Taking time to live well

September

RAMBLE
Picnic with a pooch • Marbling • Healing waters & garden swim ponds
Blackberry blondies & turmeric gingerade • Why we love a picky tea
A modern miniaturist • How chit-chat helps • Pleats, Poirot & pickleball
Thoughtful design, built to last a lifetime.

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neptune.com
A could-do list
September
Meet a friend or two and explore a
path you’ve never followed before

Chat to a stranger, on the bus,

in the park, at the shops

Preserve harvest produce to enjoy

out of season

Re-read a book you loved as a child

Go to the seaside late in the day

for a teatime picnic

Try some of our ideas, make

up a few of your own, or
just read and enjoy
IMAGE: MOORDALE WALLPAPER IN MUSTARD (MINIMODERNS.COM)
How often do we really let ourselves mood underpinning every ramble
ramble in the truest sense of – real or in the mind – and a lack
the word? The dictionary offers of responsibilities, if only for
three interpretations – to walk for a while. Only plants really ramble
pleasure in the countryside, to talk with purpose, striving for space
or write in an aimless, often long- and light. Though maybe that’s our
winded fashion and to describe a unspoken goal too when we ramble
plant that sends out long shoots. – finding headspace or physical
But even these definitions don’t space and a lightness that comes
quite capture what it means to from clearing your mind. Sometimes
ramble; that feeling of wandering the right path (or decision) is
without a particular place to get to, not obvious and our roaming buys
with no clock-watching or to-do list. us time to see things from a wider
And on a sunny afternoon, what is perspective. Late summer is made for
nicer than letting your thoughts rambling, leaving us refreshed and
meander and drift, coming and going ready for a return to the rituals
as they please? There’s a carefree and routines of autumn and beyond.

Lisa EDITOR LISA SYKES

PHOTOGRAPHY: HOLLY JOLLIFFE
Take the lead
TURN A DOG WALK INTO A GATHERING
BY PACKING A PICNIC AND HEADING
OUT WITH HOUNDS AND FRIENDS

Recipes and styling: KAY PRESTNEY Photography: REBECCA LEWIS

T
he daily dog walk is always portable frittata with a summer salad.
more fun if you can do Share around some stuffed figs, then
it with friends – of both finish with muffins – if you haven’t
the two-legged and four- already polished them off on the walk
legged variety. Make an – and wash it all down with fiery
afternoon of it by packing a picnic gingerade with a turmeric twist.
and heading out to somewhere You don’t have to worry about
special where the dogs can run off the hungry hounds scoffing your lunch,
lead, enabling you to walk and talk. either, as there are homemade dog
Once the dogs have thoroughly biscuits – to be honest, they’re pretty
worn themselves out (okay, we know tasty for humans, too. Then head
this is wishful thinking), lay down home and curl up for a well-deserved
a blanket and tuck into brilliantly nap – both dogs and humans… »

6
Did someone
say the magic ‘P’
word? No, not
park, picnic,
of course

7
Veggie frittata
Who needs sarnies when you can
serve up a slice of eggy goodness,
packed full of fresh vegetables,
herbs and flavour.

Serves 6
1 tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil)
15g unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small fennel bulb, finely chopped
100g kale, finely chopped
6 free range eggs
2 tbsp mixed chopped herbs (use
anything you have, such as basil,
mint, thyme, oregano, rosemary)
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
Zest of 1 small lemon
100ml semi-skimmed milk
200g feta, crumbled

1 Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/

Gas 5. Meanwhile, in a large, non-stick

DOG TREATS frying pan gently heat the oil and

butter. Once melted, add the onion,
Keep pooches out of your picnic garlic and fennel and cook over
with some dog treats to keep a medium heat for around 10 mins,
them occupied while you tuck in. stirring occasionally, until soft.
2 Add the kale and continue to cook
for a few mins until softened.
3 In a small bowl, crack the eggs and
Makes 26 gently whisk with a fork until blended.
300g peanut butter Setting aside one tablespoon of the
1 tbsp honey (do not use anything fresh herbs to garnish once cooked,
containing xylitol, which is extremely add the remaining fresh and the dried
toxic for dogs) herbs, lemon zest, milk and crumbled
200ml milk (ideally non-cow’s milk*) feta and stir. Season with freshly-
200g plain flour ground black pepper.
1 tbsp baking powder 4 In a large bowl, stir together the
egg mixture and the contents of your
1 Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/ frying pan, then pour into a 25cm
Gas 5. Add all the ingredients to square baking dish lined with baking
a stand mixer, or bowl if mixing paper. Press into the corners with
by hand, and mix until it forms the back of a metal spoon so it is flat.
a dough-like consistency. 5 Bake in the centre of the oven for
2 Roll the dough out onto a floured used up all the dough. You will need 25-30 mins, or until it springs back up
surface to a thickness of around half to use two baking trays (or cook to the touch, is slightly golden on top
a centimetre. Using an 8cm bone- the biscuits in two batches). and a metal skewer comes out clean.
shaped biscuit cutter, or similar, 4 Bake for 15 mins, or until they turn 6 Scatter over the remaining herbs
press out as many biscuits as you a golden brown colour. Allow to cool. and serve.
can fit, then transfer to a baking tray Cook’s note: These will keep in a Cook’s note: To use ours for
covered with a sheet of baking paper. sealed airtight container in the fridge the picnic, we allowed it to cool
3 Re-roll the dough and repeat the for up to 8 weeks. Alternatively, you completely and then wrapped the
process. Keep going until you have can freeze them for up to 6 months. baking dish in baking paper tied with
string, so that it was easy to transport.

*Many dogs are lactose-intolerant to some degree, as they never evolved the ability to produce lactase, the enzyme needed to digest lactose. They will digest goat's milk or ewe's milk more easily instead.
8
GATHERING

Late summer salad

Make the most of tomato season
and taste the sunshine with this
fresh and nutty salad.

Serves 6
300g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small fennel bulb
1 small cucumber
1 small courgette
A few large cabbage leaves
1 large carrot
A handful of fresh mint leaves, finely
chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 small garlic clove, grated
50g pine nuts

1 Using a knife or mandoline, finely

cut the fennel, cucumber, courgette
and cabbage into thin slices or sticks.
Peel the carrot and use a vegetable
peeler to create ribbons of carrot
to add to the salad.
2 Meanwhile, add the mint, olive oil,
honey, lemon juice and zest, and garlic
to an old jam jar, season with salt and
pepper, then shake to blend. Set aside
so that the flavours infuse the oil.
3 In a small pan, gently toast the pine
nuts over a medium heat for 5 mins,
stirring continuously until you can
smell them cooking and they start
to turn golden brown. Allow to cool.
Pooped pups will 4 In a large serving bowl, mix together
be glad of the post-
the chopped veg, tomatoes and
walkies rest, while
happy humans toasted pine nuts and season with
can tuck into a salt and pepper. Give the dressing
seasonal spread one last shake and drizzle it over
the top before serving. »

9
Roasted goat’s
cheese-stuffed figs
Melt-in-the mouth sweet
and savoury treats.

Serves 6
6 fresh figs
85g fresh goat’s cheese
1 tbsp honey
A few sprigs of thyme
6 large fig leaves (if you don’t have
these, you can use baking paper)

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/

Gas 4. Wash and cut each fig, taking
off the tip and making a deep cross
into the fruit so it’s quartered but
still joined at the bottom.
2 Cut your goat’s cheese into six
pieces and tuck a piece into the
centre of each fig.
3 Place on a baking tray and drizzle
with the honey, before seasoning
with salt and pepper and sprinkling
over the thyme leaves.
4 Roast for 10 mins, or until the cheese
has started to melt and the figs are
warmed through. Wrap in fig leaves
(or baking paper) to transport.

Dog walks are always more fun

with friends – of both the two-
legged and four-legged variety
10
GATHERING

Apple & cinnamon dark

chocolate muffins
Seasonal, spiced and with a kick
of chocolate – just right for an
almost autumn snack.

Makes 12
2 apples (not cookers), peeled, cored
and diced
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 free range eggs
250ml semi-skimmed milk
125ml vegetable oil
No need for the
175g unrefined golden caster sugar puppy-dog eyes
400g self-raising flour – the muffins may
100g dark chocolate chips be out of bounds
for our canine pals,
but they’ll love
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. their home-baked
Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. treats instead
2 Place the apples in a large saucepan with
the spices and 6 tablespoons of water.
Simmer for around 6 mins, or until it starts
to soften, then remove from the heat and set
aside to cool. Add the vanilla essence and
then purée until smooth using a hand blender.
3 In a stand mixer (or large bowl, using a hand-
held electric whisk), crack the eggs and blend
with the milk and oil. Once combined, add the
sugar and whisk until it forms a smooth batter.
4 Add the flour and whisk the batter gently
until combined.
5 Stir in the cooled apple and spice mix
and the dark chocolate chips.
6 Divide the mixture between the muffin
cases and bake for 20–25 mins, or until
they turn golden brown on top and a skewer
inserted into the middle of a muffin comes
out clean. Allow the muffins to cool on
a wire rack before serving. »

11
GATHERING

With all this tasty

fare, we’re sure
there’ll be no need for
a doggy bag when
it’s time to pack up

Turmeric gingerade
Super refreshing and much
needed after a long session
of throwing sticks.

Serves 6–8
1.3 ltr fresh apple juice
1 tbsp fresh turmeric root, grated
1 tsp fresh ginger root, grated
Juice of 2 large lemons
1 bottle of sparkling water
1 fresh orange, sliced, to serve
Handful of fresh mint sprigs, to serve

1 Place the apple juice, turmeric,

ginger and lemon juice into a blender
and blitz until smooth (you may
need to do this in two batches).
2 Pour into a glass bottle or
Thermos flask and keep in the
fridge until you’re ready to serve.
3 To serve, fill a glass two thirds
full with the apple juice mix and
top up with sparkling water to
taste. Garnish with a sprig of
fresh mint and a slice of orange.

Enjoy a good old chin

wag – alongside lots
of waggy tails – on a
pooch-friendly picnic
12
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A little bit of
what you fancy
YOURS MAY INCLUDE CHEESE, HAM, CELERY, EGG
OR CRISPS, AND WHAT YOU CALL IT MAY BE JUST AS
UNIQUE AS ITS COMPONENTS. SIAN MEADES-WILLIAMS
CELEBRATES THE PLEASURES OF THE ‘PICKY TEA’

IMAGE: ADOBE STOCK

14
REFLECTION

s soon as Mum got her metal You have to trust someone

egg slicer out, I knew: it was
going to be a Picky Tea. My before you offer them dinner
homework was immediately and serve houmous and Quavers
forgotten. I could even be
dragged away from the latest
goings on down Ramsay Street. Picky Teas
were the ultimate dinner treat, a night where that are resoundingly individual. My friend
rhyme and reason (and quite often nutrition) Florence insists on pitta breads alongside
were replaced with whatever delights my hers. My husband really likes those little
mum laid out on the table. peppers stuffed with cheese. Once you’ve
Alongside the identically-proportioned ticked off your most deliberate items, the
slices of hard boiled egg, a pork pie appeared rest of the plate is very much up for grabs, but
out of nowhere, cheese was arranged on a plate those constants remain each time. I’m pretty
(stilton for my dad, an industrial-sized block of flexible but I do think the whole thing falls
cheddar for the rest of us), with some crackers apart without a little bowl of crisps on the side.
that had been forgotten about after Christmas. For all of the exacting specificity, there’s still
We were allowed to eat crisps! Some iceberg an element of practicality to the meal. A Picky
lettuce was probably torn up in a vague nod Tea is a wonderful way to use up odds and ends
to health. A jar of pickled onions and a bottle – one that’s rarely mentioned in recipe books.
of salad cream plonked on the table would It is the most fun way to empty the salad drawer.
form the feast’s centrepiece. In fact, if there were more than three vegetables
I call it Picky Tea, but you might well on offer, my mum would call the whole thing
have another name for it. Perhaps for you a salad and we couldn’t argue if we wanted
it’s a ‘Party Tea’ or a ‘Snack Dinner’. Some – we were too busy munching through stalks
of you might call it a ‘Sofa Picnic’. It was a rare of celery like dutiful caterpillars.
occurrence in my childhood – perhaps only I love the intimacy of a Picky Tea. You have
two or three times a year – but it remains to to trust someone entirely before you offer them
this day one of my favourite meals of all time. dinner and then serve houmous, Quavers, and
A lot of the excitement comes down to the a plate of mini spring rolls. That’s part of what
spontaneity of the event. There’s no planning makes them special. Picky Teas are saved for
a Picky Tea, it just happens. I realise now that when you’re with your oldest friend, or for a
it was likely down to my mum being exhausted delicious night when you just have yourself
and abandoning any dinner plans she might to please. The ideal Picky Tea seems to fall
have had. Often the picky teas of my childhood somewhere between leftovers (too lacking
happened on boiling summer days after we had in choice to be exciting) and a picnic (too
all spent too much time in the sun. My own tend much thought). It might have elements in
to happen at the end of a long and frustrating common with a Ploughman’s* but that feels
work day – it’s not only resisting having another too prescriptive, whereas antipasti feels far
task to do when following even the simplest too fancy. The Picky Tea is slapdash but also
of recipes feels like too much effort, it also quite deliberate.
comes with a comforting childhood nostalgia. There are many variations, but I think the
Just as the name changes between all my truth of it is that sometimes we want the joy of
friends, so too do the critical components (it’s our favourite things without the faff of making
a bit of a stretch to call them ingredients). Your dinner. While I may enjoy playing around in
meal might look entirely cobbled together, but the kitchen and trying new recipes, I love that
it’s really a very personal plate of food. Far more there is nothing at all innovative about a Picky
so than a takeaway or a hastily-purchased ready Tea. And every time one begins to take shape
meal. The cheese you pick, your favourite ham, at my kitchen table – bowl of crisps on the side
whether you slice your hard boiled eggs – thus – I think of my mum’s egg slicer, a humble object
needing to get your own egg slicer out from the blessed with the very practicality and specificity
back of the bottom drawer – they’re all elements that makes the Picky Tea so special itself.

*The ploughman’s lunch dates to the early 19th century, usually featuring ham and cheese and a hunk of bread with chutney,
but it gained popularity in the 1960s when the Milk Marketing Board used it in a campaign to increase cheese sales.
15
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AR
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eep in the heart of the forest, the evidence rival boars in a fight for females. These live in ‘sounders’
of their existence is easy to see. Along the – matriarchal groups made up of several sows plus
edges of a woodland ride, the soft green turf adolescent animals – and give birth to large litters of
has been given a thoroughly good going over, stripy, ginger piglets in spring. The undeniably cute
exposing the dark soil beneath. And, where youngsters are affectionately known as ‘humbugs’.
the path crosses a narrow stream, I find The return of wild boar has not been welcomed by
a shallow bowl of mud pockmarked with trotter tracks everyone, however. In Gloucestershire, their extensive
and a tree trunk turned scratch-post, barkless and buffed digging has damaged gardens, parks and cricket pitches.
to a shine by a bristly backside. Wild boar at work. And while stories of boars attacking dogs have been
After providing the main course at one too many medieval exaggerated in the media, it’s probably best to keep your
banquets, these primitive pigs – ancestors of our domestic dog on a lead in areas where they’re known to be present.
animals – disappeared from British woods hundreds Wild boar are actually great ecosystem engineers. Their
of years back. But, beginning around 30 years ago, a fervent foraging aerates the soil, improves drainage, makes
number of them escaped (or were deliberately released) space for new plants to grow, creates habitat for burrowing
from boar farms to rewild parts of the UK. By far the bees and beetles and unearths food for birds. In fact, boars
largest population can be found in the Forest of Dean in can boost biodiversity by literally breathing life back into
Gloucestershire, a stone’s throw from my Bristol home. our woodlands.
Crouching down to feel the freshly turned earth around Back in the forest, the old boar is standing his ground.
the roots of a dead larch, I’m suddenly aware of a presence But then it dawns on me – I’m squatting in his favourite
behind me. A big old boar has emerged from the trees on the feeding spot and he’s patiently waiting for me to move
other side of the track. He’s hairy, stocky and charcoal-black on. Being omnivores, these animals eat everything from
ILLUSTRATION: ZUZA MISKO

with surprisingly long legs and a tasselled tail. Two wonky acorns and insects to fungi and bulbs, and he’s sure to
tusks protrude from his snout and his eyes are bloodshot. find plenty of tasty treats amongst these rotting roots.
Though poor-sighted, wild boar have an exceptional sense Sure enough, when I back away, he slowly ambles over
of smell. This handsome devil knows I’m here. and begins rootling away. This curious creature – not
Mature males roam the forest alone for much of the year, seen for centuries in our woodlands – looks completely
but, during the autumn rutting season, they clash tusks with at home. Wild boar are back where they belong.

17
COMPETITION

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CAKE
IN THE
HOUSE
Ripe figs sunk into syrupy banana
bread for elevenses, afternoon tea or
even toasted with butter for breakfast.

FIGGY BANANA BREAD

Serves 6
125g salted butter, softened, plus
extra for greasing
4 large ripe bananas
250g self-raising flour
200g caster sugar
3 medium free-range eggs
4 tbsp golden syrup
3 fresh figs (2 chopped into small
pieces, 1 sliced)

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/

Gas 6. Meanwhile, butter a 450g loaf
tin and line with baking paper.
2 In a food processor, blend the bananas,
then add all the other ingredients, except
the figs. Blend again, then scrape down
the sides and mix thoroughly.
3 Pour the batter into a bowl and gently
fold in the chopped figs. Spoon the
mixture into the buttered tin and place the
slices of fig along the top of the mixture.
4 Bake for 1½ hrs, covering the top with
foil after 45 mins, or until a skewer inserted
into the centre comes out clean. Leave
to rest for 10 mins, then turn out onto
a cooling rack.
Cook’s note: This will keep in an airtight
container for three days and freezes well.

Taken from Time & Tide: Recipes And Stories

From My Coastal Kitchen by Emily Scott
(Hardie Grant) Photography: Kristin Perers

19
My day in cups of tea
We asked upcycling whizz Kayleigh Andrews to tell us a bit about her day
in cuppas – and let us into a few tricks of the trade, too
Morning! We see you’ve a drink on the go already career in the Royal Air Force to do this full time.
I’m quite spoiled – my boyfriend gets up early for work What are some essential tools of your trade?
and brings me a coffee before he leaves. I’d be lost without my dustless sander; I use it most
Nice. And can you tell us a bit about your home? days. Also, high quality, durable paints – Autentico
We live in a detached house in the Lincolnshire Versante paint for an eggshell finish that’s as tough
countryside, which we’re renovating. as nails and Guild Lane’s Jubilee range for great
We converted the garage into a coverage with a silky-smooth sheen. And patience and
bright workshop, so I practically adaptability are crucial – each vintage piece comes with
roll out of bed into my workshop. its own problems, from wonky doors to broken legs.
What magic happens in there? Thirsty work! How do you take a break?
I create one-of-a-kind furniture, A good old Yorkshire Tea with milk, please. And a dunk
predominately using existing vintage with a chocolate hobnob. When I break, I love sitting
pieces. When we bought our first in our garden with a cuppa while listening to the birds.
KAYLEIGH ANDREWS
is founder of Kookiwood,
home, we had a tight budget. I began Any specific afternoon tasks?
a vintage furniture experimenting with second-hand Varnishing, so I can leave it to dry overnight.
refinishing studio. Her pieces and was hooked! Every spare When is work done for the day?
simple thing is waking up
to softly purring cats.
moment was spent upcycling, and I Around 5 or 6pm, once my partner arrives home.
kookiwood.com or follow began selling on Etsy. In 2020, I took If I’m having One of Those Days in the workshop,
on Insta at: @kookiwood the plunge and quit my eight-year I might finish earlier and do some admin instead.

