Small Ways To Live Well from The Simple Things

Join The Simple Things’ Editor Lisa Sykes and author of The Slow Traveller and regular contributor Jo Tinsley as the clocks go back and we find ourselves in autumn proper. But we’re not going to let that ‘bog’ us down, there are still so many spectacles to see and fun to be had before autumn leaves us for another year.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. We can send subscriptions anywhere in the world. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to Austria Tourism for supporting this season To find out more about year-round outdoor adventures in Austria go to http://www.austria.info/ or follow them @visitaustria

Editing & music by Arthur Cosslett.

On the blog

Crab apple whisky

FOLKLORE | Baddies from the Bog

In the November issue (173) on sale now available to buy here

OUTING | Nature’s fireworks

REFLECTION | Gathering acorns

ALMANAC | Fieldfares

In previous issues on sale now available to buy here

OUTING | Nature’s playground (Issue 172)

LOOKING BACK | Tapestries (issue 171)

KNOW A THING OR TWO | Bogs, fens & marshes (issue 171)

Learn more

Pitlochry Dam and fish ladder, Perthshire

Find your local broadleaf woodlands using The Woodland Trust Find A Wood Map

Wild Rock by Wild Things Publishing

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum

Join Editor of The Simple Things Lisa Sykes and wellbeing editor Rebecca Frank as they talk root veg and autumn stews, playing records and reading aloud and the joy of browsing independent shops and local neighbourhoods.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to Austria Tourism for supporting this season To find out more about year-round outdoor adventures in Austria go to http://www.austria.info/ or follow them @visitaustria

Editing and music by Arthur Cosslett

From the October RELISH issue (172) available to buy here

Analogue | playing records

Food to share | Corned beef hash in a giant yorkshire pud

Gardens | Helping hibernators in your garden

Cake in the house | Beetroot Battenberg

My neighbourhood | Tring

In the November HEARTY issue (173) available to buy here

Gathering | Stews and stories for stormy days

My Neighbourhood | South Manchester

Life lessons from Pooh and friends

Shopkeeper & maker of the month: Tinsmiths, Ledbury and Tinker & Tallulah, Notts

From Flourish Journal available to buy here

Try reading aloud | the pleasure of sharing a book

On the blog

Salt baked roasted roots with smoky yogurt

Chocolate and sweet potato loaf cake

Root veg, cheddar and marmite pie

Autumn coleslaw

Join The Simple Things’ Editor Lisa Sykes and author of The Slow Traveller and regular contributor Jo Tinsley as they talk about the joy of making things, getting stuff done on slow Sundays, going analogue and making connections.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. We can send subscriptions anywhere in the world. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to Austria Tourism for supporting this season To find out more about year-round outdoor adventures in Austria go to http://www.austria.info/ or follow them @visitaustria

Editing & music by Arthur Cosslett.

On the blog

Fading flowers – plants that look good in winter

How the spider got eight legs

Pinafore heroines

In the November issue (173) available to buy here from 19 October, on newsstands 23 October

MY PLOT Soil squad

IDEAS The Jolly Girls

In the October issue (172) on sale now

Spice rack audit

WEEKEND PROJECT A natural fibre brush

In previous issues available to buy here

OUTING Following a thread: Exploring Britain’s textile history (Issue 148)

WEARING WELL The pinafore dress (Issue 171)

HOME TOUR Among the wild flowers (Issue 171)

MY PLOT Filling the canvas (Issue 171)

Learn more

How to dry flowers

Artisans of Dartmoor by Suzy Bennett

From the Land Comes the Cloth by Ian Lawson

Silent Book Club

Join Editor of The Simple Things Lisa Sykes and wellbeing editor Rebecca Frank as they discuss food that feels like a hug on a plate, why hugging is good for us (and the best types of hug), how to cope with difficult times and the joy of the arts.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to Austria Tourism for supporting this season.

Editing and music by Arthur Cosslett

In the October RELISH issue (172) available to buy here

A Good Life – comforting recipes for early autumn including butternut squash and blue cheese risotto, chicken noodle soup and fig leaf custard

Food to share – Corned beef hash in a giant Yorkshire pudding

Cake in the house – beetroot battenburg

Beryl Cook – joyful art to make you smile 100 years after her birth. Extract from the new book Beryl Cook: Life and Art (Frances Lincoln).

