El Golfo, Lanzarote. By Linda Lashford for Inntravel.
Three new baking bibles
In celebration of National Baking Week (13-19 October) – in case you needed an excuse - here are three new baking bibles…
Great British Bakes by Mary-Anne Boermans (Square Peg, £20) A collection of ‘forgotten treasures for modern bakers’ from a previous Bake Off finalist. Find yourself back in Granny’s kitchen with Chelsea buns, King and Queen cakes and Bakewell pudding in wonderful variations and designs.
Making Bread Together by Emmanuel Hadjiandreou (Ryland, Peters & Small, £17) Grab a little helper or two and knead, sprinkle, twist and plait your (play) dough together while discovering all the joys of bonding over baking.
Pâtisserie Made Simple by Edd Kimber (Kyle Books, £20) The book that makes all those things you thought you couldn’t possibly create (tarts, choux pastry, macaroons…) seem easy. For the home cook, there’s minimal equipment, ingredients and fuss.
Want more cookbooks? This month, Team Simple Things digs out our most-thumbed volumes and the memories they hold. Turn to page 74 of October's The Simple Things for a look at what makes a cookbook great.
156th Mendip Ploughing Match
The 156th Mendip Ploughing Match was held on Yeo Valley’s Priddy Hill Farm earlier this month. A celebration of the local community, the soil, and of the heritage of the countryside, the Match also forms a stage in the progress of the Mendip champion to the National Ploughing Championships.
Featuring ploughing by hand, by horse, by tractor and even by steam engine, the art of ploughing through the ages is represented. Many of these forms of ploughing are unsustainable in modern agriculture so matches such as this enable people to come together and keep the skills alive. The love for these old machines - the tiny horticultural ploughs, a vintage Massey Ferguson that is over 50 years old - and the skill of those who maintain them is apparent all around. Vintage tractor entries made up the majority of competitors.
Yeo Valley Farm Manager, Jon Wilson, judged the grain and fodder classes, in which the best bale of hay, or 20lb bushel of oats is awarded a prize. There is even a class for the best piece of turf, and the heaviest pumpkin!
The atmosphere is that of a village fete. Mary Mead, founder of Yeo Valley, is one of the vice presidents of the society and a number of staff participated. Some ploughed, some judged, and some just turned up for the fun.
Want more? Watch the film of the 2012 Mendip Ploughing Match.
Want, knead, love: Real, down-to-earth bread baking
There's something about bread that is so fundamental, so magical, so right. Our passionate baker boy, Alex Gooch, is here to pass on his bread baking knowhow.
Meet Alex Gooch, our new baker boy, in the first of his new series about baking bread.
“Good bread takes patience, passion and instinct. Making it brings you into the moment completely. It stimulates all of the senses, whether it be the feel of the dough, the sweet smell of the baking bread, or the crackle as you squeeze a ciabatta. “When I was growing up, my brothers and I ate toast, toast and more toast! And that was about as close to bread as I got until I started as a kitchen porter when I was doing my A levels. “I loved the camaraderie of the kitchen and felt at home there. They offered to train me, so I ditched the idea of college and settled into the chef’s life of long hours and a surrogate family of fellow foodies. “I liked baking bread and worked at a few Italians where I mastered focaccia pretty well and at hotels I made plenty of pastry and croissants. But it was while at Penrhos Court in Herefordshire that I started experimenting, encouraged by chef Daphne lambert (who I named my first sourdough starter after). In 2007 she let me take over one of the kitchens at night and this was my first bakery. I began selling bread and jams at farmers’ markets and food festivals, then the following year I opened my bakery called Alex Gooch Artisan Baker in Hay-on-Wye. “There are so many possibilities with bread: rye sourdough, mixed grain, ciabatta, brioche but one of the things that keeps me excited and inspired is following the seasons, and letting them dictate the bread I make. It turns out that pink fir apple potatoes make the most scrumptious potato and onion bread, and the magical cep makes a mind-blowing garlic and cep foccacia with herb oil. “Baking is a hard job – pulling all-nighters and the need to step up a gear when things are busy. But baking at home is different: one of the reasons I think it is now so popular is because the results are so rewarding. The process is so enjoyable, too. It is very natural; you can listen to the radio or chill out for a while – bread is at its best when it is left to rest a lot.”
