winter is the football season! JESSICA JOHNSON lives in London with her husband Laurence and baby son, Otto. She wrote this month’s…

Created by husband and wife team Marcus and Hayley Walters, the In-House range is designed and hand printed in their Gloucestershire studio. Limited editions include napkins, tea towels and table runners, all with playful mark-making and graphic prints in white and blue. Plus colourful limited edition multi-layered abstract screen prints by Marcus, above. inhouse-online.com The Simple Things readers get a 20% discount at the online shop inhouse-online.com. Enter code simplethings20 at the checkout. Offer runs until 31 January.…

It’s a task that many of us balk at – a floor-to-roof tidy-up, with a place for everything and everything in its place. Usually the focus is on what we should get rid of, but Marie Kondo’s approach is a novel one; there’s a great deal of chucking out, but also a heart-warming amount of saving. Her mission statement? “If you are confident something gives you joy, keep it, regardless of what anyone else might say.” The method? Herd your possessions together, and grab a-hold of the ones that make you happy, then find somewhere special to display or store them. The rest of it can go. Your home will be de-cluttered, but the process will have psychological benefits, too – there’s nothing nicer than being surrounded by the things…

The first snowfall of the year is an opportunity for all kinds of wintery pleasures – toboganning, building snowmen, bunking off work – but the greatest of all is the wearing of mittens. No other item of clothing suits snow as well. Not only do they look darling poking out from the sleeves of your duffel coat, but their paddle-like shape makes them excellent for batting away snowballs and handling a shovel. And, most important of all, because your fingers are all bunched together, their warmth is maintained (rather than being dispersed through the individual fingers of gloves), making mittens the warmest option for chilly hands*. (Tip: they will be even toastier if you slip a hand-warmer inside.) Archaeological finds have dated the first mittens to Latvia in 1000AD (although…

“The last dinner Allegra McEvedy cooked was in a cave. “A feast for a friend –100 people, black tie, no running water, no electricity, was absolutely bonkers! Phenomenal!” She talks fast, vividly and humorously – you can hear the exclamation marks – and the words bubble out of her. She’s a natural entertainer, as well as chef, restaurateur, TV broadcaster, campaigner and mother of a five-year-old daughter. Quite busy then. “Our kitchen table was very much the centre of our house, whether it was sitting having a cup of tea and a chat, a family supper or playing cards” Democratic and economic aren’t the usual adjectives associated with a celebrity chef. But Allegra McEvedy isn’t your typical celebrity, or chef. She talks to Jenny Linford about sharing good food with…

Your best work comes from following your instinct. We started out thinking we’d do editorial projects for other people, not for ourselves. We had no office and were meeting in not very nice cafés. We kept asking ourselves why there weren’t better places, and this led to our first guide, You Are Here, in April 2010. It was a printed guide to the places we’d liked and, at that time, there was nothing else remotely like it. Keep doing the stuff you like, and find a way to keep going. That’s been our plan ever since. Being able to change your plan at any point is the joy of being only two people. You can do things because they appeal. It’s resulted in some crazy moments – we researched our…

The Way through the Woods THEY shut the road through the woods Seventy years ago. Weather and rain have undone it again, And now you would never know There was once a road through the woods Before they planted the trees. It is underneath the coppice and heath, And the thin anemones. Only the keeper sees That, where the ring-dove broods, And the badgers roll at ease, There was once a road through the woods. Yet, if you enter the woods Of a summer evening late, When the night-air cools on the trout-ringed pools Where the otter whistles his mate, (They fear not men in the woods, Because they see so few.) You will hear the beat of a horse’s feet, And the swish of a skirt in the dew,…

Hiut jeans are proud members of the ‘no wash club’, encouraging at least six months of wear before washing, to improve their look (producing fades that are unique to the wearer) and to help the environment. They’re not alone. Some jeans junkies have worn their jeans every day for two years or more without washing. Denim lovers website denimhunters.com believes otherwise. It argues that not washing shortens the lifespan of your jeans, as the dirt accumulated over time grinds down the denim – that’s if the smell doesn’t grind down your loved ones first.…