20
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Slowly does it
BY ADOPTING A MINDSET RATHER THAN A MODE OF
TRAVEL, WE REALISE THAT OUR JOURNEYS DON’T
NEED BIG BUDGETS OR LONG, FAR-FLUNG TRIPS
TO BE TRANSFORMATIVE, SAYS JO TINSLEY

22
IDEAS

Slow travel is about

deceleration and reframing
travel as a journey

D O N ’ T S E T A N E N D G OA L
As a meticulous planner in everyday life, slow travel
doesn’t come easily to me but over the years I’ve
developed strategies to help me get into a more mindful
and instinctive frame of mind, allowing my journeys
to unfold day by day. In the case of my camper van
trip along the unsung Argyll coast, we intentionally
didn’t plan a route. When we focus on a destination,
our journeys can become something to be endured; a
means to an end. But this meandering approach invited
spontaneity; it freed us up to follow handwritten signs
itting down at a bench outside the on a whim, to ask for local recommendations or to
Skipness Seafood Cabin – a wooden take spontaneous detours down seemingly endless
shack serving creel-caught langoustines, no-through roads only to discover charming honesty
hand-dived scallops from Loch Fyne and box ‘farm shops’ selling wild venison and homemade
home-cured salmon, all with majestic ‘ready meals’ from a wooden shed. After all, you can’t
views over the Isle of Arran – I had to get lost when you don’t have a destination in mind.
take a moment to breathe it all in. Would I have made Our journey unfolded in a loose and rambling
it to this remarkable spot – at the end of a single-track manner, and was all the richer for it. Each morning,
road half-way down the wonderfully empty Kintyre we would throw jumpers and boots over our pyjamas
Peninsula – had I not decided to let my journey and drive to somewhere achingly scenic to brew up
be shaped by a slow travel philosophy, honed over a pot of coffee and get some bacon sizzling in a pan.
many years, that allowed for a meandering pace Only then would we unfold a map and plan out the
PHOTOGRAPHY: COLIN NICHOLLS; DANIEL COOK; GRAEME OWSLANSKI

and spontaneous detours? next stage of our journey, tracing a route based on
Slow travel is an invitation to explore the world at enticing contours or an intriguing stretch of coastline.
our own pace; to journey lightly and adventurously, Of course, the flip side of being destination-free
while allowing space for curiosity and connection is accepting that not every day will be action-packed
to lead the way. Unhurried and intuitive, it is the – some days might be downright boring – but hang
antithesis of bucket list travel, placing spontaneity tight and ask yourself: ‘If it were up to me, how would
over a packed agenda. Although the name might I spend my day?’ Rather than focusing on what others
suggest otherwise, slow travel isn’t necessarily have done before, check in with what you need most
about speed, the length of your trip or even your at that time. Perhaps it’s a ‘day off’ from travelling, to
mode of transport; it is more about deceleration and read a book in a café or to spend an afternoon dawdling
reframing travel as a journey. But how can we slip in a bookstore or museum. Often the most indulgent
into this glorious slow travel mindset when our time days are surprisingly low-key.
is precious, our money carefully saved for possibly Also, while embracing a sense of spontaneity on road
only a handful of trips per year and there are a whole trips might feel easier when there’s only one of two of
world of places that we want to see and experience? you, travelling slowly as a family has its rewards (and »

23
IDEAS

This meandering approach

invites spontaneity, a chance
to follow signs on a whim

piqued my sense of wonder was an 18-hour sleeper

train trip from Narvik, Norway to Stockholm, Sweden.
Luggage stowed, my partner and I settled into our
snug compartment with its three-up bunks, the view
through the curved cabin window a blur of ice-streaked
birch trees, before setting off in search of the buffet
car. Much to my surprise, moving between carriages
meant sliding open external doors and stepping
‘outside’ briefly, the muted hum of the train replaced
by squealing rails and a smack of cold air. Finding
challenges), too. Arguably, children are natural slow nothing but carriage after carriage of reclining seats,
travellers because they live in the moment more than we returned to our berth deflated. Stretching our legs
adults, but it’s a good idea to manage expectations several hours later, however, we slid open one of these
before and during an overland trip, and to pack same carriage doors to discover a fully decked-out
plenty of games (and snacks!), lest you succumb to restaurant car, with red velvet booths, polished wood
an inexhaustible chorus of “are we nearly there yet?” tables and the scent of reindeer stew hanging in the air.
Enthralled by this fortuitous and cosy scene
B E C A R R I E D A LO N G F O R T H E R I D E appearing as if out of nowhere, we ordered a bowl of
Most of us seek simple, challenge-free trips. We want stew and struck up a conversation with an eccentric
to arrive quickly, on time and with ease. Choosing to chap at the bar, chatting late into the night. Later,
travel overland by train, bus or ferry entails a certain my gaze softly focused on the endless indigo twilight
loss of control; an acceptance of missed connections, spooling outside the window, I realised a new section
delays and cancellations. But there are joys to be found of train must have been attached at a previous stop. But
in these slower modes of travel, too. Rail travel, in in the moment I gave into a sense of wonder, choosing
particular, allows us to shake off this perceived sense to believe that, much like the ‘Room of Requirement’
of control with all the comfort of plush seats or a cosy in the Harry Potter series, the buffet car had appeared
couchette. After all, someone else is doing the driving as if by magic just when we needed it most.
so you can sit back and let yourself be carried along for Arguably, the aim of travel is to give us something
the ride: the rhythmic movement of the carriage and we yearn for, but don’t have enough of in our lives:
the slow unfolding of the scenery allowing your mind more time, a chance to connect with ourselves and with
to drift, while the shift in perspective from transit to others, an opportunity to pause. Slow travel brings us
journey opens you up to new encounters and moments back to these simple intentions. It might take a while to
of wonder, which is surely what travel is all about! adjust to a gentler, more mindful pace, but the benefits
Sleeper trains are particularly enchanting. There’s can be truly transformative, a tonic in our busy lives
a sense of possibility and promise of adventure; that that leaves a warm afterglow when you return home.
wondrous ‘ta-da!’ feeling of falling asleep in one place Jo Tinsley is author of The Slow Traveller: An Intentional
and waking up in another. One journey that really Path To Mindful Adventures (Leaping Hare Press).

24
Escaping the busy never looked so good.
Dimpsey Days…Shepherd hut stays
Gift Vouchers available
Treat your loved ones to a
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September

SEASONAL THOUGHTS TO HELP YOU ENJOY THE MONTH

THINGS TO NOTE AND NOTICE

Nature spot Folklore SEPTEMBER IN

THE SKY
HOBBIES MABON
We think everyone needs a hobby, Mabon (21–29 September) is a festival Daylight hours:
but you’ll need to be quick if you marking the Autumn equinox and the 12 hours 30 mins
want to spot one of these falcons second harvest of the year. Like many Full moon: 29 September:
(for that’s what hobbies are). agricultrual festivals, it has pagan Corn Moon (or Harvest
They’ll have migrated by October. roots and is all about giving thanks.
What? A large grey-brown bird You might mark a modern Mabon by
Moon)
of prey with white cheeks and decorating your home for Autumn, New moon: 15 September
chin, white and brown-flecked sharing a meal with loved ones or Planets to spot: Neptune
breast, and rusty red ‘trousers’. setting intentions for this next phase moves to be directly
Where? Across England and of the year. Mabon is named after

WORDS: IONA BOWER. ILLUSTRATIONS: CHRISTINA CARPENTER; SHUTTERSTOCK

opposite the Sun on
Wales, with increasing numbers Mabon ap Modron, a hero from
19 September, illuminating
now in Scotland, too. Hunting in Welsh mythology, who was taken
open fields, often near wetlands. as a baby, and imprisoned (and later its face and making it
When? April to October. They rescued) in Gloucester. There are look brighter than usual.
breed here, but in September they worse places to be imprisoned but
begin to depart for Africa, so keep we’d rather be at home celebrating
your eyes peeled this month. the late harvest with a good meal. PODCAST
A Life More Wild
closest. Cuckmere Haven in East Sussex is a
Field work great example. Oxbows are still-water lakes,
Enjoy a ‘walk and talk’
so tend to turn into bogs and usually dry with fascinating people,
Oxbow lakes up, except during periods of heavy rainfall. from wildlife cameraman
An oxbow lake is always a pleasing But they can be rich habitats for wildlife to Hamza Yassin to visiting
sight, taking us back to geography spot during a walk. Mostly, though, it’s just a Welsh wellness retreat
lessons. They’re horseshoe-shaped lakes, very satisfying to wander around between
with Charlotte Church.
found near rivers, created from the river’s lake and river, knowing you can explain
original meander. Here’s a quick reminder exactly what happened and indulging
of how it all works for anyone who was your inner geography teacher.
doodling in class first time round.
When a river has a ‘meander’ (a
u-shape), the two sides at the top of the
horseshoe erode the land between them
until the water breaks through and the
river has a new, straight path. Deposition
(silt deposits) builds up along the river
banks and eventually the meander is cut
off from the river and becomes an oxbow.
They usually form in low-lying plains
but a quick internet search will find your

26
NOTES

THINGS TO PLAN AND DO

A DAY OUT:
Visit a butterfly house
September is a great time to lose yourself in
the colour and tropical warmth of a butterfly
house, enjoying these fascinating flutter-bys
at the end of their season and extending the
last days of summer for yourself, too.
If you want them to land on you, making
you feel like Snow White in the forest, go
dressed in bright colours and wearing floral
perfume to give the impression you might
be a delicious flower. You’re sure to get
some amazing photos, too, so don’t forget
your camera. Visiting early morning means
you’re more likely to catch butterflies at their
most active. As well as fluttering about, you
might spot them feeding on nectar, patrolling
their territories, and even mating (avert your
antennae!). The butterfly house may have
spotters’ guides to help you identify them,
or you could download an app like the free
Leps by Fieldguide to help you work it out.

MINI ADVENTURE: KITCHEN TABLE

A day stand-up paddleboarding PROJECT

Stand-up paddleboarding other side. Reach as far forward Scented seashell tealights
(SUP) is not only good for as you can with the paddle,
mind and body, but it’s also ending each stroke by your
You’ll need: a bain-marie; a selection of
a wonderful way to watch knees. Once you’ve mastered
seashells*; beeswax and tealight wicks
the scenery go by, particularly that, you can try standing up
(both available from craft suppliers);
on a lake or river, where the (the clue is in the name, after
essential oil of your choice – we like
water is gentler for beginners. all). Put your feet in the middle
sweet orange and ylang ylang.
Make a day of it by taking of the board, hip width apart, OClean and dry your shells, then place

along a friend and a picnic, and and bend your knees slightly. them in a plastic container of sand to
booking yourselves a lesson Again, do a few strokes on each help them stay still.
to get you started, in the spirit side to stay moving in a straight OSet up your bain-marie with a small metal

of September back-to-school- line. You’ll need to swap your bowl inside a larger pan of boiling water.
ness and learning something hand positions for each side. OAdd the beeswax to the smaller bowl

new. Most SUP rental Where to do it? Search on and wait for it to melt. Once it’s
companies will offer lessons. intotheblue.co.uk to find liquid, add in a few drops of
Once they’ve kitted you out lessons and SUP rental your essential oil and stir.
with a board and paddle of the companies near you. OPour some of the

right size and weight, you’re What to know? A swimming beeswax into the empty
ready to go. Most people start costume, shorts and t-shirt shells and then add a
off by paddleboarding on their should suffice in warmer tealight wick to each
knees until they get the hang weather but you might want one. Wait for them to
of it, before attempting to stand a wetsuit as the weather gets set before lighting, and
up. To go in a straight line, do colder. If you fall in, try to fall enjoying the relaxing
a few strokes with the paddle to the sides so that you don’t scent and a reminder of
on one side, then switch to the crash into your own board. happy days by the sea.

*Only take empty shells from the beach and only a few at a time. Have a look round your
house and garden, too – you may well find a few seashells from beach days gone by.
27
A simple thing...
It might be pottery, Portuguese or Pilates
– there’s likely something that you’ve
always fancied giving a go. Echo the
energy of the back-to-school bustle
and sign yourself up to a new course
or class. While it’s tempting to want
to be an instant expert, the pleasure
comes with accepting there is always
something new to learn. It’s about skills
being honed, connections made and
knowledge passed on – the gentle
accumulation of time well spent.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ATOLAS/STOCKSY
Drive South Listening to
Country Music
(for Greg Burns)

By Will Burns

Twenty miles from the trout farm

PAUSE there is just music

Take a moment with some well-chosen words and the green Volvo and the clouds
breaking open now

where it had been

raining hard.

I’m wishing it was a whole

continent we had to travel into,

with drives that last

whole days to get to the water,

and big game fish and names

like sockeye and wahoo to learn –

a land ready to receive us,

right to the edge of the mesa.

But happy enough too

with our worn hills

of hacked up chalk,
In this poem by Will Burns, we’re on a familiar
road trip with music on the stereo, weather
driving half an hour with you, the quiet brother,
out the window, accompanied by a day-dreamy
hope for longer journeys and bigger horizons.
and the pedal steel flowing
Things to ponder: How does the poet make you into your silence like all your best fish.
feel about the relationship between the brothers?
Does the poem have the melody and themes of
a beloved country song?
‘Drive South Listening To Country Music’
from Country Music by Will Burns
(Offord Road Books, 2020), reprinted
by permission of author and publisher.

30
MY CITY*

G L AS G OW
ANNA PANDE GUIDES US AROUND THE CULTURAL, BOTANICAL AND
ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS OF THIS WELCOMING SCOTTISH CITY

1
PHOTOGRAPHY: ANNA PANDE

2
3

*There’s no better way to get to

the heart of a city than through
the people who live there. This
month, freelance writer and
Information Technology Masters student
ANNA PANDE takes us on a personal
tour of Glasgow to tell us what makes it
so special. You may feel inspired to visit
one day, but for now just sit back, relax
and enjoy some armchair travel.

How long have you lived in the city?

I can’t quite believe it, but it’s been ten years now. I’m
not a true Glaswegian (or ‘weegie’). I grew up in the
Highlands and, after studying in Edinburgh, lived in
Pune, India (where my husband’s from) for six years
4 before we moved back. We didn’t know much about
Glasgow but wanted to be in a city and close to my family.

What makes your city unique?

The city’s slogan is ‘People Make Glasgow’ and I couldn’t
agree more; its people are special – they’re funny, always
ready for a chat and extremely generous. I’ll never forget
taking my then two-year-old son for a day out in Govan,
in the south of the city, and everywhere we went people
were chatting with him and giving him treats. I came
away feeling really grateful to live in such a kind place.

What’s it like around this time of year?

In the West End, where I live, the trees turn red and
orange in autumn and contrast fabulously with the
golden sandstone of the buildings. The light is also
beautiful – more golden than in high summer. Autumn
5
also heralds the return of ‘GlasGLOW’, an excellent light
show which takes place in our local park, the Botanic
Gardens, and has a different theme each year.

What time of day do you most enjoy?

Previous page:
1 Modernity meets I love Glasgow first thing on a weekday morning when,
heritage in a city that bleary-eyed, I take my son to nursery. There’s such a
welcomes all. 2 The bustle about the place: kids going to school, students
City Centre Mural Trail
is head and shoulders going to the university. It’s also a great time to pick up
(and traffic cones) a coffee (especially on cold days) – I particularly like
above the rest. This the Cottonrake Bakery and will often join the snaking
page: 3 Glasgow’s
Riverside Museum
queue outside its doors.
transport visitors to
another era. 4 Foodie What’s the nature like?
hotspot Ashton Lane.
5 Stacks of flavour
There’s something for everyone, from the neatly-
at Urban West. manicured lawns and beautiful glasshouses of the
6 Give the green Botanic Gardens to wilder parks, such as Dawsholm
light to Glasgow’s Park, Linn Park and Mugdock Country Park. My
Botanic Gardens
favourite outdoor space, however, is the Kelvin
Walkway, which runs beside the River Kelvin, linking
the West Highland Way to the centre of Glasgow. We
6
often walk the section between the Botanic Gardens
MY CITY

and Kelvingrove Park, where the kids play amongst

the ruins of the Garrioch Flint Mill.

What are the colours of Glasgow?

Given its association with industry, it might surprise
some that the first colour that springs to mind is green.
In fact, the origin of the name Glasgow means ‘green
hollow’ or ‘dear green place’ and, with over 90 parks
to choose between, it lives up to its name. Grey also
features heavily. Being so close to the Atlantic, our
weather is undeniably dreich (a Scots word meaning
‘wet and gloomy’). However, Glasgow is a city with
a colourful personality. To get a taste, try walking
the City Centre Mural Trail; specially commissioned
street art designed to brighten up tired buildings.

Tell us about the people who live there

I think the spirit of Glasgow is personified by the Duke
of Wellington statue, outside the Gallery of Modern Art.
8
This somewhat serious statue is never without a traffic
cone on its head, much to the chagrin of Glasgow City
Council. People here don’t take themselves too seriously.

Tell us about eating out in your city

Glasgow has come a long way from the days when
a ‘Glasgow salad’ meant a bag of chips. The best area
for restaurants is Finnieston, but there are amazing
restaurants all over the city. In recent years, tapas-
style dining has become popular, while Glasgow’s long
association with Italy (Italian immigrants first started
coming here in the late 1800s) has resulted in some
fabulous Italian restaurants – my favourite is Eusebi’s.

What’s the best way to get around the city?

Visitors have been known to laugh about the simplicity 7 Loch Chon, north

of the subway – it’s one long loop! However, considering of the city, offers
the opportunity for
it was built in 1896, I think it’s impressive, so long as you some escapism and
don’t mind getting ‘shoogled’ (shaken). There’s even an a refreshing cold-
app for the subway called iShoogle. For cyclists, Glasgow water dip. 8 Warm
has a great network of cycle routes, including a beautiful up afterwards with
a coffee and pastry
towpath along the Forth and Clyde Canal. from Cottonrake
Bakery. 9 We're
What’s the shopping like? not sure the Duke of
Wellington sees the
Growing up in the Highlands, we’d often make the five- funny side, but the
hour round trip to come shopping in Glasgow. The day locals – known as
would always begin with a chocolate croissant in Princes 'weegies' – certainly
don't take themselves
Square, an upmarket shopping mall, and it’s still one of
too seriously
my favourite places to shop. But Glasgow has shops for
everyone: from high-end designers (check out the Italian
Centre), to high street retailers (in Buchanan Galleries).
There’s also a thriving vintage clothing scene.

Where do you like to escape to?

I love Mugdock Country Park. It looks down over the
city, and has several landmarks such as a 13th-century
castle, and the remains of an anti-aircraft gun battery.
We love cold-water swimming, so we often escape to 9
Loch Chon or Loch Lubnaig for a quick dip, while for »

33
MY CITY

walks, we’re spoilt for choice with the Highlands on our

doorstep! I have family in the Glencoe area, so we’ll head
there to enjoy the mountains, or for sea air we’ll head to
Troon beach to watch the kite-surfers.

What are your favourite local cultural experiences?

The Burrell Collection is fascinating for adults and
children alike. Instead of the usual ‘Please Don’t Touch’
signs, it has hands-on displays with ‘Please Touch’ signs.

Which of the tourist attractions do locals also like?

The Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery is excellent.
You can marvel at a spitfire, wave hello to ‘Sir Roger’
(a stuffed Asian elephant) and, if you’re lucky, you may
even catch one of the daily organ recitals. The Riverside
Museum (known locally as the Transport Museum),
is a stunning modern building located on the banks
of the Clyde. It has an old cobbled street with shops,
horses and carriages and even a recreation of the subway.

What's been your best discovery?

With a dino- and fossil-mad son, it’s Fossil Grove in
Victoria Park – where you can see the fossilised remains
of an ancient forest, dating back 330 million years!

What do you miss most if you’ve been away?

The fact that, in Glasgow, I don’t have to get in a car in
order to do anything – the West End is a true ‘15-minute
city’, where most things are available on your doorstep.

What would surprise a newcomer to your city?

Just how beautiful it is. Glasgow has an extraordinary
architectural heritage – some of my favourite buildings
2
are the City Chambers, in George Square, and the
Templeton Building, near Glasgow Green, which
is a former carpet factory and was inspired by the
1 Fresh air, fantastic

views and a castle:

Doge’s Palace in Venice.
all available at
Mugdock Country What one thing would you change about your city?
Park. 2 Glasgow's The litter. Sometimes our local residents’ association
subway is old, but this
may be extreme. See arranges a local litter-pick to combat this problem.
transport of bygone
times at the Riverside Where would you recommend visitors to stay?
Museum. 3 Art meets
autumn colour at the
The West End. It’s like a village, full of great shops
Burrell Collection and places to eat, but with easy access to the city
centre and nightlife, and also to the countryside.

Where would you live if you couldn't live here?

Probably Edinburgh, where my husband and I both
went to university. The weather would be better but
I’d miss the Glaswegian warmth and sense of humour.

“Glasgow’s West End is a true

‘15-minute city’, where most things
3
are available on your doorstep”
34
4
CU
A N DT O U T
KEE
P

COULD DO GLASGOW
4 Is there a moose loose

within this Hoos? Nope, Anna’s favourite places in the city

just some very covetable
Scandi chic. 5 What's the
story at Morning Glory? FAVOURITE SHOPS
A very fine brekkie, by Bluebellgray
the looks of it. 6 Colour If I’ve had enough of Glasgow’s grey weather,
therapy at Bluebellgray.
7 Princes Square shops
I visit Bluebellgray. More than a homeware shop;
just like its name, it’s an explosion of colour.
bluebellgray.com

Hoos
This shop is quite simply the physical
embodiment of Scandi chic. Plus their flowers
– both potted and cut – are gorgeous.
hoosglasgow.co.uk
5

FAVOURITE CAFÉ
Morning Glory
One of my favourite spots for brunch. Their
dishes are works of art – I’ll never understand
how they can make porridge look so beautiful!
fivemarch.co.uk/morningglory

FAVOURITE RESTAURANT
The Ox and Finch
Located in foodie hotspot Finnieston, this
6 restaurant serves delicious tapas-style food.
oxandfinch.com

FAVOURITE MARKET
The Dockyard Social
A large venue with a huge selection of street
food traders. There’s place for everyone,
young or old, four legs or two.
dockyardsocial.com

BEST PLACE TO SEE BY NIGHT

Ashton Lane
Filled with restaurants (including local favourite
Ubiquitous Chip – or ‘The Chip’ for short),
and adorned with fairy lights, this cobbled
lane is the ideal spot for a night out.

BEST VIEW
Looking towards Glasgow from Mugdock
Country Park. There’s something about standing

in a wilderness and looking over the city that’s

immensely satisfying for the soul.
mugdock-country-park.org.uk

ONE THING TO SEE

The Burrell Collection
One man’s exquisite collection of art and
antiques (9,000 items) from all round the
world, housed in a breathtaking building.
burrellcollection.com
7
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QUIZ

Which
Roald Dahl
character
are you?

