Whether you live in the town or countryside, in Country Living you’ll find a wealth of ideas for your home and garden, learn about traditional crafts, keep informed of rural issues, enjoy irresistible dishes using seasonal produce and, above all, escape the stress and strain of modern-day life.
Country Living
A note from the editor
October
emporium • Handcrafted gifts and seasonal buys from our favourite artisans, small businesses and high-street brands
The new GOOD LIFE • There’s never been a better time to go self-sufficient. In our ongoing series, Sally Coulthard shares tried-and-tested tips from her Yorkshire smallholding
3 MUST HAVES • FOR A VEGETABLEGARDEN
BUCKWHEAT BOWL • with vegetables and fried goat’s cheese
5 questions …with a vegetable gardener
CHAMPION OF THE UNDERDOGS • Graeme Hall’s insights into the canine brain have helped thousands of owners bring their unruly pups to heel. Here, he talks dog-whispering secrets, the joys of rural Northamptonshire – and the story behind his iconic cravat
GOURDS GALORE • A joyous day at the pumpkin patch inspires decorative tricks and autumnal treats to celebrate Halloween
10 QUESTIONS WITH… RUSSELL KANE
LIVING ROOMS REINVENTED • Update a rustic aesthetic with three curated schemes that reflect contemporary country style
WIN A STYLISH SOFA COUNTRY LIVING AT DFS
A NEW order TO AUTUMN • Move over, John Keats. To mark National Poetry Day this month, Bethany Handley – poet and CL’s Access for All ambassador – celebrates autumn from a refreshingly different perspective
SHADES of MEANING • The chance discovery of a threadbare Victorian lamp led Alice Moylan to reimagine vintage lighting designs to spectacular effect
HIDDEN LIFE OF THE LONG-EARED OWL • Autumn offers a rare chance to glimpse an elusive bird for whom all is not as it seems
AN AUDIENCE WITH NATURE • Elmley Nature Reserve in Kent is home to some of our most endangered bird species. It is also the only UK reserve where humans can stay overnight
THE BEST OF BRITISH DESIGN COUNTRY LIVING AT HOMEBASE
THE DAY I LOST MY APPLE TREE • Sally Coulthard recalls the dramatic moment when she lost one of her farm’s oldest and dearest inhabitants – and reveals how she plans to immortalise it
ON SALE NOW
THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF CLOUDS • They can spark the imagination, predict the weather and provide an instant digital detox. But only if you know what you’re looking at. Gavin Pretor-Pinney reveals how to decode the clouds
HIDE AND KEEP • Jason Booth and Gemma Gilleard channel inspiration from the Pennine Hills into bespoke leather accessories for outdoor adventurers
MOVING TO… Wiltshire • Hankering after a life in the countryside? Don’t leave home without our expert guide for house-hunters
FURTHER AFIELD • If you step out into the surrounding countryside, here are just some of the highlights you’ll discover
10 OF THE BEST RURAL BOOKSHOPS • To mark Bookshop Day this month, we present our favourite haunts for bookworms. Many have a colourful backstory of their own…
IT WAS A COLD, DARK NIGHT… • From fairytales to ghost stories, forests stir in us a fear of the unknown. To mark All Hallows’ Eve this month, Wyl Menmuir takes us on a nocturnal walk in a haunted woodland
FABULOUS FERNE & DAISY BAREFOOT X COUNTRY LIVING
For when your heart is in the country
GREEN & SERENE • A pretty string of lakes – once the gravel pits of an industrial landscape – is now part of a nature reserve that provides the spectacular setting for a new-build family eco home
SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS • This contemporary Kentish...