Table of contents for 1-May-2015 in The Simple Things

Is there anything more uplifting in spring than a walk through a bluebell wood? That mass of colour, at once so exotic in its exuberance yet, at the same time, such a quintessentially English country scene. Don’t march along (or worse, jog through it, headphones in) but stay awhile. I like to perch on a fallen log, listen to the birdsong and notice the sunlight reaching the forest floor through branches with leaves in bud. And that’s when my dog, Biscuit (above), scampers around like a mad thing, full of the joys of spring. Then we both head home happy. Simple pleasures, easily found. #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 Macramé plant hanger | £21.36 This is made by The Vintage Loop. To make your own version, see page 106. www.etsy.com/uk Kami mug | £42.50 Carved from solid castor aralia wood by Japanese craftsmen, this mug is naturally insulated and a thing of beauty. www.suchandsuch.co Barrington pottery | from £15 Created by Somerset potter Paul Jessop, these bowls will earn their keep in the kitchen for years. www.barringtonpottery.com Passiflora cushion | £65-£95 Linen union cushions screenprinted with passion flowers for a lush and leafy interior. www.fannyshorter.com Loom throw | £85 A light and airy weave, perfect for tucking around your knees on chillier evenings. www.hauslondon.com Green cane furniture |…

Historian Elizabeth Archibald began posting eccentric advice gleaned from medieval manuscripts and rare books on her blog. In this “compendium of useful, rare and curious counsel” she’s assembled a laugh-out-loud litany of improving suggestions on pretty much everything from parenting to fire-fighting. Highlights include predicting bad weather from observing the posture of your cat, taming wayward eyebrows with the application of goat gall and removing stains with a large mushroom. (Square Peg, £14.99)…

Forage for wild garlic If you’ve been to the woods recently and noticed a rather pungent smell, you’ve probably stumbled across wild garlic, otherwise known as Ramsons, which carpet our woodlands at this time of year. We asked expert forager Chris Westgate of Heavenly Hedgerows (www.heavenlyhedgerows.co.uk) for her advice on how to pick and eat this most delicious wild plant: • The whole plant is edible but the young leaves have the best flavour and their late arrival this year means they should be just about perfect now. They’re best eaten raw in a salad or used as the base for a pesto (see right). Cooking will help reduce the pungency if you find the flavour too strong. • Try drying the leaves and adding them to sea salt. They…

Makes 20 tarts 3 large free-range eggs Pinch of salt 75g sugar 75g all-purpose (plain) flour Oil for greasing pan Jam or whatever spread you like 1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan160/350F. 2. Separate the eggs and, using an electric mixer, whisk the whites with the salt until they’re stiff. Sprinkle the sugar on top and whisk for one more minute. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Finally, beat in the flour. 3. Lightly grease a silicone baking pan with boat-shaped moulds.* Spoon the batter into each one until it’s four-fifths full. Bake for about 15 mins until the surface is lightly browned. 4. Remove from the oven, turn the little tarts out onto a wire rack, and carefully hollow out the centre of…

Among the pines on a remote hillside in a lesser-known Yorkshire dale are the six shacks that make up Bivouac. It’s off-grid but entirely switched-on to the needs of those looking to switch off for a few days. Each shack can sleep up to seven in clever bunks but the full-size double on a sleeping platform looking out to the stars is the place to bag. Proper loos, a wood burner for hot water and gas rings to make tea mean it’s basic but in a good, Little house on the prairie kind of way. Reading by torchlight wrapped in a blanket turns out to be a lovely way to spend an evening. So it’s just you, the sheep and the curlews – oh, and a homespun café (serving breakfast,…

Original Slim Zip Wellingtons | £125 Pricey, but made from 28 separate pieces of rubber and with a concealed zip. Class! www.hunterboots.com Navy Libby Stripe Wellies | £39.95 A snazzy stripe and an adjustable buckle make these 100% rubber wellies a jaunty choice. www.joules.com Tideline Wellies | £39.95 You can get a thick sock (or a plump calf) into these wide wellies. Easier to take off, too. www.seasaltcornwall.co.uk * Until it comes to removing them. Many a Hunter newbie has been spotted at Glastonbury upturned in the mud struggling to pull them off before entering a tent.…

