Sponsored post | We've got the scoop

Mackie’s of Scotland not only produces delicious ice cream, but does so with an impressive environmental ethos, too

When it comes to making a fantastic tub of ice cream, Mackie’s of Scotland knows that it takes far more than just experience and natural ingredients.

This fifth-generation family business also embraces a ‘sky to scoop’ philosophy, acknowledging that every element of the sky is needed – the wind and sun power the turbines and solar farm (providing more than double the energy needed to run its dairy), while the rain and sun grow the crops, which feed the cows, who in turn produce the fresh milk and cream needed to make its smooth and creamy ice cream.

And Mackie’s doesn’t just create its own energy, it also produces its packaging, fruit compotes and honeycomb on the Aberdeenshire family farm. All of which are essential to delivering that beloved Mackie’s taste.

While its flavour-making expertise has long made it a firm favourite throughout Scotland, until recently it was only its popular Traditional flavour which was widely available south of the border. That’s all set to change as Strawberry Swirl and Honeycomb flavours are now available nationwide in most Sainsbury’s stores, in addition to existing stockists. So as the weather warms and thoughts turn to tasty summer treats, why not reach for a tub of Mackie’s ice cream with the knowledge that those rays of sunshine – and the odd drop of rain – helped to create an ice cream made with a passion for sustainability, fun and great taste.

For more info and offers, visit mackies.co.uk. Learn how Mackie’s makes its Honeycomb ice cream on Inside The Factory, available on BBC iPlayer

Rain | The real Dr Foster

Who was that mysterious man in the puddle?

April is known for its showers of rain, but it doesn’t stop us occasionally forgetting and getting caught out with no umbrella. One man who got very much caught out by the April weather was Dr Foster, of nursery rhyme fame, who went to Gloucester in a shower of rain, stepped in a puddle right up to his middle and never went there again. 

But did you know the tale of Dr Foster was not just a nursery rhyme but an actual historical event? Well, ‘event’ might be a bit strong. Perhaps a historical anecdote. 

Dr Foster was likely to have actually been the Plantagenat king , Edward I. He was apparently on his way to Wales, passing through Gloucester, when he fell into a a large, muddy puddle (or got stuck on his horse in a stream and had to be hauled out). Either way, it was a humiliating moment and as a result he never set foot in the town again. It must have been quite a puddle to have come up to his middle, too, because Edward was fondly known as ‘Longshanks’ and stood 6 foot 2 inches tall, quite a height for that period.

So if you must go to Gloucester this April, take a brolly and some wellies and don’t go puddle-jumping.

If you’d like to know more about April showers, read Right as Rain in our April issue, which is all about the words for rain we use in various parts of the UK. Learn to tell your ‘dinge’ from your ‘henting’ from page 22.

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Recipe: Chocolate truffles

Make somebody’s Easter with a box of handmade dark chocolate and vanilla truffles. No hidden ingredients or mysterious methods in this simple but delicious recipe.

Chocolate truffles

Makes about 20 truffles

For the ganache:
125ml fresh double cream
2 whole vanilla pods
250g dark chocolate, finely chopped

For the shell:
200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
200g dark chocolate, grated 50g unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Place the cream in a heavy- based pan and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, run a very sharp knife along the vanilla pods to open one side, add them to the cream and continue to simmer for 5 mins.
2. Take the pan off the heat and remove the pods. Using your thumbnail, gently push out the seeds from the pods into the cream. Cover with a cloth for a further 5 mins.
3. Put the chocolate in a bowl, pour over the still-hot cream and stir until fully blended. This is your vanilla ganache. Put in the fridge. 
4. Next, prepare the shell. The tempering process is tricky for beginners, so this is our easy version. It takes about 10 mins; time it so the ganache has had 30 mins in the fridge by the time the tempering is complete.
5. Melt two-thirds of the roughly- chopped chocolate and leave for 5 mins. Now add the remaining pieces and stir with a spatula until they are smooth and melted. Test by putting a spot on your lip - when it feels neither hot nor cold it is ready for coating the ganache balls.
6. Remove ganache from fridge and scoop out small amounts for hand-rolling into balls. Do this quickly so it doesn’t soften too much in your hands. Use a fork to dip them into the shell chocolate and then roll in the chocolate gratings, or leave them to harden at room temperature and roll in cocoa powder.
7. Leave the balls to set.

