The January Edition
Happy 2026!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I hope you had a lovely, happy festive break and perhaps a little down time in the in-between days. I’ve taken things much more slowly since Christmas which has been needed after a frantic few end-of-year months.
I love January, despite the weather and, possibly because of it, in many ways. It’s a chance to slow down and reassess before the new year wraps us up and starts to truly gather momentum. This January, I’ll be sorting my seeds (one of my favourite January past times), pottering around home with forced bulbs and some sort of art or craft. Water colours feature in my Willow Loves and I share how easy and satisfying it is to press hellebores - emerging in our gardens as I type, for pretty artwork or cards to store away for the year ahead. I’ll also be sitting down to write my new book which I’m very excited about sharing with you soon!
In this edition, I share my January Willow Loves - denim staples, wellbeing inspo and dreamy fashion; an edit of my faves of the January sales; snowdrops to create dainty arrangements with (they’re out early this year!) and hellebores to press; and a wonderful warming recipe from Clodagh’s Happy Cooking I am loving.
I am also excited to share our interview with the ever-enchanting Callie Coles (from our Christmas print edition) who over the Christmas break has joined Substack (yay!) - a rather apt inclusion for this year of the horse! Her equine adventures inspire in many ways.
Plus, as a happy new year gift, please use code ‘2026’ for a 20% discount on an annual membership - I’d love you to join us.
Finally, a reminder that it’s the last day of our big New Year Sale! Make the most of beautiful pieces at gentler prices and stock up, many of them sadly won’t be back but we have LOTS of exciting launches planned for 2026.
Happy January! And Happy New Year…
Love, Willow
*This is my 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. I hope you will join our growing community, we have so much planned this year!
PS. this is a long read so might be best to read in web browser (just in case it cuts off in your email).
Willow Loves
What I’m loving for this new month in a new year - denim, comfort, wellness, creating… bringing joy to this first month of the year, the one that needs it the most…
Top row, left to right
Willow Loves… (6 more!)
(scroll to the end for our paid subscribers)
Flower of the month - Snowdrops
The snowdrops are out earlier than usual this year - they are traditionally known for signalling that spring is on her way. Perhaps they’ve been brought out the by the warmer December weather but either way, the delicate white flowers with green stems are absolutely stunning in this sunny, cold, icy/snowy weather.
Snowdrops can be found thriving in pastures, woods, gardens and orchards across the UK from January to early March. You may be lucky enough to find some in your garden or on the verges; or wander amongst the National Trust woods or estates to see snowdrops en masse. You may not wish to disturb them (and definitely not for touching in the national trust areas) but if they’re in abundance in your own garden, it’s ok to dig up a clump to enjoy on your kitchen table and then perhaps replant afterwards…
There is something so pure and delicate, almost fairy-like about snowdrops and tucked into a mossy duvet in a bowl, they are very magical to add to tables around the home in a month when we’re home a lot. You can use shallow vases of bowls of any description. Cut the stems to the lengths you like (I like a mix of heights) and then add a layer of moss. I find my moss from the garden and tops of stone walls at this time of year but you can also buy it. Sometimes I add a single candle into the bowl arrangement to light as the day fades.
Or try this miniature mindful arrangement with snowdrops and snakeshead fritillary in your smallest sugar bowl or something similar (I have used an antique Japanese ink pot I found on my travels).
Or you could make a snowdrop kokedama - I don’t have a video of one (I will make one soon!) but it’s all about creating a mossy ball with snowdrops at the top and hanging it like a beautiful new year disco ball of pure happiness.
Interview - Callie Coles
From our Christmas print edition, Callie shares her love of family, animals, writing and rural life in Devon...
A Beautiful, Bucolic Life
There’s a beguiling charm about Callie Coles - mother, writer, equestrian - that is hard to capture in words. Much like her yearning for wide open spaces, she is hard to pin down and defies definition, yet her deep love of life is both evident and infectious - humming with the comforting rhythm and beauty of family, animals, and the English countryside.