FAVOURITE SHOPS NK – Nordiska Kompaniet Östra Hamngatan The famous department store. https://www.nk.se/goteborg/ Tiger of Sweden Store Södra Larmgatan 22 A well-known brand from Sweden’s West Coast. Scandinavian minimalism with style. www.tigertempel.se BEST MUSEUM The Gothenburg Museum of the Götaplatsen The main city museum. A sizeable selection of Nordic artists as well as pieces by Rembrandt, Cézanne, Claude Monet and Paul Gauguin. www.konstmuseum.goteborg.se BEST GALLERY Red Stone Art Gallery Always worth a visit. www.rodasten.com FAVOURITE MARKET Saluhallen Kungstorget The biggest indoor market in the city, selling deli products, cheese, fruit, fish, coffee and spices. www.storasaluhallen.se SPEND AN HOUR AT... Trädgårds Föreningen The garden society of Gothenburg. An oasis in the middle of the city. www.tradgardsforeningen.se PLACE TO SEE BY NIGHT The harbour area around Lilla Bommen. A walk across the…

The timelessness of Haute Provence is as far removed from the glitz and glamour of the French Riviera as it is possible to imagine. Here, the quintessentially French idea of terroir – whereby nuanced flavours reflect the land from which they came – rules the roost. Fragrances of lavender, rosemary and wild thyme pervade the air, while a deliciously simple cuisine, featuring plump red tomatoes and creamy goat’s cheese, seduces the palate. Equally beguiling is the unique quality of the light: French astronomers are blessed with some of the country’s clearest skies above Saint-Michel l’Observatoire, while the landscapes and hill-top villages, suffused with that warm, Provençal glow, are a sight to behold. 1. ERIC & BRUNO Eric and Bruno Delaetre-Boulanger, owners of La Campagne Berne, your first guesthouse, are not…

Potager Glasshouse, Constantine, Falmouth Relax in one of the hammocks, or head inside for a game of ping pong. This is a truly sustainable and stylish project. www.potagergarden.org Ethicurean, Barley Wood Walled Garden, Wrington, Bristol Thoughtful food won this young and friendly enterprise many accolades, and deservedly so. www.theethicurean.com Pillars of Hercules, nr Falkland, Cupar, Fife Happy campers set up tents in the orchard or you can stay in the bothy. We ate our food in the cafe, shaded by apple trees. www.pillars.co.uk Vine House Café, Helmsley Walled Garden, North Yorkshire Eat a fresh, garden-inspired lunch for a good cause – the garden uses horticultural therapy to support people at vulnerable stages in their lives. www.helmsleywalledgarden.org.uk Applecross Walled Garden, Strathcarron, Ross-shire We enjoyed a super-fresh seafood platter in the vine-covered…

Founded by three writers, Dan Kieran, John Mitchinson and Justin Pollard, Unbound books is trailblazing a new way of getting books to readers. The trio had already headed down the traditional route to publication – publishers, bookshops, marketing departments – and felt that there was too much distance between author and audience, so they set about bridging the gap. Crowd-funding, they decided, was the way forward. Caitlin Harvey, Unbound’s community co-ordinator, explains: “An author comes up with an idea and if we think it has legs, then we film a pitch video, calculate the amount we need to raise to publish the book and then put it live on the Unbound site. If we get enough people to pledge for the book in advance, we publish it and send all…

• A three-night stay for one adult at Karma St. Martin’s, including all reboot weekend activities, breakfasts, lunches and dinners. • A 50-stem bouquet from Scilly Flowers. • Skybus return flights from Land’s End airport or the Scillonian III passenger ship round trip from Penzance to St Mary’s. The prize is valued at up to £1,000. The break must be taken on 28–31 August, 25–28 September or 23–26 October 2015. Reboot breakfasts, lunches and dinners are included, but all other meals, drinks and sundries are not included in the prize. For your chance to win this yoga retreat, and for full terms and conditions, visit www.thesimplethings.com/scillyyoga  by 30 June 2015.…

Jennie Lee was ahead of her time – 71 days ahead, to be precise. When she first became an MP, aged 24, she still hadn’t been able to actually vote herself. (Women over 30 were granted the vote in 1918, but it wasn’t until the Equal Franchise Act of 1928 that all women aged over 21 could vote.) A forthright, indomitable socialist, deeply passionate about the plight of the working class, she entered the 1929 North Lanarkshire by-election as the Independent Labour Party (ILP) candidate, 71 days before the rule-changing general election, known as the ‘Flapper Election’, in which true parity was exercised for the first time: men and women aged 21 cast their votes. Her radical decision would be the first of many: she went on to found the…

