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Joe Swift’s April gardening tips

This year's Chelsea Flower Show may be postponed, but there's no reason you can't put your green fingers to work on your own patch. Gardening div? We've got just the man for you.
Easy slow-cooked lamb for a spring feast

Looking for a low-effort crowd pleaser for a post lockdown get-together? This melt-in-the-mouth lamb recipe with polenta chips is just the ticket, slow-cooked for five hours.
58 things to glam up your garden

Garden parties are go, people! But, oh God — is that really the state of the patio? Glam up the garden and impress your guests with these 58 must-have garden objects.
Downsizing in later life? 9 things to consider

Got aging parents thinking to downsize? It pays to do your research. Here are 9 key things to look out for when you’re helping your parents find their next home
My favourite places: designer Chloe Kempster

The Chalk Paint® queen and furniture designer behind Maisie's House on TV's Money for Nothing let us in on her top local spots in Leicestershire - how many do you know?
Make your home grown up again

It’s been kid-central for the past 12 months but now, as schools reopen, it’s time to coax your home back into the land of the operational adult.
Kitchens 2021: the latest designs and colours

Gadget garages, working kitchens and unfitted units... This year, says new design company Huckleberry, we're witnessing a kitchen revolution. Here's what it looks like.
Out you go! Gardening tips for March

New month, new list of gardening jobs to prepare your patch for spring. Here are five foolproof tips, courtesy of award-winning Richard Key, to make your garden gorgeous.
Bring the bar to you: how to have a virtual night out

Counting down the days until that chilly pub garden come April? God, us too. Here's the next best thing: bar-quality cocktails, perfect ambience, and a whole lot of glam.
Face off! Expressive interiors to buy now

Inject a little personality into your home with these interior buys that feature quirky facial expressions, all from fabulous local businesses on The Indie Store.
Easy gardening jobs to do before Spring

Want a fabulous garden come spring? Now is the time to act! Here are five things you should be doing to see your garden flourishing once the sunnier days arrive.
Interiors inspo: bold spring refresh

Enough with cosy interiors and soft greys - here’s our edit of the fabrics, paints and tiles to lift your spirits and inject some spring into your step, hallway, walls, sofas...
I do like to be beside the seaside…

From seaside botlholes to A-lister-worthy waterfront homes - wake up to fresh sea air every morning in one of these 10 coastal properties for sale now.
Garden view getting you down? A winter quick fix

Stuck indoors all day with nothing but grey skies and your dishevelled garden for a view? Cheer up your lockdown vista with a window box or planter to brighten your day and mood.
The Simple Life: pared-back properties in nature

Looking to get away from it all? Try one of these dreamy pared-back properties for a taste of pastoral living. From projects crying out for TLC to sprawling listed mansions, we've got it all.
What’s cooking: 2021’s hottest kitchen trends

Looking to update your kitchen? If you're scouting for inspiration, you're in the right place. Here's what's hot in 2021.
In with the new (build)

Thinking about moving house in the new year but not sure what sort of house should be your home? Muddy weighs in on the old versus new build debate
It’s GBBO biscuit week! On your marks, get set, BAKE!

Ditch the custard creams and get your bake on making these gluten-free Italian almond biscuits by Giancarlo and Katie Caldesi. They're made for dunking.
Time to escape! The rise of the ‘She Shed’

Gone are the days when garden buildings were the preserve of men. The 'She Shed' has arrived and not a moment too soon. We talk to three women about what their shed means to them.
Property flirt! Guess the price.

Flirt alert! It's time to get nosy on someone else's home. Our idea of heaven. And this time you're in for a treat: we're talking baronets, baby, and a literary heritage to make you drool.
Transform your garden (and maybe your life)

North Oxfordshire landscapers Nicholsons are the best in the biz, so who better to ask for advice on creating a sublime outdoor garden space from dreamy grand designs to creative quick fixes. We chatted to owner Liz Nicholson.
Speedy supper: smoked Haddock Curry

Desperately seeking dinner inspiration? We've got a 30 minute fab fish curry for you from Tart London - the super-cool caterers of choice for the fashion set.
Let’s all live here! High Wycombe

Thinking about upping sticks? In our new regular, we snoop around a town or village in the Muddy 'hood to get the local lowdown. First up: High Wycombe in Bucks.
House beautiful! 5 chic interiors trends for 2020

New year, new decade, new home trends - time to go shopping, methinks...
Property flirt

It's mahoosive, magnificent and a stunning mix of old and new but aha my little snoops: can you guess the price?
It’s phwaor wheel drive fun

The family car just got a double shot of fun. Muddy revs up the JCW Mini Countryman and discovers compact SUVs can be safe, spacious and sporty.
Macaron making for dummies

One step closer to the Paul Hollywood handshake, Muddy whips up the perfect macarons at The Real Macaron Company's masterclass. Great British Bake Off 2020, I'm coming for you.
Muddy’s Christmas Wreath Making at Chatsworth

