Five Items Of Note
A list of things for discussion this September. Pilled knitwear, planting garden layouts, buying what you love, petite desks, large knobs, badly trained dogs and potatoes, the King of root vegetables.
It’s been a quiet week in our house as Joe has been away with work, mostly in Paris which I am super jealous about. Last night he messaged me to say that they’d been taken to the Moulin Rouge whilst I was eating a roasted cauliflower in the local community centre. This is, in fact, way more fun than it sounds, I promise you. Local chefs host a supper club once a month, you can book a table in advance and the food is all homegrown and produced within our area. You can take your own wine and drinks and it’s super casual but mostly, the food is off the scale fabulous. Also, they do it early which is a huge benefit if you don’t want a mid week late one - sittings start at 5pm with the last one at 6pm so you can pop in, get a restaurant quality meal on a pop up table, a catch up with friends, a quick glass of nice wine and be home for Love Is Blind. Basically the ideal night out and even better, there is a farmers mini market directly out the front so that you can shop before you eat. Perfection.
Heading to Ripley Castle Antiques Fair on Friday with my partner in second hand crime, Karen, and I am very excited about it. We have been trying to get to one of these for about a year but our diaries always fail us, but this time it’s set it stone and I cannot WAIT. I have a small desk on the shopping list (more of that below) and with the building work starting next week, I am in prime position to be able to shop with intent. An afternoon wandering around perusing an abundance of vintage is exactly what is needed at the moment, I think. I rarely - if ever - talk about politics on my Instagram account or Substack, mostly because there are plenty of people who are far better informed than I and carry significantly more weight but also, it’s a free country and people are entitled to their own views and decisions. However, this week I drove along Monkgate which is just outside York City Walls to find a parade of St Georges flags lining the lamp posts and it really drove home to me quite how fucked our country currently is. To see a flag that represents our country being politically weaponised is harrowing, Black Mirroresque and deeply dismal. Ironically, I have heard that York City Council are going to remove them, albeit at a cost to the tax payer of £250,000 - money which could have been used far more profitably for the local community elsewhere. Congratulations, flag hangers. Answers on the teeniest, tiniest little miniature postcard stating what they’ve actually achieved, aside from making visitors feel distinctly unwelcome and York residents look like racist dicks.
But anyway, rant over and back to the point and as always, I have written far too much but, you know, it’s Saturday so a great time for a long read. Here are five items of note that I have been contemplating this month and that I think you need to know about.
1. An English City Garden. Well, A Patio With A Sleeper Border.
In the absence of being able to do anything inside the house for the last few months, my attention turned to the front garden. Okay, garden is an elaborate word - it’s a basic Victorian terrace front yard with iron railings and a gate, fronting the bay window and the entrance. When we moved, it was utter carnage. There was a stone edged border at the front that was filled with hugely overgrown privet that completely disguised the original railings, with a second, random privet in the middle of the central space (also overgrown). The whole thing was covered in gravel and moss, the icing on the cake being a big, orange, spiky palm tree type thing next to the front door that threatened to maim your vision every time you headed for the front door. It pained me. Look, here it is.
I decided that I’d head straight in and landscape it first, before we did anything else. We hadn’t even moved in before I had asked our local garden company to rip out the privet, much to the horror of my Instagram audience who were concerned that people would be able to see us sitting on the sofa and/or that I would disturb nesting birds and ruin the environment (there were no birds, fyi). I have been posting my house and my life on social media for over ten years; the concept of the odd tourist seeing me watching Escape To The Country does not worry me. Anyway, last week they completed the job and laid stones to the front with a sleeper border for me to plant out and oh, I how love it. SO MUCH. I keep going out and admiring it, I can’t stop myself. The front door still needs to be swapped and the paintwork updated but the new stones and planting have made a big difference.
Now, I am not a gardener and have never pretended to be but I really enjoyed planning out the sleeper border. I think because it’s just a small space, easily manageable and nice and neat. My gardening ideas come entirely from Pinterest and are mainly always based aesthetically when it comes to choice. Or, in our previous home, whether or not I could cut it and put it in a vase for styling. There’s no room for that kind of thing in our new space, but I still thought hard about what I wanted the sleeper border and I got lots of questions about the plants I picked. Here’s what they are and why I chose them. PS: Once the painting and door are done, I’ll do a full round up of the transformation here on my Substack.