Beryl Cook & Friends installation at Bicester Village runs until 25 October. Find out more here

Art cure - why the arts are so important for our wellbeing. Feature by Daisy Fancourt, author of Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform our Health (Cornerstone)

Wisdom: Caitlin Moran talks about finding positivity in an anxious world. Her new book How to be Hopeful (Ebury) is out now.

Coming up in the November HEARTY issue (173) On sale 23 October

Know a thing or two about dogs: the fascinating evolution from wolf to man’s best friend, dog language and what we can learn from our pets

From previous issues available to buy here

Coping with big change (September, Issue 171)

What to do when you can’t do anything (July, Issue 169)

On the blog

Smokey Boston beans and armadillo potatoes

Rainbow minestrone with basil mayo topping

Thanks again to Austria Tourism for supporting this season and to Rudolf Abraham, travel writer, guidebook author and photographer for sharing his highlights of the Austrian autumn including:
Salzkammergut region – one of his favourite places. He is author of a guidebook to the area
Dachstein mountains – Echerntal, a valley near Hallstatt which leads up onto the plateau
Hohe Tauern mountains & national park
Grossglockner (highest mountain in Austria) – Alpe Adria Trail starts at the foot of the Grossglockner.

To find out more about year-round outdoor adventures in Austria go to http://www.austria.info/.

Join The Simple Things’ Wellbeing Editor Rebecca Frank and author of The Slow Traveller and regular contributor Jo Tinsley as they talk about gathering the harvest, gatherings with friends and our favourite places to gather.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. We can send subscriptions anywhere in the world. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to Austria Tourism for supporting Season 11. To find out more about year-round outdoor adventures in Austria go to https://www.austria.info/ or follow them @visitaustria

Editing & music by Arthur Cosslett.

On the blog

Invisible orchards

In the October issue (172) on sale now available to buy here

At home Oktoberfest !

A good life: autumn visit to a Derbyshire Dales garden and kitchen

Modern Eccentrics: The conker champions

Looking back: history of kitchens

In previous issues on sale now available to buy here

Tick-as-you-go challenges (September 2026, issue171)

The bonus harvest (September 2026, issue171)

Interview with Emma Bridgewater (September 2025, issue 159)

Learn more

The National Trust Book of Scones by Sarah Merker (National Trust)

Join Editor of The Simple Things Lisa Sykes and wellbeing editor Rebecca Frank and as they enjoy a MELLOW transition from summer to autumn, making the most of the things you can only do before the season turns and appreciating small pleasures

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to Austria Tourism for supporting Season 11. To find out more about year-round outdoor adventures in Austria go to https://www.austria.info/

Editing and music by Arthur Cosslett

In the September GOLDEN issue (171) available to buyhere

The high notes – take notice of and noting down daily delights

The Big Idea: The Small Stuff: The Sensory Enchantment of Everyday Life by Ian Bogost (Allen Lane) explained by Becs Frank

My Place – A Golden Glow - garden lighting

Almanac - Make a shadow puppet theatre for a whimsical storytelling evening

In the October RELISH issue (on sale from 25 September)

Analogue: A new series exploring slower life stories

Twilight: a sky full of surprises. An extract from The Secret World of Twilight by Sally Coulthard (Head of Zeus)

On the blog

Films to watch outdoors

Great places to visit

Higher Farm swim lake and sauna

Knepp rewilding reserve

From previous issues available to buy here

Outdoor cinema and a Greek feast – August 2026 (Issue 170)

Going with a guide – September 2019 (Issue 87)

Remains of the day – evening rituals to calmly end the day. (Flourish wellbeing bookazine, edition 4)

Join The Simple Things’ Editor Lisa Sykes, Wellbeing Editor Rebecca Frankand Author of The Slow Traveller and regular contributor Jo Tinsley for the 60th episode of ‘Small Ways to Live Well’, delving into all the many ways we can dabble our way through the summer.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. We can send subscriptions anywhere in the world. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to our partner for Season 10, Titanic Belfast. You can find out more at https://www.titanicbelfast.com/ or follow them on instagram @titanicbelfast to hear some of their stories and discover how to visit for yourself.

