So, I’ve decided to metaphorically put my life jacket on first in an attempt to keep myself sane and my spirits high.

Here’s what’s helping me this week and during the summer stretch…

Happy weekend, happy hols!

Love, Willow

PS check out my favourites shop with all my current loves, from fashion to interiors.

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In this week’s dispatch - all the little rituals - tips & links that are getting me through the summer stretch…

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A daytime bath

One of Wolf’s friends came to stay last week and brought me these bath oils as a thank-you gift. Ever since, I’ve developed a glorious new habit.

A bath, in the middle of the day whilst watching Netflix.

It feels wildly indulgent and I cannot recommend it enough. The boys genuinely don’t know what’s happened to me. Me, lying down, in the middle of the day and on a screen? I’ve officially lost the plot.

For night time bathing, Olverum is my usual go-to. However these salts from Dreem Distillery have recently taken the top spot. My sister-in-law, Ruth, introduced me to the brand a couple of years ago when it was just starting out. The founder, Hayley, began by making CBD drops in her kitchen to help people sleep and they were so brilliant that the business has now grown into a full range of CBD delicious-ness. They smell insanely good and also knock me out the moment my head touches the pillow. Magic in a jar.

A good book

The kind that you can’t stop thinking about and would steal any moment to read just a few pages. Callie Coles (read our interview with Callie here) has just released a new book, Tangled and it’s next on my list.

I am also about to go on holiday and am taking Lisa Jewell’s new thriller, It Could Have Been Her, and an ‘edge of your seat love story Crash Into Me by Robinne Lee.

We’ve also included so many of your favourites (and my wishlist) in Summer Book Club in case you’ve already done these!

Please tell me what you’re reading?

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A rom-com obsession

I have a new obsession of watching teen summer tv shows (in the bath during the day preferably) - in a nutshell, pure escapism. Beautiful people having emotionally complicated summers set in beautiful, sunny beachside locations.

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The beach essential - a wide-brimmed hat
The chic swimsuit for beach to lunch style
The wafty, white skirt of the summer
Shells for post-beach or on the beach if you dare

A towelling set for practical beach style
Never lose your sunnies again
A perfect pretty purse for coins for sun loungers
The beach cover up of the season
A roomy raffia friend for happy beach…

Read more

There is nothing better than reading in summer - preferably fiction to escape with in the pages of proper, actual books - on the beach, while dozing to the sounds of waves crashing and children playing, little splots of salt water splashes blurring the letters on thumbed down pages.

We’re sold… but what to read? Nothing too dramatic, depressing or taxi…

Read more

Ooh, it’s been another scorcher of a week! Properly boilingo. I went back to Wales for the weekend which was heavenly. My parents’ garden was looking completely exquisite. The scale of the plants in their borders is breathtaking - it makes my own garden at home feel rather annoyingly piddly in comparison - giant cardoons, monumental clouds of Crambe cordifolia and dancing Verbena Boriensis tower above you; every corner bursting with life and inspiration. Needless to say, there wasn’t much actual gardening happening. Just a lot of watering and deadheading. We spent our days hiding from the heat, cooling off in the river before emerging in the evenings for long walks through the woods. I love that dappled evening light beaming through the trees so much.

I'm home again now with a house full of teenagers and, despite the chaos, I'm really enjoying slowing down. No 6am alarm. No frantic school runs. Just slower mornings, endless cups of tea and peanut butter cups and more time to read and potter around the garden. What are you up to this weekend? I hope wherever you are, it’s wonderful.

Happy weekend!

Love, Willow

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In this week’s dispatch - collecting seeds has never been so satisfying, my new obsession - the stripey Zara Home collab, a luxurious sun cream, a magical new summer top that goes with everything, & more …

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Katherine Pole for Zara Home

Have you seen the latest Zara Home collab? It’s a homeware collection, mostly bedding, that draws inspiration from 18th & 19th-century French and English quilts, traditional Provençal costumes, and interior textiles from the archive of Katharine Pole, a British textile collector. It’s so good, I genuinely want it all. I adore a red and white stripe; our home is slowly starting to resemble a circus tent and am obsessing over the stripy bedspread.

Seed Saving

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1. Diamanté! Crochet! Colour! Could be my more-is-more sandal of the summer…

2. Green polka dot bougie pants we didn’t know we needed until now

3. A magical mermaid-esque, floaty dress for long summer nights…

4. Tales for the teens! anything to get them talking…

5. Bejewelled safety pin ear candy

6. Colour blocking swimwear in the sunshine

Willow Loves (6 more!)

Summer essentials, to make getting dressed easy, breezy, fun!

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We’ve packed it with enough inspiration to see you through July and August, leaving plenty of time for the important things: lazy afternoons, sandy toes, long lunches in the garden, impromptu suppers with friends, and, hopefully, a little well-earned doing absolutely nothing at all.

July always seems to arrive in a glorious whirl. School plays, speech days, sports days, diaries to untangle, holidays to organise, and inboxes slowly filling with those wonderfully reassuring out-of-office replies. We spend months wishing for sunshine, only to discover that a proper heatwave requires a slower pace of its own - one that encourages early mornings, shady corners and an extra scoop of ice cream whenever possible.

Some of you may already be away, others will have enjoyed Fourth of July celebrations, and many are counting down the days until schools break up and summer holidays begin in earnest. Wherever you happen to be reading this, here’s hoping you can steal a little of that carefree holiday feeling, whether it’s found by the sea, around the table with family and friends, or with a quiet moment in the garden.

Wishing you a wonderfully happy summer. We’ll see you again in September, refreshed and full of new ideas. And for our Seedling paid subscribers, we’ll be back with more this week!

With Love,
Willow

*This is monthly free edition, but every week, I send out emails to my paid subscribers with flowery, fashion, food and wellness content - ideas to inspire, create and nurture. Plus videos, chat and much more. I hope you will join us!

Willow Loves Summer!

What I’m loving this summer - colour, embellishment, more is more…

1. Diamanté! Crochet! Colour! Could be my more-is-more sandal of the summer…

2. Green polka dot bougie pants we didn’t know we needed until now

3. A magical mermaid-esque, floaty dress for long summer nights…

4. Tales for the teens! anything to get them talking…

5. Bejewelled safety pin ear candy

6. Colour blocking swimwear in the sunshine

Willow Loves… (6 more!)

(scroll to the end for our paid subscribers)

Beach Bound

10 Summer Classics for on and off the beach…

The beach essential - a wide-brimmed hat
The chic swimsuit for beach to lunch style
The wafty, white skirt of the summer
Shells for post-beach or on the beach if you dare

A towelling set for practical beach style
Never lose your sunnies again
A perfect pretty purse for coins for sun loungers
The beach cover up of the season
A roomy raffia friend for happy beach days
70s sunnies for the sand

Interview

Zoë de Givenchy on the garden that inspired a botanical tabletop collection…

As founder and creative director of Z.d.G., Zoë collaborates with master artisans across France, Italy and Spain to breathe new life into centuries-old craftsmanship, creating collections that feel both timeless and wonderfully relevant. Her latest collection, created in collaboration with the Palace of Versailles and Le Potager du Roi, draws inspiration from the extraordinary historic kitchen gardens, with beautifully crafted tabletop and garden pieces that celebrate their enduring legacy.