Welcome, human beans,

to our gloriumptious quiz.
Q1 You’re off on a September
day out, where are you
rambling to?
Q2 Which book are you
reading at the moment?
A Animal Farm, Oliver Twist,
Roald Dahl Story Day is A A day trip to Oxford to see the Jane Eyre, Pride And Prejudice,
celebrated each year dreaming spires, a cosy café for The Invisible Man, The Secret Garden
a cup of tea and then an hour and Nicholas Nickleby.
on 13 September – and or two wandering among all B It’s some old Joanne Harris thing.
if you’ve ever been the dusty books in the Bodleian Can’t remember what it’s called.
captivated by the library would be just wonderful. I’ve read it a few times now. It’s
boisterous, imaginative B I have always fancied visiting a bit of a comfort read for me.
Bournville village. I’d love to stroll C The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
and colourful world of around, breathing in the deliciously and Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait
Roald Dahl’s characters,
WORDS: IONA BOWER IMAGES: ADOBE STOCK; COURTESY PENGUIN BOOKS

chocolatey smell! by Gyles Brandreth.

you might like to take our C I’ve travelled a lot so I might just like D The Butterfly Isles by Patrick
to stay close to home, somewhere Barkham. I love nature writing
quiz to find out which
you can get some really nice food. and am particularly interested in
one of them you are most I’ve not always found the food in entomology and lepidopterology.
like. Don’t worry; it’s not the lands I’ve travelled in to be as
too complicated, so stop
natterboxing, sit down
appetising as I’d hoped, to be honest,
so I’ll keep it simple this time. Maybe
a cream tea in central London.
Q3 To you, ‘Home is…’?
A Wherever you make it. It
doesn’t have to be fancy; just comfy
with a cup of tea and a D A day spent going on a hot and cosy and somewhere to call mine.
Wonka bar and have a go air balloon ride, taking in all the B Family. Home is nothing without
yourself… sights and scenery and finishing the people I love most in it.
up in Central Park, New York City, C Anywhere I feel safe and looked
would be just peachy for me. after by my friends. I’ve lived both in
poverty and virtual palaces and I can
make any house feel like a home now. »
QUIZ

The Golden Tickets have all been found! And the results are in
Be biffsquiggled no longer. Simply add up your scores to discover which is
your Roald Dahl spirit character…

D Outside in the fresh air, with mud

under my fingernails, getting up Mostly As Mostly Bs
close and personal with nature. Matilda Wormwood Charlie Bucket
from Matilda from Charlie And
Q4 What one thing would you
change about your life?
A My parents are pretty difficult so
Quiet and bookish, you value learning
above all else. You were probably a bit
The Chocolate Factory
Hard times have given you the
of a swot at school but that’s a badge
perhaps them! They try their best, strength of character that defines you,
of honour for you and your ability to
but… I’m a great believer in ‘friends but for someone who is quite mentally
self-start and turn your hand to almost
are the family you choose.’ tough, you have an enormous kind
anything is something that has served
B I’d like to have more money. I know streak. Friends and particularly family
you well over the years. But beneath
money doesn’t buy you happiness are at the heart of all that you do and
that quiet exterior is a lot of energy.
but a little more really would help you’re never happier than when you’re
When a cause is close to your heart,
sometimes. You can have enough making them happy. You’ve learned to
you’ll give it your all and you have a
of cabbage soup, you know! count your blessings and appreciate
burning sense of justice that won’t let
C I would like to have more the small things in life, but when a big
you look away when
confidence. Sometimes I think opportunity comes
you see unfairness.
I rely on bigger characters than your way, you grab
It’s definitely the
myself to bring about change. it with both hands.
quiet ones you have
D I wish my parents hadn’t been Your simple thing
to watch… and the
eaten by a rhinoceros at London is an evening spent
newts. Your simple
Zoo. I should eat more fruit and just on the sofa with
thing is an afternoon
generally vary my diet more, too. your loved ones…
uninterrupted with
and a huge box
a good book.

Q5 What’s your favourite

tipple?
A A mint julep, just like Daisy
of chocolates.

makes in The Great Gatsby.

B A hot chocolate made with
all the trimmings. Mostly Cs Mostly Ds
C Just nothing fizzy. The bubbles have Sophie James Trotter
an, erm, adverse effect on me…
D Peach schnapps and lemonade.
from The BFG from James And
Not quite always ready for an The Giant Peach
adventure, but adventures do seem

Q6 September is back-to-
school time. Tell us about
your school days?
to seek you out, and you’ve learned to
embrace new cultures and experiences.
It’s an understatement to say that
you’re ‘outdoorsy’. Others think you’re
happy in your own company, perhaps
Perhaps you’re someone who enjoys
A I loved learning. Once I found a bit of a loner, but really it’s just that
travel, or maybe you just like to throw
the right school for me it was a bit nature is your community. You love
yourself into anything new. Either way,
of an escape from everything else. tending to your garden, climbing a
you’ve learned from these experiences
B I found concentrating at school mountain, swimming in rivers and
that you have a knack for engaging
pretty difficult. For me, learning really gazing at the stars. You’re excellent
with people from various backgrounds
began in the workplace and I’ve been at getting on with others, and can get
and you’re as happy talking to power as
lucky to have some really wonderful everyone to pull together in a crisis.
you are encouraging
mentors around me. You know you can
‘little people’ like
C I boarded and wasn’t very happy rely on your friends,
you to take up your
to be honest. I just wanted to be too – especially
cause. Your simple
at home with a mother and father, if they have more
thing is good food
but I did have lots of adventures. It than two legs.
shared with good
definitely made me who I am today. Your simple thing is
friends (and not
D It was all about the school of sitting by a campfire
a snozzcumber
life for me. Most of what I learned, listening to the
in sight).
I learned in the great outdoors. grasshoppers sing.

38
STYLE

WEARING
WELL
Stories of the clothes we love
PLEATS
Words: SIAN MEADES-WILLIAMS

I
n all their orderly forms, pleats have by the end of double geography.
always been my wardrobe staple. While such memories have the
I was wearing a pleated tartan mini power to put people off pleats for
skirt when I first met my husband at life, something about the look stuck
a party one rainy evening; there was for me. Perhaps something to do with
even a little pleating on the bodice the arrival of Clueless at the cinema
of my wedding dress. at a formative age, featuring the
It’s easy to take pleats for granted pleat-wearing force of nature that was
but when I stop and think about it, Cher Horowitz. This high school-set
what better shows the ingenuity that’s remake of Emma recast Austen’s long
possible with only a bit of fabric and cotton muslin frocks as cute mini kilts,
some careful manipulation? There with matching cropped jackets.
are knife pleats, creating dramatic Clueless showed me that there
sleeves and structure; accordion pleats, are other, alternative ways to wear
resembling that instrument – they’re pleats – they are the favoured uniform
my favourite on skirts for swishing of punk bands, after all.
around in the last of any summer My love of those skirts endured
sunshine; the ever-reliable box pleat, as (along with my ability to quote the
well as its mirror cousin, the inverted entire film) – that first meeting with
pleat. Pleating has been happening Tom, my husband, took place 19 years
since at least Ancient Egyptian times, after Clueless hit cinema screens.
when the process was done by hand, Today, I find that pleats feel
making that time-consuming repetitive surprisingly easy to wear. Thanks to
uniformity only available to the richest. innovations and new fabrics, they don’t
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY; OLIVER BONAS; HUSH UK

Not every pleat is a good one, have to go anywhere near an iron any
however. My school skirt, like many, longer. They still manage to look sharp
was an abomination. Pleated, yes, but with very little effort, something that’s
also itchy and surely deliberately cut right up my street. And, as small details
to be unflattering. – on a collar or the shoulder of a jacket
School mornings were spent rolling – they seem to fancy-up the simplest
folds of fabric around the waistband
“Thanks to new fabrics pieces of clothing.
until the skirt reached a socially
acceptable length. Of course, mine
they don’t have to go It goes without saying that pleats
aren’t just for school but, for me, they
would be wonky and half fallen down anywhere near an iron” will always get an A+ for presentation.

39
Welcome to my veg patch
Take a stroll with me in my garden and beyond
and see the change through the seasons. I’ll
share what I’m planting, harvesting and
cooking, including my successes… and my
failures. We’ll gather the goodies in a muddy
bucket and head to the kitchen to make a joyful
meal (we’ll even use the slug-nibbled ones).
These are simple, seasonal recipes I make after a
day in the garden. I hope they give you some
new ways to celebrate nature’s bounty.

40
GOOD THINGS TO EAT

Veg Patch
Pantry
GROWING YOUR OWN, GETTING
OUTSIDE AND COOKING UP
KITCHEN TABLE DISHES, KATHY
SLACK SHARES HOW TO ENJOY
THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOURS
FROM HER GARDEN PLOT
Photography: KIRSTIE YOUNG

Late summer harvest

The evenings are getting shorter. You might
find yourself grabbing a jumper halfway
through an al fresco supper. Maybe the
same jumper you’ve started taking on the
morning dog walk. The garden is green and
the hedgerows are groaning with goodies.
These are the last halcyon days of warmth
and light before autumn proper. But as far
as the plot is concerned, it’s still in Tuscany.
Our slow summers mean that many veg
take all season and are only just ready by
mid-September, having soaked up every
inch of the unreliable British sunshine. This
means that crops we associate with heat –
peppers, aubergines, tomatoes, green beans
– aren’t really ready until now. And the
courgettes? Well, they’re giving me one final
flurry of gluts before the frost. But if you’ve
been willing your tomatoes to ripen all
summer, there’s sun enough in September to
enjoy their bounty when they do come good. »

41
GOOD THINGS TO EAT

Preserving the
bounty…
Plunder the hedgerows for
blackberries now because you will
be grateful for them come February
when any local fruit seems like a
forgotten dream. I pick blackberries
into a wide, shallow basket so they
don’t get squished under their own
weight. Then I arrange them in a
single layer on lined baking trays
and leave them for a couple of hours
so any critters can escape (I prefer
this method of ‘cleaning’ to washing
them, which just turns them to mush
– less thorough, but I’ve never come
to harm from it), then I freeze the
trays. Once frozen, the berries can
be bagged up (bag them unfrozen
and you’ll be left with an icy clump
of impenetrable blackberry sludge)
and returned to the freezer. Your
January self will thank you as she
spoons defrosted blackberries
over hot rice pudding on a dark
and drizzly Monday evening.

Green tomato salsa

A quick little number to bring zing
to all manner of dishes – chilli,
omelettes, cheese on toast…

Serves 1, or 2 as a garnish
125g green tomatoes, roughly
chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Combine everything in a bowl and

leave for 10 mins so the flavours
can mingle before serving.
ILLUSTRATIONS: ANNELIESE KLOS

‘These are the last halcyon

days of summer warmth
but as far as the plot is
concerned, it’s in Tuscany’
42
Do blondies really
have more fun? They
certainly do if foraging
for blackberries and
cobnuts is all part
of the process

Hedgerow blondies a combination of any hedgerow

fruit, such as mirabelles and
I love blondies, but they can be
damsons, stoned if necessary)
a bit sickly, so what better way
90g white chocolate, chopped
to cut through the sweet white into small pieces
chocolate than tart blackberries 50g shelled cobnuts (or blanched
with their strange tang. Add in hazelnuts)
some bite from foraged cobnuts
and you’ve got a pleasing mix 1 Preheat the oven to 175C/Fan 155C/
of sweet, tart and crunch Gas 3-4, and line a 20 x 20cm tin
that’s dangerously more-ish. with baking paper.
2 Beat the butter and sugars together
until pale and soft. Add the beaten
egg gradually, beating well before
Serves 8 adding the next lot. Fold in the flour
170g butter, softened and baking powder. Add the vanilla
100g dark brown muscovado sugar paste and milk and fold in again.
100g soft light brown sugar Finally, stir in most of the blackberries,
2 medium eggs, beaten chopped chocolate and nuts.
230g plain flour 3 Spoon the batter into the prepared
1 tsp baking powder tin and sprinkle the remaining berries,
1 tsp vanilla paste chocolate and nuts on top. Bake
3 tbsp whole milk for 40 mins. Cool in the tin then
125g fresh blackberries (or cut into squares and serve. »

43
GOOD THINGS TO EAT

Traybake of white
fish with roast
tomatoes, courgettes
and peppers
This easy bake is ideal for a warm
evening when you can eat with the
kitchen door open as the sun sets.

Serves 2
450g tomatoes
1 courgette, chopped into bite-sized
chunks
2 red peppers, chopped into bite-
sized chunks
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Small bunch basil, leaves picked
2 large cod fillets

1 Preheat the oven to 210C/Fan 190C/

Gas 6-7. Meanwhile, cut any large
tomatoes in half and put in a bowl
with the courgette and red pepper.
2 Drizzle in 2 tbsp of the olive oil and
season well, then add half the basil
leaves and arrange in a single layer in
a large roasting tin. Bake for 25 mins,
or until the courgettes turn golden
and the tomatoes are breaking down.
3 Sit the fish on top of the veg, drizzle
the remaining oil over the fish and
season well, then return to the oven
for 15 mins or until the fish is just
cooked through. Scatter over
the remaining basil and serve.
Cook’s note: I’ve used responsibly-
sourced wild cod, but do try hake or
any sustainable white fish you prefer.

You say tomatoes and we say…

sounds delish, you set the table
and we’ll open the wine. Med veg
giving one last hurrah for summer
‘If you sow one thing…’
Green manure. No, you can’t eat it, but
think of it as food for the soil and an
investment in next year’s crops. Green
manure is a crop you sow over winter
in unused ground and the point of
it is twofold. First, it means there is
no bare soil to get battered by the
rain and wind and cold, which washes
away nutrients and degrades the
quality of the earth. And, second, you
turn it back into the beds in spring,
adding nitrogen and other goodies
to the soil, so it’s more fertile. There
are many different types of green
manure, but I like Italian ryegrass
which is quick to germinate even
in a chill and very easy to turn in
come the spring. Just broadcast sow
it over bare beds in September and
rake it in. Keeps the weeds down, too. »
GOOD THINGS TO EAT

In a jam with too many plums?

This crowd pleaser makes the
most of the season’s glut

Thyme buttered
plums with no-churn
plum and clotted
cream ice cream
Some years, plum trees produce
so much fruit that any excess gets
foisted upon passing strangers.
Or give it a month and it’ll likely
be sticky plum jam up for grabs.
you might need less, so start
with 5 tbsp, taste, and adjust as
you see fit. Spoon into a tub and
Serves 4-6 freeze overnight. Allow to thaw for
FOR THE ICE CREAM: 30 mins in the fridge before serving.
1 tin condensed milk 2 For the plums, preheat the oven to
200ml double cream 210C/Fan 190C/Gas 6-7. Arrange the
200g clotted cream plums, cut side up, in the centre of a
7 tbsp plum jam baking sheet lined with baking paper,
FOR THE PLUMS: then dab bits of butter on each half.
500g plums, halved and stoned 3 Sprinkle over the sugar and thyme
25g butter then scrunch up the sides of the
1 tbsp soft, light brown sugar baking paper to enclose the plums in a
2 tbsp thyme leaves parcel. Roast for 20 mins, or until juicy
and soft, but still holding their shape.
1 For the ice cream, simply whisk all 4 Serve the rich, cold ice-cream
Follow Kathy on Instagram at: @gluts_gluttony the ingredients together until thick. alongside the tart, warm plums for a
or visit her website kathyslack.com Depending on the intensity of the jam simple dessert of satisfying contrasts.

46
Swedish design with a green soul

Inspired
by female
style icons
Printed flowers and foliage climb
upwards on “Autumn” woven linen
dress, £109 over “Bloom” dress, £64

www.gudrunsjoden.com
Welcome to my store at 65-67 Monmouth Street, Covent garden, London
For online orders [email protected] or call 020 7019 9075
SWEDEN GERMANY NORWAY
WAY
AY DE
E NMARK
RK
K FINLAND UNITED KINGDO
D O M U SA
DOM
DO A CANA
NA
A DA
A FRA
FRANCE
NCE
E SW
S ITZ
TZ
Z ERL
E RL A ND NETHERLANDS
ERLA
WISDOM

“I’ve always been a risk taker

because I can see a way of doing
things differently”
Clothing designer and maker, Patrick Grant, likes to put his ideals into action when it comes
to changing our relationship to fashion – and building happier, healthier lives to boot
Interview: KAREN DUNN

e may have a reputation for being firms and turn them around. Where others couldn’t
particularly exacting with his see a profitable future, Patrick saw possibility. “If you’d
critique, but Patrick Grant is asked me 20 years ago if I was a risk-taker, I’d have
always kind and generous with probably looked at you a bit confused, but clearly,
his knowledge as one of the hosts I am,” admits Patrick. “I’ve always been a risk taker
of the BBC’s clothes-making show because I can see a way of doing things differently.”
The Great British Sewing Bee. After his Master’s degree at Oxford, his classmates
On the show, Patrick looks very dapper and every “went off to earn massive salaries working for hedge
inch the city gent in his immaculately tailored suits. funds.” Patrick, on the other hand, sold his house
Find him at his factory in Blackburn and he’ll be more “and everything else that I owned and bought a really
dressed down (though somehow looking just as smart) knackered tailoring shop in London. It didn’t feel risky
in a jumper and joggers – made, of course, by his own though, because I could see a way to make it work.”
company, Community Clothing. Patrick bought Savile Row tailors Norton & Sons
Despite an interest in fashion from a young age, in 2005 after spotting an advert in a paper. In just
Patrick was unaware that he might be able to turn a few years, he’d turned the business around thanks
it into his job. “I was obsessed with clothes as a kid, to turning that exacting eye on each step of the
but I didn’t think you could make a career out of it, so manufacturing process and the quality of material
I stuck to science,” he laughs. “When I was a teenager, used. Four years later, Patrick relaunched the ready-
I’d save all my money to buy one pair of Vivienne to-wear brand E. Tautz – earning himself Menswear
Westwood trousers and would spend hours in the Designer of the Year at the 2010 British Fashion Awards
charity and second-hand shops trying to find clothes – then he took his next big gamble in 2015 when he
that looked like something that I’d seen in a magazine, bought British clothing manufacturer Cookson &
and then altering them to fit.” Clegg, before starting his own brand, Community
Clothing, just a year later. It was a familiar story – the
RISKY BUSINESS big company that owned Cookson & Clegg “had decided
This ability to spot the potential in the overlooked that there was no future in clothing manufacturing
has underpinned other aspects of Patrick’s life. Over in the UK.” Patrick thought differently – and this time
the last 18 years he’s made it his mission to take small, he had the experience to back it up. “I felt in my bones
underperforming and undervalued British textile that Norton & Sons would work, so I did it. With

48
Community Clothing I had the idea and just did it,” “We don’t necessarily need fashion, but
he says. “Nothing happens if you don’t just do it.”
And although the idea behind Community Clothing
we all need clothes. The solution is fewer
is simple – making affordable, good quality everyday but better clothes. That last longer”
clothing, made in the UK to help rebuild textile
communities around the country – it’s still an outlier
within the fashion industry: “It’s important for the Africa, yet we’re still producing 100 billion garments
future of our economy – and the future of the planet a year”), Patrick shifts the focus on to quality. “I want
– that we change the way we do things,” Patrick says, to make stuff that in 100 years time, somebody is
as he aims to show that there’s an alternative path. still going to want to wear because it’s a brilliant piece
Rather than the huge volume of clothing being of clothing,” he insists. “We don’t necessarily need
produced (“Even when you think you are being good by fashion, but we all need clothes. The solution is to
recycling clothes, most of them end up being shipped have fewer but better clothes. Clothes that are made
off to the Atacama Desert or dumped in Sub-Saharan with a lower footprint. That last longer.” »

49
WISDOM

There’s a buzz in the

air when Patrick gets
behind a business.
Below: with the alumni
from this year’s The
Great British Sewing Bee

“I want a fairer society where everybody

has an opportunity to have a good life
and a career that makes them proud”

A GOOD LIFE
When the Covid pandemic struck, the factory switched
over to making gowns, scrubs and reusable face
coverings. Not only that, but Patrick demonstrated his
commitment to the business and left London to run the
factory. At first, the move saw him working 100 hours
a week, but rather than let it stress him out, he found
a new way of living. “When I’m in the city, there’s all ambition to make this accessible to everyone. “As
the usual exciting, creative stuff going on. Up here somebody who has spent most of his life in cities,
I’m in the countryside between Blackburn and Preston, coming here taught me a lot of this country is really
and I’m just sort of staring out the window at the birds economically screwed. You understand very clearly
on a Saturday morning listening to the radio – and the impacts of austerity, Covid and Brexit,” he says.
I’m very much into it,” he smiles. “I turned 50 last “When you live in a city you see tall, shiny buildings
year, so it felt like I was allowed to live this quiet, going up, amazing public spaces. But outside of the
rural existence. I like hill walking and cycling and cities you see an unequal society. I want to live in
I have it all on my doorstep. I can jump on my bike and a fairer society where everybody has an opportunity
be in the middle of nowhere in minutes, which I love.” to have a good life. A happy, healthy life with work that
And, if the move helped clarify some of the things actually means something to them and a career that
important to Patrick’s quality of life, it solidified his makes them feel proud of what they do.” And, while

50
TAILOR MADE
Patrick’s lessons for life

“The motto of my college was

‘Manners Makyth Man’, which
to me means being a good
person. It’s not about opening
doors or throwing your coat
over a puddle, it’s about treating
everybody respectfully, listening
and living with integrity. I try
to do right by others.”

a lot of that is beyond his control, he’s very happy

to try and put that theory into action where he can.
“I spent over three months
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY; COMMUNITY CLOTHING; EYEVINE; LOVE PRODUCTIONS; WADDELL MEDIA

“If you move production to the UK, you’re creating driving across America on my
prosperity in the places you are, you’re creating own when I was younger, which
good jobs, which turns into money spent locally,” was a great learning experience.
he explains, simply. “I’m incredibly hopeful that we I learned that I was perfectly
can rebuild a good clothing and textile industry here.”
able to look after myself, that
It’s that positive thinking that has helped to make
Patrick so popular on The Great British Sewing Bee, and I could make friends wherever
the chance to let his hair down when filming alongside I went and I was actually happy
Esme Young. After starting on the series back in 2013, with my own company.”
he’s gained an army of loyal fans and he doesn’t mind
the attention one bit. “Before I barely registered, but
“If you’re doing a job you
now if I’m on the bus or at the station, people always
come up to say hello and ask for pictures,” he smiles. have to do it well and give it
“It’s really nice because people like what we’re doing your all. I worked as a gardener
and it’s such a positive show. I get the same feeling when I was a teenager, the
when I spot an item of clothing made by one of my harder we worked, the more
companies in the wild!” we got paid, so everyone was
motivated to work harder.”
To find out more about Community Clothing, visit:
communityclothing.co.uk or follow at: @community_clothing.