Best of the January Sales
The last of the January sales - yes, that’s right, many are finishing today, including ours! So I thought I’d share a few of the bargains or at least discounts luring me into investment purchases that will go the distance and keep me in comfort and style for January and beyond…
Top row, left to right
1. Olverum Bath Oil, 2. DÔEN Coraline Fleur du Palais Dress, 3. La Bonne Brosse Hair Care Brush, 4. Me+Em Tulle Layering Blouse, 5. Zimmermann Belted Denim Midi Dress, 6. Wildsmith Vitality Brightening Body Cleanser
7. Oliver Bonas Green Crystal Preppy Sunglasses, 8. Anya Hindmarch Shearling Eyes Clutch, 9. Oliver Bonas Genuins Grisel Cream Sheepskin Clogs, 10. Oka Rander Ceramic Stool in Sapphire/White, 11. Missoma Classic Mini Short Paperclip Chain Necklace, 12. Marks and Spencer Splatter Urn Lamp
13. Boden Colour Block Marion Merino High Neck Jumper, 14. Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Pencil, 15. Willow Crossley Pink Stripe Tablecloth, 16. Boden Covered Whipstitch Belt, 17. Willow Crossley Tall Pink Filigrana Vase, 18. Me+Em Resin Stud Box Bag
Create - Pressing Hellebores
We were so lucky to inherit a garden full of hellebores (Helleborus) when we moved to the Cotswolds. More and more pop up every year - and often varieties I hadn’t acknowledged before. The flowers are annoyingly diva-ish when it comes to flower arranging, wilting not long after they have been picked. I tend not to pick them until their seed pods have developed later on in the season and you can also prolong their life by ‘searing’ them (this means plunging 10 per cent of their stems into boiling-hot water for about 20 seconds after picking them). What they are really good at, however, as well as being completely beautiful, is being pressed.
I went to a vintage shop recently and found a collection of frames with artfully placed dried hellebores in, selling for over £1,000! They are so easy to make yourself.
Simply snip a few heads off and either put them face down into a proper flower press, or if you don’t have one, slip them between a few pieces of tissue paper and press between the pages of large, heavy books. Leave for a week or so before checking on them.
As well as making dried flower artworks, think about using them to decorate present labels and note, and name cards.
An excerpt from The Wild Journal - A Year Of Nurturing Yourself Through Nature by Willow Crossley.
Recipe - Braised White Beans with Winter Greens by Clodagh McKenna
Pecorino is my preferred cheese with this dish as it’s more pungent in flavour,
but of course parmesan works well too. Served in warmed bowls with lightly
toasted sourdough bread to mop up the garlicky broth.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
olive oil
1 small fennel bulb, diced
1 onion, diced
2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
5 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ tsp red chili flakes
2 bunches of kale, cavolo nero or chard
2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed
500ml vegetable or chicken stock
Juice of 1 juice
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Toasted sourdough bread, for serving
METHOD:
1. Place a casserole dish over a medium heat, and add one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the fennel, onion and rosemary, and cook for 4 to 6
minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Next stir in the garlic and red chili flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Begin adding handfuls of the greens, cooking and stirring until leaves wilt.
Add the white beans, stock and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to
low and simmer, mashing some of the beans with a wooden spoon, until the liquid has reduced and thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Remove from the heart and stir in the lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese.
Taste and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper if needed.
4. Divide among shallow bowls and top with more Parmesan cheese. Serve with toasted sourdough bread.
Recipe from Clodagh’s new - Clodagh’s Happy Cooking: 100 Easy, Speedy, Healthy Recipes for Good Mood Food.
Photo by @davidloftus
Visit www.clodaghmckenna.com | Follow @clodagh_mckenna
January Arts & Culture
A new year themed what to see, visit & plan this month…
The Hunting Wives is on Netflix now - addictive trashy TV for the long dark January evenings!
There’s a lot of other good telly on this month including new season of The Traitors
Othello finishes on the 17th of January at the Theatre Royal Haymarket - find a matinee and treat yourself to some Shakespeare in the city
Visit the excellent Lee Miller exhibition at the Tate until 15 February
Book tickets to Ovo - The Cirque de Soleil performance at The Royal Albert Hall from 9 January to 1 March
Visit the Dirty Looks - Desire & Decay in Fashion exhibition which closes 25 January at the The Barbican
Get outdoors with The National Garden Scheme
Visit the Marie Antoinette exhibition at the V&A - I loved it!
Join Rose Ferguson’s The Green Keto Plan - a 2-week reset for January
Get your Chelsea Flower Show tickets now. It will be Spring before we know it…