Distractions & Inspirations - July
As summer holidays get underway, we’ve gathered together another handful of things we’ve been enjoying recently.
From a lovely podcast and a very good salad to ideas for day trips and evenings out, we hope there’s something here that inspires you too.
Judi Dench on This Natural Life (BBC Radio 4)
We’d happily listen to Judi Dench talk about almost anything, but trees might just be the perfect subject. In this lovely episode of This Natural Life, she chats about her lifelong love of trees and the comfort and joy they’ve brought throughout her life. There are lots of good episodes to enjoy but start with Judi!
We’d happily listen to Judi Dench talk about almost anything, but trees might just be the perfect subject. In this lovely episode of This Natural Life, she chats about her lifelong love of trees and the comfort and joy they’ve brought throughout her life. There are lots of good episodes to enjoy but start with Judi!
Watermelon & Feta Salad
It’s peak watermelon season, which means this feels like exactly the right time to share a recipe we’ve been eyeing up. Sweet watermelon, salty feta, crunchy cucumber, peppers, capers and toasted pumpkin seeds all come together with a sharp, vinegary dressing. Fresh, colourful and just the thing for a warm summery day.
It’s peak watermelon season, which means this feels like exactly the right time to share a recipe we’ve been eyeing up. Sweet watermelon, salty feta, crunchy cucumber, peppers, capers and toasted pumpkin seeds all come together with a sharp, vinegary dressing. Fresh, colourful and just the thing for a warm summery day.
With summer holidays getting underway, this feels like a very useful book to have to hand. PLACES to Eat rounds up 70 brilliant eateries across the UK, chosen not just for their food but for their beautiful, design-led interiors too. One for planning a day trip around lunch, which, frankly, we fully support.
Cowdray Maize Maze & Flower Picking Patch
A lovely local one for the summer holidays. Cowdray’s Maize Maze returns from 31st July with an Around the World in 80 Maze theme, alongside a flower-picking patch and beautiful views across the polo fields and Cowdray Ruins. One to keep in mind when you’re wondering what on earth to do with everyone during the long summer break.
A lovely local one for the summer holidays. Cowdray’s Maize Maze returns from 31st July with an Around the World in 80 Maze theme, alongside a flower-picking patch and beautiful views across the polo fields and Cowdray Ruins. One to keep in mind when you’re wondering what on earth to do with everyone during the long summer break.
Chichester International Film Festival
One for our locals! The Chichester International Film Festival has another brilliant programme this year, but our pick has to be the open-air screening of Pretty Woman in Priory Park. An outdoor cinema on a summer evening is hard to beat, and if that’s not your thing, there are plenty of other classics on the line-up too, including Star Wars and Babe.
One for our locals! The Chichester International Film Festival has another brilliant programme this year, but our pick has to be the open-air screening of Pretty Woman in Priory Park. An outdoor cinema on a summer evening is hard to beat, and if that’s not your thing, there are plenty of other classics on the line-up too, including Star Wars and Babe.
Under the Radar TV
If you’re looking for something new to watch this summer, Bait has quietly become one of the standout new series of the year.
It’s clever, gripping and a little different from the usual streaming fare, making it well worth adding to your watchlist.
If you’re looking for something new to watch this summer, Bait has quietly become one of the standout new series of the year.
It’s clever, gripping and a little different from the usual streaming fare, making it well worth adding to your watchlist.
All Among the Barley by Melissa Harrison
A book I always recommend for this time of year! Set on a Suffolk farm in the 1930s, it’s beautifully written and full of rich descriptions of the countryside at harvest time. Melissa Harrison has an extraordinary way of bringing the landscape to life, making this the sort of book you want to read with the windows open on a warm afternoon. Thoughtful and one that has really stayed with me.
Enjoy!