OKA Magazine: Summer 2023 (UK Edition)

SUMMER 2023 Idyllic Spaces Design inspiration for inside and out PersonalityPacked Pieces Discover our latest lighting collection and newly added custom-made seating Hosting 101 All you need for entertaining, from tableware to delicious recipes, and so much more.

Our collection of unbelievably lifelike faux flower stems and ready-styled bunches add the perfect finishing touch to every home. oka.com/bunched

Refreshing your interiors is a wonderful feeling all year round, but there’s something about switching things up for summer which can’t be matched – everything just looks better bathed in sunlight. With lots of barbecues in the diary, all eyes tend to be on the garden, but that busy schedule is an excellent excuse to create a relaxing space indoors, too. On page 20 you’ll discover our take on a London townhouse that ticks this box perfectly.

As for the great outdoors, we’ve brought a contemporary note to our new Garden Collection (p. 4). The latest pieces are very versatile, I can picture them in both the city and the countryside, playing host to all kinds of al fresco occasions. I love nothing more than entertaining outside; big plates of food where everyone can help themselves, a delicious wine and even better company… it’s just bliss. This is a sentiment that our friend, food writer Joe Woodhouse, shares – you can discover some of his tasty (and simple) summer salad recipes on page 40.

Last, but certainly not least, I’m delighted to be able to let you in on the creative process behind our new lighting collection, designed in collaboration with Cabana Magazine Founder and Editorin-Chief Martina Mondadori (p. 14). We see eye to eye when it comes to pattern, colour and craftsmanship, so it was a joy to work together – I hope you love the outcome as much as we do.

Sue Jones Co-Founder and Creative Director of OKA

Come Rain or Shine

We’re wishing for sun-drenched days and balmy evenings, but when it comes to the great British summer, it’s best to be prepared – our new Garden Collection is here to help. Showerproof designs – from furniture to cushions, and even a tablecloth – paired with playful crockery and glassware, ensure the show can always go on in style.

Whittaker Range 3-Seater Sofa £2,750 | Armchair £1,350

Areca Outdoor Cushion Mustard £95 | Seafoam £95 Zacke

Outdoor Cushion Seafoam £95 | Mustard £95 Pierre Range Ash

Grey | Coffee Table £1,450 | Side Table £425 Pandanus Carafe and Glasses Set £150 Demoiselle Decorative Leaf Dish £225 Acanthosphere

Lidded Pot £55 Glass Hurricane Lamp Medium £50 | Large £60 stores

Whittaker Dining Chair £925 Hokela Dining Table £3,595 Glass Hurricane Lamp Small £40 | Medium £50 | Large £60 Wen Emperor Vase Coral £425 Loutro Vase Large £95 Mandalay Planter Medium £50 (seen with Faux Cymbidium Orchid with Narrow Vase £195)

ABOVE Hokela Side Table Charcoal £395

Albert Armchair £1,350 Zacke Outdoor

Cushion Putting Green £95 LEFT Glass Hurricane

Lamp Small £40 | Medium £50 | Large £60

Pillar Candle Small £10 | Medium £18 | Large £20

ABOVE TjikkoDiningTable Square £2,895

Coradew Armchair £495 TwistedGlassware 4x Short Tumblers £30 |Jug £55 Areca Outdoor Cushion

Mustard £95 RIGHT Zacke Indoor/Outdoor

Tablecloth £195  4x Muromo Glass Tumblers £45

Humphry Corner Set and Coffee Table £3,995 Zacke Outdoor Cushion Putting Green £95 Isphahan Deep Bowl £125 Tortoiseshell Vase

Short £55 Faux Shagreen Oval Plateau Tray £250 4x Round-Based Crystal

Glasses Large £150 Sydra Side Table Bark £195

Coradew Armchair £495 Contorno

OutdoorCushion Mustard £95 TjikkoDiningTable Square £2,895

TwistedGlassware 4x ShortTumblers £30 |Jug £55 Hanway Garden

Parasol Oatmeal £525 Areca Outdoor Cushion Mustard £95

Contorno Indoor/Outdoor Tablecloth £195 4x Kintaro Side Plates

Putting Green £65 Esio 28-Piece Faux Tortoiseshell Cutlery Set £295 4x Lavaux Goblets

Multi £60 Pandanus Carafe and Glasses Set £150 Borromea Basket £60 4x Laucala Wooden Beaded Napkin Rings £35 4x Machame Napkins £70

