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

Sea sponges, sea horses and starfish that may look pretty but are actually fierce predators (their prey: the oyster lying quietly on the sea bed) – these are some of the magical marine creatures captured in the 600 line engravings in Ponsonby’s Curious Compendium. Drawn by early naturalists and anatomists, each intricate illustration is accompanied by facts about the creature’s feeding and breeding habits and descriptions of the way they get about (startled scallops are propelled by clapping their shell-valves together). Each example offers an insight into their physical structures – a mesmerising list of spiky spines, iridescent mother of pearl shells and the soft gelatinous bodies of the sea squirts. Gripping. (Ivy Press)…

When she was a child, sharks, finned and sinister, lurked through Eve Wyld’s dreams and nightmares. Holidays were spent with her family in Australia, where butcher birds and magpies lived on the veranda, the air smelt of eucalyptus and the sea was alive with threat of an attack. In this original graphic memoir, Wyld tells the story of her obsession and fascination with the shark, and charts the undercurrents, tensions and joys of family life. Model-maker Joe Sumner’s illustrations, full of tension and grace, are a haunting accompaniment. (Jonathan Cape)…

MIDNIGHT PARTY GAMES Don’t let fading light stop play. This glow in the dark desktop table tennis kit will ensure all summer evening games reach an entertaining conclusion. £8.45, geniegadgets.com A RAW START TO THE DAY There’s a buzz about raw food* and summer is the best time to swing the balance in favour of raw in your diet. If you haven’t time to make your own muesli, the new Primrose’s Kitchen Raw Vegetable Mueslis make an easy breakfast. We love the Raw Carrot, Apple & Cinnamon combination. ON THE PLOT If you’ve considered getting an allotment or just want to have a nosy at other people’s, now’s the time. Several allotments around the country are opening their gates during National Allotment Week (10–16 August). For more about this and…

Colour and fragrance are everywhere on Manor Farm, home to The Upton Cheyney Chilli Company, in late summer. Having worked in the printing industry for many years, Alex Duck was fascinated by colour and started growing chillies* at home for aesthetic rather than culinary reasons. When he rented a unit at Manor Farm to start a recycling business, he asked if he could erect a polytunnel to accommodate his growing collection of chilli plants, too. Eight years later, dozens of different species fill five polytunnels with a rainbow of ripening pods, and the sweet-and-sour scents escaping from the sauce kitchen mingle with the oaky aroma of jalapeños turning to chipotles in the smoker. The Upton Cheyney Chilli Company is celebrated by chilli-heads and food lovers for its explosive (and not-so-explosive)…

PECAN FUDGE BLONDIES* Makes 18 150g pecan nuts140g vanilla fudge3 eggs, at room temperature170g unsalted butter, softened75g caster sugar150g soft light brown sugar½ tsp vanilla extract200g plain flour1 tsp baking powderpinch of salt EQUIPMENT shallow 30x32cm baking tin 1 Heat the oven to 180C/Fan 160/350F. Line the baking tin with baking parchment. 2 Spread the pecan nuts out on a separate baking tray and toast in the oven for 10–15 minutes. Tip onto a plate to cool, then roughly chop. 3 Cut the fudge into very small pieces. 4 Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat lightly, then set aside. 5 Cream the butter and sugars together in a medium bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs gradually, beating well after each addition, then stir in the…

FAVOURITE SHOPS Coração Alecrim Travessa de Cedofeita, 28 Beautiful shop, for vintage, green and indie style. A Vida Portuguesa Galerias de Paris, 20 For traditional Portuguese products. avidaportuguesa.com Livraria Lello Rua das Carmelitas, 144 A very famous bookstore. FAVOURITE GALLERIES O! Galeria Rua de Miguel Bombarda, 61 For Portuguese illustrations. Galeria Dama Aflita Rua da Picaria, 84 For music and illustrations. damaaflita.com FAVOURITE CAFÉ Rota do Chá Rua Miguel Bombarda For fabulous teas in a beautiful garden with Indian influenced décor. FAVOURITE RESTAURANTS Suribachi Rua do Bonfim, 134 An alternative macrobiotic/vegetarian place. FAVOURITE MARKET Feira da Vandoma Alameda das Fontainhas A Saturday morning fleamarket. It’s best to turn up early to bag a bargain. PLACE TO SEE BY NIGHT For a taste of the Porto nightlife go to the lively…

