| | | | | Dear Reader, | One bit of exciting news out of this week's sweltering heat bomb is that Maidstone Borough Council has become the first in the UK to formally adopt a Rights of Nature framework. What this means is that rivers, trees, soils, and wildlife are deemed to hold intrinsic value, have the right to exist and thrive, and will be considered in decision-making alongside people and the economy. Nature, at last, is getting a seat at the table. Just as it is in business: House of Hackney's decision to appoint Mother Nature and Future Generations to a board director role in 2023 is now a case study at Harvard Business School. When what was once considered woo-woo gets main billing in traditional institutions gives us all a reason to hope in the heat. | | Lucy Cleland
Editorial Director | | | Staying In | | WATCH: The Four Seasons | | Fancy sheltering from the sun and bingeing some escapist TV? Netflix’s beloved comedy-drama The Four Seasons is back for season 2, with all episodes streaming now. Based on Alan Alda’s 1981 romcom of the same name, the eight-part comedy drama centres on three married couples – Nick (Steve Carell) and Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver), Kate (Tina Fey) and Jack (Will Forte), and Danny (Colman Domingo) and Claude (Marco Calvani) – who embark on a seasonal getaway together every winter, spring, summer and autumn. But their carefully laid annual plans crumble when Nick decides to leave Anne. After the sad ending to season 1, the gang is back together for four more seasonal sojourns, including the Jersey Shore beach and the mountains of upstate New York. Streaming now on Netflix. | | READ: About This 18th Century Gate Lodge | | If you’re seeking inspiration for your next DIY project, we’ve got just the thing. Straddling the border between Shropshire and North Wales, this classic gate lodge dates back all the way to the 18th century – and was recently restored back to its former glory by interior designer Annie-Rose Chantler. ‘Our first priority was to restore the building’s original historic features and give guests a real sense of history,’ recounts the designer. ‘But we also wanted the cottage to feel fun and have a modern twist, rather than become a time warp.’ Heritage features (like the original stone fireplace in the sitting room, pictured above) and antique furniture formed the base of this redesign, with playful pops – maximalist wallpaper, bespoke headboards and colourfully framed prints – giving the space some much-needed warmth. Read all about the transformation (and see inside) here. | | MAKE: Alex Mackay’s Raspberry Frozen Yoghurt |
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| We’ve found the tastiest way to stay cool this weekend: by making your own fro-yo. Find a recipe below from Alex Mackay. |
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| | Ingredients: | Serves 2 | For the jam (makes 1.9kg): | | For the ice cream: | 1 x 250g tub full-fat yoghurt (the more fat the better), or fromage blanc 250g raspberry or blackberry jam
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| Method: | To make the jam, get a large (24cm) heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the jam sugar, the citrus zest and the lemon juice. Add the raspberries. Give it all a gentle toss rather than stir so as not to break up the raspberries. Gently bring to the boil. Watch over it and make sure that the sugar dissolves before it starts to boil. Stir occasionally to make sure that the jam doesn’t stick to the bottom. Once the jam boils, boil rapidly for 4–5 minutes, stirring every now and then. The temperature should be 104°C. Take the pan off the heat. Pour the jam into a bowl. Stir gently every now and then as it cools. This will help distribute the fruit evenly. Spoon the fruit into sterilised jars just before the jam has set. Fill the jars right up to the top. Cover the jars first with clingfilm, which should touch the surface of the jam, then with the lids. Leave to cool. Store in the fridge or a cool place. To make the ice cream, take a shallow plastic or earthenware container. Add the yoghurt. Whisk in two-thirds of the raspberry jam. Put the tray in the freezer and freeze for six hours, vigorously stirring the mixture every 30 minutes. (I found it easiest to leave my whisk in the dish in the freezer.) After about three hours, when the yoghurt begins to harden, take it out of the freezer and fold in the rest of the raspberry jam, combining the two just enough to make streaks through the mixture. Freeze for a further two to three hours before serving. If you have an ice cream machine, just pour the original mixture into it and churn. Once it is ready, add the final third of the raspberry jam and churn once or twice until it streaks through the mixture. Serve on frozen plates or in frozen glasses.
| The Magic Fridge by Alex Mackay (Bloomsbury) |
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| | Going Out | | BOOK: Newbury Racecourse’s Music Racedays | C&TH Partnership | | There’s a huge summer of racing and live music in store at Newbury Racecourse. The historic venue – ideally located in Berkshire with an on-site rail station and free parking – hosts four music racedays this summer, each with an afternoon’s racing followed by a headline concert. The Gipsy Kings are first up live after racing on Friday 17 July before Ronan Keating takes to the Racecourse’s stage on Saturday 18 July. Tinie Tempah and Jessie J arrive in August, on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 August. There will also be a host of festival-style food and drink to pick from and plenty of off-track entertainment to enjoy. One ticket grants admission to both the racing and the concert that follows – and with tickets priced from just £29, it’s a steal. newburyracecourse.co.uk | TRY: Yoga At The Natural History Museum | | Is this the very best shivasana view? There’s nothing quite like blinking your eyes open to Hope the blue whale’s looming skeletal underbelly, and this encapsulates the idiosyncrasy of Yoga at the Natural History Museum: the truly unique views. Guided by practitioners from London studio East of Eden, guests are invited to unroll their mat in the cavernous Hintze Hall, tune into their breath and release all of their tension with a stress relieving flow. There are both evening and morning sessions available, the latter including private access to one of the NHM’s galleries before the museum opens to the public. Select dates in June, July, August, September and October. Tickets from £32; book for the evening here or the morning here. | EAT: Seafood At The Sea, The Sea, Chelsea | | Pavilion Road favourite The Sea, The Sea is reopening in a larger venue across the road. The new bistro will have space for 40 in a dining room overlooking the pretty pedestrianised street, with a large terrace for al fresco dining plus an expanded fishmongers. Book a table to enjoy seafood sourced directly from fishing vessels using low-impact methods: the menu includes dishes like confit sea trout with white asparagus, and a sharing whole plaice with braised punterelle and broad beans. Alternatively pop in to buy some fresh seafood to cook for dinner, or grab a freshly prepared lunch box to enjoy on the move featuring sashimi sets and shellfish rolls. Opens 29 May 2026, theseathesea.net | | Share This Newsletter With A Friend | | | | Staying in Forever… | Property Of The Week | C&TH Partnership | | A seaside estate set in the picturesque landscape of Santa Ponsa in Mallorca, Villa Salimar is only a stone’s throw from the island’s buzzy harbours and first-class golfing. Originally designed in 1954 by renowned local architect Pere Garau, the property was renovated in 2020 to pair its sea views with modern luxuries like a sauna and lift. Beyond the seven-bedroom home and guest flat, the gardens, pool and outdoor kitchen create the ideal spot for al fresco entertaining. | €34,450,000, engelvoelkers.com | | Competition Time | | | | Psssst… | Former Soho House CEO Nick Jones is launching a new London hotel, St Clement at 180 The Thames. He describes it as the lovechild of Claridge’s and Chiltern Firehouse, complete with interiors by Eagle & Hodges, a rooftop restaurant from Florence Knight and a spa featuring a 25m-long pool set below a glass wall below the street. Soft launching this June, with bookings available from September, it’s guaranteed to be one of the capital’s buzziest new spots. | | | Sign up for 12 print issues and instant access to every digital edition for only £39 |
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