Creative gardening need not be restricted to outdoors. Or, indeed, to off-the-shelf plant pots. Making a terrarium or a hanging plant holder is a craftier way to display greenery, and both are great projects for anyone finding themselves low on either time or space. Be warned, though – these two projects come with a major flashback warning. Macramé and building terraria are both revivals of past crazes, which – hopefully much like your plants – have refused to die. The ancient craft of macramé was a hit with the Victorians, although it’s most associated with 1970s homespun style. Plant hangers are back, given a colourful – and, dare we say, tasteful – makeover. You can, of course, buy one (see page 8), if all that knotting brings back painful memories.…

After the short, dark days of winter when windows are kept resolutely shut and curtains are pulled tight, it’s liberating to fling them open and welcome the world back in. Almost forgotten sounds, from birdsong to the rustle of trees, to car alarms and the sizzle of the neighbour’s barbecue, make their reappearance, and a light breeze blows in, freshening home and spirits (unless it carries the whiff of a burnt sausage). Around about now, warmth accompanies the sunshine and, for those lucky enough to have French windows, it is the time to unlock the panelled doors and step out into the garden. This is a sure sign that the season has moved on and marks the transition from a closed-in interior world to an expansive outdoor one. French windows…

Only the ungracious say no to a cup of tea in bed. A reviving brew sipped while under the duvet gets the day started good and proper. Ideally, the tea is brought, lovingly, by your other half. Back in the real world, chances are you’ll have to boot him out of bed to put the kettle on. Which is where the teasmade comes in. This excellent appliance was much in favour during the 1960s when 300,000 were sold every year. A peculiarly British invention – what other nation would dream up such a device? – it appeared on two million bedside cabinets (and in countless B&Bs), its combination of explosive tea brewing and alarm clock clamour rousing the nation. The first patent for what is basically a sealed kettle connected…

HEARTILY HEDGEROW A gorgeously graphic take on a wild herb. BECAUSE: It’s a bright, bold design for easy coaster location. £5.95 for six, The Wise House www.thewisehouse.co.uk STRIKINGLY SCANDI Patterns, architecture and rural landscapes with a Finnish feel. BECAUSE: Every home deserves some Scandi style, even if it’s only under your cuppa. £26 for four, Marimekko www.johnlewis.com FABULOUSLY FELTY A seductively swirly design to perch your beverage on. BECAUSE: Felt guarantees a soft landing for the daintiest of glasses. £7.99 for four, Edition Design Shop www.notonthehighstreet.com…

GERANIUM MADERENSE WHAT IS IT? The giant herb robert or madeira cranesbill is an eye-catching number with hot pink blooms from March to August, whether in the sun or a bit of shade. Able to cope with well drained to moderately fertile soil, it’s such a good variety its been given the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society. WHY WOULD YOU? Ray Brown, plantsman and owner of rare plants nursery, Plant World Gardens, says “It’s a flamboyant looking plant. Although in its first year you won’t get any flowers, compensation comes with the architectural beauty of its ‘stout trunk’, with evergreen foliage resembling a small palm tree. It’s the largest of the geraniums, easily reaching four feet in height. In the second year, the reward is a…

Cobweb brush With an extra-long handle and a two-angled head for tackling dark corners. Spiders be gone! Table dustpan and brush Forget dessert wine, the best gatherings end with a sweep of this oiled beech and horsehair brush. Book brush The sturdy bristles remove dirt from well-thumbed spines; the softer goat hair caresses the pages. Computer brush The first line of attack after that toast and Twitter session you held on your laptop last night. Radiator brush Goes where no regular brush dares. Black hair means you don’t need to know how dirty your radiator is. Bench brush The Angelina Jolie brush – beauty and do-gooding intentions. Cleans benches, grills and griddles. Hearth brush The ideal hearthside companion. Argena fibre keeps it cool, even under heated circumstances. Blind brush An…

MAKES 14 SERVINGS 1 small bunch fresh sweet woodruff* 250ml water 4 tbsp caster sugar 750ml bottle dry white wine, such as a German Reisling 750ml bottle champagne or dry sparkling wine TOOLS baking sheet sealable Tupperware paper towel small nonstick pan wooden spoon punch bowl plastic wrap ladle 1 First you need to dry out some of the woodruff. Remove any damaged leaves from the bunch and spread out about a third on a baking sheet. Place on the bottom shelf of a recently switched-off oven, with the door open, or in an airing cupboard, overnight. 2 Meanwhile, line a Tupperware box with a damp sheet of paper towel and place the remaining leaves and flowers inside to stay fresh. Seal the box and place in the fridge until…

