Image: Katharine Davies
Illustration: Joe Snow
How to make a corn dolly
Turn over a new sheaf with this traditional harvest custom
1 For this basic neck or sheaf dolly, gather some undamaged, hollow straw. Any straw will do (wheat is the most popular) – try practising with paper straws.
2 Dampen straw so it’s easier to work with.
3 Bundle together some waste stems to make your core: it should be around the size of a biro. Tie into place.
4 Tie five straws of roughly the same width around your core. Tie them near to the wheat heads as you can. Bend each stem at right angles so they’re each pointing in a different direction, like the points on a compass; with the last one pointing just to your left.
5 Take the fifth stem and bend it up, before bending it right so that it reaches over the next two compass points.
6 Turn a quarter clockwise and repeat, using what’s become the new ‘South’ straw.
7 Repeat, each time turning a quarter so that the circle builds. With broken straws, just slide a new one over it.
8 Once finished, tie with straw or ribbon.
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Be a kitchen witch!
Introducing a little magic into your cooking can be great fun: it’s exciting to go to the shops or garden and gather ingredients to bring love, luck or health to those you cook for.
Start with these pearls of witchy wisdom:
- Pick parsley for parties. It’s said to bring eloquence and extra charm, helps reduce drunkenness and is a proven breath freshener! Serve with potatoes as they are grounding.
- Share a jasmine tea with someone and it will help you bond. Jasmine is a vine and represents the intertwining of people.
- Make an autumnal soup with leeks, squash, carrots, potatoes, fresh sage and chives. Prepare with love and serve to friends and family to bring warmth and happiness for the new season.
For more spells, recipes and magical meals read The Book of Kitchen Witchery by Cerridwen Greenleaf (Cico)
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Staple foods: 4. Squash and pumpkins
So much more than a Jack O’Lantern in waiting, make the most of your pumpkin this Halloween
The symbol of a season on the turn, a tool to ward off evil spirits and the fodder of fairytales – pumpkins are probably the most famous of all the winter squash, but are they the most delicious?
Related to cucumbers, courgettes and melons – and technically a fruit – these hardy squash come in a spectrum of shapes, sizes and colours, from dusky blues and creamy yellows to egg-yolk orange and moss green.
Pumpkins, which are native to America, are best known for their part in the Thanksgiving tradition (puréed with warming winter spices, as the filling for a sweet pie) or disembowelled and carved for Halloween.
They can be brewed into beer, grated into cakes, or simply mashed with butter – even the leaves and seeds can be eaten. But would you recognise the right squash for the job?
Extracted from Taste: The Infographic Book of Food by Laura Rowe, illustrations by Vicki Turner (Aurum Press, £20)
Download our free pumpkins booklet
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Halloween: Pumpkin carving
What better way to see in the season than by gathering friends, family and a pile of big pumpkins…
Once pumpkins arrive you know autumn is really in full swing. Throw a pumpkin party: ask people to bring a small pumpkin as well as the one they’ll be carving.
Carve off the pumpkin tops and fill them with tea lights, votive candles or dried flowers and seedheads from the garden. Send everyone home with their pumpkin vase.
Tell stories as you carve of fancy dress disasters, maybe a ghost story you once heard or simply what the word ‘pumpkin’ brings to mind.
Eat pumpkin*, too – a pie is the obvious choice. But pumpkin and sage lasagne or pumpkin soup make for filling savoury dishes, especially accompanied by a mug of hot cider or two.
How to carve a pumpkin
YOU WILL NEED
Carving tools (a variety of spoons, knives and other tools for decorating
Cookie cutters (use a mallet to pound them through the pumpkin flesh)
Carving pumpkins
TO MAKE
Place newspaper over a large table. Pile carving tools in the centre, plus a communal bowl for seeds and filling.
When it comes to carving, there are no rules, just decorate whichever way you fancy.
Extract from Handmade Gatherings by Ashley English. Photography by Jen Altman (Roost Books)
*Carving pumpkins are an altogether different prospect to eating varieties. Come back later this week to find out which types are best in which dishes.
Download our free pumpkins booklet:
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Nourishing chickpea and turmeric face mask
This mask is tempting to eat, but refrain from doing so and let your skin soak up all the goodness.
Great for skin that's had a bit too much sun – and you’re likely to find all of the ingredients in your kitchen cupboards.
You’ll need:
1 tbsp chickpea flour (gram flour)
2 tsp almond oil
2 tsp honey
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 Mix together all the ingredients and stir well to form a paste.
2 Apply a thick layer onto clean skin and rest for 15 minutes before rinsing off the mask with tepid water.
(Don’t worry about turmeric colouring your face; the mask washes off easily without a trace.)