Turn to page 49 of October's The Simple Things for Alex's seasonal bread bakes, including Black garlic flatbread with sesame, nigella and a kale, miso dressing; Roast pumpkin and apple rolls; and Plum and ginger bread with a cider and honey glaze.
Buy or download your copy now.
Alex Gooch supplies restaurants, hotels, delis, functions and events and sells at markets in different towns four days a week. He also runs bread-making courses: www.alexgoochbaker.com. Tweet Alex @alexgoochbaker to let him know how your bread bakes.
Go meteor-spotting this month
Head outside and enjoy the show! Find out how to spot meteors with our guide.
The annual Draconids and Orionids meteor showers come to town this month. Here's what to expect...
Draconids
Around ten meteors an hour, but some years feature meteor storms with hundreds an hour.
When: peaking in the early evening on 7 and 8 October - no need to stay up late to spot them!
Orinids
Around 15 meteors an hour, produced by the debris stream from Halley's Comet, with occasional bright fireballs.
When: 20 and 21 October.
Astronomical glossary
Asteroid: rocky, smaller than a planet and very old; often left over from the formation of the Solar System.
Meteor: an asteroid that burns and vaporises as it enters the earth's atmosphere; AKA a shooting star.
Meteorite: any meteor that survives the plunge through the atmosphere and lands on the surface of the Earth.
Comet: a relatively small odd that orbits the Sun, displaying a fuzzy outline and sometimes a tail.
The Simple Things guide to meteor-spotting is part of October's Miscellany: a curious combination of the practical and the playful. Turn to page 123 of The Simple Things for more. Buy or download your copy now.
And look out for November's The Simple Things - stargazing and a trip to the moon and stars!
Image: The radiant meteor storm of 9 October 1933, Larousse Encyclopedia of Astronomy, found on Pinterest.
Wool Week: Join The Wool Ride
Join fellow yarn-fans this weekend for the capital's Wool Ride in celebration of Wool Week.
The Simple Things team is a woolly bunch - we love natural materials. This Sunday, get on your bike and join fellow wool-clad cyclists for The Wool Ride.
Help launch Wool Week in a frenzy of fibre as over 300 wool loving cyclists from across the country gather in London for a one of a kind experience. Starting and finishing at Potters Fields on Sunday 5th October, the bicycle ride will journey through some of the streets made famous by London’s most prominent wool supporters, including the archetypal Jermyn Street.
Take in some of London’s key sights and hotspots, passing through iconic scenery such as London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Knightsbridge, Park Lane and Regent Street. The ride starts at 9am (running until 2pm - the 13.4 mile ride should take around 1 hour 38 minutes), taking riders along a meandering route with time to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the sights of the capital at a leisurely pace. On arrival at Potters Fields, give your bike a temporary makeover with the ‘Woolen Cycle Workshop.’ Here, teams of cycle creatives will be on hand to give bikes the ultimate makeover for a chance to win the award for best bicycle. And don't forget to wear your best woollen knits as there is an award for best dressed up for grabs.
Find out more about The Wool Ride.
Want more wool? Celebrate cosy and cool Fair Isle knits with us - turn to page 22 of October's The Simple Things. And join the queen of sheepskin, Kath Whitworth, as she shares her day in cups of tea (page 56).
Plants for free: How to collect seeds
The flowering season may be coming to an end but there is still abundance in the garden. This is the time to collect seeds, propagate and divide.
October is the time to harvest a different sort of crop: seeds, cuttings and divided plants to fill the garden with colour next year. Here’s how to go about it...
Collect your own seeds
Set off with a brown paper bag, a pair of scissors and a skip in your step. If you want to bulk up stocks of a favourite plant or ensure new supplies of an annual, now’s the time to collect their seeds. Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea), love-in-a-mist (nigella damascena), cosmos (cosmos bipinnatus) and honesty (lunaria annua) are ideal for beginners and will easily store and germinate the following spring. However, there are many other annuals as well as perennials, biennials, alpines, ornamental grasses, vegetables, herbs and some trees and shrubs that can all be grown from seed that you’ve collected.
1 Choose your plants carefully
Go for strong, healthy ones as they’re likely to have good- quality seed. However, be aware if they’re hybrids (specially bred plants that are unlikely to have the same qualities as the parent plant) rather than species, as the plant won’t “come true” from seed. In the case of hybrids, either buy new plants the following year or be prepared for the collected seeds to produce something completely different from this year’s plants.