This was first puclished in our April 2015 issue. The recipe is from Montezuma’s Chocolate Cookbook by Simon and Helen Pattinson
(Kyle Books, £16.99.) 

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From our April issue…

More things to make for Easter…

How to | Get a Head for Heights

Be inspired to aim high, even if your stomach doesn’t agree… 

In our April issue, we met three women whose jobs take them high into the sky, including a pilot, stone mason, mountain runner and Isobel Watson (pictured), who is an arborist. Much as she loves her work, she’s the first to admit it can be tough. “Being an arborist can be brutal,” she nods. “Especially when you’re starting out.” Ascending trees, cutting them back and, “as a last resort,” taking them down is physically bruising, and there’s always an element of risk. “You’re suspended in a harness, from a rope, putting all your trust – and weight – on to a branch. You can be up to 100ft off the ground, and of course you’ve got a chainsaw with you.” The flip side is a heady sense of freedom and achievement. “You never go home feeling as if you’ve done nothing, and you never stop learning.”

If you fancy a life in the treetops (or even an afternoon of tree-climbing) but don’t have a head for heights, however, fear not - you may not be ground-bound for ever. 

Fear of heights is called Acoraphobia (not Vertigo, which often seems to confuse people) and there are things you can do to get over it. Anxiety UK says just one of the things you can do is ‘immersion therapy’, that is slowly exposing yourself to the feared situation: “Start by slowly exposing yourself/the person to heights, perhaps start with a first floor balcony or looking over the bannisters of a stair well close to the bottom. Continue by exposing yourself/the person to gradually increasing heights. When you feel ready, perhaps try an experience day, such as a virtual experience… or if you are feeling brave, an Indoor skydiving experience could be a good starting point.”

If you don’t yet feel like facing a fear of heights head on, you could start with other ways to train your brain into accepting situations of discomfort. Try the following ideas from Get Out of Your Comfort Zone: 60 Challenge Cards to Build a Strong Resilient Mindset by Ben Aldridge (Watkins). 

Train your mind to deal with uncomfortable situations 

Take a cold shower This will help you develop a mind-over-matter attitude and it boosts endorphins (the body’s feel-good chemicals). Just turn on the shower, switch it to cold, get in and stay as long as you can, building up the time as you get used to it. Sleep on the floor Spend the night sleeping on the floor without a pillow, mattress or blanket. You’ll have to be strong to tough it out, but it will make you deeply grateful for your bed. Blindfold yourself for an hour. Spending an hour in the dark will enhance your other senses and give you a new set of difficulties to overcome as you try to go about your business (within reason, obviously).

We’ve more ideas for training your brain from Get Out of Your Comfort Zone starting on page 28 of our April issue.

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Competition | Win a year's coffee for you and a friend

You and a friend could start each day well with a year’s worth of coffee worth more than £300

Taylors of Harrogate have been making flipping decent coffee for over 130 years, all from their home in the heart of Yorkshire.

They take the finest coffee beans from around the world, roast them with a bit of Taylors magic, and get them sent out to the homes of happy customers across the UK and beyond. The coffee is available in both beans and ground, so whether you’re a coffee expert with your own laboratory and grinding machine at home, or you’ve just got five minutes and a cafetière, there’s an option for you.

Despite their obsession with coffee, the people at Taylor’s know that caffeine isn’t everybody’s best friend. That’s why they also make a delicious Decaffé blend. Through careful roasting, they produce delicious flavours of caramel and malt. Their natural decaffeination process uses water instead of solvents and so those lovely flavours aren’t washed away. Decaffé is all the flavour, no caffeine needed. 

Exclusively for The Simple Things readers Taylor’s has a year’s worth of ground coffee for one reader and a friend, worth £336, to give away, too. That is a whole year of rich flavours and undisturbed sleep. What could be better?

