Table of contents for September 2016 - Issue 51 in The Simple Things

Who hasn’t pretended for a week or a weekend that they live somewhere else? Whether it’s in a cottage in the Shropshire hills, a cabin on Stockholm’s archipelago or, as I did, above, in a Parisian garret, we find our nest of choice then mentally move in. How would my new life work here? What would I do to make the place mine? These fantasy moves have to be treated with caution; a holiday is not the same as real life. But they can help us appreciate what we have. On our return, the warm welcome of our stuff goes a long way to our accepting that maybe our nest is not as glamorous/minimal/well-located as we’d like. But it is home. And there’s no place quite like it.…

     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: buttercupdays.com…

Born in Orkney, Amy Liptrot couldn’t wait to leave and even though she carried within herself ‘the curious seas, the limitless skies’ of her island, the city was where she longed to be, and where her drinking took hold. Newly sober, after rehab, she headed back to Orkney to figure things out. Her reconnection with nature worked a transformation, letting in ‘a wild, open joy’ that was as restorative as it was unexpected. She swam in the winter-cold sea, walked along the shore, listened for the call of the corncrake and searched the night sky for meteor showers, fuelled by the realisation that ‘a sober life could be not only possible but full of hope.’ Dazzling. (Canongate) * Amy’s book has won The Wainwright Golden Beer Prize for UK nature…

PROUDLY HOMEMADE CAJUN SALMON BURGERS These burgers are intensely satisfying. The blend of spices is super tasty and the zesty lime takes to salmon so happily Makes 6 burgers ½ large onion 400g fresh salmon 1 egg 30g ground almonds 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp garlic powder ½ tsp ground cumin juice of 1 lime, plus extra to serve coconut oil, for frying iceberg lettuce to serve coarse salt 1 Chop the onion and salmon fillets into a few big chunks and add them to your food processor. Add in the egg, ground almonds, all of the spices, salt and lime juice, too. 2 Pulse it a few times until everything is broken up and comes together. It should be a bit mushy, but still have…

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Do one thing every day that scares you”. Avoiding fear can actually increase anxiety, so set yourself a challenge to get your adrenaline going, be it a rollercoaster or a wild dip in a lake. You could try the SkyWire, Britan’s longest and fastest zip wire at Eden Project, Cornwall. Fly horizontally, Superman-style for 660m over the biomes from one side of the valley to the other. hanglooseadventure.com…

“The apron provides somewhere to wipe your hands that isn’t your jeans” For various reasons, the apron fell out of favour in the 1960s. In all probability, this was because of its associations with the 1950s, a decade of domestic drudgery. It had no place in the liberated woman’s wardrobe. It was the garment worn by Nanette Newman in The Stepford Wives* when she turned up on her new neighbour’s doorstep with a pot roast, or the archetypal housewife pictured in the kitchen smiling brightly as she lovingly rustled up hubbie’s supper, right. Both of which are entirely justifiable reasons to consign the apron to fashion history, but also a shame: it is a supremely useful item of clothing. It not only protects clothes from spillages and stains but it…

Our rule of thumb when selecting recipes for The Simple Things is that they have to be for slow food, not show food. The word ‘perfect’ has no place here. Yet Michael Zee’s beautiful and, yes, perfectly symmetrical breakfasts are hard to resist. And we are not alone; what began as an Instagram of his boyfriend’s breakfast now has more than 600,000 followers and led to his first cookbook. He’s no stranger to a kitchen; Michael’s great grandfather came from Shanghai and his father was a chef in his restaurants. But @symmetrybreakfast came out of his own training in art and design and a job at the V&A Musuem where he often wondered who the people were who made the artefacts, how they lived and what they ate. “Breakfast is…

If there’s a gap, close it. In 2010, I was working in event management and making jewellery as a creative outlet. Crafting kept my heart and hands happy, but my feet grew tired of commuting from Brixton to markets in faraway parts of London. With a wealth of talented makers on my doorstep, I couldn’t understand why no one had brought them together in a communal space. My initial intention was to host a one-off Christmas shopping event with soul, designers and makers selling directly, side-by-side and under one roof. Since that first event, in December 2010, we’ve hosted 30 markets across nine venues, featuring more than 1,000 designer-makers. Fill your basket with good eggs. I’ve roped in talented friends and allies. My husband has a background as a DJ,…