Seek space Part of the appeal of the sea is the freedom it offers and a chance to escape everyday mundanities, so Barkham suggests “seeking out hills and mountains, anywhere you get a sense of space”. Listen up Next time you feel your stress levels creeping up, listen to the sound of waves. YouTube has an extensive collection you can listen to for free. Get wet Submerging yourself under water is like entering a new, quiet, planet. And the good news is, it doesn’t have to be the sea. Nichols has other plans for you: “People should reconnect with their local waterways, whatever they are: lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, creeks, bays, waterfalls. Get wet. Dive under. Find the bottom.” A pinch of salt If your local waterways are more Thames…

LOST A case containing all of Ernest Hemingway’s writings prior to 1922 was stolen from his wife Hadley as she travelled from Paris to Geneva, where Hemingway, who was yet to be published, was meeting with an editor. None of these early manuscripts was ever recovered. FOUND A bag filled with priceless space equipment left over from one of the most famous journeys ever was found stuffed in a wardrobe by Neil Armstrong’s wife Carole earlier this year. The McDivitt Purse, which was lost for forty years, contained a collection of mementoes carried by Armstrong on his 1969 Apollo 11 Mission to the moon.…

Thank goodness we are all over that ‘dahlias are vulgar’ thing. Excellent gardeners, Christopher Lloyd and Sarah Raven recognised their exuberant beauty and persuaded us all to do likewise. It would be churlish not to: one single tuber produces hundreds of bright, ruffled cut flowers right through to autumn. The only drawback: dahlias are not frost-resistant and must be dug up and brought indoors during winter*, but this, surely, is a small price to pay for such warm-hearted abundance. * This is not too much of a chore: simply lift dahlia tubers and store in shallow wooden boxes packed with peat-free compost or dry sand.…

The key to using water efficiently is to target it to when and where the plants really need it, and minimise wasteful processes such as evaporation from bare soil, drainage and runoff. The two most important things to remember are: Target the water at the soil. Many people water the very surface of the soil, but it will then evaporate without reaching the plant roots. Check with a trowel that you are actually soaking the soil beneath. It is better to drench it every few days than just wetting the surface on a more regular basis. Go for a good soaking rather than just wetting the foliage. Water on the foliage will simply evaporate or remain on the leaves, encouraging fungal disease. This information is provided by Garden Organic, the…

YOU MAY NEED... Crisp, freshly-laundered bedlinen. Extra blankets for chilly nights. Hot water bottle: ditto. Extra towels, laid on guests’ beds. Scented candles or reed diffusers. A dustpan and brush to sweep away pet hair and cobwebs. A feather duster to avoid guests running fingers along picture frames. A posy vase for the bedside. Egg cups and cosies. A toast rack and artisan bread. A cafetière: the smell of fresh coffee will rouse lie-a-beds in the mornings.…

FORK HOW: Use one of the fork’s prongs to prise up sections of the bottle top, one bit at a time. SUCCESS RATE: Party trick impressive? Not so much. Does it work? Absolutely. KEY/OTHER METAL OBJECT HOW: Use like a lever to lift the cap. A heavy-duty spoon is best. SUCCESS RATE: Brute force wins. DOORFRAME HOW: Pull the cap down against the metal plate on a doorframe. SUCCESS RATE: Dubious. You’ll rip out the plate, or the cap will be off and your beer on the floor. PAPER HOW: Fold a piece of A4 vertically as many times as you can, before folding in half and using as a lever. SUCCESS RATE: Rhys Morgan shows it’s possible on YouTube. We drew blood (but no beer). TEETH HOW: Whip it…