Extract from All Natural Beauty: Organic & Homemade Beauty Products by Karin Berndl and Nici Hofer (Hardie Grant)
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Recipe: Cabbage, beetroot and date salad
This brightly-coloured, no-cook Persian salad makes a fun and flavoursome accompaniment to a roast chicken.
Crunchy raw cabbage is an everyday feature of salads in Iran and here red cabbage is combined with raw beetroot and dates for a sweet and healthy take on a winter ’slaw. Quicker, lighter and less fuss than your usual roast dinner veggies, a salad means less time in the kitchen and more time for autumnal walks.
SERVES 4 AS A SIDE
2 medium, raw beetroots, peeled and grated
150g red cabbage, finely sliced
65g Iranian or Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
20g bunch parsley, finely chopped
FOR THE DRESSING
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp black pepper
1 Tip the beetroot into a large bowl, followed by the red cabbage, dates and parsley.
2 Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Just before serving, drizzle over the salad and give it all a good toss
Recipe from The Saffron Tales: Recipes from the Persian Kitchen by Yasmin Khan (Bloomsbury) Photography: Shahrzad Darafsheh and Matt Russell
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Hirameki: Download our ink blot doodles
Every blot’s an inspiration, every line is free, unlock your imagination and draw what you see! Try your hand at Hirameki - ink blot doodling where you draw what you see
If you’ve ever doodled, then you can turn your hand to a bit of Hirameki. The word means ‘brainwave’ or ‘flash of inspiration’ in Japanese and it is the art of turning a seemingly random paint blot into a picture by adding a few dots and lines. Artists Peng and Hu realised that the tiniest blot could be easily turned into something amazing; even the most inexperienced doodlers can make something from a blot.
“It is simply about drawing what you see,” says Peng. “All you need is a pen and a dash of imagination.”
On the subject of pens, they recommend the following: “A Hirameki pen should be no longer than your arm and no shorter than your little finger. The ink should be coal black or midnight blue, never shrieky yellow or shrinking violet. Calligraphy brushes, quills and charcoal are all acceptable. Best of all, though, is a fine-tipped felt pen.”
This new take on doodling is a fun version of the famous Rorschach inkblot test, created to reveal unconscious thinking.
Peng says: “It’s creative and a little bit anarchic for those who are bored of drawing inside the lines. And it’s a delight for hand, eye and mind, giving you an unexpected sense of satisfaction.”
Have a play with the blots on our Hirameki download PDFs or splatter your own. Just enter your email below and we'll email you with the Hirameki sheets and our fortnightly newsletter.
About Peng & Hu
Artists Peng, from Austria, and Hu, from Germany, discovered Hirameki when they saw a cow with a splotch that looked just like a film star
Taken from Hirameki and Hirameki Cats & Dogs (Thames & Hudson) by Peng & Hu
Image: Urban Bush Babes
Make: Luxurious Body Butter
Make your own aromatic, cooling skin smoother
MAKES: 250ml
KEEPS: 6 months
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp cocoa butter
4 tbsp shea butter
2 tbsp coconut oil
4 tbsp evening primrose oil
10 drops jasmine
10 drops sandalwood
5 drops rose
1. Gently heat the cocoa and shea butters with the coconut oil in a bain-marie until they have melted.
2. Remove from the heat and cool until hand-hot. Add all the oils and whisk well.
3. Put the bowl in the fridge, removing every 30 minutes or so to whisk.
4. When nearly set, whisk well and pour into jars.
5. Replace in the fridge until set.
Found in The Domestic Alchemist: 501 Herbal Recipes for Home, Health and Happiness by Pip Waller (Leaping Hare Press).
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Recipe: Pitta bread
Is there anything more satisfying than making your own bread?
Pitta is extremely easy to make and it goes with everything because it’s light and doesn’t overpower a dish.
Pitta bread
7g instant yeast
240ml tepid/warm water
1 tsp golden caster sugar
400g plain flour
50ml olive oil, plus extra for oiling
1 Mix the yeast and warm water together in a large bowl. Leave for a couple of minutes and then add the sugar and stir through. Add the flour and olive oil and knead together until you have a smooth doughy consistency that bounces back. This should take 5-8 minutes. Leave the dough in an oiled bowl for about one hour until it has risen.
2 Preheat the oven to 220C/Fan 200C/425F.
3 Once risen, cut the dough into eight equal pieces and shape them into nice balls. Lay them on a baking tray and leave to rise for another 10 minutes. Once risen, flatten each ball with a rolling pin (not too thin), lay on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until the pittas have puffed up. Keep an eye on them during baking – bake for too long and the breads will be too crunchy and lose their softness.