Editing & music by Arthur Cosslett.

In the June issue (168)

Citizen science projects to join in with

Know a thing or two about… salt

Tiny home

Coming up…

In July AMBLE issue on sale from 26 June

Letterboxing

Blank canvas interviews with people who create from scratch

In August MAGICAL issue, on sale from 24 July

Puzzle special and interviews with puzzle makers

Magical creatures of the sea

In previous issues, available at picsandink.com

Treasure hunts (Anthology Volume 4)

Sneak peeks – Step behind the scenes of museums and stately homes, factories and train stations (issue 119)

Open farms (issue 166)

Metal detectorists (issue 166)

Buy a back issue of Ernest journal

On the blog

How to hunt for buried treasure

To do

Celebrate World Ocean Day

Ride the Mail Rail

Open Farm Sunday

National Garden Scheme

Join The Simple Things’ wellbeing editor Rebecca Frank and author of The Slow Traveller Jo Tinsley as they talk summer ball games and park yoga, music and memories and making the most of sunny days in the garden.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to our sponsor Titanic Belfast. Find out more and how to visit at http://titanicbelfast.com/ and on Instagram @titanicbelfast

Editing and music by Arthur Cosslett

In the May issue (167)

Balls identifier. Illustrations by Sarah Edmonds http://www.sarahedmondsshop.com

In the June issue (168)

Park yoga picnic - enjoy a sunshine stretch followed by a tasty lunch and catch up with friends

Why weight? The physical and mental benefits of getting stronger

My place: outdoor kitchens to swoon over

In the July issue (169) available to buy from 26 June here

Music and memories – how songs have the power to transport us to our most life changing moments.

Read – Transported: The Everyday Magic of Musical Daydreams by Elizabeth Margulis (Oneworld)

Listen – The Simple Things publish an original playlist every issue. Find them here

My Living – Jo talks to Lois Povey of community pub Tafarn Yr Heliwr, Nefyn.

On the blog

Grown up lollies

Cucumber mint and lemonade lollies recipe

Berry coconut lollies recipe

Watermelon slices on a lolly stick recipe

From previous issues available to buy here

Looking back – women in sport (Issue 88)

The history of the pub beer garden (Issue 131)

How to harness the sun in your garden (144)

Picking petals and leaves for cooking (120)

Join The Simple Things’ Editor Lisa Sykes and Author of The Slow Traveller and regular contributor Jo Tinsley as they talk about sharing a fondness for camping, appreciating the joys of larking about, spontaneous adventures and magical creatures.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. We can send subscriptions anywhere in the world. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to our sponsor Titanic Belfast. Find out more and how to visit at http://titanicbelfast.com/ and on Instagram @titanicbelfast

Editing & music by Arthur Cosslett.

On the blog

Recipe: Herdwick lamb curry in a hurry

Camping recipe | Smoky Boston beans & armadillo potatoes

In the June issue (168) on sale from 29 May and available to buy here

Peaky Blinders: Ways to mark 75 years of the UK’s first National Park

In the May issue (167) on sale now

The joy of larking about – Swap organised fun for magical spontaneity

Magical creatures – An appreciation of the sky lark

In previous issues available at picsandink.com

My Living – The campsite (158)

Open to visit – The idea of ‘explorer days’ (157)

The pursuit of pleasure – It’s time to move things up the list (122)

To read

The School of Life: Small Pleasures – what makes life truly valuable (2022)

Join editor of The Simple Things magazine Lisa Sykes and wellbeing editor Rebecca Frank as they appreciate summer foods and sensory walks, explore the medicinal benefits of garden herbs and rediscover the pleasure of handwriting a letter.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to our sponsor Titanic Belfast. Find out more and how to visit at http://titanicbelfast.com/ and on Instagram @titanicbelfast

Editing and music by Arthur Cosslett

In the May issue (167) available to buy here

Berry Shrub and other recipes from Michelle Tansley’s cottage garden in our new series, A Good Life

Switching on the senses – discover the moodboosting benefits of sensory walks

Bloom scrolling – self edit your feeds for a more fulfilling online experience

In the June issue (168) available to buy from 29 May here

Weekend project – make your own herbal bug spray and natural after sun balm

Cake in the house - Elderflower and strawberry tart

Read our favourite entries from our midsummer microfiction competition.

