A jolly festive weekend!

'Tis the season to be jolly', so we did just that this weekend!

To start off, a festive evening at Enchanted Christmas in Chipping Campden with the fam on Friday. We sipped on a mulled wine, or two, in the beautiful Market Hall that Chipping Campden is so famous for and before we knew it we were dressing up as kings and sheep in the nativity photo-booth. Cotswold Distillery made an appearance selling their beautiful Gin made here in the Cotswolds and CamperVin could be found in Cambrook Court. Lots of Shops were open for late night shopping, including some of our faves, Orchard Layne and Frankie Doodle and the town hall was lit up with dancing snowflakes. The Christmas Tree was officially switched on, which we missed unfortunately but we did see the reindeers and loved watching the brass band playing in front of the stunning Cotswold House Hotel. 

Christmas in The Cotswolds

Christmas really is the most magical time of the year in The Cotswolds. Our already beautiful villages, towns and cities turn on their sparkly lights, amazing local Christmas shopping events flood the streets and people are in the highest spirits. We love this time of year! Tis the season to be jolly after all... 

Meggie's

As some of you might of heard I've opened my own little gift & lifestyle shop, Meggie's in beautiful Painswick. I opened the doors to Meggie's last Wednesday the 29th. It's now my second week and I couldn't be happier. 

The Annie Sloan Conference with The Applestore

Harry and I are extremely lucky to spend lots of time at beautiful Batsford; weekends, Christmas, Autumn days and long Summer nights. We just love it there! Harry's Mum is married to Stuart, the Director and top dog (well he likes to think so!) at Batsford Arboretum and Garden Centre. He's been there 28 years now. Heather opened her gorgeous shop, The Applestore, 3 years ago after the Garden Centre had a face lift and made room for Heather to move in to the old Applestore, hence the name, where the tea rooms used to be. If you haven't visited The Applesotre at Batsford Arboretum, you must. It is a beautiful, eclectic shop full of vintage pieces, unique Swedish items, gift ideas and up cycled furniture, all lovingly hand painted and given a new lease of life by Heather using Annie Sloan decorative Chalk Paint™. Which by the way, The Applestore is a proud stockist of. Read our full blog post all about The Applestore here.

Chipping Campden

Chipping Campden is one of my favourite places in the Cotswolds. I may not live there anymore, nor did I live there throughout my whole childhood, but I have a whole metaphorical memorabilia box full of happy times throughout 10 years of being a 'campdener'.

Plus my Mum and Dad still live there and I pretty much worked in every pub and restaurant at one time or another so I still class myself as a local! 

Mangle & Wringer

Until The Applestore at Batsford Arboretum (see our blog about this lovely Aladdin's cave here) became a proud stockist of Mangle & Wringer cleaning products, we had never heard of the locally made, non-toxic, all natural range from The Cotswolds. 

What makes Mangle & Wringer cleaning products so special, you ask? Where do we start.

ALL of Mangle & Wringer cleaning products are made using old fashioned, home made recipes, using all natural ingredients which are therefore, all recognisable and easy to understand. You can 100% trust what is written on the labels. Vanessa Willes founded Mangle & Wringer in 2012 after adopting her housekeepers, Bette Smith's passion for non-toxic cleaning products which are not harmful to the environment or to use. Bette Smith, a housekeeper since she was 14 years old, a successful laundry owner and a local Gloucestershire lady taught Vanessa Willes and her team everything they now know about making beautiful, affective and non-toxic cleaning products. So do you see what is special about this Cotswold company now?

What first attracted us to pick up a bottle of Mangle & Wringer and learn more about Vanessa Willes's company was the sleek and chic packaging. Something you very rarely... actually, almost never see when it comes to cleaning products. Lets face it, cleaning is not the most glamorous of tasks and definitely is not top of our 'favourite things to do' list. Especially when you live in a little country cottage with messy boys and a old cocker spaniel. 

The Mangle & Wringer range is so attractive that Vanessa practically put marigolds on us herself and sent us home skipping to spring clean.

We purchased a bottle of 'Good for Glass' spray from The Applestore and loved it. No streaks, amazing!

Then Vanessa kindly sent us a goody box full of her products, a bag of 'Natural Bleach' and bag of 'Pure Laundry', a spray bottle of 'Spray and Go', a tub of 'Bathroom Balm' and a tub of 'Kitchen Cleanser'.

After testing the whole range, carefully following directions and gushing at all the lovely packaging we must say we are really impressed. 

The 'Spray and Go' spray was our favourite. We used it ALL over the house, on side tables, kitchen work surfaced, skirting boards and window sills. It smelt very vinegary with a hint of lemon zest but that didn't bother us, in fact we actually liked it. There is nothing worse than using a cleaning product that then hits the back of your throat and makes you cough for the next 15 minutes. 'Spray and Go' made everything sparkle, smell clean and look fresh. We loved it! 

Now, I think we can all agree there is nothing better than crawling into bed and slipping under freshly cleaned sheets. So when we unwrapped the handmade 'Pure Laundry' powder that was the first job on our list. Very simply, we added a large scoop of the laundry power and a smaller scoop of the 'Natural Bleach' powder in to the washing machine. Luckily, it was also a lovely sunny day so they the sheets got to air dry outside which is another one of life's little luxuries. When dried, they smelt and felt beautifully clean. They didn't smell of artificial chemicals, overly sweet and sickly like you get with so many branded products and the softness made for a comfy night sleep. Bliss!

As you might be able to tell, we are sold! We love the products, the packaging, the values of the company and most importantly.. they work! Try them out for yourself by visiting Mangle & Wringer online shop or if you live in Gloucestershire, The Applestore might be your closest stockist.

Follow Mangle & Wringer on Twitter  and Facebook and make sure you visit Vanessa's beautiful websites for lots more information on the whole range,  to shop any of the products we've spoken about and please please please read about Bette Smith and how she inspired Vanessa to continue her passion for non-toxic cleaning products. It is such a heart warming, touching story.

The Applestore at Batsford

Where to start with The Applestore at Batsford Aboretum. Heather the owner, wife of, Stuart, the Managing Direct of Batsford Aboretum has a really good thing going here. The Applestore which was actually the old applestore at the Arboretum and is a beautiful red brick building situated at the end of the trail once you've strolled around the stunning Arboretum.

We may be a little bias here as Heather is actually Meg's boyfriend's, Mother so we spend a lot of time at Bastford Arboretum but The Applestore is so unique and completely worth a visit, so we just had to mention it on Millie and Meg.

As you approach The Applestore, you are welcomed by rustic garden goodies; planted crates, outdoor pots, vintage garden furniture and a great view across the site. The Applestore also sells the coolest pizza ovens handmade by a local company The Real Pizza Oven Company, perfect for alfresco dining all year round.

Inside is a treasure trove of old and new, there is so much to look at, to smell and take in, it really is a "shopping experience" from the second you walk through the door and you can easily spend a lot of time admiring the prettiness.

The gorgeous smell of the local handmade candles hit you as you walk in and as a candle lover, I was sold. The pretty natural soywax candles are handmade in Bourton-on-the-Water, are £6.50 which is a steal for a long burning handmade candle and there is 10 different scents to pick from.

Heather sources a lot of her stock and inspiration from Sweden where she used to own a house with her husband. This is where The Applestore was born. She now drives (!!!!) to Sweden twice or three times a year to buy new and unique stock and thats exactly what it is, totally unique. One of a kind pieces which are lovingly handmade in Sweden, hand painted in the most gorgeous bright colours with beautiful florals. There is nowhere else I know selling these types of pieces.

Heather is also a proud stockist and user of Annie Sloan decorative Chalk Paint, waxes, brushes and testers. Annie Sloan chalk paint needs no faff, no sanding, no priming and can be used on pretty much anything, inside or outside. Heather upcycles all her shabby chic furniture in this heavenly paint and you can see how much love goes into every stroke on every piece Heather works on. She is single handedly bringing these old pieces back to life!

There is much much more to the The Applestore than just Sweden and Annie Sloan, Heather also sells a mix of new gifts and vintage delights. I love the vintage tea sets which you can mix and match to create a unique gift box and the wide range of hanging hearts which are quickly filling my whole house (to the delight of my boyfriend).

What I love most about The Applestore is that every time I visit, there is always  new stock. This is partly down to how popular the shop has become and the very reasonable prices - I don't think I have ever left empty handed.

Follow The Applestore on Facebook & Twitter to see what's new, what Heather's working on and you'll be inspired to add some shabby chic to your own homestyle.

The Shopping List

After a gorgeous Sunday strolling down the high street in Broadway and browsing the selection of quirky and alternatively traditional shops, we found ourselves spending the evening browsing Cotswold Trading website to find our next purchases.

Here are just a few of our favourite items from the beautiful gift and housewares destination store Cotswold Trading in Broadway, where you can buy something for everyone and lots for yourself.  