2 Collect the seeds
Once you’ve decided which plants you’re saving seed from, the trick is to collect it just before it has dispersed. It’s a bit of a waiting game, but once the seed head has ripened and changed colour (from green to brown, black or red) and is dry and crisp, it’s time to spring into action. Pick individual seed heads and use separate paper bags for each species or, if they’ll come away easily, place a paper bag over the seed head and gently shake.
3 Dry the seeds
Once you’ve gathered all the seeds you want, lay them out on a warm windowsill or a greenhouse bench – you can even find a spot in the airing cupboard. You need to give them time to dry out so you can get to the seed more easily. Clean away the ‘chaff’ or casing until you’re left with just the seed. Check to see which seeds you’ve collected and if they need to be sown straight away. Hellebores, for example, can be stored to sow next spring when the weather warms up.
4 Transfer your seeds into individual paper packets and label them
You’ll be surprised how satisfying this is. Keep them in an airtight container and, if you have any sachets of silica gel from new shoes or bags, place a couple in with the seeds to absorb excess moisture, which would otherwise cause the seeds to rot. If not, add a handful or two of rice to the container and find a spot for the container in the fridge.
Want more? Turn to page 97 of October's The Simple Things. Buy or download your copy now.
Recipe: Vibrant autumn coleslaw
No need to wait till next summer with this vibrant autumn salad from The Natural Cook by Tom Hunt.
This slaw is a great way to ‘eat the rainbow’ – colourful veg contain a range vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to ward off winter bugs.
Vibrant autumn coleslaw
Serves 4
200g carrots 1 small beetroot 3 beet tops or kale leaves, shredded 2 tbsp sunflower seeds 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds Juice of 1 lemon Small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped 150g blackberries Extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp sesame seeds
1. Grate the carrots coarsely, dress with a splash of extra virgin olive oil, a little lemon juice and salt and pepper. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until they brown slightly. mix with the carrots.
2. Grate the beetroot and add it to the dish, but don’t mix the salad until you’re ready to eat, so the colours stay separate.
3. Add all of the remaining ingredients and season the mix to taste. Toss gently with a glug of the oil to coat, then serve.
Seasonal twist
Play around with different ingredients as the seasons change. As winter arrives, substitute the blackberries for dried fruits and grate in whatever raw root vegetables you have handy, from kohlrabi to celeriac.
Storage
The salad will keep for three days in a sealed container in the fridge, but is best eaten straight away.
Recipe from The Natural Cook by Tom Hunt.
Wicca quiz: Which witch are you?
The witches we tend to think of are the stuff of cliche. As followers of wicca continue to grow, we ask 'which witch are you?' in this fun quiz.
For a fun way to discover your true witchy nature and to help identify magical areas of interest, try this simple quiz. Just count the letter you ticked the most and read on to see what kind of witch you are. 1) YOU OFTEN MAKE WISHES: a) At night under a full moon b) When you’re cooking up a storm in the kitchen c) By lighting a candle d) When you’re out in the garden
2) WHICH THREE WORDS BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? a) Sensitive, creative, and intuitive b) Warm, generous, and caring c) Spontaneous, passionate, and enthusiastic d) Practical, mystical, and earthy
3) TO DE-STRESS, YOU: a) Take a stroll by the sea with the one you love b) Get together with friends and family for a feast c) Don your party dress and tear up the dance floor d) Go for a picnic in the woods
4) WHICH OF THESE WORKSHOPS WOULD YOU BE DRAWN TO? a) Astrology b) Everyday spellcraft c) Fire-walking d) Holistic remedies
5) TO GIVE YOURSELF A CONFIDENCE BOOST BEFORE A BIG EVENT, YOU: a) Focus on your breathing b) Remind yourself how amazing you are c) Do some exercise d) Make a soothing herbal brew
6) WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE TYPE OF RESTAURANT? a) A seafood restaurant b) A traditional all-American diner c) A tapas restaurant d) A French bistro
7) YOUR FAVOURITE MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE IS: a) A werewolf b) A griffin c) A dragon d) A unicorn
8) WHICH QUALITY IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU IN A RELATIONSHIP? a) Romance b) Honesty c) Passion d) Friendship
9) YOU’RE AT YOUR HAPPIEST WHEN YOU ARE: a) Sitting out under the stars at night b) Decorating your boudoir c) Gazing into an open fire d) Learning something new
Mostly As MOON WITCH
A sensitive soul who finds it easy to empathise with others, you’re a Moon Witch at heart. Most at home under the stars, you have a vivid imagination. You’re drawn to rituals that involve the phases of the moon and the planets, and you have a natural aptitude for astrology. Bodies of water also fascinate you, and you find it easy to relax by the sea. You’re at your most powerful during the moon’s waxing phase (when it gets bigger), so use this time to manifest the things you want, and to inspire others.