4 Serve, dipping into some olive oil and za’atar if you like.
These will keep for a few days if sealed in an airtight container.
Recipe from Palestine on a Plate by by Joudie Kalla (Jacqui Small) Photography Ria Osbourne
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Escape: How to spot a lost river
It's not all about Thermos flasks and hiking boots, a long walk through your nearest town or city can be as invigorating and enlightening as a country ramble.
Turn to page 66 of October's The Simple Things for a closer look at discovering neighbourhood secrets on a good long urban walk, and read on for how to spot a lost river.
How to spot a lost river
In many large cities, rivers have been diverted and hidden underground to make way
for growing cities. You can still see traces of their path on the ground, if you know what to look for:
Stink pipes
Tall, thin poles with no wires attached. When Victorian sewers were built, often incorporating rivers, these allowed the release of potentially explosive gases.
Gushing water sounds
If you hear this beneath drains and manhole covers it’s a giveaway.
Roads that slope
They may echo the course of a river towards its outlet.
Confusing boundaries
Rivers were once used as natural delineations between one borough or district and the next.
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Image: Stocksy
Home truths: Literary cakes
This month in our series on what really goes on in a home, we sift some flour to bake bread and pop a cake in the oven
As well as a look at all the cakes we’ve loved before, a glossary of which tin to use, bread making and bread makers, the five types of icing and a list of baking bloggers, we find eight extra somethings for the shopping list.Turn to page 118 for more, or read on for a look at literary cakes.
Classic bakes that have appeared, tantalisingly, in books:
Madeleines
In Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust, the narrator eats madeleines and has an olfactory epiphany as he remembers dipping similar cakes in tea with his aunt.
“She sent out for one of those short, plump little cakes called ‘petites madeleines’ which look as though they had been moulded in the fluted scallop of a pilgrim’s shell.”
Ginger Cake
In Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton, ginger cake features in a typical feast:
“Aunt Fanny had made a ginger cake with black treacle. It was dark brown and sticky to eat. The children said it was the nicest they had ever tasted.”
Crumpets
In Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, the narrator thinks longingly of the food they ate at Manderley:
“Those dripping crumpets, I can see them now. Tiny crisp wedges of toast, and piping-hot, flaky scones.”
Key lime pie
In Heartburn by Nora Ephron, a wronged wife throws a key lime pie at her husband:
“The pie I threw at Mark made a terrific mess, but a blueberry pie would have been better since it would have permanently ruined his new blazer.”
Chocolate eclair
In Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, the family’s unlikeable tutor tucks into an éclair:
“Miss Kilman opened her mouth, slightly projected her chin, and swallowed down the last inches of the chocolate éclair.”
Find more cakes in literature at thelittlelibrarycafe.com
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Image: Auf der Mammiladen
Give it a Grow: Pilea Pepermioides
WHAT IS IT?
A rather trendy leafy houseplant that, until fairly recently, caused a bit of a brew-ha-ha in the horticultural world because none of the experts knew what it was called. For years it had regularly appeared at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew’s help desk to be identified by mystified members of the public. It wasn’t until the late 1970s that it got a name, when Kew botanist Wessel Marais suggested that it was a Chinese species of Pilea. It now has several common names, including the Chinese money plant, the missionary plant and the pancake plant.
WHY WOULD YOU?
It has a rather appealing story attached to it: the plant was introduced to Europe in 1946 by a Norwegian missionary who had been travelling in the Chinese province of Yunming. Making the most of the plant’s easy-growing nature, he gave cuttings to friends and family in Norway, who in turn passed it on to friends in Sweden, then the UK and so on. It’s easy to grow, needing indirect light, good drainage and an occasional drink when the soil is dry.
WHY WOULDN’T YOU?
It can be hard to find a plant because more often than not, it’s ‘passed on’ rather than sold via nurseries. Try eBay.
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Mischief: October cover reveal
Curious things happen at this time of year. Pumpkins transform into faces and shiny conkers fall from the sky. There’s magic afoot as a bubbling pot turns into jewel bright jam and windfall apples become a pie. Outside, more wonder at work; the golden leaves of an oak tree, berries galore and seedheads to gather. Listen to wise women and learn well their herbal lore. Make mischief when darkness falls; try your hand at Hirameki or dust off a board game for a hygge evening of candlelit company. This is autumn. These are The Simple Things.
On sale today. Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe
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Competition: Win £250 to spend at Sass & Belle
This month, four lucky readers will each win £250 to spend on gorgeous homeware
Winter is one of our favourite times of year. When it’s cold and dank outside, we can revel in hunkering down indoors, away from the elements, and really enjoy our home comforts and the interiors we’ve so lovingly created.
