In a city where every gastronomic whim is catered for, the realm of private dining is still one where inspiring spots are hard to find. But don’t be disheartened – because beyond the soulless corporate dining rooms, a sparkling new generation of private spaces are awaiting your booking. We’ve unearthed the best in London:
A surprisingly rare encounter between cool and cosy is the subterranean watering hole at the Marksman. The first pub in London to be awarded the Michelin Pub of the Year, this is fine dining without the kerfuffle. Think salt cold fritters, duck with pickled prunes, and the famous brown butter and honey tart. Marksman Public House, 254 Hackney Rd, E2 7SJ. Sits 8-12 people.
For a grown-up event, venture to the 38th floor of the Gherkin for one of the awe-inspiring private spaces rooms at Searcys. The views are so good you almost forget the food; book it for an evening sitting and watch the city light up after dark. Seasonal menus are paired with world-class wines; and even the cheese course – of British artisan varieties – has its own port, a famed 10 year-old Alves de Sousa. Searcys at the Gherkin, 30 St Mary Axe, EC3A 8EP. 20-50 guests.
What could be more exciting than a private pasta party? At Covent Garden’s Bancone, Chef Louis Korovilas is on hand to design your own feasting menu. Here unfolds plates of bountiful antipasti – such as Panelle with smoked duck breast, Burrata or Honeyed Focaccia – and large sharing bowls of seasonal fresh pasta. Try the Wild Asparagus, Hops, Baby Courgette, Pine Nuts, Buckwheat and Bucatinior and their classic, Silk Handkerchiefs with walnut butter and confit egg yolk. Bancone, 39 William IV Street, WC2N 4DD. Private dining for 8-14 guests.
The verdant, tropical hand-painted mural gives Blanchette’s dining room its name. The Jungle Room can accommodate up to 14 guests for French wine and Blanchette’s signature delicacies – from tasting bites of crispy frog’s legs and miniature croque monsieur, to indulgent mains of braised lamb shoulder with anchovy and soubise sauce. Blanchette, 9 D’Arblay St, W1F 8DR. Group menus start at £35pp. Seats up to 14.
Perhaps the best kept secret of East London. Through the underground bar of this superlative yet low-key dumpling house, emerges a scene of red brick, hanging lanterns and rambling plants, not to mention all-important raincover. (Even warm in January!). Here, a veritable feast ensues – handmade dumplings, filled with ethically-sourced meat and fish, smoky aubergine and tangy turnip cake, chased along by small-brew Japanese sake. Be sure to leave space for pudding: chocolate dumplings with hot salted caramel. My Neighbours the Dumplings, 165 Lower Clapton Rd, E5 8EQ. Group menus start at £25pp. Sit-down dinner for up to 20 people, plus larger drinks and canapé events.
Grab your nine nearest friends and hot foot to Holborn for nothing other than the best pie in town. The £100 tasting menu is a rarefied homage to this British icon, with flavours of Lobster thermidor, Potato, comté & caramelised onion, and Rabbit, pork & pistachio en croute with plum chutney, or you can go à la carte. Soak in the deliciousness of the pie-kitchen setting with its a dazzle of sky-high copper tins. The Pie Room, 252 High Holborn, WC1V 7EN. Seats 10.
Perhaps the most anticipated opening of the year (if not only for it’s 14 month delay) is Bob Bob Cité, the new Leadenhall Cheesegrater building sister site to Soho’s Bob Bob Ricard. Three blingy private dining rooms will serve up chef Eric Chavot’s classic French comfort food, dressed to the nines in a lavish homage to the 1970s – met with LED tickertape. As in Soho, champagne is still on tap. Opens 10th May.Bob Bob Cité, 122 Leadenhall St, London EC3V 4QT. Three private dining rooms sit from 4-18 guests.