Find out more about National Flash Fiction Day on 13 June nationalflashfictionday.co.uk

On the blog

Spring beans on toast – broad beans and ricotta with elderflower dressing recipe

Pea cheesecake recipe

Rhubarb and sweet cicely shrub with Aperol recipe

Natural first aid for bee, wasp and jelly fish stings taken from The Natural First Aid Handbook by Brigitte Mars (Storey Publishing)

Elderflower toner

Chickweed Ice cube aftersun

Letters that changed the world

To read

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Penguin Books)

From previous issues available to buy here

The joy of writing a letter April (167)

Join editor of The Simple Things magazine Lisa Sykes and regular contributor and author of The Slow Traveller Jo Tinsley as they explore ways of tending to your patch and your flock, whether that’s pottering in the garden, looking after your local bees or exploring your local neighbourhood.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to our sponsor Titanic Belfast. Find out more and how to visit at http://titanicbelfast.com/ and on Instagram @titanicbelfast

Editing and music by Arthur Cosslett

In the May issue (167) available to buy here

A good life: On the edge of the Derbyshire Dales, Michelle Tansley grows food and flowers in her cottage garden.

Pottering about: Clever ways to give old plant pots new purpose in the garden

My Neighbourhood Frome

Leave it and reap: Plant once and harvest for years: perennial vegetables are an easy addition to a plot

Churchyard rewilding

Coming up in the June issue – on sale from 29 May or try an immediate start subscription to get it earlier

Simple ideas, using recycled materials, to help your garden grow and bloom. Taken from Way to Grow: Over 100 hacks for green-fingered greatness by Simon Akeroyd (DK)

From back issues available to buy here

Know a thing or two: bees (Flourish Volume 3)

DIY beeswax wraps (issue 96)

Gathering: For a Sunday lunch with a difference ask friends to BYOT – bring your own trowel – and share the joy of planting and potting for the new season (issue 141)

On the blog

Garden hacks | Turn a shoe-hanger into a tool rack

Garden hacks | Reuse cooking water on your plants

Garden hacks | Make a colander hanging basket

Garden hacks | DIY seed tapes

Beeswax wraps

Stress-busting Massage Balm

Join editor of The Simple Things magazine Lisa Sykes and wellbeing editor Rebecca Frank as they dive into folk festivals, May Day customs, folklore and dancing. And to mark International Dawn Chorus Day (3 May), there’s an (amateur!) birdsong quiz…

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to our supporter for this season Titanic Belfast. Find out more and how to visit at http://titanicbelfast.com/ and on Instagram @titanicbelfast

Editing and music by Arthur Cosslett

In the April issue (166) available to buy here

Speak easy: how to have better conversations

In the May issue (167) available to buy here

Up with the lark: Have an early picnic while enjoying the birdsong before heading home for a second breakfast. We enjoy using the Merlin Bird ID app to help identify birdsong.

Almanac: Embrace all things folk with the many May festivals from Jack in the Green to Garland Day and Beating the Bounds

Modern Eccentrics – mods

The Brighton Mod Weekender takes place from 27-30 August.

Coming up in the June issue – on sale from 29 May or try an immediate start subscription to get it earlier

Learn all about The Lost Giants of Lostwithiel, Cornwall, the designers and co-creators of giants and beasts of disguise.

From back issues available to buy here

Scene setting: look to the landscape to discover the folk tales they’ve inspired (Issue 151) Photography from the book Unseen Scotland by Bryan Millar Walker (Greenfinch)

Modern Eccentrics: The Circus (Issue 118) Giffordscircus.com

Modern Eccentrics: vintage car lovers (Issue 155). Women Drivers’ Social Club: facebook.com/WDSC

Fairground attraction: Joby Carter of Carter’s Steam Fair on the art of signwriting (Issue 142)

Join editor of The Simple Things Lisa Sykes and wellbeing editor Rebecca Frank as they embark on a dawn walk, discuss what they like to cook and eat over Easter and ways to maintain balance at this pivotal point of the year.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to our partner for Season 9, Friends of Glass, an organisation that celebrates and supports glass packaging for food, drink and cosmetics. Find out more about why glass is better for health, taste and the environment and follow them on instagram @friendsofglassuk

Editing & music by Arthur Cosslett.

