Covid-19 has left many of us planting, baking and appreciating nature, just as periods of upheaval inspired our ancestors to look towards simpler ways of life.

As the global pandemic continues, megalopolises are becoming less desirable. Their allure had already begun to dim in the pre-Covid-19 era: the rising cost of housing seemed relentless, the scarcity of space almost mocking, the pollution a gnawing worry. Yet, however draining the ceaseless urban rush and roar may have felt, it was also energising, with ample compensatory benefits from accessible cultural riches and a vibrant communal life to a shorter commute. Those perks and pleasures were shunted abruptly into the past with the implementation of lockdowns.

This pull towards reverse-urbanisation is only part of a bigger story, one that encompasses questions of how to live as well as where. In recent months, even those without the luxury of considering a move have been enhancing their day-to-day existence with rustic, homespun habits and hobbies that gesture to a simpler life.

As the UK’s lockdown came into force, for instance, seeds became as hard to source as hand sanitiser. It may have been panic planting, but sowing seeds is an innately optimistic act and there’s little that is more grounding than thrusting hands into soil. In fridges everywhere, sourdough starters – the rising agent of Gold Rush-era pioneers – took up residence in fridges, initiating people who’d never baked a loaf in their lives into the slow satisfaction of kneading and waiting, then kneading and waiting some more before buttering that first oven-toasty heel.

Even those whose homes had