HAPPY BIRTHDAY! COUNTRY LIVING
Welcome to our 35th birthday issue! Back in 1985, when we published our first magazine, we were the trailblazers for sustainability, smallholdings, organic food, artisan crafts and traditional (and modern) rustic style. Today, as we celebrate more than 80 million issues of the magazine, we continue to be steeped in these staples of rural life. We know that many of you have been with us since the early days, so we invite you to join our celebrations with a mix of nostalgic and forward-looking features – from a star-studded round-up of countryside memories (page 64) to our own manifesto for the future: 35 ways to ‘be more country living’ (page 80). The year of our launch was marked by some other significant milestones, too. It was in 1985 that scientists discovered the hole in the ozone layer, so we’re thrilled to bring you an interview with one of the world’s most distinguished eco-activists, Dame Jane Goodall (page 36). This was also the year Emma Bridgewater launched her phenomenally successful pottery business. We couldn’t think of another brand more closely aligned with our own and so, on page 30, we tap up Emma for the secrets of her success – while on the back page, we talk to another VIP in the world of country living – Sue Biggs, director-general of the Royal Horticultural Society. Finally, if you’re celebrating a red-letter day this summer, we’ve created three settings for a garden party (page 38), plus a showstopping selection of recipes (page 160). Here’s to the next 35 years… The Country Living team