FAVOURITE FOOD STORE Julhès The best place to get really good wine, cheese and baguette for a picnic at Canal Saint Martin. julhesparis.fr FAVOURITE GALLERY Galerie Laurent Godin A small gallery that always has a nice curation of young, contemporary artists.laurentgodin.com FAVOURITE CAFÉ/BAR Café Lomi One of the best places to have a coffee in the north. They roast their own beans in the back.cafelomi.com FAVOURITE RESTAURANT 52 Faubourg St Denis They always have a decent menu that uses fresh, seasonal produce and is well presented.faubourgstdenis.com FAVOURITE MARKETS Marché Des Enfants Rouge A covered food market in in the 4th arrondisement that is the oldest in Paris. Today, they house some of the best Italian, Korean and Martinique restaurants. Marché Porte de Vanves This has the best vintage finds. It’s…

With email, instant messaging and text, these days it’s easier than ever to stay in touch. Much rarer, however, is putting pen to paper and composing – and remembering to post – something more than the annual birthday card. Scarcer still is maintaining a friendship that’s based primarily on letter-writing. So we were very impressed (and a little jealous) to hear that The Simple Things readers Leah Osbourne and Gemma Ward have been pen friends for more than 20 years. We asked them to share with us some of the secrets of a long-standing letter relationship and tell us what letter-writing means to them. LEAH IS A WRITER AND LIVES IN LEICESTER “I was paired up with Gemma as part of a pen pal scheme and…

“The speed and intensity with which we loved this house shocked us,” says writer and photographer Sara Tasker of the Georgian ex-woollen mill near Hebden Bridge that is now their home. “We ran around the house squealing, ‘have you seen this? It’s amazing!’ to one another from different rooms. It was so perfect for our family. I think the estate agent knew then that we would never let it go.” Sara and her partner Rory O’Neill wanted a new home for themselves and their daughter Orla, and had looked at houses on the outskirts of Manchester. By expanding their search, their dream house popped up, although it wasn’t without its faults. “It was Seventies-tastic and pretty eccentric,” says Sara. “There were more murals than you could shake a stick at…

There are times when employing delay tactics in the garden is actually advisable. Take, for example, tidying the garden. Traditionally, this is the month to cut back straggly foliage, remove spent flowers and rake up leaves. However, I would make a case for allowing the garden to gently dwindle and fade at its own pace. You can’t lose: wildlife loves a bit of mess in the form of leaf piles and seedheads and you’ll have time to make the most of the September sunshine (hopefully) by sowing a few tasty crops that will see you through the next few months. A supply of fresh pickings in the depths of winter, or tidy borders? There’s really no contest. WHAT TO GROW BROAD BEANS: autumn salads and pods by May Some varieties…

Cast aside any visions of having to don your hard hat, concrete* doesn’t have to just be the preserve of your builder. It’s a cheap, easily available material (try any hardware or DIY shop), which can be used on a much smaller scale than patios and car parks – as demonstrated by these two projects for decorative letters and a planter. It’ll help if you can use some outdoor space to make them but, other than that, the main investment is drying time. If the grey finish is too sombre for your tastes, it can be easily perked up using some acrylic paint. Then surely it’s time to reward yourself with a builder’s brew… Concrete letters CREATING THESE DECORATIVE LETTERS IS AS EASY AS A, B, C YOU WILL NEED:…

“It turns stale bread into something crispy and buttered” Of all household appliances, none is as reassuring and as marvellous as the toaster. This is the device that, by the wondrous alchemical process of exposing a slice of stale bread to radiant heat, turns it into something hot, crispy and ready to be buttered. It produces toast, the ultimate comfort food, to be munched with a cup of tea when life gets wearisome, or devoured late at night when there is nothing else to eat in the shared student kitchen, right.It provides the foundation for all manner of tasty and easy-to-rustle-up toppings, from Marmite to baked beans to a slice of cheese or a poached egg. And, most recently, the toaster has been rediscovered by the sourdough-toast-and-crushed-avocado brigade who relish…

NASHI PEAR Crisp as an apple with the flavour of a pear and hangover prevention skills.Also known as the Sand pear, or Asian pear, you’ll find it puréed and served with meat on Korean menus. Waitrose advises serving with bitter salad leaves, blue cheese and nuts. Or simply enjoy a sniff of Nashi blossom from Jo Malone’s limited-edition cologne. TRY IT: SosharuinLondon’s FarringdonservesAsianpear and avocado salad with tofu dressing. BUY IT: order some from finefoodspecialist.co.uk SEE IT: on our Tasty Trend Pinterest board…