51
Healing waters
TAP INTO THE TIME OLD TRADITION OF TAKING THE WATERS
(NO LUXURY SPA BREAK REQUIRED)
Words: JANE ALEXANDER

52
WELLBEING

team billows across the warm

water as the sun goes down
on Bath’s honeyed skyline. The
rooftop pool of Thermae Bath
Spa (opposite) may be modern but
the experience of sinking into the
soothing thermal waters is as old as time.
At Bath, the legend goes that a swineherd
(who, in best folklore tradition, also turned
out to be a prince) noticed his pigs wallowing in
a balmy though pungent hot spring. He jumped
in after them and healed a nasty skin disease.
News spread that the waters had healing assets
and a shrine was built to the goddess Sul. When
the Romans invaded, they constructed a spa
complex around the springs in around 70CE
– a centre for bathing and socialising, which
they named Aquae Sulis (the waters of Sul).

S PA S O C I E T Y
Move on a few centuries and the idea of public
bathing exploded in popularity. From the early
18th century well into the 20th century, an
entire culture grew up around healing waters.
The concept of the spa town was born and HEALING MINERALS
boomed – changing the look and fortunes However, it was about more than the glitzy
of many UK towns. Tiny villages suddenly bustle. Spa towns became hotspots because
became bustling towns overnight – like little it turned out that thermal spring water really
Leamington which gained royal approval did have health-giving properties. Prescriptions
in 1838 and never looked back. verged on the bossy. ‘From two to six glasses
From Buxton and Bakewell, through Matlock should be taken before breakfast, and perhaps
and Malvern, to Royal Tunbridge Wells and another or more in the forenoon. Each dose
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY; STOCKSY; SUZY SLEMEN

Llandrindod Wells, ornate bath houses and should be followed by active exercise,’ read the
assembly rooms sprung up around natural Llandrindod Wells Guide Book from 1897. You
mineral springs. People increasingly came can still drink the water from the spring today.
to see and be seen: taking the waters became Hot springs (also known as hydrothermal
glamorous. ‘Every creature in Bath… was to or geothermal springs) contain rich deposits
be seen in the room at different periods of the of minerals. They happen when groundwater –
fashionable hours; crowds of people were every possibly as old as 12,000 years – rises swiftly
moment passing in and out, up the steps and from deep in the Earth’s crust, where
down,’ says Jane Austen of Bath’s Pump Room it has been heated by radioactive decay from
in Northanger Abbey. elements in the Earth’s mantle (the layer
beneath the crust). There are technically
five thermal spring systems in the UK (Bath,
Bathing in the warm water Bristol, Matlock, Buxton and Taff’s Well,
allows the minerals to be near Cardiff) with temperatures ranging
from 20.5 to 47°C. At other UK springs,
absorbed into the body the water emerges at cooler temperatures. »

53
The Romans built
bathhouses to enjoy the
fresh springs and, in some
towns, you can still drink the
waters direct from the pump

Spa attractions
There are around 50 towns associated with springs in
the UK, some remaining active, some very much gone to
ground. However, these are still well worth a visit.

BATH DROITWICH SPA

Take a tour around the Priding itself on being the
Roman Baths, bathe in the only saltwater spa town in
geothermal waters at the the UK, its waters come
Thermae Spa and taste the directly from brine springs
waters in the Pump Room and contain 30% natural
in this World Heritage city. salts – making them ten
times more concentrated
BUXTON than sea water. Visit during
Restore yourself at the the summer and you can bob
luxuriously restored Buxton around in the saltwater lido.
Crescent Hotel. You can also
explore Poole’s Cavern, and HARROGATE Bathing in is especially soothing as the warm
sip the water straight from Crescent Gardens holds the water opens the skin’s pores, allowing the
St Ann’s Well in England’s main attractions, including minerals to be absorbed into the body.
highest market town on the The Royal Pump Room Depending on the mineral mix, recent studies
edge of the Peak District. (housing Europe’s strongest into thermal spring water have shown that it
sulphur well, alongside a can soothe ailments such as rheumatism; calm
CHELTENHAM museum). Nowadays it’s not skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis
Enjoy the Austen-like advised to drink the water. and help to improve sleep. Drinking mineral
atmosphere of this water has also been shown to have
Cotswolds-edge town, MALVERN a range of health benefits, depending again
renowned for its Regency Most of Malvern’s many on the individual mineral content. Bicarbonate
architecture. Unfortunately, historic hydrotherapy hotels and chloride mineral water can soothe
you can’t bathe in or drink were converted into schools stomach issues while water rich in calcium
the waters these days, when the spa industry and magnesium can be more effective than
however, the Pittville collapsed. However you milk in maintaining bone health. Studies have
Pump Room, overlooking can still drink the water: pick even shown that some mineral water can lower
picturesque Pittville Park, up a map from the tourist blood pressure and levels of LDL cholesterol,
still remains and Cheltenham office and sip from the improve the function of the gallbladder,
itself is awash with culture. many spouts and fountains. and ease indigestion and constipation.

54
After the First World War
water cure treatments were
available on prescription

WAT E R A I D Spa towns of Europe

Thermal springs have always been egalitarian
While the UK turned its back on natural cures, mainland
– if you couldn’t afford a fancy hotel you could
always drink the waters. After the First World Europe never stopped the tradition of taking the waters.
War, thousands of wounded soldiers were sent These five are well worth exploring.
for rehabilitation in spa towns across the UK
and, when the NHS was founded in 1948, water SPA,BELGIUM wander and sip from the
cure treatments were available on prescription. Yes, this is the place that many drinking fountains
However, the rise of modern pharmaceutical gave the world the term around the town, each
medicine took its toll. Prosaic Brits preferred ‘spa’. Everyone from with a different speciality.
pills to plunges and many bathhouses and pump Napoleon to Peter the
rooms fell into disrepair. Great, Marie Antoinette to BADEN-BADEN,
The pandemic also swiped away some Victor Hugo, bathed here. GERMANY
remaining traditions. In Royal Tunbridge Its Thermes de Spa complex Germany is teaming with
Wells, a ‘dipper’ dressed in period costume, (thermesdespa.com) opened spa towns – 350 to be
used to dole out the water, rich in iron, in 1862, with 54 baths and precise: anywhere with
manganese, zinc and calcium. The practice peat baths, was renovated ‘Bad’ (bath) or ‘Baden’
ceased over lockdown and never returned. Now and expanded in 2004. (bathe) in the name is a
the town bottles its spring water (royaltwwater. strong clue. Baden-Baden
com). In Cheltenham, the tradition has also BAD RAGAZ, (so spa they named it
died since the waters there were found to be SWITZERLAND twice!) has romantic Belle
contaminated with bacteria. The thermal waters of Bad Époque architecture and
Ragaz, in the foothills of the is surrounded by the Black
A N E W WAV E Swiss Alps, were discovered Forest. There are 12 thermal
However the tide may be turning. In 2021, back in 1242. In 1840 the springs and many smart
UNESCO listed Bath as one of ‘The Great Spa waters were piped into town hotels and medi-spas. It’s not
Towns of Europe’, a citation encompassing 11 and a smart medical spa the cheapest place to bathe;
exceptional spa towns across Europe. Thermae resort emerged. It still exudes a naked dip in Friedrichsbad
Bath Spa (thermaebathspa.com) opened in the golden age of spa with thermal baths costs around
2006, ushering in a fresh chapter with its mix a choice of 5-star hotels and £30 (carasana.de)
of modern and refurbished baths. The Buxton spas. The beautiful sparkling
Crescent Hotel (buxtoncrescent.co.uk) in white Tamina Therme spa is BUDAPEST,HUNGARY
Derbyshire is also making a splash, with fully open to the public. Bathing Thermal bathing is part and
refurbished Victorian baths filled daily with sessions start at around £20. parcel of Hungarian culture
^
thermal water. You can still drink the waters and the Széchenyi Baths
at St Ann’s Well, near the old Pump Room. MARIÁNSKÉ LÁZNE, (szechenyibath.hu) is a
On a smaller scale, the heritage is lovingly CZECHIA real experience (above).
preserved at The New Bath Hotel and Spa in One of the UNESCO ‘Great One of the largest thermal
Matlock (newbathhotelandspa.com). The indoor Spas’, Mariánské Lázně complexes in Central Europe,
plunge pool is awaiting refurbishment but the boasts over 40 mineral it was built relatively late in
lido (open to the public) continues to be fed by springs, scattered amidst spa culture (1913) but on an
the geothermal spring and the lifeguard admits parks and colonnades, epic scale – 18 separate pools
he fills his water bottle straight from the spring. museums and grand old (three outdoor, 15 indoor)
Will more UK spa towns emerge from the hotels. There are dozens and oodles of saunas
doldrums and bring bathing back to the masses? of spa hotels offering a and steams, in an ornate
Hope springs eternal. cure here or you can simply setting for around £20.

55
GOOD THINGS TO DRINK

TIPPLE
MARIA’S MOJITO
Packed with seasonal blackberries and a 1 Muddle the lime wedges, blackberries
mixer inspired by flavours of Sierra Leone, and mint leaves in a small jug, crushing

OF THE this cocktail is a fine twist on a mojito. the mint leaves and berries as you go.
2 Pour into an ice-filled Collins or highball
glass and pour over the Purple Haze

MONTH
Serves 1
5 lime wedges (or coconut water), sugar syrup and
5 blackberries rum, stirring with a long-handled spoon.
8 mint leaves, plus a sprig to garnish 3 Top up with soda water and garnish
A berry good cocktail to toast 40ml Shwen Purple Haze (if you can’t with the mint sprig to serve.
the last fruits of summer. find this you can use coconut water)
35ml white rum
15ml sugar syrup Adapted from Sweet Salone by Maria Bradford
Soda water (Quadrille). Photography: Yuki Sugiura

56
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A simple thing...
First, check the forecast. Next, tell your
friends. Warm evenings won’t last forever
and it’s always those spontaneous garden
get-togethers that are the most fun.
Unpredictable weather can ruin a
planned event but what’s not to like
about impromptu drinks and snacks
as the sun goes down on a fine evening.
PHOTOGRAPHY: CATHY PYLE/IMAGE PROFESSIONALS
P O SITIV E N E W S F R O M A R O U N D T H E W O R L D

P O W E RING O N
In the race to increase the
range of electric cars, the
world’s biggest EV battery
maker in China has created
a battery with a 1,000km range,
promising an end to the need
to stop on long journeys
to recharge.

1.5m
people in the UK are
struggling with long
Covid, but there’s good
news from Australia.
Medical researchers at
QIMR Berghofer have
created a new drug that
not only prevents
PHOTOGRAPHY: POWER OF MAMA

infection, but also

potentially treats long
Covid symptoms.

N O M O R E S NA R E S
A F O RCE T O B E R E CKO N E D WIT H
Fox and rabbit snares have long
Villagers threatened by forest fires form female-led ranger crew been a cruel fixture of the

I
countryside, often capturing
n the Indonesian rainforests of West into the atmosphere and threatening pets and other wild animals. But
Borneo, local women have formed a the habitats of wildlife, like orangutan. thankfully that is no longer the
female-led ranger force – the Power of Riding out on their motorbikes, the case in Wales after the Welsh
Mama – to help prevent forest fires. Every Power of Mama are a striking picture Government banned their use.
year, thousands of acres are destroyed by of a revolutionary act of climate activism,
fire, releasing millions of tonnes of carbon wildlife conservation, and gender equality.

60
BETTER NEWS

Excellent women
A pathway out of homelessness
Working at the YMCA in North London, Meg
Doherty (left) kept hearing the same story.
If the residents worked more than 15 hours
a week they’d have their housing benefits cut,
leaving them struggling to pay high rent for a
small room. “People ended up in a limbo,” she
explains. However, she saw another story
when the residents gathered in the communal
kitchen to play music, chat and make food.
In 2016, together with her friend Nathalie
Moukarzel (right), they started Fat Macy’s, a
social enterprise that puts the positivity of the
communal kitchen to work, training residents
as volunteers, alongside chefs, to cater public
events. At the end they can apply for a housing
A N IN DIE R EVIVA L deposit grant for a permanent home. “It's
a pathway out of homelessness for people
The rise of the independent bookshop who've fallen through the cracks,” says Meg.
This summer, Fat

F
or the story lover, there’s Association’s Managing Director. Macy’s opened a
something magical about “During the pandemic we saw restaurant called
a bookshop. Shelf after a frankly astonishing number Sohaila. “Now we
shelf of stories waiting to be of new entrants to bookselling.” can offer trainees
COMPILED BY: JOHANNA DERRY-HALL. PHOTOGRAPHY: @RACHELSUZANNEILLUSTRAION; THE MARGATE BOOKSHOP; DAMIEN ATTENBOROUGH

discovered. More and more of New bookshops bring new a space for learning,
us are discovering not just the booksellers, “those with fresh and where they
joy of a good book, but the joy eyes, new perspectives, energy can be themselves
of a good bookshop, according and a commitment to the no matter what,”
to the stats. Between 1995 and cultural contribution of says Nathalie.”
2016, the number of stores in bookselling to our society,” fatmacys.org
the Booksellers Association’s explains Halls.
membership dropped by more It turns out, it’s these people
than half. But at the beginning – the ones who love books
of this year, it reported a ten- enough to make them their work
year high in the number of – who are behind the bookshop
bookshops on our high streets, revival. With so many books to
and the sixth year of growth. choose from, the knowledge,
“Bookshops bring social wit and wisdom of booksellers
and cultural capital to every makes them the ideal guides
town, village, suburb or city and gatekeepers to the
centre,” says Meryl Halls, the treasure they hold.

A
“
night under the stars on one
of the UK’s most iconic landscapes
now does not rely on the whims
of individual landowners but
is owned by ordinary people”
Lewis Winks, from The Stars Are For Everyone, after the ban on wild camping on Dartmoor
was lifted – one of the rare places in England where the landowner's permission isn't needed.

61
NO STONE UNTURNED
BRITAIN’S GEOLOGY REVEALS ITSELF NOT ONLY IN
FOSSILS, BUT THROUGH DISTINCTIVE LANDSCAPES,
WILDLIFE SPECTACLES AND MYTHOLOGIES – AND
EXPLORING THEM MAKES FOR A GREAT DAY OUT
Words: RUTH ALLEN

eaving the cairn behind me, I pass peaty landscape. In winter, blanketed in fog,
foragers squirrelling bilberries these ‘Dark Peak’ moorlands are a navigational
into Tupperware and head south challenge, but today I enjoy sweeping views of
on a flagstone path, delighted to this minimal vista dotted with surreal-shaped,
have captured a photo of a portly descriptively named rough rock outcrops, like
red grouse sunning itself on a Cakes of Bread and the Salt Cellar. They look
stone before flying away with a loud gobble uncannily like the remnants of a giant’s house
that sets several others bursting from the rather than the weathered relics of an ancient
heather. Soon it’ll be time for this hardy ‘ling’ river delta, which covered the entire region
to bloom a vivid pink-purple, a spectacle that approximately 320 million years ago.
will be familiar to anyone who lives near a Britain’s extraordinarily diverse geology
similar acidic, moorland geology. The majestic is reflected in the sheer variety of beautiful
outline of Dovestone Tor emerges shadowy and distinctive landscapes and the plant
on the horizon. On my left, the vast expanse and animal life it gives rise to. As an outdoor
of Blackhole Moor is soggy with sphagnum psychotherapist, I’m interested in how a
moss and wobbling under a heat shimmer, connection with nature can improve our
which seems to twitch the bog cotton. emotional and psychological wellbeing, but
I’m high on the gritstone uplands of the my background in geology has given me a
Peak District National Park, a vast plateau passion for what lies beneath our feet, keeping
characterised by its bleak, carbon-storing us grounded in a literal
» sense. In the same way »
63
that being able to read a map’s contours and symbols
helps us to better understand the land we’re adventuring
through, knowing a little about the geology is a way
to connect with the natural environment we’re in, too.

William Smith’s 1815 LIFEFORMS IN LIMESTONE

geological map Limestone is a sedimentary rock created mainly in High Peak Trail that takes you through limestone
(above) is an
improbably bright
marine conditions and gives us an insight into the country and its incised valleys and plateau grasslands.
and joyful affair, aquatic nature of our planet far back in time, because The Peak District and Yorkshire Dales are also
revealing the it is abundant with sea fossils. Jurassic limestones fine examples of ‘karstic’ limestone landscapes,
incredible diversity of
found on the Dorset coast around Lyme Regis and characterised by caves, sinkholes and dry valleys.
the country, showing
rock groups by age the Yorkshire coast around Whitby are some of the Amble over the beautiful limestone pavement at
and colour. There are best in the country for finding fossils. You don’t need Malham Cove, North Yorkshire, admiring its puzzling
clues all around to the a hammer, just a keen eye, as the best finds are often pattern of smoothed clints (blocks) and grykes (fissures)
UK’s geological past;
the chalk cliffs at on the beach, washed clean and ready for discovering. on which an abundance of lime-loving flowers thrive
Beachy Head, East Venture inland to the ‘White Peak’ in Derbyshire or such as dark red helleborine orchids, which attract
Sussex, fossils on the Pennines of the Yorkshire Dales and you might be pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies. Life here is suited
Dorset’s Jurassic
coast wildlife such as
surprised to discover more of this marine limestone specifically to what the geology affords.
red grouse that thrive with evidence of long-gone tropical lagoons and coral
in acidic moorland or reefs. Just outside Buxton in Derbyshire, you can walk CHALK FIGURES AND GRASSLANDS
magical vistas from
to the top of Chrome and Parkhouse Hills to stand atop Whether sculptured into the steep escarpments of
the sharp rocky peaks
of the Langdale Pikes two of these reefs dating back 320 million years to the Dorset’s Purbeck Ridge, weathered into the iconic
in Cumbria Carboniferous period. Or wander part of the 17-mile rolling hills of the Chilterns or South Downs, or bashed »

64
OUTING

Pocket a fossil
Ammonite: This iconic
coil-shelled sea creature
(above), closely related
to octopus and squid,
lived between 66 and
400 million years ago.
It’s commonly found on
Jurassic coasts in Dorset
and Yorkshire and ranges
from a few millimetres
across to nearly a metre.
Gryphaea: Also known
as the ‘Devil’s Toenail’,
this ergonomic fossil is
actually a type of oyster
that once lived in shallow
seas between 66 and
200 million years ago.
Find the best specimens
on the Yorkshire coast.
Crinoids: These ‘screw’
shaped fossil fragments
are the remnants of
a marine animal that
looked like a sea lily, with
a long stem and fronds.
Living hundreds of
millions of years before
dinosaurs, find them
on limestone coasts
or inland in Shropshire
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY; NPL; STOCKSY

and Derbyshire. Look

for them on stone
stiles, where the cut
and polished rock
reveals fossils beneath.

65
into sea stacks and gleaming white cliffs spanning from
Dover in Kent to Beachy Head in Sussex, limestone’s
younger and more porous ‘Chalk Group’ delights
walkers in the south of England. It’s evidence of a
deep-sea palaoenvironment; chalk is powdery, often
massive and unbedded (without any layers or strata)
and comprised of the compacted remnants of
microscopic plankton deposited on the sea floor.
The nature of chalk means thin soils, which has
allowed chalk figures to be carved into the hills of
the south of England since prehistoric times, including
16 known white horses, as well as figures such as
the Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset and Long Man of
Wilmington in East Sussex. It’s nutrient-poor, making
those species that have adapted to chalk grasslands
both precious and precarious: the short and hardy
grasses and clover that grow on chalk are a far cry
from the rich moorlands of the northern gritstones, but
are a haven for insects such as chalkhill blue butterflies.
In winter, look out for seasonal winterbournes
(streams) that swell as groundwater rises but disappear
again come summer, through the porous rock. Chalk bedrock deep underground, its 160 granite Tors telling
geology also gives rise to gin-clear streams and rivers, a story about the hot, bubbling, molten history of the
their spring-fed and sediment-free water making them Earth’s innards. Nowhere else in the country is it
essential spawning grounds for brown trout. Why not as apparent how the geology affects our psychology,
stop and cool your feet while walking a stretch of The with the region’s rich mythology defined by its tough,
Ridgeway, an 87-mile National Trail that extends along resistant landscape that lets no water pass. This is
the chalk ridge from Wiltshire, along the Berkshire the land of monstrous hounds roaming Conan Doyle’s
Downs and all the way to the Thames? It’s a chance to imagination, of dark fairy folklore, moor-top robberies
Clockwise from above: immerse yourself in the alkaline flora of marjoram, and wild imaginings; a land of brooding blanket bogs
Whether it’s West thyme, bird’s-foot trefoil and horseshoe vetch while and wet heaths where anyone may succumb to the
Sussex’s chalk paths,
Dorset’s Cerne Abbas exploring our neolithic history at places like Avebury, elements, and where even the sundew plants are
Giant, or Malham the largest megalithic stone circle in the world. carnivorous, the oakwoods gnarled and hardy.
Cove’s limestone Further north in Scotland, Ben Nevis is the highest
pavement, look for
geological clues to
T H E VO LC A N I C S granite peak of them all. While this tough rock is
ancient landscapes. Strong and durable, you’re more likely to spot granite in extensive across the North West Highlands, nowhere
Find Chalkhill blues in a kitchen than in situ, but there are a few places where is as accessible on foot, and with such a lofty view, as the
chalky areas, while the
you can see one of our most beautiful igneous rocks. UK’s highest mountain. Itself a remnant of an ancient
Peak District’s Cakes
of Bread formation is Dartmoor National Park sits atop an impermeable volcano, The Ben was created approximately 350
a distinctive landmark granite batholith, an intrusion into the surrounding million years ago when the mountains we now know

66
OUTING

Engage with
geology
Sketching and journalling
Rock formations offer an
abundance of inspiration,
from towering mountains
to the tiny, curious shapes
of epilithic species such
as lichen. Pause on a walk
and be inspired by their
abstract shapes, making
field observations of their
shape, texture and colour.

