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 issues here
Thanks to Austria Tourism for supporting this season To find out more about year-round outdoor adventures in Austria go to 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 issues here
Thanks to Austria Tourism for supporting this season To find out more about year-round outdoor adventures in Austria go to 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 issues here
Thanks to Austria Tourism for supporting this season To find out more about year-round outdoor adventures in Austria go to 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 issues here
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 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 issues here
Thanks to Austria Tourism for supporting Season 11. To find out more about year-round outdoor adventures in Austria go to 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)