Supporting the World Monuments Fund, the collection is also a deeply personal project for Zoë, reflecting a longstanding family connection to the organisation’s work in protecting cultural heritage.

We spoke to Zoë about the inspiration behind the collection, the importance of preserving traditional craftsmanship, and why the pieces we surround ourselves with have the power to shape how we live…

Read More

Geranium Cuttings

It’s prime pelargonium time! Mine are living their best life in the greenhouse at the moment. They weren’t fans of full sun, so we moved them into dappled shade and they’ve never been happier. Now they’re full of fresh, healthy growth, it’s the perfect moment to take cuttings. It’s one of the easiest and most rewarding gardening jobs you’ll do—and best of all, gardening for free!

Step 1.
Choose healthy, fat shoots from your geranium plant and remove them from the parent plant by cutting immediately below a bud or node. A node is a nobble where a stem will sprout from.

Step 2.
We want the growing power to go into growing new shoots, not into the existing ones so remove the flower buds and leaves from the bottom half of each cutting and cut the stem just below a node. When you are left with just one main stem (with the two nodes) you have a cutting!

Step 3.
Fill a little pot with compost.

Step 4.
Then make a hole with your finger or a pencil and insert your cutting around the edge of the pot. You can have two or three cuttings in each pot.

Step 5.
To create a greenhouse effect, I like to put a plastic bag secured with an elastic band over the top of the pot and snip some tiny holes in the plastic. Keep the cuttings inside in a well lit position.

Water every couple of days.

Summer Book Club

There is nothing better than reading in summer - preferably fiction to escape with in the pages of proper, actual books - on the beach while dozing to the sounds of waves crashing and children playing, little splots of salt water or pool splashes blurring the letters on thumbed down pages.

We’re sold… but what to read? Nothing too dramatic, depressing or taxing. Something uplifting, inspiring and even, funny, a page-turning mystery or period romp.

Here are our top picks for summer reads as voted / approved by Seedling readers. Please do let us know in the comments what you’ve loved and other recommendations…

1. The Correspondent by Victoria Evans
   The multi-award winning hit, this is a surprisingly absorbing and moving story about Sybil Van Antwerp who at seventy-three, is slowly losing her sight and always writing letters As Pandora Sykes says, ‘What a novel! Tender, dry, sharp...devastating, but still feel good’ and will make you want to start writing letters again.

2. Yesteryear by Caro Clare Burke
   As darkly funny as it is shocking and gripping, Yesteryear is more than a look inside the trad wife era - an electrifying examination of tradition, fame, faith and the performative nature of womanhood

3. Whistler by Ann Patchett
   The new international bestseller from the author of Tom Lake and The Dutch House, Whistler is a stunning piece of writing and a moving, luminous story about how family, memory and love endures

4. Strangers by Belle Burden
   The much talked about, instant best-seller - an empowering, must-read memoir of the end of a marriage and the start of a personal revolution

5. London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
   The story of how London teenager, Zac Brettler, fell to his death from a luxury apartment building on the banks of the Thames. The author follows Zac’s parents on a dark journey to find out what brought him to the balcony that night – and how a teenager’s life of make-believe drew him into the city’s terrifying underworld

6. The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
   From the author of The Help, comes a rip-roaring adventure of found family, complex sisterhood and tested moral compasses.

7. The God of The Woods by Liz Moore
   Some said it was tragic, what happened to the Van Laars. Now, fourteen years later, the family’s teenage daughter has gone missing in the same wilderness as her brother - a beguiling novel with a relentless grip. You won't be able to put it down.

8. Heart the Lover by Lily King
   A surprise visit brings the past crashing into the present, forcing the narrator to confront the decisions and deceptions of her youth. Exploring how first love shapes a lifetime, this is a touching and deeply affecting love story about time and regret and will have you hooked from page one.

9. Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild

   Blending a page-turning moral dilemma with a sweeping love story, Finding Grace explores the price of secrets and asks whether it's ever too late to tell the truth - a stunning debut novel

10. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
    A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A storm gathering force: A novel of breathtaking twists and dizzying beauty - a page-turning story about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love.

11. Margot’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

    The unputdownable and hilarious novel that inspired the Apple TV series.As the child of an ex-pro wrestler and a Hooters waitress, Margo Millet's always known she'd have to make it on her own. When she finds herself pregnant by her English professor and in need of cash fast, she comes up with a plan…

12. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
    Soon to be a film, this stunning novel has captured the hearts of millions of readers with a heartbreakingly beautiful story is about what it was like to be a woman during World War II, when women’s stories were all too often forgotten or overlooked. And once you start with Kristin Hannah you won’t stop…

13. Land by Maggie O’Farrell

    ‘You will never understand how the land remembers, how deep the roots grow’ - a spellbinding story of separation, longing, recovery and survival as a family makes a new home in the aftermath of tragedy - from the author of Hamnet and so many literary masterpieces

14. Cleopatra & Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
    From the author of last summer’s hit, Blue Sisters, this was her debut novel - an addictive, humorous, and poignant debut novel about the shock waves caused by one couple's impulsive marriage

15. The Artist & The Feast by Lucy Steeds
    A best selling and captivating novel of love, art, food, desire and thwarted ambition, which builds intensity over one scorching French summer in 1920s Provence

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The Bomb Lolly

Bomb Lolly by Ella Risbridger

“Bomb, and her little cousin the Bomb Lolly, were such a fundamental part of my childhood summers I am always surprised they don’t form a more solid cornerstone for summer culture as a whole. I actually have never met anyone, outside of my immediate family and thefamilies we grew up spending summers with, who understands properly about Bomb and Bomb Lolly.

When I talk about it people like to tell me I mean bombe, and listen, I suppose I sort of do: bombe is the fancy Italian semi-spherical gelato-type number that did big business in the eighties, and Bomb Lolly is like if that fancy Italian left, like, Milan to run a commune in the mountains. No ice cream, just whipped creme fraiche mixed with berries; water, a little sugar, a little lemon juice depending on thetartness of your fruit; and handfuls of crumbled meringue swirled through. It’s most like, I suppose, a kind of frozen pavlova, either in a bowl or in lolly moulds (depending on if it’s B or B.L.). Any berries you want. The sound of the summer.” Ella Risbridger

MAKES 12 LOLLIES, SOME FOR NOW, SOME FOR LATER

500g frozen berries
400ml creme fraiche
100g sugar
250g meringue (shop-bought is fine; recipe on p.146)
100g white choc chips

Blitz the frozen berries with 100ml water until smooth. Whip the creme fraiche with the sugar. Crumble the meringue into the creme fraiche.