There’s the more formal first floor private dining room at Covent Garden’s Cafe Murano that seats 20-50 people, and then there’s this, a charming set-up in their deli next-door. Fitting 18 guests, dine on Angela Hartnett’s delectable north Italian dishes – mushroom arancini, baked semolina gnocchi, pork belly with celeriac and slaw, and a vin santo cantucci semi-freddo – and feast your eyes on beautiful displays of artisan food and wines too. Cafe Murano Covent Garden, 36 Tavistock St, WC2E 7PB. Group menus start at £46 pp. Sits up to 18.
There are so many events to co-incide with Chelsea Flower Show. One of our favourite things to do is to wander around Sloane Street, the Kings Road and along Pimlico Road admiring Chelsea in Bloom – the shops that decorate their window displays in flowers. This year, make a note to pop into Sybil Colefax & John Fowler. For the week of the Flower Show fine artist, Jacqueline Rufus Isaacs will be exhibiting a small series of her paintings that have an emphasis on colour and flowers. Here Jacquie shares some of the works she will be exhibiting:
The Wychwood Acrylic, 15” x 20”
The Wychwood – ‘near where I live in the country. I very often walk through it with my dogs and I think that it has a very spiritual and secret feel about it which I have tried to capture in acrylic.’
Lily the Pink, Oil on Board, 22” x 16”
Lily the Pink – ‘lilies are one of my favourite flowers. In the summer I have masses of pots of them on the terrace. This is one example, finished oil on board.’
Remembrance Oil on board, 20” x 15”
Remembrance – ‘most Wednesdays I paint at the Sketch Club, Chelsea, which is close to the Royal Hospital. This was painted in November when poppies were being sold by the Pensioners in their scarlet tunics. Oil on board.’
If you’re staying in London this May bank holiday then book in to hear one of these top literary talks from Bryony Gordon, Elizabeth Day and Michael Morpurgo:
Bryony Gordon: You Got This
‘I wanted to be a unicorn. I wanted to be a princess. I wanted to be an astronaut. But the thing I really wanted to be more than anything else, was a little less like me.’ Bryony Gordon has become the ultimate champion for mental health in recent years. As well as being a journalist and podcaster, she’s run the London marathon in her underwear, she’s set up charity Mental Health Mates, she posts her sobriety anniversaries on instagram and of course she’s written several bestselling books on the topic. The first was The Wrong Knickers, then Mad World about her battles with bulimia and addiction and then Eat, Drink, Run about her marathon experience. Now she’s written a book for teens called You Got This that’s not only perfect reading for young teenagers but parents too. How can we learn self-respect? How do we teach ourselves love and confidence? Hear the author as she shares her fabulous, fearless guide for teenage girls.
4 May, 2.30pm at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank. Tickets from £14.50 at southbankcentre.co.uk
Elizabeth Day: How to Fail LIVE
We’re huge fans of Elizabeth Day’s podcast series How to Fail – interviewees include Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sebastian Faulks, Olivia Laing, Raven Smith and David Nicholls – who each discuss the things in life that haven’t quite gone to plan. Indeed the three-series’ proved so popular that they inspired Elizabeth Day’s new book, How to Fail: Everything I’ve Ever Learned From Things Going Wrong. In this talk the author will be in conversation with actress Zawe Ashton in an afternoon that’s all about learning from our mistakes. There will be the opportunity to ask Elizabeth your own questions: is ‘success’ a myth? How can we turn crisis into clarity? And does it really matter if you’re rubbish at tennis? Fear not, the talk is not being live recorded for another podcast; you’ll have to be there to hear it.
5 May, 2.30pm at The Bridge Theatre, 3 Potters Fields Park SE1 2SG. Tickets £20 at bridgetheatre.co.uk
Michael Morpurgo: 75th Anniversary Tour
Michael Morpurgo, Lincoln Book Festival 2018, Lincoln Drill Hall
National treasure Michael Morpurgo has written a staggering 130 books, these include The Butterfly Lion, Kensuke’s Kingdom, Private Peaceful and of course, War Horse. But how did the man become such a brilliant storyteller? On the occasion of his 75th birthday Michael Morpurgo will be talking to Katy Brand on stage at the Southbank about his life’s path and inspirations along the way from school teaching in Kent to his love of animals and the charity, Farms for City Children that he set up with his wife. There will be extracts from his most treasured works read out by the actor Eddie Marsan.
