Sunday 31 December 2023

Five things to do in London this week

With thanks to Country and Townhouse:

December 31, 2023 |

Dear Reader,

As you slip into your sparkles to ring in a new year – or, like me, slide your feet into your furry slippers, I’m taking time out to look back at our best bits of 2023. So, please settle down by the hearth and catch up on some froth and fun, along with in-depth interviews, features and trends to be mindful of. Times are a-changing seemingly more rapidly than ever before – and no doubt, 2024 will be another year full of surprises – hopefully many good, along with the undoubtedly depressing. But it behoves us to keep sharing, connecting, collaborating and finding joy in all we can – this keeps us in the great game of life – alive to it, active in it and thankful for it. Happy New Year.

Have a great week.

C&TH’s Top 10 Reads of 2023

Our major triumph of the year was being the first glossy magazine business in the world to achieve B Corp certification. Find out why I think the movement is such an important one and why more brands should jump on board.

I’ve always wanted a Spice Girl on our cover, and Geri Halliwell-Horner made my wishes come true.

For Succession lovers, we know that the Roy family were not into labels, at least on the outside. Theirs was a quiet, understated luxury – that became a trend this year. Exemplar brand? The Row.

I’m a dab hand at eating alone, having travelled quite a lot to review hotels and destinations throughout my career. I love it. My tip is to take a book with you as your companion – and ditch the phone.

I’m sure you all practise safe sex, but do you practise sustainable sex? With all that rubber and waste, we charged Tessa Dunthorne with finding out some more planet-friendly alternatives.

Chris van Tulleken changed the conversation around food in one fell swoop. His incredible book Ultra Processed People was groundbreaking in its scope – and terrifying in its content. Read on for why you should be avoiding ultra processed foods.

Calling all TikTokers (of which I’m not one – yet – nor do I even have Instagram… Linkedin is my platform of choice – do follow me if you wish!), our team has put together the biggest trends of the year.

This year saw a collaboration with Byline Times, an independent newspaper with a mission to tell you what the mainstream media won’t. We caught up with its fascinating editor, Hardeep Matharu pre-launch.

Once laughable but now eminently quaffable and outclassing its Continental rivals, this year saw a truly British wine revolution.

Finally, I delved into the female funding gap, asking women entrepreneurs why they thought there is still such disparity despite more women founding businesses than ever before. Let’s hope this changes in 2024.

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK

The 6-Week Hair System from CALECIM®️

Our beauty editor’s choice for combatting hair loss from seasonal stress is The 6-Week Hair System from CALECIM®️. It has also been given the thumbs up by Harley Street doctors for treating a wide range of hair loss issues, especially those that plague women, such as telogen effluvium caused by stress and illness, and androgenetic alopecia that hits the middle-aged group.

Validated results are said to be visible between 6-12 weeks and is side-effect free. Now available for at-home use with supplied derma stamper.