LEFT Humphry Armchair £650 Areca

Outdoor Cushion Seafoam £95 Sydra Side Table Bark £195 4x Pulcinella Tumblers Short £75

BELOW Zacke Indoor/Outdoor Tablecloth £195

4x Adam Lippes X OKA Coquille Dinner Plates £275

4x Muromo Glass Tumblers £45  16-Piece Cutlery Set Ivory £95 4x Tideline Napkins Red/Blue £65

Weybourne Range Armchair £495 | 3-Seater Sofa £1,095 | Corner Extension £650 Rander Ceramic Stool Sapphire/White £225 Areca OutdoorCushion Putting Green £95 Zacke Outdoor Cushion Seafoam £95

Introducing our eclectic new lighting collection, a meeting of minds between our Co-Founder Sue Jones and Cabana Magazine

Founder and Editor-in-Chief Martina Mondadori

When Martina Mondadori moved from Italy to England in 2012, she felt at once homesick for her native Milan and enthused by her new surroundings in London. The love of eclecticism, heritage and craftsmanship she had found in her home country suddenly had a new source of inspiration: the innate nonchalance of English decorating. She began creating mood boards, mixing the designs of her favourite Italian and English interiors to create spaces filled with colour, pattern and charm. The worlds she designed became Cabana Magazine, a biannual publication now renowned as an interior design and decorating authority.

Martina’s passion for anything and everything bold is one that’s shared with our Co-Founder and Creative Director Sue Jones, who

infuses a maximalist sensibility into each of our designs – so it was only natural that, when these two visionaries met, creativity would prosper. Over tea in London, they conceived OKA X Cabana, a collaboration that celebrates their favoured aesthetic. “Sue and I share a real passion for pattern, print and just being bold,” Martina says. “To me, there’s no point in keeping everything monochromatic; I like to mix, and so does Sue. That’s our common ground.”

Comprising a table lamp and three styles of lampshade in a choice of prints and colours, the collection has been designed to be mixed and matched, with a carefully composed palette woven throughout – “Putting the choice in our customer’s hands,” as Sue puts it.

Among the new pieces is the Arabesque Lampshade – an intricate design that began with an embroidered fabric Sue found in a market in India, which was then

Sue Jones and Martina Mondadori

reimagined with Moroccan influences by Martina. Crafted by OKA artisans in Delhi, the tussar silk piece is hand embroidered in a herringbone-style stitch inspired by traditional phulkari embroidery, a process that originated in Punjab and takes three to four craftspeople 12 days to complete. The Veneto printed card shades, meanwhile, are an ode to Italy, with three prints – Vicolo, Cosima and Collato – inspired by Venetian wall frescoes and the subtle colours of Renaissance powder pigments. Handmade in north London, the card shades are a beautiful fusion of their Italian heritage and British craftsmanship. A dainty scalloped edge on the Cosima adds a further flourish to the blooming, geometric motifs of its print.

To me, there’s no point in keeping everything monochromatic; I like to mix, and so does Sue. That’s our common ground.

- Martina Mondadori

The final lampshade, Ambi, is rooted in OKA and Cabana’s shared, and constant, calling card: travel. Inspired by a traditional paisley pattern, which dates back to the Persian Empire and has been influenced over centuries by India, Scotland and England, the swirling design is hand block printed by artisans in Jaipur onto natural linen. There are three colourways, each finished with contrasting linings and trims.

Grounding the collection is the hand-turned wooden Pilastro Table Lamp, which was inspired by a design belonging to Martina’s late mother. Each base is hand painted with multiple coats of colour to achieve the depth of tone and antique patina that made the original so special. “From the very beginning, we said we couldn’t create the collection without a lamp base,” Sue says. “This design meant a lot to Martina, and so I really considered which of our skilled artisans could replicate it. We set out to recreate the same unique, hand-painted finish, deciding on four colours that then gave us a palette to work from.”

While the collection’s striking colours and prints are what catch the eye, it’s craftsmanship that elevates each piece, says Martina, who was impressed to see her ideas come to life in the very first

samples. “That happens when the person you’re collaborating with truly understands your style and your vision, and that is certainly the case with Sue,” she explains. “She has incredible experience with craftsmanship, and that was just a dream come true for me.”

