This is my annual guilty pleasure. By early December I am as frantic as anyone. As I hurriedly plant the last of my bulbs and make sure to complete essential deadlines before the end of the year, I co

From a milliner inspired by topiary to a model-turned-ecological gardener and a couple who swapped jobs in telecommunications for growing vegetables, Sir David Beckham’s rural heroes tell Julie Harding why craft and the countryside are key

Reader Caroline Crocker celebrates her chance to reclaim the family garden to create a plant lover’s paradise with a focus on climate resilience.

A crowd-pleasing pie with a rich, buttery filling. Sage leaves are baked into the pastry while the beetroot adds vibrant colour. SERVES 8 PREP 30 mins plus40 mins chilling COOK 1 hr 30 mins MORE EFFOR

This impressive plan-ahead Christmas lunch from Flora Shedden is a mouthwatering mix of traditional recipes and deliciously unexpected flavours

In 1993 Sarah and Chris Vermont moved from Brixton, London, to Hungerdowns in Essex, an old farmhouse dating back to 1600 with a Georgian front added in 1757. In the garden there were existing hedges,