Country Living UK

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

April

St Mary’s & St Martin’s

emporium • Handcrafted gifts and seasonal buys from our favourite artisans, small businesses and high-street brands

WONDERFUL WOODSTOCK BY COUNTRY LIVING AT DFS

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

4 brilliant BANTAM BREEDS

7 signs of a HEALTHY HEN • Chickens are relatively low-maintenance but they will need the right environment and daily care to keep them happy and healthy. Here’s what to look out for…

HOUSE MARTIN • He’s familiar from his star turns in Doc Martin, Men Behaving Badly and, most recently, crime drama Out There. But Martin Clunes is happiest on his Dorset farm surrounded by his small army of animal companions

An EGG - STRAVAGANT afternoon TEA • All the creative inspiration you need to celebrate Easter with a seasonal gathering in the garden

10 QUESTIONS WITH… GILL HORNBY • The writer behind the BBC drama Miss Austen talks books, bonnets and broken hearts – and her own illustrious literary family

40 DESIGN HALLMARKS OF A Country Living HOUSE • To celebrate our 40th birthday, we’ve rounded up the design classics that epitomise our signature style

A MODERN MILLER’S TALE • At an 18th-century watermill in Hertfordshire, bakers and volunteers are revving up for Easter when they will make close to 10,000 hot cross buns using time-old traditions

JOIN US at LE MANOIR

GROUND JEWELS • The flaring trumpets of the rare pasqueflower are early spring icons, offering a blaze of colour on parched winter downs

8 ARTISANS who elevate EASTER • From the police officer-turned-florist to the photographer-turned-baker, this talented team can help make your seasonal celebrations extra special

ACCESSIBLE HOLIDAYS • From historic house tours to meandering canal journeys, the countryside offers plenty of opportunities for disabled travellers if you know where to go. Here, supporters of our Access for All campaign recommend some of the trips they’ve most enjoyed

WHAT YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT THE SHIPPING FORECAST • Meg Clothier tuned into a late-night chat with a national legend of the airways as it celebrates its 100th birthday. Listen up for a wild encounter

LOOK OUT FOR THE NEXT ISSUE FROM 25 MARCH

PIGMENTS IMAGINATION • Yorkshire painter Louise Ann Wright uses inks and watercolours concocted from plants she has gathered or grown herself – and stored in acorn caps

ESCAPE the EVERYDAY with COUNTRY LIVING • There’s never been a better time to join Country Living as we mark 40 years of celebrating a timeless, traditional way of life that is firmly rooted in the modern world. Plus members get instant access to Country Living Rewards, our members-only online club, where you’ll find a line-up of exclusive events, discounts and experiences. Join now from just £1!

“My HOME is my MUSE” • Annika Reed transformed her Victorian cottage with whimsical patterns and family treasures to create a home that both showcases and inspires her popular textile designs

SPLENDIDLY SIMPLE • Faced with a high-maintenance garden on a grand scale, Susanna Bott has devised easier ways to make an impact with more modern, relaxed planting

A HOMAGE to TREASURE HUNTING • When Lucy Haywood moved into this tile-hung Sussex...