‘What have you got there?’ Eleanor asked, peering suspiciously at her daughter’s clamped little hands. ‘It’s my class project,’ six-year-old Lucy told her. ‘It’s a garlic bulb.’ ‘A garlic bulb? What do we have to do with it? Cook?’ Lucy giggled. ‘No, silly.’ ‘Shame. Not another animal sculpture?’ ‘No! Much easier, Mummy. We have to grow it.’ Eleanor squinted at the fat bulb. Grow it! She was useless at gardening, always had been. ‘Isn’t it grown already?’ she asked hopefully. Lucy rolled her bright little eyes. ‘We have to grow more. It’s for our Anglo-Saxon stew. We’re doing 1066 and we’re having a big battle and our class have got to make the stew for the soldiers. They can’t fight hungry, can they?’ Eleanor supposed that was true, though she…

LOTTIE STOREY Lottie Storey is our digital editor, keeping our blog, Facebook page and Pinterest board updated with beautiful pictures and interesting ideas. Her blog Oyster & Pearl (www.oysterandpearl.co.uk) is like a flower press for memories. Which blog do you read regularly? I like www.bleubirdblog.com; ideas on parenting, craft, food and more, all beautifully photographed. CINEAD MCTERNAN Cinead McTernan is our gardening editor. In this issue she wrote about the floating gardens atop a group of Thames barges (page 92). She blogs at www.hoeandhum.wordpress.com. Which blog do you read regularly? I enjoy www.blackpitts.co.uk – there’s a touch of gardening content and the rest is a brilliantly funny, entertaining read! FRANCES AMBLER Frances Ambler is contributing editor and indulges her love of all things nostalgic by editing our Looking Back pages.…

Skye Gyngell, of Petersham Nurseries fame, has opened a new restaurant in the elegant surroundings of London’s Somerset House. This beautiful book charts the transformation of the 19th-century drawing room into Spring, a dining room with an enchanted garden at the centre, and walls decorated with artist Valeria Nascimento’s ‘tiny fine ceramic petals uncurling’ against the pale paint. The recipes are as stylish as the space – from simple sides like the pretty samphire and chilli, and new season’s potato with lovage oil, to ‘meltingly tender’ octopus salad and the wonderfully green, bright and optimistic nettle risotto. Seasonally inspired and artfully arranged, this book is designed to be savoured. (Quadrille, £25)…

Get the Alice Look To continue the 150-year anniversary celebrations of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the V&A Museum of Childhood (www.vam.ac.uk) launches its exhibition The Alice Look. Focusing on Alice’s influence on fashion over the years, this is a collection of clothing, illustrations, rare editions and photography from the museum’s archives. 2 May–1 November. See Hardy on the big screen Don’t miss the cinema release of the new Far from the Madding crowd this month. Starring Carey Mulligan and Tom Sturridge, we can think of no better way to pass a rainy bank holiday afternoon. Visit a museum after dark A brilliant event where many museums and galleries up and down the country open their doors for the evening and sometimes overnight. From talks and screenings to dancing and sleepovers,…

May is blessed with two bank holidays so there’s plenty of time to plan a relaxed spring brunch. We’ve got a fresh all-vegetarian* smorgasbord of late spring greens, savoury mango soup, mini tartines, herb crisps and quinoa nuggets. And in the name of healthy balance, you could wash down all those vitamins and antioxidants with a Melon Cucumber Bellini followed by a slice of Strawberry Chocolate Tart. » * It’s National Vegetarian Week from 18–24 May. Visit for www.nationalvegetarianweek.org  ideas on organising a veggie event MENU Melon cucumber cooler Sage chips Savoury mango soup Mini tartines Pea quinoa nuggets and lemon tahini dressing Mixed green salad Strawberry chocolate tart Savoury mango soup PART SOUP, PART SMOOTHIE, THIS MAKES ONE FRESH-TASTING STARTER For the soup 6 small, soft mangos…

Listing more than 3,800 beautiful open gardens all over the UK, The National Gardens Scheme is another amazing source of inspiration for garden lovers. Not only do they make it incredibly easy to find your nearest garden at www.ngs.org.uk or in its guide book (The Yellow Book 2015, £11.99), they’re a charitable organisation too, which has given a staggering £45 million to nursing and caring charities since it was founded in 1927. A mix of famous gardens (including the National Trust) and privately owned gems, you’ll find a bewildering range of gardens to visit. And as most sell plants, a cup of tea and slice of cake, too, the NGS has all the hallmarks of a perfect day out.…

