The August Edition

The Summer Slow Down...

Welcome to August - high summer, the eight month of the year (already?!) and for many of us, a slower pace to life - some holiday and family time if we’re lucky, sunshine and reading, gardening and playing, gathering and dreaming. A pause to reflect before the ‘back to school/work’ year.

I’m currently in Tresco and enjoying time with my boys, family and friends, a little tennis, hours of shell hunting and the odd afternoon nap - I’m so grateful for the slow down and time spent in this incredibly beautiful part of the world (I’ll share my tales from Tresco in next week’s Friday Seedlings).

It is impossible to mention the above or really to do anything - holiday, garden, write, cook, think about food or look at one’s children without thinking of the crisis in Gaza. Of course, every day life carries on for us all and our families, but with it, our duty to speak up for the people of Gaza, to call for an immediate end to the withholding of basic aid, of food, of human rights. What can we do? If you haven’t already, write to the government and your local MP. If you feel you can, there are many programs and projects to donate to, with petitions and useful information at War Child UK, Action Against Hunger, Unicef, British Red Cross, and MAP to name a few.

With this edition I want to share gratitude for what we have here at home - freedom, friends, flowers and food, the basics that I never ever want to take for granted…

My Flowery Tips this month celebrate the arrival of Dahlias and Japanese Anemones, and the joy (and competitive spirit) that arise from a quintessentially English village show.

My Willow Loves this month still has a summer theme but also looks ahead to Autumn (I’m actually looking forward to it!); and there’s more in our 6 extra’s for our paid community.

In our Beach Bags Edit, we round up 17 of the best bags on the market - to take you from the beach to autumn picnics and city outings.

Our Recipe is Strawberry Shortcakes by Anna Jones - in season and delicious! Plus, we share just how easy it is to create flowery ice cubes, share our bumper book edit (in case you missed it), and round up things to do this month…

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 - with my goal being to share as much as I can so we can all find joy everyday. I hope you will join our growing community, we have so much planned and I’m so excited to connect with you all.

With Love,
Willow

PS. this is a long read so might be best to read in app/web browser (just in case it cuts off in your email).

PPS. A note on our edits - all brands are lovingly chosen or approved by me. For some, we may receive a small affiliate commission if you purchase an item.

Eating outdoors in August surrounded by dahlias must be one of life’s great pleasures…

Willow Loves

What I’m loving this month…

Top row, left to right

Feeling this trend for the last of summer with satin shorts from Reformation
My newest flavour discovery to add to my Pukka tea library
Le Crop cream & terracotta stripes? Yes please Sezane…
Theo platform striped raffia heaven from Loeffler Randall
Zara x Collagerie stripey-edged cutlery set for a smarter setting
New Me&Em comfy chic in a navy high-rise wide-leg trouser

Willow Loves… (6 more!)

(scroll to the end for paid subscribers)

The August Garden -

Dahlias, Japanese Anemones, Sweet Peas and round two for the Roses…

I feel like we’re way ahead of ourselves flower wise, this year. To me, Dahlias and Japanese Anemones have always been September treasures, not July/early August bounty. Something that was there to soothe us during the back to school mayhem. Not that i’m complaining; sooner the better as far as I’m concerned.

This next flowery chapter is my joint favourite with May (Tulips & Solomon Seal). I think this one maybe wins on colour though? That magic mix of jewel tone Sweet Peas and creamy pink Roses, mad striped Dahlias and hot pink Cosmos, Japanese anemones, Cornflowers and Clematis. A painter’s dream! I literally cannot wait to get myself to the nearest Dahlia field to pick and play. The website Flowers from the Farm shows you where you can find your nearest local grower in case you’re on the look out too. My faves are Chippy farm flowers, Marlston Farm Girl, Brown Flowers, Green and Gorgeous and Pied Beauty Flowers.

Village Show Antics

Another of my flowery August highlights is the village show! My Mum and I have been competing (with each other!), for years now and I absolutely adore it. We get very over excited and very competitive, spending hours plotting over what we’re going to do. We’ve worked out that the best solution is to enter different categories from one another to maintain peace on earth.

Edit - Beach Bags

17 of the best - colourful, roomy tote bags that will take you from this summer to next…

1. The White Company Stripe Raffia Tote Bag 2. H&M Multicolored Beach Bag

3. Call It By Your Name Maxi Cabas Quilted Bandana Print Tote Bag

4. The White Company Raffia Weave Tote Bag
5. Free People Clare Canvas Tote
6. London Velvet The Luxe Beach Bag in Tropicana Teal
7. MUUÑ Laura leather-trimmed woven straw tote

8. Isabel Marant Tampa whipstitched leather & printed raffia shoulder bag

9. Accessorize Quilted Paisley Weekend Bag
10. H&M Cotton Canvas Beach Bag
11. Free People Flower Mountain Weekender
12. Sezane Justine Maxi Basket Bag

13. Not Another Bill Stripe Boat Tote

14. Oliver Bonas Red Bandana Print Tote Bag
15. Free People Hero Tote
16. Oliver Bonas Estie Green & Blue Striped Woven Tote Bag
17. Rae Feather Marty Tote Bag

Create - Floral Ice Cubes

Don’t let the summer fade without creating these - a wonderfully easy and pretty crowd pleaser…

Flowery ice cubes are simple and inexpensive to make and instantly add pizazz to any party. You can buy edible flowers readily these days, but you can probably find some for yourself growing in the garden or on a windowsill. Make sure the flowers you use are definitely edible before you begin and that they haven’t been sprayed with any chemicals.

To keep the ice cubes clear and cloud-free you need to work in layers because this cuts out the air bubbles and impurities, which is what causes cloudiness.