5 May 7.30pm at The Bridge Theatre, 3 Potters Fields Park SE1 2SG. Tickets £25 at bridgetheatre.co.uk
A trip to Jaipur and a dress that she had made there began to haunt the daydreams of House & Garden’s Creative Director, Gabby Deeming. So much so that she eventually took a three-month sabbatical from work and set off to India to found her own brand, Daydress. What does it do? Exactly that: beautiful, well-made dresses that can be worn every day, in strikingly pretty block-printed designs. We meet the designer just as her new collection arrives for the spring:
Where did the idea for Daydress come from?
It sort of ambushed me. A couple of years before I started Daydress, I had made myself a single dress sample whilst on a trip to Jaipur using a really lovely off-the-peg block print (of which in India there are thousands and all gorgeous). The cotton was so soft and the style was pretty but not girly. Although as a pattern the shirtwaister is nothing new, I liked how the Indian collar and hand-block print stopped it looking preppy – I just wanted to wear it everyday! It pretty much solved all my dressing dilemmas and most importantly didn’t feel like something I had seen on other people. I love vintage Laura Ashley and how the emphasis on the fabric and print and shape were all equal, their printed cottons have aged so well. Although my dresses aren’t particularly vintage in style, I like to think of them being worn summer after summer, and hopefully being much loved as Laura Ashley once was. Based on how much I loved this one massively over-worn sample, I then took three months off from my job as Creative Director at House & Garden and moved to Jaipur to set it all up!
Could you describe the journey of one of your dresses, from conception to completion?
First, I get a bit of a vision, often triggered from an antique textile or colour combination and I can see the dress in my head. Last year I designed some prints based on vintage plates I found at a brocante in the south of France. I design the print on paper with watercolours, I’ve also started using a drawing app on my ipad called Procreate which is totally brilliant, if a bit less romantic. With hand-block printing, each colour in the design requires a separate hand-carved block, so as you design a pattern you have to be very aware of these separations. I send the drawings to my guys in Jaipur and they carve the blocks, ready for my visit a couple of months later.
All the summer dresses are made and printed in the same light cotton. The winter dress fabric is hand-woven for me by a brilliant charity called Women Weave, who spin, dye and weave their cloth in fantastic patterns. The work has changed the lives of the women who produce the beautiful cloth. I spend a couple of weeks in Jaipur in late autumn, sampling the blocks and testing colours, trying out new dress shapes. We work on pattern placement with the tailors, and do a bit of troubleshooting. The dresses have come a long way since their first incarnation! This year I’m launching two new designs, the Zita and the Olympia, which are long and elegant with panelled skirts. I come home with some samples which I’ll mull over, then my final order arrives in Spring.
Your dresses are hand-block printed and stitched in Jaipur and your cloth is from WomenWeave in Maheshwar. What is it like to manage such an international production process?
WhatsApp helps enormously, I’m always messaging my guys with a picture of a button or an idea I’ve had. It’s the next best thing to being there in person. Other than that, because the team I work with is really small and because I keep the designs simple, the distance is not as tricky to manage as you might imagine. Having said that, I would like to be able to go to Jaipur more, it’s majorly inspiring.
Tell us 3 things that surprised you about India?
How quickly I settled in! In the very beginning I was nervous about what now seem like really silly things, like hailing an auto-rickshaw to get about town; I’d have to steel myself for a supermarket visit, but this soon wore off and I was probably too gung-ho in the end. I loved how beautifully the women dress, even villagers with little money have elegant jewellery and are draped in amazing coloured saris. The ludicrous driving. On the road to Agra I saw a whole family sitting on a 3-piece suite tied to the roof on a lorry and there is nothing unusual about a family of 5 on a motorbike.
How has your role as Creative Director at H&G informed your designs for Daydress?
