What lies beneath
Vital habitats for seahorses and sand eels, carbon-storing seagrass meadows must be saved, believes Jack Watkins
Green pioneers
Renewable energy sounds new, but it goes much further back, finds Jonathan Lee
Small by name, but not by nature
Making Tom and Barbara proud: Julie Harding talks to thriving 21st-century smallholders
A new lease of life
Why buy new when there are so many delights to be bought second hand? Flora Watkins finds the best shops to visit
Jacquiline Creswell’s favourite painting
The curator picks an intensely powerful mixed-media piece
Masterpiece
Jack Watkins admires the work of a pioneering photographer
Urban streams
The health—and mind—of the Victorian public was improved beyond measure by the rise of the often magnificent drinking fountain, explains Kathryn Ferry
Head for the farm
Agritourism is on the rise again, discovers Rosie Paterson
Think inside the box
Forget mass-produced super-market fare and order a meat box, advises Vicky Liddell
Interiors
Style without guilt: salvaged tiles and plastic-bottle blankets, plus the revival of our ceramics industry
Luxury
Eco parties, ethical diamonds and Princess Marie-Chantel
How green is their valley
Wildlife and plants alike thrive in the garden of Low Crag in Cumbria, finds George Plumptre
Come what blooms
Flora Watkins talks to Charlie Harpur, the new head gardener at Knepp Castle in West Sussex
Kitchen garden cook
Melanie Johnson conjures meals with cherry tomatoes
Thinking big, thinking Wagnerian
Henrietta Bredin admires the vision of Longborough opera
And much more
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The Country Life guide to Somerset: What to do, where to stay and how to eatSomerset is rich in natural beauty and history, but it is its wealth of small-scale food and drink producers, farmers and makers that really set it apart from the competition. Find out how to make the most of it all with our indispensable guide.
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How to make a gloomy city garden into a haven of colour and natureTiffany Daneff discovers how to transform a typically dark London back garden into a light-filled green haven that is always in use. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