To enter simply click the button below and answer the following question:

Q What process do Taylors of Harrogate use for decaffeinating their coffee?

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 21st May 2022. One winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received, and notified soon after. The winners cannot modify or transfer the prize and it cannot be swapped for cash. Details of our full terms and conditions are on p125 of the magazine and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules

Playlist | Sing aloud songs

Whether you’re in the shower, the car or a karaoke booth, these are tried-and-tested favourites for belting out.

Take a listen here
Or search ‘simplethingsmag’ on Spotify to find all of our monthly playlists.

Recipe | Leftover Laksa

This must be one of the simplest takes on the Malaysian noodle classic, but it’s no less scrumptious and soul warming. Even better, you can make it in minutes, using up leftovers as you do. The key here is getting your broth right as it creates the canvas – what you add to it from there is up to you.

SERVES 2-4

1 tbsp coconut oil (or use some of the cream from the coconut milk)
1 onion (or 6 spring onions or 2 leeks), thinly sliced
400g coconut milk 2-3 tbsp kimchi paste, to taste
500ml fish stock 1 tbsp fish sauce and/or tamari/soy sauce
100g vermicelli rice noodles, optional (you can just use more veg)
2 carrots, shaved into long ribbons using a veg peeler
A few cabbage leaves, rolled into a cigar-shape and shredded
A few spring onions, thinly sliced
A handful shiitake or seasonal mushrooms 1 lime, zest and juice
A handful of fresh herbs, micro herbs and/or sprouts (such as radish sprouts, bean sprouts)

1 Place a large pot over a medium heat and add the coconut oil or cream from your coconut milk (if using the latter, you might need a little extra). Swirl in the onion, spring onions or leeks, then reduce the heat and gently cook until tender and a little golden.

2 Add the rest of the coconut milk (or all of it, if you used coconut oil initially). Swirl in the kimchi paste (start with a small amount and add more if needed as you layer in the ingredients).

3 Allow the kimchi paste to cook into the coconut milk for 5 mins, then add the fish stock and fish sauce (tamari or soy)and simmer for a further 10 mins to develop the flavours.

4 As the stock base cooks, prepare your veg and cook your noodles in a separate pan, according to the instructions on the pack.

5 Once the stock has simmered for 10 mins, taste and add a little more kimchi paste if needed.

6 Pile in your prepared veg and noodles into bowls then pour the warm, spicy broth over the top. Finish with a grating of lime zest, a good spritz of lime juice, and a smattering of fresh herbs, micro herbs and/or bean sprouts

This is just one of the recipes from our regular Home Economics pages, reviving age-old wisdom about household management to help us value all our resources - our time, and also the ingredients and money we invest in them. In our April issue, Home Economics is all about the Hungry Gap - that time of year just before the new season harvests are ready - and features recipes by Rachel de Thample, including Roasted Trout with Lemon and Dill, Decadent Roast Potato Mash and Cider-Braised Cabbage Wedges, as well as this Leftover Laksa, fish stock and Fish Pie Jackets for your freezer and Kimchi for the pantry.

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Recipe | Lemon Powder Puffs

The macaron’s casual cousin, resembling a make-up compact. Best made and eaten on the same day. Now there's a challenge...

Makes 12

4 egg whites
250g caster sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
250ml double cream
100g lemon curd
Icing sugar, to dust

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4. Draw 24 5cm circles onto two pieces of baking paper with plenty of space around each circle. Place these drawing-side down onto two baking sheets

2 Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add the sugar and continue beating until glossy, then slowly add the lemon zest and vanilla to the meringue mixture, taking care not to over mix. Meanwhile sieve together the flour and baking powder, then fold carefully but thoroughly into the meringue mix.

3 Transfer to a large plastic bag and snip off a small corner ready to pipe. Pipe the mixture onto the baking paper using the circles as a guide to create neat(ish) rounds. Bake in the oven for 10-12 mins, or until golden brown and risen. Allow to cool on the baking tray for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack to fully cool.