“What a joy of a collaboration this has been,” Sue adds. “It’s been my pleasure to be able to help Martina bring her thoughts and designs to life. From the start it felt like the perfect meeting of minds; it’s been an honour to showcase Cabana’s unique vibrancy and love of colour in a collection that feels innately OKA.”

The OKA X Cabana collection is available now, in-store and online at oka.com/cabana

It’s been an honour to showcase Cabana’s unique vibrancy and love of colour in a collection that feels innately OKA.

- Sue Jones

OKA X Cabana Collection Pilastro Table Lamp Olive £250 (seen with Ambi Shade Paprika/Moss £150) Ochre £250 (seen with Veneto Vicolo Shade £195) Blue £195 (seen with Veneto Collato Shade £195) Burgundy £250 (seen with Arabesque Shade Moss/Paprika £395)

MOMENTS OFCALM

In this light-filled London townhouse, a curated blend of angular forms and sweeping silhouettes creates a look that is at once contemporary and inviting. The space offers moments of relaxation at every turn, whether that looks like a solo snooze on the sofa or G&Ts for two –ideal for whiling away lazy summer afternoons.

Rander Ceramic Stool Spruce/White £225 Mandalay Planter Giant £195

Tailored by OKA Handmade-to-Order Hughes Sofa Medium | Sky Fine Basket

Weave £4,400 Borrayo Cushion Cover Cross Mustard £70 | Dash Sage £70 | Dot Sage/Mustard £70 Leptoria Embroidered Cushion Cover Chalk £115 Set of Two Mirrored Solasta Tables £1,195 Woven Lidded Bone Box £195 Cormack Candle

Holder White | Large £25 | 2x Small £18 Sanibel Shell Decorative Ornaments £150

Merle Side Table £695 Tamri Table Lamp £160 (seen with Hirkani Shade Air Force Blue £85) Sanibel Shell Candle Holder Medium £125 Set of Four Skeleton Coral Prints Green/White £395 Cria Throw Natural £350 Zagora Rug £3,995

Dera Framed Leaf Print £250 Canterbury Table Lamp £250 (seen with Hirkani Shade Mustard £85) Decorative Bodhi Dish £55 OPPOSITE PAGE Ephrussi Rug £2,295 Brantwood Armchair Dijon £1,550

Hirkani Diamond Cushion Cover Blue Grey £95 Huxley Side Table Brushed Indigo £550 Set of Two Zion

Lidded Urns Aruba Blue £85 Gonglin Memory Box £195 Kalinda Table Lamp Mustard £195 (seen with Daun Pleated Cotton Shade Moss £50) Sedgwick Mirror Large £995 Decimus Lidded Bone Box £150

Fyli Vase Medium | White £80 Jadeite Vase £150 Meillion Mirror £595

THIS PAGE Turnus Console Table £1,595 Faux Cymbidium Orchids with Vase Pink £195 Talasa Tray Chinese Red £150 Cormack Candle Holder Cobalt | Raspberry | White | Large £25 | 2x Small £18

Cover

Vase

Hadspen

Brontide

Calendula

Thomasin Floor Lamp £375 (seen with Daun Pleated Cotton Shade Poppy Seed £150) Rhombi Rug £3,995 Tailored by OKA Handmade-to-Order Barrett Armchair Milk Boiled Wool £2,700 Artemesia Cushion

Gold £75 Solomon Coffee Table £2,695 Borromea Basket £60 Talasa Rectangular Rattan Tray £110 Cormack Candle Holders White | Small £18 | Large £25 Kyoto Side Table £275 Loutro

Small £55 (seen with Faux Cymbidium Orchid Stem White £18) Tailored by OKA Handmade-toOrder Barrett Sofa Medium | Dyed Oyster Clever Linen £4,300 Hirkani Diamond Cushion Cover Moss £95

Cushion Cover with Piping £75 Plain Velvet Cushion Cover Moss | Rectangular £55 | Square £60

Oil Painting £695

Abaneri Side Table Ebony £895 Pula Vase £25

Table Lamp £250 (seen with Hirkani Shade Moss £125) Sanibel Shell Decorative Ornaments £150

THIS PAGE Taino Bar Stool £395 Loutro Vase Small £55 Fyli Vase Medium | White £80 Glass Hurricane Lamp Small £40 OPPOSITE PAGE Kintaro China Putting Green | Jug £40 | 4x Dinner Plates £95 Silenus 24-Piece Cutlery Set £295 Memerah Twisted Tumblers Short £60 | Tall £65 4x Soraya Napkins £90

