#7: Niche Favourites No One Asked For

Apples, Rossellini's beanie, and Sofia Coppola's ribbon routine.

Embracing autumnal clichés

I write this from Elmley Nature Reserve in beautiful (and quite flat) Kent, courtesy of the folks at Verden. Post nature walk, we returned to the farmhouse and I’m sitting by a huge brick fireplace drinking a decaf tea — that’s my longwinded way of saying fall is a joy, especially after an Indian summer.

We were gifted a glut of delicious, freckled apples (thank you Lucy!), a few of which I stewed to have atop my porridge. Another armful went into a now-frozen batch of spiced apple pie filling for a future bake. To milk the cinnamon stick for all its flavour post-pie filling, I threw it into a batch of chai and now have several jars of it waiting for me in the fridge. I use this Dishoom recipe but steep the bags at the end with the stove off so it doesn’t veer bitter; I add sugar and milk separately to each cup I heat up. It’s not a pumpkin spice latte but I was reminded of this essay, which is especially good to revisit in the fall.

A personality test that doesn’t take itself too seriously

Several texts led me to this site, which apparently uncovers your “innate personality.” I can’t say whether or not it succeeds, but it’s short, sweet, and cleverly animated. I ended up with ‘ice’ — one of the traits being ‘knowing smile’ — and would love to know yours.

Luxury brands that aren’t (as much of) a rip-off