The following garden flowers are all safe to use:
Alpine pinks (Dianthus alpinus)
Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum)
Daisy (Bellis perennis)
Elderflower (Sambucus nigra)
Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
Hollyhock (Alcea rosea)
English lavender (Lavandula augistifolia)
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
Marigold (Calendula affficinalis)
Primrose (Primula vulgaris)
Rose (Rosa)
Sunflower (Helianthus annus)
Sweet violet (Viola adorata)

What you’ll need:
Large ice-cube tray - preferably silicone for easy access
Diluted water (water that has been boiled and then cooled)
Edible flowers

1. Fill the ice-cube trays a quarter of the way up with distilled water. Add the flowers face down and freeze.

2. Add some more water to reach the half-way mark and freeze again.

3. Fill to the top and freeze for the last time.

Taken from The Wild Journal - A Year of Nurturing Yourself Through Nature by Willow Crossley, available to purchase here.

Create - Strawberry Lemon Shortcakes
with Vanilla Yoghurt

by Anna Jones

These shortcakes differ from scones in that they are a little lighter and less sweet, thanks to some yoghurt in the mixture. There is vanilla and lemon zest in the batter, and once stamped out into squat little dough rounds, they are topped with sugar for a crunchy top.

I have made them with roasted strawberries this time, but they are just as good with some chopped fresh. I’ve given you a method for both. My rule is if the strawberry tastes good, use them fresh, if they are squishy or over/under ripe - roast them.

I use some fennel seeds with the strawberries as they bring something unexpected and the sweet backnote of the seeds works brilliantly with the strawberries, somehow making them taste even more intensely of themselves.

In a break from tradition for both scones and shortcakes I use yoghurt here instead of cream. Yoghurt is my preferred dairy for almost all sweet things. It adds creaminess but also acidity. When it's hot outside and with other sweet elements on your plate, yoghurt works brilliantly.

Makes 10 shortcakes

Ingredients

For the shortcakes -
320g plain flour
1 pinch fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
50g golden caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
125g unsalted butter, frozen for 30 mins
2 large free-range or organic eggs
120g yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
Zest of 1 lemon

For the filling -
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
200g thick Greek yoghurt
1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or honey
400g roast strawberries (recipe here) or 400g fresh strawberries

Method

Freeze the butter
Heat the oven to 210C fan. If you haven’t already, put 125g butter in the freezer – it will need to chill for about 30 mins. Do not freeze it solid otherwise it will be impossible to grate.

Mix the dry ingredients
For the shortcakes, mix the 320g flour, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 50g sugar in a bowl. Grate in the butter and lightly bring together with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Mix the dough
Whisk one egg into 120g yoghurt, add 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste and zest of 1 lemon. Pour into the flour mixture bit by bit using a fork. Bring the mixture together to a dough, but don’t overmix. If the mixture is too dry you can add a little more yoghurt or milk.

Cut out the shortcakes
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, roll out to about 3cm thick, then, using a 6cm round cutter, stamp out as many as you can and then re-roll and stamp out again until you get about 10 discs.

Chill the dough
Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper and arrange the shortcakes about 2-3cm apart, because they will spread slightly as they cook. Whisk the second egg in a bowl, then brush the cake tops with the beaten mixture and sprinkle with a little extra caster sugar. Put in the fridge for 10 minutes to chill.

Toast the fennel seeds
In a small frying pan, lightly toast 1/4 teaspoons fennel seeds for a minute, until lightly golden, then transfer to a pestle & mortar and bash until lightly crushed.

Bake the shortcakes
Remove the shortcakes from the fridge and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown, then let them cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack. Whilst the shortcakes are cooling you would prefer fresh strawberries to roasted, whilst the short

Macerate the strawberries (optional)
If you prefer using fresh strawberries instead of roasted, hull and halve 400g strawberries into a bowl with the juice of 1/2 lemon and a pinch of sugar if needed. Leave these to macerate whilst you wait for the shortcakes to cool.

Build the shortcakes
Halve each shortcake as you would a scone. Mix 200g Greek yoghurt with 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or honey and dollop over each shortcake. Follow with the roasted or macerated strawberries and a little pinch of fennel seeds to each.

Make ahead / storage
These are best eaten fresh and warm but these can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. You can also freeze the uncooked shortcakes once cut with the cutter. Freeze them flat then transfer to a bag or container once frozen. Defrost in the fridge. The fruit and yoghurt is best made freshly each time you eat one.

Recipe from The Anna Jones Newsletter on Substack - a weekly newsletter of brand new recipes and stories. You can also visit www.annajones.co.uk

Imagery - Rachael Pilston for Anna Jones.

August Arts & Culture

What to see, visit & plan this month…

1. Don’t Miss The Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy (finishes 18 August)

2. Visit Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of a Painting exhibition at the newly reopened National Portrait Gallery (until 7 September)

3. Go to the cinema to see The Naked Gun with Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson

4. Order a one-off bunch or weekly Dahlia delivery for yourself or a friend through BurntFenFlowers.Com

5. Visit the Flora in Contemporary Art & Culture at The Saatchi Gallery (until 31 August)

6. See Rosamund Pike in Inter Alia at The National Theatre

7. Visit the Cecil Beaton Garden Party at the Garden Museum until 21 September

8. Visit Chatsworth House for the Gorgeous Nothings flower exhibition running now through the summer

9. Visit The Big Feastival on Alex James’ farm in The Cotswolds 22-24 August

10. See The Lion the Witch & The Wardrobe at Sadlers Wells from 20 August

11. Watch my Advanced Floral Design course with Create Academy from the comfort of home

PS. Willow Loves (6 more!)