Cynara Floor Lamp £495 (seen with Hirkani Shade Air Force Blue £125) Tailored by OKA Handmade-to-Order Hughes Armchair Perfect Navy Boiled Wool £2,800 Borrayo Cushion Cover Dash Dark Blue £70 | Cross Dark Blue £70 | Dot Dark Blue/Red £70 Leptoria Embroidered Cushion Cover Chalk £115

Ikkuna Mirror £395 Decimus Lidded Bone Box £150 Sanibel Shell Candle Holder Medium £125 Sanibel Shell Decorative Ornaments £150 Cormack

Candle Holder White | Large £25 | 2x Small £18 Pacaya Decorative Vase £295

THIS PAGE Triomphe Side Table £595 4x Lavaux Goblets Sapphire £60 OPPOSITE PAGE Decorative Apple £25 Farva Rug £1,995 Katsura Cabinet Natural £1,795 Liaodong Pot Sea Blue £195 (seen with Faux Ginkgo Leaf Stem £18) Mini Grisewood Wireless Lamp and Shade £185 Set of Two Zion Lidded Urns Aruba Blue £85 Ranelagh Glassware 4x Large Wine Goblets £60 | 4x Small Wine Goblets £55 | 4x Champagne Flutes £55 Pulcinella Glassware 4x Small Wine Glasses £80 | 4x Tall Tumblers £85 | 4x Short Tumblers £75 | 4x Cocktail Glasses £95 Meillion Mirror £595

Dream Weavers

Natural materials, such as rattan, wood and jute, are thought to boost wellbeing, so where better to incorporate them than the place we spend a third of our lives? Offset their warm tones with a soft palette of pinks and greys (not to mention a pop of pattern) and beauty sleep is guaranteed.

Bayuban Chest of Drawers Small | Natural

I

Table

£795

var

Lamp £295 (seen with Hirkani Shade Air Force Blue £85) Tailored by OKA Madeto-Order Arden Headboard Blue Savoy Clever Velvet Ocellus Cushion Cover Burnt

Umber £75 Karaikal Quilt Grey Blue £295 Costellini Ottoman Ash Grey Leather £450 Ultimate Paisley Throw £325 Safi Rug £1,595 Huxley Side Table Brushed Red £550

OPPOSITE PAGE Bayuban Chest of Drawers Small | Natural £795

Ivar Table Lamp £295 (seen with Hirkani Shade Air Force Blue £85)

Pula Vase £25 (seen with Faux Cymbidium Orchid Stem White £18)

Shokki Framed Textile £995

Tailored by OKA Made-to-Order Arden

Headboard Blue Savoy Clever Velvet Ocellus Cushion Cover Burnt Umber £75

Karaikal Quilt Grey Blue £295 THIS PAGE Hester Bench £1,695 Plain Velvet

Cushion Cover Truffle £60 Cria Throw Natural £350 Talasa Rectangular Rattan Tray £110 Pandanus Carafe and Glasses Set £150

Cut from the Same Cloth

Tailored by OKA

Wickham Sofa from £3,900

Presenting the latest additions to our custom-made seating collection, Tailored by OKA –there are five new styles and four fresh materials to discover

At the heart of each of our designs is a belief that your home should reflect you and your lifestyle, and nothing says this more than our custom-made furniture collection, Tailored by OKA. Joining the family this season is the Haywood Armchair, the Cecil Sofa, and the Barrett, Hughes and Wickham – each of which is available in a selection of sofa sizes and as an armchair – as well as a quartet of new materials: Fine Basket Weave, Bouclé, Boiled Wool and Heirloom Leather. With each new addition comes myriad more interiors possibilities, so you can realise your bespoke vision.

When Tailored was first conceptualised, our goal was to keep things simple; to create pieces that could truly fit into anyone’s home, regardless of its size or style. “Each of the pieces are very different to the other, but what they do have in common is that they are so beautifully

uncomplicated and extremely comfortable,” our Co-Founder Sue Jones says. This certainly still rings true for our five new styles, where craftsmanship and comfort take centre stage. They are lovingly brought to life by a UK-based family-run business, which has long been staffed by some of the most passionate and skilled makers out there.

