Staying In

Enjoy The Last Of Asparagus Season

Planning a dinner party? Or maybe just a hearty dinner at home? Make the most of summer’s bounty by leaning into one of its biggest seasonal heroes: asparagus. ‘The season for asparagus is short,’ says Ed Campbell, head chef at the White Hart Inn on Mersea. ‘And it finishes in mid-June. Buy it from wherever is closest to where it is harvested as the sugars change as soon as it is picked, so the fresher the better.’ A perk to the end of the season? ‘The price is generally high because everyone wants the new season’s produce – and the asparagus at this time of year is fatter and juicier.’ If you’re tempted by fat stalks of the stuff, Campbell’s suggestion for serving is to pair with lamb sweetbreads, morel mushrooms, and wild garlic. For more ideas on how to cook with asparagus this season, see our guide here.

Going Out

Head To Royal Ascot

There are plenty of dates in the horseracing calendar, but when it comes to the social calendar, Royal Ascot is a must. The world’s premier flat racing meeting returns next week, with horses, jockeys and trainers all vying for a £6m prize. But in the enclosures it’s all champagne, fascinators and celeb spotting. That’s why Royal Ascot is the very best of all: there’s a royal procession to enjoy, too. Looking for somewhere to stay? Ascot Racecourse is easily accessible from London; in fact, you’ll spot a throng of racegoers donning their gladrags on the tube throughout the races. The Athenaeum Hotel & Residences is close to both Paddington and Waterloo stations, where services can whisk you to Ascot, or it’s just an hour by car. Then back home to Mayfair, where the 162 rooms, suites and residences boast contemporary-glam interiors. 16-20 June, ascot.com

Property Of The Day

The former home of Hollywood power couple Emily Blunt and John Krasinski (AKA Emily from The Devil Wears Prada and Jim from The Office US), this LA home is perched atop the Hollywood Hills. Click here to discover where else the stars own homes. 

Coming to the market with Compass for nearly $4.4m.   

Little Luxury

Smythson has partnered with the World of Beatrix Potter to mark the 160th anniversary of Miss Potter’s birth, reviving a collaboration that dates back to the 1920s – when Smythson first sold bronze Peter Rabbit figurines alongside the iconic storybooks. The new collection features Panama and Chelsea notebooks, a Soho sketchbook, correspondence cards and notelets decorated with Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin, Jemima Puddle-Duck and Appley Dapply. All books are handcrafted at Smythson’s Hertfordshire workshop, with the hand-engraved stationery made at their Wiltshire factory. We love the Panama Notebook in Nile Blue. £80, smythson.com

Competition Time

Country & Town House has partnered with Stoke Park to offer two lucky winners the chance to experience one of the British summer season’s most elegant sporting events: The Boodles at Stoke Park – an exclusive summer garden party with world class tennis. Enter the competition here for your chance to win.

Psssst…

Coaching a teenager through exam season? Here’s a little lightness: in what is being described as a ‘once in a lifetime synchronicity’, when 15-year-old Lee opened his English exam paper last week, he was surprised to find a poem about him awaiting his analysis inside. Penned by his mother, Emily Cullen, eight years prior, ‘Envoi in Chalk’ recalls the moment Emily spotted the words her seven-year-old son had scrawled in chalk on the pavement: ‘The world is great’. ‘I think things come in cycles,’ the poet tells the BBC. ‘We have to remind ourselves of the gifts that life is and the wonders all around us in abundance amid the darkness and the dark times.’

Whatever You Do, Don’t

Neglect your gym sessions: a new study has found those who consistently engage in 90 minutes to two hours of strength training each week could reduce their risk of early death by 13 percent. Newbie to weights? Here’s a beginner’s guide.

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