PIG 52 cards; 3 to 13 players Remove excess cards from the deck, so it contains an equal number of sets of matching ranks as the number of players. Sitting in a circle, each player is dealt four cards. Collect four cards of the same rank by simultaneously receiving cards from your player on your left while passing to the player on your right. Each player must have four cards at any time; otherwise play can be as fast as desired. The first to make a set of four raises their finger to their nose without speaking. Other players must silently copy and raise their fingers to their noses – the last to do so loses the round. Each player has three lives – P, I and G – before…

WHAT IS IT? A fantastic genus of plants with a wonderful collection of common names, including barrenwort, bishop’s hat, fairy wings, horny goat weed and rowdy lamb herb. Its flowers are like dancing spidery lanterns on fine, wiry stems. They’re broadly divided into two groups: European types, which are brilliant in areas of dry shade and the Asiatic type, which prefer rich, damper shade. WHY WOULD YOU? They’re easy to grow and make a wonderful ground cover, which is useful if you have poor soil or a sloping garden. Never invasive or thuggish; just choose the cultivar that best suits your conditions. WHY WOULDN’T YOU? Vine weevil – an unwelcome beetle-like visitor – may be attracted to them if you already have an issue with them in your garden, but…

Squirrel-proof chilli nuts Squirrels can sometimes be downright rude and scoff every last morsel in a bird feeder, without giving the avian community a look in. This simple ruse discourages squirrels, while allowing birds to feast to their hearts’ desire. INGREDIENTS raw, unsalted peanuts (suitable to feed birds) chilli powder Tabasco PREPARATION 1 Put 250g of the nuts into a stout, clear plastic bag. 2 Add a good splash of Tabasco, twist the top of the bag, trapping air within, and shake vigorously. 3 Open the bag and add a dessert spoon of chilli powder, sprinkled over the nuts. Repeat the process of sealing and shaking the bag. 4 Repeat this with more nuts until you have prepared the desired amount. TO SERVE Make sure there’s not a surplus of…

LOUISE GORROD Our Wishlist editor, Louise, is also our Stuff of Life shopkeeper (shop.thesimplethings.com). Look out for this symbol for items in the shop. Louise also blogs, bakes and photographs at Buttercup Days: buttercupdaysuk.blogspot.co.uk. Glerups Danish house mules | £54 The toastiest of toes are guaranteed in these snug Scandi slippers.husandhem.co.uk Lingham Fold lampshade | £195 Origami-inspired lampshade made from wood and Japanese paper. Genius. another-studio.com Iittala Kastehelmi glass canister | £25–£29 Designed in 1964 and named after the Finnish word for dewdrop.johnlewis.com Cotton napkins | £30 for 6 Six different blue-and -white designs in a screen-printed box. Natty and neat.inhouse-online.com Dickins & Jones blue printed vase | £25 There’s a touch of the mid-century moderns about this vase. Which is why we like it. houseoffraser.co.uk Black Lines kelim cushion…

Painters, mapmakers and agricultural improvers have all viewed the landscape in different ways, from the search for the most picturesque view to the most productive way of using fields. Anna Pavord, who was born in Wales but lives in Dorset, celebrates the beauty of the natural world with a poetic intensity, as she travels in the footsteps of Thomas Hardy and Constable: “To appreciate a landscape as intricate as Britain’s, we need to reinvent the sense of anticipation, slow down our approach.” But she also admires the tenacity of the farmers and surveyors who also loved the land, but took a pragmatic approach to its bounty, in this inspiring overview. (Bloomsbury)…

PROUDLY HOMEMADE SODA ALE BREAD Having a new-year bash? This loaf neatly absorbs those half-bottles of beer or cider you find hanging around after a party. The brew gives the bread a distinctive, deliciously yeasty character, great with soup or cheese butter or oil, for greasing350g plain flour, plus extrafor dusting250g wholemeal flour1 tsp bicarbonate of soda1 tsp light brown sugar or honey1 tsp saltdash of rapeseed or olive oil300ml buttermilk or thin yogurt200ml beer or cider 1 Preheat the oven to 220C/ Fan 200/425F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and dust with a little flour. 2 In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Make a well in the middle and quickly stir in the oil, buttermilk or yoghurt and beer or cider with a knife,…

