A lovely and hearty Nigella recipe perfect for counteracting holiday indulgence.
Embracing hygge for the colder months.
Ten things to give up in exchange for happiness.
Small, cosy cottage bedrooms.
Arranging charcuterie. A perfect skill for the holidays.
The perfect Christmas present to oneself!
For some delightfully fizzy, holiday TV watching try:
The Pursuit Of Love This TV show takes the frothy, flippant tone of the book and ramps it up about 358 notches. It follows the story line of the book remarkably closely but in a highly- stylized, over-the-top way (my favorite style of all). It does stretch credulity to the outer limits of acceptable on occasion, but honestly, that’s part of the fun. Lily James is divine as the gossipy gauzy Linda while Dominic West is perfection as the xenophobic head of the family Matthew, full of fantastical notions. But it is the brilliant Andrew Scott (having far too much fun) who steals the show as the deliciously eccentric and bohemian Lord Merlin, despite his minor role. The series is peppered with real vintage footage and photographs which pop up randomly on the screen, and combines a high octane soundtrack, stunning sets and gorgeous clothes, to make this three hours of divinely glorious, campy fun.
Cranford There are few shows which I enjoy watching multiple times, but I roll this one out each Christmas. Brimming with female stalwarts of British film – Eileen Atkinson, Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Francesca Annis – it is wonderfully funny in the gentlest of ways. The women, mostly spinsters of limited means, live in a country village in Victorian England. There is no real structure or plot, more a collection of life’s daily happenings which touch on love, relationships, illness and death. And gossip. Lots of gossip. And change. Lots of that, too. There’s a new doctor in town with radical new medical techniques. And a railway is fast approaching which will surely bring with it the breakdown of law and order. But amidst all of the fearful chattering, lies kindness, compassion and an abundance of delightfully dry wit.