Layer the berries and creme fraiche meringue either in lolly moulds (perfect) or swirl together in a Pyrex bowl (also perfect, less of a lolly). Freeze until set.

Summer Arts & Culture

What to see, visit & plan this month…

1. Visit the David Austin Roses workshop at Daylesford on the 29th July

2. Don’t miss the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition until 23 August

3. Visit the Henry Moore exhibition at Kew Gardens

4. Visit Opera in Holland Park over the summer

5. Visit the Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A

6. Get tickets to Wilderness and The Big Feastival for live music and more in The Cotswolds

7. Visit a Giffords Circus this summer when it’s nearby

8. Go and see To Kill A Mockingbird at the Wyndham Theatre unit 12 September

9. Visit The Tate Modern for Frida Kahlo, Julio Le Parc and Tracey Emin exhibitions

10. Go the Regents Park Open Air Theatre for Shakespeare and more

Where else should we go this summer?

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PS. Willow Loves (6 more!)

Summer essentials, to make getting dressed easy, breezy, fun!

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There is a certain kind of beauty in objects that quietly spread joy and don’t seek attention - that simply belong - for now and future generations. The sort that comes from thoughtful craftsmanship, time-honoured traditions and collections chosen to be lived with every day. It’s a philosophy that sits at the heart of everything Zoë de Givenchy creates.

As founder and creative director of Z.d.G., Zoë collaborates with master artisans across Europe to breathe new life into centuries-old craftsmanship, creating collections that feel both timeless and wonderfully relevant.

Her latest collection, created in collaboration with Le Potager du Roi at Versailles, draws inspiration from the extraordinary historic kitchen gardens, with beautifully crafted tabletop and garden pieces that celebrate their enduring legacy.

Supporting the World Monuments Fund, the collection is also a deeply personal project for Zoë, reflecting a longstanding family connection to the organisation’s work in protecting cultural heritage.

We spoke to Zoë about the inspiration behind the collection, the importance of preserving traditional craftsmanship, and why the pieces we surround ourselves with have the power to shape how we live.

Tell us about your early years. How did your upbringing shape your love of beauty, craftsmanship and travel, and how do those early influences continue to inspire your work today?
My mother, of course, was the first person to form and shape my appreciation of beauty in all its forms. From learning the names of plants and pressing flowers and - yes - talking to trees! From as early as I can remember, I had many pets and a kitchen garden and would help with the flowers in the house every weekend with my mother. I also loved helping her entertain: setting menus and themes and exciting surprises. Her Christmasses are legendary, and that inspired my passion for dressing the house for Christmas - always with winter flowers - and throughout the seasons.

Congratulations on your new collaboration with Versailles and the historic kitchen garden, Le Potager du Roi. Can you remember your first visit? What struck you most, and what emotions did the gardens evoke?
My first visit was with my then fiancé (now husband) Olivier nearly 20 years ago as we were planning to be married in the Potager! Unfortunately, given the ancient cellars of the Chateau de Versailles are beneath, it wasn’t feasible (or safe!). So my first encounter with the Potager was an intensely romantic one and I think this is why my overwhelming feeling for it today remains one of romance and admiration.

Versailles is one of the world’s most iconic cultural landscapes. How did you approach creating a collection that honours its extraordinary heritage while still reflecting your own distinctive aesthetic?
This for me was the easy part! The Potager is rich with legend and storytelling. It’s not just a question of heritage for me, it is also a story of whimsy and romance, and a very human story of our first connection to plants and learning how to use them for nourishment and pleasure. In the early 18th century the French court was studying plants keenly to understand how they grow. I learnt from the gardeners at the Potager that it wasn’t fully understood at that time how root systems worked and that plants took in the bulk of their nutrients and water that way. Jean-Baptiste de la Quintinie, who designed the garden, wrote the first defining book in growing vegetables and fruits. I am lucky enough to have one of his first editions of this book in the library at Le Jonchet. A gift from Bunny Mellon to Hubert, congratulating him on his work in the garden’s massive restoration in the 90’s. It was one of the first ever modern gardening books as we know them today.

The collection celebrates summer and life outdoors, with pieces for both the garden and the table. Do you have one or two favourites, and what makes them especially meaningful to you?
The individual vegetable plates to me have so much character and each have their own legendary story. For example, the humble green pea that took the court of Louis XIV by storm! Nobody had ever tasted peas before, and everyone was quite obsessed with them. Ladies were known to be stealing them and gorging themselves late at night in their private apartments.
Also the scarf is very special! I worked with French silk makers, Brochiers, whom printed my adaptation of an 18th century map of the Potager on French silk and hand rolled the edges. It’s a very beautiful piece that makes for a very special gift. All the accessories in this collection are of course like everything we do made by heritage French artisans and masters at their craft. Each piece is a treasure - yet I wanted to be completely practical too. The gardeners hat, for example, has an adjustable band inside, the secateurs have a thoughtful leather handle and sheath, and the gardening gloves have a soft suede palm but a smooth leather top. Divine to work - or just look beautiful - in the garden!

Travel has always been an important source of inspiration for you. Do you collect objects on your journeys? Is there a particular piece that holds a special story?
Indeed it does - but I must say just as meaningful for me is time in places that are regular places of retreat or quiet contemplation. The keeping of traditions, comfort in the familiar is just as important to me. Being at home in the countryside can be just as inspiring as a grand tour somewhere exotic.

Your own gardens are as inspiring as your interiors. What role does gardening play in your daily life, and are there other gardens around the world that have left a lasting impression on you?
Meaningful time in nature, in the wild, and in and around gardens is truly essential for me. I crave it if I don’t have it. One of the most recent gardens I have come across in recent years is the Valsanzibio Gardens in the Veneto just north of Venice. It’s an allegorical garden and each garden has a distinct meaning or lesson to share. The rabbit island, the hermits cave - not to mention the 600 year old boxwood maze - just extraordinary and emotionally charged.

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A recurring theme throughout your work is the preservation of traditional skills and craftsmanship. Why do you think preserving these skills feels more important than ever, and what can beautifully made objects teach us about living well?
I really believe that in a world of increasing proximity to and reliance upon technology and AI, we all crave experiences that are more human and made by humans. Things and experiences that invoke a feeling. I also think that we want fewer things but better things - and true luxury is always handmade.

This collection brings together the work of exceptional artisans across Europe. Could you tell us about some of the makers behind the pieces, and why supporting their craft is so important to you?
Put simply: if more of us don’t pay attention to supporting these arts they will be lost. And it will be impossible to regain these skills as they are not written, they are so often transferred from one generation to the next.