Tintin the great From the first doodles and newspaper strips through to the books, follow Tintin’s, and his creator’s, journey. Tintin: Hergé’s Masterpiece, Somerset House, London, until 31 January.somersethouse.org.uk Jewellery wonderland In this Alice-themed exhibition jewellers have taken inspiration from different parts of the story to make unique pieces. Exploring Wonderland, Manchester Craft and Design Centre, until 14 February.craftanddesign.com Bristol’s street art Bristol is home to some of the country’s best street art including several of Banky’s most famous works. Check out where to find them at visitbristol.co.uk/things-to-do Stunning sculpture Visit the fabulous Hepworth Museum in Wakefield this month and you’ll catch an exhibition of previously unseen work from one of Britain’s most important female artists. Wild Girl: Gertrude Hermes, until 24 January.hepworthwakefield.org…

December – 42 Festive fun and games. Baking treats and making gifts. Almond snowballs and gin cocktails. Nordic wisdom. Making your house smell Christmassy. Why carol singing is uplifting. November – 41 Ideas for rainy afternoons. Bobble hats and spicy food under the stars. Toast, cake and artisan beers. The return of storytelling. Crafts with a twist. How to grow succulents. October – 40 Wisdom from the woods. Chalkboard art and how to stay curious. Fruit, nuts and pumpkins. Autumn glamping, DIY pizza night. Exploring a Danish forest retreat. Wine tasting and a spooky story. September – 39 An Indian summer supper. Crowd-free camping and rocking chairs. The romance of wild ruins. Nice notepads and new shoes. How to make better lists. Harvest fruit and honey-roast veg. August – 38…

FAVOURITE SHOP The Maker Salamanca Arts Centre is one of those places where I pop in to buy a gift and always end up leaving with something for myself too. themakerhobart.com.au FAVOURITE GALLERY Spacebar Gallery This place is packed full of quirky objects and contemporary artworks from local designers. spacebargallery.com.au FAVOURITE BAR The Winston The Winston in NoHo. An amazing range of beers on tap and an American-inspired menu. thewinstonbar.com FAVOURITE RESTAURANT Taco Taco It’s not strictly a restaurant but I’m a huge fan of Taco Taco, a food van that travels around the city. facebook.com/TacoTacoTas FAVOURITE MARKET The Farm Gate market Sunday morning is the best place for picking up local produce. An explosion of colour. farmgatemarket.com.au FAVOURITE HOTEL The Alabama Hotel The funkiest place in town. Each of…

At times, Norway beggars belief. It is a land of many faces, each one seemingly more extraordinary than the last. If the western fjords, where mountains plunge into inky-blue waters, are astonishing, then the Lofoten Islands are incredible, with jagged peaks that seemingly rise straight out of the ocean, leaving room for only tiny slivers of sand. Between these lie mile upon mile of rugged coastline, wild moorland and high green valleys; and, to the south, the bustling, friendly cities of Oslo and Bergen. This country, on the farthest fringes of Europe, is a pristine natural wonderland that leaves a lasting imprint on the memory. 1. THE LOFOTEN ISLANDS The wild beauty of the Lofoten Islands is simply breathtaking. Rugged granite spires frame silver beaches, while rocky headlands are dotted…

DESIGN YOUR ISLAND If you were to design a whole island for yourself, a place that had the specific purpose of helping you to feel as calm as possible, what would you put on it? What would it be like? Where would you sleep, what music would be playing, what would you eat, where would you unwind? You might want a glass-walled yoga studio overlooking some mountains, or an infinity pool you could swim in. After your swim, you could amble towards a luxuriously upholstered hammock strung between shady palms, with a library of rare books for you to enjoy as you swing in it. Whatever it is that would help to get you into a calm state of mind, write it down or draw it. Revisit this place whenever…

