Country Living UK

Flicking through the pages of this issue before it goes to press, I am struck by how many of the features bring to life the feeling of summer in an evocative, almost visceral way. May and June are my favourite months, the time when I really yearn for a lifestyle totally connected to the outdoors. I am always inspired by our featured artisans, food producers and farmers, the people who live and work with the rhythms of nature every day. Take Jake Fiennes, conservation manager at the Holkham Estate in Norfolk (below left). His passion for the land, and for savouring every moment of the changing seasons, shines out in our interview (p186). Through his powerful descriptions, he evokes the feeling of summer so vividly that you almost feel you…

“In early June, the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes, and every sunset is different”The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck DON’T MISS English Wine Week The UK boasts more than 850 vineyards, with production getting better every season. Two-thirds of the wine in England is sparkling – Tinwood’s Blanc de Blancs, produced in West Sussex, won gold last year in two international competitions – but experts are predicting world-beating reds, too, from vineyards such as Danbury Ridge in Essex. Judge for yourself during English Wine Week (19-27 June) at tours and tastings around the country. englishwineproducers.co.uk MADE IN BRITAIN… Cards by Jo Butcher Jo Butcher was a fashion designer and pattern cutter in London before she moved to a Somerset village and set up an embroidery business. Printed from Jo’s…

Guernsey THE CHANNEL ISLANDS In Guernsey, turquoise waters meet sandy scalloped shorelines – with only a slight nip in the air to remind you this isn’t some far-flung getaway. This British Crown Dependency has a compact cobbled capital, St Peter Port, and miles of clifftop coastal paths. Throw yourself into periods past and discover Neolithic standing stones, crumbling castles and concrete fortifications. WHAT TO SEE AND DO The Spring Walking Festival (20 May-4 June) offers more than 40 guided walks with routes for easygoing strollers and hardened hikers alike. Take a tour of Castle Cornet, an 800-year-old stronghold, or visit vestiges from the German occupation during the Second World War (guernseyguidedtours.com). Prefer to whizz around on wheels? Hire an e-bike and take the Cliff and Country Lanes trail, travelling to Petit Bot Bay…

Editor’s choice “Lorna Singleton’s baskets are woven in the Lake District using coppiced oak splinters (known as spelks). Use them to gather flowers or display fresh produce.”Home and crafts editor Alaina Binks Follow @CLArtisans on Instagram to see more unique products from talented makers FOR STOCKISTS see Where to Buy COMPILED BY CARA LASKARIS. PRICES AND AVAILABILITY CORRECT AT TIME OF GOING TO PRESS…

PATCHING in Forget adopting a donkey or naming a star. Now, you can sponsor a patch of land. Rewilding charity Heal is on a mission to create a new nature reserve in every English county by 2050 and is crowdfunding to develop 460 acres of pasture in Somerset. The charity is introducing rare-breed livestock to enrich the soil and boost biodiversity. Sponsor your own three-metre-square patch for £20 and you’ll be able to pay it a visit. healrewilding.org.uk 5 types of shark live in the Mersey Estuary, among 37 fish species recorded since the 30-year clean-up of the Mersey – once Europe’s most polluted river*. WALK IN THE SLOW LANE Former geography teacher Dan Raven-Ellison set up the Slow Ways network four years ago to encourage people to map off-road walking routes between Britain’s…

Author and seasoned smallholder Sally shares her Yorkshire plot with sheep, horses, hens, ducks, geese, an orchard, a vegetable garden and a pond I wasn’t really interested in vegetable gardening when I was a little girl, but I was definitely interested in eating other people’s produce. Our long-suffering neighbour, an elderly gentleman, had a greenhouse that contained his prized tomatoes. I can still remember the thrill of squeezing through the hedge that separated our garden from his and stealing the odd tomato, savouring the illicit pop as it burst in my mouth. In my defence, supermarket tomatoes were dire in the 1970s – tasteless golf balls grown for looks rather than flavour. Many a child from my generation was put off tomatoes for life – a culinary tragedy when there are…