Pellicano Dinner Dress by GOOP x La DoubleJ,
Marysia Santa Clara triangle bikini top,
Marysia Santa Clara triangle bikini bottoms,
Small zipped Bayswater handbag,
Abbey bag,
Cercle raffia bag,
Gold coquette leather shoes,
Veja V-10 suede trainers,
Super Eight floral dress by Zimmerman,
Graphic print halter swimsuit,
The sun is set to reappear this weekend. Order ahead for the perfect picnic prepared by the experts at some of our favourite London addresses:
We think this would be the best kind of birthday treat. Meet a friend and share the new Afternoon Tea box from Ham Yard Hotel, or have one sent to someone you love. Tea for Two contains lemon drizzle cake, chocolate tiffin, pistachio macarons, bakewell tart, savoury snacks including arancini, sausage rolls, smoked salmon sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, plus scones with clotted cream and jam, and loose-leaf tea. £25 for one, £50 for two or £100 for the Champagne Tea. London delivery only; order by midday on Thursday for Friday, Saturday or Sunday delivery that week, or email shop@firmdale.com with your preferred delivery date.
London Shell Co might have had to dock their boats for the time being, but you can still order their delicious seafood, now in the form of Picnic Boxes. These are available for Friday delivery only so would make a good end-of-the-week treat. Menus change weekly, but each box will generously feed two people and contains a bottle of The Grand Duchess English sparkling wine from Hampshire. A sample menu might be hot smoked rainbow trout, smoked salmon, house pickles, crevettes with mayonnaise, soda bread and farmhouse butter. They’re popular so order ahead, the next available slot is 19 June with delivery anywhere within the M25.
Sidechick launches on Thursday 11 June, a new concept from the Patty & Bun team. Instead of burgers, it’s all about roast chicken and you can order a half or a whole simply butterflied and roasted with a choice of marinade: za’atar, garlic, honey, olive oil and lemon; clarified butter, herbs and lemon or piri piri. There will also be delicious sides, salads, crispy potatoes, as well as a choice of three cocktails, natural wines and craft beers too. Delivery is currently East London only, including Hackney, Spitalfields, Shoreditch, Hoxton, Bethnal Green, Homerton, Shacklewell, Stoke Newington, Upper Clapton, Stamford Hill but there are plans to expand. Order via Deliveroo.
Picnic Hamper from Richard Corrigan’s Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill
Mr Oyster Boy is the newly-launched delivery service from Bentley’s Oyster Bar where you can order fresh oysters, dressed crab, weekend brunch boxes and more. Their ready-to-eat Picnic Hamper is fit for kings and includes soda bread, seaweed butter, 6 oysters and a Vogue oyster knife, smoked salmon, Cornish crab, shellfish cocktail and lobster salads. And there’s even a Japanese soufflé cheesecake, rice pudding and stilton and oatcakes for afterwards. £145, serving 2-4 people, with delivery within 5.5 miles of Old Street.
For a bigger group, these Festina grazing boxes can be ordered for up to 6 or 8 people, including delicious antipasti, charcuterie and cheese. Stefano Vallebona, who is Sardinina, launched Vallebona Ltd in 1997 and started supplying London’s top restaurants (River Cafe, Bocca di Lupo, Alain Ducasse, Trinity and Le Gavroche) before opening deli in Wimbledon Village. This new picnic box is full of those hand-picked ingredients. £75 medium, £90 large, with nationwide and same-day delivery available.
Father’s Day is next Sunday 21 June, but you’d best place your orders now given that delivery is currently a little slower than usual. Here are some gifts ideas for every budget:
Diptyque’s new hand soap comes is a smart glass bottle (you can buy refills for when it runs out). Choose either Exfoliating or Softening, pictured here.
Award-winning Rainy Day Spritz cocktail from renowned barman, Mr Lyan. £29.95 at
A bold shirt to perk up the wfh wardrobe, £125 at
Find out the meaning of classic Italian gesticulations with this alternative dictionary from Bruno Munari, :
A contemporary charades kit with Game of Thrones, Stranger Things and Ed Sheeran amongst the pack. :
Leather AirPods case – with the option to personalise, £25 at
For the pizza lover, this portable gas Firepod would make a good addition to the garden, £399:
If you’d rather leave it to the professionals, order the new pizza from Homeslice. Part-baked in a wood-fired oven, these can be delivered anywhere in the UK in time for Father’s Day. Londoners could also order the Homeslice Father’s Day bundle which includes 4 x cans of Hell’s Larger, pint glasses and a 12″ or 20″ pizza delivered to the door.