4 While the puffs cool, whip the double cream to a spreadable consistency. Spread 12 puffs with cream, then top each with a teaspoon of lemon curd and place a plain puff on the top. Dust with icing sugar and serve

This recipe is just one of the classic bakes and surprising sandwiches featured in our April issue in our ‘bring-a-bake afternoon tea party’ menu by Lottie Storey. You can find the rest of the recipes and ideas, including Jamaican Ginger Cake, Gin Thyme Lemonade, Pistachio and Chocolate Pinwheels, Earl Grey Tea Loaf, Strawberry Sandos, Curried Egg Mayo Sandwiches and more beginning on page 32.

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Birdwatch | The Cuckoo

Cuckoos return from South Africa this month. Officially 14 April, St Tiburtius’ Day, is when you first hear cuckoo song. Traditionally, one writes to The Times on hearing the first cuckoo of spring, but you could write to us instead.

Look for: A grey head and bright yellow ring around the eye, dark grey plumage on top and barred feathers below, a little like a sparrow hawk. Some of the females are brown.

Spot them: Around the edges of woodlands and grasslands.

Listen for: Only the males ‘cuckoo’ – and you know what that sounds like. Females make a sort of bubbling sound.

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Quiz | Run Away to the Circus

Had enough or the daily grind? Roll up for our Circus Career Quiz and you could be off to a new life in the circus today

We all occasionally reach a point in life, where we just want to down tools and run off to join the circus. Easier said than done, you might think? Not so, with our New Life in the Circus Quiz.  Find out where your Big Top Niche lies and where you could best employ your transferable skills. 

Q1. What sector do you work in?

A I don’t work. Well, I do have a couple of volunteer roles. And I do some occasional freelance work. And I help out at my children’s school. And I look after my dad who’s quite frail now. And just, you know, the shopping, house admin, DIY and all that. But no, I don’t do much really. 

B Engineering

C Entertainment

D Emergency Services

E Project management

Q2. How do you like to relax?

A By doing hobbies. I always have at least two things on the go. 

B I’m an adrenaline junkie. I can’t relax until I’ve had a good long run or a sea swim, or been climbing. 

C Just having a giggle with friends. 

D You’ll laugh, but I love firewalking. It’s an amazing experience and you feel so serene afterwards. 

E. I’m not very good at relaxing. It makes me edgy. 

Q3. Who is your favourite famous clown?

A. Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons

B. Grock, the Swiss Acrobat/Clown

C. Lou Jacobs - the inventor of the clown car.

D. Pennywise from Stephen King’s It. 

E. Grimaldi, of course, the Father of Clowning

Q4. What would be your last meal?

A I’d cook a roast dinner with all the trimmings. 

B A huge stack of pancakes, flipped and stacked with loads of syrup.

C Custard pie.

D A vindaloo. With extra chillies.

E Something with a bit of showmanship, maybe a Steak Diane, followed by Bananas Foster. 

Q5. What is your greatest skill?

A People often say I’m a great multitasker.

B I’m very flexible and adapt easily to any new situation. 

C I think I make people laugh. 

D I’m fearless.

E I’m highly organised and I think people respect that. 

<Drumroll…> And the results are in!

Mostly A 

You’re a juggler. Never one to stand still, you have no problem with keeping your eye on the ball and with handling more than one task at a time. 

Mostly B 

You would make a great acrobat. You’re fast, flexible and ready for anything. Maybe you could turn those skills to a physical arena and find a new life up on the high wire.

Mostly C 

You’re a born entertainer and would make a fabulous clown. You make people smile and don’t take yourself too seriously but you’re also a sensitive soul who people empathise with. Just don’t offer to do any driving as part of your new role. And if you do, don’t offer a lift to all your friends. 

Mostly D 

Danger is, if not your middle name, then definitely your watchword. With your can-do approach to life - and a slight dare devil streak, dare we say? - we think you’d make a great fire eater. Please leave the man-made fibres at home, though.

Mostly E 

In your current life, you’re the one that holds it all together. People look to you for direction and you’re usually meticulously well organised. If you ran off to the circus, we think you’d swap your online organiser for a whip and work your way up to being ring master in no time.