MATILDA, SIX “Uh-oh, here she comes. I knew I should have tidied – there are mouse tails and fur balls everywhere. It’s not every day Her Royal Highness comes for tea. I bet she has a team of cleaners at Buckingham Pawlace keeping it absolutely purrfect. I hope I remember how to curtsey. Is it one paw down and one paw up? There’s the doorbell. I’ll just put on the kettle, and brush my whiskers then I’ll let her in….” Tweet a pic of your #catsonmats or #dogsinblankets @simplethingsmag…

The closest the average punter comes to mime is that elaborate flourish of writing in mid-air used to ask for the bill when abroad. Expand your repertoire with this 1980s volume offering 45 routines ‘for everyone’. No sporting of stripy jumpers required (but you can if you want), the routines range from the relatively straightforward-sounding ‘drunk’ to the – presumably less popular at parties – ‘childbirth’. All very impressive if you can master it. Less useful than being able to summon the bill perhaps. Found at awfullibrarybooks.net…

Rosemary water A delicious flavouring for foods, and a great tonic for hair and skin MAKES:300ml KEEPS: 2 years INGREDIENTS: 150g dried rosemary (300g fresh) 2.5 litres water METHOD: 1 Put everything in a pressure cooker near the sink. Close lid and remove pressure regulator to expose the vent pipe. 2 Connect a hose to the vent pipe. Pass the hose beneath the water tap and then on and into a glass collecting bottle. 3 Turn the heat to high. When water boils, open tap to let cold water cool the hose. 4 The distillation process should be slow with minimum heat. Simmer on low until you have distilled 300ml of water – in a household pressure cooker, this should take around 30-45 mins. Found in The Domestic Alchemist: 501…

ANIMAL FARM George Orwell used the farmyard for his 1945 fable about the failings of Soviet Russia, with the pigs and ‘four legs good, two legs bad’ ‘Animalism’ standing in for Communism. The animals, led by the pigs, rise up against their cruel farmer but are divided between the beliefs of Napoleon – based on Stalin – and Snowball, a Trotsky-style figure. As the pigs get richer the other animals get poorer and Animalism’s original aims are twisted so that while all animals are declared equal “some animals are more equals than others”. The pigs start echoing human habits – sleeping in beds, drinking alcohol and walking on two legs, so that by the end of the book it’s hard to tell the pigs from the humans. No happy ending…

Amicable. Once you had both agreed your divorce should be amicable, you had to behave well. Or else you were unreasonable. Jess considered she had behaved more than amicably – she, after all, hadn’t put a foot wrong for the whole of their 15-year marriage – but today she didn’t feel very amicable at all. Tim had moved the last of his things out, and he was having the children for the weekend for the first time. “You lucky thing – all that time to yourself!” Her friends were green with envy. She remembered all the occasions she’d longed for ‘me’ time over the past few years. All those unread books, those unwatched films, those unexplored cities waiting for her… The seconds seemed to crawl. The children had only left…

MARTA ORZEL Marta is a Polish artist and illustrator living in France. Her work is filled with mountain landscapes and deep forests. She provided the illustrations for our feature on meditation on page 75. Where do you feel most at home? In my studio, sharing my creative space with a group of friends. KRISTY NOBLE Kristy is an interiors and still-life photographer. Her feature on page 92 took her back to her roots in rural Yorkshire; she loved being back in the landscape of her teenage years. She enjoys a good rummage round vintage shops. Where do you feel most at home? When I’m in my bed with crisp, clean sheets and a unputdownable book. AIMEE-LEE ABRAHAM Aimee-Lee is editorial assistant at Oh Comely magazine. She interviewed Sinead Koehler about…

Like us, The Simple Things contributor Gill Meller likes the word ‘gather’; “it feels hopeful, natural and very human”. The 120 recipes here, with ingredients gleaned from the landscape he lives and works in (he’s head chef at River Cottage), celebrate produce from farm, seashore, garden, orchards and woodlands, all of them seasonal and described with the elegance of a nature poem – “blue cheese with honey, thyme, dates, fried onions and seeds”, “gooseberries with smoked cod’s roe and nasturtium leaves”, “crab apple and fennel seed leather”, “spider crab with loganberries, lemon zest and fennel”. And photographs that accompany the recipes are entirely beautiful, too. (Quadrille)…

