Hello and welcome to the second day of RHS Chelsea 2026. Do you like flowers? Do you like people? Do you like rain? Do you like people looking at flowers in the rain? So do we. Follow along as we bring you the best of the action at this year's event, from the best gardens, to new flowers, and everything in between.

Guiding you on this horticultural odyssey will be me, James Fisher, stationed in the tallest spire of Country Life towers. On the ground and reporting to me with the all the latest green-fingered goodness will be our crack squad of reporters: Rosie Paterson, Toby Keel and Florence Allen.

We hope you enjoy our coverage of the day and do let us know your thoughts by contacting us on any of our social media channels.

RHS Chelsea Garden of the Year: 'The Campaign to Protect Rural England Garden: "On the Edge"' by Sarah Eberle
RHS Chelsea Small Garden of the Year: 'Addleshaw Goddard: Flourish in the City' by Joe and Laura Carey
Best Balcony and Container Garden: 'A Little Garden of Shared Knowledge sponsored by Viking', by Katerina Kantalis
Best All About Plants Garden: 'Woodland Trust: Forgotten Forests Garden' by Ashleigh Aylett
Best Construction (Show Garden): 'Lady Garden Foundation "Silent No More" Garden', built by Landscape Associates
Best Construction (Small Show Garden): 'Trussell's Together Garden', built by Peter Gregory Landscapes
RHS Environmental Innovation Award: 'The Eden Project: Bring Me Sunshine Garden' designed by Harry Holding and Alex Michaelis
Best Houseplant Studio: 'An Ode To Endurance', designed by Natalia Drezek and Jinhyun Ahn, Conservatory Archives

You can have a more in-depth look at the medallists by clicking here

Good morning, and welcome back to Country Life's live coverage from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026. I am once again wrangling our crack squad of reporters on the ground in SW3 to bring you everything you need to know about day two of the nation's favourite flower show.

I was quite gutted I couldn't go yesterday and do some celebrity spotting. But looking out the window today, I am a bit more relieved. But I suppose the gardens and the gardeners will be happy, even if the punters might be getting a little wet.

Lots to bring you today. We've got more 'Chelsea in Three' videos (I am getting reports there might be a Traitor among us), gnome discourse, what else to do in SW3, Gold Medals, Best in Show, Country Life's unofficial awards, best food, and much much more. Frankly more than one man in his spare bedroom can handle. But handle it he will, because he is dedicated to you the reader. And also to flowers.

Stay tuned! Here is a gnome to kick off our day.

Day one recap

A reminder that yesterday was press day at RHS Chelsea, where lots of green-fingered journalists mingled with green-fingered celebrities and judges finished off their rounds to choose who goes home with what.

You can recap (almost) everything that happened by reading our coverage of day one here.

Today is the first day us Normal People are allowed in, and is also the day when awards are handed out. We'll bring you everything we can, including Gold Medals and Best in Show, as they are announced.

BREAKING: Country Life's 'Garden Lover's Library' wins Five-Star Tradestand Award

Very excitingly, I can announce the first award of the day, and it's arguably the most important one: Country Life's 'Garden Lover's Library' has been awarded five stars by the RHS, the maximum honour for a tradestand at RHS Chelsea.

The stand, designed by George Saumarez Smith, is absolutely divine and please do come visit us at PW215 and see it for yourselves. Featuring a plethora of vintage gardening books, stone by Somerset specialist Artorius Faber, plants from the gardener Jane Kennerley, wallcoverings by Watts 1874 and furniture by Munder Skiles, the space is a real symphony of British interior design.

If you'd like to find out more about the stand, you can do so by clicking here.

When are the awards handed out?

Today is awards day, where Medals are dished out by the judges. We'll also be finding out which garden wins Best in Show, and if Kazuyuki Ishihara will defend his crown.

Most of the Gold Medals are handed out from 8am onwards, so we'll be finding out who won those soon enough, while the announcement of Best in Show is usually around 11am.

As soon as we know who's won what, you'll know.

In the meantime, queues are slowly moving as RHS Members make their way into the show, hidden under a sea of umbrellas. Talk about the Great British Summer eh?

A Traitor stalks the grounds at RHS Chelsea

Yesterday, we sent Florence Allen out to ask the many celebrities wandering around the Royal Hospital three key questions: 'Favourite flower', 'Wildflower meadow or manicured lawn' and 'To gnome or not to gnome'? Vital questions that demand answers.

We've got plenty of videos to bring you, but first up today is a two-for-one special, with Rachel 'the best Traitor of all time' Duffy and Aisling Bea.

A springtime Father Christmas

I won an award once, a long time ago. It was for property journalism, if you can believe that, and it was at a very nice dinner in central London. I got invited up on stage, collected my shiny plaque, took a picture with Phil Spencer and then walked back to my table. No speech, as my words are too powerful.

That's traditionally how you would accept an award. A less traditional way is to be stuck in a fireplace, which is what happened to our Interiors Editor Giles Kime when the RHS came to pay us a visit this morning...

The good news is that he eventually crawled out, and Giles and Editor Mark Hedges were delighted to accept our five-star award. Once again, congratulations to everyone involved on making the Garden Lover's Library such an excellent stand.

Under brollies, being jolly

In case you haven't looked out a window this morning, it's a bit wet today. Not that it's putting people off. Hearing rumours that we might be putting together a 'Best Brolly' competition....

Some early front runners below

What else to do in SW3: Chelsea in Bloom

Do you want to get in on some of the RHS Chelsea action, but don't have a ticket? Fear not, as you can always head down to SW3 and get involved with Chelsea In Bloom, a week-long floral arts festival that takes over the neighbourhood. And it's completely free.

This year's theme is 'Out of This World', so expect lots of space and zodiac-inspired floral sculptures, UFOs, and bizarre creatures adorning the shops, cafés, restaurants and hotels of Chelsea.

Alongside goings on at the Royal Hospital today, we'll also be bringing you some highlights from one of London's best spring street festivals.

What to eat at RHS Chelsea: Chocolate-dipped pain aux raisins

But first, more food.

As mentioned, we will try and review the best bites to eat while at the show, because we here at Country Life yearn for you to have the finest things in life, at all times, in all places.

Kicking things off with a chocolate-dipped pain aux raisins. Rosie says: 'I've never seen this before. Feels very unique to Chelsea and, frankly, headline worthy'.

We're going to assume 'headline worthy' means very good, so it's a 10/10.

Where to find us

As mentioned, we want you to come and visit our five-star stand (PW215). Come and bask in some of the finest interior design the country has to offer and maybe consider buying a subscription. We've got some amazing deals on, and it's basically like getting 51 issues of this live blog delivered to your door for a year. What's not to love.

If you visit the stand, you can buy a year-long subscription to Country Life for £150 and save more than 40% on the cover price. There are also international offers available.

But wait! There's more!

The first 200 subscribers at Chelsea will receive a bottle of The Grange Classic Sparkling NV, worth £39. Rated 94 points by Decanter magazine, this premium sparkling wine from Hampshire was described in Country Life (that's us) as ‘the connoisseur’s choice’. Offer available with subscriptions for UK delivery only.

Plant of the year 2026: Red Ninja Hosta

While we wait for Gold Medals and Best in Show, yesterday evening saw the announcement of the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2026, which is this Hosta 'Red Ninja'. Now you could be forgiven for thinking this is a bit plain ('looks like a £1.99 pot plant from Home Bargains,' per Toby Keel), but it is actually quite special, as it is the world's first red-variegated hosta.

Described as a 'real talking point for modern shade planting', Red Ninja 'brings an unexpected splash of unique colour into the foliage pallette of hostas'. It's also named Red Ninja, which is a sick name for a plant, if we're honest. Many congratulations to breeder Ninja Kramer for producing it. It will be available to order from the summer.

Gardens in small spaces: A Little Garden of Shared Knowledge, sponsored by Viking

Rosie Paterson has been roaming the grounds of Chelsea, looking for inspiration. She's just filed the following report from the Balcony and Container Gardens area:

'I’ve been to see the balcony gardens because I’m moving into a new flat in July with a large — by London standards — balcony.

I spoke to Katerina Kantalis who’s just won a Gold Medal for her ‘A Little Garden of Shared Knowledge’ garden, sponsored by Viking.

The space is dominated by edible plants and vegetables — a fantastic example of how gardens, especially small ones where space is at a premium, can be practical and decorative. ‘I want to show off their [the fruits, vegetables and edible plants] beauty,’ says Katerina. She points out purple pak choi, mustard greens with their very architectural leaves and the cabbages with their frilly edges.

The pots are of varying shapes, sizes, finishes and texture — another important thing to keep in mind when landscaping a small space because they distract from the fact that you’re starting base is often a bland rectangular space (5m by 2m in this instance). ‘It softens a lot of the space,’ she says.

The climbing sweet pea plant in one corner adds height and structure, but it too is practical. It attracts pollinators and is nitrogen fixing. The colourful marigolds and pelargoniums are ‘companion plants’ which distract pests from the veggies.

Katerina worked with John Wheatley of Stonebarn Landscapes, a long time RHS collaborator and expert vegetable grower (he’s also worked with Frances Tophill). (Oh, he’s also 80 years old and collecting an MBE today). Rather than using chillers and heaters to make sure everything flowers at the right time, they’ve been growing the veggies and so on since January in waves to make sure something of everything is in prime condition.

Her top tip for someone like me who is just starting out with their own blank and — for now — bland space? ‘Figure out what you want from your space,’ she says. ‘It’s all about understanding: what are you passions, and how do you want to sit in it. Once you’ve worked that out, then you can start to think about how you break the space up.’

BREAKING: Gold Medal winners announced

We have some big awards for you, with the announcement of the Gold Medals for the various gardens around RHS Chelsea. The list is below:

Gold Medal

The Killik & Co 'A Seed in Time' Garden

Lady Garden Foundation 'Silent No More' Garden

The Children's Society Garden

The Campaign to Protect Rural England Garden: 'On the Edge'

The Tate Britain Garden

Addleshaw Goddard: Flourish in the City

Trussell's Together Garden

Woodland Trust: Forgotten Forests Garden

Clear Gottlieb: Time for Creativity

Flood Re: Contain the Rain Garden

Tales from the Riverbank Garden sponsored by Kennedys' Independent Property Agents

A Little Garden of Shared Knowledge sponsored by Viking

The Whittard of Chelsea Garden

Hedgerow in the Sky – Tech Mahindra

Many congratulations to all the Gold Medal winners. For more information on all the winners, head to the RHS website by clicking here (but then come back to us).