On the blog

Easter feasting

Eggs en cocotte

Brioche hot cross buns

Rabbit biscuits

Austrian easter cakes Gugelhuph

Italian Easter Pie Torta Pasqualina

Hen keeping fact sheet

What plants to plant in your garden for hens

In the March issue (165) available to buy here

Looking back: the history of the public clock

In the April issue (166) available to order here

Spring tartiflette

That’s all yolks! From pheasant egg Yorkshire puds to easter egg tiramisu

Left field farms – where to try willow weaving, goat yoga and llama trekking

Small treasures – mini plants for spring and summer colour

The Big Idea – Lucky People by Nobuko Nakano

The wonder of whimsy

Flourish (Volume four) our latest wellbeing bookazine available to buy here

Homebird – our new bookazine about making the most of where you live. Available to order here

Join The Simple Things’ Editor Lisa Sykes and Author of The Slow Traveller and regular contributor Jo Tinsley. We’ll be capturing that feeling you get when larks and adventures (or even just the possibility of them) beckons you from your bed. We’re getting out and about, doing a spot of foraging, discussing what makes a good walk and because it’s Mothers Day, there are a few mum stories too

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. We can send subscriptions anywhere in the world. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to our partner for Season 9, Friends of Glass, an organisation that celebrates and supports glass packaging for food, drink and cosmetics. Find out more about why glass is better for health, taste and the environment and follow them on instagram @friendsofglassuk

Editing & music by Arthur Cosslett.

On the blog

Book-based trails

In the March issue (165) on sale now, available to buy here

Could do list

Outing – follow-your-nose trails

How to drink magnolia

The fine art of mothering – artist Caroline Walker

In the new April issue on sale from 27 March. Order at picsandink.com from 23 March

Blossom foraging

In previous issues available at picsandink.com.

Climbing a Small Hill (Issue 67)

Taking a train to the sea (Issue 61)

Sketching (Issue 39)

Lost gardens (Issue 153)

Wisdom: daughters learning from their mothers (153)

In our new Homebird bookazine

Outing - Reading the landscape when you are on a walk

Foraging – Hawthorn and elderflower in spring hedgerows

Learn more

Rivington Terraced Gardens

Lost Gardens of Heligan

Hawkstone Park Follies, Shropshire

The walker’s guide to clues and signs by Tristan Gooley

Britain’s Best Small Hills by Phoebe Smith

The Monsal Trail, Peak District

Slow ways – connecting rural and urban spaces

Make ways – Places you’d like to be able to walk

National Parks in 100 seconds

Join The Simple Things’ Editor Lisa Sykes and our regular co-host, contributor to the magazine and author of The Slow Traveller, Jo Tinsley, as they get thinking about how spring is much better time than wintry new year to take stock of you, exploring realisations and understanding about yourself and others. If you think that sounds a bit serious, do not worry, we’ll also be doing a procrastination quiz, learning life lessons from literature and highlighting a few of the great women and their stories we have featured in the magazine for International Women’s Day.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to our partner for Season 9, Friends of Glass, an organisation that celebrates and supports glass packaging for food, drink and cosmetics. Find out more about why glass is better for health, taste and the environment and follow them on instagram @friendsofglassuk

Editing & music by Arthur Cosslett

On the blog

Quiz | Which member of The Famous Five are you?