Morroccan Road Pickled Okra Makes five 500ml jars 907g okra (ideally each one should be no more than 4 inches long 2½ cups (600ml) of white vinegar 2½ cups (600ml) water ¼ cup (72g) pickling or kosher salt 5 cloves garlic, peeled (1 clove per jar) 5 cinnamon sticks (1 stick per jar) 5 tsp coriander seeds (1 tsp per jar) 5 tsp cumin seeds (1 tsp per jar) 10 sprigs fresh mint (2 sprigs per jar) Five 500ml Kilner jars. 1 Sterilise five 500ml Kilner jars, lids and screw rings. Place the jars in a large stockpot filled with water and set over a medium-high heat. Bring just to boiling point, turn off the heat and set aside. Place the lids and screw rings in a small saucepan, fill…

COURGETTE AND PISTACHIO CAKE WITH ZESTY LEMON ICING Serves 12-16300g caster sugar5 eggs350ml vegetable oil1½ tsp vanilla extract100g pistachio nuts, chopped80g ground almonds650g grated courgettes300g self-raising flour100g plain flour1 tsp bicarbonate of soda1½ tsp mixed spice FOR THE CANDIED LEMON ZEST 3 lemons100g caster sugar FOR THE ZESTY LEMON ICING 125g unsalted butter250g icing sugar, plus extra to dust1 tsp vanilla extract40ml whipping creamzest and juice of 1 lemon 1 Preheat the oven to 170C/Fan 150C/ 325F. Grease a 23cm cake tin and line the base with baking paper. 2 In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract until thick, using an electric mixer. Fold in the pistachios, ground almonds and grated courgettes. Sift in the flours, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice, then stir…

YOUR SKIN Pollution proofing Our skin is an expression of our health and our environment, so when we’re tired or unwell, it can look grey or dull. And when we’re exposed to lots of toxins and free radicals, and don’t have enough antioxidants to mop them up, one of the results can be faster skin ageing. There are unique substances found in plant foods that are said to have antioxidant activity, which work to protect our cells and tissues – including our skin – against the damaging effects of free radicals and pollution. So one of the primary ways to support our body’s antioxidant defence system is to consume plenty of plant foods – especially vegetables and fruit, which are brimming with all-important polyphenols and other antioxidants. Golden glow Turmeric…

International Pen Friends ( ipfworld.com ) This organisation has been matching up people from all over the globe since 1967 and now has more than 300,000 members in 192 countries. Rates vary depending on age – if you’re 21 to 60, £20 will get you 14 pen-friend names and addresses. League of Extraordinary Penpals ( extraordinarypenpals.com ) If you consider yourself a letter-writer extraordinaire, you may want to join this club of fellow superhero writers. Membership is by subscription (£27 for 12 months) and gets you a monthly newsletter and access to its active Facebook group, as well as a database of writers. Postcrossing ( postcrossing.com ) This lovely project helps you to receive (and send) postcards from around the world. It’s free and…

• “Only have things around you that you truly love or use frequently. If not, they are just holding you back – be free of them!” • “Consider the whole decorating process – do floors before walls, for example. After we painted the walls, I realised I wanted to sand some of the floors. Obviously, it’ll trash the walls to do it now, so we’ll hold off until the paint needs refreshing.” • “Use brilliant white paint, the cheap trade stuff that all DIY stores sell. It’s the perfect blank canvas for your home and is so easy to match, bleach and touch up.” • “Embrace imperfection. My favourite parts of the house are the ones that are imperfect and aged, such as the bare wooden window ledges, the scuffed…

Share your simple things with us on Twitter @simplethingsmag #mysimplething Save money with a subscription (12 issues a year) – now available on even more devices. Just click on the links below for details and prices. CHOOSE YOUR APP AND DEVICE • Apple for iphone, ipad or ipod touch • Barnes & Noble for Nook • Google for Android devices and to view on your computer • Amazon for Kindle Fire and Android devices • Zinio for Apple, Android and Windows devices and to view on your computer • Press Reader for Apple, Android, Windows and Blackberry • Readbug article stream for iphone and ipad…

OK, so these aren’t real doughnuts, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how delicious (and addictive) they are, despite being far healthier than their sugary namesakes. Kids will love making and eating them – so why not turn it into a game and see who can be the most creative? Great for using up your apple harvest, the doughnuts make a fun breakfast or healthy snack at any time of day. For how to make them, turn to page 128.…