H&G provided my education in pattern, textiles and colour. The exposure I’ve had over 15 years has completely informed the way I draw and think about my prints. I think it’s a nice angle to come at the dresses from. I’m very drawn to 18th century French textiles. Nicole Fabre has the most amazing collection and Susan Deliss has wonderful pieces too.
You launched with the just one shape – the Isla dress in a variety of prints. What’s new for spring 2019?
I’m so happy to be launching new shapes! The first is the Zita which I think will be really flattering. It has little puff shoulders and gathers under the bust with a full skirt made of 8 panels which fall very elegantly. The Olympia has a wide, open collar and is fitted on the waist with a long skirt, it feels a little Edwardian. They’re quite romantic shapes, and very English in feel.
Do you wear your own dresses?
Totally! I only make dresses that I want to wear.
How do you like to style them?
They look great with tan sandals or white pumps, I love Swedish clogs too and little velvet Venetian slippers in jewel colours. Because the dresses are lined, you don’t need a jacket or a dreaded cardigan (I think cardis are a summer dress mood-killer unless you’re very skilled at rocking the land-girl look). I love wearing mine with a square cut, cropped jumper – it’s a very particular thing that I have made for me because no one makes them short enough, but they’re perfect over the top of the dresses. Elegant as a shawl but minus the twee.
Could you share what you’re up to for London Craft Week?
From the 8th – 11th May I’ll be setting up shop with Molly Mahon, fellow block-printer and producer of very beautiful homewares. We’ll be at Myriad antiques on Clarendon Cross which is a complete treasure trove and they have a glorious garden room where we’ll be selling our wares. On Thursday 9th May, Emma Bridgewater is joining, me, Molly and Myriad’s Georgie Rowse for a talk on how India inspires and informs our work (you can buy tickets from the website here.)
What’s your vision for the brand?
Just to keep building the look, slowly and carefully. I want it to stay really identifiably Daydress. I do think a lot about other things I’d like to make and the patterns lend themselves to all sorts of applications – but at the moment I want to keep it simple. In a way it’s no bad thing that I have a full time job because it stops me getting carried away. I have a great new dress planned for winter that is a version of one that my grandma wore in the 70’s, I’d also like to make little jackets that could be worn with the dresses, the patterns would look so great layered together.
Where’s home?
An 18th century flat in Bloomsbury which I adore! I decorated it earlier this year and it’s actually in the May issue of House & Garden or there’s a video tour here.
Could you share your favourite neighbourhood haunts?
I pretty much do haunt La Fromagerie on the corner of my street, I’m always in there getting coffee, porridge, french toast, chicken pie… I blame my empty fridge on that place. Persephone Books is right next to me, a small publishers selling lesser known works by 20th century female writers, their collections of short stories are excellent. The frankness in tone of some of the women is wonderful, but their lives were so restricted, it makes me glad to be a woman of the 21st century. Ciao Bella is everyones favourite neighbourhood Italian, it’s packed out every night of the week.
What’s your favourite painting?
The painting is hard… But it has to be a Matisse, collectively his work gives me so much joy. I esp love Interior With An Etruscan Vase which he painted in 1940.
What’s the last book you read?
I finished ‘Crudo’ by Olivia Laing this morning, she wrote it in 7 weeks 2 Summers ago when it felt like the world was imploding. It’s excellent.
What’s your comforting Sunday night supper of choice?
I love a good spag bol (an Italian friend nearly threw up when she heard me call it this, now she says it too which I see as a small victory).
And finally, which woman would you love to see wearing a Day Dress the most?
Anyone creative and strong who appreciates the process of making by hand and the value of longevity. Women aged 17-70 have bought from me and they all look brilliant. I want Daydress to be very inclusive, which it seems to be doing well, so that’s good!
The Daydress spring collection launches this week – find them at the Hand Sale Wed 1 May 6-9pm, 2 May 10am-8pm and 3 May 10am at St Mary Abbott’s Centre, W8 4HN. They will be available online from Saturday 4 May at daydress.co.uk.