You’re renowned for creating wonderfully welcoming homes and tables. What do you think is the secret to making guests feel instantly at ease?
The hosts’ ease and comfort! Make sure you have time before your guests arrive to stroll through and put your finishing touches to the drinks, the table, and adjust lighting and music. Then pour yourself a drink!

When setting a summer table, are there flowers, foliage that you always return to for the summer season?
Always local to wherever I am - so if it’s the countryside, mostly field flowers, or armfuls of garden roses or mounds of white hydrangea Annabelle. And I never forget to add flowers in the bathrooms and bedrooms. Wherever the eye lands, flowers must be!

Your work celebrates beauty not as luxury, but as something woven into everyday life. Are there small daily rituals, whether in the garden, at the table or in your home -that you couldn’t imagine living without?
Hot tea in a fine porcelain cup, crisp linen and madeleines at 4pm. Deadheading my roses with the sound of the birds and sprinklers in the distance, early morning before anyone is up. Setting a beautiful lunch table in the pool house with our French faïence, bowls of fresh cherries and cold rosé, glasses chilled on ice in a classical ZdG French verrière. The sound of the children playing in the background.

Your life beautifully weaves together gardens, craftsmanship, travel, food and home. Looking ahead, what do you hope we protect most carefully -not only for future generations to inherit, but as a way of living?
Our appreciation of time, using it wisely and intentionally. Respecting it and appreciating the luxury of something handmade for this reason. Because in the end, without respect for one another, for our heritage, our values and appreciation of our natural world we won’t have much left.

This collection brings together the work of exceptional artisans across Europe. Could you tell us about some of the makers behind the pieces, and why supporting their craft is so important to you?
Put simply: if more of us don’t pay attention to supporting these arts they will be lost. And it will be impossible to regain these skills as they are not written, they are so often transferred from one generation to the next.

Let’s Play Favourites

Flowers: Dahlias for colour, Roses for scent (and romance), Lily of the Valley for charm
Artists: Miro, Twombly, Dufy, de Staël.
Interior Designers: Billy Baldwin, Henri Samuel, Alberto Pinto
Scent / Fragrance: Trudon
Travel destinations: Next up - Egypt and India
Place in France: Most underrated: Brittany
Garden: Highgrove
Book: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
TV series: All Creatures Great and Small
Film: A Room with a View
Wellness ritual: morning meditation, Pilates and matcha
Colour: Green
Beauty essentials: Sisley, Allies of Skin, Tata Harper are my three all time favourite brands always on rotation
Music: Pulp Fiction Soundtrack
Season: Summer or Autumn - I can’t decide
Restaurant: Wilton’s in London, Voltaire in Paris and Nobu Malibu in LA
Meal: forever my husband’s roast chicken
Mentor: I have many - alive and dead - some I have met others I have not!
Era or decade: 18th century some days, 1960s other days

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Over to Rose, our brilliant Oxford insider…

There is a particular kind of madness that descends upon you when you fall in love with a city. Not a person, not an idea — an actual place, with actual streets and actual pigeons and a canal that smells faintly of diesel and Philip Pullman novels. Oxford did this to me. Quietly, efficiently and with the sort of confidence that only somewhere perpetually sure of its own genius could muster.

I live in Summertown during the school termtime week — an apartment, a bike, a son who needs depositing at school each morning, a daughter who is finishing her A levels around the corner and a long suffering husband who after initial confusion (because technically our home is out in the Cotswolds) now realises this is where to find us during the week.

The rhythm of my Oxford days is pretty simple. After school drop-off, I pull on my yoga gear (Noble Yoga is my go to) and cycle to Yogavenue in Summertown for one of Alessandro’s hot yoga classes. Alessandro is the owner and looks exactly as you’d imagine someone called Alessandro who runs a hot yoga studio would look. The classes are brutal in the best possible way, the kind of sweaty reckoning that makes you feel approximately immortal by 10am. It’s not expensive or fancy but he’s one of the best teachers I’ve found out of London.

My other love is tennis and I play regularly at NOLTC which has the best coaches, I am terrified my weekly lesson with head coach Tom will be nabbed if I’m away for it so I try and plan work around the lesson!

After exercise comes breakfast, which I take seriously. I often take my laptop and work in a café. The Jericho Café is my favourite spot for a late breakfast. Jericho itself is Oxford’s version of the neighbourhood you’ve always wanted to live in but never quite managed — the kind of place where the bookshops are good and the coffee is better and people carry tote bags unironically. I’ll sometimes grab a takeaway lunch from Branca’s Deli – Oxford’s answer to Ottolenghi and on really piggy days I’ll head to Barefoot Café for a doorstop wedge of homemade lime or mango cake on my way home.

Back in Summertown I live in Daunt Books, I could chat to the staff all day they are so well read. I buy approximately one book a week there and I have made peace with this entirely. There is a phrase I heard once that lodged itself so firmly in my brain I have basically tattooed it on my personality: “how you spend your days is how you spend your life.” My guilty pleasure is reading in the late afternoon, occasionally in a supine position, occasionally asleep. The Spanish and Italians know what they are doing with this one. As they do with food, Mamma Mia on South Parade is where we go for a cosy supper and Kopitiam’s marmite chicken as reviewed by Giles Coren is another favourite local. They know our orders which feels like the highest form of neighbourhood belonging.

And then there is Gail’s which stocks my brother’s Bruern Farms sourdough. The bread is delicious and you should buy it wherever you find it. I grab coffee there most mornings and often bump into a friend.

For moving around all of this: I walk or cycle - I have not driven during the week in what feels like years and plan never to do so again. Summertown Cycles are my quiet heroes — they never once roll their eyes when I trundle in needing my tyres pumped, which I do with embarrassing frequency.

My parents instilled a love of walking in me from the word dot. I’ve done so much research on walking trainers and my current favourite is On Cloud Cloudmonster 3 which I got from Bicester Village. Which is only 20 minutes away and has one of my favourite pubs The Double Red Duke. My favourite walk in Oxford is around Port Meadow, which is enormous and wild and has wild horses roaming about as though nobody told them this was a city. There is a Yellowstone energy to it — the sense that the landscape is getting on with its ancient business and you are merely passing through. I’ll grab my friend Charlotte (Danish co-owner of Verden and Votary which is genuininly all I use) between work calls and we will put the world to rights, which usually ends up with me popping back to hers and nicking her latest samples.

The canal is my other great love, a thin silver thread connecting Summertown to the centre of town that manages to feel simultaneously like Paris (the Seine, the bridges, that quality of light) and like something entirely Oxonian. It is very “His Dark Materials”. I walk it when I head down to Westgate for the kind of shopping trip that is never practical, I will often make the pilgrimage for a pair of socks from John Lewis just to get in a decent walk.