Not only the punchline to one of the world’s best cheese jokes*, salty, squeaky halloumi’s high melting point makes it great for frying and grilling. This traditional Cypriot semi-hard cheese is made from a mix of goats’ and sheep’s milk, set with rennet and stored in brine. TASTING NOTES : A boon for veggies at barbecues. Or try the Cypriot way and pair it with watermelon. *(Q: What did the cheese say when it looked in the mirror ? A:“Hallo me!”)…

VOGUE GUIDE TO MACRAMÉ BY JUDY BRITTAIN Yep, it’s a bit of a shocker to learn that Vogue once deemed macramé stylish enough to produce a whole guide on. Published in the 1970s, when it seemed no thread could remain unknotted, this book features 22 projects that stretch the possibilities of the craft to its limits – from a vaguely acceptable shoulder bag to a disown-your-mother child’s sailor top. When Vogue reprints this book, we’ll know macramé has peak chic status once again. But let’s hope they don’t also revive the mind-boggling ‘braid braces’ shown on page 43. Found on abebooks.co.uk…

MODE, MEDIAN, MEAN Ask the average (wo)man on the street about mode, median and mean and they’d probably think you’re the one being mean. But they’re all different types of average. Let’s pretend we’re fascinated by shoe sizes. In our sample group of seven women, two are size five and there’s one each of sizes 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8. The mode is the number that appears the most. In this case (3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8), it’s 5 that’s (à la) mode. The median is the middle number, when all the numbers are written out in order. Here it’s also 5 (3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8). The mean is the total of all the numbers divided by how many numbers there are. Our numbers…

GUY FOREMAN Guy Foreman books all the beautiful adverts in every issue of the magazine – oh, and he co-owns Iceberg Press too. In his spare time he can be found DJing or even attending the odd rave. When do you feel at your most carefree? Swimming in the Cornish sea in the bright sunshine with my family. ABBY DRIVER Abby Driver is a freelance journalist living in Cornwall with her fiancé and deaf Australian cat. You’ll find her on the coastal path or pretending to be a yogi. She wrote this month’s wellbeing feature about the power of the sea on page 84. When do you feel at your most carefree? Swimming, snorkelling or body-boarding in the sea. It feels like a whole other world. AMANDA THOMAS Amanda Thomas…

Artist and designer Anna Jacobs’ range of homeware only launched in January this year but hit the ground running with a range of painterly cushions, lampshades, silk scarves, greeting cards and prints. Recent additions include glass lamp bases, £69, with vibrant coloured flex, above, perfect for pairing with any of her lampshades, from £50. Anna also teaches: she will share her practical skills and ideas at her Upcycling Furniture course at Chelsea College of Arts this month. Expect design inspiration. annajacobsart.com…

The Grove is a lovely hotel in a particularly fine spot on the Pembrokeshire coast, just on the edge of the pretty town of Narberth. With big sandy beaches, coastal walks and good shops and art galleries all a stone’s throw away, the difficulty is deciding what to do for the day. There are 20 rooms in the handsome mansion house and four pretty self-catering cottages in the grounds offering a good choice for longer stays, families or those who want the option of cooking and eating in or popping along to the hotel restaurant for fine dining. There’s a generous afternoon tea, after which you could play boules or simply stroll around the garden. A one-night stay costs from £190 per room (two sharing) including full Welsh breakfast. A…

This is what your summer wardrobe needs: a garment that is knock-out glamorous but will also conceal anything you’d rather keep hidden. Simultaneously demure and sexy, the kaftan is that garment. It may have long sleeves and metres of enveloping cotton, but look at its side splits, plunging neckline and embroidered details: it effortlessly manages to be both hot and cool. These days the kaftan is mostly consigned to the beach where it is pulled on over a bikini when an instant cover-up is called for. But this is a shame – a kaftan is an item of clothing with far greater possibilities than mere beachwear. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, they knew how to rock a kaftan. Counter-culture types returning barefoot from the hippie trail came home trailing…

We keep hearing that we should be eating more veg and fruit and more raw food. It’s not hard to understand that plant-based food in its most natural, unadulterated state is going to be good for you. But if you don’t have hours to spend shopping, chopping and preparing ingredients, or don’t really know what to put with what, it can feel like too much of a chore. Which is why juicing is having another ‘moment’; it’s a fast, easy and satisfying way to up the quantity of raw, plant-based foods in your diet. The amount of fruit and veg you can pack into a juice means it’s possible to get your five-a-day in a single glass (when else would you eat kale, apples, spinach, cucumber, lemon and parsley in…

TOMATO PLANTS OFFER up their tangy treasures this month, and the first fruits are one of the sweetest tastes of summer. Fast forward a few weeks, though, and keen growers might have too many ripe globes on their hands, a dilemma with which Andalusians are only too familiar. Their solution is gazpacho, a peasant dish with ancient origins, that’s made using leftover bread and the glut of the summer’s harvest. Horrible things were done to gazpacho at 1970s British dinner parties*, which is why people sometimes pull a face at the thought of it. Burstingly ripe tomatoes and good olive oil are the keys to success, together with cucumber, red and green peppers, garlic, salt and sherry vinegar (raw onion and chilli are much debated optional extras). The addition of…

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made; Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet’s wings. I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart’s core. The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats (1989) Yeats’…

With all those pre-holiday dilemmas, like whether to take an emergency cagoule, extra bikini, or three more books, it’s little wonder the things we pack rather than the things we pack them in are at the forefront of most travellers’ minds. Yet the humble suitcase which we stuff full, wrestle shut and lug across concourses, bounce down gangplanks, hurl into luggage holds, and haul atop cross country buses, hold within their modest design the history of human travel. From a mish-mash of carpetbags and holdalls, to the lightweight spinners of today’s jet set, the bags we carry have come a long way in the last two centuries. Long before Dick Whittington is fabled to have carried his worldly possessions to London in a handkerchief tied to a stick (known as…

The approach to Julie and Daniel Michel’s holiday home in Saint Rémy de Provence in the south of France is along a meandering, bumpy track lined with apple and olive trees. So far, so rustique. The barn at the end of the track, shielded by Cypress trees and a veranda cloaked with wisteria, is similarly pastoral. But all is not as it seems. Slide back the barn doors and a lofty modern space is revealed, complete with steel mezzanine and poured concrete floor. It wasn’t always like this. When the couple bought the 150m-square barn 15 years ago, and their children, Mathilde, Lucas and Emilie were young, everyone slept on mattresses. Life was a little more basic then. “We loved coming here, cooking dinner on the gas burner and sleeping…

Edible flowers polarise opinion. Either you think they’re unnecessary decoration or, like me, you think they add texture, flavour and colour. I must confess, however, that I am a late convert. For years I thought flowers were superfluous garnish. I changed my mind after visiting Mark Diacono’s Otter Farm in Devon (for more of Mark’s cleverness, see page 120) and ate a peppery nasturtium. It was delicious. Since then, I have been visiting kitchen gardens around the country for my book (Kitchen Garden Experts: Twenty Celebrated Chefs and Their Head Gardeners, Frances Lincoln). I have discovered that if chefs and gardeners invest time and money growing a crop, they want to eat as much of it as possible – the horticultural equivalent of nose-to-tail butchery. Adventurous and thrifty, these chefs…

At 6am in Honolulu, habitual early riser Dale Hope casts his eyes to the place around which his life has revolved since toddlerhood: “There’s an orange glow on the beach, the sun is just coming out.” But yet, there is trouble in paradise. Well, we say ‘trouble’... “Growing up here locked me into a lifestyle of waking up thinking ‘When am I going to get in the ocean? How am I going to pull this off today?’ I’d find it so much easier if I didn’t have it tugging at me. Swim, paddle, surf, sail, whatever it is you do, you want to be in there. It’s an attraction that has truly shaped my whole life.” Where is it in your schedule today? “Um, I haven’t figured it out yet,…