In this ubiquitous world of comfort walking, some sneakers make you float on air whilst others leave you feeling flat. Here are the best of the best to suit all budgets and occasions:
1.Mint Velvet
Allie trainer in many finishes. We love this striped version but the leopard print is great too. £89 at Mint Velvet
2. Golden Goose
I LOVE these trainers and have had a pair for years. There are many new designs in whacky colour combinations but I think the simpler the better. (If you have size 5 or under try looking at the kids’ versions on sites like smallable … ssh much cheaper). Superstar sneakers £300 at Farfetch.
3. Common Projects
Ok, these are quite possibly the comfiest trainers you could buy. They age beautifully. Achilles leather sneakers £320 at net-a-porter
4. Veja
The trainer of the moment. The leather ones take some wearing in as they have a high heel. For summer we love the cotton plimsol-type ones. Good kids’ trainers too. Nova Emeraude €85 at Veja
5. Air & Grace
These are super comfy from the start trainers. Their new glitter designs are irresistible. Cru Glitter £169 at Air and Grace
6. Adidas
The iconic Gazelle still holds allure with its rainbow colour options. In addition, Adidas are launching a new initiative where you can ensure your trainers have a second life. They will receive, repair, reuse and resell your old trainers and reward you with vouchers. Gazelle £69 at Adidas
7. Gucci
Super expensive but utterly delicious retro feel. Choose from this gorgeous pink, blue or brown with the iconic green/red stripe. Suede sneaker with Web £535 at Gucci
8. Converse
Even though Converse is branching out into producing other styles, the original shape is still the best. Love this summery mauve. Chuck 70 washed canvas £65 at Converse
9. Bensimon
For something more lightweight, opt for a Bensimon pump. The Iconic range comes in every hue imaginable; we love the ever-changing Liberty print ones. Tennis shoes €39 at Bensimon.
10. Superga
The Alexa Chung collaboration is a great addition to this summer’s range. Alexa Chung Cotu £87 at Superga
Rushmatters is one of the last remaining English rush weavers and the makers of baskets, rush placemats, weave furniture etc that supply Heckfield Place, Highgrove and more. Especially for London Craft Week, founder Felicity Irons will be holding a traditional basket making workshop in collaboration with British Standard at the brand’s newly refurbished Hoxton Showroom this May.
Photography by Alexis Hamilton for British Standard Cupboards
Learn how to make your own basket using crops that Irons harvests herself and a range of techniques including twining, coiling, plaiting, knotting, sewing and roping. Over the course of a freshly prepared lunch, Irons will be in conversation with Katie Fontana, founder of British Standard, discussing the history and traditions of a craft that remains unchanged since Anglo Saxon times. There will also be a range of rush table top accessories for sale at the British Standard Hoxton Showroom for the duration of London Craft Week (8 – 12 May 2019).
We’re already huge fans of Charlie Porter’s TAT London, a go-to site for vintage homewares and unusual one-of-a-kind objets. Now’s the chance to see her wares in the flesh rather than online as she launches her spring collaboration with 8 Holland Street. On a pretty lane off Kensington Church Street, the gallery space from designer Tobias Vernon and curator Rowena Morgan-Cox is full of carefully selected twentieth-century British artwork, European vintage furniture and studio pottery, Scandinavian and Moroccan textiles and objects from across the globe. From 30 April – 2 June you’ll be able to find a selection of TAT’s vintage and antique decorative objects alongside 8 Holland Street’s furniture and artworks. Known for her impeccable taste and creative eye (honed over the years at her day job as Stylist at House & Garden) Charlie will be showing sconces, toleware and more playful finds.