I am secretly, slightly obsessively, in love with Oxford University. Not in a tourist way — in a “what if I actually studied here” way that I have fully committed to as a private fantasy. Most people don’t realise that you can visit the majority of the colleges during the year, just walk in, look up and feel the full weight of all that accumulated genius pressing down on you. I sometimes pop into New College for Evensong which is on every day at 6:15pm and free to all. My favourite college is probably Magdalen. My daughter and I got up at dawn on May Morning to stand outside and listen to the choir sing from the top of Magdalen Bell Tower, a tradition going back five hundred years, and I stood there in the early morning mist thinking: I am in a Working Title film, then scouted about for Leo Woodhall.

In winter, when the afternoons close in early, I become a devotee of the Phoenix Picturehouse and its early afternoon silver screenings. The audience is mostly octogenarians, several of whom nap audibly, and I feel entirely at home as a passionate supporter of the afternoon siesta in all its forms, cinematic or otherwise. The Oxford Playhouse and New Theatre are also gems. I’ve seen so many productions there — plays that have transferred to the West End, or arrived fresh from it. The most recent was Operation Mincemeat, which was brilliant in the way that makes you want to grab people on the street and insist they go immediately. It has also become one of my most reliable tricks for luring friends in from the Cotswolds — the promise of a play followed by steak frites in one of the leather booths at The Alice tends to do it. The friends who claim Oxford is too far suddenly find it entirely manageable.

Occasionally I pop out of Oxford during the week but other than London for work or home for housemin it’s hard to lure me away. A walk and good food are usually bait, such as the cheese toastie at The Cheese Shed at Nettlebed Creamery . My friend Rose Grimond — an Oxford alumna — runs it. The toasties are honestly the best in the United Kingdom and I have researched many. I pair them with a long walk in the Chilterns with a friend usually with my All Trails App, which earns you the toastie and then some.

When my husband commutes up from London (50 minutes on the train) it tends to be a Deliveroo night which feels like a huge treat after years of living off proper cooking in the country. On the other evenings, my daughter and I cook together from the app Recime, pulling ingredients from M&S or the organic shop Wild Honey in Summertown. On the days I need to head to London for meetings, I walk to the station along the canal and if I need to fly anywhere for work I’ll try and book from Heathrow which is so easy to get to.

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Rose Astor is a freelance travel writer and an Independent Travel Advisor with Glimpse Guides.

Follow @where_isrose on Instagram | Visit www.glimpseguides.com | Contact rose@glimpseguides.com | Follow on Substack

Summer jewellery this season is dominated by beads and sparkly treasures and the necklace comes into its own, almost like you’ve uncovered treasures in the sand or dived down and found them at the bottom of the sea. Nothing better on lightly tanned summer skin! And such an easy way to jazz up my summer shift dress staples.

Here are 10 jewellery pieces I am loving and will wear long after the summer fades….

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This weekend our wonderful US readers celebrate the 4th of July. I adore Americans (most of them anyway!); whenever I travel there I have such a warm welcome and the enthusiasm is contagious. Fourth of July weekends always look like such fun from here - like a big love letter to The Great American Summer - boating, beach cook outs, long summer camps, hydrangea-lined washboard cottages, tailored shorts, lots of linen, hamburgers, hot dogs, nautical stripes and American flags flying everywhere - even on summer sweaters wrapped nonchalantly around tanned, bare shoulders…

Wishing you all a very Happy Fourth as they say in the USA!

Happy weekend!

Love, Willow

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In this week’s dispatch - summer jewellery faves, mood boarding my bathroom decorating, bird calls & more …

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Teachers’ presents

I’ve been making posies to give as thank you’s to the boys teachers this year so popped into Chippy Flower Farm on the way back from the office for a quick burst of colour therapy (and picking!). I sometimes find July not exciting flower-wise, all my faves are on the way out - but there was so much gorgeous-ness I’m going to have to re-address that mindset. Mini foxgloves, California poppies, ammi, hydrangeas, sweetpeas and, very surprisingly for me, serious excitement over the zinnias. I never thought those words would come out of my mouth but I am finally converted! I’m heading into my studio now for a play.

Summer Jewellery

Summer jewellery is dominated by beads and sparkly treasures and the necklace comes into its own, almost like you’ve uncovered treasures in the sand or dived down and found them at the bottom of the sea. Nothing better on lightly tanned summer skin! And such an easy way to jazz up my summer shift dress staples.

Here are 10 jewellery pieces I am loving and will wear long after the summer fades….

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As a child, she would stick cards she designed in her window - in the hopes that a Hallmark employee walking past would notice (the Hallmark HQ was just nearby in Kansas City). By the 1980s, creating handmade c…

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I’m sometimes taken aback in a heat wave in England with what to wear. I have my summer holiday wardrobe down to a tee, but for the every day in England when not lying on a beach or by the pool, it’s a little more tricky! But comfort is key, colour is non-negotiable and light-weight fabrics in generous shapes a no-brainer…

Here are 12 pieces I’m loving for easy breezy summer style…

From top row, left to right:

A rainbow-trimmed hat
Cotton terry top
Rainbow sandals
Palest blue silky skirt
Big tortoiseshell sunnies
A daisy-embroidered basket bag
Shell earrings
The red dress I keep getting asked about!
A simple colourful bead necklace
Cool blue cheesecloth separates
Rosewater spritz spray
Carry everywhere mini tote

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Share The Seedling by Willow Crossley

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I hope you’ve had a good week and stayed as cool as possible, we are sweltering here in the UK with the extremely high temperatures. With actual midsummer passing this week, we’ve been feeling the heat, yes, but also the high vibrations that the peak of summer bring - the outside beckoning, long, slower days that stretch on and on, a more relaxed mood for one and all. The early mornings are my favourite - everything feels fresh, new, warm and bright - abundant birdsong, summery haze building up over the fields, grass underfoot and the ease of slipping on a linen dress and sandals. By 6pm, it’s a slightly different story - I’m a tired, sweaty mess. But oh those beautiful mornings! And walking late in the evenings too…

In the garden, the roses are still flourishing in a big way and because of recent rain, most of the flowers are actually coping better than us in the heat. And how good are the hollyhocks?! Every year I feel they appear out of nowhere and then suddenly they are everywhere. Like a magic show, pouf!, over night, an all singing, all dancing display, ready for action! They are bringing serious joy to my school runs. My smallest and I spend a lot of time trying to find the tallest one we can. Woodstock is winning so far...

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In this week’s dispatch - the art of airport chic & the carry on you need, heatwave dressing, summer pop-up shopping & more…

Happy summer weekend!

Love, Willow

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Summer Pop-Up

Don’t miss this wonderful high summer pop-up in Burford if you’re in or visiting The Cotswolds this weekend. On today until the end of the weekend…

It’s all here at this high summer pop-up in Burford: wonderful take-your-breath-away jewels and everyday beaded summer necklaces from Milne Watson, summer must-have shirts, skirts and dresses from M.A.B.E., beautiful linen dresses and separates for day and evening at Mondo Corsini, colourful and chic block printed fabrics and homewares from Molly Mahon, super lovely dresses from Day Dress and gorgeous wearable summer pieces from Clary and Peg. You could, in fact, dress your home and yourself for summer from the one shop!

