Shepherd’s delight

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

THINGS ARE very quiet here at the moment. It’s weird - I am used to a life overfull of things to do. For the first time in 20 years I have no building project on the go, and general maintenance, fenci

Nicole Brown on her trajectory from fangirling Mary King to commentating alongside Ian Stark – and how her curious nature has stood her in good stead

SARAH DITUM

Hannah Betts prefers parading pelts to donning dun uniforms

From his east London childhood to discovering the joys of beekeeping and gardening, our guest editor, former England football captain Sir David Beckham, tells Paula Minchin why the countryside matters so much to him and his family