Staying In

Read The Daffodil Days

Looking for your next spring read? Our book reviewer Belinda Bamber has a recommendation: Helen Bain’s The Daffodil Days. ‘In July 1961 the newly-married poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes fell in love with Court Green, a tumbledown, ochre-hued thatch cottage in Devon,’ she writes. ‘Abandoning London for the dream of raising their young children in the countryside, they were so close “you couldn't get a piece of paper between the two of them”, according to a friend. Tragically, Ted walked out just over a year later, and Sylvia ended her life soon after. But this novel by Helen Bain covers the brief idyll when Sylvia kept hens and bees, planted vegetables, gathered daffodils and painted vintage furniture with hearts and flowers. Bain brings Sylvia to life with extraordinary skill, voicing each chapter from the perspective of a different villager to conjure this tall, confident, demanding, courageous and vulnerable American, as she tries to fit into rural English life. It's exquisitely written.’ Out now (Bloomsbury)

Going Out

Check Out Ottie’s Salon At Bertrand’s Townhouse

There’s a new boutique bolthole in the storied Bloomsbury neighbourhood, and while it’s well worth booking a stay, you can check it out without checking in via the characterful hotel bar. Ottie’s Salon is an intimate speakeasy-cum-salon inspired by the area’s legendary gatherings. Just round the corner from The British Museum it’s sure to become a neighbourhood hotspot for guests, locals and visitors, with the moody atmosphere and colourful character bringing plenty of charm; though not as much as the staff, who are always – discreetly – on hand for service, a recommendation, or just a chat. It is also home to an already popular cigar lounge and a pretty outdoor garden terrace that will come into its own this summer. Order the French 75 cocktail and the mushroom ravioli. Upstairs, hotel guests can enjoy enormous comfy beds, Smeg mini fridges and a complimentary minibar and rainfall showers in neat, comfortable rooms with charming design details. Read our full hotel review here.

Property Of The Day

An 18th century country estate just a stone’s throw from NYC with two cottages and a pool, this property’s credentials are impressive enough on their own – that is without mentioning that its former owner-slash-renovator is actress-turned-talk show host Drew Barrymore. 

On the market for $4.995m, compass.com

Little Luxury

Upgrade bathtime with the latest launch from Joonbyrd, the beauty brand known for its dreamy bodycare products. The Longevity Body Wash is designed to support long-term skin health using plant-derived exosomes and NAD+ organic sunflower sprouts combined with adaptogens and nootropics. In signature style, it smells delicious too with notes of peach, banana, cacao, musk and tonka bean. £39, joonbyrd.com

Competition Time

Here’s your chance to win a beautiful 24-piece cutlery set from luxury homeware brand Carrol Boyes worth £882.

Psssst…

Astronauts on the Artemis II Moon mission have been busy snapping away, sharing striking postcards from their journey into space. One image, titled Hello, World, shows Earth appearing upside down as it eclipses the sun with green auroras at either pole.

Whatever You Do, Don’t

Be too sad about the Bank Holiday weekend being over: there are plenty more to come. We still have three in the pipeline for this summer (4 May, 25 May, 31 August) plus two in December – and looking ahead to 2027, the Christmas period will feature a three-day working week due to Christmas Day and Boxing Day falling on a weekend, meaning we get two substitute Bank Holidays.