Get philosophical In Japan

contemplating rocks has
a rich cultural heritage,
where the humble rock
garden is elevated to
artfulness, with stones
placed to help viewers
think deeply on the
meanings of life. Any rock,
whether smooth, pocked
pebble or moss-covered
boulder, offers this blank
as the Scottish Highlands were forming as part of the canvas opportunity
much larger Caledonian Range, created via the collision to become quiet, still
of two tectonic plates. The rivers slowly eroding the and mindful.
granite mountain ranges can be particularly interesting
Simply spending time
places to explore. Keep an eye out for crystals, where
Natural rock formations
bubbles in the magma have left spacious pockets for such as the Tors of the
minerals such as smoky quartz, green beryl and Peak District and
colourless topaz to form. Dartmoor offer hide-outs
Nowadays, we might not think of the UK as being for a picnic, and a chance
volcanic, but from the Scottish Highlands to the jagged to spot faces in their
creases or to lie on their
peaks of the Lake District, the brooding hills of North
sun-warmed surfaces like
Wales, and Northern Ireland’s Mourne Mountains, a lizard.
volcanism has given rise to many of the tough slopes we
love to clamber over, and their impermeable geologies Visit a geopark
make possible their deep lakes and tarns for swimming The UK has eight UNESCO
in. While our last volcano emptied itself 60 million geoparks, designated to
years ago (around the same time as the Himalayas celebrate and protect their
unique geology, from The
were beginning to form), their eroded, but steadfast
Black Country to the
remnants still give us the ability to see the world from English Riviera to Forest
a new vantage point and offer us the potential of finding Fawr. bgs.ac.uk/geology-
new perspectives on our lives. projects/geoparks

67
GOOD WORK

My living

od wagon
T he street-fo

Many of us dream of running our own business. We ask the people who are actually doing it
to share some of their insights and inspirations, the reality of the graft and their hard-won
wisdom – and why they wouldn’t have it any other way…
Words: FRANCES AMBLER

69
The story so far
Ryan Bharaj and his
brother Jay were working

PHOTOGRAPHY: DOUGH MAN’S LAND; SHUTTERSTOCK

in hospitality when they
were offered the chance We wouldn’t have said yes easy – and because it’s dough?; where is the fridge?;
to buy a Piaggio Ape with any food other than something you’re passionate who is towing the trailer?;
pizza van. Although it fell pizza. Running this wasn’t about, it can get quite can we tow the trailer? We
through, it inspired them something we’d discussed heated! Especially at the got there in the end, but it
to invest in a converted until the opportunity came beginning when we were would have been easier and
horsebox from which to up. Although my brother getting our heads around less stressful if we’d sat and
sell handmade, wood-fired and I worked alongside things. Now we’ve got a worked through the details
chefs in kitchen, we’re not good split: I’ve been working at the start. We got caught
pizzas – and Dough Man’s
trained as chefs. We wanted full time on it since summer up in the bigger idea.
Land was born. They
to keep things simple – 2021, and we’ve got a team
began largely catering to with our pizza, it’s a 48-hour of lovely, friendly skillful In a trailer, everything has
weddings, but three years process prepping our dough, people – that’s a big help to have its own place. We
ago they got a permanent but it’s straightforward in taking the pressure off. had the horsebox fitted out
pitch in Finnieston in in terms of serving. We by a professional company.
Glasgow’s West End where wanted to be confident in We had to reverse engineer But when the pizza oven
they now sell Thursdays the product we were selling everything. I’d advise was being installed, we had
to Sundays. They’ve also to be able to sell it well. anyone planning on doing to reinforce the floor so it
invested in a larger oven similar to go through what a wouldn’t fall through! Then
to cater for larger festivals. Working with family takes working day would look like, it’s everything you need for
you to some interesting right to the end. It sounds service: the extra shelving
doughmansland.com or
places. To be honest, it was obvious, but we didn’t do it. and cubby holes. Everything
at: @doughmansland.
tough at the beginning. No Ask yourself, if we’re trading has to be stowed away when
one does this because it’s on this day, where do we get you’re pulling the trailer.

70
GOOD WORK

Our big draw is the as it should so that you can

horsebox. It’s practical, get time to yourself – and
neat and pretty, so works then continue working
really well at weddings at 100%. Would we get
and that part of our business a standalone restaurant?
grew organically. There Never say never but at
are so many amazing food the moment we’re happy
traders out there and it’s where we are. We can pay
about finding something ourselves and our staff –
no-one else can do, in and don’t have the worry
a market full of people of a restaurant’s overheads
all trying to do that! It’s – and we have the flexibility
definitely our USP. When to spend time with our
we were applying for our families. I’ve got a couple
pitch at Finnieston, it was of girls, while Jay has
important to fit with the a girl and has just had a
neighbourhood – it really wee boy. In December, we
looks the part. stop trading after about the
second week, meaning we
At the start, we just said can spend Christmas with
‘yes’ to anything and our family. That’s worth
everything. It helps you way more than money.
learn and progress. But
you get to the point where For us, it’s not just the
you need to weigh up what food… A lot of it is about
to say yes to at the expense getting your foot in the door
of other things. All the – it can be laborious. But
different aspects of our if you knock on ten doors,
business are important you’ll get one. For us, it’s
– the Finnieston pitch runs been the local support that’s
The all-important 11 months of the year, so made the difference. After
wood-fired oven that takes the pressure off. about a year of me working
came from mobile
While at the big summer on the business full time
specialists, Dragon
Ovens. Meanwhile, gigs we sell A LOT of pizzas @thesouthsidescrannerz
their set-up for over a short period and that put a video up on TikTok
festivals is a lot helps fund the business. about us. The following
bigger, needing
about six people
It’s about doing as much afternoon in Finnieston,
to run the rig as possible without burning there was a queue for the
ourselves – and our team first time. Since then, things
– into the ground, or have just gone up a level
sacrificing quality of food – I cannae thank the guys
or service. We’ve found a enough. For us, it’s not only
balance and are managing about having an amazing
that well at the moment. product – at every step,
we’ve tried to do something
Getting the balance is the to make people smile and
trickiest thing. That, and put a spring in their step,
working in the rain! Being because why wouldn’t you?
your own boss is great,
“It would have been
but it’s easy to get lost in it:
less stressful if months go by and you have
Could a street-food business
be your living? There’s a
we’d worked through had no days off. It’s about
helpful guide to starting and
the all the details training staff and learning
running a catering van business
to delegate, making sure
at the start” that everything is done at The Nationwide Caterers
Association, ncass.org.uk/
resources

71
Flour power
CELEBRATE ORGANIC SEPTEMBER BY BAKING A BATCH OF DELICIOUS
CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIES, MADE WITH DOVES FARM ORGANIC FLOUR

72
ADVERTISEMENT PROMOTION

Oat flour chocolate

chip cookies
Packed with chocolate chips and
wholegrain goodness, these are
a real crowd pleaser.

Makes 24 cookies
175g Doves Farm organic oat flour
1 tsp Doves Farm bicarbonate
of soda
75g butter, cubed, plus extra
for greasing
100g caster sugar
1 egg

S
150g dark chocolate chips
eptember is National Organic
Month in the UK, but, when you 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/
think about organic food, flour Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Meanwhile,
may not be the first thing that grease two oven trays with butter
springs to mind. However, the flour you or line with baking paper.
use in your favourite recipes can have 2 Add the oat flour and bicarbonate
a big impact on the planet (and your bakes). of soda to a bowl, stir to combine,
Before the mass production of flour, all then sieve into a separate bowl.
of our food was created without artificial 3 Chop the butter into a mixing
input and grown with very little human bowl, add the sugar and beat
intervention. Once the crop was sown, Doves Farm organic
until well incorporated.
it was simply nurtured by the soil, wind, flour is grown 4 Break the egg into the bowl
rain and sun until it was ready to harvest and milled just as and beat until combined.
nature intended
and, once cut, the grain would be milled 5 Tip the flour blend into the
into flour without added preservatives bowl and mix well.
or artificial ingredients. 6 Add the chocolate chips and
Today at Doves Farm we aim to grow stir everything together.
and mill our organic flour in much the a positive difference to our planet, whilst 7 Divide the mix into 24. Roll each
same way, working with our surroundings elevating your everyday bakes? With portion into balls and place on
to help protect the environment and 24 different flours to choose from in the the baking trays .
produce grain as nature intended. Doves Farm organic flour range – including 8 Flatten each cookie gently
Not only is the resulting flour produced plain white, plain wholemeal and bread with the back of a fork.
with higher levels of environmental flour, as well as ancient grains like spelt 9 Bake for 10-12 mins. Once cooled,
welfare, lower levels of pesticides and and rye, and speciality flours including the cookies can be stored in an
no genetically modified ingredients or teff, coconut and oat flour – there’s a flour airtight container for up to 3 days.
artificial fertilisers, but organic farms are for every type of baker and every single
also havens for wildlife and provide homes delicious recipe.
for bees, birds and butterflies. In fact,
*SOIL ASSOCIATION

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more wildlife and 75% more wild bees!* including over 400 free recipes,
So, this Organic September, why not try visit dovesfarm.co.uk or follow
a simple switch to organic flour to make on Instagram at: @dovesfarm.

73
PASSIONS

M O D E R N
E CENTRICS
The miniaturist
Words: JULIAN OWEN Photography: JONATHAN CHERRY

74
IN A WORLD THAT CAN FEEL
INCREASINGLY UNIFOR M ,
WE’RE CELEBRATING THOSE
HAPPILY DOING THINGS a bit
d if f e re n tl y. Me e t t h e
PEOPLE WHO ARE seriously
P A S S I O N A T E about
their pastimes . PERHAPS
THEY’LL PERSUADE YOU TO
TRY s o m e t h i n g N E W ?

o many, the words ‘doll’s house’ conjure that I’m interested in: a picture of Josephine Baker;
variants of the same image: a multi- some African fabric; pictures of Tudor Black ladies.”
floored town house, each room laid out as The foundations of this hobby-cum-vocation were
realistically as possible, contents rendered maternally laid. “I was around 10 years old when my
to exact scale. Working to the common mum made me a doll’s house,” says Elizabeth. “It was
maxim of ‘the posher the better’, the pretty basic, a box separated into four squares, but
cognoscenti might hope to see, say, a wee servant I was able to put in whatever I wanted.”
ironing a tiny facsimile of The Times. With jumble sales and Walthamstow market
Had Elizabeth Joseph followed such orthodoxy, it’s only offering so much to a 20p pocket money budget,
unlikely that her take on the tradition would have been inventive DIY was the order of the day. Broken watches
catapulted into the public domain. Instead, her striking became clocks, crisp packets were shrunken beneath
creations have seen her appointed resident Miniaturist grills, and those ‘we also sell’ pictures on cereal boxes
at London’s Museum of the Home, leading workshops – a tiny Rice Krispies replica on the side of a packet
for anyone eager to hold the doll world in their hands. of Cornflakes, for example – would be cut out, glued
“I haven’t come from that world of going to doll’s to a matchbox, and serve as a doll’s breakfast option.
house fairs and spending a fortune, so I haven’t ended up All of which helps explain the creations Elizabeth
being constrained by anybody’s opinion of what a doll’s is making now, after lockdown’s limitations reignited
house should be,” says Elizabeth. “I can do what I like.” her interest in a long-dormant hobby. First, she adapted
For one thing, realism is out the window. Assuming a love of laser-cutting jewellery to fashion a miniature
you can reach it. “You couldn’t walk around these rooms, chair from a pile of offcuts. Then, in early spring 2020,
they’re too full of stuff. A lot of people are she spotted a free doll’s house on Gumtree. Soon, the
Forget fussy houses
fussy – everything must be 1:12 – whereas chair was joined by a laser-cut kitchen unit, replete
filled with scale
furniture, Elizabeth’s if I really like an item that might be a with tiny opening drawers, in a room wallpapered
creations ooze centimetre or two bigger, it just goes in. with a design created on Photoshop.
inventiveness. We “Things that bring you pleasure By July 2020, Elizabeth’s inaugural Instagram post
suspect her empty
shoeboxes rarely make should go into a doll’s house, as far as revealed that the house had been filled to such stylish
it into the recycling I’m concerned. Mine reflect the things effect that she received her first magazine request. In »

75
“EVERY SINGLE PART HAS
TO BE REDUCED USING
A DIFFERENT TECHNIQUE.
I LIKE PROBLEM SOLVING”

the meantime, a friend dropped round a doll’s house,

roof staved in, that had been left out on the street.
Elizabeth fixed it and fitted it out. The next house she
made from scratch. With twin trademarks of exquisite
detail and vivid colour, hobby was becoming obsession.
Today, her front room overflows with would-be doll’s with the door open and the bird on the top of the
house-fillers, from jewellery-packed jars to containers cage. Beyoncé [in reference to Bootylicious, from
bursting with offcuts from a local tailor. The patience her Destiny’s Child days] had a jelly on her plate.”
and attention to detail required to turn them into room The desire for depth in her work has only grown
fillers is all part of the fun, says Elizabeth. As an example, stronger. Her parents were from Barbados, part of the
she cites something she was recently inspired to make Windrush generation, and Elizabeth’s knowledge of
following a visit to Dennis Severs’ House in London’s family history only extended to her grandparents.
Spitalfields, and its imagining of 18th- and 19th-century “So I took a DNA test. It came back as Ghanaian,
domestic life. mostly, with some Nigerian. I did it purely because
“I fell in love with this chair and thought, ‘I’m gonna you’ve got to ask yourself, ‘Why am I making this?’ and
recreate that.’ There’s some piping on the chair which, I was hitting a brick wall. I thought, ‘I’ve got to put more
when you do it doll’s style, has to be one millimetre. of myself into this, go deeper and be more creative’.”
I’m going to reduce the pattern on the fabric, the piping, To that end, Elizabeth’s work now regularly features
details like the feet. Every single part has to be reduced Adinkra – symbols from Ghana depicting aphorisms or
using a different technique. I quite like problem solving.” ideas – or hummingbirds, a common sight in Barbados.
If realism isn’t a driving factor, meaning most certainly Plans to produce DIY doll’s house kits are in the
is. Last year, Elizabeth was invited to indulge her love offing but, in the meantime, if any reader feels inspired
of making miniature chairs in the Georgian style by to start creating their own tiny abodes, a little advice.
assembling a tablescape for International “People can be a bit daunted, so I’d say start with
Who would live
Women’s Day. She gathered twenty one item,” says Elizabeth. “You’ll think, ‘Now I’ve got
in a house like this? inspirational women in the arts around that chair, I might as well get a little table to go with it’.
With the colour and a banqueting table, including Frida It just keeps evolving. Every time you add something,
detail of Elizabeth’s
Kahlo, Grace Jones, and Tracey Emin. you get more pleasure. It’s never finished.”
creations, if we were
the Borrowers we’d “Some things were symbolic,” says See Elizabeth’s work at blackgirldollshouseclub.com and
be lining up a move Elizabeth. “Maya Angelou had a birdcage, follow her on Instagram at: @blackgirldollshouseclub.

76
PASSIONS

77
Stre a mi n g...

PHOTOGRAPHY: THANAPOL KUPTANISAKORN/ALAMY

T h e Si m ple T h i n g s w a y.
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Pres sRe a der

Sa ve m o n ey with a ye a r’s
s ubs criptio n (12 i s s u es).
T h e ch oice i s si m ple.
LOOKING BACK

PAPER TRAIL
PRACTISED FOR CENTURIES, MARBLING GIVES
A UNIQUE RESULT EVERY TIME AND CAN TURN A
SHEET OF STATIONERY INTO SOMETHING MAGICAL
Words: JANE AUDAS

atterned paper is a delicious thing. called The Whole Art of Marbling, it was illustrated with
Ephemeral yet commonplace. Decorative samples of the papers – controversial, because the art
yet utilitarian. One magical variation, of marbling had been kept quite secret until then.
marbled paper, is particularly tasty. The ingredients for marbling are simple. Water-based
At its most basic, marbled paper is inks are floated on the surface of water (thickened with
made by floating colours on water and gum tragacanth or carrageen moss). The colours are then
then placing paper on top to soak up the pattern. drawn (feathered, sprayed, swirled…) into patterns using
Each piece is unique – a fingerprint of pattern. sticks and combs. Treated paper is then laid gently on the
And although it’s a specialist book craft, marbling surface, removed, rinsed and hung to dry. Some famous
is also a hobby craft, as it’s relatively easy to (and evocative) patterns include Antique Spot, Stormont,
make some paper-based magic in your own kitchen. Shell, Spanish Wave, French Curl and Tiger’s Eye.
The inter-war years saw a revival of hand crafting,
A SECRET HISTORY bookbinding and marbling, hand-in-hand with the anti-
Marbling has a long history, with variations dating industrial ideals of the Arts and Crafts movement. The
back as early as 12th-century Japan and 15th-century bookbinding firm Douglas Cockerell and Son – which
Turkey, where it was called ebru or ‘clouded paper’. was established in 1897 and remained in the family until
German marbled papers were some of the first to arrive 1987 – produced 150 different marbled papers. Initially
in Britain in the 17th century, imported via Holland. intended for repairing books, the papers became famous
To avoid taxes on paper it came wrapped around toys. in their own right. Both Douglas Cockerell and his son
By the late 18th-century, there was a thriving marbling Sydney Morris Cockerell taught book binding classes
craft here. Marbled paper was used as covers and at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London, and
endpapers on books, while the edges of books were Douglas also wrote booklets on marbling for schools.
often marbled, too, and many a wooden chest, drawer
or shelf has been lined with this decorative flourish. K I T C H E N TA B L E ( A N D B AT H ) A R T
The first book in English about marbling was published One of the best marblers of the 20th century was the artist
around 1820: The Whole Process of Marbling Paper and Tirzah Garwood. Though she’s become better known
Book Edges by Hugh Sinclair, a marbled paper maker in her own right in recent years, for many decades her
in Glasgow. Then, in 1853, a detailed description of artistic reputation was subsumed behind that of her more
marbling methods was written by Charles Woolnough, famous artist husband, Eric Ravilious*. In a portable tin

*Tirzah’s autobiography, Long Live Great Bardfield, is published by Persephone Books and is an honest look at the realities of being an artist, and an artist’s wife.

80
bath at her kitchen table, Tirzah made exquisite, delicately Marbling put to good
endpapers, with these
patterned papers. She was self-taught but had studied beautiful 19th-century
at the Central School of Art when Douglas Cockerell designs. Below: Turkish
was teaching there and may well have picked up some artist Zeynep Erdogdu
shows her ebru skills
knowledge then. Her papers were made into books,
wastepaper baskets, covered boxes and even lampshades.

MODERN MARBLERS
Today, marbling remains a niche but nice craft. Since
1982, Kate Brett has run Payhembury Marbled Papers
in Cambridge, making both traditional marbled papers
and marbled fabrics. She has also written a book on the
MARBLED MARVELS
craft, Making Traditional Marbled Papers (The Crowood To see some magnificent marbled
Press) and runs workshops, too. Her marbled patterns papers, a search of the V&A Museum
have been used on everything from Conran shop collection (vam.ac.uk/collections)
Christmas crackers to Jo Malone perfume packaging. will bring you some digital pretties.
In the Netherlands, Karli Frigge has been making Manchester Metropolitan University’s
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY; GETTY; VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM

marbled papers with an edge since 1963. Many of her Schmoller Collection of Decorated
papers end up in her highly collectible artists books, Papers includes many hundreds of
such as The Magic of Marbling, as well as making it into examples. Tanya Schmoller was a
library and museum collections. And, of course, one of graphic historian who was also
the things about marbling is how accessible it is for anyone married to Hans Schmoller, Penguin
to give it a go. Simple marbling kits are quite easy to find, Book’s typographer (mmu.ac.uk/
should you want to dip your comb in, as it were. Your special-collections-museum/
sheets of plain paper will thank you. » collections). Finally, there’s a 1970
film made by Bedfordshire Record
“Many a wooden chest, drawer or shelf Office of marbling being done at
Cockerell & Sons. Search for ‘Art of
has been lined with this decorative flourish” the Marbler’ on YouTube.’