BENJAMIN BRITTEN AND CLYTIE, 1954 “The dog demanded to become part of the picture,” wrote photographer Yousuf Karsh. “Britten swivelled on the piano seat to make room for his canine collaborator, who leaped into the safety of his arms while yet casting a wary eye on me.” The little dachshund is almost certainly Clytie, presumably originally belonging to Peter Pears (Britten’s lifelong companion) since she was named after his American singing teacher, Clytie Mundy, but she had clearly adopted the composer too. She also appears in the portrait of him painted a few years later by their neighbour Mary Potter. ANNA PAVLOVA WITH JACK, 1927 Prima ballerina Anna Pavlova’s most famous solo was The Dying Swan, so it was perhaps inevitable that an admirer would present her with a pair…

You’re invited to a party, plenty of people you know and like will be there, but deep down you’d really rather stay at home with a good book. At work you thrive on written tasks that demand quiet concentration rather than noisy brainstorms. In the playground, you feel guilty at turning down yet another coffee invitation, but the idea of all that talking is almost unbearable. You rarely complain of being bored, in fact you love time alone… If this sounds like you (most of the time and not just when you’re having a bad week or are tired) then the chances are you’re an introvert. Before we go any further, however, let’s be clear – being an introvert is not the same as being introverted, a label sometimes used…

1. Harold Wilson drafted the outline for a ‘University of the Air’ while holidaying on the Isles of Scilly, in a spare hour between church and lunch. 2. The much-obstructed proposal only survived because of an inaccurate appraisal that ‘forgot’ to factor in buildings, publishing expenses or any infrastructure, underestimating costs twenty-fold. 3. Conservative chancellor Iain Macleod was determined to close it, calling it “blithering nonsense”. The relevant papers were on his desk when he died of a heart attack. 4. It scores joint third in the all-time points list for University Challenge, winning in 1985 and 1999. 5. With more than two million former students it’s the largest academic institution in the UK.…

AGATA AND AREK SEREDYN Agata and Arek are both architects and co-founders of children’s furniture company, Rafa-kids (www.rafa-kids.com) “One of my favourite things to do in this house,” says Agata Seredyn of her home in Rotterdam, “is open the doors to the garden for the first time, when the days get warmer. It’s like going on holiday without leaving the city.” The ground floor apartment was originally a shop and has high ceilings, a big front window and rooms with doors that open directly onto what was a bicycle park but is now the garden. It feels light, airy and generous, a rare find in the middle of a semi-industrial city. “You don’t fall in love with Rotterdam at first sight,” says Agata. “It doesn’t have tourist spots or a…

Once you have grown your own tomatoes and eaten their warm, sweet deliciousness straight from the plant, you will never look at a supermarket one again. A world of flavour and variety will open up to you, making the tasteless uniformity of the shop-bought versions thoroughly unappealing. The renewed interest in heritage varieties and the boom in vegetable growing means that there is more choice of tomatoes than ever: not just flavour-wise but colour-wise, too – alongside red varieties there are yellow, purple, even black options. Chefs recommend using several different varieties in any dish for depth of flavour as each fruit has different levels of sweetness and acidity. A selection of colours and shapes (cherry, plum, beefsteak) also look a lot prettier in salads so, ideally, grow three or…

MARK DIACONO is a green-fingered foodie who grows, cooks and eats produce on his Devon smallholding. His book The New Kitchen Garden (Saltyard Books, £22) is available to those on low incomes on a ‘pay what you can afford’ basis from www.otterfarm.co.uk. THE SHOWER CLOUDS of April have lightened their load. The breeze is less often abrasive, and there’s a hint of a summer that seemed impossible in the frosty mornings of only a few weeks ago. Even the mulberry trees – the last to come into leaf – have overcome their shyness. Early seedlings have become small plants, I’m picking the first radishes, and I’ll be lifting the very first early potatoes from containers in the polytunnel. And as the month moves past the half-way post, the first fruit…

TWO GREAT TWISTS Swan Teasmade Now | £99.99 No alarm clock on this one but it is able to spurt hot water into a mug within five seconds. Remember to have a teabag and a jug of milk in readiness. www.swan-brand.co.uk Sage tea maker by Heston Blumenthal at John Lewis | £169.99 Fifteen programmable settings lower tea into the water at different times depending on the blend. Fancy. www.johnlewis.com THE CLASSIC Swan Vintage Teasmade | £119.99 A neat combo of retro-styled alarm clock and ceramic teapot. The alarm goes off after the water boils, so you can wake up to a proper brew. www.swan-brand.co.uk…

A game best played with two people, also known as Crazy Eights or Swedish Rummy BASICS: 2–7 players; 52-card deck Each player receives 5 cards (with two players, each receives 7 cards). Remaining cards are placed face down as the stock, with top card turned up as the starter. First player lays one card on the starter, which must match in either suit or rank. If unable to do this, the player must draw a card from the stock. When the stock is exhausted, a player unable to play must pass. Eights are wild and can be played on any card, regardless of its suit or rank, with the player specifying its suit. Play ends when any player lays his last card. He scores the total of cards remaining in…