Get 6 saucies, smoky bacon, eggs and ketchup in the , £22 with delivery to London and Greater London postcodes only. Their BBQ boxes are great too.
The most delicious cheddar cheese made in Bruton, can be posted out in a gift box with free delivery. £16.15 at :
This bird caller produces sounds to attract a variety of song birds, £9.50 at
Superman cookie cutter, £4 at :
Make a proper espresso on-the-go with the
And finally for all the Dads who’ve gone feral, give the ultimate post-lockdown shave, massage and facial with a
A lot more sales have just started this week, here are our favourites:
– up to 50% off womenswear, menswear, accessories & leather goods
– up to 50% off shoes, boots and sandals
– sign up to her newsletter to get up to 50% off a new outfit in her daily exception sale
– Up to 70% off womenswear and accessories
– up to 50% off womens clothing, accessories and homeware
– up to 50% off womenswear and accessories
– up to 50% off womenswear, menswear & kids clothing
– up to 50% off designer clothing & accessories
– up to 60% off womenswear, menswear & kids clothing
– up to 50% off womenswear, menswear, kids clothing & homeware
– up to 30% off, ends midnight 11 June 2020 with code Q4F7
– up to 50% off womenswear and accessories
– 20% off spring/summer womenswear
– up to 40% off menswear, womenswear and accessories
– up to 50% off ex-display furniture and homeware plus 20% off orders on selected suppliers.
The Black Lives Matter movement has really brought to our attention the need to educate ourselves more about racism. Of course, it’s an ongoing process but we think these are a good place to start:
This is a shocking film about the use of the 13th Amendment in the American Constitution to keep black Americans incarcerated in the corrupt US prison system. Directed by Ama Du Vernay, it opened the NY Film Festival in 2016 and is now free to watch on Netflix. A must-watch.
As parents, we feel that educating our children is primary. This free to download education booklet from Wander & Wonder is a great way to start the conversation. Check out too, the Sesame Street video on how to explain racism to kids including Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms answering questions on how to make a change.
We really like the idea of encouraging kids to draw pictures of different races using these Crayola multicultural pens. £5.28 from Amazon
Sitting in Limbo, BBC i-player. This tv film about one man’s struggle to prove he is British after living in Britain for 50 years is a stirring, emotional and eye-opening story about the Windrush scandal.
Finally, The Guardian has an excellent list of books for kids and teens whilst Vogue has picked out some great choices for adults, including one of our top reads Toni Morrison’s Pullitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery, Beloved. £8.20 from Amazon
And the book that we’re currently reading (and gripped by), Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, the host of the US tv programme The Daily Show about his upbringing in South Africa, £7.72 from Amazon
We were surprised on a visit to a new dermatologist last year to find that her recommendations left out all the major beauty brands. Instead, they were medical-grade brands that she told us worked effectively without the additional ingredients (like perfumes) that many beauty companies add in. We’ve tried all of these and they really do work, plus whilst some of them are expensive, they are on the whole a lot cheaper than the more pricey luxury beauty creams we already had in our bathroom.
The key recommendation given was that we should be using a retinol at night, a vitamin C serum in the morning with a moisturiser and without fail, an SPF during the day – and no, the 30SPF in our foundation wasn’t enough. (Please do bear in mind that we are in our 40s and that if your skin is sensitive, you might need to patch test these products first). Here are our top picks:
We found this Medik8 Retinol very gentle but effective (we could use it every night but actually we put it on around 3 out of 7 nights a week),
The most expensive of this group but it really does give us smoother, fresher-looking skin. SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic Vitamin C for normal skin,
OR try the cheaper Medik8 Vitamin C-tetra Serum which still has great results too, (take 10% off with the code BEAUTY10)
Elta MD suncream is sheer, light and really does feel like it disappears into your skin. If you don’t like the feeling of wearing sunscreen, then this is definitely for you. £42 from Amazon
OR the fluid Heliocare suncream – another very light but does-the-trick everyday suncream, £25 from Amazon
A favourite with dermatologists, this moisturiser from Obagi has no irritants and is hypoallergenic,
OR this soothing prebiotic moisturiser from their brilliant Toleriane range. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Sensitive Moisturiser, (Save a further 10% with the code BEAUTY10)
During lockdown we’ve loved signing in to the Zoom exercise classes from P.T. and Psycle strength instructor, Lottie Barron. Her website, Lottie’s Fitness is the place to sign up to the three live classes per week that run on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6pm and Saturday at 10am. Lottie brings so much energy to her classes that you can’t help but feel better, as well as fitter afterwards. Now an expert in the home workout, we asked her to share some of the kit she rates:
Leggings
Lululemon’s new Wunder Train leggings feel like butter. Designed to keep you cool and dry throughout workouts they contain Everlux™, a super fast-drying fabric which also makes them speedy to wash and dry. For yoga, are soft and non-see through.