Pull out your diary and get booking with A Little Bird’s ultimate summer festival guide:
The Big Music Festivals
Music festivals offer so much more than music. Pick one where you can escape the inevitable
crowds between sets and enjoy the location in one of the country’s most perfect settings. The number 1 moan at festivals a few years ago used to be dire washing facilities: you will feel so pleased with yourself if you have booked a private loo space and just think how transformed you’ll be to experience a hair washing and styling station. But you need to book ahead. Here’s the low down on what to book ahead at the big festivals:
Latitude always attracts brilliant music acts (this year Lana del Ray, Snow Patrol and George Ezra) and is well-known for its ballet, drama, comedy, cabaret and circus. There is a also a big wellness section called Solas and it is well worth signing up and booking in advance for treatments such as Ayurvedic Massage and Crystal Therapy. Don’t forget to bring your swimming kit and towel for the most gratifying lake swimming. There are drop-in yoga sessions too. A good Co-Op market is on site as well as an excellent wine bar in the main thoroughfare.
Other bookables: Seat of Luxury and phone charger.
Wilderness is one of the smaller festivals and attracts foodies and music acts like Tom Odell and Bombay Bicycle Club (on this year’s billing). Restaurants to book ahead include Angela Hartnett’s Murano and Neil Borthwick from The French House. As for wellbeing, the fitness club Frame has a presence as well as Hot Pod yoga and even axe-throwing – you heard it here first! Wild swimming available here too so bring your costume and towel. Also nearer the time you’ll be able to book Bathing Under the Stars hot tubs (2-hour slots).
Other bookables: Phone charger
Eclectic mix of music, poetry, comedy and cooking demos and more. A highlight to book in advance is Book a Date. Yes, really, you can book a 2–3-hour journey made especially for the two of you, whether it’s for a couple siblings or just friends. From £50.
Other bookables: The nicest loos we have come across.
Music highlights this year include The Cat Empire and KT Tunstall … you get the vibe. Chill out while watching a cinema classic or join in An Introduction to Breathwork workshop. Pre-order your programme so you don’t waste time or get FOMO fog when you get there.
Mix of eclectic and some well-known faces like Caitlin Moran and Jarvis Cocker, set in the most wonderful countryside. Book yoga and massage sessions in advance as well as a hot tub for 6– 8 bathers. There’s no better setting to refresh body and mind.
You will have to get your skates on if you’re not booked into this festival already as it’s the one that kicks off the season. Highlights this year on the music stage include Anne-Marie, Lily Allen, George Ezra and Bastille. Again you can hire a hot tub here (same company as at the other festivals) with fresh mint and cucumber water served throughout – feels like summer already. Watch out for the sherpas (no need to book) to help you with setting up your tent.
Other bookables: Luxury toilets; hair styling station an option too.
London Festivals
A taster of festival fun but you can sleep in your own bed at the end of the day. Many of these are free:
SoundUnbound is a joint project between the Barbican, London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Academy of Ancient Music and Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Hear a variety of music in amazing settings in the Square Mile from choral music at the City of London’s oldest church, St Barts to experimental electro at Fabric to a New York-based electric guitar quartet at the Barbican Lakeside. Explore the grand Tudor interiors and atmospheric courtyards of The Charterhouse and hear authentic medieval sounds with Gregorian chant at twilight in the intimate Chapel and take a time out in the tranquil Norfolk Garden, where you can rest or stroll through Pleasure Garden, an interactive ‘listening garden’ installation. Free.
A one-day festival in Brockwell Park with pop music from Chaka Khan, All Saints, Artful Dodger, Bananarama, Jamelia, Kate Nash and more. Tickets from £50.
Held in memory of MP Jo Cox, on what would have been Jo’s 45th birthday, the Great Get Together is a picnic in the park with lots of wonderful performances including dance from Sadler’s Wells. Free.
Having de-camped from East London’s Victoria Park to West London’s Gunnersbury Park last year, Citadel festival (from the team behind Wilderness) returns to Chiswick this summer for another laid-back Sunday fest with music from Catfish and the Bottlemen, Bastille, Bear’s Den and Friendly Fires, plus pop-up food trucks from Patty + Bun, Buddha Bowls and more. Like a bigger out-of-town festival expect fitness classes and yoga sessions, workshops and talks too, plus kids entertainment from the Roald Dahl Story Centre and the Science Museum. Tickets from £39.50.