Prized for its long life, this ancient Dutch cheese was, by the 12th century, on every explorer’s shopping list. Gouda has some of the whey replaced with hot water once the curd has been cut, removing lactose and producing a sweeter, more mellow, more elastic curd. TASTING NOTES: Hard cow’s milk cheese with a sweet, fruity taste, maturing to a rich flavour. Use young in sandwiches; reserve mature gouda for the cheese board.…

This simple punch originated in Germany and is traditionally served on May Day. Sweet woodruff*, Galium odoratum, is a creeping herb found in shady patches under trees. Its leaves and flowers add sweet, herbal, vanilla and woody notes to dry white wine and champagne. Pick the leaves and flowers the day before, so they dry out slightly and give off a stronger scent. Turn to page 128 for the recipe. * Sweet woodruff has been used since the Middle Ages to treat everything from cuts to liver problems. Today herbalists use it as an anti-inflammatory and to treat stomach ache. It contains coumarin, which is toxic in high doses, so drink this punch in moderation, won’t you?…

Novelist Julian Barnes first wrote about art in 1989, in a chapter of his novel A History of the World in 10 / 2 chapters. He honed in on Gericault’s The Raft of Medusa, and deftly dissected the way catastrophe was transformed – an ill-fated sea voyage that ended in shipwreck and suffering – into art. In this series of intriguing essays, he offers his perspective on 17, chiefly French, artists from Eduoard Manet to Pierre Bonnard to Lucian Freud, each aglow with detail about the work and the artist. Each essay is backed up with the kind of bracing thoughtfulness that sets your brain whirring, and makes you determined to head to your local gallery armed with a fresh way of looking at its riches. (Jonathan Cape, £16.99)…

VOTE! Even if you’re not feeling totally inspired by the general election on Thursday 7 May, inform yourself, make a choice and ensure the number of female nonvoters (9.1 million in 2010) doesn’t rise again. A must-do, this one. GO MEAT-FREE Friends of the Earth are calling for people to have a meat-free May to help counter the damaging effects on the environment of excessive meat consumption and boost health by eating a more vegetable-based diet. If you can’t manage a month, try a week or having one or two meat-free days a week. CALLING ALL DAUGHTERS “If you would like to improve your relationship with your mother, send me an email.” When authors Roisin Ingle and Nathasha Fennell put this request out they were amazed by the response. The…

Wellies are the four-by-fours of footwear: slip your feet into their rubbery clinch and nowhere is off-limits. There you go rocking across muddy fields with a bounding dog; into the garden for a spot of double digging and, more glamorously, as Kate Moss (pictured, left, in 2005) pioneered, to Glastonbury to hang out with rock gods. Put on a pair and you are unstoppable*. It’s 10 years since Kate wore her Hunter wellingtons, accessorised with a pair of enviably toned legs and a long belted jumper, to the festival and, ever since, tribes of young women have followed suit (resulting in Glastonbury’s nickname, the Hunter gathering). These days Hunter Boots has a creative director (Alasdhair Willis) and is ‘a global lifestyle brand’ but wellies’ origins are mired in military mud.…

When Xa Milne met Fiona Houston in the playground of an Edinburgh primary school, they bonded over a shared desire to get their children outside, away from screens. So began their careers as seashore foragers: as the two former journalists led their children on wild-food-gathering adventures across the beaches of Fife, they wrote a book about their experiences and started running foraging courses. The food that really grabbed their attention – and that of the chefs who attended their courses – was seaweed. ‘This versatile and highly nutritious food was staring us in the face, but none of us knew how to use it in a clump straight off the beach,’ Xa explains. Inspired by the use of dried seaweed as a seasoning in oriental cooking, the pair launched Mara…

I’ve just told Jo Malone that her Tahitian Gardenia reminds me of curry. “Really?” she says with the hint of a frown. She raises a small glass jar of the pale gold liquid to her nose, throws back her blond bob and laughs loudly. “I know what you mean,” she says. “It’s the ginger.” And I breathe a sigh of relief that I haven’t just offended the woman behind some of the world’s most coveted fragrances. Not that Jo Malone seems the touchy type; she has a straightforward, warm manner that belies the ice queen stereotype so often associated with women in business. But whether Jo Malone is more business person or creative is a matter up for debate; not because the terms are mutually exclusive, but simply because she…

