A note from the editor

As the mornings become mistier and the days draw in, I find myself reflecting on the season that has passed and what we have achieved in our new(ish) garden. Our little orchard, planted in January, hasn’t provided a crop of fruit this year, but the trees (with the help of our trusty rainwater harvest system) have survived the dry weather and continue to grow steadily. The raised beds, erected in March to start homegrown production, have delivered an abundance of vegetables, enabling us to swap beetroot, courgettes and potatoes for eggs from our neighbours’ hens. But one of our biggest projects was building a log shed, an airy space for drying chopped wood that is now seasoned and ready for burning. For me, nothing beats the aroma of woodsmoke cutting through the winter air, and it’s an evocative reminder that I’m ready to embrace the cold outdoors and benefit from the warmth of a log fire when I come inside. Home comforts are top of mind for the experts interviewed in our decorating story on page 55. Each one has a real skill for collecting, curating and displaying distinctive treasures that enables them to create stylish and welcoming spaces. On page 27, our smallholder Sally Coulthard makes her garden a welcoming space for birds, while there is plenty more outdoor life to be found on page 82, where we feature the City Farm movement (below left), which has been bringing the countryside to urban communities for an impressive 50 years. But perhaps no one knows farming life better than Minette Batters (below right), head of the NFU, who we speak to on page 38 about the challenges facing the producers we all rely on.

I’m doing what I can to produce food in my garden and savouring our bounty of crops. As I enjoy the fruits of this year’s labour, I can’t help but look forward, too.

I might even enjoy fruit from the orchard next year…