MARK DIACONO is a green-fingered foodie who grows, cooks and eats produce on his Devon smallholding. His latest book The New Kitchen Garden (Saltyard Books, £22) is available on a ‘pay what you can afford’ basis from otterfarm.co.uk. For a few shorts weeks, if we’re lucky, it feels like the Med here and I couldn’t feel less like going away on holiday as the garden really delivers on the promises of the rest of the year. August is all about fruit. The trees are hung with plums, peaches, nectarines and figs and the first apples and beans are in full swing. Under the polytunnel, the chillies are turning colour. My father - born in Sri Lanka - put chillies in everything. We often had curry four times a week; always…

COLOUR BLOCK BEAUTY Seaside stripes in a zinging colour palette. BEST FOR: A bit of improv. Doubles as a throw and even a tablecloth. £25, Brighton Fouta at Oliver Bonas oliverbonas.com WIGGLY WONDER The traditional stripes given a twist. BEST FOR: An easily spottable sun-lounger (or child). £28, Linea at House of Fraser houseoffraser.co.uk FADE TO BLUE 50 shades of sea, ranging from clear waters to deep blue. BEST FOR: Pretending you’re looking at the sea, even if you’re stuck on the motorway. £25, BHS bhs.co.uk…

We’re a nation that loves to eat al fresco, but sadly our weather doesn’t always play ball. Garden umbrellas can handle the drizzle but aren’t much use if the wind picks up. Hanging a small weight from the corners of a tablecloth is a nifty way to keep the cloth from catching the breeze and flicking into bowls of homemade houmous and freshly whipped cream. These table weights are simple to make and can be customised to suit your table. 1 Scour the beach for golf ball-sized pebbles (you’ll need about four to eight, depending on the size of your table) and if you find lots, why not make some for friends and family too? 2 Cut a length of wire long enough to wrap around a pebble three or…

The Eiffel Tower (Paris, 1899) Nicknamed ‘the iron lady’, while this tower may not be one for turning, you will spot it wobbling: it sways by up to 6cm in high winds. Pearl River Tower, (China, 2011) Possibly the world’s greenest skyscraper, utilising everything from in-built turbines to solar panels. Just a shame it houses the national tobacco company! Burj Khalifa (Dubai, 2010) The world’s tallest building is home to the highest nightclub and restaurant, too. How annoyed must they be to only make second in highest swimming pool rankings? Willis Tower (Chicago, 1973) No longer the world’s tallest skyscraper, the building formerly known as the Sears Tower can take solace in remaining the site of the world’s highest loos. Torre Agbar (Barcelona, 2005) Not the Gherkin, but its cooler…

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. She also blogs, bakes and photographs at Buttercup Days: buttercupdaysuk.blogspot.co.uk. Colouring poster | £12 Illustrator Michael Kirkham’s drawing to pencil in.theschooloflife.com/shop Taiwanese fan | £16 To waft about elegantly on steamy summer days.nativeandco.com Hula pendant sound necklace | £136 The sea-like tones of the glaze differ slightly on each unique, handmade ceramic pendant.reikokaneko.co.uk Cushion by Lou Hopper | £45 A cheery flash of colour to brighten neutral sofas.shop.thesimplethings.com Mini sewing machine | £35 Ideal for beginners’ creative projects. johnlewis.com Adjustable stool | £120 Rotate the seat to suit the height of the sitter. peastyle.co.uk Picnic ware | from £12 Make an outdoor feast a civilised affair…

