The Simple Things February 2022

Sometimes, a glimpse is all you need. A sign that the season is shifting, a peek into another’s world, a little understanding of a problem or a first nibble of something you’ve never eaten before. These everyday awakenings open our mind to fresh ideas and clearer thinking, they encourage us to slough the hibernation of winter and move a little more, take on projects and get things done. It might be snowdrops emerging from the frozen earth that triggers your optimism, but it could just as easily be discovering a new initiative in your neighbourhood or a moment appreciating a piece of street art. All that’s needed is for us to keep our eyes and minds open, ready to embrace what comes our way.…

The first rule of book club is books are great, but talking about them is even better. The second rule of book club is some refreshments– and plenty of them! The third rule of book club is… well that’s it really, so gather fellow literature lovers for a laid-back and cosy book club at home, to talk about books while enjoying drinks and nibbles. Welcome your guests with a cocktail to get the conversation started and put on a help-yourself mezze platter that can be grazed on during the discussion. Take a break from the book to share pasta, followed by a crowd-pleasing pud, just in time to argue/discuss/agree (delete as appropriate) your next book choice. A literary feast is just the thing for a long winter’s night. Fig dark & stormy There's…

Have a few ground rules How often do you meet? How are the books picked each time? (If you’re the picker, do your fellow book clubbers a favour and make your choice easy to get hold of and not too lengthy). Listen as much as speak, and be prepared for opposing opinions Being able to talk them through in a non-judgmental gathering is one of the delights of a book club. Keep an open mind You’re in the club (presumably) to read a few different types of book, so try not to judge before you’ve even opened the cover. Read the book Or, if you haven’t finished, graciously accept spoilers. Actually talk about the book Perhaps set an allotted amount of time to discuss the book before you get on to TV, holiday plans,…

WESTWELL PELEGRIM, from £26.55 a bottle This sparkling wine from Kent came out on top in our recent blind tasting of English Fizz versus Champagne, beating the likes of Moët, Lanson and Veuve Clicquot. Excellent as an aperitif, its biscuity tones will also be a good match for the vegetarian mezze platter. NUMBER 1, BACCHUS, from £12.59 a bottle Produced in Essex from the oldest and largest bacchus plantation in England, this white wine has been created as the go-to wine for any situation. This will go really well with the stuffed pasta dish thanks to its easy-drinking nature and refreshing taste. LITMUS, Pinot Noir, from £22.94 a bottle Brilliantly smooth, this demonstrates how great English reds have become. Reminiscent of a French Pinot (but better in our opinion!), we’d grab a glass of this…

We asked our friends, Kate Slotover and Laura Potter, of The Book Club Review – a bi-weekly podcast – to recommend five books. "We've picked books that generate lively debate and which people can't wait to discuss. For us, Book Club is a way to broaden our horizons and nudge us into reading things we wouldn’t otherwise have read." Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton (Scribe UK) is an electrifying short novel about the 17th-century aristocrat Margaret Cavendish. Dutton’s ability to bring to life the age of Oliver Cromwell and Samuel Pepys is a pleasure, but it’s her evocation of Cavendish’s rich inner-life that you’ll want to talk about. Assembly by Natasha Brown (Penguin) is a taut exploration of contemporary life narrated by a Black British woman. You’ll read it in one…

The rook on the ‘Welcome to Rooksbridge’ sign isn’t very, well, rooky. Its beak is too big and too black and more like that of a carrion crow. It’s an understandable error: the two species – closely related members of the corvid family – are easily confused. With a good view, a rook can be recognised by the bare, bone-coloured patch at the base of its thin, pointed bill and by the scruffy feathers at the tops of its legs that suggest it’s wearing baggy shorts. But what of black birds seen from afar – are they crows or rooks? There’s a country saying that can help: “A crow in a crowd is a rook, a rook on its own is a crow.” And this adage usually holds true: the carrion…