To help you get the most out of the season, we’ve teamed up with innovative gift and homeware brand Sass & Belle to offer four lucky readers the chance to each win a £250 online gift voucher – a great opportunity to find those perfect finishing touches for your home. Perhaps you’ll choose from the Modern Artisan collection, new for autumn/winter 2016, which includes stylish terrariums, planters and coasters that combine gold brass with marble to create a simple, hand-crafted aesthetic with a modern twist. Or maybe you’ve been hunting for lighting to add mood and atmosphere to a room?
Amongst its huge range of exciting and original products Sass & Belle offers a wide collection of fun designs, from quirky flamingo and cacti wall lights, to pineapple night lights, wire and paper shades and strings of fairy lights. And that’s not all – a quick browse will unearth all manner of mugs, mirrors and furniture and storage, as well as a bounty of desirable and affordable gifts for Christmas.
Sass & Belle’s promise is to create lovable, design-led products you may have never known you wanted, so why not take a look and see what you can find? And don’t forget to enter the competition online for your chance to add a little happiness to your home, or to someone else’s. Good luck!
HOW TO ENTER
The prize consists of four £250 online gift vouchers to spend at sassandbelle.co.uk. The vouchers will expire three months after the date of issue and cannot be exchanged for cash. Competition closes on 15 November 2016. You can see Iceberg Press’ full terms and conditions on page 129 and at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules
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Competition: Win a £500 Autumn wardrobe from HUSH
WOMENSWEAR BRAND HUSH IS OFFERING ONE LUCKY READER THE CHANCE TO WIN A FABULOUS AUTUMN WARDROBE
The change of seasons is often a tricky time in the wardrobe department. After all this time in the bright colours and pretty prints of summer, it’s easy to forget how even your most basic staples function. Which top went with those trousers? Does this coat really go with those shoes? And why did I buy that enormous oversized jumper? Think how much easier the transition would be if you could treat yourself to an entirely new wardrobe.
Thanks to this great competition from hush, one lucky reader will be able to do just that, choosing £500 worth of clothing from its new autumn/winter 2016 collection. A marriage of the classic and contemporary with beautiful cuts, soft fabrics and hush’s trademark, laid-back sense of style, the collection takes inspiration from 1940s cinematic glamour and 1970s boho chic.
Since hush’s debut in 2003 (after Australian founder Mandy Watkins had lived through her first British winter), the brand has become a pioneer in relaxed fashion, specialising in stylish, wearable pieces you can feel truly comfortable in. Choose from slouchy V-necks or super-soft knits as well as skinny leather leggings, maxi dresses, sweats, scarves and more. Luxurious fabrics and contrasting textures in a carefully selected colour palette give you the freedom to coordinate pieces across the range to create your look, whatever your style.
Enter below by 9 November 2016
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Image: Kirstie Young
Living: Jam making and preserving
The growing season may be almost over, but the preserving season is in full swing. If you have a spare afternoon and a freezer fruit glut, it's the best time of year to stir some fruit in a cauldron-like pan
Turn to page 42 of October's The Simple Things for Lia Leendertz's recipes for Blackberry and vanilla jam, Spiced damson and apple jelly, and Pink grapefruit and ginger marmalade.
Want some tips on pickling, pantries and preserves? Issue 39 of The Simple Things (September 2015) has plenty of tips beginning on page 116 (get back issues here!), or read on.
Jam-making, an act steeped in nostalgia and nest making, is hard to resist, and at this time of year when rich fruit pickings abound, not just in the garden or allotment but also in the hedgerow, it feels almost like a duty to do it. This simple act of husbandry fills the kitchen with comforting smells and activity, the pantry with provisions and distils the essence of summer in a jar.
But before you disrupt the household with bubbling pans and empty jam jars, pull on an apron and gather together a few items.
A preserving pan (sometimes called a maslin pan) is essential, the stronger the better and preferably made of stainless steel which won't corrode. A jam thermometer takes the guesswork out of reaching the setting point, and a long-handled preserving spoon is handy for safe stirring. A jam funnel makes pouring hot jam into Kilner jars a simpler operation and a variety of labels and covers gives the end result a decorative flourish.