Our shopkeeper’s picks for August... “This month I’ll be taking advantage of the long weekend to go and stay with friends. I’ll be packing my summer essentials in the stylish Lino Square Overnight Bag by Lou Hopper, which is roomy enough to squeeze in a gift for my hostess too – the Gardeners’ Seed & Soap Collection by Paper Beagle. At home, I keep my Household Scissors by Home Address handy to cut a posy to bring a bit of summer indoors.” Louise Gorrod, Shopkeeper FULL OF things to want and wish for things to make life a bit nicer things for inside the home and out Pay us a visit shop.thesimplethings.com…

The word ‘mezze’ most likely came from Ancient Persia, meaning taste or relish, and it’s an apt description for the delicious mouthfuls that make up a Mezze. It’s food to “share, savour and swoon over” and in this book, Basan serves up platefuls of aromatic, fragrant food, from fiery harissa paste to add a kick of chilli to dishes, to Zahta, a tasty mixture of thyme and sumac berries which can be sprinkled over bread, cheese and yoghurt. There are recipes for mini meatballs stuffed with roasted pistachios, hot houmous with pine nuts and chilli butter, and courgette, feta and herb patties. And for dessert? How about ‘Ladies Navels’ – little doughnuts bathed in syrup. Everything is tasty, decorative and moreish. (Ryland, Peters and Small)…

Carefree camping is all about having the right kit. The new Cinch tent is a pop-up that claims to be roomier and easier to put and up and down than others out there. We tried it and we have to say it was indeed a cinch to put up and pack away, lovely and airy inside (due to openings at both ends) with a really comfy padded ground sheet, two awnings and cute little extras including two LED torches and LED tent pegs. There’s also a solar power pack that converts sunlight into power to charge gadgets. Costs from £149.99–£189.99 depending on size. cinchpopuptents.co.uk…

West Dean Chilli Fiesta 7–9 August Tours, tutorials and tastings of all things chilli-related plus live music, dancing and a vintage fairground. Camping available. westdean.org.uk Clitheroe Food Festival 8 August With 110 stall-holders, based in Lancashire and selected by a panel of food experts, this is a truly local event. clitheroefoodfestival.com Bakewell Baking Festival 14–16 August A vintage-inspired giant garden party with two baking theatres, vintage stalls, games and cars, afternoon tea and on-site camping. bakewellbakingfestival.co.uk Isle of Wight Garlic Festival 16–17 August Top chefs and food experts including Rachel Khoo give demos; there’s a giant garlic marquee, beer and tea tents. garlic-festival.co.uk Newlyn Fish Festival 31 August See the masters at work as they demonstrate preparing and cooking fresh-off-the-boat fish. Gig racing, punts and sculling at the harbour, too.…

MENU Garbanzo jars with feta and parsley Wrapped country sourdough with burrata and peaches Crudités with coconut and avocado crème Homemade vitamin water Taking inspiration from California’s year-round sun, we’re planning a meal by the sea that’s as easy to prepare as it is to carry down to the sands. It’s about attractive assembling rather than actual cooking. Visit a farmers’ market and fill your basket with produce, bake or buy some good bread to go with it and forage for some extra, fruity snacks. On the West Coast there are citrus orchards in the valleys; here the cherries, plums, and earliest apples are just ready. It’s a low-effort picnic so no need for lots of vegetable prep: eating good-quality produce raw is easy, healthy and beautiful, too. Wash it…

Mary Poppins’ bottomless bag With a seemingly impossible inventory of contents ranging from a coat stand to a houseplant, this unassuming floral holdall belonging to the Banks’ family’s new nanny is undeniably filled with magic. Paddington Bear’s suitcase The friendly bear from deepest darkest Peru is peculiar not only for his love of duffel coats and marmalade, but this old battered suitcase with its secret compartment. Phileas Fogg’s carpet bag Jules Verne’s famous adventurer opted for a simple carpet bag packed with “just two shirts and three pairs of stockings” – the definitive capsule wardrobe.…