Turn the page to have a go at marbling yourself

81
GIVE IT A SWIRL
WITH A SHEET OF PAPER, SOME
PRE-MIXED INKS AND A LITTLE BIT
OF EXPERIMENTATION, YOU CAN
MARBLE AWAY

WATER MARBLING
PROUD
About as much fun as you can H O M E M LY
have with a cocktail stick. ADE

Project: ZEENA SHAH Photography: KRISTIN PERERS

You will need: 1 Make a water bath using your tray: the inks into the water. Drop by drop
A shallow tray that your paper the water doesn’t need to be that works best, but experiment to create
comfortably fits in to deep, around 5–7cm, and room- more complex patterns.
Distilled water (at room temperature) temperature distilled water gives the 4 You’ve around 2 minutes before the
Scrap paper or newspaper best results. Skim the water’s surface inks begin to dry so gently manipulate
Protective gloves with scrap paper or newspaper the ink into patterns as speedily
3–5 colours of pre-mixed marbling to remove any lint or dust. as you can using the cocktail stick.
inks (we used Marabu Easy Marble 2 Wearing gloves, cover the bath 5 Sample all the colours and note the
Marbling Paints, available from evenly with your first ink colour, then way each disperses in water. Colours
greatart.co.uk) work in the other colours. The closer with more pigment disperse
Cocktail sticks you drop the ink to the water, the differently to those with a lower
Paper (something slightly heavier more you’ll extend its working time. pigment, so sample first.
than printer paper works best) 3 Experiment with the way you drop 6 Gently lower your paper, card or
object into the water, making sure
to catch all of the marbling ink. With
paper, it’s recommended to either
slide it into the water at a 45-degree
angle, bowing it in the centre and then
working from the middle out, or lower
it into the water from opposite corner
to corner to cover the sheet in pattern.
7 Blow or gently pull away the excess
ink on the surface of the water bath
1 3 before removing the paper or object.
The ink will start to turn gloopy as
it dries so pull away these strands
from your work if any start to appear.
Set your marbling aside to dry.
Maker’s note: Keep your space
well ventilated. Once you’ve got
the hang of this technique, you
can experiment with marbling
on fabric and other surfaces.

Taken from Marbling by Zeena Shah

4 6
(Quadrille). Photography: Kristin Perers

82
BELONGINGS

W H AT I T R E A S U R E
My copy of I Capture the Castle
By Maria Thompson

I
’ve never been keen on ‘coming of age’
novels (after all, who wants to relive that
awkward teenage phase again?), so when
my mum gave my younger self a copy
of I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith
I discarded it as tedious nonsense some feeling nostalgic, when I’m happy and when
30 pages in. It was a surprise then that when I’m sad or simply when I want an hour or two
I next took the book from the shelf several of pure escapism. I’ve owned many copies
years later, I devoured it in a matter of days. over the years, but it can always be found on
On turning the last page, I felt that sensation my bookshelf with the spine cracked and top
that only comes from finishing a good book, corners creased. Some of the pages have that
a sense of sadness, as if a friend has just left stiff, crackled texture from getting damp and
and you’re not quite sure what to do next. salty on a holiday and it’s always been a ward
Narrated by the intelligent and witty against home-sickness; a little corner of my
Cassandra, the story is set in a crumbling home country reincarnated in paper and ink.
castle in 1930s Suffolk where she and her Perhaps my baby daughter will one day pick
eccentric family live a bohemian life on an up a copy and find herself enchanted, too.
ever-diminishing income. To me, it conjures
up images of balmy summer evenings in the “You’ll always find it on
beautiful English landscape and encapsulates
that sense of longing for both the simplicity
my bookshelf, spine cracked
of the past and the possibilities of the future. and top corners creased”
While I used to feel frustrated, almost
cheated, at its bittersweet ending, it leaves I may not always have been a fan of
Cassandra as one of our great heroines. the ‘coming of age’ genre but perhaps it’s
Full of life, optimism and charm, I Capture something you come to appreciate later on.
The Castle has become a source of hygge-like We’re all constantly coming of age, aren’t we?
pleasure in which I indulge at least once a When do we ever become the sensible adults
year. I read it when I’m poorly, when I’m we’re supposed to be? Looking back, I can
see how I’ve changed many times and I fully
expect to be learning, failing, achieving and
growing for the rest of my life and I Capture
The Castle will be at my side as I do.

What means a lot to you? Tell us in 500 words;

[email protected].

83
Small talk, big gains
TALKING TO STRANGERS MAKES US HAPPIER AND IT’S EASIER
THAN YOU MIGHT THINK, DISCOVERS REBECCA FRANK

y mum is staying with us for What does he think about small talk and
the weekend and I’m feeling whether we’re in danger of losing our ability
a bit ashamed. She’s already to exchange pleasantries with strangers? “We
struck up conversation with think of small talk as being unimportant because
at least two people on my road it’s often about seemingly trivial stuff like the
that I’ve never spoken to. It’s no weather, but actually it’s as much about making
great surprise, she loves to talk. She doesn’t care a connection with that person as what you talk
if they’re a total stranger, young or old, chatty about,” he explains.
or shy, in a hurry or waiting for a bus, if there’s Social connection has been shown in several
an opportunity for a chinwag, she’ll take it. studies to be one of the key components of health
It’s not that I’m not friendly – I’ve got plenty of and happiness contributing to both our physical
friends who would consider me chatty. I’m just and emotional wellbeing. Even the most casual
busy (poor, I know), and a bit lazy when it comes of interactions create what’s known as a ‘weak
to making an effort with people I don’t know. In tie’, which leave us feeling less lonely and more
researching this article, I discover that I’m not positive, connected and empathetic.
alone. And, more importantly, that many people When we engage in small talk, we’re more
like me are missing out on the wellbeing benefits likely to connect with people who are different
ILLUSTRATIONS: RAY STANBROOK

of the seemingly old-fashioned art of small talk. from ourselves. “It’s through these seemingly
light and insignificant interactions that we
C O N N E C T I O N M AT T E R S engage with difference,” says Andy. “Even
Andy Field, a performer and author, explores if you’re talking about the weather or the bus
the meaning of ordinary encounters, from a visit being late, it’s good practice in remembering
to the hairdresser to dancing in a nightclub, in that there are people out there living close by
his book Encounterism (September Publishing). that are experiencing things very differently.”

84
FEELING BETTER

CHANCE ENCOUNTERS
Sometimes a passing conversation can spark
a new idea, fresh perspective or even change
the course of your day. A friend got talking to
a woman while out walking his dog after he’d
just been let down by his house-sitter and by
the end of the conversation she’d offered to dog
sit so they could go on holiday. Dogs are a great
ice-breaker. Andy, a dog owner himself, says
that starting a conversation about a pet can
feel like an easier way into small talk because
the terms of the encounter are easily defined.
“If someone asks if they can stroke my dog, I
know what they want and they know what the
dog wants – we have this shared understanding
which makes us feel comfortable.”
Undoubtedly, the way that many of us live and to strangers. And if we don’t demonstrate small
work these days narrows the opportunities for talk to the next generation, will they ever learn
small talk. My mum doesn’t drive and wouldn’t the skill and appreciate a good chit-chat?
consider walking around in headphones. She’ll
shun online shopping for a trip to the shops TA K I N G T H E L E A P
and a chat at the till. Technology is taking away I’m pleased to hear that Andy thinks we won’t
much of our need for casual interaction. Aside forget how to make small talk, but we might
from being able to book tickets and holidays, forget that we enjoy it. A study by University
order groceries and meals on our devices, we of Chicago psychologist Juliana Schroeder
don’t even need to ask for the time or directions confirms this. Schroeder and her colleague
anymore, once the most common reasons to talk Nicholas Epley conducted studies where they
asked participants to strike up conversations
with strangers on their commute. While the
idea of talking with a stranger was predicted
Breaking the barriers to be negative, the experience itself was an
to small talk almost overwhelmingly positive one. Another
study showed that when people engaged in a
‘genuine interaction’ with the person serving
Unplug Headphones when you’re making them in Starbucks they felt more positive with
lead to less interaction. small talk, look people
a greater sense of belonging and wellbeing.
A report showed in the eye and smile.
that nearly half of Walk more Leaving the
When we strike up a conversation with
all headphone users car at home will lead somebody we don’t know, we put ourselves
wear them on a walk to more opportunities in a vulnerable position that can feel nerve-
and 38% wear them to to meet and mingle. racking. However, Andy points out “this
avoid talking to others. Walk a dog for an easy softness leaves place for compassion and
Ask questions Ideally conversation starter. empathy in a world where both can be in
ones that require Be more open If
more than a one-word
short supply.” He recommends taking a leap of
someone approaches,
answer. Find common hear what they have faith and breaking down any fear of rejection.
ground: talk about the to say rather than So, I’ve been putting it into practice. A smiley
weather, a pet, what’s assuming they have exchange with my GP’s receptionist, removing
happening in the news. an ulterior motive. my headphones so I can pass more pleasantries
Get eye contact The Eavesdrop Listening on the dog walk, and an impromptu chat with
brain is sensitive to in to other’s exchanges
a stranger about their yellow front door. And
changes in expression can help you brush up
and body language so on conversational skills you know what? Small talk may often be trivial,
but it can be surprising and usually makes you
smile. So, I’m going to keep talking small.

85
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FLOWERS IN THE HOUSE
Bringing blooms indoors: it’s what every home needs

Dahlias
WORDS: JO TINSLEY. PHOTOGRAPHY: JANNE FORD

For sheer variety, it’s hard to beat

dahlias. These showy, maximalist
flowers, originating in Mexico, come
in an vast array of hues (except blue)
and shapes, from cartwheel stars
to puffy pom-poms. Cut on cool
mornings to prolong their short vase
life, before loosely arranging with
other late-flowering blooms.

87
PRESSING MATTERS
IN SEARCH OF NEW ADVENTURES, A MOVE TO LYME REGIS PROVIDED MELANIE
MOLESWORTH WITH A QUIRKY HOME AND A COASTAL-INSPIRED BUSINESS

Photography: POLLY WREFORD/LIVING4MEDIA Words & Styling: MELANIE MOLESWORTH/LIVING4MEDIA

88
Seaweed serendipity – Mel
owns a collection of seaweed
prints bought years before
she decamped to the coast,
many of which are local to
where she now lives
Seeking a new move to the seaside opened up a Julia Bird and much of my time is now spent gathering
adventure, Mel and
whole new chapter in the lives of Mel seaweed from the scenic local coastline,” she explains.
Martin bought and
renovated their listed Molesworth and her husband Martin. “We each go down to our local beaches at low tide –
property to create both a After years spent snooping through that’s the best time to find lovely bits drifting about – and
home and a holiday let, property websites for weird and then we wash and float them onto paper and press them
all decorated in a neutral
colour palette
wonderful houses from their Victorian in pretty much the same way the Victorians did. What’s
semi in London, they finally found the quirky home they great about seaweed is that you have an endless supply
had been searching for and made the move to the Dorset of materials and it costs you nothing. And if you can’t use
coast. “We’d never been to Lyme Regis before moving what you’ve collected, it makes great compost! We press
and knew very little about this gem of a town,” explains the best pieces to create prints, cards and more which we
Mel, who moved into The Arched House in 2011. sell through our company Molesworth & Bird, a small
“We came across the house around the time that shop in an old renovated Flour Mill in Lyme Regis.”
our two sons were leaving home and it just felt like
a good opportunity to try something new. Our idea OLD HOUSE, NEW HOME
was to renovate, and then live in one half and rent The Arched House is a property in two parts: The Hall
out the other as a holiday let.” (where Mel and Martin live) sits on one side of the River
Living by the sea has created work opportunities, Lym and the pretty three-storey town house (the holiday
too. What started out as a hobby of pressing seaweed rental) spans the river, fronting onto a quiet street
quickly became something bigger. “I now run a seaweed- running down to the sea. Both are listed so building
inspired design business with friend and fellow stylist options were limited. “It felt like a huge project, run-
down with a maze of rooms, and windows that rattled
“WE PRESS THE SEAWEED IN MUCH when the wind whipped off the sea, but the bones
seemed sound and we could see the sea and hear the
THE SAME WAY THE VICTORIANS DID” river running beneath – so here we are!” laughs Mel. »

90
HOME TOUR

Large spaces allow you

to be bold with pattern,
says Mel, who’s painted
a chequerboard motif on
her kitchen floor
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: MELANIE MOLESWORTH

91
Keen collector Mel rarely
comes away from the
beach without a treasure.
Notable finds include the
rusty water tank (far
right), now a side table.
From the top of the house
(right) the eye follows the
River Lym to the sea
HOME TOUR

93
MEL’S STYLE
OUse your clothes as with paint, new handles
decoration. I’ve hung a and open shelving.
row of hooks to display my OHaving a large space

vintage dress collection. enables you to mix

OIf a kitchen isn’t to your patterns and plains without
taste, update it. The Ikea it feeling too busy. Go bold
kitchen came with The Hall, with your furniture while
but was given a facelift keeping your walls neutral.

The exact age of the property isn’t clear – the deeds When it comes to styling, Mel likes to not only “keep
were lost years ago – but architectural clues link it it simple,” but to mix new furniture with her second-
back to Georgian times. The Hall has been through hand pieces. “I keep a beady eye on the local antique
several reincarnations – at one point it was the Lyme markets in Bridport for interesting things and I’ve
Regis Conservative Club, then a rambling holiday found some real gems like the old school table that
rental complete with gym and sauna. “There are is now our dining table, and my beautiful green 50s
some lovely black and white photos of a celebration, lamp,” she says. “The armchair covered in William
probably taken in the 40s, showing the Hall bedecked Morris fabric is one of my favourite finds – we bought
with flags and bunting stretching down the 60ft it the first weekend after moving down from London.”
length of the room,” says Mel. The coastline’s also provided some treasures. “The
rusty water tank was uncovered on the local Victorian
F O R AG E D A N D F O U N D beach rubbish tip and is now put to use as a side table,”
Mel’s experience as an interior stylist helped with she explains. “I always seem to come back from the
decorating and renovating the space, while Martin, beach with something to add to my collections of old
a TV director, put his carpentry and DIY skills to spoons, stones, shells, cracked China and dried crabs!”
good use. The worn old paint-spattered floorboards It seems it was a move that was always meant to be
were left intact apart from the addition of a large blue explains Mel. “The large framed seaweed collection
and white painted chequerboard pattern – inspired is made up from a portfolio bought in London 20 years
by old Scandinavian decoration – where the vintage ago from antique dealer Valerie Arieta – the amazing
dining table sits. Some of the furniture was left by thing is that they were nearly all collected within
past owners including a huge grey sofa (originally an 10 miles of Lyme Regis.”
unfashionable shade of peach) and the large plan chest For more on Mel’s businesses visit molesworthandbird.com
was another lucky inheritance, “It’s proved invaluable and thearchedhouse.com. Mel and Julia’s book, Seaweed:
for storing my seaweed pressings,” smiles Mel. Foraging, Collecting, Pressing (Pavilion) is out now.

94
HOME TOUR

“I KEEP A BEADY EYE ON MY

LOCAL ANTIQUES MARKET WHERE
I’VE FOUND SOME REAL GEMS”

Mel’s favourite items

include the William
Morris-covered chair (far
left), bought just after
their Dorset move; while
the inherited plan chest
(left) has proved just the
thing for storing her
seaweed prints
FIRE IT UP
BRING THE DISTINCTIVE FLAVOURS OF A TANDOOR
TO YOUR BACK GARDEN BY BUILDING YOUR OWN
OVEN – AND STILL HAVE TIME TO TRY IT OUT, TOO
Words: JAMES WHETLOR Photography: SAM FOLAN

96
WEEKEND PROJECT

1 5

PROUD
H O M E M LY
ADE

FLOWERPOT TANDOOR
Surprisingly easy to assemble and
use, this garden tandoor expands
your outdoor cooking options*

6 7

You will need:

Work gloves
Safety goggles
Angle grinder
2 x terracotta pots (23cm diameter)
1 x large non-plastic flowerpot
(minimum 45cm diameter)
3 x bricks or breeze blocks
1 x fire brick
2 x bags of building sand
5kg bag of decorative aggregate
(optional)
Charcoal
Matches/lighter
layer of decorative aggregate,
1 Wearing gloves and goggles, use although you can skip this part
your angle grinder to take the base off if you prefer the look of the sand.
a terracotta pot, creating a terracotta 8 You’re now ready to cook! Place
‘tube’. Keep the ‘lid’, you’ll need it later. your charcoal in the bottom and
2 Take the large flowerpot and place light. Don’t forget you have your
it on a base of 3 bricks – these can lid to place over the top.
be normal bricks or breeze blocks, MAKER’S NOTES: Once built, it’s
there’s no need for fire-resistant ones. hard to move, so assemble where
3 You’ll now need some ‘feet’ inside you want to use it. This project uses
the large flowerpot for the smaller 23cm terracotta pots, but you can
terracotta pots to sit on. Use your play around with different sizes, just
angle grinder to cut the fire brick try and keep the size ratio similar.
into 3 pieces. Check the pots have holes in the
4 Place these pieces in your large bottom, but if not, you can always
flowerpot at 12, 5 and 8 o’clock, taking drill one in yourself. An even easier
care not to cover the hole in the way to make a barbecue out of a
bottom, which you’ll need for air flow. flowerpot is just to put some charcoal
5 Place the intact terracotta pot in the bottom, light it and pop a little
on the fire brick ‘feet’, then take the wire mesh on top . This is a bit like a
second terracotta pot (the one with Japanese shichirin – a type of heater,
the bottom ground off) and place which can be used as a simple grill.
it upside down on the other pot.
6 Pour the sand into the space around
the small terracotta pots, taking Taken from The DIY BBQ Cook LEMONGRASS CHICKEN WITH
care not to knock them out of place. Book: How To Build Your Own MANGO & CORIANDER SALAD
BBQ And Cook Up A Feast
7 Fill the space almost to the top of by James Whetlor (Quadrille). To test out your tandoor, try this recipe on our blog
the large pot, and, if using, add a final Photography: Sam Folan at thesimplethings.com/blog/tandoorrecipe

*Tandoori cooking began in India more than 5,000 years ago, some places in Punjab still use communal tandoors today.
The cylindrical clay ovens have to be lit for a long time to build up heat before being used for cooking, giving a distinctive earthy flavour to meats, veg and breads.
97
1

Things to
want and
wish for
Loving your home, inside
and out. Books and treats 2
for you to enjoy. 3
Edited by LOUISE GORROD
Book reviews by EITHNE FARRY
4

1 Cushion > £85 The geometric braiding makes for a cushion as pretty as it is squishy. james-hare.com 2 Dress > £65
A stripy dress for swishing in that late summer sun (hopefully!) oliverbonas.com 3 Glass tumbler > £11 Made from Portuguese
glass, these give a taste of happy travels. knowandlove.co.uk 4 Rug > £125 An art deco-inspired rug with a vintage feel.
frenchconnection.com 5 Fire pit > from £225 Historically used in India for cooking at festivals and parties, these fire pits are
made from recycled oil drums and make great barbecues, too. indigenous.co.uk 6 Lantern > £29.99 Get gardens glowing with
this solar-powered lantern. dobbies.com

98
WISHLIST

Repurpose that washing line and hang a sheet for

a cinema screen in your back garden. You’ve easy access
to the kitchen for popcorn and drinks – and have plenty of
cushions and throws on hand for when the sun goes down.
Cushions > from £11.29; Throws > from £18;
Rugs > from £18.99, all waltonshop.co.uk
WISHLIST

Shopkeeper
Bookshop of the
month
browse

SEASONAL SHIFT
Nature’s Calendar: The British
Year in 72 Seasons by Kiera
Chapman, Lulah Ellender,
Rowan Jaines, Rebecca Warren

ªInspired by
a book which
beautifully divided
the Japanese
natural world into
72 micro-seasons,
this gorgeous
guide heads out
into the British countryside.
In a series of essays, the book
delineates the way the natural
Plastic Fantastic within it, we jumped at the chance!” says
Find hand-cut jewellery at I Am Ruth. “We’ve always loved selling our
world changes as the year
Acrylic’s Bristol store and workshop. stuff on our market stall, so it feels like
progresses. Drawing on
a natural progression. It’s always lovely
science, art, literature and
ªBrendan Fan and Ruth Williams met when we make something new and it sells
history, the contributors
in the 90s while studying fine art and the same day that we put it out on display!”
aim to re-enchant the
have been making jewellery together Designs are predominately made using
reader, encouraging close
under the name I Am Acrylic ever since. acrylic off-cuts that have been donated
observation of the world.
The duo design and hand-make all their or thrifted. The thick white acrylic used
September is a time of
acrylic jewellery from their workshop, to make the Spinning Flower necklace
spiders, bees, taking shelter,
located within their shop, in the used to be shelves in the visitor centre at
horse chestnuts – in a “conker
Christmas Steps Arts Quarter of Bristol. Stonehenge, while the yellow acrylic of the
cacophony” – and Puhpowee,
“We were actually looking to get a Buttercup range was once a McDonald’s
a Native American word
studio space when we moved back to sign. The shop exudes a welcoming vibe
for the magical growth of
Bristol from London – having previously and the cool tastes of its owners. Among
mushrooms overnight as
made everything from our flat – but the jewellery sits many of Ruth’s antique
autumn begins to arrive.
when we saw this little shop on the finds and vintage oddities making this
(Granta)
Christmas Steps in the centre of Bristol, shop unique and a must-visit destination.
with potential for a workshop/studio iamacrylic.co.uk