Cecil Sofa from £3,700

Hughes Armchair from £2,100

Our new designs bridge the gap between classic and contemporary style

How it works

Choose from 11 styles, 10 of which are handmade-to-order here in the UK, and one –the Stafford – that is finished by hand to fit your specifications. Each can be crafted in a wide variety of fabrics and colours, with a choice of two leg finishes.

1. Select a Style

To begin designing, select a style from the collection and get creative with our online tool. Alternatively, pop into your nearest OKA store where our team will be happy to help.

Barrett

Availableas: Armchair; Sofa in four sizes

Beale

Availableas: Armchair; Sofa in three sizes

Cecil

Availableas: Sofa in four sizes

Highmore

Availableas: Armchair; Sofa in two sizes

Egerton

Availableas: Armchair; Sofa in three sizes

2. Choose your Fabric and Legs

Each style is available in a variety of fabrics and colourways. If you can’t decide, you can order up to five complimentary swatches. The legs are available in two finishes: Ebony and Greyed Oak.

3. Work Begins

Once your order has been confirmed, our makers get to work on your design and our team will give you an estimated timeline for delivery.

Hughes

Availableas: Armchair; Sofa in four sizes

Radcliffe

Availableas: Sofa in two sizes

Stafford

Availableas: Dining Chair, Dining Chair with Arms, Bench and Bar Stool

Wickham

Availableas: Armchair; Sofa in four sizes

4. Your Piece Arrives at Home

Our Customer Service team will contact you to arrange delivery at a time that suits you. Your item will be unpacked and installed in a room of your choice, with all packaging removed.

Haywood

Availableas: Armchair

Fanshawe

Availableas: Rectangular, Square

For traditional appeal, look no further than the Cecil, complete with a buttoned back that evokes all the charm of a Chesterfield. The Barrett and Wickham cut more modern silhouettes thanks to low-slung profiles; the former celebrates clean lines, the latter a softer shape. For similarly soft curves, there’s also the Haywood, our take on a club chair that nods to Mid-Century design, while on the other end of the spectrum sits the Hughes, with slanted arms and a streamlined form. They do all share at least one (very important) trait however: each is supremely comfortable, thanks to carefully crafted deep seat cushions. Then there’s the fabrics to throw into the mix – as if choosing a style wasn’t enough of a design dilemma. We’re thrilled with our first foray into linen-wool blends; the combination of fabrics in our Fine Basket Weave each interact with dye in a different way, resulting in a soft melange of tones and a beautiful sense of depth. Crafted in a single mill in Italy and available in four rustic hues, it has a lovely heritage feel about it. Then there’s our Oat-coloured Bouclé, which is the perfect choice if you’re after upholstery that is very durable, with a bit of soft texture – it is expertly woven in Belgium and dyed twice for a ‘highlight’ effect. Next up: buttery soft Heirloom Leather in two velvety shades of brown, which, like all high-quality leathers, will only look better with age. Last but certainly not least is Boiled Wool, which is made in the Scottish Highlands. From light Milk to deep

Pine, each of the three colours available creates a feel that is at once cosy and smart, ideal for seating in a snug or a formal sitting room. Whether it’s an armchair for one or a sofa for the whole family you have in mind, you’re bound to find the perfect fit with Tailored. Visit us in-store to test drive the collection, or get creative with our online design tool by visiting oka.com/tailored or scanning the QR code below:

Haywood Armchair from £2,000

SALAD DAYS WITH JOE WOODHOUSE

Maybe it stems from growing up on a working farm, where there was neither time nor tolerance for egos. Maybe it comes from being a photographer, which entails spending more of life behind the camera than in front. Whatever the reason, Joe Woodhouse is one of the most selfeffacing male chefs on the scene right now, whose sole focus, whether cooking at home or promoting his debut cookbook Your Daily Veg, is family, friends and feasting.

When it comes to hosting, Woodhouse would rather be cooking than sitting down: “Showing people different ingredients we’ve found, cooking over fire outside as it’s fun and interactive for people to hang around.” He’s no fan of man-to-man barbecue chat though, describing wryly the “strange insecurity some men have when you’re cooking with fire. It’s like they need to show they’re a real man by asking what charcoal you’re using”. Again, it seems Woodhouse has no time for any approach to food that centres around the self.