So it seems like there will be no back-to-back Best in Shows for Kazuyuki Ishihara, as his Tokonoma Garden – Sanumaya no Niwa is awarded a Silver Gilt Medal. Who will take home Best in Show I wonder?

Country Life's Rosie Paterson getting a superb whiff of Sir David Beckham there.

In case you missed the news, Sir David is now a rose as well as a person, thanks to the work of David Austin Roses.

Although I am reliably informed Rosie would also happily give the real Sir David a whiff as well.

'People look like their dogs and gardeners look like their plants. It’s inevitable. Don’t fight it'

Apologies for the slight delay in programming, the cats were having a scrap, so had to go and organise some timeouts. Back to plants!

'We're the only veg people. Veg is very underrepresented at Chelsea'

Rosie met up with Kate Cotterill, co-owner of female-founded heirloom vegetable-seed company She Grows Veg.

What is She Grows Veg?

'We only sell heirloom varieties because they're the most beautiful and the most flavoursome. That's what we're obsessed with.'

'Half of our job is actually helping people to grow and succeed, so we have lots of help content. All of the seed packets have a QR code on the back that takes you to a YouTube video on how to grow it. That's how we all learn how to do things these days.

'We're trying to inspire people with our exhibit, which is called "Feast" this year, and it's all around the flavour of heirlooms. You've stumbled into a fantasy woodland scenario, and the wooden creatures have fled, but this is their table and the feast they were having before we all turned up. What we've got planted around in the woodland here, we've actually got cutting flowers and grasses interspersed with vegetables, because that's how we're all meant to be growing now biodiversity is king.'

How did you start the business?

'I had a 25 year career in marketing, and I was running a marketing agency. And on my day off, I went and did a garden-design course. I've always loved growing-my-own and veg gardening and basically sat down on day one of my garden design course and sat next to my co-founder Lucy [Hutchings]. We got on like a house on fire and we stayed in touch for 6-7 years.'

'And then she came to me having shared her veg on Instagram, she was growing lots of mad varieties of veg, and she came to me saying "well all of the people that are following me are saying they want their seeds and they're weird-and-wonderful ones that aren't available in the UK yet". And I did some market research and saw there was actually a market for it, so I quit my job. Lucy was terrified that I'd done that and we just tried and that was 2.5 years ago.'

'This is now our third year at Chelsea. We've gone from a team of two to a team of 48 in 2.5 years. We're the only veg people. Veg is very underrepresented at Chelsea. You see it in some of the trade stands and you know, the greenhouses and things like that, but not a dedicated proper celebration, not properly waving the flag for veg, which is what we do.'

Three best heirloom vegetables to start with?

'A tomato is a really nice way to appreciate heirlooms because the flavours are so much better with an heirloom tomato. So definitely a tomato.'

'The Swiss chard that we talked about, so peppermint chard, just because it's so easy and it's year-round colour. So you can be harvesting all year round.'

'And I think probably the third one is our drying corn, which you can see sort of draped there, that actually is made into popcorn, but it has the most beautiful colours. So you can either use it as a really pretty decoration in the autumn or, you know, Halloween time of year, or you can actually pop it as popcorn, and it's really fun for the family and the kids.'

What is your definition of heirloom?

'So heirloom is something that's 50 years old or older. And basically, it's a type that is stable. And that means is that if you harvest that variety, so harvest the tomatoes, save the seeds, they would be true to type if you try to grow them again. Most of the other seed companies in the UK sell hybrids or F1s.'

'Hybrids and F1s were originally created for farming, where you want a guaranteed crop of, you know, volume, size, you want everything to be uniform. But actually, what that does is dilutes flavour. So we've all had a, you know, a tomato from the supermarket that tastes of nothing. And that is why.'

'So actually, we are bringing back all the heirlooms because if you're going to bother to grow-your-own, you want the best tasting and the prettiest on the plate, don't you? We're trying to re-educate everyone about the wonder of heirlooms, and, as you can see, they're very pretty and they are also delicious.'

A few four-legged friends

Dogs are not allowed at RHS Chelsea, unless they are working in some capacity. Country Life did have some four-legged visitors yesterday, who were all doing important security work, we were assured...

'The wildness has a different effect on your brain': Chelsea in Three with Nick Grimshaw

We caught up with Nick Grimshaw from BBC Radio 6 Music (and loads of other things, we don't have time to list them all) to discuss his thoughts on plants, gnomes and wildflowers.

Is he pro-gnome or anti-gnome? You'll have to watch the video to find out.

A ray of sunshine has broken through the clouds in South East London. Stay strong Chelsea people, it's on its way

Nick Grimshaw's video reminded me that I'm pretty sure Tom Allen described himself as a gnome yesterday...

Watch it below and let me know

Take a look: The Transient Garden, sponsored by Hamptons

While we wait for the announcement of the Best in Show winner, let's have a look at a few more of the gardens you can see at RHS Chelsea.

As previously mentioned, I enjoy doing cool things with small spaces (I am a millennial living in London, I don't really have a choice, but I like to stay positive). Naturally, I am drawn to the Balcony/Container Gardens category.

I am particularly fond of this creation by Rebecca Lloyd Jones, titled the Transient Garden. It was built by the Garden Club London and is sponsored by Hamptons. Per the RHS, the garden 'demonstrates practical and achievable ideas for creating a relaxing balcony garden within a compact space'. Indeed, it seems almost tailor made for many of the capital's new-build apartment buildings, which would certainly look much less unseemly if they had balconies such as this.

There's lots of container planting, folding furniture and vertical structure on display here, adding height and interest 'without overwhelming the space'. I am very fond of the colourful scheme and the use of Armeria maritima 'Morning Star White', Eriobotrya japonica, and Cornus kousa 'Cappuccino'. If there's one thing we millennials love, it's an expensive coffee.

Once the show is over, the garden will be relocated to an undisclosed community space. The theme 'Transient Garden' reflects on flexibility and adaptability, meaning the garden can be easily altered and reconfigured by two people.

Spotted: RHS Chelsea's most important visitor

Some might say it's The King and Queen, some might say it's Monty Don or Alan Titchmarsh, others (me) might say it's Country Life Editor Mark Hedges.

But Rosie Paterson is very wise, and she makes the rather compelling argument that the most important visitor at RHS Chelsea Flower Show is the humble bumblebee. Here's a white-tailed version greedily browsing a salvia x sylvesteis.

Say hello to Zinc the tree pathogen detection dog

Yesterday, Florence Allen managed to sit down for a quick chat with Zinc and Paul Beals from the Animal and Plant Health Agency

You’ve heard of detection dogs sniffing out drugs, explosives, even illnesses in humans — but have you heard of dogs detecting tree pathogens? Well neither had I, but here we are. Meet Zinc, the dog sniffing out tree pathogens for the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s ‘Scents & Sniffers’. They’re a rarity (for now), with only two currently in training.

As Paul Beals from Animal and Plant Health Agency put it simply, ‘we know that dogs have such an incredible nose they can sense up to 100,000 times more’ than what humans can. The hope is that ‘with their incredible noses as nature’s biosensors, we’re able to enhance our detection skills and spot things before they become a problem.’

Most remarkably of all, the dogs are able to detect issues before visible symptoms even appear. ‘Bringing the dog in earlier enables us to detect a pest or disease before symptoms actually appear,’ said Paul. ‘It’s like an early diagnosis — a rapid diagnostic.’ I’ve said it once and i’ll say it again – we don’t deserve these marvellous creatures.

The sun is well and truly out and I have managed to eat some lunch. Let us tackle the afternoon at the RHS Chelsea Flower show. Onwards, into greenery.

Rosie has been leafing through some old Country Lifes (Countries Life?) on our stand, and found a collection of delightful adverts from decades past. Best not to focus too closely on how much a three-bedroom house in Belgravia used to cost, and just enjoy the richness of advertising copy from the 1960s. It was a different time man, you had to be there.

BREAKING: Sarah Eberle and the Campaign to Protect Rural England win Best in Show for 'On the Edge'

Chelsea's most decorated garden designer has done it again, as Sarah Eberle takes home Best in Show for her garden with the Campaign to Protect Rural England. 'On The Edge', which features a giant wooden carving of Gaia by Chris Wood, impressed the judges most of all and takes home the chocolates.

Sarah Eberle has had quite the career. She is the most decorated designer at RHS Chelsea, with 14 Gold Medals to her name. This is now her third 'Best in Show' garden, following 2007 and 2017, and she is the only designer to win a Gold Medal in every category there is to show.

And, looking at pictures from this year's garden, it's not hard to see why.

Per the RHS, 'On the Edge' focuses on the spaces between our towns and cities, which are often overlooked and undervalued, despite being vital for connecting people to nature. The garden was created for the centenary year of the CPRE and is designed to symbolise 'hope and resilience on our doorstep'.

The garden is set on an imagined piece of undeveloped land on the urban fringe, and is centred around a fallen tree sculpted into a representation of Gaia (or Mother Earth, depending on who you ask).

Naturalised plants from fly-tipped garden waste 'transform neglect into abundance', and there is a diverse and rich ecosystem of plants, blending soft and hard boundaries, a reflection of the fringe space between urban and rural life.

RHS Chelsea: The big winners in full

RHS Chelsea Garden of the Year: 'The Campaign to Protect Rural England Garden: "On the Edge"' by Sarah Eberle

RHS Chelsea Small Garden of the Year: 'Addleshaw Goddard: Flourish in the City' by Joe and Laura Carey

Best Balcony and Container Garden: 'A Little Garden of Shared Knowledge sponsored by Viking', by Katerina Kantalis

Best All About Plants Garden: 'Woodland Trust: Forgotten Forests Garden' by Ashleigh Aylett

Best Construction (Show Garden): 'Lady Garden Foundation "Silent No More" Garden', built by Landscape Associates

Best Construction (Small Show Garden): 'Trussell's Together Garden', built by Peter Gregory Landscapes

RHS Environmental Innovation Award: 'The Eden Project: Bring Me Sunshine Garden' designed by Harry Holding and Alex Michaelis

Best Houseplant Studio: 'An Ode To Endurance', designed by Natalia Drezek and Jinhyun Ahn, Conservatory Archives

You can have a more in-depth look at the medallists by clicking here

What to eat at RHS Chelsea: Za'atar fries

Stepping away quickly from the excitement of winners and back to food.