Mostly Bs KITCHEN WITCH
Warm and kind-hearted, you love to put a smile on people’s faces. Most at home when you’re rustling up a sumptuous meal,you’re a true KitchenWitch. You know the power that you have at your fingertips, and how to use everyday items and ingredients to achieve your magical aims. Wise and knowledgeable, you easily draw people to you, which means you’re constantly on call for advice.You have a natural flair for flavours and putting things together to create a masterpiece. Because of this, you’ll be an adept spell–creator and–caster.
Mostly Cs ELEMENTAL WITCH
Fiery and passionate, you’re a changeable soul ruled by your emotions, so you’ll make an excellent Elemental Witch. You embrace new things, and have an adventurous streak.You’ll probably find that the weather affects your moods. You’re vibrant, confident, and in tune with your body, and have an immense amount of energy, which you put to good use. Fast action suits you, so you’ll naturally be drawn to fire and candle magic. You’re at your most powerful when you’re taking the lead, and, like the flames of a fire, you easily light up a room.
MOSTLY DS HEDGE WITCH
A true earth mother,you feel a deep connection to nature, which makes you the perfect Hedge Witch. With a broad knowledge of plants and herbs, you’ll love getting your hands dirty. An excellent communicator with strong creative skills, you have a natural way with words. You’re adept at most types of healing; spells, charms, brews, and potions fascinate you, and you’re constantly gathering information. A keen interest in folklore means that you enjoy mixing old traditions with new ideas. You feel most at home outdoors, and at your most powerful when surrounded by wildlife and cocooned by trees.
Read more about wicca on page 80 of October 2014's The Simple Things. Buy or download now.
Quiz extracted from The Beginner's Guide to Wicca by Kirsten Riddle, CICO Books.
Competition: Win! A sofa from Graham & Green worth £1,600 (closed 30 November 2014)
This month’s prize winner gets to curl up on a two-seater sofa, in their choice of fabric, from Graham & Green, the interiors specialists.
The sofa comes into its own at this time of year: an inviting retreat for curling up with a good book or for watching the glut of autumn telly – feet up, pyjamas on. Let our competition be your cue to do it in style.
What you could win:
A two-seater sofa worth £1,600 from Graham & Green’s Rose collection (H85cm x W186cm x D105cm). Choose from 16 fabrics, ranging from olive velvet to storm blue felt, plus a range of textured neutrals. Made to order in 8–12 weeks after the closing date.
How to enter:
Visit https://www.futurecompetitions.com/sofa/ Closing date: 30 November 2014. See website for full terms and conditions.
Autumn at Graham & Green
In celebration of the new autumn collections at Graham & Green, we have teamed up with the colourful retailer, known for its stylish gifts and interiors, to offer one reader the chance to win a two-seater sofa from the Rose Collection. This beautiful hardwood framed sofa combines comfort (foam padding and fibrewool ball back cushions, since you ask) with sleek design. There are 16 beautifully contemporary fabrics you can choose from: finely textured plains including Divine Pink (pictured); slub neutrals from Natural to Anthracite, and, for fans of colour, tastefully bright velvets and felts.
More than furniture Graham & Green’s expertise goes far beyond sofas. The company has offered wonderfully eclectic interiors for 40 years, inspired by exotic destinations and quirky design. It’s a characterful heritage that comes through in everything from their statement lighting, to their covetable mirrors and accessories – their range covers living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens, too.
Visit their new showroom in Acton, west London, or find the full range online at www.grahamandgreen.co.uk.
Food from afar: Bento box
The art of Japanese nibbles beautifully packed into a box – it’s Bento!