A sunken fountain and Rosa ‘Cecile Brunner’ on an arch in the rose parterre at Houghton Hall in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, UK
A celebration of gardens, this Lit Fest travels about each year – previously hosted at Boughton House (2017), Hatfield House (2015) and Petworth House (2014). This year it’s up in Norfolk at Houghton Hall – explore the wonderful house and gardens with tours and hear talks from top names in gardening. Sam McKnight will be discussing his West London garden, Raffaella Barker will be talking about how gardening can inspire novel-writing, hear Hugh St Clair on life and love at Benton End with Cedric Morris and Lett Haines and much more. Weekend tickets £195, day ticket £110.
A small festival with a wonderful mixture of literature (there’s psychotherapist Philippa Perry on her new book How to Stay Sane; Lemn Sissay on his enthralling memoir My Name is Why; Max Porter, celebrated author of Grief is a Thing with Feathers on his new novel Lanny; McMafia author Misha Glennyon crime networks, hacking and dark markets etc.), music and comedy plus immersive experiences like life drawing, insect walks, poetry and journalism workshops, pop-up theatre, fine dining and a choir. This year Curious Arts moves from its usual site in the New Forest to Pippingford Park in Ashdown Forest, under an hour from London. Adult weekend ticket £191.
Forest Bathing, sunrise swimming, eco therapy workshops, sketchbook walks…these are the kinds of activities on offer at ALSO, the Warwickshire festival dedicated to nature. Make the most of the outdoors at this slow-paced festival with hippie vibes. Adult weekend ticket £120.
If you’re after some Rhythm and Blues, then this is the festival for you. Offering some of the best R&B, Americana, Blues, Soul, Roots and Country musicians around, there are also delicious food stalls and family fun such as jousting and car rallies. Do book early as tickets have sold out in previous years. Adult weekend ticket £69.50 (children 12 and under go free).
A delight for all ages tucked into the pretty Broad Chalke valley in Wiltshire. Discover British history with an immersive WWII trench experience, talks from top historians and writers, a forties D-Day dress up dance and lots for children in the Creative History tent – make Roman swords and pots or Victorian découpage boxes. Tickets go on sale 30 April at 9am and top talks sell out fast so look at the program here now and get ready to book. Adult day tickets £15.50.
New Festivals
We waved goodbye to our favourite Festival No 6 last year – it had outgrown its spectacular Portmerion setting. But there’s an exciting new kid on the block:
Stand-up-paddleboarding lessons at Porthilly Spirit
A stone’s throw from Rock and Polzeath, this new festival on Porthilly dairy farm makes the most of its Cornish setting; there’s surfing and SUP, foraging and feasting, and wild spa treatments. Big names include music from Tom Odell, Villagers and The Staves, and food from Anna Jones, Prawn on the Lawn and Smoking Goat. Book ahead. Adult 3-day festival ticket £180. London Curious, 19 May 2019, Theatre Royal Haymarket
Curious Arts Festival launches its inaugural one-day London festival this summer at Theatre Royal, Haymarket. An immersive experience of walks and talks curated by writer and historian Travis Elborough – expect tales from London’s most famous mud-larker, costermonger songs from the Chaps Choir, theatre land walks with City Trails and more. Tickets from £20
After the cold winter months, get ready for spring sunshine with a beauty cupboard overhaul. These are our top products for a changing-season skin detox:
The important first step is to find a cleanser that will thoroughly rid your pores of impurities and dead skin, whilst not stripping the delicate hydration barrier. We love Tata Harper’s Purifying Cleanser, for its balanced approach; deeply cleansing whilst nourishing the skin and protecting it from environmental aggressors. Another multi-action cleanser is Sunday Riley’s Ceramic Slip, with its plant-based soaps that clean and help minimise pores, without drying or damaging the skin.