My colleague Octavia Pollock is at the Royal Hospital today, and has devoured some za'atar fries with glee. She has this to say:

'If it wasn't bad form to lick the pot of toum I would... crispy, fluffy with a tang of Lebanon, happy reminders of staying in Beirut and wandering along the corniche. A taste of the Eastern Mediterranean in Chelsea, yum'

Country Life score: 9/10

'Hello Boys'

We've had a few famous faces stop by the Garden Lover's Library so far this week. As well as Monty Don, Clare Balding and James Martin, we've also been graced by visits from Rob Brydon and Eva Herzigová. Can't imagine those two have been written about in the same sentence too often...

Martha Kearney: 'Here in the heart of London at the moment it's bee heaven'

Yesterday afternoon, Rosie Paterson was lucky enough to catch up with journalist and presenter Martha Kearney for a quick chat about why RHS Chelsea is buzzing...

What brings you to RHS Chelsea?

I'm a lover of bees and I'm here as a patron of a charity called Bees for Development, which helps beekeepers around the world make a living from honey.

And have you seen a garden or a show garden or a feature garden so far that you think is particularly valuable to bees ?

Well, here in the heart of London at the moment it's bee heaven. And when you wander around the show gardens, there are so many bees out enjoying themselves.

There was one garden in particular which had a row of foxgloves in the background to it and there were so many bees.

So anybody who's keeping hives or making honey nearby must be absolutely delighted, they’ll have the most delicious honey.

I mean, we're standing in the middle of orchids. I haven't seen any bees here yet, but some orchids are pollinated by bees. Somebody in a garden in Chelsea may end up with orchid honey.

And what do you think is the sort of biggest misconception about bees that you would like to combat?

Well, I think people are scared of bees and they're worried about being stung by bees, which is fair enough, and I have been, and I've actually had to stop beekeeping because I had a bad anaphylactic reaction.

But by and large, bees leave people alone and you have to be very unlucky to be stung by bees.

Another misconception is that the only kind of bee is a honey bee. In fact, there are many, many different species of bees in this country. And you can help bees and help pollination by planting for bees. And I know Country Life has some wonderful, features about gardening and about planting for bees. With plants that start early in the year and carry on late in the year, you can help the whole of the British population of bees. There's so many different interesting kinds.

And I've become a bee spotter and I look out for different kinds of bumblebees in my garden and try to work out is that a white tailed bumblebee or a buff tail bumblebee or my favourite, which is the hairy footed flower bee.

We're right in the middle of London at the minute. A lot of people maybe only have small gardens or window boxes. What should they be planting? What's readily available, accessible, easy to plant that will keep bees happy?

Lavender. It’s very hard to kill a lavender. You don't even have to water it that much. You'll get a lot of bumblebees on lavender.

I also like Nepeta or cat mint. Again, it’s very easy to grow and you'll get lots and lots of bees on that.

Sarah Eberle: 'The difference between a good garden and a great garden is how it makes you feel'

My esteemed colleague has managed to track down some quotes from Best in Show winner Sarah Eberle, who came out of retirement to design 'On the Edge' for the Campaign to Protect Rural England. talk about a comeback, like gardening's Michael Jordan.

You can read her thoughts, Toby's thoughts, and the thoughts of various judges and Country Life experts here

Marcus Wareing: 'I'm anti-gnome. They are pests'

Fresh from a sublime interview he did with Lotte Brundle a few weeks ago, chef and cod-liver oil enthusiast Marcus Wareing caught up with Country Life again to run the gauntlet of Chelsea in Three.

The art of the hand and why it is so precious

One final plug for the Garden Lover's Library from me (reminder to come visit us at PW215).

When we asked George Saumarez Smith to collaborate on the project, one of the key reasons we wanted to get him involved was his skill as a draughtsman. In an increasingly digital world, the skill of drawing by hand has never been under greater threat, and few people are as skilled or as talented as George.

You can see here some of the drawings that George made ahead of RHS Chelsea and then compare them to how the stand has been actually realised. Quite an amazing thing.

Giles Kime (Interiors Editor, was briefly trapped in a fireplace) wrote a lovely story last week about the importance and the power of the pen and pencil. Read it here

What to eat at RHS Chelsea: Falafel and hummus pita

Bella Fulford submits this delight. Here's what she had to say:

'Thoroughly enjoyed this. Great sauce-to-filling ratio, though not the easiest thing to eat on the move — I managed to spill tahini on myself while making eye contact with Trinny Woodall. Thank god for the Country Life apron.'

Country Life rating: 7/10

The many RHS Members present have had a great day out today, despite the changing nature of the weather. My minions at the Royal Hospital have reported bumper crowds all day. Below is a short video showing the size of the queue to get into the RHS and The King's Foundation Curious Garden.

It just goes to show that us Brits are resilient people, who will stop at nothing to look at some fine flowers. Makes your heart swell, does it not?

The utterly inessential RHS Chelsea shopping list

Rosie Paterson is never one to avoid a bit of retail therapy, and she's certainly not missed out at RHS Chelsea. She's provided a helpful wish list of things she wants for her birthday/Christmas this year after scouring the show ground for the past two days.

1) A ‘Living Life On The Veg' cap from the She Grows Veg stand in the pavilion.

2) ⁠A cosmos (‘fondant fancy’), because my guilty pleasure is fondant fancy cakes. Might be tricky because this one is a part of an educational stand on peat-free growing and not actually for sale.

3) An oil-skin jerkin from Carrier Company to wear down in Devon

4) Tiny utensils from The Oxford Brush Co. I actually want/need a porridge spurtle — a kitchen essential I’ll have you know — but they aren’t stocking them this year, so this is my consolation purchase

5) ⁠A Fabled Thread artwork. Eppie sells at-home embroidery and needlepoint kits, but I love her ready to buy ones!

'I was always painting, always gardening. I brought the two things that I like together and and here I am'

Yesterday, we wrote about the amazing orchid Cymbidium faberi 'Guanding', which was awarded the extremely prestigious RHS Award of Merit. Today, Rosie Paterson managed to catch up with Deborah Lambkin, the official orchid artist for RHS, to discuss her plans for the glorious plant.

And so what are you doing today?

Every Chelsea Monday morning, the RHS orchid committee have a meeting and we judge orchids. So we judge the orchid stands at the show, but we also have a meeting elsewhere during the show — our usual orchid meeting — talking about the orchid industry. And obviously Chelsea is a very special event of the year.

so you have got this winning orchid in a box and you're going to take it away. And what are you going to do?

This cymbidium orchid has been awarded an award of merit, and I paint the awarded orchids, with the Award of Merit being one of the awards that the committee give, and I always will take a flower from the plant that has been awarded.

I take it home and I paint an A4 painting and the paintings are used as a record that are kept in RHS in their library for posterity and they join the collection of over 7,000 orchid paintings that are in the Lindley library already.

How do you become an orchid painter?

I was always a gardener. I love gardening and as a child, art and gardening are the two things that I always loved doing. And then, I studied art and after I did my degree in art, I specialised in illustrating. I worked in advertising for a few years, but then I specialised in illustration.

I was always painting, always gardening. I brought the two things that I like together and and here I am.

Goodbye and thank you

It's almost time to say goodbye from day two at RHS Chelsea, so before I go just want to say thank you to everyone for joining me and for reading my ramblings on plants and people. It's been a pleasure!

Thank you to Rosie, Toby and Florence for being on the ground and providing so much amazing content and creativity to the blog. Keep an eye on the Country Life website, on our Instagram and our TikTok (yes, really) for heaps more RHS Chelsea content throughout the week.

One last thing, which is my Chelsea in Three, specifically requested by reader Sam Harris-Short. Here they are:

Favourite flower: I love a lavender. They smell amazing and are super good for bees. I also like bees.

Wildflower meadow or manicured lawn: Despite being a keen cricketer and golfer, I do prefer a wildflower meadow. Probably because I spend a lot of time in them when playing both.

Gnome or no gnome: I'm a big gnome guy. My aunt in Germany always gives them to members of the family for Christmas, and I have one in my house. My girlfriend hates it, but I love it.

Thanks again for joining me these past two days, and if you are at the show on Friday, come say hello to me on the stand, I'll be the tall one with the beard!

Goodbye!

18,000 canine competitors — arriving from New Zealand to Peru — and more than 2,600 entries across British and Irish native breeds are currently gathering in Birmingham for Crufts 2026. It is the biggest date in the canine calendar.

Today (March 6), the second day of proceedings, it's the turn of the terriers and hounds to battle it out in the Main Arena. Terriers are the second-most successful group when it comes to Best in Show at Crufts — they boast 22 wins. Judging will commence at 6.25pm.

Until then, we will be bringing you all the action — live — from the agility ring, to the heel work competition, plus all the famous doggie faces we come across at Crufts we run into in between.

You’re probably wondering who is going to be guiding you through this day of canine chaos. Well wonder no more.

On the ground, in the NEC in Birmingham, is Flo Allen, Country Life’s Social Media Editor, and Agnes Stamp, Acting Deputy Features Editor and the author of Country Life’s Book of Dogs — more on that later.

Behind a laptop — fielding all of Flo and Agnes’s voice notes, emails, pictures and videos — is Rosie Paterson (that's me), Digital Content Director.

They’re three of the most dog-obsessed members of the Country Life editorial team… which is saying something.

Throughout the day, we will also be bringing you insights from the wider Country Life team, canine-enthusiast friends and, if you’re lucky, Tiffin — our resident office dog. His owner is Octavia Pollock, Chief Sub Editor.

Are you at Crufts today?

Let us know by messaging us on Instagram.

And we want to hear from you, even if you’re not enjoying the show in person. Get in touch and tell us what you want to see, and what breed you think will win Best in Show.

I promise that there are plenty of pictures of dogs incoming, but until then, I thought you'd like to see one of your roving reporters, Agnes and Flo.

