Dispatches from The Cotswolds
Also featuring Asian Slaw in Wales, a tortoise in Hertfordshire, never-ending chickenpox and fashion queen Anna Hart's home comforts
They say that babies change dramatically when you take them out of their regular environment. Well, this Easter, I went to three different places with three different sets of people and I’ve decided that the same goes for adults. I took away some important tidbits (or is it titbits? what an odd word) from my little sojourns in the Cotswolds, Wales and Hertfordshire. Here goes.
The Cotswolds….
I might be a country person after all - I don’t think I’ll ever be someone who actually wants to move to the country (more spiders, bad coffee), but I’ve realised I perhaps do want a little honey-toned cottage somewhere, so that I can occasionally escape London to eat scampi and chips with a glass of rosé, whilst overlooking rolling hills. I did exactly that at The Mount Inn.
The Mount Inn, Stanton But I probably don’t need a pool - I would have assumed my country bolthole would need a heated outdoor pool (I like to have big, unrealistic dreams), but now I know I would never use it – because we had one and I didn’t. Too busy standing around the kitchen island eating….
Mister Free’d crisps - I take crisps very seriously and I’d never heard of these before I arrived in the Cotswolds to a huge bowl of them, as well as some homemade guacamole and a chilled glass of Champagne. Actual heaven.
Wales…
Cowbridge is worth a mini break - I’m still cross that my NCT friends moved to Wales post having a baby, but I’m also semi-glad that they did because I’d never have known about Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan were it not for them. It’s got independent shops, great restaurants (go to the Hare and Hounds if you visit) and pretty countryside – plus it’s close to fab surfing beaches in Porthcawl. No wonder it’s been crowned ‘best place to live in Wales’ by The Sunday Times.
Cowbridge This is the best salad I’ve ever had - seriously, I don’t typically get excited about salads, but this one was different. An Asian slaw with the most delicious dressing.
And these are the best slippers I’ve ever worn - I know it’s not slipper season but I constantly have cold feet and so my friend lent me these while I was at her house and now I have to get some for myself because they are the cosiest things on earth.
Annie slippers, £80
Hertfordshire…
A tortoise is a brilliant pet - I met Timmy the tortoise this weekend on my third and final staycation and now I want one of my own. It’s the perfect pet! You don’t need to walk it or stop it from barking at the postman and watching it eat a dandelion is like a mini meditation.
Good friends are gold - By the time I got to Hertfordshire, I had driven approximately 350 miles over three days. I was shattered. But the joy of visiting your oldest friends is that you can show up hungover and looking terrible and they don’t care or even really notice. They may also lend your toddler a nerf gun and build him a teddy bear shooting range (!), so that you can have a little sit down before the Easter egg hunt.
Easter egg hunt of dreams The chickenpox 👀 - My toddler had the pox a couple of weeks ago and I thought my baby had got away with it, despite my wise friend telling me to expect it to erupt like clockwork after 16 days. That is exactly what happened post Hertfordshire – and so now I am having yet another staycation, alas this time at home, pox-trapped with no childcare and a week of work ahead. Happy Easter!
HOME COMFORTS WITH… ANNA HART
I never know what to wear these days and I’ve struggled to find a relatable influencer to follow on Instagram. Luckily, I’ve now discovered Anna Hart, who is my age(ish) and wears things I actually like, including my wardrobe staple – Breton stripes – as you can see. She also writes an excellent Substack which you can find here.
Where do you live and how would you describe your home in three words?
We live in Hertfordshire – between Hemel Hempstead and St Albans. In three words… Still, haven’t, unpacked!
Who is at home with you?
My husband Tim, a music tour and production manager and our 18 month-old Border Terrier Dorothy (or Dot to her friends).
Current Netflix/Amazon obsession?
Well, my husband is away so I go into deep TV marathons. I can watch pretty much anything except sci-fi or fantasy type stuff. We really enjoyed A Thousand Blows with Stephen Graham recently – but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been binging Married At First Sight Australia this week. It fascinates me.