A packed lunch so elegant that only the Japanese could have invented it, the bento took shape during the prosperous Edo period (1600–1868), as theatregoers and day trippers impressed one another with aesthetically pleasing picnics.
Now, no cherry-blossom-watching party or Japanese school sports day is complete without a spread of umami-rich nibbles in compartmentalised boxes, which are unwrapped from decorative furoshiki (wrapping cloths) to a chorus of admiring oohs and aahs. The classic shokado bento in its lidded red-and-black lacquerware box is a staple of Japanese restaurants, typically filled with steamed rice, pickled plums, sashimi (raw fish), battered prawns and cooked meats.
Other variations include the makunouchi (‘between-acts’) bento served at theatres, and kawaii (‘cute’) bentos tucked into school bags of little ones (whose mothers may pay good money to learn how to make Hello Kitty out of rice balls). True enthusiasts know that the best boxed lunches are eaten at 170 miles an hour while speeding between cities on the bullet train. Thousands of varieties of takeaway ekiben (station bento) showcase local specialities (sea urchin and salmon roe on Hokkaido; grilled beef tongue in Sendai), turning platform kiosks into foodie hotspots.
The art of bento has spread far beyond Japan – something to think about next time you plough grimly through a foil- wrapped cheese sandwich or heat up last night’s leftovers in the office microwave.
Bento Babies
Try making your own Bento kids packed lunch box with tips from Capture by Lucy.
Buy Bento boxes and supplies from Japan Centre.
Buy the Just Bento Cookbook for Everyday Lunches to Go.
Turn to page 62 of September’s The Simple Things for more Food from Afar. Buy or download now.
Food on the face: natural skincare recipes
Our gardens and fridges provide skincare that’s healthier, cheaper and more natural than anything we could buy. Try these natural skincare recipes.
The beauty business is all about selling us “hope in a jar”, as Charles Revson, founder of Revlon once put it. If you’ve ever searched the cosmetic and beauty aisles of a department store, you’ll have noticed how expensive the promise of beauty, youth and freshness can be. Face masks from reputable skincare manufacturers cost up to £50 for a tiny jar; add in the price of cleansers, exfoliators, oils, serums and creams and you could spend upwards of several hundred pounds just for the privilege of plumping, de-stressing and adding some glow. Small wonder, really, that the global skin care industry is worth a staggering £25 billion per annum.
But there are plenty of natural skincare ingredients lurking in your kitchen. Try these homemade beauty recipes out for size.
Lavender Lemongrass Body Wash
Oats, rosemary and coconut oil make this body wash a culinary delight.
Oat and Lavender Bath Soak
Pick lavender flowers from the garden for this relaxing bath soak.
Recipe by Always Order Dessert.
Vanilla Sugar Body Scrub
The Festival of Thrift: Meet Gerardine and Wayne Hemingway
From catwalk fashion to social housing, Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway have packed in a lot. The Simple Things chatted to them about their latest venture, the Festival of Thrift.
Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway know a thing or two about thrift. As we sit in their office in Wembley, surrounded by busy staff and sleepy dogs, the space’s previous incarnation as the family home is still obvious – we are sitting at what was once their dining table.
The Hemingways are best known for the business they built in the early 80s – the hugely influential fashion label Red or Dead – but today we are talking about their big project this autumn, the Festival of Thrift.
The Darlington-based festival is now in its second year. As with many projects that Hemingway Design gets involved in, the idea came from a recommendation. A friend suggested they check out an old wool factory in Darlington that had been reinvented as office space for start-ups. Lingfield Point, they were told, would be right up their street.
“It was one of the best examples of large-scale upcycling we had seen,” says Wayne. “It gave the building a new, modern purpose, and we felt that was great.” And so a venue for the first Festival of Thrift was found.
“The concept of upcycling was familiar,” says Wayne, “but no one had celebrated it in a place that represented upcycling on a macro scale.” The festival featured local start-ups, demonstrations and workshops based on making-do creatively and reviving forgotten skills. It drew 27,000 visitors, largely by word of mouth.
“It showed how keen people were to come and learn new skills. Everybody was on their phones saying, ‘You’ve got to get down to this’, so as the day went on, people flooded in.”