Their practical accessories include a copy of Country Life's Book of Dogs and one of our most recent issues, announcing our Britain's Naughtiest Dog competition.

My childhood companion was a Jack Russell called Rigsby who was best described as Satan incarnate. Rigsby ate the next door neighbour's chickens, cockerel and Guinea pigs, disappeared down a storm drain for more than 16 hours, and once stole a whole ham from the fridge.

If you've got your own Rigsby — my thoughts and prayers are with you — remember to enter the competition before by April 28. You'll find all the entry criteria and terms and conditions, here.

So we’re not saying that size is everything, but… Flo and Agnes did just meet Caspar who is a three-year-old Irish wolfhound — the world's tallest dog breed, originally bred for hunting wolves and elk.

And he’s rather handsome.

Shortly after having his picture taken with Agnes (below), I’m told that Caspar went rogue and escaped his pen in the direction of the otterhound stand. Given how long his legs are (me, jealous? Never), I can’t imagine it was that difficult. You’ll all be relieved to hear that Caspar has now been corralled.

There’s more: Caspar belongs to Trudie Styler, actress, director, and film producer, and wife of Sting. Country Life spoke to her in 2018 about her love of the breed and how she and Sting came to get their first puppy. You can read that piece here.

Other famous Irish wolfhounds include Seamus, the Irish Guards' regimental mascot. Flo went to meet him a few months ago and you'd be mad not to watch the footage. Click here to give it a watch — and don't forget to follow us on Instagram.

From the biggest to the smallest: meet Mable the chihuahua (below). She is one, so this is her first-ever Crufts — and she doesn’t look entirely impressed. Perhaps she should go and have a chat with Caspar?

Mable sleeps in the bed with her human Mum. As she should. Records of dogs sleeping beside humans stretch back centuries (Mary, Queen of Scots was pro it), but the debate remains lively.

Country Life spoke to Devonshire author Callie Coles on this exact topic a few months ago, but if you’ve seen her viral Instagram videos of the children’s ponies plodding through her kitchen, you can probably guess which side of the divide she’s on…

‘At the moment, the whippets and dachshund sleep in the kitchen, the others in the boot room,’ says Callie. ‘But I love dogs in the bed — when it is cold, they are a hot-water bottle. Another heartbeat is always helpful for sleep, especially when Toby, my husband, is away.’ When asked who would be ejected from the bed first, Callie is unequivocal. ‘The children! There is no peace with that noisy rabble about.’

I don't want to make this blog all about me, but I did just come across this picture (above) of Rosie the bloodhound wearing a duffel coat and deer-hunting hat, at Crufts 1964.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find out why my namesake is dressed like Sherlock Holmes.

The picture below is of Champion bloodhound Leo of Reynalton, at Crufts in 1935. He is being cuddled by a little girl called Dorothy Holder and won Best in Show SIX times. A bit greedy if you ask me.

Look who Agnes has just come across!

The Spinone Italiano — or Italian spinone — is a type of hunting dog. They were first seen in the UK in the early 1980s at the Game Fair. I'm told that they have lovely temperaments which somewhat makes up for the slobber (I suppose no one's perfect...).

I've just been informed by my much more cultured colleague James that there's a very famous scent-tracking dog called Toby in the Sherlock Holmes stories — which probably explains Rosie's get up (scroll down two posts if you don't know what I'm talking about).

Apparently, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle describes Toby as an 'ugly long-haired, lop-eared... half spaniel and half lurcher' which is a tad rude.

And this is why you should always read the books and not just watch the films.

These fashionable hounds have just arrived at the NEC, and are giving the models at Paris Fashion Week — which is currently in full swing — a run for their money.

With the exception of what look like whippets in the second slide, these dogs are all Afghan hounds which originate in the cold mountains of Afghanistan. They're distinguished by their long, glamorous coats and long limbs.

Well that's it. We've peaked early and can all pack up and go home. How on earth are we going to find anything cuter than Gino and Maisie the Jack Russells?

I audibly squealed when the picture came through.

In case you're wondering, Maisie is three and Gino is seven.

The agility heats are kicking off inside the NEC Birmingham and they're being live-streamed on YouTube.

I did a double take when I spotted a comment from a viewer that read: 'Interesting to see a collar. Isn't agility normally done naked?' Turns out, they're talking about the dogs... and not their human companions.

This just in from West Sussex: Tiffin — quite literally shivering with excitement — picking up some agility skills.

The apricot-coloured miniature poodle belongs to Octavia Pollock, our Chief Sub Editor, who presumably is now getting no work done. I apologise in advance if next week's issue doesn't hit the shelves on time.

A reminder of what on earth is going on and who I am if you're just joining us...

On the ground, in the NEC in Birmingham, is Flo Allen, Country Life’s Social Media Editor, and Agnes Stamp, Acting Deputy Features Editor and the author of Country Life’s Book of Dogs.

Behind a laptop — fielding all of Flo and Agnes’s voice notes, emails, pictures and videos (and let me tell you, there's a lot of them) — is Rosie Paterson (that's me), Digital Content Director.

A love of dogs is essential if you want to work for Country Life. In fact, it's the first question we ask people in interviews (joking, sort of). You can meet some of the team and their beloved canine companions in the video, below.

And remember to get in touch with your thoughts and questions via Instagram.

Meet Vega the saluki and find out how she prepares for her star turn in the show ring

Agnes has been talking to Anna, who has 25 years showing experience, and her saluki Vega, who has been competing for six months.

Vega was bred by a friend of Anna's in Missouri, USA, and has been in the UK for a whole year.

'The best preparation is letting them see a bit of life,' says Anna. 'I take her out and about, she goes into town and meets people and other dogs and they get used to this kind of environment because the show ring is the easy bit. The environment is the tricky bit.'

She might look docile here, but Vega can be a bit of a menace. At home, she's called Vega-mouse, after cartoon character Danger Mouse, and recently 'annihilated' a doormat.

Whatever happens in the show ring, though, Anna says she's already won. 'We all take the best home.'

P.s The word saluki is derived from the Arabic word salūqī, which signifies a person or thing hailing from the ancient city of Saluq.

What exactly are the judges looking for?

Agnes and Flo have been talking to the owners of two Bavarian mountain hounds, a breed of dog used in Germany since the early 20th century to trail wounded game.

Brothers Jock and Ludo are part of a rarefied club in the UK because only around 90 individuals are registered in angle single year.

'The best thing is about them is that they're really loving and very devoted to their family... they bark and they cuddle you when you come home,' say their human escorts.

So what does it take to win Best in Show in today's hound presentation? (A quick reminder that there are seven group presentations: gundog, hound, pastoral, terrier, toy, utility, and working. The winner from each one makes it to the Best in Show final on March 8.)

'The judges look for their conformation: so are they strong and athletic. They look for them to stand nicely and show nicely, but it all falls down to the judges personal judgement. Some are heavily built like these [Jock and Ludo] and some are finer built. Different judges will like different things.'

Consider us all brand new and enthusiastic Bavarian mountain hound fans.

Breaking news: Flo and Agnes were ring-side to watch Vega take third place in the saluki competition. A fantastic result — and doesn't she know it!

The path to the final

I chose to take a lunch break at the wrong time because I've come back to a flurry of messages and updates. Apologies one and all.

Most importantly, Agnes has pinned down a Crufts expert to explain how Crufts goes about whittling down thousands of gorgeous dogs to just one triumphant winner.

Remember Vega, who came third in the saluki competition? Well the formal name for that specific competition is Junior Bitch Saluki Class (shall we call it JBSC for short?). The winning JBSC saluki, known technically as the 'Unbeaten' bitch, progresses to the 'Challenge'. And it's the same process for the dogs, and the 'Veteran' (Crufts' words, not mine) bitches and dogs.

Here's a quick — and hopefully clear — breakdown of how it all works:

• Step one: Dogs first compete against others of their same breed, split by age and gender
• Step two: The top male and female go head-to-head. The winner is named Best of Breed
• Step three: Each Best of Breed winner moves to one of seven Group Finals
• Step four: One winner is chosen from each of these seven groups to advance to the Best in Show final

And I thought the Olympic curling rules were hard to follow....

'I just watched a barefoot woman strip off to a hot pink showgirl outfit while a Border collie runs through her legs'

Crufts hosts the finals of both heelwork to music and freestyle competitions. The competitors are the top 10 dogs that qualify at premier competitions annually.

Agnes and Flo just sent me a voice note of the live commentary: 'She's fast, she's crazy, she loves to dance'.

I'm planning to launch a petition calling on the powers that be to rename this part of proceedings: 'Strictly Come Dogging'.

Overheard at Crufts: 'Can you give him some dignity please?'

Are they talking about a dog, its owner, a judge? What is the dog/owner/judge doing? I need answers.

In 2017, Tatler published a now famous article titled: 'Is it a dog toy or sex toy?' And before you roll your eyes at me and say 'don't be ridiculous, only an idiot wouldn't be able to tell them apart', you should know that I don't have a single friend who has got every single one right.

Anyway, in Monday's editorial meeting, I'm going to suggest that we steal the concept and publish a version called: 'Is it a poodle or topiary?'

'The rarest of the land spaniels'

Meet Wilberforce, the nine-month-old Sussex spaniel. He's in his first year of showing and at Crufts to compete in Best Puppy in Breed. However, there are so few of them that he's competing against five of his own littermates!

According to the Royal Kennel Club, Sussex spaniels are the rarest of the land spaniels and were the most vulnerable breed in the UK in 2018 when only 34 puppies were registered. They have since experienced a boost in popularity, with 52 Sussex spaniel puppies registered in 2019.

Claudia Winkleman, who is making her Crufts' hosting debut, has claimed that the famous dog show is better than her own wedding: 'I quite liked my wedding, this is better.'

Claudia joins Clare Balding who has presented coverage of Crufts on and off since 2004. Yesterday, a Canadian Inuit dog called Kuku got his paws on Clare's phone while she was busy interviewing double Olympic gold-winning skeleton racer Matt Weston, and made a run for it.

I've just come across these hot off the press images of some patient competitors being groomed and I couldn't not share them. All of the dogs that compete at Crufts must be in peak physical condition and judges will be on the look out for a healthy skin and coat.