SALTY HONEY CAKE Serves 10 For the cake mixture 280g butter, softened 280g caster/granulated sugar 5 eggs 280g self-raising/self-rising flour, sifted 2½ tsp baking powder 2½ tbsp buttermilk or sour cream 2 tbsp runny honey A pinch vanilla salt* (or sea salt plus 1 tsp vanilla extract) For the salty honey glaze 2 tbsp runny honey 50g butter A pinch vanilla salt (or sea salt plus 1 tsp vanilla extract) Equipment 26cm ring Bundt pan, greased 1 Preheat the oven to 180/Fan 160/350F. 2 Use an electric whisk to mix the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and creamy. Add the eggs and whisk again. 3 Fold in the flour, baking powder and buttermilk or sour cream using a spatula, until incorporated. 4 Whisk the honey and vanilla…

CHARGRILLING IS PRACTICALLY a religion in South Africa. The braai (barbecue) is the holy shrine of summer socialising. And when it comes to displaying their meat mastery, the dish that every self-respecting ‘King Tongs’ seeks to showcase is his sosaties. Simply translated, the word means ‘skewered meat’ and regional variations use beef, pork, chicken and even ostrich. But the classic recipe, which has its origins in the sweet-and-sour Cape Malay cuisine brought to South Africa by Sumatran slaves in the 17th century, is based on lamb or mutton marinated in a fruity, spicy sauce. The success of these smoky, sticky-fingered skewers hangs on the quality of the meat – leg and shoulder of lamb are the prime cuts – and the vibrancy of the marinade. Every family has its favourite…

There are not many children who get as excited as I do about visiting a garden, but choose carefully and they’ll be begging to see more. These gardens invite kids of all ages to play in their treehouses, explore their pathways and dip in their ponds. Glendurgan, Mawnan Smith, Falmouth, Cornwall On the north banks of the Helford estuary, the warm microclimate and shelter belts have been brilliantly employed to create misty jungle gardens full of Himalayan rhododendrons and southern hemisphere mega-trees. www.nationaltrust.org.uk Pensthorpe, Fakenham, Norfolk The traditionally managed hay meadow is a must-see. Grazed in autumn by Norfolk longhorns, in spring and summer the meadow buzzes with insects and offers the most delicate and perfect display of wild flowers. www.pensthorpe.com Colby Woodland Garden, Amroth, Pembrokeshire Cross bridges over streams,…

1 Don’t be too tidy. This might be music to some gardeners’ ears – resisting the temptation to sweep up fallen leaves or piles of prunings is a good thing. Piles of organic material provide the perfect habitat for many creatures to set up home. 2 Provide a watering hole – and it doesn’t have to be the size of something you might find in the Serengeti! A few pot saucers of water left at the edge of a border will provide wildlife with a drink and, for birds, somewhere to have a bath, too! 3 Remove a brick from the ground level of a boundary wall or create a hole in a fence or hedge to allow hedgehogs and other wildlife to journey between gardens and hunt for food…

1 There’s a word for ‘people who are in their heads too much’: thinkers. 2 Solitude is a catalyst for innovation. 3 The next generation of quiet kids can and must be raised to know their own strengths. 4 Sometimes it helps to be a pretend-extrovert. There’s always time to be quiet later. 5 But in the long run, staying true to your temperament is the key to finding work you love and that matters. 6 One genuine new relationship is worth a fistful of business cards. 7 It’s OK to cross the street to avoid making small talk. 8 ‘Quiet leadership’ is not an oxymoron. 9 Love is essential; gregariousness is optional. 10 ‘In a gentle way, you can shake the world’ – Mahatma Gandhi. Taken from Quiet: The…

Round about now, the tight, fat buds of cow parsley* burst into white-petalled exuberance, adding a delicious frothiness to country roads. Long-flowering and prolific, it keeps delivering right through summer. Gather armfuls of it, bring indoors and immerse stems in a galvanised bucket or similar for a heady pastoral vibe. It won’t last long indoors, but there’s plenty more outside for regular refills: cow parsley is generous with its favours. * Also known as Queen Anne’s lace, cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) is related to the carrot: let your carrots bolt and they too will froth gorgeously…

1 Get rid of unnecessary doors. Once you’ve removed the doors you’ll wonder why you ever needed them in the first place, and the entire space just opens up. 2 Wherever possible, install bespoke cupboards and shelves. Then you will get the storage you want in the places you want it. 3 Let the natural colours and texture of wood shine through. Wood also complements a neutral or monochrome colour palette well. 4 Grow robust evergreen plants such as bamboo and ferns if you have children: they will take plenty of knocks and provide a lush, tropical feel all year round. 5 Be selective when buying furniture: just a few, select classic pieces will stand you in good stead for a lifetime.…

