This week we’re heading to honey-hued Oxfordshire for a nosy around Double Red Duke – Country Creatures’ latest addition.
We’re also zoning in on the accessory of the season – the raffia tote – and toasting to summer’s final fling with a glass of our current favoruite vino, Rimapere Sauvignon Blanc.
TRY THIS Kloris CBD
Holistic wellness brand Kloris is known for its premium CBD oral oil drops. The CBD tinctures contain organic European-grown Cannabis Sativa L (hemp) extracts blended with MCT (medium chain triglycerides) oil from coconuts. ‘THC free, vegan friendly, and responsibly and ethically made’ the oil drops can be used to help regulate stress levels, minimise joint pain, induce and improve sleep, calm nerves and more – in effect, it’s a godsend in a 10ml bottle. For maximum absorption Kloris recommend ‘placing a few drops under your tongue, but you can also mix them with food or drink’. Note to nervous travellers – these are a godsend.
BOOK THIS The Double Red Duke
Escape city life at the Double Red Duke, a newly renovated 16th-century coaching inn in the Cotwolds. The stylish pub with rooms – 19 to be precise – is full of character and the perfect spot for weekend away. Individually designed bedrooms are bedecked with patterned wallpaper and locally sourced antiques, serving as the perfect resting spot post-prandial. High-quality produce is cooked up daily by Hawksmoor alumni Richard Turner and Richard Sandiford – meat eaters we hear you rejoice! Choose to dine in cosy quarters on the ground level of the premises or eat al fresco on the terrace – if you’ve the weekend here, we suggest you rotate through the various spaces, each special in their own way – and do stay for Sunday lunch, as the prime rib of beef and Yorkshire pudding filled with onion gravy is a chef’s kiss.
TOTE THIS Prada, Small Logo Raffia Tote
Our hunt for the perfect raffia tote has been long and arduous. Now we’ve found it, we are none too pleased to report that it has sold out virtually everywhere (though you might be able to nab one in store if you’re quick!). Prada’s myriad raffia totes have served as the choice arm candy of many an Instagram influencer – donned by everyone from Pernille Teisbæk to Lucy Williams – and we want in. If you’re set on acquiring the perfect summer holdall you’re going to have to think creatively. Visiting nearby boutiques (and asking your friends to check their local Prada stores in tandem) or venturing on to Vestiaire Collective in search of resale stock are probably your best bets.
COOK WITH THIS Veggie Stars: The VIVAMAYR Cookbook
VIVAMAYR’s latest cookbook, Veggie Stars: The VIVAMAYR Cookbook, has landed on our kitchen tables. Inspired by the alkaline cuisine served at their medical health resorts, the cookbook features simple-to-follow recipes which are predominantly plant-based. You’ll be using fresh, seasonal and regional vegetables, with meat or fish (as you choose) to cook up a healthy storm. Until a visit to VIVMAYR can be booked, we’re content to learn how to better support our immune system with a good eating culture via this clever book.
TRY THIS Rimapere Sauvignon Blanc
We’re soaking up the last of the sunshine with a glass of Rimapere Sauvignon Blanc – a zingy tipple from Edmond de Rothschild Heritage. With hints of lemon, white flowers, and grapefruit, this is the perfect summertime accompaniment, whether you’re enjoying a long, lazy lunch of salads, pastas, and fresh seafood in the garden or a pre-prandial drink out on the terrace with your SO. A real crowd pleaser, straight from the verdant vineyards of Marlborough in New Zealand, this Rimapere Sauvignon Blanc is one to keep in your permanent rotation.
Any Questions or Tips to add?