The_Simple_Things_Sept_2025

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Taking time to live well

September

TREASURE

Veg patch feasts & period drama picnics • Tin-your-own toms • Firepit dusks Kitchen window wildlife • How to kveldsmat • Plum cake & rosemary cider A show of hats • Why handwriting helps • Experiment with slapdash

Our very own art editor, Anneliese ‘kohlrabi’ Klos and pic editor, Liz ‘traybake’ Boyd, invited friends to a feast on the allotment in West Norwood, south London, for this shoot – and a nice day out was had by all

Plates to plot

GATHER SPADES, SNIPS AND FRIENDS AT AN ALLOTMENT TO SHARE THE HARVEST WITH SEASONAL DISHES Recipes & styling: ANNELIESE KLOS & LIZ BOYD Photography: URSZULA SOLTYS

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GATHERING

We plough the fields and scatter the good… things on our trestle table for lunch later

G

rowing an allotment can be lot of work but, at this time of the year, all the hours of digging and planting are paying off. If you have your own, entice friends over to help you harvest and give the patch a bit of a tidy. If not, invite yourself to admire a friend’s. It’s a chance to mark the moment, a turning point in the natural year, with food and drink made from homegrown bounty – as well as an opportunity to make use of any lingering courgettes (there are always some that get away…)

Even if you don’t grow your own, these dishes are designed for chatting, snacking and sharing outdoors at summer’s end.

Supplement with a few bits made at home, like a crunchy salad and a seasonal plum traybake. Warm some cider – or enjoy it over ice if the weather plays ball – to accompany tales of gardening wisdom and growing woes (those slugs!) but full of plans for what you’ll have a go at growing next year. »

ACTION STATIONS HIKING BETWEEN STATIONS OR HEADING TO THE END OF THE LINE, IT’S THE JOURNEY THAT MATTERS ON DAYS OUT BY TRAIN Words: RICHARD MELLOR Illustration: COLIN ELGIE

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

WORDS: JO MATTOCK. PHOTOGRAPHY: JANNE FORD

Globe thistle

Though you need to watch your fingers on their spiky blooms, echinops make an excellent cut flower, as they can be displayed fresh or dried. Orange strawflowers and Chinese lanterns share this versatility, contrasting with globe thistle’s dusty blues. Lighten up the arrangement with feathery umbellifers, verbena or longstemmed buttercups for an autumnal display.

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GOOD THINGS TO EAT

HOME ECONOMICS

Tomatoes

RACHEL DE THAMPLE SHOWS US WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OF A SEASONAL GLUT OF TOMATOES AND SQUIRREL AWAY THE REST Photography: ALI ALLEN

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GOOD THINGS TO EAT

You say tomato…

Even if you don’t grow your own tomatoes, you can still reap the benefits of their abundance as summer ebbs into autumn. You can’t beat English tomatoes when they’re ripe and ready, eating them fresh off the vine if you can and squirreling away as many as possible so, come winter, when the only tomatoes are hot-house grown or flown in from afar, you can tuck into your stash of stored sunshine.

Far from limiting my tomato repertoire, this plan offers much more variety and scope for flavours, textures and (it might surprise you) nutritional diversity. The ancient art of fermenting can boost the nutrient content and cooking tomatoes down into a thick passata increases the lycopene, which is brilliant for supporting cell health. Pairing tomatoes – especially cooked – with a good peppery olive oil works beautifully and only further enhances the benefits. » Home economics needn’t mean stretching the monthly budget while being tied to the stove – but it can mean a new approach to the way we plan our meals as well as sharpening up our kitchen skills to avoid any unnecessary waste. The concept of household management means deeply valuing all our resources: our time, ingredients and the money we invest in them.

And it makes us feel good, too.

MAKING MEALS OF IT ON THE TABLE: Panzanella; Pan con tomate FOR THE FREEZER: Tomato olive gazpacho IN THE PANTRY: Homemade ‘tinned’ tomatoes; Cherry tomato bombs; Fermented ketchup

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HOME TOUR

As a landscape artist, Julia is heavily influenced by the countryside around her – and Hebden’s colourful and creative history provides plenty of inspiration

H E B D E N B R I D G E , W E S T YO R K S H I R E

MY NEIGHBOURHOOD A CREATIVE HUB IN THE UPPER CALDER VALLEY, FILLED WITH GALLERIES AND INDIE SHOPS, PROVED THE IDEAL PLACE FOR AN ARTIST TO MAKE HER HOME Words: KAREN DUNN Photography: EMMA CROMAN

Julia loves her cosy art studio, but even more than that, she likes to throw it open to the public on Open House days and allow them to enjoy it, too

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Taking time to live well

159

THE SIMPLE THINGS SEPTEMBER 2025

September

TREASURE

TREASURE

Veg patch feasts & period drama picnics • Tin-your-own toms • Firepit dusks Kitchen window wildlife • How to kveldsmat • Plum cake & rosemary cider A show of hats • Why handwriting helps • Experiment with slapdash

thesimplethings.com

IMAGE: MILLE FLEURS FABRIC (SVENSKTTENN.COM)

A favourite mug & golden days

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