AIRBNB From its humble beginnings renting out airbeds on a San Francisco living room floor, AirBnB has become a travel revolution. You can now rent whole homes, often including thoughtful extras that hosts have left at the property, from bikes and beach equipment to cupboards full of toys and handy guides to local sites and markets. airbnb.co.uk FEET ON THE GROUND Worried about the carbon footprint left by cheap air travel (not to mention being sick of airport queues, delays and security)? Try a no-fly holiday. feetontheground.holiday SHEEPSKIN LIFE Gorgeous rustic properties throughout the UK, with good photographs so you know exactly what you’re getting, as well as a ‘live like a local’ section for each location. sheepskinlife.com CANOPY AND STARS An upgrade from basic camping, Canopy and Stars lists…

Recipes boosted by flowers and herbs “Calendula flowers have a peppery taste so they help to balance the seasoning” Celery, stilton and calendula soup This recipe is everything you want a soup to be – creamy, salty, rich, buttery and, most importantly, easy to make. Calendula (marigold) flowers have a peppery taste, so they help to balance the seasoning. If you don’t have marigold flowers to hand, substitute with basil, oregano or nasturtium and add a grind of pepper. Serves 4 100g butter200g celery, roughly chopped1 onion, peeled and chopped1l vegetable stock100ml double cream100g stilton2 tbsp chopped calendulaflowers, plus extra for serving 1 Melt the butter in a large saucepan with a lid over a low heat. Add the celery and onion and let them sweat, with the lid on,…

Does anyone ever turn down the suggestion of an ice cream? From childhood concoctions with sprinkles and sauces to local as you like, dairy-fresh, ices are the best pick-me-up on hot summer days. The sun on your face, tongue cold with licking just faster than dribbles can melt. We all have a go-to flavour but really there are two camps; vanilla rippled with some sort of berry or full-on coffee and chocolate variations. Here we have jostaberry* (a hybrid of gooseberry and blackcurrant). Share your simple thing @simplethingsmag  using #mysimplething * See how to make it at thesimplethings.com/jostaberryice . Recipe from Fern Verrow, Recipes from a Biodynamic Farm, by Jane Scotter and Harry Astley (Quadrille)…

BASICS: 2 or more players; 52-card deck; you’ll need chips or counters. Each player is given three counters and dealt three cards. To play, place one card face up in the centre of the table, calling out the total value of the face-up pile before drawing the top card from the stock. Each card adds its face value in points. Jacks and Queens count as 10. The following cards have additional effects: 3: skips next player 4: no value, reverses play 9: value of 99 10: adds or subtracts ten from the total King: no value Ace: value of one or 11. If the player cannot place a card without taking the value of the pile over 99, the round ends and they lose one counter. The winner is the…

COBAEA WHAT IS IT? This cup and saucer plant is a gardener’s best friend. A quick-growing climber, sow in late winter or early spring and it’ll cover a south-facing wall come mid-summer. After sowing, keep seeds warm and moist by covering the seed tray in cling film or a plastic bag and putting on a windowsill. Once seedlings reach a good size, harden off outside. They’re just as happy in a pot or border, provided they’re in a sunny spot and well-draining soil. WHY WOULD YOU? Heather and Sally from Chiltern seeds (chilternseeds.co.uk) say they are partial to this plant because of its “large, purple, bell-shaped flowers that are pretty as a picture. It’s ideal if you want vertical interest but don’t want to wait too long. A perennial in…

INGREDIENTS 70ml inexpensive red table wine1kg unrefined granulated sugar500g dark treacle2 dessert spoons honeysmall glass dark rum HOW TO MAKE 1 Pour wine into a large saucepan and warm on a medium heat. 2 Add the sugar, treacle and honey to the solution, stirring continually until dissolved entirely. 3 Allow the mixture to cool, stirring in any crystallising sugars that form as it cools. 4 Decant the mix into a bucket with a sealable top: plastic paint kettles from DIY stores are ideal. TO SERVE 1 Wait for a warm, humid evening. 2 Cut absorbent cord or rope (window sash cord is ideal) into 4 lengths of about 1m each. 3 Put ropes into the wine solution at least an hour before dusk. 4 Stir in the rum just before…