All Things Considered: December edit
A round-up. Let's pretend it's not mid-Jan.
Hello friends,
I debated whether to send this All Things Considered because it’s far too late for a December round-up, but time is an abstract concept and who’s counting? I intended to send this a week ago when it wouldn’t have been weird to send an email that mentions Christmas several times, but for personal reasons that I won’t go into, 2025 got off to a difficult start.
I’ve written about this before but I always put too much pressure on myself to have the Best Christmas Ever, so this year we laid low and had a chilled few days in London. For New Year, we escaped the revelry and stayed in a shepherd’s hut on Aller farm in Dorset, which we’ve been to twice before. It’s run by Cat and Ant who own the farm and Cat especially is just the loveliest, most thoughtful woman you could ever meet. The hut’s interiors are very different to my own style but that doesn’t matter, Cat’s care and attention to detail are why we always feel so relaxed and happy there.
On the way to Dorset, we broke up the drive with a night at The Great Bustard in Wiltshire and for a small country pub, the rooms are exceptionally good! It’s a pub and not a country house hotel, so all the rooms look over a car park or the pub itself (there are no ornamental gardens outside the window) but once you’re aware of that detail, I think it’s one of the loveliest options for a stopover between London and Cornwall. It’s in a small village about five miles from Stonehenge and just outside Salisbury. Plus, if you’re interested in art and sculpture, it’s only 15/20 mins drive from Roche Court Sculpture Park and Messums West. Rooms are circa £150 and that includes a proper homemade breakfast. The bedrooms have huge no-expense-spared beds, tasteful colour palettes, thick curtains and smart hardware. I imagine the upscale simplicity of Heckfield Place was an inspiration.
Like everyone, we’ve been glued to the news this week, horrified by the wildfires in LA. My boyfriend and I celebrate 10 years together in March and we’d decided to spend our big anniversary in LA. Just last weekend, we were planning which flights to book and which areas to stay in - we couldn’t wait to be back. I’m heartbroken for everyone who now faces the reality of rebuilding their life and community from scratch.
I don’t have friends or family in California but
has written about her experience (her home is thankfully unharmed) in her newsletter, À La Carte. In that post, she also includes some links to fundraisers for those who lost their homes. Ali is based in Altadena, which has been badly impacted, and this week she has been taking donations and also using some of the proceeds from her newsletter to buy necessities for people in her community. Consider supporting À La Carte with a paid subscription - it’s is my favourite Substack to read and a visual treat, full of thoughtful insights and recommendations.
YSSO 1989 gold-plated shell earrings, £290
If you’ve seen me in the last two years, I was probably wearing YSSO earrings. I wear the crescent sun design constantly and they’re light enough to wear all day. This is the everyday style I’ve got my eye on next and I love that they’re a non-identical pair, with one facing up and one facing down. They also come in silver.
Straw x Herd bonnet in moss, £145
I’ve seen people wear this bonnet in red and they look cute AF. Unfortunately, I look dreadful in bright red but I do love the idea of a bonnet that I can tie rather than pull on over my already-static hair. Plus, as I have a giant head, hoods that look charming and roomy on others look a bit condom-ish on me.
Italian Interiors book by Phaidon, £38
I mostly buy older or second-hand interiors books as the prices really start to add up when you buy new titles, but having looked at a few select images online (I haven’t flicked through it yet), I do fancy this one. I love Italian design, and I’m really craving imagery that isn’t trend-led or doing the rounds on Instagram.
TOAST large velvet bedspread, £399
I’ve always loved TOAST’s handstitched velvet bedspreads but I’ve never bought one because of the size – they’re too small to drape over a king-size bed. That is, until now. They have finally expanded their offering to add a couple of large options (this and a dusky blue) in a generous size that’s far better suited to a bed. Not cheap but they’re a keep-for-a-lifetime type of purchase.
Folie Chambre lacquer ribbed lamp, £365
The excellent new ribbed lamp is the latest addition to Folie Chambre’s made-in-Yorkshire lighting collection. It’s designed by a fellow northerner whose first physical store/studio is now open in Hull. I’d go for the wine or grass colourways.
Navy Grey The Border Cable cardigan, £325
I love the look of Navy Grey’s knitwear but I haven’t bought anything yet as it’s a saving-up situation. I did swing by their Marylebone shop the other day and the quality of everything felt just as good as I hoped – weighty and thick.
Zara Home rechargeable lamp, £39.99
I have this tiny lamp and I use it every day (the charge only lasts an evening so I plug it in overnight). It makes such a difference to have a cordless lamp in dark corners and on dining tables. I’m not in love with it aesthetically – it’s inoffensive and discreet but if I had the budget, I’d prefer a Bellhop or Gustave lamp from Flos. I still rate it though as it’s affordable and charges via a USB-C port, so I just plug it into my laptop cable.
Selene planter from Claude Home, $595
Instagram keep serving me this planter as a sponsored ad and fine yes, I will concede it’s pretty great. It comes in a few different sizes and there’s also a matching firebowl design for the patio. It looks like a planter version of the classic Mid-Century Swedish brass candle holders by Gusum or Skultuna.
Alohas chocolate brown suede trainers, £127.50
Not much to say about these other than you know my penchant for trainers, plus I love brown (I’m an autumnal gal all year round) and I always have time for a gum sole. Not sure how the shape will look on, but I’m tempted to investigate!
Soeur Namaste brown and green vest, £105
This knit is just on the right side of grandad and it’s in the sale. Tricky colours but great with denim and will work over a plain shirt or even a fine stripe.
Wait… You Did What?! memoir journal, £28
I decided against making a Christmas gift guide but if I had made one, I’d have included this journal. It’s a new concept from journalist Sophie de Rosée and you can personalise the cover image, so it’s an ideal gift. Once the questions/prompts have all been answered by the recipient, it reads as a memoir of sorts. For obvious reasons, it would be a treasure to give this to a grandparent or parent who might not have shared their best stories on camera or paper.
Notes from December:
After months of promises to break my reading drought, I finally started a book. Alas, I’m not loving the one I chose and I keep zoning out. I won’t mention the name but it’s one of the usual titles everyone (but me) has already read. The protagonist is too Manic Pixie Dream Girl for me, so I was agitated from about two pages in. I’ll persevere and give it more of a chance.
This might be lost on people outside the UK and I don’t watch it myself, but I read that William Roache has played Ken Barlow on Coronation Street for 65 years! He’s 92 and still stalking the cobbles of Weatherfield with a full head of hair. It’s hard to comprehend 65 years of playing just one character.
I finally started therapy in December via the NHS (going private isn’t accessible to me). They offer a finite eight sessions but it’s a start, and I definitely should have started years ago. I didn’t want the sessions to end, so it was amazing news this week when my therapist said she’s allowed to work with one patient for six months and the spot is mine if I’d like it. She thinks there’s a lot we can unpack together and I left feeling so hopeful!
I included the cashmere polo below from Massimo Dutti in my last All Things Considered edit, and I said I loved it, but wasn’t sure about the colour on me. Reader, I bought it in December, and it’s my current favourite knit. I’m pictured wearing it at The Newt in Somerset, where we went for a walk and lunch while we were in the area over New Year. It’s one of my absolute favourite places, and I stocked up on crumble-topped mince pies at their shop.
Me at The Newt in a Soeur coat, TOAST trousers and Massimo Dutti knit
Instead of buying each other presents, my boyfriend and I clubbed together for a new TV as our old one kept turning itself off. It’s the LG OLED C4 and oh god, it’s SO good! We watch a lot of TV at home and my boyfriend works for a VFX studio, so he’s obsessive about picture quality. If you’re in the market for an upgrade, the black levels are pitch black and the colours are so vibrant. New films and animations look spectacular on it. We found the best price online and then asked Richer Sounds to match it, which saved us £200.
I’m as surprised as anyone but I finally saw Wicked (at home, on our telly of dreams) to see why everyone is obsessed with it and I liked it so much that I watched it for three consecutive days. When I’m feeling anxious (as I am at the mo), I rely on repetitive comfort-watching, so apparently I’ve latched on to Wicked this time. I usually hate musicals, so I don’t know why this got me like it did, but I was glued to the screen. My boyfriend might flee in the night though if I don’t stop singing Popular…
For someone who claims to hate musicals, I also watched the sequel to The Joker because I was curious about the scathing reviews. I love Joaquin Phoenix (and he’s excellent in this) but I understand why it flopped. The singing was relentless and it felt irrelevant and disruptive half the time. For me, the frequency of the songs made it feel boring and hard to connect with.
Everyone talks about December as the ‘silly season’ and there’s many a reference to party dressing and too many plans. It’s uncool to admit this but I wasn’t invited to any Christmas parties or dinners last month and it made me miss the days when I had colleagues. I usually hate staying out late and paying for expensive taxis, but my December diary was full of cobwebs and I definitely had FOMO. On the plus side, my unintentional hermit month meant I was one of the few people who didn’t have flu for Christmas!
I used to drink gallons of hot chocolate in winter but I’ve toned it down in recent years, I do have a favourite this year though and it’s from Gelupo gelato shop in Soho. It’s like drinking pure melted hazelnut chocolate but it’s served in a tiny macchiato cup, so it’s not overwhelming. I noticed they also do a hot chocolate version of an affogato, so I’ll be trying that next time. For a full-size hot choc in London, honourable mentions go to Knoops and Ottolenghi. If I’m making it at home, I love Harth’s cinnamon hot choc.
I planned to make homemade chocolate mousse over Christmas, but while we were in the supermarket, I remembered that a cheap Bonne Maman mousse pot transferred to a bowl and drizzled with good olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt is a quick and totally acceptable cheat’s alternative. Olive oil and salt improve all chocolate mousse, IMO. I also want to try adding orange or coffee (or both?!) to the one I eventually make.
In my determination to not cook over Christmas, I bought an apple tarte tatin from Popham’s in Islington and we’re still reminiscing about it now. It serves four and you can buy it from their home goods/deli store, just whack it in the oven and it tastes like it was freshly homemade. We had it on the 25th with pouring cream AND vanilla gelato (I’m a monster who won’t choose). It was about £13 and worth every penny. We ate the whole thing in one go and it was madly delicious! I hope they sell it all year round but haven’t checked yet.
On Christmas Eve, we finally tried The Devonshire pub in Soho, which is always fully booked but I’d heard the steak set menu (£25 for two courses or £29 for three) is meant to be excellent value, plus they do Guinness Zero on tap. The tables were packed together, so I was on edge with the amount of coughing and sneezing, but the food was delicious. Portions were on the smaller side but it meant we didn’t feel gross afterwards and their warm, pillowy bread was heaven. A veggie set menu isn’t advertised but you can request one.
I’ve been watching a lot of slower-paced indie films recently and adored The Holdovers, which is set at Christmas in the 1970s. I loved the soundtrack too and it’s an easy one to write to, though there are too many festive numbers that I need to skip past now.
I also enjoyed A Real Pain, though my boyfriend found it dull and it annoys him that Jesse Eisenberg always plays the same skittish neurotic character. Keiran Culkin was brilliant (I really like him as an actor in general) and the ending left me with a lot of questions about what’s next. There was a bit of a Planes, Trains and Automobiles vibe and I don’t think that’s a spoiler.
Another film about the subtlety of the characters and their relationships was Janet Planet. I don’t even know how I found it, I think I just saw the title and liked the rhyme, but I loved the innocence of 11-year-old Lacy, and the setting made me miss the days before mobile phones.
My must-see from December was Anora. It’s by the same director as The Florida Project and has the same raw feel. It’s superb, and the entire cast is incredible. It has the tension of Uncut Gems in parts, but at other times, it’s tender or laugh-out-loud funny. The ending left me needing a moment to sit quietly and process it. Mikey Madison, who plays the lead, deserves an Oscar.
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Thanks for reading! Back soon xx
This was all wonderful to read, your recommendations, humour and taste are sublime, pal. The Ken Barlow fact made me particularly smile (and I'm SO glad therapy has been a success, it's such a big step- so big kudos)! Also, The Holdovers is BRILLIANT (and the style inspiration = 10/10) (sorry I could literally micro reply to everything but I shall refrain xxx
Thank you so much for sharing, Eleanor!