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More circus fun…

Sponsored post | Herb Your Enthusiasm

Embrace your creative side with Ricola and give those green thumbs a workout so you’ll always have
herbs when you need them

Plant hangers are a great way to grow herbs and they can be a sustainable way to decorate, because to make them you can use materials you probably have lying around. All you need are a few old cans, paint, a drill, string, a spot of creativity and – if you like – music in the background while you work.

Make Herb Plant Hangers

Add some colour to your kitchen and a flavour burst to your food – it’s much easier than you think

You will need:
4 different herb plants (such as lemon balm, basil, thyme and mint)
4 big tin cans 6m-thick string (approx. 1.5m per can)
Scissors
Drill
Spray paint, in colours of your choice
A suitable base to work on

1 Remove the lids from the tin cans if they are still attached.
2 Wash out the cans and remove any labels.
3 Drill two holes opposite each other, 5-10cm from the top of each can. Be careful.
4 Spray the cans with different colours and leave them to dry for around two hours.
5 Now push a piece of string through the holes in each can.
6 Cut to adjust the length, depending on how high the herbs should hang, and tie knots to ensure the string stays in place.
7 Put the herb plants in the cans and hang them near a window.

Since 1940, Swiss company Ricola has been making sweets and cough drops using a blend of 13 healing herbs, including thyme, sage and peppermint (the actual recipe remains a closely guarded secret). For more on the whole Ricola range, visit ricola.com or follow on Insta: @ricola_uk

Recipe: Mothering buns

Sweet and sticky buns to make for Mother’s Day… or just because

A speciality of Bristol, these are made by local bakers the day before Mothering Sunday. Traditionally, on this day only, the Lent fast was relaxed. The buns used to be decorated with caraway or aniseed; today, hundreds and thousands are used.

MAKES 12
FOR THE BUNS
500g strong white bread flour 
1 tsp salt
50g caster sugar
7g sachet instant yeast
50g unsalted butter, diced and softened
300ml water

FOR THE ICING 
200g icing sugar 
2–3 tbsp water

1. Put the flour in a large bowl. Add the salt and sugar on one side, the yeast on the other. Add the butter and three-quarters of the water, then turn the mixture round with the fingers of one hand. Add the remaining water a little at a time, mixing until you have taken in all the flour and the dough is soft and slightly sticky; you might not need all the water.
2. Oil the work surface to stop the dough sticking. Turn out the dough and knead for 5 mins, or until smooth and no longer sticky. Lightly oil the bowl, return the dough to it and cover with cling film. Leave to rise for at least an hour, until doubled in size. Line 2 baking trays
with baking parchment.
3. Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and fold it inwards repeatedly until all the air has been
knocked out and the dough is smooth. Divide into 12 pieces.
4. Roll each piece into a ball by placing it into a cage formed by your hand on the work surface and moving your hand in a circular motion, rotating the ball rapidly. 
5. Put the balls of dough on the prepared baking trays, spacing them slightly apart. (They should just touch each other when they have risen.) Place each tray in a clean plastic bag and leave to prove for about 40 mins, until the rolls have doubled in size. Heat the oven to 220C/Fan 200/425F.
6. Bake for 10–12 mins, until the rolls are golden and sound hollow when tapped underneath. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 
7. For the icing, mix the icing sugar with enough water to give a thick but pourable consistency. Dip each roll into the icing and then into the hundreds and thousands.

Recipe taken from Paul Hollywood’s British Baking, Photography Peter Cassidy (Bloomsbury, £8)

Mothering Sunday is on 27 March in the UK. It has been celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent since the 16th century. This recipe was first published in our March 2015 issue but we don’t think you can make them enough, really.

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Recipe | Rhubarb Soda

Photography by Tom Crowford

A refreshing thirst quencher for a warm spring day.

We like to serve this simple rhubarb soda with lots of ice and fresh mint leaves.

Serves 6-8

250ml water
250g granulated sugar
500g rhubarb, chopped into 5cm lengths
Sparkling mineral water or soda water
Fresh mint leaves to serve (optional)

1 Put the water and sugar into a large pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, add the rhubarb, and bring back up to a simmer. Cook for a couple of minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool. Once the mixture has cooled down, strain out the poached rhubarb (this is Rhubarb soda delicious served with thick yogurt), and pour the syrup into a sterilised bottle or jar, then chill in the fridge.