The Festival of Thrift 2014
The Festival of Thrift, Darlington, 27th and 28th Sept. Free entry. www.festivalofthrift.co.uk. The Hemingways are also behind The Vintage Festival at the Midland Hotel, Morecambe, 6–7th Sept, www.vintagefestival.co.uk
Read the rest of the interview on page 32 of September's The Simple Things. Buy or download your copy now.
Recipes: Garlic
Spicy or smoked, raw or roasted, garlic comes in many guises and varieties to make your dishes sing. Try these three garlic recipes.
Is there a more amazing a plant than garlic? Venerated by the Egyptians, eaten by the first Olympians before competitions and worn as buttonholes by Palestinian grooms to guarantee potency on their wedding night, it has been credited with medicinal, aphrodisiacal and magical powers. Ulysses apparently used it to escape from the clutches of Circe the witch, while King Tut took enough into his tomb to last him for all eternity.
In September's issue of The Simple Things, we meet Mark Botwright, who owns South West Garlic Farm in Dorset and believes “there is nothing more beautiful than a field of garlic.”
Three garlic recipes
In celebration of the stinking rose, we've hunted high and low for three top garlic recipes that really bring out the best of allium sativum.
Fancy a fragrant garlicky mayonnaise? Try aioli - perfect with prawns in this recipe.
Ottolenghi's legendary caramelised garlic tart recipe brings out the sweetness without the stink.
But if it's vampires you want to avoid, go for Alice Hart's very garlicky roast chicken - the epitome of garlic recipes.
Turn to page 47 of September's The Simple Things for the full garlic feature. Buy or download now.
Wordless Wednesday
The wild and beautiful landscape of Asturias, on Spain's northern coast. Photograph: Inntravel, the Slow holiday people.
Persephone Books: new reads
This month, The Simple Things is on the hunt for new reads. Persephone Books - a small, independent publisher - takes an unconventional approach to book selling, with its female-only catalogue. There is something deeply satisfying about holding a new book: the weight of it, the strokeable paper, the first gentle crack of the spine. Indie publisher Persephone Books take this one stage further with endpapers (and bookmarks) taken from thoughtfully chosen fabric patterns.
All 107 are neglected works by (mostly) women writers tackling everything from cookery to politics. Each is numbered with a matching grey jacket, tempting the orderly to collect the lot.
Find out more about Persephone Books
Head to the website for top picks from fellow female writers, learn more about the beautiful designs, or visit the beautiful London shop.
Not got your copy of September’s The Simple Things? Buy or download now.
Recipe: Chocolate rum and raisin fudge
There’s something satisfying about making fudge. This chocolate rum and raisin fudge recipe from Will Torrent’s Chocolate at Home is a great place to start.
Chocolate rum and raisin fudge
Makes about 40 pieces
100g raisins 50ml dark or spiced rum 1⁄2 vanilla pod, split 500g caster sugar 170g evaporated milk 170ml whole milk 50g unsalted butter 125g dark chocolate (70%), chopped 1 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
You will need: 18–20cm square pan, lined with baking parchment
1. Tip the raisins, rum and split vanilla pod into a small saucepan set over a low heat. Gently warm but do not allow rum to boil. Stir well, remove from the heat and set aside until the mixture is cold and the raisins have absorbed all of the vanilla-scented rum.
2. Place the sugar into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan (at least 2 1/2 litre capacity). Add the evaporated milk, whole milk, butter and salt. Simmer over a medium heat and stir gently to dissolve the sugar.
3. Put a sugar thermometer into the pan and bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat and continue to cook, without stirring, at a low, steady boil until the mixture reaches 114C (230F). Add the remaining rum and immediately remove the pan from the heat. Set aside for a few mins until the bubbling subsides.
4. Tip the chopped chocolate and sifted cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl and pour over the hot fudge. Stir gently until the chocolate has melted, the mixture combined; leave to cool for 10 minutes.
5. Using a wooden spoon, beat the fudge until it thickens, cools and becomes slightly grainy. Add the rum-soaked raisins and mix thoroughly. Pour the fudge into the prepared baking pan and level using a palette knife. Set in a cool, dark place for 3–4 hours, or overnight, until firm.
6. Once firm, cut the fudge into small squares before serving or store in an airtight container for up to one week – you’ll be lucky if it lasts that long!