What he does have time for is having friends over: once, twice, even three times a week, together with his wife Olia Hercules, herself a highly successful food writer. What starts off as a group of two or three invariably ends up as six or eight. “Sometimes it is double that by the time the day comes,” he laughs. “Olia really likes to add people.” Once the group gets past a certain size, Woodhouse leans toward pizzas, fired outside in his pizza oven, as “once you’ve made the dough, it’s a relatively simple thing to keep knocking out”.

WORDS: CLARE FINNEY

PHOTOGRAPHS: TOM GRIFFITHS

Author, food writer and

photographer

Joe Woodhouse on how to make veg the focal feature and the undeniable joys of cooking and entertaining outside

BOBBY BEANS, SMASHED ROASTED TOMATOES, RED ONION, CAPERS, BASIL

“A salad bursting with summer flavours. I can’t get enough of this salad when green beans start appearing in the summer. If left alone I could easily sit down and finish off this whole serving. I love the balance of the tanginess from the tomatoes and vinegar, with the crunchy onion and salty capers. All draped over just cooked green beans. Absolute heaven. Best eaten, if possible, outside in the sun. With some wine and crusty bread.”

Serves 4

500g green beans, trimmed

6 slow roasted tomatoes

1 red onion, 2 tropea onions when available can also be great here

1 bunch of basil

30g capers

3tbsp red wine vinegar

3tbsp good quality olive oil, plus more to dress

sea salt and black pepper for seasoning

1. Heat the oven to 160°C. Cut the tomatoes across their equator, and arrange cut side up on a baking tray. Season with salt, pour over 2 tbsp of oil and roast for 1 hour. They still want to be juicy, but the flavours concentrated. I normally do a bigger batch of these as they keep well in the fridge, and can be used in many different ways.

2. While the tomatoes are cooking, finely slice the onion. Add the onion to a mixing bowl, along with the picked basil leaves and capers.

3. Once the tomatoes are done, blanch your beans in salted water until tender. They should be cooked through but not overly floppy; test one when you feel they are getting to the desired stage. I like to refresh them briefly in cold water, so that the cooking stops but they remain at room temperature rather than ice cold.

4. Add the drained beans to the mixing bowl with the remaining olive oil. Crush the tomatoes either in your hand, if cool enough, or with the back of a wooden spoon and add to the bowl. Turn everything over a few times to combine with a couple of grinds of coarse black pepper. Arrange on a serving plate with your hands.

The merits of pizzas speak for themselves: “Everyone likes pizzas. They are versatile. They are kid-friendly,” Woodhouse continues. At an age where most of their friends have young children, they are ideal. And as the nights get lighter and longer, the idea of firing up the pizza oven and inviting friends to gather around a table festooned with fairy lights and flowers has a particular appeal – even at their most sophisticated, pizzas mean party. “There is just that instant gratification,” says Woodhouse. “The kids are fed, and then the adults can hang out.”

As the title of his book might have led you to guess, Woodhouse is vegetarian – making for a slightly different approach when it comes to entertaining.

BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE AN ANIMAL PROTEIN OR FISH, THE MEAL IS AROUND A THEME RATHER THAN A CENTREPIECE.

“Because you don’t have an animal protein or fish, the meal is around a theme rather than a centrepiece. Usually that’s a particular country or region, represented by a collection of dishes,” he says, “though sometimes I lean toward doing one big dish like an aubergine parmigiana or a pie.” The aim is to keep it simple, so as to maximise mingling time.

When choosing which dishes to present, Woodhouse aims for “different textures, showing off vegetables in different ways.” His butterbeans with courgettes and basil, and green beans with roast tomatoes and capers are prime examples. “I love green beans. They’re so easy – you just blanch them, cool

Sorano Soup Bowl £18

4x Adam Lippes X OKA Coquille Dinner Plates £275

4x Kintaro Dinner Plates Indigo £95

4x Memerah Twisted Wine Glasses Large £65

16-Piece Cutlery Set Ivory £95

them down and leave them until you’re ready to dress them,” he continues. Vibrant, crunchy and fresh, they encapsulate everything that’s most enjoyable about summer entertaining: “Throw the bits together, toss, and you’re ready to go.”

Looking at food through a photographer’s eyes means presentation is crucial for Woodhouse; having plenty of colour, from the food, table setting and crockery is key. When it comes to feeding a crowd outdoors, he recommends shallow soup bowls, “like those you get in bistros. A lot of my food is spoonable, and if you’re standing up the rim means you can scoop easily”. Starters are invariably an array of homemade dips, which can be prepared in advance, and allow early arrivals to immediately tuck in.