Combining feel-good festive creativity with a trip to one of her favourite childhood stomping grounds, Muddy Warwickshire’s Rhiannon Pursall heads north for a wreath making workshop at Chatsworth.
Blaggers guide to buying art

If buying art leaves you with a blank expression to match your blank walls, then read on, laydee. Before you make an expensive mistake, we called in the experts for some top tips.
How to host a spectacular winter party

If you're planning to host a party this winter, make sure your guests are still talking about it for months to come.
Property flirt’s baaaack

Is there anything more fun than nosing around other people's houses, imagining yourself in situ and guessing the price? Er, nope! Let the snooping commence.
Through the keyhole

A sprawling quirky property bursting with character ready to be transformed into the home of your dreams – with your own business too if you wish – in Somerset's most fashionable town
Vrooom! A car with zig-a-zig-ah

Spice up your life with something sleek and sporty – sadly Posh has her mitts on David Beckham, so we'll have to settle for the brand new BMW Z4.
Property flirt

Eyes down and look in: a supersized Victorian vicarage with spec-tac-ular kitchen, 7 beds, gym, hot tub and separate coach house in a Somerset village south of Bath
Berkshire’s new property hotspot

River location, great schools, indie shops a gogo and you can whizz into London in less than an hour. Pangbourne's ticking all the boxes.
Feeeeeeel the luxury

Comfortable, luxurious and practically drives itself. Buckle up, baby, Muddy takes the sexy new X5 for a spin.
Property Flirt

Mudsters, come and drool over a stunning Somerset house with oodles of land, a swimming pool – and its own vast Georgian tithe barn (every home should have one)
Sherry baby! It’s back

If you think sherry is just that unfashionable fortified wine drunk by grannies at Christmas, think again. It's making a major comeback. And here's why.
Guess the price !

It's huge, light and airy, and in a pretty, peaceful village lying neatly between Somerset's two cultural hotspots. Niiiice. So, fellow nosey parkers - how much do you reckon?
One reason to live in Somerset…

...the amazing houses! Like this vast Victorian vicarage with glorious grounds in a Somerset village not far from England's smallest city of Wells.
How to declutter your home

If you're sick of tripping over an ever expanding mass of 'stuff' in your home, it's time to grab those bin bags and let's get sorting. We're going to declutter!
There’s a chef in my kitchen!

Planning a special celebration in Cornwall? Hire this brilliant private chef and let the restaurant come to you.
Tomato bulgar salad

Need some summer salad inspiration? Try this summer tomato bulgar salad bowl from private chef Laura Scott.
Treasure hunt

Surrey is home to Europe's biggest and best antiques fair at Kempton Park, and now Sandown Park is joining the fun.
Edible art

This is what the term 'edible art' was invented for. Cakes that look almost too good to eat. Grab a fork, and tuck in!
Blanket love

Want to make your home cosy, inviting and super stylish all year round? We’ve found just the person to show you how.
The Kitchen

So you know your julienne from your chiffonade? Thought not. Muddy sharpens its knife skills and dices like a Don at Chewton Glen's cookery school.
Lusophile Portuguese homewares

Snap up these cheerful rugs and other accessories to give your home a touch of Portugal, via Battle, Sussex
Deliciously Ella’s Honey & Lemon Breakfast Bars

With a crunch and a zing, it's off to work we go. Deliciously Ella's breakfast bars are also good to munch on mid afternoon when you're having idle KitKat thoughts.
15 Collingwood is just ‘fabulous’

Beautiful mid-century and modern movement design classics mixed with industrial and reproduction furniture, it's all high quality, but most notably (to Philistine Muddy at least), it's VERY affordably priced.
Moving to Warks?

Meet Jayne Horton - the Warwickshire & Midlands own answer to Kirsty and Phil.
Soup for the soul

A hearty soup recipe to warm you up this winter from Leicestershire born food writer, cook, stylist and presenter Jo Pratt.
Somerset’s property hotspots

Pretty countryside, quirky towns, good schools, fab properties – just some of the reasons Somerset's become a great place to live
Moving to the country?

Leaving the big smoke and looking for that oh-so-perfect house in the country? We at Muddy are here to help!
Play property flirt

It's mahoosive, magnifcent and a stunning mix of old and new but aha my little snoops: can you guess the price?
Shakespeare’s Gardens

Been to visit the stunning contemporary new sculpture garden at Shakespeare's New Place in Stratford yet?
Snoopers Bazaar Interiors: Cool, Quirky, Unmissable

A clean, chic, airy space filled with glorious French, antique and industrial furniture and gifts — all warm wood, sheepskin and stars. Whether you want a quiet browse or the thrill of the chase, Snoopers Bazaar is for you. Two separate creative friends of mine, both with a great eye, told me I had to go. So, armed with my trusty […]
Do the century mash-up

Alongside bright green, natural materials, bronze, marble, and quirky lighting, one of the biggest trends for 2017 is mixing together different periods, vintage and contemporary, a sort of 'century mash-up'.