The Pop Up is on until this Sunday, 28th June
At Wysdom Shop - 115 High St, Burford, Oxfordshire, Ox18 4RG

Heat Wave Edit

I’m sometimes taken aback in a heat wave in England with what to wear. I have my summer holiday wardrobe down to a tee, but for the every day in England when not lying on a beach or by the pool, it’s a little more tricky! But comfort is key, colour is non-negotiable and light-weight fabrics in generous shapes a no-brainer…

Here are 12 pieces I’m loving for easy breezy summer style…

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I’ve just returned from Italy; Ravello, on the stunning Amalfi Coast to be precise. A four day escape from reality and change of scene to create flowers for a two day event hosted by Aerin Lauder - a very special way to launch her new AERIN fragrance. Belissima!

In this week’s dispatch - all the magic from the Amalfi Coast in Italy with Aerin - from the brief, to the flowers and the table settings, a few curveballs and that dreamy view… plus a summer heat wave edit inspired by Amalfi (it’s hot here in the UK next week!)…

Have a gorgeous weekend.

Love, Willow

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Italy with Aerin!

Another wonderful event with Aerin Lauder and her incredible team - I am so lucky to be asked to create flowers for many of the Aerin events and this one in Italy was literally the dream. Though I must admit, dreamy as it was, there were a few logistical curve balls to navigate in the lead up, not just my lack of Italian!

Come with me for an escape from the every day - inspired by the sheer beauty of the Italian coastline and it’s wonderful people - the views, the food, the fashion - cooking classes and sun loungers, ceramics and cocktails, and all the flowery details from the main event under the Italian summer sky…

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Summer is definitely a time to stop and smell the roses and this year they seem better than ever - resilient through a heat wave and heavy rain storms; big and blousy and heavenly scented. But why? We chatted with Liam Beddall, ‘Head Rosarian’, at David Austin Roses to answer some burning questions about one of summer’s favourite friends - the rose…

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Centre:
Odd Vaas Manganese Rocker by Emma Grant

Clockwise from Top Left:

Octagonal Double Top Crank & Tilt Parasol With Scalloped Edge
Haymes Metal Sun Lounger With Wheels
The Stripes Company Sun Shelter in Green Stripe
…

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I have lived in The Cotswolds for over 15 years with my husband Charlie and our three boys - the youngest two were born here and so it has become very much our family base, from which we’ve grown roots.

Established in 1966, The Cotswolds is the largest ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB) in the UK, covering 790 square miles across five counties from Warwickshire to Bath. Renowned for its Jurassic limestone, honey-coloured stone villages, and rolling hills, it features extensive wildflower meadows, ancient beech woods, and the steep Cotswold Escarpment.

The views are far-reaching and the villages are mostly tiny; the seasons gentle and increasingly, there is good coffee and food aplenty. Our home is in the north of the Cotswolds between Oxford and Burford (stay tuned for my friend’s Oxford Insider guide coming soon!) but I find myself driving all around the countryside - throughout Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire mainly, and sometimes further afield into Wiltshire too - and every single day I am struck by the surrounding beauty in one way or another.

I grew up in a very rural part of Wales so I am very much drawn to nature and the countryside. Prior to moving to The Cotswolds, we lived in London and in the south of France, so The Cotswolds was not somewhere I knew very well apart from occasional weekends spent with friends. When we moved, it became a new playground for my boys and I to discover and develop the feeling of ‘home’. As a popular tourist destination and weekender idyll, fads in The Cotswolds come and go but the really special places stand the test of time.

Here I share my favourite haunts, rate the obvious gems and share a few of my secret places…

To Stay

I’m always being asked about where to stay and there really is something for everyone here in The Cotswolds, with new places popping up all the time. Whether it’s a pub stay, something more all-inclusive, with family or as a couple - or simply to treat yourself with, here are my top picks:

Soho Farmhouse, Chipping Norton
Although part of the Soho House members franchise, Soho Farmhouse feels like an entity all of its own and at the heart of the North Cotswolds golden triangle. It’s got wonderful places all around - from Chippy Flower Farm to The Old Coal Yard and plenty of options in itself for coffee, food, beauty and wellness, great fitness classes, a pool, tennis and padel, and a space to work if one needs. Plus a fantastic shop curated by Alex Eagle, it’s definitely a must to visit. It feels low key and familiar with consistently good food. Pen Yen - the Japanese restaurant is a must and a rare Asian food delight in these parts.

Estelle Manor, Eynsham
Part of a larger group, Estelle Manor is like a luxurious oasis in the middle of the countryside. Both a members club and a five-start hotel, it feels very glamorous and spoily - the grounds and the interiors are next level. There is a fab outdoor pool but Enysham spa and baths are my absolute highlight. Plus a plethora of food choices. My go-to for working and coffees is the more casual Potting Shed, which is in the veg garden and next to the gym which does brilliant classes - I love Island Jam on a Tuesday. Also, there is a small but wonderfully curated shop called The Muse which is my go-to for present buying.

The Double Red Duke, Clanfield
If you want a much more low-key pub-style overnight stay, the red-and-white-striped Double Red Duke in Clanfield ticks the boxes with chic rooms, excellent elevated pub food, plenty of walks, a sunny garden to linger in over the summer, and cosy fireside feels in winter.

Thyme, Southrop
Described as ‘a botanical breather, away from life’s bustle’, Thyme feels like a rather quiet, luxurious respite with beautiful rooms, delicious seasonal and local food and wonderful treatments. Close enough to be able to visit all the favourite haunts but also a little removed and therefore, relaxing too. Despite its peaceful feeling, there’s a lot going on with workshops and guest events to keep one inspired throughout the seasons. And their village pub, The Swan is a perfect spot to visit, whether staying or not…

Fairgreen Farm Guesthouse
If looking for a non-hotel option, Fairgreen Farm Guesthouse, owned and decorated by the uber stylish Cotswold resident, Amanda Brookes would be my choice. A brilliant position quite near Stow-on-the-Wold, staying here will feel like you’re a Cotswold resident in the know.

Daylesford Stays
Rooted in the rolling hills and valleys surrounding Daylesford, Daylesford Stays offers a quintessential Cotswolds stay - connected, collected, curated experiences as well as lots of room choices - from their cottages on site at Daylesford to surrounding, charming, village pubs - The While Rabbit, Kingham; The Fox, Oddington; The Bell, Charlbury and The Three Horseshoes, Asthall.

