10 Things I really, really liked this month
This month's list includes some great make-up, my new favourite ingredient, and the best book I've read in years as well as a brilliant radio show and where to buy the best reed diffusers.
It’s rare I come out of my lane. I don’t often share the behind-the-scenes of my home life - partly because I forget, partly because my entire family refuses to take part and partly because I wonder how interested anyone really is. But I am often asked for my thoughts on things other than cushions and rugs (mostly, if I’m honest, on my hair and which shampoo – and I’m going to say “anything purple”). And so, this month (and perhaps occasionally from now on if it’s useful) I thought I would offer what you might loosely term a lifestyle round-up. I mean, let’s not go mad – there will still be homewares, but there will also be clothes, books, make-up, recipes, radio and television.
Before we get into that I wanted to tell you that the September design retreat is all but sold out and I have added another, slightly shorter (less time off work, lower cost) event in October. You can read all about it here and email me if you fancy it. We need a minimum of 10 to be able to schedule it.
Right then here, in no particular order, are 10 things I really, really liked this month.
1 BOOK: Normal Women by Philippa Gregory
Actually I lied. This is number 1. The rest of the list is in no particular order. I read this on my Kindle and now I’ve got it in hardback and I’d like to buy one for everyone I know – men and women. Every now and then a book comes along that stays with you quietly resonating in the background of your life. For me the first such book was The Women’s Room by Marilyn French (I haven’t read it since the 80s so I don’t know if it’s dated. In a way I prefer to leave it there). In the 90s I read Life, A User’s Manual by Georges Perec - a microcosm of life in a Paris apartment that, until a month ago was my desert island book. I had young children in the Noughties (or perhaps I didn’t find another book) so I haven’t got one for that decade. But this is my title for the 2020s.
Normal Women is 900 years of women in history. Not queens or duchesses or romantic heroines, but ordinary women. It’s fascinating. And enraging. We learn that there was no difference in status between the sexes until men started to feel threatened and gradually started eroding their (our) rights. That it was women who led many of the historical uprisings and revolts. We learn about day to day life, from court cases and birth records and even diaries and letters. I’m definitely reading it again. I want to learn it.
2 MAKE-UP: Merit
I wear make-up every day but I’ve never been an experimenter. I want a simple, quick routine, that makes my skin look dewy, my eyes bigger, my brows tidy and brings a bit of colour to my cheeks. I’ve used Beauty Pie skincare since the beginning but a couple of months ago I was contacted by Merit and asked if I wanted to try their make-up.
It comes in a neat little corduroy bag and the minimalist complexion stick, high lighter and blush are all packaged in fat crayon-like tubes that you draw on and blend. It’s non pore-clogging, super-buildable and I’m completely converted from a tint in a tube. The tubing mascara was new to me but it’s clever - of course it lengthens but it also washes off very easily and - get this - doesn’t smudge all over your towels. Sold! Also, do yourself a favour and get the Great Skin instant glow serum. Finally, I’m no brush expert but their Brush No 1 is very pleasing and turns out to be the first one I reach for every morning, so it does live up to its name.
Merit have now built a special set based around my favourite products for you to try and they have added a discount. I shall be taking advantage of this myself as I will be buying once my current pieces have run out.
This is an affiliate link so it doesn’t change what you pay but any purchase gives me a small commission.
3 INGREDIENT: Anchovies
Bear with me on this one. I know anchovies can be controversial but here’s the thing; they’re great in cooking as they completely dissolve and leave just a faint umami taste that isn’t remotely fishy. But that’s not what I’m referring to here.
Since (partly) moving to Turin I have discovered they are practically the national dish of the city. Bread, lashings of unsalted butter with an anchovy or two draped over the top. That’s it. You find them as snacks in bars, starters in restaurants and there are shelves and shelves of them in supermarkets. And the best bit - they’re not even those really expensive silver ones that you find in the UK. These are in tins and jars at all price points. If you want to be fancy, you can add a little parsley chopped into some olive oil but please don’t do all the cheese and tomato variations that I see on the internet. They’re best kept simple. Try it – it’s wonderful, I promise.
This seems like an odd dish for a land-locked mountainous region in the north of the country, so at lunch one day at our local restaurant I asked the owner. And, the gist (I’m still learning Italian) is that in centuries past salt was hard to come by and heavily taxed, so the wily Torinese covered their precious salt with a layer of cheap anchovies to fool customs. The city developed a taste for them and it’s rare to find a restaurant where they don’t feature on the menu these days.
The rest of this post, which includes television, radio and recipes is for paid subscribers only and is one of four you will receive if you upgrade to a paid membership. This also gives you access to my archive of over 100 design issues, access to a monthly drop-in design clinic where you can ask me any decorating questions and you can join in the community chat.