However, new to Crufts this year is the Royal Kennel Club Dog Grooming Championship, which will focus on technical skill and artistry.

What was I just saying about topiary...?

Overheard at Crufts: 'I'm really more of a cat person.'

Crufts is a bit of an odd thing to turn up to if you're more of a feline aficionado, but who I am to judge? And I suppose this is as good a time as any to tell you all about the time that the founder of Crufts tried to organise a cat show.

Acknowledged as the ‘prince of showmen’ by the late-19th-century world of dog fanciers and, later, as ‘the Napoleon of dog shows’, Charles Cruft (above, 1852–1938) had a phenomenal capacity for hard graft and, importantly, a mind for marketing.

Cruft eschewed the family jewellery business in 1876 to work for James Spratt, who had devised a way of turning Navy-surplus ships’ biscuits into ‘dog cakes’ — a patent poised to capitalise on the burgeoning pet-food market. Cruft would visit the kennels of country estates, schmoozing the wealthy and influential, at the same time as peddling the dog food. It was the Duchess of Newcastle who first suggested: ‘Why not try your hand at organising a national terrier show?’

The First Great Terrier Show, held in 1886, was a success. Country Life later noted: ‘There was no Cruft-organised show that failed to have the words “great” or “famous” in its title’ and Cruft, unashamedly ‘creative’, would routinely inflate entry figures. In 1891, he would secure his lasting name: the first ‘Cruft’s Great Dog Show’, held at the Royal Agricultural Hall in Islington. It accepted entries for all breeds and was described as the ‘most extraordinary dog show ever held’. Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales both exhibited. After his death, his wife, Emma, sold the show to the Kennel Club in 1942.

However, his attempt to organise two cat shows did not go very well and he quickly dropped the idea.

Cruft’s Great International Cat Show was held at St Stephen’s Hall in the Royal Aquarium in Westminster on March 7-8, 1894. Astonishingly, considering that he had given himself just weeks to organise the event, he managed to attract 567 entries, making it the biggest cat show of the time.

Despite an extensive advertising campaign, opening until 10 o’clock at night for each of the two days, and the assistance of the railway companies who made available special carriages to ease the problems of bringing the cats up to London, it was poorly supported by the public. The weather in March was atrocious; it rained cats and dogs, you might say. Even the press, other than those with a vested interest, paid it scant attention and when Cruft drew up the accounts for the event, he found that he had lost £100.

He was, though, persuaded to organise a second show, at the same venue in 1895. Again, it attracted around 600 entries, but it was clear that Cruft’s heart was not in it.

Additional reporting by Martin Fone.

Flo and Agnes have just been chatting to Arielle the Maltese — an ancient toy dog breed — whose owner has revealed that she didn't have any fur when they rescued her.

'We weren't ever expecting Arielle to have hair all over,' she says. Well would you look at her now! At Crufts aka the Oscars of the dog world — and with a gloriously full and sleek coat. As well as lots of delicate brushing (with what looks like a human hairbrush), Arielle's owner straightens her coat with a set of GHDs. Obviously.

'How do you get the hair so white?' asks Agnes. 'She has a bath nearly every week, but they're almost self-cleaning, so say they're dirty, you pop them in a blanket in the car and they come out clean,' comes the reply. 'It sounds strange, but it is genuinely how it works.'

Top tips for banishing tear stains

Arielle's owner kindly shared her top three tips for getting rid of the reddish-brown marks that you might've spotted on your furry friend's face.

They're caused by iron-rich molecules found in tears, saliva, and urine that oxidise on fur. They are common in white and light-coated breeds, especially Maltese dogs, poodles and shih tzus.

1. Make sure your dog drinks plenty of water
2. Watch what they eat. A lot of mass-produced dog foods are full of poor-quality ingredients and artificial additives that lead to inflammation and excess tearing
3. Don't put their food in a porous, plastic bowl which can harbour harmful bacteria and mould — even with regular washing. Buy a ceramic one instead

The very energetic fly ball competition is about to start.

Agnes has messaged me to say that the competing dogs are all wearing little leg warmers (I assume to keep their muscles supple?).

I don't know what these two Dalmatians are called, but I do know I'm jealous that Agnes and Flo got to meet them.

Behind their famous spots lies a clever, athletic dog with intense determination and serious stamina (they were bred to run alongside horse-drawn vehicles, guarding both carriage and occupants).

You can read all about them, here.

And back to the fly ball competition which I'm told has already descended into chaos. 'The dogs from opposing teams took their eyes off the prize and started playing with each other,' says Aggie.

The teams in question? Barking 4 Balls and Tails We Win.

Flo has just sent through this video live from the fly ball arena so things look like they might be back on track.

The high-speed, team-based relay race requires dogs (four per team) to navigate four, 51-foot hurdles, trigger a box to release a tennis ball, and return over the same hurdles.

Rather them than me.

Next Wednesday's issue — our biannual interior design special — has just been sent to the printers, much to the delight of Rocky and Nimrod who belong to Country Life's Managing and Features Editor, Paula Minchin.

They've been waiting for her to read the final pages so that she can take them out for a walk!

Flo, Country Life's Social Media Editor, is doing a sterling job chasing after the best dogs for your viewing pleasure.

We will be sharing plenty of behind-the-scenes footage with you on Instagram in the coming days, but until then take a look at this: Italian greyhounds (sometimes known as Iggys) Delphine, Summer, Nico and Bridget.

I wonder if they make those jumpers in human sizes?

I'm taking a (very) brief break from blogging about Crufts to show you all one of my favourite Country Life dog-related features.

Last year, we commissioned USA-based illustrator Tug Rice to match some much-loved breeds to the luxury fashion brands that share their history, temperament and vibe — because why not.

These are some of the drawings he did:

You can see the entire set of images here, and on our Instagram page.

The much-anticipated West Midlands Police dog display is about to start. Flo cornered the force earlier and asked them if they let the dogs sleep in their beds.

Does anyone want to guess what they said?

I've been writing about and looking at photographs of dogs for seven hours and I think it's made me go slightly mad, so when Flo sent me this video of a dog dancing to Chim Chim Cher-ee, a song from 1964 musical film Mary Poppins, I did start to think I might be in the grip of a particularly intense fever dream.

Panic not! This is very much ALL REAL.

Triphazard — not a name that inspires confidence, it has to be said — is the winner of the Freestyle Heelwork to Music Competition. And, I'm sure you'll all agree, a very deserving winner.

Agnes and Flo's key takeaways from the Police dog display so far:

1. This is not a display team, they are working dogs
2. Kipper the Belgian malinois is the best looking dog in the unit
3. The Police have long favoured working with the versatile, intelligent, and loyal German shepherd, though the hard-working malinois is becoming increasingly popular. Incidentally, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis owned a German shepherd. He was called Clipper and, according to Traphes Bryant, White House electrician and unofficial dog handler for Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, was trained by the Metropolitan police
4. Police Dog (PD) Ernie, a cocker spaniel, is very popular with the audience. He is a search and detection dog who regularly assists the Nuclear and the West Midlands Police
5. PDs can be trained to face down rioters. During the 'riot control' portion of the display, the dogs 'jumped through the shields like spears poking through a Roman shield wall'

I'm sure I'm not the only one who didn't know about the Nuclear Police (see previous post). I've had a Google and 'the Civil Nuclear Constabulary is a special police force responsible for providing law enforcement and security at any relevant nuclear site and for security of nuclear materials in transit within the United Kingdom. The force has over 1,500 police officers and support staff.'

The dogs that assist them are highly-trained and typically specialise in bomb detection, patrol and suspect apprehension.

Every day's a school day.

If you're just joining us on this rainy Friday afternoon a) welcome to the mad house and b) here is what's going on.

Country Life is reporting live from Crufts at the NEC in Birmingham. Today (March 6), the second day of proceedings, it's the turn of the terriers and hounds to battle it out in the Main Arena. Terriers are the second-most successful group when it comes to Best in Show at Crufts — they boast 22 wins. Judging will commence at 6.25pm.

Until then, we are bringing you all the action — live — from the agility ring, to the heel work competition, and pictures of all the famous doggie faces we come across in between.

On the ground is Flo Allen, Country Life’s Social Media Editor, and Agnes Stamp, Acting Deputy Features Editor and the author of Country Life’s Book of Dogs.

Behind a laptop — fielding all of Flo and Agnes’s voice notes, emails, pictures and videos — is Rosie Paterson (that's me), Digital Content Director.

'Best Veteran Bitch'

No, this isn't my planned epitaph, it's the title just awarded to Rosie (ANOTHER NAMESAKE), the eight-year-old English bull terrier from Paisley, Scotland.

Rosie is now through to the next round: Best in Breed.

There's about an hour to go until the Group Judging and Presentations get underway. The terriers will go first, at 6.25pm, followed by the hounds, at 7.15pm.

Ahead of the big moment(s), Agnes and Flo spoke to Åge Gjetnes, a second-time Crufts judge from Norway.

'I myself am an Afghan hound person, and poodles, and I have had Afghan hounds for almost 43 years and have experienced success here myself — by winning the utility group in 2015 with my miniature poodle, who is still alive.

'All the breeds at Championship shows are judged by a breed standard. Of course, the most important thing is happy, healthy, well-functional dogs without any health issues. They need to have good temperament, they should be a good weight, they should have good muscle tone and be good representatives of their breed.

'It's always subjective because it's how do I interpret the written standard according to other judges, but if we all did the same thing there would be no reason to do dog shows. There would be no excitement! There are things that are very important to me that are not important to other judges and that's the way is it.

'The number one thing for me is that they are functional — and of course temperament. They should be happy dogs and it should be obvious that they are well taken care of.'

Dean Usher, Country Life's Art Director has just sent me this photograph of Oakley — who looks a bit annoyed at being forced to watch Crufts because he prefers EastEnders.

Fred, Oakley's brother, is a much more enthusiastic viewer. He is recovering from a recent trip to the vets with some television time, and is particularly obsessed with fly ball.

The Vulnerable British and Irish Breeds competition is underway and it's designed to help raise awareness of rare native breeds whose annual puppy registrations stand at fewer than 300 — thus leaving them at risk of disappearing from the UK’s streets and parks.