DISHING THE DIRT

The Compost Coach by Kate Flood

ªKate Flood is a cheerful cheerleader for sections on wormeries and bokashi bins
all things compost. Her mission statement mean that even those with bijou balcony
is simple: “To make compost, build soil and gardens can reap the benefits. With a list
grow a regenerative garden – wherever of vital equipment, an A–Z of compostable
you live.” In this bright, practical guide she materials and handy illustrations, this
shares her know-how. Her easy-to-follow is a foolproof handbook for composting
instructions, trouble-shooting advice and beginners. (Murdoch Books)

100
- f r e e tr eats !
Yo ur guil t

Palm oil free Gluten free

Vegan Lactose free

Find out more at Ricola.com

WISHLIST

A rug is an instant space improver. It’s even better when it’s

made out of recycled bottles so it can be used outdoors as well
as in. You can go carefree and barefoot wherever you like...
Rug > from £165; Throw > £55, both weavergreen.com

102
2

Markets,
fairs and
festivals
1

Beautiful & Useful

> Shop artisan makers, grab
food and drink, or try a craft
workshop, while also enjoying
the award-winning garden, as
Beautiful & Useful returns to
Sussex Prairies, in Henfield, on
16–17 September, 11–5pm each
day. beautiful-useful.co.uk
Seafeast: The Dorset
Seafood Festival
> Taking place on the
Weymouth Peninsula, local
seafood experts will be serving 3
up a great selection of stalls 4
offering locally-produced food
and drinks. Taking place 9–10
September, tickets start at £10. 5
dorsetseafood.co.uk
Abergavenny Food Festival
> Now in its 25th year, the
Abergavenny Food Festival
is packed full of events from
cooking demos to debates,
street food to markets. With
something for all ages, you
can both fill your bellies and
learn something new. Taking
place on 16–17 September,
tickets start at £13.50.
abergavennyfoodfestival.com

1 Hammam towel > £25 Though made for hammams, this lightweight towel is just
as useful for bunging in a bag and heading to the beach. minthousehome.co.uk
2 Vase > £80 This playful terracotta vase brings a touch of the Mediterranean.
spicerandwood.co.uk 3 Tray > £15 Drinks are served, with this sustainably-made rattan
tray. fiveanddime-interiors.com 4 Fan > £30 We’re fans of this palm leaf and bamboo
design. vam.ac.uk/shop 5 Rattan sofa > £695 designvintage.co.uk 6 Refillable
candle > £48 A ceramic candle holder made for refills – and they smell sublime, too.
greathousefarmstores.co.uk

103
WISHLIST

Maker
of the
month

It’s in the detail sorts. Unsurprisingly, the

Printmaker Harriet Popham’s collection drew lots of interest.
lino cut prints are inspired “I’m so proud of it and it led to
by her love of pots and place. a commission from the V&A to
create a Vessel that celebrates
ªFrom carvings of the starlings the museum for their shop, which
at Shapwick Heath to Glastonbury was a dream come true for me,”
Festival’s pyramid stage among she says. Harriet, who also runs
the cows at Worthy Farm, many workshops to pass on her skills,
of Harriet Popham’s cheerful is passionate about introducing
prints celebrate her home county people to squeezing in some carving slow and calming, the
of Somerset. Her love of pots, creativity wherever they can. first ink up is exciting, and pulling
bowls, patterns and lino cutting “I think making with our hands back paper to reveal a print still
led to her collection of Vessel does a huge amount of good for feels very rewarding. I love seeing
Prints. Within the silhouettes us as individuals,” she explains. people discover the benefits and
of vessels, Harriet created intricate “I love lino printing and the the joy of lino printing, too.”
illustrations that tell a story of processes involved, I find the harrietpopham.com

M O R E T H A N WO R DS
Interesting Stories About Curious Words: From Stealing Thunder To Red Herrings by Susie Dent
ªSusie Dent, the doyenne of Countdown’s sayings, from the smelly fish used to disguise
Dictionary Corner, loves a little linguistic the trail of escaping convicts (‘red herring’)
archaeology; digging up the foundations of to the lovely ‘gossamer’ – ‘the filmy, delicate
words, their history and how meanings have cobwebs spun by small spiders, believed
changed over time. Here she happily shares to be a shortened version of ‘goose summer’,
that enthusiasm for wordy bric-a-brac with because they … look a little like the down
a book that reveals the stories behind familiar of a goose.’ (John Murray)

104
Blackdown, builders of spaces for nature seekers...

blackdownshepherdhuts.co.uk
[email protected] | 01460 929774 |
Huts for home | Huts for business | Huts to build yourself
MY PLOT

Urban splash
INDULGING HER PASSION FOR PERMACULTURE, FIONA M C WILLIAM’S
NATURAL SWIMMING POND HAS DELIVERED MULTIPLE BENEFITS
FOR BOTH HER FAMILY AND HER GARDEN’S BIODIVERSITY

Words and photography: FIONA M CWILLIAM

106
GARDENS

Fiona McWilliam is a journalist, permaculturist and trainee permaculture

teacher, living in Brighton. In 2020, she decided to indulge a lifelong dream
by building a natural swimming pond in the garden of her detached 1930s
suburban home, which proved to be an instant hit with aquatic wildlife
and the whole family. Follow her on Instagram: @urbanpeasantry.

T he story so far doubted we’d even get an excavator down With a long-standing
interest in permaculture,
I’ve always dreamt of having a swimming the side of our house, I allowed myself to Fiona turned her dreams
pool, after experiencing the bliss of having dream and I started talking incessantly of a pool into reality
one as a child living in pre-revolutionary about it with my husband Paul. during lockdown – roping
in her family to help build
Iran, although having a pool in England During lockdown, our two eldest, Digby
a natural swimming pond
seemed impractical and beyond our budget. and Sybil, plus Digby’s girlfriend Laura,
We moved to our detached 1930s house moved back home. With a full house and
in Brighton in 2005, a couple of months none of us with anywhere to go, we were
after the birth of our fifth and youngest ready for a project, especially one that
child, Patrick. The relatively large garden chimed with my interest in permaculture.
(45m x 15m) was pretty much just grass
and shrubs, but it suited our family’s needs. A considered design
A year or so before lockdown, however, I discovered permaculture in the late 90s,
I discovered David Pagan Butler’s YouTube while deputy editor of Geographical but
channel with videos on how to build your lockdown gave me the time to explore it
own natural swimming pond. While I further and to gain some qualifications.

107
GARDENS

The pond was the centre of my design the stem of a rush. We swim – or rather,
and Paul began digging it by hand over plunge and tread water – in all but the
Easter 2020, using a child’s hand shovel, windiest of weather, even when the
which was ideal for the flinty chalk subsoil. plants are wrapped in ice. It’s improved
He then used a drill with a masonry bit. our quality of life immeasurably, and not
It took us several months to create a vast just for the health and wellbeing benefits
hole about 8m across and 2.5m deep, with a of cold water immersion, but also for
shallower area for marginal plants, which the biodiversity. Recreating the summer
Smooth newts moved in scarred our garden for months as life ‘swim-lunches’ of my Tehran childhood
soon after the pool was returned to normal. We restarted in early is a dream come true, although not all
filled, while colourful 2021, redistributing the excavated chalk our friends are comfortable swimming
yellow flag iris (above),
water mint and marsh into a miniature chalk meadow. With the with newts and ‘creepy crawlies’.
marigolds (opposite help of all five children, we built the wall
right) absorb nutrients to
keep the water algae free
of the swimming area to two metres. Our greatest success
The pond was an instant hit with wildlife,
Simple pleasures attracting dragonflies and iridescent
The ever-changing plantlife means we sit damselflies. Common newts arrived almost
by the pond at any opportunity. It’s a joy immediately, and bird life has increased
to watch house sparrows splashing in the despite the presence of our cat, Rex. Frog
shallows, or a dragonfly laying its eggs on and toad numbers have grown, too – even

108
“The pond was an instant hit with wildlife, attracting
dragonflies, damselflies, birds, frogs and toads. We
love watching the bats skim the water at dusk, too”

Not just for summer.

As well as boosting
biodiversity, the pond
lets the family experience
the benefits of some
cold-water immersion

Reality check
If you want to attract wildlife
to your garden, then nothing
beats installing a pond. It
is, however, worth thinking
about the following:
• A swimming depth of
at least two metres will
stop your pond overheating
during the summer.
• Hand-digging your
pond is a lot of work! Use
an excavator if you can fit
one in your garden – you
can hire ones that are less
than 700mm wide.
• Nutrients produce algae,
yet nutrient levels can take
few years to settle in your
though newts have a taste for frogspawn. of acanthus. While I pull out the bindweed, pond. Avoid fish, which eat
While we already had bats in the garden, just about any other plant that turns up is algae-eating organisms and
the pond’s effect on insect life seems to a welcome boost to biodiversity, including produce a lot of poo, too.
have attracted even more. In summer, we nettles, common ragwort and a stately teasel. Also, remove dead leaves
watch them skimming the water at dusk. from the surface regularly,
My advice would be and plant directly into the
What we’ve learnt Use considered design and planting to help pebbles (don’t use soil).
While my family was building the pond, your pond to flourish, naturally. Following • Barley straw in net
I was working hard to develop my garden David Pagan Butler’s blueprint, we installed a bags is an effective way
in accordance with permaculture principles, perforated pipe around the outside of the of reducing algae, but this
turning sections of scrappy lawn into swimming area, then covered this in gravel to can make a mess when
hugelkulturs – unbordered raised beds create a regeneration zone into which we the bags decompose.
made up of old logs and green wood cuttings planted yellow flag irises, umbrella sedge, You could use plastic net
covered in turf and compost. I planted these marsh marigolds and water mint. Narrow leaf bags, but would you want
with edible and/or medicinal plants and cattails, soft rushes and the native oxygenator microplastics in your pond?
sowed self-seeding, pollinator-attracting hornwort are all flourishing, too. An airstone • Build a natural swimming
annuals such as borage, phacelia, sorrel, creates a small negative pressure in the pipe so pond and you won’t need
nasturtium and yarrow. In summer, my that water is drawn from the surface through to go on holiday!
burgeoning food forest is dominated by gravel in the regeneration zone to keep the
towering pink hollyhocks and large stands water clean and oxygenated.

109
My place
THE CORNERS OF OUR HOMES THAT MEAN THE MOST.
THIS MONTH: ROOMS OF POTENTIAL

Words: LOTTIE STOREY

“My studio is up
at the top of my
house. I like it
here as it’s quiet
and my desk is sat
right underneath
a huge skylight.
The desk is a massive old thing from
the 60s. It isn’t a beautiful object, but
I love its size and the roomy drawers
for all my tools, pens and papers. It
faces into the room, so I can pretend
I’m Don Draper from Mad Men when
people come up to ask me things.
I’m a real night owl and have often
stayed up here beavering away until
4am. I love having my own space – it
means I can make a whole load of
mess and listen to what I like.”

Helen Ward, Bristol

@house.of.wards

110
HOW WE LIVE

“Some might call me a hoarder

but I’m very much a collector of
beautiful things! I have items
from my grandfather’s carpentry
workshop to remind me that
creativity is my blood. I have
spent so many happy evenings
in my studio and there’s
nowhere I would rather be.”
Bethie Tricks, Bristol
@bethie_tricks_textiles

“Once upon a time this room was

our sitting room, but now it’s
a happy space for me to make a
mess in! I make illustrations
from this desk and when I’m
here I feel like myself.”
Hannah Broadway, Bristol
@hannahkbroadway

“I love the
simplicity of the
space and the light
from the windows.
I feel creative, free and able to make
properly here, without interruption.
I’m a collector and don’t buy new so my
space is full of meaningful things – not
to mention all my colourful threads.”

Jessie Chorley, South London

@jessiechorley

111
l

“I spend most of my days

here in my garden studio,
with inspiration all
around me, my dog Moth
at my feet and my lino
“My work table is an old block prints drying
brioche making table. Seeing it covered on the line.”
with my sketchbooks, knitted swatches, bowls brimming
with colourful yarns and paintbrush-filled pots, I love that Lou Tonkin, Falmouth, Cornwall
the table is enjoying a new creative life at the heart of my @loutonkin
studio, with a view of the mountains beyond.”

Dee Hardwicke, Crickhowell, Powys

@deehardwicke

“My craft nook (as I like to

call it) is in a small room
in our small apartment. I love
that the space is so crammed with things. The decor
of the rest of the apartment is much more quiet and
peaceful! I particularly cherish all the vintage sorting
cabinets and organisers. It took me
a few years of hunting in flea markets to get the wall
like this and I love filling it with my treasures.”

Lize Overweter, Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands

@lize.creates

DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE SPOT IN YOUR HOME

that you would love to share? If you have a favourite rug in a corner of your house
or Christmas lights that twinkle, let us know and share your best picture at
[email protected]

112
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Where we stayed
The Sail House, a characterful
20ft yurt with an en-suite bathroom
yurt, set within five acres of
meadows and stream-fed lakes
between Helston and Hayle.
Owners Jim and Ruth moved
here from Oxfordshire with their
daughter in 2016 looking for a
slower pace of life. The family live
in the adjacent Mill House, and
are currently busy returning the
wildflower meadows, lakes and
woodlands to their natural best.
The yurt’s woody interior was
well-equipped but homely, with
unexpected and much appreciated

Weekend away home comforts such as underfloor

heating, electric blankets and
a hidden home cinema. Outside,
A MAGICAL LOCATION – WITH FRESHWATER there was a rainforest shower
overlooking a private pontoon with a
DIPS ON THE DOORSTEP – IS A CHANCE TO paddleboard tethered to the end and
PAUSE, AND DELIGHT IN DOING VERY LITTLE steps leading down into the water.

Words and photography: JO TINSLEY

t can be hard to take time away when you have a young family, whether that’s
time for yourself or with your partner. This whistlestop Cornish break – our first
night away together in three years – was just the ticket. It was a chance to pause
for 24 hours: to read a chapter of a book, have an uninterrupted conversation, to
swim and laugh together and feel like we had returned to ourselves, if only for
a brief interlude, before stepping back on the merry-go-round of work, life and
raising a toddler. When time away is so precious, it’s all about finding somewhere
so peaceful you don’t need to leave, and Pengelly Retreat – an immaculate yurt
perched beside a secluded 100m freshwater bathing lake – certainly met the brief.

114
A PLACE TO STAY

What we did What we ate agapanthus and the torch-like

We swam countless times, exploring On the way, we took a detour to spires of kniphofia flowers frame
the bathing lake’s margins and Carbis Bay Beach Club, a laid-back an arresting view over St Michael’s
watching swifts sip from the water’s restaurant with a breezy veranda Mount. Stumbling upon the garden’s
surface. We had an evening skinny overlooking St Ives Bay. It serves contemporary art felt like a bonus.
dip and an early morning dunk in seafood classics with a twist: their We particularly loved ‘The Wall
the rain, followed by a soak in the ‘surf and turf’ was a fillet steak of Taps’ by coppersmith Michael
yurt’s enormous free-standing bath. alongside a comforting bowl Johnson, a dozen taps pouring into
When we weren’t in the water, we of lobster mac and cheese. Only an overflowing bronze sink (below);
explored the Secret Garden, a maze steps from the beach, we ordered a cluster of charred oak stumps by
of boardwalks through rustling a Salcombe gin and tonic, then sat David Nash; and James Turrell’s
bamboo, to find glittering Buddha back to watch people bobbing about ‘Tewlwolow Kernow’ (Cornish
sculptures left by the previous in the surf as herring gulls wheeled for ‘Twilight in Cornwall’), a temple-
owner. Twenty-four hours proved and toddlers played in a freshwater like oval, open to the elements,
brook spilling onto the sand. where you can sit on slim benches
To keep things simple (and save and gaze up into the sky.
time), I pre-ordered a Cornish Food
Box which was waiting for us in the
yurt. Sipping a glass of wine that
evening, I podded broad beans then
cooked them up with Cornish kale
in garlic, oil and lemon, served with
smoked salmon and buttery toast.
Before our journey home, we cooked
a breakfast of kings.

to be ample time to decompress,

long enough to pick a favourite seat
– a cocoon chair hanging beneath a
shady pergola – and to tune into the
The best thing
Sleeping under canvas you are never
lake’s sights and sounds: dragonflies truly ‘indoors’, and even on such a
resting on the warmed boardwalks; brief trip, I could feel myself tuning
squabbling blackbirds and the rustle in with more natural rhythms:
of wind through bulrushes; fish hunkering down when the sun set;
nipping at the surface and dotting waking when it got light and rowdy
the lake with rippling circles. with birdsong; appreciating the
delicious chill of early mornings
We also liked and listening to the strangely
Having the choice of exploring comforting sound of rain drumming
the wilder north Atlantic coast or on the roof. Most of all though,
Cornwall’s more sheltered south we delighted in having time to
side, both less than 15 minutes’ drive. ourselves and for each other: to
Before heading home, we visited pause and revel in doing very little
Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, a in the most restorative of settings.
sub-tropical garden where winding
steps climb through a forest of tall
Ostrich ferns, big-leaf magnolias and Breaks at Pengelly Retreat start
Chinese rice paper plants to reach a from £136 per night in the Sail
series of spacious sun-baked terraces House Yurt (two nights minimum
and pagodas where cacti, succulents, Sept-Apr); pengellyretreat.co.uk

115
Join us
for a

iscellany
ramble

Pa
apeer planes, pickleball and Her
e cu
ule Poirot. Plus, rainy day notebooks and salty onion snacks
Compiled by FRA
R NCES AMBLER Illustrations KAVEL RAFFERTY

down to a tea towel

Never be cheese bored
when you can have
this tea towel-cum-
reference guide to
hand. With info on 49
varieties – including
pairing suggestions –
you can always feel
like the big cheese.
£12.50,redcandy.co.uk
What to do with...
F R UIT P E E L

BRICK IN THE WALL

How many five-letter words can you find reading
PRACTICAL: Lots of
recipes use peel, from
go’ skills. He creates
silhouettes – sheep,
PHOTOGRAPHY: ADOBESTOCK; CLIVE ROWLANDSON; ISTOCK, SHUTTERSTOCK

pickles (see our lemon swallows, prawns and

down the face of our wall? The letters of each word
can only read downwards on touching bricks,
pickles recipe from more – as he peels,
taking one only from each line
July) to marmalades always from one piece.
(like the Rainbow SILLY: If you have
marmalade in TST T Jan patience and don’t mind
2022). Or treat scruffy the pongs, let decay
A big tick if trainers or even plant take its course, and turn
you’ve guessed leaves to a buff with the fruit into decor – they
that the origins inside of a banana skin. can be used for storage.
of this symbol PLAYFUL: Yoshihiro Search ‘fruit boxes’
are hazy. Perhaps Okada is advanced level on instructables.com
derived from the in ‘peel it all off in one for a how-to.
‘v’ for ‘veritas’,
Latin for truth.
By no means
(answers on page 124)
universal: in a jolly good follow
Finland and

“To saunter is a science...

Sweden and other @shopfrontspoetry
places it can show

To saunter is to live”
that something A tour of some of the world’s most beautiful shop exteriors
is incorrect. (Instagram).
Honoré Balzac

117
Track record
T H IS L A N D IS Y O U R critical of land ownership,
L A N D B Y W O O DY and people going hungry.
G U T H RI E Described as However, by the time Woody
‘America’s other national recorded it in 1944, those
anthem’, this song evokes verses had gone – partly
the country’s natural beauty because the US was now
and adds a simple, stirring in the war, and possibly in
note of pride: ‘This land hope of getting radio play.
was made for you and me’. Despite the edits, the song
However, today’s version wasn’t widely played. Its
differs from how it was status today is thanks to it
written in 1940. Born in going into a songbook for
Oklahoma, folk singer Woody school children in the early
had spent the previous years 1950s, and artists such as
travelling the States, seeing Bruce Springsteen, who says
the Depression’s impact first it is ‘just about one of the
PHOTOGRAPHY: PICTORIAL PRESS/ALAMY

hand. He kept hearing one most beautiful songs ever

song: God Bless America, written.’ Notable alternatives
written by Irving Berlin and include Native American
recorded by Kate Smith in versions, critical of the song’s
1938, an uncritical statement assumptions of ownership.
of love for the USA. Such voices actually help
This song was his response.
Berlin’s work was directly
referenced in the original,
reinforce what a great folk
song it is: a starting point,
able to evolve
How to...
which also included verses and adapt. MUDLARK

What is it?? A bit like looking for human-made

beachcombing but you’re colours and shapes to pick
³PET CORNER
searching riverbanks for out finds. Gather together:
treasure, rather than the similar materials get
seashore. While you need grouped by the river, so old
a licence to lark legally,
y screws may lead to other
guided walks can give a metal objects. Glove love:
CATS ON MATS MAGS taster,
r see thamesdiscovery. if you’re touching anything,
org and thames-explorer. wear gloves. You'll also
Beamer, 4 org.uk. And you can always want sturdy waterproof
“Now this feels jolly good.” practise the art of looking shoes, and a trowel (if
As nominated by the but not touching. Good you’ve a permit). Having
Murphy family tidings are around two a lark! Like metal detecting,
hours each end of a low significant finds need
tide. Know when the tide’s reporting. Get social with
due in, and also how to online mudlarking social
safely exit. Go small and groups to discuss finds, and
to sparkle.
“No need to hurr y. No need slow, the more you focus
in, the more you’re likely to
follow inspirational larkers.
See @jasonmudlark and
oneself”
No need to be anybody but spy.
y It helps to be close to
the ground (you may want
@london.mudlark on
Instagram, and Tideline
Virginia Woolf in A Room Of One’s Own knee pads). Get your eye in Art on YouTube.