“The more we’ve hosted, the looser it’s become,” he smiles. Having bountiful platters of food that people can simply get stuck into while chatting is not incidental; it’s fundamental, he says. “It’s easy for you, and it’s good fun for all the people around you. All you need is plenty of wine, and everyone feels satisfied. Everyone is well fed.”

COURGETTE, BUTTERBEAN, ONION AND DILL SALAD

“Salads of this nature are a mainstay at lunch for me. Light but with enough flavour and substance to carry you through the afternoon. Great for piling high when friends come over. The included ingredients evolve as the seasons change and with what you have on hand. Don’t be afraid to swap in other bits of fresh crunchy veg or herbs. Perfect enjoyed outside in the sun with a glass of white wine to help ease into the afternoon.”

Serves 2 as a side, or 1 as a more hearty lunch

325g cooked butterbeans

2 small courgettes

1 Tropea onion, or 3 spring onions

2-3 cornichons, finely sliced

25g dill

a generous splash of red wine vinegar

extra virgin olive oil, to taste a healthy pinch of chilli flakes

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Slice the onions into rounds, as thinly as possible. Separate the rings into a large mixing bowl. Add a decent slug of good quality red wine vinegar. This will take the edge off the onions and temper them slightly.

2. Finely slice the courgettes, either by hand or on a mandolin. Add them to the bowl.

3. Add the cornichons and roughly chopped dill to the bowl, along with 3-4 tablespoons of oil and the butterbeans.

4. Toss to combine, add some salt, check seasoning and adjust accordingly. Similarly with the vinegar and oil levels. You are looking for a punchy, well-seasoned mix with a good slick of oil bringing everything together.

5. Arrange in a bowl or serving platter and scatter liberally with chilli flakes to serve.

Sorano Dinner Plate £25

Your Daily Veg: Modern, Fuss-Free Vegetarian Food by Joe Woodhouse is available to buy now (£22, Octopus)

Our Stores

For full details, including opening hours, visit oka.com/stores or get in touch with our Customer Service team on 03330 042 042 or customerservice@oka.com

1. Bath, Somerset 26-27 Milsom Street BA1 1DG Tel: 01225 443074

2. Broadway, Worcestershire 46 High Street WR12 7DT Tel: 01386 859631

3. Chelsea Flagship 155-167 Fulham Road SW3 6SN Tel: 020 7581 2574

4. Didcot, Oxfordshire - Outlet 166 Purchas Road OX11 7BF Tel: 01235 820320

5. Edgbaston, Birmingham 20-22 Harborne Road B15 3AA (Parking Postcode: B15 1TP) Tel: 0121 454 4912

6. Froxfield, Marlborough The Forge, Bath Road SN8 3LD Tel: 01488 684250

7. Guildford, Surrey Tunsgate Quarter GU1 3QU Tel: 01483 906287

8. Harrogate, N. Yorkshire 9West Park HG1 1BL Tel: 01423 701161

9. Knutsford, Cheshire Manchester Road WA16 0LT Tel: 01565 220020

10. Marlow, Buckinghamshire 25-29 Spittal Street SL7 3HJ Tel: 01628 481418

11. South Godstone, Surrey - Outlet Eastbourne Road RH9 8JB Tel: 01342 893868

12. Sunninghill, Berkshire CrosswaysVillage, Silwood Road SL5 0PZ Tel: 01344 622988

13. Tunbridge Wells, Kent Hoopers Department Store, 2-12 Mount Pleasant Road TN1 1QT Tel: 01892 240403

DELIVERY For delivery details, visit oka.com/delivery.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

We do our best to ensure that all items you see in the magazine are as close as possible to the photographs shown, but since they are not mass-produced, slight variations in colour and size may occur. We hope that you understand this and appreciate the skill and craftsmanship required to make such high-quality products. Additionally, due to the current global situation, there may be some delays in products arriving in-store. Please contact your nearest store for more information.

NOT QUITE RIGHT? NOT A PROBLEM

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PRICING The pricing and other details in this magazine are valid until Thursday 11th May 2023. Although every effort is made to check accuracy, incorrect prices – and other details – may occasionally be printed. We regret that such incorrect prices or details cannot be honoured. Prices include VAT at 20% and exclude delivery charges.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

For our full terms and conditions, visit oka.com/terms. Your statutory rights are not affected. All products shown are subject to availability.