2 To serve, tear a few mint leaves into the bottom of a glass, pour in a generous glug of the rhubarb syrup, add a handful of ice cubes, and top with chilled sparkling water or soda water (stir gently to help blend the syrup with the water if needed). Serve immediately and enjoy.

This soda is just one of the recipes from our feature Spring on the Smallholding, from our April issue. It also includes recipes for Cheddar and Wild Garlic Biscuits, Griddled Asparagus with Spring Herbs and Poached Eggs and Spring Cabbage with Sweet Chilli and Marmite Butter, as well as lots of makes and ideas to make the most of spring in the outdoors, by Kathy Bishop and Tom Crowford, owners of the smallholding in Somerset. You can follow all their adventures at theseasonaltable.co.uk or @the_seasonal_table

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Sponsored post | Hut For All Seasons: Self-Build Satisfaction

Sometimes it’s not the finished product but the process that’s needed to get there that provides the most enjoyment, as Blackdown’s self-build customers will testify

You may have been playing the winter waiting game, itching to get busy in the garden – but April is finally here, the weather has turned a corner, and it’s time to enjoy all the potential that your garden has to offer for the year ahead.

For many, those plans extend way beyond a little garden maintenance and growing, with ambitious plans to create a unique space that can be cherished for generations to come. This is always a time of year when the talented folk at Blackdown Shepherd Huts see increased interest in their range of shepherd huts – from bespoke designs, to turnkey huts, to self-build options, there’s something to suit all needs.

And for some, that need is to get creative and realise a dream of building their own little corner of escapism. Often there’s a yearning to reconnect to skills learnt from older generations, or a burning ambition to build something meaningful.

And once your shepherd hut is finished, it can be enjoyed in so many ways – perhaps as a home office, additional space to hang out or host guests, or perhaps home to a small business such as a quirky B&B.

Whatever your dream, the team at Blackdown are on hand to support you through the process, from ordering the kit, through building the hut, to personalising your eventual space. With years of skill and knowledge, Blackdown’s video guidance or friendly voice at the end of a phone call can make all the difference to the enjoyment of the process. And for further inspiration, why not pay a visit to the Blackdown Display Garden in Ilminster, Somerset, to see just how special the finished product can be.

One pair who took advantage of Blackdown’s self-build set up is Jane and Richard from Mickleton in the Durham Dales, who now share their stunning location with guests at Toadlands Shepherd Huts (toadlandsshepherdhuts.co.uk). “Blackdown gave us the confidence to self-build a quality product all the way from idea to realisation,” says Jane. With such a sense of achievement to be gained from creating your vision, it’s not hard to see why Blackdown Shepherd Huts have provided so much enjoyment for so many years, and will continue to do so for many, many more to come.

For more information and inspiration, visit blackdownshepherdhuts.co.uk or follow on Instagram: @blackdownshepherdhuts.

Birdwatch | Treecreepers

Treecreepers live in the UK all year round, but they’re hard to spot so many people mistakenly consider them to be rare.

Look for: A brown, speckled back and a white undercarriage, as well as a distinctive long, curved beak for winkling insects out of the bark of trees.

Spot them: Distinctively climbing upwards on the trunks of trees, in woodland all over the UK. You’ll need to look carefully, though, as they’re well camouflaged.

Listen for: A trilling, high-pitched ‘see-see-see-see’ sound

Look out for Birdwatch every month on our Almanac pages, which are full of seasonal things to see, do, note and notice.

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More birdwatching to enjoy…

Simple Things Tour | Oxford in Books

Follow in the steps of Lyra, Alice and Morse with a bookish outing around the dreaming spires of Oxford 

You could happily wander without aim around Oxford for an entire weekend, but if you would prefer a stroll with purpose, there are lots of places with literary connections to stop and stare at. We’ve put together a Simple Things literary outing to Oxford for you,  with suggestions for bookish sights to see and fictional food and literary lunches to fuel you along the way. 