If you’ve ever admired the ceramics used in beautifully photographed cookbooks, chances are you have seen Jane Sarre’s work, which is favoured by many top food stylists. Her latest collection, Feast (above, jug, £68), is typical of her design-led pieces and includes platters and serving bowls with clean lines and subtle glazes, all of which are both tactile and useful. If you’d like to see her work up close, Jane is exhibiting at Ceramics in the City at the Geffrye Museum as part of London Design Festival from 22-25 September. janesarre.co.uk…

This autumn, we are all going to be embracing the Scandinavian concept of hygge*, with its emphasis on the delights of small pleasures slowly taken, as this sweet, inspiring book describes. It’s all about candlelight, wood piles, open fires, warm socks, felt slippers and cosy blankets – the kind of treaty things that provide a welcome refuge against the long, dark days and nights of winters. Hygge is not all about sequestering yourself away until spring reappears, though; it’s also about cherishing the magic of autumn and winter – from wild walks along stormy beaches to stargazing in clear winter skies to celebrating the year’s first frost – and then coming home to butternut squash soup and vanilla-scented biscuits shared with family and friends. (Summersdale) * We’ll be reviewing more…

If you’ve stayed in a great hotel, enjoyed a memorable meal or read a brilliant book, take the time to post a glowing online review. Research shows people are 50 per cent more likely to share a bad experience than a good one, yet giving positive feedback makes you feel happy and it’s so important for small businesses. If you’ve enjoyed something, it feels good to share that with others and then they can experience it, too. Take time to write your review and don’t be afraid to heap on the praise where it’s due.…

Manchester Food and Drink Festival A huge festival spread around the city, with events, tastings, banquets and bars to suit everone. 29 September – 10 October. foodanddrinkfestival.com Meatopia One for the carnivores is this London festival where ethically sourced meat is cooked over fire by top chefs to a soundtrack of good tunes. 2-4 September, Tobacco Dock, London. meatopia.co.uk Food Rocks Lyme Regis Chef Mark Hix’s annual festival in Lyme Regis showcases the best from the southwest and raises money for the RNLI. A guitar festival runs alongside it. From 3-4 September. Let’s Eat Glasgow 'Real food for real folk' is the ethos behind this festival, which aims to bring top food out of the fancy restaurants and onto the streets for all to enjoy. 5-6 September. letseatglasgow.co.uk…

*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 Paris and where are you from originally? I’ve lived here almost 10 years. I was born in Jamaica, educated in the US, then moved here for a year with my French ex-husband in 2007, and we ended up staying. Tell us what makes your city unique You’re surrounded…

How did meditation begin? It’s nice to think our hunter-gatherer ancestors fell into trance-like states while staring at their nighttime fires, but nobody really knows. The earliest written evidence of meditation comes from the Hindu Vedic scripts, around 1,500 BCE (talking about practices that date much further back, easily 5,000 years or more). By 500 BCE, forms of meditation are also being described in Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist texts in both China and India. Originally, the aim of meditation was to reach understanding of the higher being (Brahman in Hinduism), but Siddhartha Gautama (aka ‘the Buddha’) shifted the goalposts when he reached enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. After this, Buddhist meditation became focused on realising our connection with all of creation. Zen Buddhism pared the process down even further, just…

Tall and stately with a pom-pom of blooms, agapanthus is one of the stars of the garden towards the end of summer. They add a touch of va-va-voom to the party when other plants start to flag. Cut a few stems* with a sharp knife held at 45 degrees to bring a little of their flamboyant glamour indoors. No accompanying foliage or flowers are necessary: a few of these lovelies in glass vessels is all you need for a splendid display. * Sarah Raven recommends placing the blooms overnight in a bucket of lukewarm water to condition.…

You don’t need a great deal of expertise or equipment to save seeds and grow new plants for free. “Saving seeds can be as simple as popping them in a bag,” says Neil Munro of Garden Organic. “Indeed, all you need is a paper bag, a dry day and somewhere to store your seeds.” Neil manages the Heritage Seed Library at Garden Organic, which was set up to save the nation’s heritage seeds. Neil’s team works hard to preserve seeds that are no longer produced by the commercial seed industry. Local varieties such as ‘Bath Cos’ lettuce or ‘Shetland’ kale are under threat. As are old-fashioned fruit and vegetable varieties that have been dropped in favour of modern, high-performing ones. Of course, the other reason organic growers save seeds is…