In previous issues (on sale at picsandink.com)

Kitchen Therapy: Layers of onions (Issue 164)

Life lessons from Russian Literature (issue 64). Read more in The Anna Karenina fix by Viv Groskop

Lessons from The Famous Five (Issue 123)

Gifts from the Goddesses – Contemporary retellings of greek myths (issue 122)

Life Lessons from Alice – Be curious, eat cake and never steal jam tarts from royalty (Issue 109)

Procrastination Quiz – Find it hard to Get Stuff Done, occasionally? Take our entirely scientific and extremely focused quiz and find out exactly what type of procrastinator you are and how best to overcome it (or simply live alongside it). (Issue 87)

As Good As Your Word – Using more positive language can make a big difference to your life, reawakening your confidence and boosting your happiness (Issue 76)

Wisdom: women doing what they love across the UK’s paths and roads, bridleways and waters (Issue 156)

Wisdom: Learn with Mother – women who have each inherited unique qualities from their mothers, with childhood lessons carried into their adult lives (issue 153)

Flip-thinking - turning problems into opportunities (issue 129)

Future tense: why some anxiety is good for us (issue 123)

In our Flourish Volume 4

Mental Notes – Life lessons from around the globe

Find out more

Words Can Change Your Brain by Dr Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman (Penguin)

50 Sentences That Make Life Easier: A Guide for More Self-Confidence by Kari

Join The Simple Things’ Wellbeing Editor Rebecca Frankand our regular co-host, contributor to the magazine and author of The Slow Traveller, Jo Tinsley, as they talk about how these early days of spring bring about a rise in energy, an urge to sort and maybe spring clean and how to bring new life to old and get out in the garden.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. Or buy current and back issueshere

Thanks to our partner for Season 9, Friends of Glass, an organisation that celebrates and supports glass packaging for food, drink and cosmetics. Find out more about why glass is better for health, taste and the environment and follow them on instagram @friendsofglassuk

Editing & music by Arthur Cosslett

On the blog

Koromagae Linen Spray

In the March issue (165) on sale now, available to buy here

Spruce up – As the garden springs back to life, now is the time to rejuvenate neglected corners.

Magical Creatures: An appreciation of the first butterfly of the year

Home Economics: Tropical Fruits. How to ensure the long journey of these drops of sunshine is worth its while.

Gathering: Clothes swap brunch

Wisdom: The joy of enough. A change in circumstances made Anna Kilpatrick rethink her life.

In the Feb issue (164) available to buy here

My Place: linen cupboards

Change by numbers: Helping to make the world a better place

In our Flourish Volume 4

Pleasure Garden – Spring seems to arrive sooner when you have fruit trees and blossom

The First Blossom: a promise of renewal each spring.

Find out more

Plantlife's No Mow May Movement

Not Needing New: A Practical Guide to Finding the Joy of Enough (Orion)

Join The Simple Things’ Wellbeing Editor Rebecca Frank and Contributing Editor Jo Tinsley as they discuss why this is a good time of year to get started with new projects, the brain-boosting benefits of learning a new skill and the science behind creating habits.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. We can send subscriptions anywhere in the world. Or buy current and back issueshere

Editing & music by Arthur Cosslett.

Thanks to our supporter for Season 9, Friends of Glass, an organisation that celebrates and supports glass packaging for food, drink and cosmetics. Find out more about why glass is better for health, taste and the environment and follow them on instagram @friendsofglassuk

On the blog

Match your creative itch to a new class here

Projects using glass on instagram @friendsofglassuk

Making a jam jar garden

Ways with rosemary:

Rosemary and ginger hinny herbal tipple

Olive oil, rosemary and apricot cake

A guide to rosemary pairings

In the February issue (164) on sale now, available to buy here

My Living - we chat to Catherine Mugonyi, founder of community arts space Aunty Social in Blackpool

Tarot for therapy – using the cards to help unlock thoughts, feelings and emotions

Tea & Tarot – an afternoon tea with a wellbeing twist

In the March issue (165) available to order here (on sale in shops from 27 March)

More than words – why learning a language is good for our brains and our communities. Find out more at Sign Language Week (16-22 March)

My City Malaga – a local’s guide to this sunny city in spring

In Flourish (Volume 4), available to buy here

Growing habits – if you want to change anything, start small and let it grow

Heart, body and soul – rosemary recipes and a soothing rosemary and lemon scalp rub

Join The Simple Things’ Editor Lisa Sykes and Wellbeing Editor Rebecca Frank as they find reasons to celebrate during February, including the returning daylight, time spent with friends and loved ones and joyful occasions from Lunar New Year to Shrove Tuesday.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. Or buy current and back issueshere

Editing & music by Arthur Cosslett.