Lou Jackson @louloubookworm • Oct 5 Autumn findings - helped by my four-year-old adventurer. Your magazine is brilliant! Stay curious! Lucy Bellamy @lucy_bellamy • Oct 13 @simplethingsmag bulb planting before the colder weather #cosy Amanda Spence @spenceamanda • Oct 27 A sunny autumn morning at the beach with a cup of tea & latest @simplethingsmag whilst my husband surfs. Perfect! Tina Weeks @tweeksie • Nov 2 Baked Soul Cakes from the recipe in @simplethingsmag and very yummy they are #AllSoulsDay Francesca d’Alessandro @Francivusk • Nov 6 Giving a nice start to the day by drinking mint green tea in bed and reading @simplethingsmag Ellie Aindow @themummydiaryuk • Nov 23 Sometimes it really is the simple things in life that make you smile, lunch today and @simplethingsmag for company Sonia Job…

The following increase their desirability (and their worth): • Selvedge stripe, rather than a stitch edge• Capital ‘E’ in ‘Levi’s’ on the red tab• Concealed rivets inside the pockets suggest they’re pre-1950s• A leather back patch dates them to pre-1955• Cinch back belts – they stopped being used ahead of World War II THE MOST EXPENSIVE PAIR OF JEANS ON THE PLANET date back to 1879. They are from the Levi’s archive and are worth a cool $150,000 (about £99,000). Fancy picking some up on eBay? Start saving. In 2005, a 19th-century pair of Levi 501s sold to a Japanese collector for around £33,000.…

1 Don’t stint on candles. Because there is no electricity in the cabin, Eva keeps the lighting moody and atmospheric with plenty of candles, tea lights and oil lamps. 2 Smother furniture with sheepskin. Nothing is as cosy as sinking into fleecy warmth as the snow falls outside. 3 Fall in love with wood. There’s no need to decorate a timber building when the colours and texture of wood are so lovely. Eva also chooses wooden kitchen accessories, mugs – even toothbrushes. 4 Keep fabrics neutral. Bright colours and patterns don’t suit a cabin. Eva prefers natural fibres – linen, cotton – and simple stripes or subdued tartans.…

MEDJOOL DATES The ‘king of dates’, these area good source of fibre, withmorepotassium than a banana. But the real appeal has to be that sweet richness.The fashionablesnack of the moment, they’re also appearing on menus in unexpected ways.At fusion eatery Kopapa, they’re smoked and combined with miso as a sauce for Wagyu beef. TRY IT: Medjool dates wrapped in bacon are a favourite at London’s Duck & Waffle. BUY IT: Selin Kiazim’s medjool date butter (from Selfridges). SEE IT: On our Tasty Trends Pinterest board.…

THE BOOK OF OUTDOOR WINTER ACTIVITIES Gunnar A. Peterson and Harry D. Edgren This cover portrays an adorable winter scene: whizzing down slopes, gleeful tobogganing, ice-skating while your scarf flutters at a jaunty angle. But, like an episode of Casualty, there’s an eerie sense that something is likely to go wrong. With its utter disregard for health and safety, the text will make you wonder how anyone survived Outdoor Winter Activities in the early 1960s at all. In fact, it’ll encourage you to follow the example of the girl pictured top right. Make a nice snowman. Not the most fun activity perhaps, but … safe. Found at awfullibrarybooks.net…

FOR THE CURRY 2–4 tsp massaman curry paste* 500g new potatoes 150g unsalted peanuts 1 tin of coconut milk (400g) 2 tbsp tamarind paste 1 tbsp runny honey sea salt 200g green beans, trimmed 200g firm tofu 2 slices fresh pineapple THE REST 150g brown basmati rice coconut oil 2 medium carrots 1 lime a squeeze of runny honey a splash of rice wine vinegar 150g kale 50g mixed toasted seeds (try poppy, sesame and pumpkin) 1 Boil a kettle and gather all your ingredients and equipment. 2 With the skin on, chop the potatoes into 1–2cm chunks. Put into a pan, cover with boiling water, add salt, then bring to the boil and cook until tender. 3 Put the brown rice into another pan with twice its volume of…