Here is the Royal Kennel Club's complete list of vulnerable breeds:

• Bearded collie
• Bloodhound
• Bull terrier (miniature)
• Collie (smooth)
• Dandie Dinmont terrier
• Deerhound
• English setter
• English toy terrier (black & tan)
• Foxhound
• Fox terrier (smooth)
• Glen of Imaal terrier
• Gordon setter
• Greyhound
• Harrier
• Irish red & white setter
• Irish terrier
• Irish wolfhound
• Kerry Blue terrier
• King Charles spaniel
• Lakeland terrier
• Lancashire heeler
• Manchester terrier
• Mastiff
• Norwich terrier
• Otterhound
• Retriever (curly coated)
• Sealyham terrier
• Skye terrier
• Soft coated wheaten terrier
• Spaniel (Clumber)
• Spaniel (field)
• Spaniel (Irish water)
• Spaniel (Sussex)
• Spaniel (Welsh springer)
• Welsh corgi (Cardigan)

Agnes and Flo are watching the Vulnerable British and Irish Breeds competition live and have just sent me the shortlist:

• Bullmastiff
• Bloodhound
• Scottish deerhound
• Greyhound
• Welsh terrier
• Gordon setter
• Irish water spaniel

'This judge clearly likes big dogs,' says Flo.

The Irish wolfhound that took home the Vulnerable Breeds crown last year is back in the ring and hoping for a repeat performance. 'They look at you like you’re an equal,’ says their handler, 'but you need a big car.

The Irish wolfhound has done it for the second year in a row!

It's time for Country Life's unofficial awards

The most obscure dog

The Bergamasco shepherd, a shaggy and lovable sheepdog from the Italian Alps.

The fluffiest dog

This Old English sheepdog.

The dog with the most squish-able pads

Wednesday, Wilbur and Pie — just look at those toe beans!

The dog with the biggest IDGAF energy

This borzoi — a Russian sighthound bred for hunting wolves — looks like how I feel right now.

Best dressed

It's the Italian greyhounds, of course.

Rosie's favourite dog

Gus the miniature English bull terrier from Glasgow.

One of the commentators just described a Dandie Dinmont competing in the Terrier Group Presentation as having a 'weasel-like body'. He meant is as a good thing, but I cannot help, but feel insulted on the Dandie's behalf.

A wire fox terrier called Twinkle von der Bismarckquelle has just appeared on my screen and I think he should win an award for his name alone.

Which terrier is going to take top place this evening...? They Best in Breed winners are currently all strutting their stuff in the Main Arena. A Jack Russell has won the last two years and more than 100 have entered this time round.

Three-year-old Elvis the Jack Russell is eliciting some of the loudest applause of the night. The fact that he is objectively cute might have something to do with it. I've asked Flo to try and steal him for me.

Sprite the West Highland terrier is the last dog to be judged in the Terrier Group Presentation. The popular family dog is 'possessed with no shortage of self esteem' says the commentators.

And here is your terrier shortlist:

1. Bedlington terrier
2. Dandie Dinmont
3. Wire fox terrier
4. Lakeland terrier
5. Irish terrier
6. Norwich terrier
7. Soft-coated wheaten terrier
8. Welsh terrier

A LAKELAND FROM MALTA HAS WON BEST IN GROUP IN THE TERRIER PRESENTATION.

The runner up is the soft-coated wheaten terrier, followed by Irish terrier in third place, and a Norwich terrier in fourth.

Pictures to follow.

'It's a dream come true,' says Evan who is Freddie the Lakeland terrier's owner. 'I've been coming here for 20 years.'

'This is his last show,' he continues. 'He's retiring young.' (Sounds nice Freddie.)

Evan Calleja, Bill Browne-Cole and Cara Davani, with Freddie the Lakeland terrier who won the Best of Breed and Best in Group (terrier) competitions on the second day of Crufts 2026.

And just like that we're onto the Hound Group Presentation. There was a tiny delay when they couldn't find the judge.

Surely the hound category competitors vary the most in size? A miniature dachshund just appeared in the ring, followed by a deerhound.

For reference, a miniature dachshund typically stands 5-6 inches at the shoulder; a deerhound measures 30-32 inches.

Here is Kayla, the soft-coated wheaten terrier who won Best of Breed and came second in Best in Group in the Terrier Presentation.

And here is Larry, a Norwich terrier. He won Best of Breed and came fourth in Best of Group.

My own dog, Patzy the Patterjack, is pretending to read this blog because she'll do anything for food — including flatter me.

Unfortunately, she would not fare well at Crufts because a) she's a mongrel, b) she's partially blind, and c) she's not very well behaved around other dogs and men.

She is practically perfect in every other way though. Sort of.

The judges are still looking at all of the hounds competing in the Best in Group competition, but I've already chosen my favourite: Thorax the basset fauve de Bretagne.

The name translates to fawn-coloured hound of Brittany and they are serious hunters.

According to the American Kennel Club, the basset fauve 'is a small, stocky, rough-coated hardy dog that is energetic and fast for its size.' They get along well with children and other pets, but training and socialisation is a must, 'or Fauves can get into mischief'.

Here's Elvis, the Jack Russell terrier that I mentioned earlier in the blog.

He was photographed with owner Javier Sotelo of Spain shortly after winning Best of Breed.

The Jack Russell is consistently ranked as one of the UK’s most popular small dog breeds, holding the 11th spot overall in 2025.

And here comes another obscure dog that I've never heard of: a black and tan coonhound.

They're a type of American sighthound developed for the hunting of raccoons. Their distinguishing feature is a long, low-set or velvety ears. Apparently, a few years ago a coonhound went missing in the NEC carpark and a pack of other coonhounds were dispatched to find it.

After what feels like a very long time, we have a hound Best in Group shortlist:

• Afghan hound
• Petit basset Griffon Vendéen
• Borzoi
• Standard wire haired dachshund
• Greyhound
• Ibizan hound
• Saluki
• Pharaoh hound

(Thorax was robbed.)

AND MEGAN THE PETIT BASSET GRIFFON VENDÉEN HAS WON BEST IN GROUP IN THE HOUND PRESENTATION.

Second place to the saluki, third to the Afghan hound, and fourth to the borzoi.

Megan is now being interviewed.

'She is my very much loved pet,' says owner Eva. In the last year, Megan has competed in Helsinki and New York, as well as Crufts and you can see her again in Sunday night's Best in Show final.

'She did it!' concludes Eva who is a bit shocked and probably very jet-lagged.

Megan is oozing personality on her victory lap around the Arena! And just take a look at her Instagram account. Instant follow.

Right, that's it from me (Rosie), Flo and Agnes. Thank you for sticking with us for nearly 12 hours and we hope that we kept you vaguely entertained.

We sadly won't be back tomorrow — I never thought I'd say or write these words, but I think I've seen enough dogs for at least 72 hours — but you'll find coverage of all the action on Channel 4 and on the Crufts YouTube channel.

And don't forget to order a copy of Country Life's Book of Dogs, by clicking on this very link. Authored by our own Agnes Stamp, it is a celebration of the many breeds of dog we love, as seen through the pages of the magazine.

Goodnight!

Sandwiched between Manchester and the Peak District National Park is a picturesque town dubbed the ‘Jewel of the Cheshire Alps’.

Just a 25-minute train journey from Manchester city centre, Marple has ‘an understated charm and calm’, according to the buying agency, Garrington Property Finders.

This unassuming town boasts a strong community spirit, two brass bands, a neighbourhood cinema, independent shops, canal towpaths, historic locks, and natural beauty in spades. It is also thought to have inspired Agatha Christie’s famous character, Miss Marple (even if the single best piece of evidence for that claim turned out to be faked).

While the town may not be a household name, Marple has just been crowned the best place to live in England and Wales by Garrington Property Finders.

The agency’s annual league table ranks the best cities, towns and villages with more than 5,000 residents — there are apparently 1,447 of them — across a range of criteria, including natural environment, wellbeing, heritage and culture, schools and jobs, and value for money.

And Marple has taken the top spot, performing particularly strongly in the natural environment, value for money, and heritage and culture categories.

A surprise? Yes. But this is a list full of surprises. Last year's winner, Redbourn, is no longer even on the list. The 2023 winner, Twyford, dropped to 35th place in 2024, but has climbed back up to 14th this year.

If you thought this top 10 prime ranking would be awash with coveted addresses in London, the Cotswolds, the Home Counties and the like, you’d be mistaken. While there are some familiar names — St Albans, which always does well in these sorts of surveys, comes third — it is largely made up of lesser-known locations. And northern charm seems to be the overarching theme, with half of the top 10 locations found in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Cheshire.

‘2025’s big falls in prime central London values made headlines, but our analysis has revealed many other highly desirable areas across Britain where homes became more affordable over the past year,’ explains Jonathan Hopper, CEO of Garrington Property Finders.

None of this is to complain about Marple taking the top spot, though, and if you like the sound of living there then this charming cottage in the town offers ‘a rare blend of character, space, and tranquillity — all within easy reach of Marple Bridge and transport links to Manchester,’ according to Julian Wadden. It’s on the market for £925,000.

Where else should prime buyers turn their attention? Well, Rawdon in West Yorkshire comes in second place. Like Marple, it sits between a major city and picturesque countryside — in this case, Leeds and Nidderdale National Landscape — offering the best of both worlds.

The village scored highly for natural environment, heritage and culture, and value for money. According to Garrington Property Finders, it ‘blends great landscapes, panoramic views, prime houses, and easy access to the city’. This large house on the market in Rawdon includes a separate cottage. It has a £2,250,000 price tag with Hardisty Prestige.

The fact that we've just described Rawdon as a 'village' highlights one of the issues with this list. Is it fair to compare Manchester — popular 600,000 — with Chapel-en-le-Frith, a Derbyshire village with a population 8,000? For what it's worth, Manchester is 112th, some eight places behind Chapel-en-le-Frith.

Once city does make the top 10. Hot on Rawdon’s heels is St Albans in Hertfordshire, a perennial star performer in both this annual ranking and all the others which do the rounds. Strong scores across the natural environment, schools and jobs, heritage and culture, and value for money categories helped propel this popular commuter spot into third place. This five-bedroom house in St Albans has 'family home' written all over it.

St Albans is eyewateringly expensive, though, with an average family house price of almost £1 million. This house for sale with Strutt & Parker is a perfect example. Yes, it's a nice house on a quiet road, but it's hard not to marvel at the economics which dictates that this suburban home costs for £2,650,000, the same as an actual castle just outside Edinburgh.

Rounding out the top five are Bramhall, on the outskirts of Manchester, and Long Ashton in Somerset — suggesting that village life remains hugely desirable.

What's really surprising about the list, though, is the fact that many very lovely places seem to be languishing in the lower reaches. Midhurst, a pretty small town in the South Downs, sits at 1,116th, while nearby Petersfield — with its historic town centre, excellent road and rail connections, good schools and the South Downs on the doorstep — is in 1,325th.

Even some of the most celebrated places in the country rank lowly. Brighton just about gets inside the top 150 at number 149, as does Richmond-upon-Thames (142nd). Both often feature highly in these sorts of lists, as does Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare's town is out of luck though: it's 302nd, just sneaking ahead of South Shields, but 11 places below Huddersfield.

This year, Garrington have produced a separate list for Scotland, and as with the England and Wales lists, there are surprises. Edinburgh doesn't crack the top 10, while Glasgow, Stirling and St Andrews are 65th, 57th and 55th respectively.

‘While prime prices rose in Scotland, they stayed flat in much of southern England and Wales,' Hopper adds.

'Our research suggests that the most attractive buying opportunities aren’t limited to London, and extend to several other perennially popular locations that offer excellent amenities, a high standard of living and now improving value too.’

While Glasgow didn't score highly, its suburbs did: Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire topped the charts, one of three affluent suburbs of Scotland's biggest city — alongside Bearsden and Bishopbriggs — that featured in the Scottish top 10. Their rankings were boosted by high average salaries and fast connections into the city centre.

In Milngavie, this ‘highly appealing detached villa is sure to attract interest from those looking to acquire a long-term family home,’ says Rettie & Co, which is selling the property for £370,000.

But we’ve just covered the overall ranking of best places to live. Garrington Property Finders’s nifty interactive tool allows you to look up locations as well as rank places by individual criteria.

So, if you’d prefer to live in a place that comes up trumps for wellbeing (who doesn’t?), you might want to scope out Devon. Four of the five top places ranked by wellbeing are located in the county.

London, meanwhile, dominates the heritage and culture ranking, with Westminster, City of London, Camden, Kensington & Chelsea, Islington, and Lambeth all in the top 10. Outside the capital, Bath, Ramsgate, Brighton and Hove, and York also feature.

Ranking the locations by natural environment also delivers some unsurprising spots, with Royal Tunbridge Wells (another commuter favourite), scenic Shaftesbury, and Alnwick — where two Harry Potter movies were filmed - all making the top 15.

But there are some eyebrow-raisers in this particular ranking too. The town of Swindon, for example, is named the 15th best place to live in England and Wales for natural environment. And a further scroll down the list reveals that while Croydon is ranked 67th, the sought-after market town of Marlborough comes in 1,333rd place.

Hopper argues that prime property is no longer about reputation alone. In his view, ‘it’s increasingly about data-driven desirability’.

He adds: ‘Today’s most successful locations blend a winning combination of lifestyle, investment security and accessibility.’

The Gingerbread City is back for another year in London, and the best of the capitals architects have outdone themselves with this year's offerings. Can you guess which landmarks they have recreated in biscuit form? We've handily created a little quiz so that you can find out for yourself.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

It's the Christmas news we've all been waiting for. The interior designer and socialite Nicky Haslam has dropped his annual Christmas tea towel: a list of everything he finds common. This years contenders include, but are not limited to: referring to The Spectator as ‘The Speccie’, couture trainers and Stonehenge.

We've handily created a little quiz so that you can find out how common Nicky Haslam's tea towel thinks you are, if you are so inclined. Enjoy. The commoner you are, the more points you win.

You can purchase one of Haslam's tea towels for £50, and subsequently use it to mop up spillages in your kitchen, on his website. For an extra £20 he will even sign it and add a short message! It's a festive bargain, in short.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

After months of speculation, leaks, briefings and 'kite flying' of potential policies, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced that a new Mansion Tax — officially called the 'High Value Council Tax Surcharge' — will be levied from April 2028.

Who will be hit by the Mansion Tax?

Four new bands will be put into place, starting at £2-£2.5 million and going up £5 million-plus. Houses assessed as falling into these brackets will face a Council Tax surcharge of between £2,500 and £7,500.

Less than one per cent of properties in the UK will be hit by the new tax, according to Reeves.

In addition, it's perhaps important to remember that the new tax is dwarfed by Stamp Duty. The typical buyer of a £5 million house currently pays over £513,000, suggesting that a further £7,500 a year charge is unlikely to make a material difference.

It's a point made by Will Watson of The Buying Solution. 'For our clients buying properties at £5 million or more, £7,500 a year will not deter them, for them relatively it is stomachable,' he says.

For those who bought homes a generation ago, and now live off limited pension income, things will look very different. A detached four-bed in a London suburb, or a country house with a couple of acres in the Home Counties could easily reach a £2 million valuation, and many owners of such homes will face having to pay over £200 a month more.

When will the Mansion Tax come into force?

The 30-month delay to the implementation of the new policy isn't down to largesse from the Government, but rather in order to allow time for a reassessment of homes in the Council Tax bands F, G and H, which is expected to take a couple of years.

The Council Tax bands have remained unchanged since they were originally assessed in 1991.

In many parts of Britain the new tax will hit only the largest homes, but in the big cities that will not always be the case, as critics have been pointing out.

'In London, this is a terrace tax, not a mansion tax,' says Dominic Agace of Winkworth.

'Many £2 million-plus properties are likely to be terraced family homes.'

Thousands of families living in such houses, according to Agace, will be unfairly targeted since they are owned by people 'leveraged with large mortgages or those with their property as their only asset and living on a small retirement income.'

Agace also suggests that the tax could keep international buyers away from the capital, and prompt 'those already here to sell up'.

Lucian Cook of Savills has a different view, suggesting that the pre-budget bark was worse than the bite.

'After what must have been the most prolonged exercise in kite flying in the run up to a Budget, the introduction of an annual tax surcharge for properties worth over £2m, at levels somewhat lower than many will have feared, is probably the least worst outcome for owners of prime property,' he says.

'With the uncertainty in the run up to the budget having already impacted prices, the impact on the market will be much less severe than it would have been in the event of an open-ended mansion tax.'

The glass is also half-full for Will Watson of The Buying Solution, whose phone buzzed the moment that the Mansion Tax details leaked early.. 'The first message I received from a client was one of relief: "good news, let’s get going", and a second reading "let’s make that deal [circa £20 million] happen".'

Lucian Cook agrees.

'However unwelcome any tax increase, the certainty which this provides will allow buyers and sellers to formulate plans which have been put on hold over recent months,' he says.

On top of that, there could be benefits in keeping the market moving, and prompting 'empty nesters' still living in large houses to sell to young, growing families: 'Over the longer term the measures are likely to act as slightly greater incentive for older home owners to downsize and, in some cases, heavily mortgaged owners of high value homes to move to a less valuable property pushing some demand out of London into the commuter zone.

'However, this impact will be tempered by an ability to defer any charges until sale or death which should prevent a rush of stock coming to the market.'

Cook suggests that the impact on the top end of the property market in London is unlikely to be significant. 'The policies themselves are not big enough to warrant a change in the demand supply dynamic of the central London market... However, it is likely to have a disproportionate impact on second home markets which are already dealing with an increased stamp duty surcharge and the doubling of council tax in most cases.'

As for the country market, buying agent Jennie Hancock of West Sussex-based Property Acquisitions says that the change couldn't have happened at a worse time.

'Properties priced between £2–4 million are already struggling,' she says.

'I’m seeing discounts of as much as 25% for beautiful country houses that buyers would have been queuing up for just three or four years ago.

'I expect this to worsen, creating a two-tiered market in which demand for higher-value properties falls even further, while the £1–1.7million price bracket becomes more buoyant.

'The one silver lining is that the tax won’t come into effect until 2028, which leaves a decent window for downsizers to make their move – and I expect many will, even if they have to take a hit on the price. Retirees on fixed incomes won’t want the burden of an additional annual bill they haven’t factored into their long-term plans.'

Jo Eccles, founder and Managing Director of prime central London buying agency, Eccord, agrees, saying that the new tax 'is likely to create a cliff edge at the £2 million mark and would effectively freeze the market just above it.'

And Tom Bill of Knight Frank is worried that the two and a half-year valuation period will cause new problems:

'Until the revaluations take place, buyers and sellers face years of uncertainty, especially around the £2 million threshold,' he says.

'Even once completed, new valuations can be challenged, which would prolong the limbo.

'The policy may also raise less than expected, especially because it is deferrable. If opposition parties say they would scrap it, many homeowners will look at the opinion polls and wait it out. When you factor in the cost of carrying out the valuation and the potential lost stamp duty revenue from a stickier market, the sums raised could look like a rounding error for the Treasury.'

George Nares, co-founder of Blue Book Agency, sees things differently: 'The Mansion Tax may be far from ideal for country house owners, but its banded structure is at least a relief compared with the originally floated idea of charging a percentage of the property’s value over a threshold,' he says.

'New buyers particularly in the market above £5 million will be relieved not to face an annual bill based on a percentage of a large portion of the headline price. Demand for rare historic homes will continue, supported by buyers who value their character, heritage and the unique lifestyle they offer.

'These homes are long-term commitments that help sustain rural economies, supporting local trades, crafts and communities. Most custodians are deeply invested in maintaining and improving their properties, and a well-calibrated banded system should allow many to continue that work with confidence.'

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

What am I? You will need to spell the name perfectly to score a point.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

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The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:

‘The countryside has brought me peace’

Sir David Beckham tells Paula Minchin the story of his love for rural life, from the Scouts to helping youngsters get started in horticulture.

My favourite view

A quiet corner of Oxfordshire beguiles the guest editor and his daughter, Harper.

‘My darling project’

Thousands of children were saved by Thomas Coram’s Foundling Hospital in London. John Goodall recounts the tale of an invaluable charity.

The real universe is here

For our guest editor, a trip to the wilds, catching fish and cooking with Rvival, was life-affirming. Patrick Galbraith follows him to the Highlands.

My favourite painting

Monet’s misty 'Houses of Parliament' moves the London-born guest editor.

Firmly planted in the Cotswolds

From ruined barns beauty has grown: Alan Titchmarsh visits the Beckhams’ Oxfordshire garden, a peaceful haven for all the family.

Champions league

Julie Harding meets the countryside champions chosen by our guest editor.

A kiss from a daughter’s rose

For her father’s 50th birthday, Harper Beckham called upon David Austin Roses. Charles Quest-Ritson describes the work of creating a new rose.

Striking it Ritchie

Paula Minchin meets Guy Ritchie, the film director finally fulfilling his childhood dreams of rural life.

‘My football made me, my countryside saved me’

Gamekeeper’s son Vinnie Jones has found peace and purpose on the land.

Liver little

Tom Parker Bowles gets chopping to whip up the guest editor’s favourite meal.

Take a bough

Planting a mature tree is an epic undertaking, but is always transformative, says Steven Desmond.

‘There are cars and then there are Defenders’

They may be rattly and draughty, but nothing beats a proper Land Rover Defender, especially one that’s been imaginatively restored and modified.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:

Autumn ablaze

Four pages of autumnal pictures celebrate the explosion of reds, oranges and golds that are the tell-tale tones of the season

In the garden

There’s no sitting on the fence for Alan Titchmarsh, who says planting a native hedge is the best way to mark a boundary

Gently does it

Country Life readers have been tittering at Tottering-by-Gently for more than 30 years. Annie Tempest reveals to Ben Lerwill how the cartoon comes together

Elizabeth Shanks’s favourite painting

The LAPADA CEO is drawn in by the splendid isolation of a watery woodland scene

Country-house treasures

The Edwardian verandah is the crowning glory at Benington Lordship in Hertfordshire, as the owners tell John Goodall

The legacy

Octavia Pollock salutes the glass act that was Joseph Paxton’s glittering Crystal Palace creation

A world without care

Aoife Caitríona Lau charts the history of Frederick the Great’s bucolic Schloss Sanssouci retreat outside Berlin, Germany

The good stuff

Earthy hues and florals can keep you grounded this autumn, advises Amie Elizabeth White

Spill the beans

Tom Parker Bowles has got his finger firmly on the pulse as he champions luscious legumes

Interiors

Antique dealer Will Green tells Arabella Youens how he created a ‘below-stairs’ look and Amelia Thorpe selects kitchen classics

Sow the seeds of summer now

Ursula Cholmeley suggests an autumn sowing to ensure your sweet peas are ready to tackle whatever 2026 has in store

Texts in the city

Emma Hughes browses the bookstacks of the much-loved London Library as it celebrates 180 years in St James’s Square

Holm is where the heart is

Aeneas Dennison investigates how Grand Tours helped the holm oak to conquer England

The X factor

Uncanny portraits by Sargent and Beaton prompt Patrick Monahan to ask Leslie Caron: ‘May I call you Madame X?’

Arts & antiques

Tudor women were well versed in harnessing art to convey their message, as Philippa Gregory outlines to Carla Passino

The king of the waltz

A dance dubbed the ‘vertical expression of horizontal desire’ held sway thanks to Johann Strauss II, says Henrietta Bredin

Packing a redemptive Punch

Michael Billington is deeply moved by James Graham’s new play exploring restorative justice

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

It’s extraordinary how much impact the property market has on the news agenda in Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the beleaguered leader of the Conservative Party, has found it nigh-on impossible to get a positive headline for weeks, but she managed to do so on Wednesday by announcing that the Tories plan to abolish Stamp Duty on house sales in Britain.

There are two big caveats: firstly, only primary residences would be exempt from the tax. And secondly, given Ms Badenoch's position in the polls and the fact that a General Election is almost four years away, the Conservatives are a long way off being able to do anything more than shout from the sidelines. She could just as easily promise free candy floss and the abolition of parking meters. ‘This is nothing but political hot air designed to win votes,’ as Marc von Grundherr, director of Benham and Reeves, puts it.

And yet it’s an intriguing idea because Stamp Duty — and Council Tax, for that matter — are both woefully broken systems that only seem to stay in place because the job of overhauling, and establishing the new taxes needed to fill the holes they leave behind, have proven too daunting for several generations of political leaders in this country.

What would happen, though, if Stamp Duty were indeed abolished? No doubt the first reaction for many would have been to breathe a sigh of relief. A little while ago the Country Life team took a look the most searched-for terms in property, fully expecting the list to be full queries about the best places to live, the most family-friendly areas and so on. All those were there, but the number one question — by far — was ‘how much Stamp Duty will I have to pay?’

It’s a system that has become frustratingly Byzantine in recent years, with different layers, constant changes in the levels of how much is payable, several exceptions which change the rates, and more. It’s nothing that somebody with a spreadsheet and an hour to spare couldn’t work out — but nor is it something that you could work out without a spreadsheet and an hour to spare.

A tiny number of house buyers pay no Stamp Duty at all — house purchases below £125,000 are exempt; those buying homes at the higher end of the market pay 10% from £925,000 to £1.5 milllion, and 12% beyond that.

Most house buyers paying the national average of just under £300,000 for their home will pay around £5,000; someone buying a £2.5 million house in Surrey, say, will pay £213,750 — unless one of the buyers is non-UK resident, in which case it rises to £263,750. If it's a second home, even UK residents will find that their bill goes up to £338,750. Ouch.

Dan Neidle, founder of a think tank called Tax Policy Associates, has long suggested that Stamp Duty should be abolished, arguing that the uptick in the property market that’s been seen during the so-called Stamp Duty holidays of recent years would probably be long-lasting. ‘Stamp Duty stops people moving,’ he wrote on a recent thread on X. ‘There is evidence that it reduces labour mobility, results in inefficient use of land, and holds back economic growth. It also makes people miserable.’

Others agree. Verona Frankish, CEO of Yopa, also points to how past Stamp Duty holidays have helped stimulate the market, ‘with activity climbing sharply during the pandemic reprieve, and again this year before thresholds reverted to previous levels.’

Removing Stamp Duty is one thing. Replacing the hole in the public coffers that abolition leaves behind is another thing entirely.

‘The impact that abolishing Stamp Duty would have is largely dependent on what replaces it,’ says Lucian Cook, head of residential research for Savills.

‘Residential property transactions currently generate £10.4 billion for the Treasury. Of that sum £5.5 billion comes from people’s primary homes,’ he adds, explaining that £2.6 billion of the remaining £4.9 billion comes from the underlying rate of tax on investment second home purchases.’

‘If, and this is a big if, it is a simple tax giveaway, the likelihood is that the current Stamp Duty bill simply passes through into prices. On that basis, that would indicate an uplift in house prices of around 1.4% to 2.1% on average — or £5,100 to £7,500 — depending on exactly how it is implemented.’

In other words, a tax that ostensibly sounds like something that would help people selling their houses would fairly quickly become a windfall for those selling their houses — particularly in the wealthier parts of the country. Mr Neidle also subscribes to this view, explaining in a lengthy article that ‘abolition would inflate property prices’. There is in his eyes a solution: ‘The really courageous answer is to scrap council tax, business rates and stamp duty – that’s about £80 billion [of tax revenue] all together – and replace them all with a land value tax’. It’s something that is used elsewhere in the world, but has never taken hold in Britain.

Without such a radical shift the other issue regarding Stamp Duty abolition is that the effects, as Mr Cook says, would be ‘unevenly distributed across the country's housing stock with a much greater impact on high value homes, meaning London and the South East would benefit most.’

Damien Jefferies, founder of Jefferies London, goes further, particularly in regard to the country’s most expensive homes. ‘For prime London in particular, the impact could be transformative,’ he says, pointing out that Stamp Duty rates have been one of several issues dissuading international buyers in the capital. ‘Scrapping Stamp Duty would reverse much of that sentiment, positioning London once again as a highly attractive, liquid, and globally competitive market.’

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

The Country Life quiz runs daily every afternoon, with new editions published at 4pm.

Missed a day? Want more quizzes? Catch up with all our previous quizzes here.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:

The legacy

As the Vincent Wildlife Trust turns 50, Kate Green salutes its founder, the Hon Vincent Weir

Grow getters

Seeds are miracles in all shapes and sizes, from the miniscule foxglove to the massive coco-de-mer, discovers John Lewis-Stempel

A perfect storm

It’s time to embrace a revival of eclecticism, as leading interior designers Chester Jones and Kit Kemp tell Arabella Youens

The goddess of small things

Giles Kime salutes the stellar transatlantic career of Rita Konig, a designer whose work is a celebration of stuff

The beauty of the brush

The warmth of a watercolour will always trump technology when it comes to imagining a design scheme, finds Arabella Youens

Bringing craft to life

Giles Kime learns that traditional arts and crafts are alive and well at the Snowdon Summer School in Gloucestershire

New moods for a new season

Amelia Thorpe presents her pick of the latest in lighting, furniture and accessories

Shelf indulgence

Arabella Youens and Giles Kime cast their eyes over new books in the world of craft and design

Claws for thought

Oliver Berry investigates efforts to revive the fortunes of the lobster when he visits the National Hatchery in Cornwall

Sandrine Zhang Ferron’s favourite painting

The Vinterior CEO reflects on the mystery of a Surrealist work

Country-house treasures

One remarkable document tells the story of 32 generations at Broughton Hall in North Yorkshire, finds John Goodall

Roman holiday

In the second of two articles, John Goodall examines the inspiration for West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire

Vested interest

Is there any item of clothing more quintessentially English than the waistcoat, asks Simon Mills

The garden for all seasons

Charles Quest-Ritson unearths year-round delight in the private Worcestershire garden of the plant breeder John Massey

When in Rome

A good carbonara is all about timing for Tom Parker Bowles

The good stuff

Amie Elizabeth White is going wild for luxurious animal prints

Arts & antiques

Carla Passino talks to Tim Knox of the Royal Collection about regal taste in the 20th-century

Sphinx outside the box

Michael Hall examines how ancient Egypt influenced our culture, from architecture and art to crockery and clocks

And much more

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