1. Christchurch College, Cathedral Garden
   Our tour begins in the south east corner of the city centre with an entry to the wonders of Oxford. On the wall between the gardens and the deanery is a very special gate, said to have inspired Alice’s door into Wonderland from the bottom of the rabbit hole. It’s said the ‘real’ Alice (Liddell) who lived at the deanery when her father was the Dean of the college, used to watch her father rush through the gate on his way to Cathedral services - always late, just like the White Rabbit. Only the Dean could cross the garden so Alice was only ever able to catch glimpses of it through the gate… 

2. Christ Church Dining Room
   While you’re at Christ Church, do join a tour so you can poke your head round the door of the dining room and see the dining hall which is said to have inspired The Great Hall of Hogwarts in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series. 

3. The Botanic Gardens
   Just beyond the cathedral, are the peaceful Botanic Gardens. Take a bottle of Cointreau (or perhaps a coffee if it’s a little early still) and channel your inner Sebastian Flyte from Brideshead Revisited. Then make your way to the lower garden where you will find in one corner, the bench where Will and Lyra from Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy agree to meet each year. It’s charmingly covered in ‘Will and Lyra’ graffiti now and a beautiful spot to rest a while. 

4. Merton College gardens
   Just around the corner at Merton College is an old hexagonal stone table where JRR Tolkien is said to have mapped out many of his story ideas. Take a good look round for hobbits, before you leave and walk up Logic Lane. 

5. New College Lane
   At the top of Logic Lane, cross the high street and then walk up Queen’s Lane to New College Lane, where Dorothy L Sayers’ novel Gaudy Night ends. Here, Sayer’s crime writer character, Harriet Vane finally accepted Lord Peter Wimsey’s marriage proposal.

6. The Ashmolean Museum
   Make your way past the Bodleian Library to the Ashmolean Museum where you can see the Oxford Dodo, stepped right out of Wonderland. The Ashmolean is also home to the gold posy rings that served as the inspiration for Tolkien’s One Ring in The Lord of the Rings. 

7. The Morse Bar
   If all that museum wandering has left you with a thirst, fear not. It’s time for a real ale or two. Just around the corner is the wooden panelled Morse Bar at the Randolph Hotel, where Morse’s creator, Colin Dexter, is said to have written several of the books about everyone’s favourite Oxford detective. 

8. The Covered Market
   After that ale, you should have worked up an appetite, so head south again past St Peter’s College to The Covered Market, where you might well spot Lyra, in an alternative Oxford, darting among the stalls and shops. We think if she were here today, Lyra would enjoy a Mediterranean lunch in the bohemian Georgina’s, perhaps washed down with a colourful milkshake at Moo Moo’s. 

9. Exeter College
   Close by Lyra’s covered market is Exeter College, which Pullman based Lyra’s home, Jordan College, on. Pop your head into the courtyard and see if you can spot Lyra’s attic window she climbs out of onto the rooves.

10. Lincoln College
    Leave Exeter and walk past Jesus college, which was once home to the author William Boyd, and make your way south to Lincoln College, where John Le Carre studied. Some of his later novels, such as Our Kind of Traitor, were based on his time at Oxford as an undergraduate. 

11. St Mary’s Passage
    Head down Brasenose Lane and turn right in front of the Radcliffe Camera library. Down here, you’ll find St Mary’s Passage, and opposite the entrance to the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, you will find the Narnia Door, heavily etched and with a lion’s face in its centre. It’s apparently the inspiration behind CS Lewis’s wardrobe door into Narnia. 

We’ll leave you here. Don’t go accepting any Turkish Delight from ornately dressed, strange women, now…

Our tour of Oxford was inspired by our Weekend Away feature in our March issue, in which Lindsey Harrad stayed at Keble College. You can read all about it from page 114.

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More from our March issue…

More bookish fun…

Competition | Win a Boating Break worth £1,000

Slow down the pace a knot or two with a luxury boating break that takes in the UK sights from a
new vantage point

How much do you know about Britain’s canals? Boating holidays bring a whole new perspective to the UK countryside, giving you access to waterside towns and villages, a quieter way to travel and a whole lot of wildlife along the way. A real departure from everyday life, it can feel like a big deal, but with ABC Boat Hire you can dip your toe in with a short boating break.

