Spring Refresh: 11 recipes, books and cleaning tips to welcome in Spring
The newest drop from our collaboration with interiors brand Neptune launches on 23.03.23, adding the Spring and Summer collections to the range. In preparation for the launch, we’ve been rounding up our absolute favourite recipes, adventures and makes to celebrate each season.
In this journal post, you’ll find recipes from the studio, inspired by afternoons bringing the allotment back to life, as well as our top Spring cleaning tips and tricks and a few cultural highlights thrown into the mix.
Light and breezy, with a hint of the summer to come and the dregs of the winter chill, Spring can be many things from cold and wet to weirdly warm in the UK. This quilt celebrates the flush of new life that the arrival of the daffodils and bright yellow gorse flowers signify. This colourway was drawn directly from a walk I went on in March 2022, along the south coast surrounded by soft blues, greens and greys and this extraordinary yellow gorse. As soon as I returned to the studio, I began to rummage through my Neptune fabric stash; with the yellow velvet as the linchpin, everything slotted into place to create this vibrant quilt inspired by the sea.
As a celebration of the quilt and the season, here are a few delicious things to tempt you out of the winter funk;
Eat
Spring brings my favourite of all the holidays - Easter. There is far less pressure than Christmas, and there is half a chance you can eat outside. This Fatteh recipe from Morro has been our go-to Easter dish for the past few years; it is fresh, exciting, and brilliant when prepared in advance if you have many guests arriving.
Spring means one thing - wild garlic, which means it’s time to make Wild garlic pesto, perfect on pasta topped with a mix of crispy sausage and, crunchy fennel and breadcrumbs. Be careful only to pick what you need or buy from a farmers market, so it will be able to grow again next year.
Spring can play tricks on us, and sometimes we need something cosy to bat away the last dregs of winter chill; this chicken, leek and orzo soup is fresh but warming, perfect for those first days of Spring.
Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and this lemon meringue pie is my mum’s favourite. Bonus points: it is the exact colours of our Spring Neptune collection!
Do | Make | See
This is the moment to pack away your winter jumpers. To keep the pesky moths away, we recommend freezing your knitwear and packing it in a sealed box or filled with lavender bags.
You might also feel the urge to clean, that bright Spring sunshine suddenly shining a light on the Winter grime. Why not try making your own (straightforward) cleaning products instead of buying new ones? Here at GBS we make ours steeping grapefruit peel in white vinegar for around a week, then all you need to do is remove the grapefruit, decant to a spray bottle. You have an entirely natural, grease-removing, antibacterial spray ready to go.
Are you tired of all that Spring cleaning? It's time to head outside and see some colour; if you can head to the coast, where you will be treated to the most incredible display of yellow flowers from the gorse, you could even take a dip if you’re brave!
After all that activity, take some time to rest and read Worn: A People History of Clothing, an incredible book tracking the history of the modern clothing industry, from the first nylon tights to the impact of tax havens in the Caribbean. This book sheds light on one of the most secretive industries in the world through stories of the fibres that tie it together.
Kettles Yard Spring is the perfect time to visit Kettles Yard, the former home of Jim and Helen Ede. A treasure trove of furniture, art and design collected over the years from friends such as Ben Nicolson and Barbara Hepworth (who later married and moved to St Ives). When occupied by the Ede’s, students were invited to view the works daily, often staying for a lively dinner. The house is mainly as it was left, with no labels or details, just a fascinating curation of art and objects, unlike any other museum.
Take your quilt outside and give it some air. Our quilts are made with all-natural materials and will need very little washing in their lifetime. However, a breezy afternoon in the sun will refresh the fibres and eliminate any lingering dust.
This Spring, the galleries are filled with the most incredible textile exhibitions; for the entire run down, you can head to our blog here.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our Spring hints and tips; the Neptune Flags Spring/Summer collection will be available to order from 23rd March 2023. Please join the mailing list to be the first in line to shop.