118
Take THREE QUICK-FIRE QUIZ

Continue the tradition of a new bag for September, wherever you may take it 1 Which plant, harvested in
September, has the Latin
name Humulus lupulus,
meaning ‘wolf of the woods’?
2 In which British county can
you find the oldest YHA hostel
that’s still in operation?
3 What animal is used
to describe someone
who rambles on for a long
time in conversation?
4 Which two J.R.R. Tolkien
characters share
22 September as a birthday?
COOMBE CROSS-BODY CANFIELD CANVAS BRADY BAG 5 What tree formed the basis
Bring a little of the colour Recycled, weather resistant Made from organic cotton
of Cornwall to daily life. canvas in a cheering pattern. off-cuts in a host of colours.
of the first commercially
Best for: the practical Best for: being a good Best for: simplicity. Fling in made chewing gum, sold 175
minded, made from canvas all-weather all-rounder phone and purse; sling on the
years ago this month?
and room for all your ‘bits’. for work or play… or both. bag and you’re ready to go.
£16, seasaltcornwall.com £84.95, rokalondon.com £24, lucyandyak.com (answers on page 124)

SUDOKU
Fill the grid so that every column, every row
and every 3x3 box contains 1 to 9

WAYS TO MAKE ART

Take your cue from famous artists with a creative challenge
What to do and why: Take a photograph out of the same window
every day for a week. Vary the time at which you do it: the idea
is to capture the shifting light and changing moods, as David
Hockney did in his iPhone and iPad drawings published in the
book, My Window. You could do drawings instead, or extend
it across a longer period, capturing changes in the seasons.
Taken from Open This Box And Make Some Art by Robert Shore (Frances
Lincoln, 5 October 2023 – available to pre-order now). Illustrated by Gorkie. (answers on page 124)

119
R
READE DS
MEN
RECOM

A GOOD READ COLLECTIVE NOUNS

I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel is
a brutal portrayal of a modern
day affair. Exploring power
dynamics, race and cyber-
stalking through the prism
of the darkest
sides of
obsessive love,
it’s powerful
and addictive.
I read it in
one sitting!
As suggested by Bonnie Nutt
Read a good book you want
to share? Tell us all about it
by emailing thesimplethings@
icebergpress.co.uk

³IT'S IN THE BAG

A r u n o f p o u lt r y

TALK LIKE … A HIPPIE Fa

r out:
sight:
extraordinary, amazing; outta
dig it:
PICKLEBALL so ‘far out’, you can’t see them!;
med:
to understand, or approve; bum
Don’t get in a pickle if you’ve not heard of it, but it is one
of the world’s fastest growing sports, with some 4 million
levision;
disappointed; boob tube: the te
fans in the US. Played inside and out, like slower moving
tennis on a smaller court, it requires two or four people,
vy:
freak: a term for a hippie; groo
some comfy clothing and trainers. Pickleball.co.uk can
supply specific kit, including a net (lower than a tennis
Beetle
cool, fashionable; slug bug: VW
net) and a paddle. Paddle size and weight varies: they
advise to go heavier for more whack; lighter for more
control. The actual pickleball differs too, indoor or
outdoor use dependent. See pickleballengland.org or
pickleballportal.com to find nearby courts and players.

120
Fantastic fungi
BIR D’S N E ST F U NGUS
If you go down to the woods today, you might
encounter a weird and wonderful species
’

Other common names: Elfin cups, fairy goblets,

fluted bird’s nest, pixie’s purses, splash cups
Found all over the world, this tiny charmer is actually quite
complex. This delicate inedible mushroom looks exactly like
a tiny bird’s nest cradling precious eggs. The ‘eggs’ are actually
spore sacs, or periodoles, containing millions of spores,
and a single nest can hold up to twenty of these. The spores
are dispersed by raindrops, which splash them out of and
away from – up to 1.8 metres – the ‘nest’.
Colours range from bright orange to dull brown. Most common
in autumn in clusters on dead and decaying wood and wood
mulch, they can be found year-round in more temperate areas.
Current research indicates that this small mushroom could have
a mighty impact on inhibiting pancreatic cancer growth.
Adapted from Mystical Mushrooms: Discover the Magic & Folklore of Fantastic Fungi
by Aurora Kane (Rock Point). Illustrations by Saga-Mariah Sandberg

Heritage hunter
A meander through UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage
³FAB GADGET

RITE IN THE RAIN

CORSO CULTURE, THE NETHERLANDS
NOTEBOOKS
Think of a parade of floats (or floats are months in the
sometimes boats) elaborately making, although their use Rain (or a tea spill) doesn’t
decorated with flowers, or of fresh flowers means they’re
maybe fresh fruit and veg, only decorated a few days
have to stop you putting pen to
and that’s a ‘corso’. While this before. The Zundert corso paper – or ruin
tradition isn’t unique to the uses only dahlias, the majority
Netherlands (first appearing of which are locally grown. your shopping
in late 19th-century France Really, it’s about the people list – with these
and Italy), it’s become a part involved: around 75,000
of its culture, with 30 different volunteers annually, with extra durable
ones each year. The biggest another million coming
– Bloemencorso Zundert – to watch the parades. No notebooks.
takes place the first weekend wonder there’s a specific term From £5.95,
in September. A competition, for the excitement it evokes:
as a well as a visual spectacle, corsokoorts, or corso-fever. heinnie.com

121
Know your
onions
GOOGLE VOX…

+ + =
Around 6 out of 10
people in the UK have
gone foraging for food.

Store cupboard sums

Salty onion pickle Makes about 400g. Sterilise a large glass jar
and lid by submerging in boiling water for 10 minutes, then letting
air dry. Slice a medium-sized red onion into full rounds or half-moons
of about 5mm thick. Fill jar with the sliced onions, and pour over
Blackberries are
Ume Plum Vinegar – use a 284g (10oz) bottle – you want the vinegar the most frequently
to be the same height as the onions. Put on the lid, seal tightly, and foraged, followed by
shake vigorously. Let marinate at room temperature for at least sloes and wild garlic.
30 minutes. The pickles are now ready to be served, but will be best
after several days. Store in the fridge for up to several months. Taken SEEING
SEEING DOUBLE
DOUBLE
from Eat your Flowers: A Cookbook by Loria Stern (HarperCollins) Each pair of words shares two middle
letters. The first has been filled in as
an example. Complete the remaining
³SIMPLE PILATES words to find the mystery keyword
reading down the middle.

A BIT OF A stretch
Back Extension Strengthens spinal extensors while practising the
ability to contract abdominals to support the lower back. 1 Start
by laying on your front with forehead on the mat, arms by your side,
palms pressing onto your thighs. Legs together with feet gently pointed.
ILLUSTRATION: © SOLAR22/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

2 Exhale to lift the head, upper and middle back off the mat, keep the
palms pressing into your legs and keep your legs together and down
on the mat throughout the movement. Maintain abdominal contraction
through your exhale and gently press pelvis forward into the mat to
prevent overuse of lower back muscles. 3 Inhale to slowly and lower
the body back to the start position. 4 Repeat 8–10 times.
Adapted from The Little Book of Pilates by Rachel Lawrence (Vie).
Find Rachel online @thegirlwiththepilatesmat (answers on page 124)

122
IDENTIFIER
Agatha Christie characters
The Queen of Crime’s creations don’t have to be a mysterious affair. Put those little grey cells to work
with this handy guide in honour of this month’s International Agatha Christie Festival in Devon*.

Hercule Poirot Inspector Japp Captain Hastings

That famously egg-shaped head spent 35 years Said to be ‘ferret-faced’ but out-paced by Poirot Watson to Poirot’s Holmes in eight stories (though
cracking crimes. Got a front-page obituary in the in ferreting out of murders: his initial rudeness more on the telly). Not necessarily more Hastings,
New York Times for his Curtain call in 1975. mellows to respect over seven novels together. less speed, but known for his imaginative leaps.

Countess Vera Rossakoff Miss Lemon Harley Quin

The only woman to turn Poirot’s head, this gem First name Felicity, more known by her honorific. Inspired by traditional harlequins (and not the DC
thief made her three outings count. He even Provided Lemon-aid as Poirot’s ‘unbelievably Comics character): with a possible chequered –
braved a nightclub for her, fittingly named ‘Hell’. ugly and incredibly efficient’ secretary. or at least mysterious – past to match his costume.

Jane Marple Tommy and Tuppence Adriane Oliver

It takes a village (St Mary Mead) to raise such Over five books we see this couple go from A mystery novelist, who invented an exacting
a spinster sleuth. Overlook at your peril: doesn’t Bright Young Things to Bright Older Things, foreign detective: little sleuthing necessary to
let wrong ‘uns off her hook/knitting needle. solving their last case in their 70s. figure out Mrs Oliver is a stand-in for Christie.

These illustrations are taken from Agatha Christie Bingo, illustrated by Ilya Milstein, available to buy from laurenceking.com.
Reproduced with thanks to the Agatha Christie Estate

*See iacf-uk.org/festival-2023 for more details on this year’s events.

123
How hard can it be...
T O B UIL D B E T T E R PA P E R P L A N E S
THINGS THAT…
HELP MY MORNINGS
To be top flight, you need to put the hours in

As bored kids everywhere carefully note the effects.

know, making a paper plane is The current distance record
easy. But making a really good holders spent over 400 hours
one requires both patience on adjustments (and were also
and some precise engineering. aerospace and mechanical
Get into the fold. The plane engineering graduates…)
that made the longest flight Get a grip: hold it at the centre
record (from an A4 sheet of its gravity to throw.
of paper) took more than For a plane that goes ffar (the
20 minutes to fold. See the record to beat is 88.31 metres),
designs at foldnfly.com for make it streamlined: think
inspiration, tagged with pointy nose, minimal wings.
attributes and difficulty levels. To throw, take a stance like
T
Don’t be a drag: you want your it’s a javelin. The record holders
paper to be as smooth and the say that the optimal angle
folds as crisp as possible. Hold for launch is 40 degrees.
up your plane. Is it in line? Is it For a plane that stays in the air
symmetrical? W Wonky folding (29.2 seconds to beat), your
will throw it off course. plane will look very y different:
Go with the micro: if you bigger wings for starters. And
tweak nose or wings, make arch as you throw, using the
the changes very small. And upward momentum to launch.

Sketch (or write) a list of things that

ties’
DID YOU KNOW The 21
letters of ‘incomprehensibili you think might make your mornings
‘common English usage’.*
a bit better
make it the longest word in Taken from Drawing on Anxiety: Finding Calm Through Creativity,
written & illustrated by Kate Sutton (Leaping Hare Press)
*Though the actual longest word ‘Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis’,
a kind of lung disease, is more than double the length, with 45 letters.

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS
NICE FIND
Sudoku solution
Walking in the Lake Quick-fire quiz
1. Hops; 2. Somerset (opening
District, you might in Street in 1931); 3. A rabbit;
4. Bilbo and Frodo; 5. Spruce
discover a ‘Borrowdale – sold as ‘State of Maine Pure
Spruce Gum’
Banksy’: sculptures made
in the landscape from Brick in the wall
slate by Billy, bulky, bully, clout, clove,
shake, shaky, shave, shout,
an unknown shove, suave, sulky, sully.

artist, found Seeing Double

in different 1. Entice 2. Potion 3. Remedy
4. Camera 5. Bakery 6. Upkeep
locations 7. Steppe 8. Deepen 9.Energy
over the last 10. Pierce
Mystery keyword: Timekeeper
Puzzles provided by Lovatts Crosswords
& Puzzles (lovattspuzzles.com)
few years.

124
OCTOBER ISSUE

SEED
Gathering Looking Back Reflection
Heading to the woods Fairy tales Autumn colour

Wellbeing Weekend project Wearing well

The season of letting go Seed packets, bombs and papers Why we love coloured tights

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS ISSUE…

… you can buy the next one at picsandink.com from 27 September 2023
If you really liked it, might we suggest a subscription delivered to your door? – see page 78
PHOTOGRAPHY: JONATHAN CHERRY; ALI ALLEN

ON SALE 27 SEPTEMBER 2023

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PLAYLIST

Soundtrack to September
A SEPTEMBER RAMBLE

This Land Is Your Land Woody Guthrie

Picking Apples Frida Hyvönen
Amble And Ramble And Roam Miss Aimee Leigh
Strolling Down The Highway Bert Jansch
Blackberry Song Kurt Vile
Walking All Day Graham Coxon
Whole Wide World Wreckless Eric
Roam The B-52s
Tonight The Streets Are Ours Richard Hawley
Wandering Alone Belle and Sebastian
Walking In Memphis Cher
Wanderer Cat Power
September Song Agnes Obel
Rambling Man Laura Marling
Ends Of The Earth Lord Huron

DJ: FRANCES AMBLER. IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK

Ramblin’ Man Lemon Jelly
Wandering René Aubry

Take a listen on Spotify at thesimplethings.com/blog/septemberramble

stop
look
listen “Strolling down the highway
I’m gonna get there my way”

126
CU
A N DT O U T
KEE
FOOD TO SHARE P

Too good to keep to ourselves. Try it and pass it on

Bloody Mary
rigatoni
You don’t need a

hangover to enjoy this

classic pasta with a kick. »

127
Bloody Mary rigatoni

Serves 2 until al dente. Reserve a couple

2 tbsp butter of tablespoons of the cooking
4 tsp olive oil water when you drain it.
2 red onions, finely sliced 3 Add the garlic and celery seeds
2 celery sticks, very finely to the onion and celery and cook,
chopped without the lid, for 1 min. Turn
200g rigatoni the heat up a little and add the
2 large garlic cloves, grated tomato purée, hot sauce and the
1 tsp celery seeds Worcestershire sauce. Cook, stirring
6 tbsp tomato purée constantly, for 2 mins, then add
4 tsp hot sauce the vodka, lemon juice and a good
6 good dashes of Worcestershire pinch of salt. Cook for a further
sauce 2 mins, stirring, until the sauce
2 tbsp vodka or gin is smooth and glossy, then remove
Juice of 1 lemon the pan from the heat.
100ml double cream 4 Tip the pasta and the reserved
Grated parmesan and ground cooking water into the pan with
black pepper, to serve the sauce and add the cream. Place
the pan back over a low heat and
1 Put the butter and olive oil in mix everything together, tossing
a heavy-based saucepan over it thoroughly to make sure the
a low–medium heat. When the sauce is clinging to the pasta.
butter has melted, add the onion, Serve with plenty of parmesan
celery and a good pinch of salt. and freshly-ground black pepper.
Cover the pan and cook gently
Taken from The Art Of Friday Night Dinner:
for 15 mins, or until soft.
Recipes For The Best Night Of The Week by
2 Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in Eleanor Steafel (Bloomsbury Publishing).
plenty of well-salted boiling water, Photography by Sophie Davidson

128
GETTING IN TOUCH WHERE WAS THAT?
[email protected] Good things to eat and drink Roald Dahl quiz 37 The miniaturist 74
020 3950 1835 A dog walk picnic 6 Pleats 39 Shop: I Am Acrylic 100
thesimplethings.com Figgy banana bread 19 Marbling 80 Maker: Printmaker 104
Visit our blog for original features Veg Patch Pantry 40 What I treasure 83 Cornish yurt 114
and sign up for our newsletter Maria’s mojito 56 Dahlias 87
Chocolate chip cookies 73 Home tour 88 Proudly homemade
The Simple Things Bloody Mary rigatoni 127 Wishlist 98 Scented seashell candle 27
Iceberg Press Garden swim pond 106 Marbled paper 82
The Old Bakery Feeling better Rooms of potential 110 DIY garden tandoor 96
3b Hoskins Road Slow travel 22 Salty onion pickle 122
Oxted Poem 30 Good people & places
Surrey RH8 9HT Healing waters 52 Magical wild boar 17 … and more
The art of small talk 84 My day in cups of tea 20 Could-do list 3
Playlist 126 My City: Glasgow 31 September almanac 26
/THESIMPLETHINGSMAG
Bedtime story 130 Patrick Grant 48 Miscellany 117
/SIMPLETHINGSMAG Good news 60
/SIMPLETHINGSMAG The comfort of things Geological outings 62
The picky tea 14 My living: pizza van 69
/SIMPLETHINGS

MEET THE TEAM

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Editor Lisa Sykes Art Editors Wishlist Editor
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020 3950 1835
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[email protected] Abbie Miller Cathy McKinnon Commercial Director
07896 239433 Vanessa Grzywacz Rob Biddiss
Editor-at-Large
Iona Bower Commissioning Editor Subscription Managers
Publishing & Licensing (Homes, food & projects) Heléna Broadbridge
Picture Researcher
[email protected] Karen Dunn
Liz Boyd Assistant Publisher
07768 873139 Commissioning Editors
Wellbeing Editor Fiona Hamilton
(Travel, nature & growing)
Rebecca Frank Managing Director
Jo Mattock
Taking time to live well Books Editor David Parker
Jo Tinsley
Eithne Farry
THE SIMPLE THINGS

September
SEPTEMBER 2023

Co-founders
David Parker, Guy Foreman, Lisa Sykes
New hobbies & harvest feasts

icebergpress.co.uk

The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press, printed by Warners and distributed by Seymour.
We print on chlorine-free paper from suppliers that have been independently certified by the Forest
RAMBLE
Picnic with a pooch • Marbling • Healing waters & garden swim ponds
Blackberry blondies & turmeric gingerade • Why we love a picky tea
Stewardship Council. Our subscription copies come wrapped in paper which can be recycled.
A modern miniaturist • How chit-chat helps • Pleats, Poirot & pickleball

© Iceberg Press Limited 2023. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced
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to in this magazine.
BEDTIME STORY

THE RAMBLERS
A S S O C I AT I O N

A short story by HELEN PARIS

ow many is it now?” asks Tom as they

stride side by side through the grass.
“Goodness,” says Margaret, slowing
to hoist her rucksack to a more
comfortable position. “I can hardly
remember. Must be almost thirty.”
“Thirty! Impossible!” Tom shakes his head. “I’d turned
thirty-six when we did the Lakes, and next year I’ll be…”
“Eligible for your bus pass!” smirks Margaret.
He holds out his hand as Margaret passes him her sticks
and clambers over a stile. The path veers uphill towards
a copse. “That was our first time, remember the Lakes?”
“Of course I remember!” A smile teases Margaret’s lips.
“All those breakfasts at Harness House!” He catches
her eye. Smiles back. “Those endless rolling Wainwrights.”
“The endless bloody rain!” adds Margaret.
“Your boots leaked. I lent you a pair of socks and you
kept them!” he reminds her.
The path is steeper now, narrowing towards the trees. ahead, her back to him. “Richard got called to do that
Margaret slips ahead, Tom falling seamlessly in behind, keynote in Amsterdam at the last minute. I stayed home
his boots pressing into the tracks made by hers. “Following with Maddie and James.”
year was the Cumbrian Way. Then the Isle of Anglesey.” Tom remembers now. Shivering alone in the hide.
“That sand, Tom, remember? So soft. And the sea…” Another whole long year to get through before he’d
“Those moonlit swims.” see her again. A loud rustling and a lanky man plunges
For a moment there is just the sound of their footsteps. through the undergrowth. “First one back to camp’s the
“You missed one. Malvern Hills?” winner!” He races by and disappears through the trees.
“Malvern Hills, of course!” “Bloody Geoff!” says Tom. “It’s a Ramblers Association,
“And I remember you adored the Cotswolds.” not a ruddy Couch-to-5k club! Ramble means amble,”
“All those lovely grassy fields,” smiles Tom. he says. “Meander and range, roam and rove, drift and…”
“All those lovely cream teas you mean!” “Stray.” Margaret turns to him, her jaw tense. “Ramble
He chuckles. “Guilty as charged! Hadrian”s Wall.” means not making a decision, not choosing a way.”
“Snowdonia.” He comes towards her. Takes her hands. It is the most
“Nidderdale Way.” he has ever taken. Enough because it must be.
“No. Not Nidderdale.” Margaret”s sticks stab into “A ramble is harmless,” he says. “A moment out of time.
the grass. A space in-between.” Sunlight waterfalls through the leaves.
“Really? I”m sure it was Nidderdale next because She sighs. Nods.
I remember being grateful for that fleece-lined Parka They fall back in step. “The Lakes again next year I see,”
I’d got for Snowdonia. Summer was like winter that year.” he says after a moment.
Margaret quickens the pace. “I’m positive it was “Yes.”
Nidderdale.” Tom pants slightly. “Didn’t we go birding “An anniversary, then, in a way.”
ILLUSTRATION: LARA PAULUSSEN

at Gouthwaite Reservoir?” “In a way, yes.”

“No.” The thrust of her sticks sends up a spray of earth. They walk on through the trees.
“I mean, yes, it was Nidderdale.”
“Thought so! We…”
“I didn’t go.”
Helen’s novel The Invisible Women’s Club (Doubleday) studies
They are at the trees now, sudden shade after the bright female friendship. Her Simple Thing is “A new notebook on a café
sun of the day. Margaret stalks on, then stops a few paces table with a newly-sharpened pencil and a glass of lime cordial.”

130
5 YEARS
Exceptional British made wood stoves for the home.
01983 537780 • @charnwoodstoves • www.charnwood.com charnwood
‘T hese are the last halcyon days of summer,
there’s warmth in the sun and the hedgerow
is groaning with goodies’

ISSUE 135 • SEPTEMBER 2023 • PRINTED IN THE UK

£6.99