In the ten years since country-hotel The Pig opened, it’s become a New Forest legend. Laura Craik checks in and checks out its chic yet super-chilled charm
The Grand yet welcoming entrance to The Pig is covered in wisteria in spring. Co-owner Judy Hutson stands ready to greet guests in front of its door, painted in one of her signature blue-greens.
Since opening ten years ago, country hotel The Pig has, thanks to its genius balance of ‘wow, this is so chic’ and ‘aah, I feel at home’ become a New Forest legend and the go-to destination for those after an aspirational yet relaxing getaway.
Cacti – real and ceramic – and spider plants are easy to care for and make a great display. Table by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for hay.dk. For similar planters try conranshop.co.uk
Model, actress, radio and TV presenter Lisa Snowdon can add gardener to her CV. An ambassador for today’s Garden Day, she tells Laura Craik why she loves lush leaves both indoors and out
Gardens are often referred to as ‘extra rooms’, but none of us could have imagined quite how ardently they would come to fulfil this role in the spring of 2021, when government guidelines still only allow different households to mix outdoors.
Clare (far right) wears jacket, £275, T-shirt, £50, trousers, £185, and trainers, £195 Model wears leather jacket, £450, blouse, £95, trousers, £195, and trainers, £195, all meandem.com
With the high street in lockdown, these unique, boutique-style labels have been breathing new life into our wardrobes – and dominating the way we shop
Clare Hornby started ME+EM in 2009, with the aim of providing busy women with a quality working wardrobe at an accessible price.
I began my career at Harrods where I was able to invest in luxury clothes thanks to my employee discount. However, when I moved into advertising that was no longer possible – I couldn’t afford them. It made me want to find a way for women to enjoy luxury fashion at an accessible price point.
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That was the magic of Topshop in its heyday: it made you feel part of a club whose only membership criterion was that you loved fashion. As a teen, I thought the Edinburgh store was as exciting as shopping got. Then I clapped eyes on Topshop Oxford Circus.
Kate Moss in 2007, posing in the window of Topshop’s Oxford Street store to launch her first collection
The internet might have democratised fashion – anyone anywhere can buy a pair of Topshop jeans – but it can never replicate the heart-thumping joy of gliding down those escalators into 90,000 square feet of ‘It’ clothes and wondering whether you’d bump into Alexa Chung or Joan Collins (in my three decades as a Topshop customer, I saw both browsing the aisles). It lured you in, whether you were 18 or 80. And if you were Beyoncé, it smuggled you in after hours, via a secret entrance, to shop uninterrupted by the hordes.