Sports bras
is great for low impact sports like yoga, barre and pilates. For high impact sports, Shockabsorber offers the best support and can be ordered in your specific bra size instead of generic S-M-L. Their is a favourite.
Tops
is technical whilst being loose fitting. It’s ideal for all sorts of exercise.
Trainers
For running, the make it feel like you’re walking on air. They’re so comfy, light and durable too. For high-impact workouts at home or for classes at the gym, give you the stability you need. You want more traction than running trainers, and these are breathable too.
Mats
is my favourite ever – it works for everything from sweaty workouts to yoga. Another good option, both for quality and value for money are , made in Germany and available via Initially London. These can be personalised and make great presents.
Home Gym Kit
Foam rolling helps to relieve muscle tightness, soreness and inflammation as well as increase your joint range of motion. Add a Core Balance Roller to your warm-up to get blood flowing to your muscles or as a cool down to prevent stiffness.
When starting to increase your fitness, add resistance bands for activation and to add resistance to body weight exercises. Whilst people have been fashioning their own weights from whatever’s lying around at home, it’s helpful to know what you’re lifting so that you can slowly increase your strength. Neoprene handheld dumbbells are ideal for weights up to 5kg. For higher weights, order a set of and remove or add weight based on the workout you’re doing, up to a max of 15kg.
Gliding discs add an extra challenge to your workout. These are ideal for use with hands or feet on an uncarpeted floor.
Kettlebells are a staple at the gym. These colour-coded cast iron kettlebells work well, and come in all weights from 2-14kg.
Accessories
make the best water bottles and come in 750ml rather than 500ml for those longer classes. If you haven’t tried the spiral hair toggle, it’s a game-changer. Keep hair tied back with a . And a is a good thing to have by your side for home workouts.
Post work-out shake
Protein helps to repair and rebuild your muscles after exercise. I love Form Superblend Protein available at Planet Organic that contains fibre, prebiotics, probiotics and organic pea protein. Plus it tastes delicious!
Lottie’s Fitness offers 3 live full bodyweight classes a week, all also available on-demand. A Little Bird readers can get 50% off THE MOTIVATOR (access to all three live classes in a week for £6 instead of the usual £12) with the code: ALITTLEBIRD50. Valid until 1 July 2020, one per person. Follow @lotties.fitness for more.
Barnes Children’s Literature Festival has gone virtual and there are so many wonderful events to tune in to. In honour of the late Judith Kerr’s birthday on Sunday 14th June, there will be several events celebrating her books: Stanley Tucci will be reading The Tiger Who Came to Tea 3-3.20pm, pre-register your place here, as well as a Mog the Cat Storytelling Show at 10-10.20am both for ages 3+. For older children (12+) and adults, there’s a live talk with Lauren Child and Axel Scheffler 11.30am-12.30pm discussing Judith Kerr’s life and work. Also this weekend join Pippi Longstocking’s tea party, listen to a live with playwright Jack Thorne (the who adapted Harry Potter for the stage), and meet star of BBC’s Country-file, 16 year old Dara McAnulty. Check out the full program and sign up here – perfect timing given the rainy few days we’ve got coming up. Events are free but please do consider donating the price you’d usually pay for a ticket (£6).