(From top left, clockwise) 

Kitchen Aid Artisan Food Mixer in Almond Cream £389.00

Well a girl can dream! Emily spent some time swooning over this gorgeous Kitchen Aid, being a fantastic baker herself, this is the ultimate kitchen gadget.

Parlane Glass Drinking Jar with Straw £3.99

We loved this cute glass drinking jar! Perfect for picnics and parties and are just screaming out to be used to sip on summery pink lemonade.

The Middle Class ABC £14.99

A witty loo book with colourful, fun illustrations and a very british sense of humour. A great gift book! 

Magpie Abode Set of 4 Egg Cups £9.59 on SALE

We love the Magpie collection! Both having espresso cups already, these egg cups with four different geometric animal designs would make the perfect breakfast accompaniment.

Estella Bartlett You Me Oui Gold Linked Heart Necklace £10.50 on SALE

Estella Bartlett designs and makes beautifully delicate jewellery including, necklaces, bracelets and earrings. In gold or silver and in many designs, they come on a little gift card with kinds words which make them a welcomed gift for a loved one. 

Meri Mero Fancy Flowers Garland Kit £9.00

This garland kit is a fun and cheerful way of adding colour to a party, in the garden, to a child's bedroom... wherever you choose to hang this flower garland, it will put a smile on your face. 

Millie and Meg x

The Sunday Vibe | Broadway

Today we spent the afternoon in "The Jewel of Cotswolds", beautiful Broadway.

Broadway is a bustling town, famously an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs in England and Wales) mainly known for Broadway Tower, The Lygon Arms Hotel and it's picturesque high street.

What we love about Broadway is that it is visited by 1000's of tourists each week, but it still has a local feel to it, with plenty of shops, cafes, restaurants and walks to keep you busy.

You could make a whole day or weekend of visiting Broadway but here are a few places we visited on a Sunday afternoon.

Cotswold Trading is one of those shop's that you can't go into without coming out with something! It is an Aladdin's cave of all things gifty, stocking Cath Kidston, Crab Tree and Evelyn, L'Occitane, KitchenAid, Magpie and so much more! If you're a fan of NotOnTheHighStreet.com then this is the place for you! and if you can't get yourself to Broadway then order off their website.

We loved their selections of funny and thoughtful cards, gorgeous wrapping, hilarious and insightful books, Magpie crockery and little trinkets. In addition to this we were pleased that they also stocked local produce, including La De Da spoons, Cotswold Lavender products and Cotswold  Company Fair Trade Fudge.

Emily bought this lovely little songbird pot for her earrings.

Sue Parkinson is a well established long standing boutique where you will find gorgeous smelling candles and home fragrances, high fashion womenswear and as a lovely surprise a collection of Mulberry purses and bags.

All My Heart is another little shop that is almost impossible to go into without buying anything. They have a really good mix of good quality jewellery and accessories to little candles and fun trinkets. A really good shop for small gifts. Emily bought a little vase that cost £4.95 and Meg bought some Juicy Lucy note cards!

The Market Pantry has only been in Broadway for 18 months and is family owned and run by a husband and wife duo who have turned this little property into a boutique styled deli/pantry café.

All of their cakes are baked from home and all other food is made onsite from local produce. 
Megs had a delicious iced coffee and I had a flat white, which both went well with the Apricot and ginger flapjack that we shared! Yum!

Hamilton's of Broadway is an old fashioned styled sweet shop where Emily picked up some Cotswold fudge! So nice, it didn't last long.

Millie and Meg x

Summer To Do List

Now that summer is in full swing and we've all been enjoying a sunny spell of hot weather, we thought we would create our Summer To Do List. There is still plenty of time after all. 


1. Pick your own strawberries at Daylesford Farm

2. Summer body bootcamp. Has anyone tried FitFarms Cotswolds before? or could recommend another bootcamp/retreat style day for fitness, health and detox?

3. Kids day out at Cotswold Farm Park

4. Long walks in Bibury followed by lunch at The Catherine Wheel pub

5. Soaking up that view during dinner at The Feathered Nest in Nether Westcote

6. Have a relaxing spa day at Calcot Manor Spa, Tetbury 

7. Soap making masterclass with The Little Soap Company in Ebrington 

8. Summer clean the house using Mangle & Wringer natural cleaning products sold at The Applestore

9. Lots of leisurely brunches at Gusto Deli Montpellier, Cheltenham

10. Enjoy a day of good music, good food & good company at Jamie Oliver & Alex James's The Big Feastival 


Please add your suggestions in the comment box below. We'd love to know what you're up to this summer.

Millie and Meg x