IT WAS a beautiful sunny day in late December when we stopped by The Orange gastro pub, an historical gem nestled in the heart of Belgravia. Thought to be named after William of Orange, its origins trace back to the 1800s when it was originally established as a brewery on the grounds of a former coffee house.
WE WERE actually really looking forward to visiting Horse and Groom a traditional English pub in the heart of Belgravia, as we’d come across it on Instagram and thought it looked positively idyllic...
THE LAST TIME I did a Life Lately was way back in February, and a lot has happened since then. Here is the latest photo diary⏤a few snippets from the past days and weeks, from the pink peonies and tulips in Fulham (just before we stopped in at the charming Fox & Pheasant pub) to sailboats on the Thames, the Tate, chestnut trees in Bushy Park, and more...
THIS INSTALMENT OF 10 IMAGES features the charming meanderings of Rachel Cooney, a second-hand shop enthusiast and the Creative Content Manager @daylesfordfarm, who is also in the process of renovating her first home. In fact, it was the image of her kitchen, below, that first caught our eye, with its tile backsplash and leaning artwork, island counter, antique jugs and wicker. Rachel's feed also features old cars in London streets and vintage finds in second shops, quiet corners of her ongoing renovation and more...
HAVE YOU ever looked at real estate listings for décor inspiration or just out of curiosity about real people's interior design choices? We do that often and sometimes come across amazing properties that we always share with you. This particular listing is a large, historically significant Grade II-listed manor house in Bitton, Gloucestershire that is over 5,870 sq ft with six bedrooms and sits on three acres of land ...
IT'S STRAWBERRY SEASON and Wimbledon, which can only mean one thing: strawberries and cream. Have you been watching the tennis? Also, Summer Solstice was just a couple of weeks ago and we said a bittersweet good-bye to the longest day of the year. Here is a little of our lately: homemade gazpacho and June rose; pints on a sunny pub terrace and wildflower meadows; friendly llamas and gin and tonics and so much more...
WE RECENTLY discovered London-based interior design firm Salvesen Graham on Instagram, and immediately fell for their quintessentially British style. Founded by Mary Graham and Nicole Salvesen in 2013, the duo focuses on creating Future Heritage interiors with a sensitivity to historical and traditional interior schemes.
THIS PAST WEEK, we were back in London, thinking it might be the last time in a long time again that we would be able to be out and about before another national lockdown. We were also there to celebrate the holidays and two anniversaries. When we were last here, it was May, and things were only tentatively opening up again. All the pubs and restaurants were outdoor seating only, which mean it was difficult to find a table without booking the good places in advance through an app. The weather was unseasonably rainy and cold and we wondered if it had been a good decision to come ...
Thyme is a restored historic Southrop Manor Estate dating from Roman times in Gloucestershire, a county in South West England that comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean
AT THE BEGINNING of the summer, P & I bought folding bikes and on every sunny day over the past few weeks, we went on as many bicycle rides along the English countryside as we could, often ending up in charming, cosy pubs, places with names like The Wallace Arms and Rose & Crown; The Black Bull and Robin Hood. On one trip, our longest, we went from the city all the way to the seaside ...
IN THE SECOND week of May, just after the Bank Holiday, we decided to spend some time back in London. We normally visit several times a year, but since 2020 was the year of the Great Lockdown, the last time we had been was the May previously to meet up with a friend from Spain—it was hot then and perfect for traipsing about. P had heard that there would be a heat wave this time around
THIS WEEKEND I decided to try Gigi Hadid's recipe for Spicy Vodka Pasta that everyone has been raving about. It's an occasion when I actually cook, for I don't do it often and it normally never turns out (which is why I don't do it often). P is the one who makes all the gourmet meals now that we live in the countryside and don't have access to takeaway food delivery services ...
Tolstoy was a moralist. He wrote one novel—Anna Karenina—in which infidelity ends in death, and another—War and Peace—in which his characters endure a thousand pages of political, military and romantic turmoil so as to eventually earn the reward of domestic marital bliss. In the epilogue to War and Peace we encounter his protagonist Natasha, unrecognizably transformed.
I AM NOT sure why―when it happens every year―I am so unprepared for winter. The cold. The dampness. The continual overcast skies. And most of all, the darkness. Yes, the days have been, happily, incrimentally longer every day since winter solstice, but tonight, the sun still set 4:17pm. 4:17pm! On Sundays, everything moves a little more slowly ...
P AND I ALWAYS HAVE all of these interesting conversations about everything and often I think, I have to tell them this, or I have to tell them that, but when it comes time to tell you, here on Mondays, I can't remember a thing. The world feels even crazier these past few days than it has before (I know it hardly seems possible) ...