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

We loved holidays so much we decided we’d never come home

Your kids your laughs your friends your world

The buzz of city life or a quiet rural retreat? Gillian Harvey speaks to expats who’ve chosen to live very different lives in France

SARAH DITUM

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