The next step is to find a hard-working mask, that will improve skin texture and add much needed hydration and soothing, to encourage lacklustre skin to renew and the much wanted glow to return! Tata Harper’s, multi-award winning Resurfacing Maskdoes just that. Loved by A-Listers, this French clay and pomegranate enzyme mask draws out any left-over impurities and minimises imperfections to reveal a hydrated and revitalised complexion. Kiehl’s Turmeric and Cranberry Radiance Mask is another go to, that encourages cell turnover and detoxification to reveal a brighter more even toned complexion.
Swapping out your usual moisturiser for an oil-based one is key at this time of year, to help skin become more balanced and regain its equilibrium, that the cold weather and central heating has destroyed. Don’t be alarmed by the sound of an oil-based moisturiser, even for those who have combination or acne prone skin, as the new generation of oils are not the same as the oil-based moisturisers of the past, which would often clog pores. The new range of facial oils, are non-comedogenic, rapidly absorbed and do wonders for your skin’s hydration level. Our all-time favourite is Votary’s Super Seed Facial Oil, which deeply hydrates and soothes and is worth every penny of the hefty price tag. A little goes a very long way. Another brand we can’t get enough of is Drunk Elephant, and their Virgin Marula Facial Oil. A mix of Vitamin E, Flavonoids and Omega’s get to work to plump up the skin, improve firmness and leave skin supple and soothed. We also love that this product is multi-purpose and can be used on the ends of frizzled hair!
Lastly make sure SPF becomes a part of your everyday routine. Gone are the days of heavy sunscreen that doesn’t rub in and leaves a white film of grease on your face. SPF’s are now weightless and easy to apply, so there’s no excuse. Giorgio Armani’s Maestro UV Skin Defense Primer does just that, creating an invisible, non-sticky shield with an SPF of 50. Or the cult of all SPF’s, but not a cheap purchase, is Dr Barbara Sturm’s Sun Drops, which can be mixed with a moisturiser or worn alone and combine SPF 50 with a host of skin regenerating properties.
We love Badger’s Velvet Underground, the small and carefully-curated pop-up shop that stocks an array of interesting independent designers. This weekend they’re back at The Department Store in Brixton with lots of lovely things like Kitty Clogs from Sweden, silk headbands from Christa Davis, jewellery from Sharing (left) and fun pencils from Home Truths. Christina Wilson will have a collection of photographs, watercolours, ceramics and found objects. Bridget Bailey will be exhibiting ‘Flora and Fauna’, an installation made from tiny individual sculptures, inspired by allotment gardening.
There will be ceramics from Miranda Berrow (above) and beauty products from Wilder, made using only the best organic and finely selected botanical ingredients formulated by naturopath Rachel Landon, and lots more besides. A Little Bird readers can go free when they put the words FREE ENTRY in the Offer code box here.
Short of a personal recommendation, iescape offers the next best thing; hotel recommendations that you can trust. We’re excited to hear about their new affordable collection that includes hotels, guesthouses and B&B’s in top holiday spots from Venice to Bali to Cornwall. Here we pick out three that take our fancy, each for under £100 a night:
You’ll have to be quick to snap up one of just six bedrooms at this little B&B with views over the Cevennes mountains, an hour north of Avignon, Provence. A dream for walking and cycling, bric-a-brac markets, wine tasting, or just relaxing in the gardens or by the saltwater pool. From £86 per night for a double room, B&B.
Nestled within a eucalyptus grove near Essaouira – the laid-back Moroccan surfer town – is Baoussala guesthouse with a pool, a small spa and plenty of space for relaxing. From £73 per night for a double room, B&B.
Modus Vivendi is in the small village of Psematismenos and has six self-catering suites that are full of charm with wrought-iron beds and bougainvillea balconies. The higgle-di-piggle-di layout of stone steps and small terraces leads down to a swimming pool, and the coast is just a couple of miles away. From £78 per night for a double room, self-catered.
Rainbow glasses made by Venetian glassmaker Salviati, £350 for four at 