Verbena: Big fan of verbena, in my last garden it grew to 10ft tall and was glorious. My friend Karen grew me some from seed and I added to them, planting six in total in two lots of three.
Stipa Tenuissima: Also known as Mexican Feather Grass or Ponytail Grass. Again, had this in my last garden it grew quickly and added softness to the border. Planted four in total, in two lots of two.
Catananche Caerulea: Cupids Dart. This is a perennial but will attract butterflies and bees, super pretty and also adds height to the border. Planted three of them together.
Descampsia Flex: I think it is, anyway. Not quite sure if I’m being honest, am using the wonder of AI to discover names but update me please if I’m wrong. Anyway, it’s another grass which grows up to a 1m high. Once again, I had this in my previous garden and it was very successful. Planted two together.
Scabiosa Caucasica: Also known as a Pincushion Flower. This is so pretty and again, attracts all the bees and butterflies - often used in wildflower gardens. I love how delicate it looks (let’s hope it’s not too delicate for Yorkshire weather). Planted three together.
Rosemary: As you can see, I am heading for plants I have had previous success with and I’ve put the rosemary right at the very end of the border, next to the hedge so that it can grow alongside it. Love rosemary, it’s so useful for cooking and it grows large too, yet is easy to maintain. Planted three.
Mme Alfred Carriere Rose: This is a white climbing rose that I bought from David Austin online and I have high hopes for this. Although currently it looks the way it looks above so fingers crossed. Planted this in it’s own spot next to the front door so that it can climb the wall. If I’m lucky, anyway.
Aster Ericoides Ulrike: This grows to up to 1m which is perfect for purpose here, to provide privacy between us and our neighbour. It grows little white flowers which cover the bush and will work really beautifully with the roses, if all goes to plan. I planted four of these in a row.
And finally, I also planted some allium bulbs, three pots of them (this might be too much but I have no idea how many will actually come up). I LOVE an allium, just the prettiest, and again, they add height. Will keep you updated on growth progress.
2. It’s Cold But Thank God For Potatoes.
Still wearing flip flops today as I write this, but I know damn well that their time is running out. This morning, there was condensation on the windows which means the hazy days of Summer are getting further and further behind us and it’s time to unleash the Autumn wardrobe (AKA remove the jumpers from the suction bags under the bed, although this is going to be a problem as the suction bags seem to have unsuctioned since I put them there and expanded and are now too big to pull out). Today I’ve had crumpets for lunch because crumpets are a must have when it’s cold and totally justified to eat instead of a salad. Yesterday I went into Londis to send a parcel and inexplicably bought a tin of Heinz baked beans, just because it was chilly.
I actively dislike the Winter months, but I do love a comfort food meal. Jacket potatoes are my ultimate favourite, cooked in the oven with a crispy skin and lots of butter. Prawns and avocado, tuna and mayonnaise, bolognese, baked beans and cheese. Honestly, I could eat a potato every day. Last night I remembered another favourite - whacked a sweet potato in the oven for an hour and then filled it with a mix of feta cheese and chopped spring onion. Three ingredients, yet a winning dinner, I tell you. We’re home on Saturday night and the weather is going to be terrible so I think it’s just calling out for some fully loaded jacket potato skins in front of the last four episodes of Lioness (this is BRILLIANT if you have not jumped on to it yet, ITV). Here’s my favourite recipe, plus I did a Reel which you can view here if you are more of a visual lover. This is such a simple recipe but it tastes SO GOOD and is super budget friendly, plus you can easily keep them in the fridge and whack them in the oven again for a couple of days afterwards.
Saturday Night Perfect Loaded Potato Skins
You will need: 4 large baking potatoes (to feed four); butter; olive oil; milk; grated cheese; spring onions; grated cheese; crispy bacon; guacamole; sour cream; salsa.
Method: Oil and season your potatoes and stick in then oven at 180 for about 90 mins until soft. Remove, then cut in half and scoop out the middles into a bowl, returning the skins to the tray. Lightly oil and season the skins and return to the oven for 20 mins or so until crisp. Meanwhile, add milk, butter and seasoning to the potato and mash, slicing spring onion in at the end and mixing well. Add a spoonful of potato to each skin then top with cheese and crispy bacon, putting back in the oven for about 30 mins max. Serve and scoff with guacamole, sour cream and salsa.
