What's On 5 September

Ellie Smith
October 05, 2025

Dear Reader,

What is joy to you? That was the question posed by Adrienne Adhami, wellbeing expert and podcast host, at our very first C&TH Balance Retreat, held at Lime Wood in the New Forest this week. We each had to write down 10 things – dogs featured very heavily, I noted – that gave us our much-needed dopamine. The key then was how to weave some of them into our every day – and not just treat them as special occasion events. Dogs aside (they are a non-negotiable everyday thing), the message is that we need to create the space to dance in the kitchen (alone), stare out of the window with a thick black coffee for 20 minutes, just read a book out of reach of a phone – whatever floats your joy boat. We often don’t prioritise those moments and it can leave us with the over-productivity button pressed on permanently. The science is clear, said Adhami, joy works on a cellular level – it calms our parasympathetic nervous system, gives our adrenals a break and makes us feel the sensations of pleasure, connection and well-being. You’ve been told.

Have a great week.

WHAT’S ON MY MIND THIS WEEK

The Celebrity Traitors (c) BBC/Studio Lambert/Cody Burridge

Claudia Winkleman’s Traitors Outfits

I’m a Traitors obsessive and cannot wait for the Celebrity version this week. Half the fun is Claudia’s fashion forward wardrobe that, to me, sums up the C&TH aesthetic – souped-up country style with the very best of British at its heart: Purdey, Brora, Barbour and Johnstons of Elgin are all brands we can get behind.

A Peek Inside The Cotswolds’ Newest Hotel

We’ve not reached peak Cotswolds yet (will we ever?). Apparently Tom Cruise is the latest Hollywood star looking to snap up some honey-coloured stone. But for mere mortals, there’s Hyll, a gorgeous new hotel, designed to help us slow down. Sounds good? Ellie Smith checks in to see if she's slowed.

Does The World Need Another Met Gala (One Is Coming To London This Month)...

Actually, says the British Museum, who is hosting this new-to-the-scene fashion extravaganza, it will be quite different (naturally). But here’s everything we know so far, and no, we’re not invited (and neither are you).

FIVE THINGS NOT TO MISS

Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with some of the legendary mooncakes from the Peninsula London, made using a historic recipe now patented by the hotel group.

A new exhibition showcasing six works by British artist Claire Luxton is launching at The Mayfair Townhouse, running for the whole of October in The Dandy Bar on the hotel’s ground floor.

Nab preloved pieces from A-listers like Elizabeth Hurley and Fearne Cotton, plus discounted Chanel, Loewe and more at the King’s Trust’s first Ultimate Designer Sale, taking place at The Vinyl Factory in Soho. 10 and 11 October

Mayfair hotel The Beaumont has opened its new restaurant, Rosi, a pastel-hued space helmed by ex-Northcote chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen.

Matilda Goad, the designer known for making hardware chic, is opening the first permanent store for her brand MG&Co. in Pimlico, London.

WHAT'S TRENDING ON C&TH

Oman is the latest scubadiving hotspot - and it’s teen-approved

The planetary diet could save lives, says new report

Getty Images

What to do during October half term

8 books to get you back into reading this autumn

Win A Stay At Raffles London At The OWO

It’s time. Competition time. Located in the Old War Office, this hotel boasts a storied past riddled with espionage. Enter now to win a weekend stay at Raffles London at The OWO packed full of Michelin-starred food and luxurious spa treatments.