Preserving brings a little of the summer's flavour and colour to the chillier months when the choice of seasonal food is limited. But which preservation method to go for? Here are some options:
Pickling: fruit and vegetables are immersed in a vinegar and spice solution
Fermentation: vegetables are soaked in a spiced brine solution. Sugar is sometimes added. Kimchi, a Korean food staple, is the ultimate fermented food
Chutney: chopped fruit and veg are cooked with vinegar, spice and herbs, to produce a sweet-sour mixture with a chunky texture
Brining: cuts of meat are steeped in salt water
Salting: meat and fish are coated with salt to draw out moisture and kill bacteria
Seasonal pickling
Spring: rhubarb, cabbage, cauliflower, citrus fruit, asparagus
Summer: raspberries, plums, beetroot, asparagus, baby carrots, cucumbers, runner beans, apricots, courgettes, tomatoes, peaches
Autumn: apples, damsons, garlic, quince, blackberries, red cabbage, tomatoes, fennel, peppers
Winter: apples, cabbage, quince, citrus fruit
From How to Pickle by Gerard Baker for Lakeland
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Image: Stocksy
Wisdom: Hygge and happiness, a TED talk by Meik Wiking
Meik Wiking is a happiness guru – an advocate for hygge and a collector of smiles. Turn to page 38 of October's The Simple Things for his take on why enjoying togetherness is what makes him, and the Danes as a nation, the happiest in the world.
In his self-created role of director of The Happiness Research Institute, Meik has been running projects and studies, workshops and round table discussions on happiness. He travels the world meeting with governments and organisations, and exploring how everything from social media use to job satisfaction can affect happiness levels. He even keeps a notebook in which he records the frequency of smiles in random isolation in every city he visits. Some of the highest levels he has seen are in Mexico, while the lowest have been in Latvia and Poland. He says he still needs to do more study in the UK, but so far it’s not looking good. What makes people happy is now what gets Meik up in the mornings and, as he told a TED Talk that he gave on ‘The Dark Side of Happiness’ this year*, what makes people unhappy, depressed and suicidal, can keep him awake at night. Incidentally, it’s not true that the Danes have the highest rate of suicide (they rank somewhere in the middle).
Watch his TEDxCopenhagen talk now: The Dark Side of Happiness
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Image: Stocksy (Rustic autumnal fruit tart - left)
Recipe: Rustic autumnal fruit tart
This is the simplest tart you can make. Just bake a rustic circle or square of puff pastry. Pile on some fruit such as grapes, raspberries, figs, slices of apple or pear; gloss with a little honey or maple syrup and bake till the fruit’s just softened. A stunning showstopper
Rustic autumnal fruit tart
Serves 6-8
A rectangle of puff pastry (for homemade see below)
2 tbsp melted butter
5-6 handfuls of autumnal fruits
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F. Cut a piece of greaseproof paper roughly the size of a baking tray. Lightly dust with flour. Roll your pastry out on the paper till 1cm-thick and transfer to the baking tray.
2 Use the tip of a knife to score the pastry 2-3cm from the edge, all the way around, which effectively marks the sides of your tart. Brush with the melted butter. Bake for 15-20 mins or till golden.
3 Arrange your fruits on the tart, scattering them in an even layer. Drizzle honey or maple syrup over the top. Return to the oven for 10-15 mins or till the fruits are just softened.
Rough puff pastry
If you can’t find a good, all-butter puff pastry, this recipe is a dream and easy to whip up, too
Makes enough for 1 larger or 2 smaller pies
150g plain white flour
pinch sea salt
¼ tsp baking powder
75g unsalted butter, fridge cold
4-5 tbsp cold water
1 Mix the flour, salt and baking powder. Cut the butter into 1-2cm cubes. Bit by bit add them to the flour, coating the butter in flour as you add them. Rub the butter into the flour till it’s almost at the breadcrumb-like consistency stage. Leave some lumps of butter less rubbed in. It's all part of the masterflan plan.
2 Add enough water to bring it together into a soft, silky (not sticky) dough. Use very cold water so the butter doesn't melt.
3 On a floured surface, pat the dough into a rectangle. Roll until 1-2cm thick.
4 Fold in the sides as if you're folding a letter. Rotate the rectangle 90°. Roll out again. Repeat this five times, ending with a letter-folded piece of dough.
5 Wrap up in a clean tea towel. Refrigerate for 30 mins before rolling out or freeze it for up to a month.
Turn to page 25 of October's The Simple Things for the full Thanksgiving menu:
Cider & sage turkey
Fresh cranberry sauce
Apple sourdough stuffing
Persian pilaf pumpkin
Rosemary and ginger carrots
Brown butter sweet potato gratin
Deep dish apple pie
Pumpkin pie with hazelnut crust
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Listen: Soundtrack to October | songs of the woods
Time to run to the forest and watch the leaves tumble
Listen to our Songs of the Woods playlist on Spotify now
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