DISCOVER THE UK’S WATERWAYS

Giving you the opportunity to explore the UK’s best inland waterways and adopt a slower pace of life, a boating holiday is an idea worth getting on board with. All ABC boats come with comfortable berths and modern amenities – including on-board WiFi. With almost 200 boats, 15 start points and over 1,500 miles of waterways to explore, it’s time to start planning your best holiday yet.

WIN A BOATING BREAK

One lucky reader of The Simple Things can win a short break with ABC Boat Hire. You can pick your route from selected start bases throughout England or Wales, and bring up to seven guests on your eight-berth boat. Choose from either a three-night weekend break or a four-night midweek escape. It’s a great prize worth up to £1,000, and all you need to do is start planning your next adventure… For more info, visit abcboathire.com or follow on Instagram: @abcboathire

HOW TO ENTER

For your chance to win a short boating break worth up to £1,000, enter by clicking the button below and answering the question by the closing date of 4 May 2022. The winner must be available to travel before 1 November 2022, subject to availability. Win a boating break, worth £1,000

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: The competition closes at 11.59pm on 4 May 2022. One winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. The prize is a self-drive, self-catering canal boat holiday with ABC Boat Hire for up to eight people. It’s subject to availability from selected start points and must be taken before 1 November 2022. The winner cannot transfer the prize or swap it for cash. Details of our full terms and conditions are on p125 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

Competition | Win £100 to spend at Lazy Susan

Get your garden ready for guests with stylish, long-lasting furniture and elegant accessories from the
Lazy Susan range

Now is the time to get out in the garden. The rays of spring sunshine are pushing through the clouds and, as human nature dictates, we’ll be gathering outside as often as we can to catch them.

When spring arrives, we begin to make plans with hearts full of optimism, taking advantage of the warmer weather to invite friends and family over for food, drinks and laughter. New memories will be made while we stretch out in the sun – or even as we huddle under a parasol when spring showers attempt to ruin the fun.

The Simple Things has teamed up with garden furniture specialists Lazy Susan to help you kit out your garden for the sunnier days, with five lucky readers in with a chance of winning £100 each. Each hand-crafted piece of timeless, sand-cast aluminium furniture is powder-coated to produce a lasting finish. Rustproof and rot-proof, Lazy Susan products are also maintenance-free and designed to live outside all year round. That means no unlucky soul has to haul the garden chairs back into the shed or underneath a cover once you’ve taken the fun inside.

With such a wide range of beautifully crafted designs and sizes, you’ll be enjoying the great outdoors every chance you get. Shop around to find the perfect set for your garden, patio or even your balcony. Finishing touches such as cushions, parasols and accessories are also crafted with durability in mind, so you can find everything you need to create lasting memories in the heart of your garden.

HOW TO ENTER For your chance to win one of five £100 vouchers, click the button below and answer the question by the closing date of 4 May, 2022. Terms and conditions below.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: The competition closes at 11.59pm on 4 May 2022. Five winners will be selected at random from all correct entries received, and notified soon after. The winners cannot transfer the prize or swap it for cash. Details of our full terms and conditions are on p125 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

Make | A Macrame Bottle Holder

Knot your way to a knotty, natty carrier for your water bottle, leaving you hands free… perhaps to do some more macrame?

All you need to make this cross-body bottle carrier is to master a few simple knots, and you’re away. Everything you need to know, including the knot techniques are in our instructions and all the equipment you need is the rope, some tape and a little patience. Put aside an afternoon on a long weekend to create your bottle holder, or maybe make it your project for April and do a little every day.

If you’re not too TIED UP (sorry) this month, you might also like to make the macrame bag that’s featured in our April issue. Turn to page 106 to find the instructions.

Download the instructions for the macrame water bottle here.

More weekend projects…

More from our blog…

Playlist | What's in a name?

What’s in a name? April, May or June… just a few of the women who have inspired songs.

Take a listen on Spotify here
Or search ‘Simplethingsmag’ on Spotify to find all our playlists