We posted the tulip parasols on our Instagram this week, but there’s so much more to enjoy from the newly-launched Issimo website from Marie-Louise Sciò and the Pellicano Hotel group. Three Italian seaside hotels form the collection: Il Pellicano in Tuscany, Mezzatorre on the island of Ischia off Naples and La Posta Vecchia near Rome. All will remain closed this summer, but thanks to the utterly transportive site we can get our Italiano fix digitally. Celebrating local craftsmanship and the holiday atmosphere of the hotels, the Shop is a perfectly edited mixture of striped fabrics, string bikinis, aperitivo sweaters, colourful beaded bracelets, sunglasses, packets of pasta and of course, parasols. We can practically smell the lemon groves…Prepare for your next trip with the Read & Travel section where there are excellent travel guides by region – how to spend the perfect long weekend on the Sorrento peninsula – for example, as well as recipes, interviews and blog posts including an Italian literature reading list. Here are a few of our favourite pieces from the shop (there’s currently free postage on orders over €200):
, €160
, €165
, €5
, set of 2, €150
, €390
, coming soon, €350
La dolce vita at Hotel Il Pellicano as seen by photographers John Swope, Slim Aarons and Juergen Teller,
– made to order, €520
Tulip Saarinen table, 15% off ex-display, £3,468 from Twenty Twenty One
Square gingham neck dress, 30% off, £151 from Ganni at MATCHESFASHION
Wool cashmere swing jumper, 40% off, £135 at Me&Em
Tretorn Chelsea boots, 40% off, £54 from Anthropologie
Bi-colour canvas slingback, 30% off, £303 by Marni at MATCHESFASHION
Peggy dress, 30% off, £633 from Zimmermann at 24S
Egg chair, 15% off, £1,575 from Twenty Twenty One
Rockstud velvet bag, 30% off, £875 from THE OUTNET
Bonjour sweatshirt, 25% off, £59.25 from Whistles
Panama pencil case, 50% off, £77 from Smythson
The Cinderella Dress, 40% off, £535 from The Vampire’s Wife at MATCHESFASHION
Eva suede shoulder bag, 45% off, £577 by Victoria Beckham at THE OUTNET
Soho notebook, 50% off, £97 from Smythson
The sales are really starting to get going. Here are some of our top picks:
– Showcase Sample Sale, 8 – 9 June 2020, up to 90% off
– Showcase Sample Sale, 5 – 6 June 2020, up to 70% off
– Archive Sale, from 7am 7 June 2020, savings on womenswear and accessories
– up to 50% off womenswear, menswear & homeware
The Outnet – up to 80% off womenswear and accessories
– up to 50% off womenswear and accessories
– up to 50% off leathergoods, stationery and accessories
– 25% off spring/summer womenswear
– up to 50% off spring/summer womenswear
– 25% off everything
– up to 60% off womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, beauty and homeware
– up to 60% off womenswear, menswear & accessories
– 15% off all childrenswear with the code SUMMER15
– until midnight 4 June 2020, 30% off all warm weather styles with the code H9X9
– up to 70% off archive stock, great to occasion wear
– sign up to get up to 40% off archive stock
– up to 70% off, great for everyday and work clothing
– up to 60% off designer womens and menswear
– up to 30% off spring/summer womenswear collection
– up to 50% off designer womens and menswear
– up to 50% off designer womens and menswear
– up to 50% off womenswear and homewear
– sign up to their newsletter to get 30% off in a sale preview of all children swear (use the code PREVIEW at the checkout)
– up to 50% off childrenswear
– 4 – 5 June 2020, up to 30% off childrenswear
One of the aspects we’ve been enjoying most about the lockdown are the how-to videos with people-in-the-know imparting their wisdom on a variety of subjects for free.
Mary Greenwell, Cate Blanchett’s favourite makeup artist (and behind her is a long queue from Jessica Chastain to Lilly James) has started doing makeup lessons online. Mary is in her fifties but actually her lessons are for all ages. She is brilliant at picking out great products and showing you exactly how to apply them (and also which ones she doesn’t use – she is extremely disparaging about eyelash curlers for example). She’s done simple, 5 product only videos and more colourful ones. We love them all.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CAh2GdwJAIT/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Just watching Willow Crossley talk makes us feel calm. Author and florist, she has started online tutorials about flowers. Our favourite one is about wild flowers that you might see on a country walk (and then how to press them) but there are also lots on planting, flower arranging and flower crowns too.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CAuoqUjAQgO/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
It’s been a while since we went to art class at School but the online tutorials at Partnership Editions are hugely inspiring. We particularly liked the tulip drawing with Rose Electra Harris but there’s also collage making, painting foraged plants, still lifes and, if you’re feeling particularly brave, portrait painting too.
We’ve loved following the planting and gardening tutorials at Daylesford Farm. From tomatoes to cucumbers, it got us feeling very green fingered. Plus we loved finding out how exactly a bee hive works and the frollicking lambs were pretty good too.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CADue6cgx-g/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet