Also this week is our annual Gentleman’s Life supplement, which covers everything from skiing and watches to the Mini’s dominance of the international rally circuit in the 1960s — as well as a piece on how to cook the perfect chips.
Here’s what’s in the issue itself:
HEDGES: Why we all need more hedges. Let’s get planting.
CARLA CARLISLE: Carla reflects on not being homesick for the South.
POPPIES: Common it may be, but the poppy has the power to uplift like few others.
BIRDS: Birds have long flown into the world’s cultural consciousness, from ancient Iran to modern laboratories, explains Alex Bond.
PARKIN: Bonfire Night wouldn’t taste the same without a slab of parkin, believes Debora Robertson.
MARSHMALLOWS: Katy Birchall on their unexpected gooey history.
LONDON LIFE: The capital’s famous front doors, a forest in Chelsea, living the high life in Highgate and Richard Gladwin’s favourite city corners.
MY FAVOURITE PAINTING: Jeremy Swift picks a paradoxical perspective painting.
THE FORTH BRIDGE: Jack Watkins admires an engineering marvel.
GILLING CASTLE: John Goodall examines little-known Gilling Castle, North Yorkshire.
INTERIORS: Fireplaces for cosy nights and why British stone is on the menu.
THE GOOD STUFF: Hetty Lintell on November’s birthstone, golden citrine.
GARDENS: The Italian home of Arabella Lennox-Boyd, Palazzo Parisi in Umbria, is a garden of delights.
FOOD: Kitchen garden cook Melanie Johnson serves swede.
And much more