Trace a line on a map heading north-east of San Francisco, Sacramento, and on. Draw another out due west of Lake Tahoe on the California/ Nevada border. Where the lines intersect, deep in the lush California interior, you’ll find Placer County. “The gold rush area,” says Dwayne Rogers. “It used to be an idyllic spot where there were rolling hills, 40-acre farm ranches, country roads, and when blossoms bloomed the smell was really good.” Dwayne was raised here, on farming land that was originally bought by his grandfather in 1917. Fertile ground for food packet and, later, seed packet collecting. “I keep them in a baseball card album,” he says, “probably have about a thousand. It’s kinda crazy.” Before seeds, though, there was produce. “We raised our own meat,” Dwayne…

Pinch a couple of handfuls of early leaves from across the whole bush, so as not to deplete any part of the plant. The summer and early autumn leaves are still good, but the May leaves are best. This also works well with elderflower and midsummer scented geranium leaves. This makes a fine sorbet, too – just pour the liquid into a plastic tub, freeze for a few hours, then whisk an egg white into the slush and freeze. 2 large handfuls of young blackcurrant leaves/a 500ml jugful, fairly tightly packed 270g sugar 700ml cold water Juice of 3 lemons 1 Crush the blackcurrant leaves to help release the aroma and flavour by either squeezing them tightly in your hand or gently pounding with the end of a rolling pin.…

Get back on the saddle sharpish with this smart repair guide YOU WILL NEED A puncture repair kit, tyre levers and a spanner METHOD 1 Remove the wheel. Use the hook end of a tyre lever to push the valve and release any remaining air. Insert the flat end of a tyre lever in between the tyre and the wheel and hook the other end around the spokes. Repeat with the other tyre lever, about five spokes along, and then run along the inside. Repeat on the other side. 2 Remove the tyre and take out the inner tube. 3 Feel inside for what’s caused the puncture and remove it. Now find the corresponding damage to the inner tube. If not obvious, pump up and listen for air hissing. Mark…

If you’re growing lofty lovelies such as aster, Leucanthemum, Phlox, herbaceous peony, dahlia, delphinium, perennial sunflower or Rudbeckia laciniata, it’s worth providing a bit of support now before disaster strikes and rain or wind breaks stems or, later in the season, damages your blooms. You’ve still just got time to use a grid-shaped type of support to position over small clumps of flowers before they grow too tall and put on too much growth. This is an easy half-hour project. Find ten canes or straight hazel sticks, twine, secateurs and a measuring tape and you’re away. 1 Cut 6 x 50cm lengths of cane or hazel for the top grid (you can adjust the size to suit the clumps of plants you’re supporting), and four slightly longer and sturdier pieces…

Imagine a teenage girl clutching this to her developing bosom as she steps out into the brave new world of the 1960s. This 1965 book of well-intended but now howlingly-dated advice offers practical guidance to navigating the tricky terrains of travel, careers, politics and sex. Unfortunately that’s coupled with depressing instruction on the importance of pleasing your boss (who is always a he), your boyfriend (no nagging allowed) and why you should do your hair, even when in your sick bed. The groovy illustrations aside, this book is a reminder that the 1960s weren’t so swinging for everyone. Found on eBay…

INGREDIENTS A handful of dried mealworms A handful of small dry cat food biscuits A handful of uncooked and unsalted peanuts 50g or two heaped serving spoons of tinned cat or dog food (not fish flavour) METHOD 1 Soak the mealworms overnight in a small bowl of water. 2 In the morning, drain off any excess water and set the mealworms aside. 3 Crush the peanuts using a rolling pin. 4 Mix the nuts and mealworms together thoroughly with the tinned food in a mixing bowl to make a lumpy paste. TO SERVE 1 Put the nibbles into a very shallow dish or saucer in a quiet part of the garden, with good ground cover nearby. 2 To prevent the dish being eaten by local cats and dogs, create a…

PI Pi ( ) is used in maths to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Depending on your mathematical sophistication, you can say that = 3.142, 3.14159 or an even longer number, but even then it is not a hundred per cent exact (somebody has calculated it to two billion decimal places… but they should clearly get out more). Expressed as a fraction, pi is roughly 31/7 or 22/7. To calculate the circumference of a circle, you multiply the diameter by : a circle 7cm in diameter has a circumference of 7 x 22/7 = approximately 22cm. The formula for this is expressed as d, but it is more usually given as 2( r). The area is r2, that is, times the radius squared.…