On the blog

Seville & blood orange marmalade

Blood orange posset

Blood orange Negroni

Vietnamese summer rolls recipe

In the February issue (164) on sale now available to buy here

Foods of love – what we eat and how we eat it has long associations with romance

Friends for life – the mood-boosting, life-enhancing benefits of friendship

Kitchen therapy – Sensory baking (Herb and black olive fougasse and Cavolo Nero Gnochi) and simple embroidered onions

My City Taipei – cherry blossom and feasting during Lunar New Year

What to do with orange peel – from scented kitchen spray to joyful garlands

In the January issue (163) available to buy here

The Big Idea: Could you be an Otrovert? Explore the thinking behind Dr Rami Kaminski’s book The Gift of Not Belonging: How Outsiders Thrive In A World Of Joiners (Scribe)

In our A Year of Celebrations Anthology

Lunar New Year gathering – recipes to share and celebrate with friends

Find out more

Travelling sun sculpture myhelios.org

Thanks to our partner for Season 9, Friends of Glass, an organisation that celebrates and supports glass packaging for food, drink and cosmetics. Find out more about why glass is better for health, taste and the environment and follow them on instagram @friendsofglassuk

In the STAR episode The Simple Things’ Editor Lisa Sykes and author of The Slow Traveller and regular contributor Jo Tinsley celebrate Twelfth Night and look for other reasons to cheer up what feels like the longest month of January.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. Or buy current and back issueshere

Editing & music by Arthur Cosslett.

On the blog

Candle Holder

How To Wassail Well

How to hold a Wassail

Buttered bourbon apple cider

Tangerine and nutmeg hot chocolate

Blood Orange Posset

Slow Orange Poppy Seed Cake

In the January issue (163) on sale now

The appeal of ice skating

A winter of care and repair

In our In our A Year of Celebrations Anthology

Gathering: Twelfth Night with the La Fête des Rois

Candle holders

In previous issues, available to buy at http://picsandink.com/

Life lessons from the north: the value of age-old customs and community in enduring the long, dark winters. (Issue 151)

Looking back why we are fascinated by the stars (issue 152)

Snow lanterns (issue 138)

Learn more

Candles: A modern guide to making candles by Ebi Sinter and Emmanuel Sinteh

Watch out for the Quadrantid meteor shower between 28 December-12 January, peeking around 3-4 January 2026

Slow Down And Be Here Now by Laura Brand and Freya Hartas

A Winter Dictionary: A Collection of Words for the Festive Season by Paul Anthony Jones

Thanks to our partner for the Merry Midwinter season, the Marine Stewardship Council, which sets certification standards for sustainable fisheries and awards the blue ecolabel on fish and fish products. Find out more about the best fish to choose at msc.org and follow them on instagram @mscintheuk

If you’ve got some time off, now’s the chance to kick back a bit. Join Wellbeing Editor Rebecca FrankAuthor of The Slow Traveller and regular contributor Jo Tinsley

In Episode 5 PAUSE, as they share ideas for carving out some time to relax and reset in this in-between bit of Christmas.

If you are in the UK, you can try an immediate start subscription to the The Simple Things and receive the current issue straight away. Or buy current and back issueshere

Editing & music by Arthur Cosslett.

On the blog

How to do a jigsaw properly

In the January issue (163) on sale now

Long views from tall towers

Taking cues from the people, animals and nature that surround us

Life lessons from David Attenborough

Fish pie and cheddar mash

Learn more

Is a gansey a Guernsey?

Mindwandering: How It Can Improve Your Mood and Boost Your Creativity, by Moshe Bar (Bloomsbury Tonic)

Fish pie hash

In previous issues available to buy at http://picsandink.com/

Wearing well: Mittens (issue 127)

Panettone French toast (Issue 138)

Favourite annuals (issue 138)

Thanks to our partner for the Merry Midwinter season, the Marine Stewardship Council, which sets certification standards for sustainable fisheries and awards the blue ecolabel on fish and fish products. Find out more about the best fish to choose at msc.org and follow them on instagram @mscintheuk