Best home comfort meal?
Can I have two? I’m having two. My husband does baked hassleback potatoes and we do that with my mince and gravy. You also need peas with it. It’s something my Mum does and we’ve just carried it on here. Next up is my lazy pick; fish fingers and a potato waffle inside a tortilla wrap with aioli. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.
Background noise in your house?
Inevitably it’s the dog barking, my husband playing an instrument of some sort and a podcast. If both of us are listening it’ll be The News Agents or the other one with Ed Balls and George Osborne. If it’s just me it’ll be The Rest Is History. Currently listening to stuff on the English Civil war. Cromwell is a relation so it’s refreshing to hear there was a little more to him than being a total a-hole…
Bath or shower?
Always a bath. It’s an event for me. Soaking in the bath while using face masks is my favourite activity. My friends always laugh because if you call me after 7pm from October to March, I’m in the bath!
Favourite house scent?
My husband travels a lot and one thing he does is light the same candle wherever he is – so it feels like home. It’s either Diptyque Baies or we have a Jo Malone Wild Berry and Bramble in the bathroom. Either smell makes me instantly relax.
My garden is…
Where we got married! We got fed up of Covid getting in the way so our friend married us in a tent on the driveway, then we got our favourite local restaurant to do fried chicken burgers and champagne on the grass! Since then, it’s been the bane of my life – lots of north facing, deep beds. My friend Pollyanna (a gardener, book just out!) is helping me sort it out this year.
How well do you know your next door neighbours?
We’re on a corner plot and don’t share a driveway so it was quite hard to get to know locals. That all changed when we got the dog – an instant conversation starter on walks. We had lovely neighbours on one side who sadly moved away, but we’ve got to know lots of others. The café, post office and butchers all know us (and the dog) by name!
Your favourite home from home?
Pembrokeshire, my second home. My grandparents lived there and my mum’s family are from just a bit further north – Aberaeron in Ceredigion. I absolutely love it down there – it’s an incredibly special place for me. I am very proud of my Welsh heritage (where the middle name comes from). There is one particular beach in a place called Little Haven which is incredibly special; I have been going there since I was a baby and (much later) my husband proposed there. The pub overlooking it, The Swan, is a wonderful spot too. Just don’t tell everyone.
Subscribe to Anna’s Substack here.
PODCAST STUFF
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Ever since I discovered Parks and Recreation, I’ve loved Amy Poehler and now I love her podcast, Good Hang – especially because she’s pals with some of the best comedians of all time. Start with the Tina Fey episode.
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He Said, She Said
I’ve grown to really like this podcast with Louise and her husband Ryan from (vintage) Made in Chelsea. Unlike MIC, this feels very real and unfiltered and despite being a massive cynic, I find these two quite touching in their efforts to understand and communicate with one another. So there.
Right must dash, it’s almost time for Married at First Sight. See you next week – and try that salad and those crisps, honestly.
Dx
P.S
🍋Finally I have stopped squeezing lemon juice directly into my recipes and dropping pips all over the place. This - I am told by my Welsh friends - is the lemon squeezer of lemon squeezers.
🍷Another top tip from my foodie friends. If you find yourself with wine left in the bottle at the end of an evening (unlikely) - pour it into ice cube trays and pop them out to use in recipes. Genius!
🧈And finally…. did you know that whizzing pecan nuts and nothing else into a blender makes pecan butter that tastes insanely good dolloped on porridge? Me neither. But now I do and I will.
Who is Dominique Afacan?
A very good question. Dominique (that’s me) is a writer and solo mum of two, based in London. The idea for the Nesting newsletter came about because after ten years of flitting around the world as a travel journalist, I wanted to share my new-found excitement about hanging out at home. I am also the author of Bolder – Life lessons from people older and wiser than you – a great birthday present, if I don’t say so myself – and available to buy here.