Recipe from Will Torrent’s Chocolate at Home (£20, Ryland Peters and Small).
Want more homemade sweets? Try these recipes.
For the rest of our Could Do list, turn to page 17 of September’s The Simple Things. Buy or download now.
Sponsored post: September's cut flower patch planting diary
Louise Curley, author of The Cut Flower Patch, shares this month’s planting diary.
'I always think there’s something very reassuring about the cycle of gardening. As one element fades there’s another coming into its own and just as summer merges into autumn it would be easy to become melancholy about the approach of winter but the task of planting spring bulbs reminds me of the year to come.
'Bulbs might seem like a bit of an extravagance for the cut flower patch as most will only produce one flower stem, unlike your cut and come again summer flowers. But after a long winter it’s a real delight to be able to go out and pick a few bunches of your own daffodils and tulips. And now is the time to be ordering and planting your cut flower bulbs for next year.
'Plant up a patch of bulbs purely for cutting and you’ll have a much wider choice of varieties for cutting than anything you could buy from the shops. For me, scented narcissi are a must. The fragrance is incredible and you’ll only need a few stems in a jar to scent a whole room. My must-have daffodil varieties include ‘Geranium’, ‘Winston Churchill’ and ‘Grand Soleil d’Or’.
'Tulips come in so many stunning colours and forms, not just the single coloured goblets you’ll find in the supermarket. Conjure up arrangements inspired by Dutch Masters’ paintings with flamboyant Parrot tulips like ‘Rococo’ and plant double flowered varieties such as ‘Angelique’ with it peony-like blooms for dreamily romantic displays. For me, the discovery of scented tulips has been a bit of a revelation – the cream-flowered ‘Verona’ and ‘Ballerina’ with its vibrant red/orange petals and orange jelly scent are my own favourites.
'Think small too. Grape hyacinths and dwarf narcissi such as ‘Tête-à-Tête’ might produce flowers no more than 20cm tall but they look incredibly pretty in small glass jars and are perfect for edging your cut flower beds where they take up very little space.'
Louise Curley is the author of The Cut Flower Patch, published by Frances Lincoln.
Competition: win £500 of Inntravel holiday vouchers (archived)
In our competition you could win £500 worth of vouchers towards a Slow Holiday courtesy of Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people. Just click here to ‘like’ their Facebook page, enter your details, and then imagine where Inntravel could take you. Walk the wild undiscovered coastline of Portugal; cycle the back lanes of France; discover the “End of the World” in the Canary Islands; explore the impressive fjords of Norway… there are countless memories to be made. Inntravel’s carefully crafted holidays ease you into the rhythm of everyday life as you journey through wonderful landscapes, discover hidden gems and encounter friendly local people along the way. Slow holidays allow you to travel at your own pace, giving you time to enjoy delicious regional cuisine and relax in family-run hotels and inns. Remember the moment with Inntravel. Enter here.
Please note: £500 holiday voucher is to be used against the purchase of any Inntravel holiday for departure before 24th October 2015, subject to availability.
Fruits of the hedgerow
Go foraging this month and find out what you can make with the fruits of the hedgerow.
More than mere borders, our hedgerows host amazing biodiversity. Here's a little of what they hold.
Turn to page 127 of September's The Simple Things for a guide to hedgerow berries, and try these ideas for using them in the kitchen.
Rosehip
Jekyll and Hyde of a species. Rich in vitamin C, delicious in wine and jam. Just avoid the fine hairs - a key ingredient in itching powder.
Try: Rosehip syrup
Damson
Higher in sugars than its kin in the plum family, and the go-to ingredient for a flavoursome home-pimped vodka. Peak harvest time is right about now.
Try: Damson cheese
Rowan
Too sharp in taste to enjoy solo, but a piquant addition to many a conserve. Try with roast meat. Note to bee lovers: its scent is catnip to pollinators.
Hawthorn
Staple hedging material. Fruit good for syrups, magnificent for brandy. Beware pedants insisting that, botanically, they're not berries, but pomes.
Sloe
A foraging favourite, the fruit of the blackthorn tree is among the last around before winter. Pick from now until early November, bottle with gin and sugar.
Try: Salted sloes
For the rest of our Fruits of the Hedgerow identifier, turn to page 127 of September's The Simple Things. Buy or download now.