This summer, my favourite gardening trousers finally gave up the ghost. They were an old pair of cords that were so well worn they had plenty of give whenever I needed to bend or stretch. I loved their generous pockets and boot-legged shape, which allowed them to slip over my wellies. But, although I was sad to see them go, it gave me a chance to rethink what to wear in the garden and to actually buy something new. This might seem extravagant when old garments and more inexpensive, generic outdoor wear (fleeces and waterproof trousers) are perfectly suitable. But a burgeoning hub of designers and makers are producing garments that are hard to resist, being both beautiful and useful. Hats Sunny days in the garden are heavenly but a…

THERE COMES A TIME in any home when things look tired. This happens almost imperceptibly, building gradually until tipping point is reached and it can no longer be ignored. Woodwork becomes scuffed by daily to-ing and fro-ing; wallpaper once considered bold now looks dated, and walls are grubby with marks. Fortunately, it doesn’t take much to freshen things up. The miraculous powers of a can of paint cannot be underestimated. An afternoon’s work with a paintbrush, a roller and a tin of emulsion can introduce an entirely new colour scheme. And once you face your wallpaper fears (it is easier to put up than you think), a room once drab will become rich with pattern and colour. Turn on the radio, have a cup of tea at your elbow, commandeer…

HIBI GREEN Bold colours, silver lettering and an oh-so-useful elasticated band. Best for: bringing daily pleasure (‘Hibi’ means ‘everyday’ in Japanese) £9.99, roosbeach.co.uk CLEAR YOUR HEAD EVERY DAY Designed by Anthony “Work Hard and Be Nice to People” Burrill. Best for: reminding you of the benefits of journaling. £8, thelollipopshoppe.co.uk PHOTOGRAPHS GUIDE A notebook in disguise, filled with blank pages, not photographic tips. Best for: making words paint a thousand pictures. £8.50, shop.vam.ac.uk…

RUSSIAN CARAVAN TEA Inspired by the tea carried by ‘caravans’ of up to 300 camels on the 11,000-mile journey from China to Russia in the 17th century. It’s a blend of Oolong, Keemum and Lapsang Souchong – leaves all from the same plant but harvested and processed in different ways. SERVING NOTES: Malty with a smoky note added by the Lapsang Souchong, said to echo the flavour the tea originally picked up from campfires en route.…

WHAT IS IT? Violas are the daintier but tougher cousin of the pansy. Perfect for adding colour to a dull, partially shady spot in your plot, they are compact enough to thrive under larger shrubs and plants as well as provide the perfect partnership to small bulbs for most of the year. WHY WOULD YOU? Thanks to a bunch of innovative plant breeders, these days violas are happy to put on a show with only the merest flash of sun during the shorter days, as well as coping in cold, wet and windy weather. They flower continuously, too – good news as some varieties are edible and can be added to salads, puddings and drinks. WHY WOULDN’T YOU? You might be turned off by the gaudy two-tone varieties generally on…

Berol handwriting pen Many kids have learned joined-up writing gripping this chunky, red barrel. Introduced in 1980, when home word processing was still making its mark. 4-colour ball pen Take one pen into the office? Not us! We just click and go. Around since 1970, but we still can’t decide which colour to actually use. Rollerball pen The smooth successor to the ballpoint, with water-based inks replacing the oil-based ones. Meaning that for an easy write, you’ve got to roll with it. Sharpie highlighter Popularised in the 1960s, the highlighter brings back memories of exam revision and scrawling the names of school heartthrobs on notebooks. Gel ink pen Over 30 but going on 13, this is the loud and proud descendent of the rollerball. Comes in colours perfect for teenage…

MAKES 12 300g full-fat cream cheese 100g peanut, almond or cashew nut butter 2 tbsp fruit purée or coulis 1 tsp maple syrup or honey 2 large apples, either red or green or 1 of each 3 tbsp chocolate spread or toffee sauce (optional) 75g mixture of your chosen toppings (see below) TOPPINGS : dried fruit, eg golden raisins, cranberries, dried apricots or goji berries nuts, eg hazelnuts, pecans, almonds or pistachios seeds, eg pumpkin, sunflower, toasted sesame or linseeds roasted nut and seed mix toasted coconut flakes bee pollen edible flowers ESSENTIAL KIT: apple corer 1 Line a tray with non-stick baking paper and set aside. 2 Divide the cream cheese between two small bowls. Mix the nut butter into one and the fruit purée or coulis into the…