Other special mentions go to Cowley Manor (for old-school hotel service and consistently great experience), Bull Bar & Hotel, Burford (to experience the charm of Burford and get buzz of somewhere everyone talks about), Hyll Hotel, Chipping Camden (a newbie on the scene I haven’t visited but hear great things about), The Rectory (for old school charm and comfort), The Pig (for quintessentially honey-coloured Cotswolds charm with a modern twist near Cirencester) and for something very different, Canopy & Stars (a selection of charming glamping escapes).

Other favourites are Belmond Le Manoir, The Bull, Charlbury, Cotswold Farm Hideaway and Armada Cottage in Charlbury.

Where else have you stayed, would you recommend or what is on your wishlist?

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To Visit

There is so much to see here in The Cotswolds and depending on who you’re visiting with and what season you’re in, you may tip the balance more to gardens and boating or pub fires and bracing walks. In the summer, there are country village fairs and fetes, outdoor music festivals, visiting circus shows, and water sports on rivers and lakes. In the winter, there are village pantomimes, outdoor ice skating rinks, Christmas fairs and many a village pub fireside roast post walk waiting for you. Here are some of my favourite places to visit (from A-Z as can't rank by favourites! ) - some well-known and others worth a visit in my opinion.

Aston Pottery & Gardens is a one of those places I drove past every day but never took the time to stop and visit. But now whenever I need a quick immersion into colour and nature, I stop! It’s a small ceramics studio and cafe but what I love are the flowers in the garden adjacent, particularly in dahlia season. Stop for a look and a cup of tea, just outside the lovely village of Bampton.

Blenheim Palace is very near me and a wonderful place to take visitors, to take advantage of their brilliant events - I’m going to watch Alanis Morisette play next weekend. Christmas lights, Giffords Circus, pretty picnic spots and best of all, walking for miles. Nearby Woodstock is a pretty village with great coffee and excellent antique shops.

Burford Garden Co is a one of my favourite local hang outs and a great place to meet a girlfriend for lunch. It sells much more than just plants; brilliant for man presents, foodie presents, books (I while away hours in their bookshop), seeds, bulbs, dahlia tubers, roses, gifts, ready meals… And lots of easy parking unlike in the town of Burford itself which is two minutes away.

Ham Court Bampton (once called Bampton Castle) is a wonderful, historic home with a beautiful kitchen garden and farmland - a private home belonging to Matthew Rice the British illustrator and author - and also to his daughter, Lil who runs Fools Delight Circus. I have met some of you here before as we have often hosted workshops and events in the fabulous barn space. It is opened up to visitors on occasion for garden tours and Matthew hosts fabulous watercolour and other workshops (check out the calendar of events). Bampton is a very pretty edge-of-Cotswolds village and location for town scenes for Downtown Abbey.

Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens is a must if visiting with children. Located very near the picturesque must-visit Cotswold’s village, Burford, this is a zoo experience that feels very relaxed and sensitive to both the animals and the environment. There are wonderful pubs nearby to make a day of it.

Chippy Flower Farm is a seasonal flower farm in the heart of The Cotswolds (2 mins from Soho Farmhouse) run by the divine Tif Loehnis. She moved to the area and not only started the farm but a movement of celebrating biodiversity and the beauty of flowers, and the team are all so lovely. In the summer months, there is a wonderful PYO and a host of workshops throughout the year. A must visit (as are the villages of Great and Little Tew either side).

Circus! Fools Delight run by Lil Rice is a wonderful, local circus show and dinner with delicious food from the kitchen garden at Bampton House. Giffords Circus is often popping up around The Cotswolds too so keep an eye out on either of these when you’re visiting.

Diddy Squat Farm Shop needs no introduction, in fact any visitor from all over the world, no matter their age seems to want directions to Clarkson’s Farm! Located very near Chipping Norton, Diddly Squat is an excellent farm shop with delicious farm-grown food and …. merch!

Kelmscott Manor was once the home of celebrated British designer William Morris, father of the arts and crafts movement. Open over the summer months, it’s a very picturesque and educational visit of this quintessential Manor House.

Rousham Gardens is one of England’s most important gardens - a fine example of the first phase of English landscape design and has remained almost as its designer William Kent left it for 18th century visitors. It’s a wonderfully beautiful and relaxing place to visit - walk amongst the gardens and take a picnic and open every day from 10am year round but no dogs or children under 15 allowed!

Tetbury is a Cotswolds town that is quite far from me but a wonderful destination, known for its antique shops. Very near Cirencester and is very pretty, quintessential Cotswolds set amongst stunning scenery. Westonbirt Arboretum has beautiful gardens just outside Tetbury.

The Cotswolds Guy is a well-known name now, their much-loved sausage rolls from their cafe in Guiting Power (nr Cheltenham) were made more famous by local customer, Sir David Beckham. Owner Chris Davey has wonderful produce and delicious food in his farm shop + cafe, plus caters for parties up and down The Cotswolds.

The Old Coal Yard is a new outpost of creativity and culinary delights, and home to my little office! Run by The Public House Group (The Bull, Charbury; The Hero, Maida Vale; The Hart, Marylebone; The Pelican Notting Hill et al), it’s also home to Canteen the summer pop-up, open Thursday-Sunday, and Chloe’s Pilates too. Well worth a visit but book for Canteen well in advance…

The Big Feastival is an annual Cotswolds event on the August bank holiday weekend taking place in Alex James’ idyllic Cotswolds farm (you can camp there too), and brings together music from the UK’s biggest artists, Michelin-starred chefs, excellent street food and an exciting array of family activities.

Wilderness Festival is an annual event on the Cornbury Estate at Charlbury. If you’re visiting in the summer, it’s a must (July 30th - August 2nd this year) - you can get day passes or come for the whole weekend but tickets sell out fast. A beautiful spot for live music under the summer sky. At other times of the year, there are wonderful works on and around the Cornbury Estate outside Charlbury and plenty of pubs to revive in…

Other beautiful places to look out for are Buscot Park, Batsford Aborbeteum, Blockley Gardens, Sezincote, Stanway House & Fountain, Chasleton House, Painswick Rococo Garden, Iford Manor & Gardens, Westonbirt Arboretum and Fibrex Nurseries, Pershore (for pelargoniums).

Anywhere else you’d recommend to visit?

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To Eat

There are many wonderful gems of the culinary variety in The Cotswolds and increasingly so. From excellent pubs to city-quality coffee and one-of-a-kind restaurants - many of which I am still yet to discover. Here are some of my favourite go-tos:

Worton Kitchen Garden is only a ten minute drive out of Oxford but you could be anywhere. It’s unassuming, a little bonkers and very charming. Set amongst the kitchen gardens, clucking hens and polytunnels, there are tables set up inside the cafe, greenhouse or outside in the fields, depending on the weather. There is filter coffee, a plethora of delicious cakes and kitchen-garden-grown lunches created with heart. There is also an outside loo which is (mostly) charming but good to know to warn more sensitive companions.