I’m going to have to be quite creative culinary wise over the next few months because as of Sunday, I will no longer have a kitchen. Two lots of friends are coming to remove parts of it to reuse in their own homes prior to the builders starting work and we will be living entirely from a microwave, toaster, kettle, Instant Pot and air fryer. It’ll be FINE. Tbh, I don’t think my kids will even really notice the difference. I’m basically going to become an Instant Pot and air fryer expert (yes, obvs I have already bought a book) and am mostly hoping that one of them will be able to cook a good jacket potato. If you’ve got any good recipes or suggestions that involve minimal washing up (bearing in mind I’ll be doing that in the bath) then please advise below *waits.
3. Holding Out For A Hero (Piece).
I have waffled about this endlessly for the last decade. But I am a big believer in that if you REALLY want something, then it’s worth saving to invest in. I have told the story before (sorry, long term readers) of how I refused to buy a toaster for years because I couldn’t afford the Dualit one that I really wanted. As a result, the kids always had cereal or American pancakes for breakfast as no one could be bothered to get the grill up and running (does anyone turn on the grill anymore? I don’t think we’ve used ours for about 20 years). Anyway, eventually I got my Dualit and I loved it SO MUCH. Until it stopped toasting, about five years later (godammit). But it was the happiest of buys at the time. I had held out and waited and it was worth it.
I suppose the idea here is not about the money, so much, but about saving and investing in an item that you really love and the satisfaction that you get from doing this. Take the toaster. I could have bought one in Asda for £12 at any point. But it wouldn’t have made me smile, I wouldn’t have walked into my kitchen and thought GOD I love that toaster. But my shiny, sturdy, big knobbed Dualit (say that quickly) brought me all the joy. There’s a sustainable element to this, too. When we moved house, I was appalled at the amount of products in my house that I didn’t feel anything for at all, that hadn’t been purchased with much thought or love - they were just THERE. This is one of the issues with living in the same house for ten years - you forget what you actually own. I donated them, sold them, gave them away, never missed them or thought about them again.
But the investment pieces? The metal medicine cabinet that was brought back to life by Mustafa at The French House, that was entirely rust and no glass and which now sits resplendent in the living room forever. The Togo sofas which I almost sold my soul for to pay for. Our French woven cane bed with the arched top which looks good even in its current state surrounded by ripped paper walls and multiple hanging rails. The Soho Home wicker lamp that survives Flo sharpening her claws on the base and I will never tire of. Some of these were big investments, some much smaller, but all of them were things that I lusted after for so long that I KNEW they’d be keepers.
I’ve been pinning the Hay Palissade outdoor furniture forever. Yes, it’s been around for a while. Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, lots of people have it. No, I don’t give a toss. I LOVE it. So when I needed a bench for the front of the house, I bought one. Mostly, it has to be said, because I was owed parking permit money from York Council which finally came through at the same time that Holloways Of Ludlow had 35% off making it an absolute bargain. I put it three times into my basket before I finally pressed the button, not sure if I should take the plunge, but when it arrived and I positioned it on the new patio (secured to the railings with a chain and key, you can never be too careful, ha), it made me so happy. It’s not one for Joe. He glanced at it and said ‘that looks so uncomfortable’ (readers, it is not). When I told him how much it had cost, it took him a couple of hours to get over the shock. But I KNOW that I will love it forever, because I have already loved it forever. And that, my friends, makes it a good investment. From now on, I’m buying less (feel free to hold me to this, you know how helpless I am in the face of a charity shop) and buying better, more sustainably and with a little bit more thought.
