Country Life March 5, 2025
Country Life 5 March 2025 looks at Charles Dance, Charles Dickens and rates the best bakeries in London, as well as how we can get the most out of the land.


Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:
How to make land work harder
Plans for a Land Use Framework offer a golden opportunity to make the most of our countryside, argues Fiona Reynolds
The year the stars came out
A host of luminaries that were born in 1775 still shape British identity some 250 years on, as Matthew Dennison discovers
A horse walks into a bar…
Jack Watkins raises a glass to the Cheltenham superstars immortalised in the bars and restaurants at Prestbury Park
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Interiors
Amelia Thorpe cooks up a real treat with the latest inspiration and innovations for the kitchen
London Life
- Amie Elizabeth White celebrates 100 years of the Dickens museum, plus Country Life’s guide to the best baked goods in the capital
Arts & antiques
Charles Dance talks to Carla Passino about Michelangelo, mentoring and why the Sistine chapel is like playing King Lear
The good, the bad and the ugly
Michael Hall delves into the genius of Michelangelo, at once the enfant prodige and enfant terribile of the Renaissance
Simon Martin’s favourite painting
The art-gallery director selects a beguiling 17th-century miniature revealing a connection to Nature
A regal renewal
John Goodall hails the revival of Restoration House in Kent, a magnificent property that welcomed Charles II in 1660
The legacy
Agnes Stamp hails the ‘British Barnum’ Charles Cruft, whose dog show is still best in class
Shiver me timbers
The once-popular black poplar could be our secret weapon in the battle against climate change, finds Vicky Liddell
The good stuff
Hetty Lintell’s top tips on what to wear to the Cheltenham Festival
And it was all yellow
Charles Quest-Ritson brightens his day with the cheerful flowers of the ever-dependable forsythia
Sharp practice
The thorny old issue of pruning roses, with Charles Quest-Ritson
Foraging
Is tapping birch-tree sap worth the bother, asks John Wright
Travel
Emma Love shares the latest cruise news, Imogen West-Knights finds everything shipshape in the South of France, John Niven follows in the wake of Mr Mississippi Mark Twain and Pamela Goodman’s birthday treats take on a life of their own
And much more
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
Two quick and easy seasonal asparagus recipes to try this Easter Weekend
Asparagus has royal roots — it was once a favourite of Madame de Pompadour.
By Melanie Johnson
-
Sip tea and laugh at your neighbours in this seaside Norfolk home with a watchtower
On Cliff Hill in Gorleston, one home is taller than all the others. It could be yours.
By James Fisher
-
Human teeth, Scottish cities and a visit from Caesar: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 17, 2025
Thursday's quiz tests your knowledge on a certain Prime Minister's last words, obscure artistic movements and royal weddings.
By Rosie Paterson
-
The Great Gatsby, pugs and the Mitford sisters: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 16, 2025
Wednesday's quiz tests your knowledge on literature, National Parks and weird body parts.
By Rosie Paterson
-
The battle of the bridge, Balloon Dogs and flat fish: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 15, 2025
Tuesday's quiz tests your knowledge on bridges, science, space, house prices and geography.
By James Fisher
-
Jungle temples, pet snakes and the most expensive car in the world: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 14, 2025
Mondays's quiz tests your knowledge on English kings, astronomy and fashion.
By James Fisher
-
School dinner puddings, Scrabble tiles and Antonio Banderas: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 11, 2025
Friday's quiz asks you to name one of Britain's most beautiful places, and ponders the distance of a marathon.
By Toby Keel
-
Bond's Aston Martin and Welsh rarebit: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 10, 2025
Thursday's quiz celebrates pedestrian crossings and tests your language skills.
By Toby Keel
-
Scary sharks, the T-Rex and fabulous city views: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 9, 2025
Wednesday's quiz takes in restaurants, beautiful cities and more.
By Toby Keel
-
The beautiful island bridge, an otter's life and Churchill's TXT speech: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 8, 2025
Tuesday's quiz takes in cricket pitches, frittatas and more.
By Toby Keel