The Bull, Charlbury was our pub for many years so lots of heart and soul have gone into it and we still love to visit! Wonderful Sunday roasts, pizzas in the courtyard and rooms to stay that I once decorated myself! Now run by the brilliant Public House Group.

The Bell Inn, Langford is a wonderfully understated and excellent country pub in the pretty village of Langford. Run by Peter Creed and Tom Noest, who really know The Cotswolds - the food is excellent all year round but I particularly love it in winter when you have to stoop your head to get under the beams and by the fire. The Chicken Milanese and Sticky Toffee Pudding are superb.

The Bull Burford has been talked about a lot in recent years since it opened and for good reason. The Japanese-inspired tasting menu at Hiro is just what we all needed, a wonderful place for a special ocassion in the heart of beautiful Burford. It now has expanded to include rooms, gelato bars and other culinary delights.

Daylesford has restaurants, cafes and outdoor pizza ovens, and owns many wonderful old-style pubs in perfect Cotswolds locations - The Wild Rabbit, Kingham, The Bell, Charlbury, The Fox, Oddington, and The Three Horseshoes.

Other pubs worth going to for long lunches or cosy suppers are The Double Red Duke in Clanfield and The Masons Arms opposite; The Swan Inn, Swinbrook (one of the prettiest villages that was once home to The Mitford Sisters and so beautiful for a pre or post pub walk), The Swan in Southrop (part of Thyme), The Royal Oak in Ramsden, and The Swan in Bibury.

And I know there are many I’ve forgotten! Do add yours in the comments…

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For a break from pub food, try an excellent curry at The Spice Lounge in Burford (they do take-away too if you’re staying nearby) or Cafe Le Raj in Chipping Norton (have also heard they deliver!). And Pen Yen at Soho Farmhouse is consistently excellent when only Japanese will do…

For coffee - you cannot go past Lynwood and Co, who have exploded in The Cotswolds bringing Aussie-worthy coffee to nine cafes and counting in Burford, Lechlade, Bampton, Cirencester, Fairford, Moreton in Marsh to name a few. Special mention also to Blakes Kitchen who have the best sourdough and famous cinnamon buns to go with excellent coffee and are in Clanfield (a short walk from The Double Red Duke), Coleshill near Lechlade and also at Soho Farmhouse.

Quince and Clover in Great Tew is the dream for coffee and pastries or tea and cake and in the prettiest spot. The Straw Kitchen at Whichford Pottery and Bruen Farm Shops & Cafe are both wonderful. Cafe de la Post in Chadlington also charming. D’Ambrosi Fine Foods in Stow-on-the-Wold is a wonderful deli and catering gem. Eleven (a charming terraced cafe, shop and gallery) and The Twig cafe are in the very popular, pretty Cotswolds village of Bibury.

For ice cream and gelato, visit Alfonso who has many Cotswolds locations and The Oxford Cow in Stow-on-the-Wold.

Where else would you recommend or want to visit?

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To Shop

For antiques, I cannot go past Station Mill Antiques in Chipping Norton, it’s a treasure trove for sure. As mentioned, a trip further south west to Tetbury will also uncover antique gems and east to Woodstock which also has some great stores. There is also C’est Tout Interiors in Shipton Under Wychwood and Manfredi Schotten Antiques (excellent for sporting memorabilia) in Burford. Plus keep your eye open for charity shops in all the villages you pass by as I always pick up a vase or two or a wicker chair en route somewhere!

For fashion and a great curation, Store X at Soho Farmhouse benefits from Alex Eagle’s eagle style eye and I love it all, and the petite shop, The Muse, at Estelle Manor is also full of surprising delights, a really wonderful edit.

Burford Garden Co has something for everyone, not just plants (and the most charming selection of children’s gifts, toys, clothing and interior decor in the very back of the centre).

For menswear, William Crabtree & Sons has opened their second store outside London in Stow-on-the-Wold and is perfect for last minute weekend attire or gifts for your hosts (and you cannot beat the stripy colourful socks).

Daylesford is, of course, wonderful to wander around - from relishes to ceramics, potted pelargoniums to beautiful Bamford clothing with espresso in hand and plenty of options to linger and lunch.

In Stow-on-the-Wold, there’s a Penelope Chilvers store, Rustique and Country Home, the new GROVE England has just opened, a fabulous book store and William Crabtree as mentioned above.

In Burford, there are wicker baskets galore outside many stores including the local Co-Op and a wonderful brush company shop as well as a sweet shop and a fantastic shirting destination, The Oxford Shirt Company.

To Relax

With all the shopping, eating and country pursuits, sometimes you need a little more than a country walk, or an escape from all of that.

While so many of the hotels have fabulous spas and treatment rooms (Soho Farmhouse, Estelle, Thyme are all wonderful), it pays to know of some good local gems. Bamford Spa at Daylesford Farm always over delivers in terms of treatments and the most luxurious and dreamy environment, complete with crystals and bath robes.

Some of my other favourites for are Chloe’s Pilates - her classes are at The Coal Yard (where my office is!) and stay connected with her on Instagram to hear about fun days she does that involve wild swimming and more!

If you’re feeling like a little psychic reading, the magical Beth Taylor is at Bamford Spa on Tuesdays most weeks at Daylesford Farm (book ahead!).

For everything else - spa treatments, grooming, maintenance, fitness and even kids holiday sport, check out Lucie App for all the best wellness and beauty from your home or hotel in The Cotswolds.

For yoga, try the wonderful Nicole Croft (she also does classes at Chloe’s Pilates), or Sammy Scott from Samskara Lifestyle.

Where else would you recommend for treatments and pampering?

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If you’re also a resident of The Cotswolds or visited recently, I’d love to know what I’m missing from this list that we can all visit, so please add your comments below.

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And if you’re planning on visiting… you never know, it may time well with one of my workshops so sign up here to be updated of any happening.

For more of these types of travel and destination guides (Oxford coming next!), plus flowery tips, and lifestyle content (fashion, interiors, food, travel, wellness) plus chat and video, join The Seedling here on Substack. I’d love to have you part of our lovely, growing community around the world.

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With love, Willow

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1. our Botanica print linens on al fresco tables all summer long

2. slip on, straw slides… summer holiday ready

3. Italian twill stripes on a flare for maximum summer flair

4. the Sloane - smart, pop of red, linen - perfect

5. collagen in a sachet for wellbeing on the run

6. fresh lawn stripes and it’s not even Wimbledon yet

PS. Willow Loves (6 more!)

The swimsuit of the season, body SPF, culottes you’ll thank me for & more…

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Summer is the season for celebrations and flowers are naturally the main event in my eyes. Whether you’re professionally flowering for weddings or events over the summer, or a fellow flower lover wanting to fill your home and tablescapes for any occasion, there is an abundance to play with right now - seasonal, local and absolutely beautiful.

Here are my forever go-tos for summer flowering…

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