4. A Desk (And A Dog) So Small.
Okay, so yes, I am buying better, more sustainably and with a little bit more thought. But sometimes (okay, daily), I cannot resist a quick look at the second hand platforms, notably eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Vinterior. They draw me like a moth to a flame, like butter to my jacket potato. You never know what gem you are going to find - some of my favourite items in my home have been bought super cheap on the selling platforms and I’ve had them for years. I don’t like Facebook as a social platform, but I am addicted to the scroll of the unwanted, the discarded and the sometimes downright horrific. I try and bypass the grammatical errors (the other day I saw someone describe Christmas decorations as ‘ball balls’ and nearly fainted) and drill down to the possibilities and this week, I came up trumps. I wasn’t going to buy anything, I was just looking. But I found a Chinese plant stand for a tenner and decided that in the spirit of Second Hand September, it would have been remiss of me not to buy it. It’s petite and perfect (to me - this is the joy of furnishing your own home, everyone is different) and I couldn’t resist. I raced off to pick it up after grabbing all the pound coins I could find from Joe’s side of the bed and brought it home triumphantly, only to be messaged by the seller an hour later to tell me that I’d given her a Euro in error.
I’ve also hit the car boot sale TWICE in as many weeks. I’ve held back, but the joy of wandering, perusing, never knowing whether or not you’ll spot an undiscovered gem - just the best of feelings. This week, I went with Joe and Leo and decided to take Buddy which was a massive error. Buddy, despite being 12 years old, has never really been properly trained. He’s a small dog and has always been fairly well behaved, but he is utterly rubbish at being walked, like a dowsing rod heading off in all directions, one side to another. And he stops, just literally stops in his tracks, for no reason whatsoever and stands solid, as if he’s playing musical statues. On Saturday, I had to pick him up and walk with him in my arms for fear of being reported to the RSPCA for throttling him on the lead. Shameful.
But I digress. The reason that I’ve been looking is a need for a small desk for the middle room which will be my workplace, once the renovation is done, but it’s proving hard to find due to the fact that the alcove can only take the width of 90cm absolute maximum (and that’s with chipping a skirting board). Most desks are around 100-120cm wide so it’s quite problematic and I don’t want anything new, I want something with a bit of character as the built in shelves on the other wall will be made to measure and more contemporary (I like a contrast). I can’t invest yet as there are months to go before I’ll be in a position to position it, as it were, but that hasn’t stopped me looking. Here are a few I found, and the great places I found them too.
5. I Can Only Wear Cashmere Now, Darling.
One of the things that became abundantly clear when we moved house was that I owned WAY too much knitwear. Just a ridiculous amount. I knew this was the case, it was not a surprise to me. I had become accustomed to picking up a jumper every time I went into Zara which was a terrible habit, mostly because they were very rarely all wool and would therefore pill terribly within five wears. For the non initiated, pilling is where you get little bobbles of textile forming the more worn the jumper becomes. I am an expert in pilling, after my job at Country Casuals HQ in the late nineties involved me having to answer endless questions about pilling and more often, send £10 vouchers to those customers affected who didn’t want to use a pilling gadget to remove it. Country Casuals customers (who were mostly my Granny’s age; she was the main receiver of the sample sale product that I used to bring home) were not very tolerant of knitwear that was not fit for purpose, they were very hardcore. We got £1,000 clothing allowance a year (this was HUGE in the nineties, obvs) but it was, admittedly, hard to use it up when you were only 23 and shopped at TopShop. On the plus side, Granny always looked great.
I got rid of loads and loads of knitwear when we moved into this house. It was Summer, so it felt like quite an easy job. Lots went to friends and loads to the charity shop; I was left with a selection of rare good quality ones which I’d invested in to last the course. And they had lasted the course, they still looked as good as when I bought them. So I decided to change tack and invest in a few pieces that would work with everything. So I sought out the good stuff and bought three classic cashmere jumpers in black, brown and grey and have worn them to death ever since. With not a pill in sight, either. Less to store, less choice (this is a good thing) and more a more sustainable purchase as it lasts much longer. Anyway, here’s a little round up of what’s currently on my wish list this Autumn, from both High Street and independent brands (paid subscribers will know that the La Redoute I picked up in the Sale for under £100 so keep an eye out for their discount codes).
1.Alpaca blend, M&S £50; 2. Cashmere blend, H&M £110.50; 3. Cashmere, Uniqlo £79; 4. Cashmere blend, Orwell & Austin £199; 5. Cashmere, La Redoute £149; 6. Superfine wool, Navy Grey £245.
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Thank you SO much for calling out the disgraceful f-ing flags in our beautiful city 🕊️❤️
We didn’t have a kitchen for 6 weeks during our extension and it was actually fine, except washing up in the bathroom 😩😩Adding to your list, a plug in induction hob from ikea was invaluable!