Thought Pieces
Longer reads, our thought pieces discuss topics close to our heart - conservation, nature, design and science.
Following a sabbatical, Thomasina wrote Mexican Table, her ninth book, a mouth-watering collection of vibrant, vegetable-forward recipes showcasing the 12 everyday ingredients she used time and again in her cooking.
Matthew Ryle’s love of French food started from an early age; holidays in France with his family had him slurping crème caramels, tasting his first croque madame on the slopes of the Alps, and burning his tongue on his first mouthful of French onion soup.
“For a taste of English country living, you can’t do much better than Thyme’s beautifully designed and appointed bedrooms, featuring a dazzling panoply of Hibbert’s botanical fabrics and a mix of antique and vintage pieces, like silver palm wall lights and chandeliers.” - Roslyn Sulcas, 1st Dibs.
Grasses and reeds stand tall, as high as the wanderers who tread the mown paths, a carpet with wild mint tangled through the undergrowth - its heady scent filling the air. It has been a dry year, from the first days of spring through to the heat of high summer, and the sun-bleached blades are a sure sign that the season has reached its peak.
Georgia Beaumont is a British artist whose practice is rooted in the quiet intricacies of the natural world. This summer we are delighted to be exhibiting her latest collection ‘Petal Tongued’ in collaboration with Wilder Gallery.
Stories from Science
If we can learn how to recognise the signs of low grade, chronic stress we can begin to manage it, take the matter into our own hands and restore balance in both our body and mind, to retune our engine.
This ritual switches off the body's stress response by activating the parasympathetic nervous system through the powerful combination of diaphragmatic conscious breathing, scent, nature and positive thought training.
The brain and gut are intimately connected through a complex system of nerves called the autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic responsible for the ‘fight or flight’ stress response and the para sympathetic (the vagus nerve) responsible for ‘rest & digest’ calming and quietening the body.
My ambition to create a breathing balm has been long held and was founded in the knowledge that slow, deep breathing can be an extremely powerful tool for life with remarkable and profound effects on our wellbeing.
The power of conscious diaphragmatic breathing is remarkable. Taken well, a deep breath has immense effects on our wellbeing.
Towards the end of September there was a palpable change in the weather, the air was cooler and the summery days where we basked in warm sunshine and were surrounded by butterflies at Thyme, seemed to be over.
For the Love of Wild Spaces
Few animals have such a strong link with the water meadows at Thyme as the Barn Owl. Present all year around but only fleetingly seen or heard at dawn and dusk when they’re travelling to and from their roosting spots inside tree trunk hollows or the artificial nest boxes provided for them. It has been an unalloyed privilege to spend time in the meadows over the last few years and to regularly see the owls hunting over the rough grassland, quartering up and down the lengths of the fields, hovering momentarily with their head turned towards the earth, before dropping silently onto their unsuspecting prey.
Nothing beats sitting in the long grasses, warmth beaming down, and a sundowner served from an old Landy in hand. It is a scene reminiscent of an evening on safari. But this particular scene took place in ourWater Meadows, a reminder that wild spaces are not always a plane ride away and the nature on. our doorstep is in need of our attention. In partnership with Plantlife, we hosted a talk discussing not only how important meadowlands are in the UK’s conservation efforts, but also to human health and creative inspiration.
Although the mornings are still cold, the wind has shifted to blow from the south bringing with it a wave of migratory birds that have been spending the winter in southern Europe or across the Sahara in West Africa.
A future where much of the wildlife we take for granted really is gone is a real possibility if action isn’t taken now
Ed Faulkner, co-founder of Sapling, gets to the roots of tree planting
The Wonderment of Wildflowers
In one square meter of wild flower meadow the diversity of plants which in turn support the wildlife is astonishing, meadowlands being arguably Britain’s most biodiverse habitat.
Thyme x Plantlife
Thyme is proud to announce that we are a Patron of Plantlife, the conservation charity which helps landowners to restore and create their own meadows and owns and manages meadow reserves across Britain.
Tusk is delighted to partner with Thyme in promoting the conservation of wild spaces at a time when biodiversity needs protecting more than ever. Tusk was founded 30 years ago to safeguard the wildlife and habitats of Africa.
Thyme Travels
Join Jerry Hibbert, husband of Thyme’s founder Caryn, as he takes us back in time with historic tales of the Southrop Manor Estate and surrounding area.
In 1823 John Keble (of Fairford) became Vicar of Southrop and Eastleach. and lived at The Lodge (then called Southrop Parsonage) from 1823 to 1827.
Southrop Manor Farm House was built in 1623, and its Tithe Barn would have been built around this time too.
Since the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 (Southrop Manor being one until then), the English population had lived quietly for fifty years.
There is much evidence of medieval farming around Southrop. Farming techniques then involved piling up the soil in long rows known as ‘ridge and furrow’.
In 43AD the Emperor Claudius's troops invaded Britain and the conquest had properly begun.
Thoughts Wall
Following a sabbatical, Thomasina wrote Mexican Table, her ninth book, a mouth-watering collection of vibrant, vegetable-forward recipes showcasing the 12 everyday ingredients she used time and again in her cooking.
Matthew Ryle’s love of French food started from an early age; holidays in France with his family had him slurping crème caramels, tasting his first croque madame on the slopes of the Alps, and burning his tongue on his first mouthful of French onion soup.
“For a taste of English country living, you can’t do much better than Thyme’s beautifully designed and appointed bedrooms, featuring a dazzling panoply of Hibbert’s botanical fabrics and a mix of antique and vintage pieces, like silver palm wall lights and chandeliers.” - Roslyn Sulcas, 1st Dibs.
Grasses and reeds stand tall, as high as the wanderers who tread the mown paths, a carpet with wild mint tangled through the undergrowth - its heady scent filling the air. It has been a dry year, from the first days of spring through to the heat of high summer, and the sun-bleached blades are a sure sign that the season has reached its peak.
Georgia Beaumont is a British artist whose practice is rooted in the quiet intricacies of the natural world. This summer we are delighted to be exhibiting her latest collection ‘Petal Tongued’ in collaboration with Wilder Gallery.
Head Gardener Daryll shares 5 edible flowers to grow in your garden this summer.
At thyme we keep a few hives of bees, from which we harvest fresh honey to be used in the Ox Barn. Today, we meet our Bee Keeper, who shares his knowledge on all things bees!
Katie Fontana is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Plain English. We were delighted to host Katie as part of our recent talk, An English Kitchen, which explored the fascinating history of the kitchen, its evolution in design, and how the kitchen shapes family dynamics and daily rituals.
It is well founded that time spent in nature inspires and nourishes. But did you know that recent scientific research shows that nature-based design can trigger a similar wellbeing response?
Ngoc Minh Ngo is an acclaimed garden photographer whose work depicts the magic of flowers and their role in human experience.
We are delighted to welcome her to Thyme on Friday 30th May to speak about her beautiful new book: Roses in the Garden. Here Ngoc tells us about her journey into the world of roses and the literary influences which have shaped her exploration.
Join Cath Kidston Padgham, Fibrex, and other guest sellers on Friday 23rd May, for ‘Pellymania’, a vibrant charity geranium sale hosted by Thyme.
Ahead our upcoming talk, we asked Letitia a selection of zesty questions to inspire our culinary enthusiasts ahead of the summer season.
Hiding in plain sight, down a street in the centre of the artistic town of Stroud, you’ll find a magical historic printing press called Rooksmoor Press owned by Katie Beard.
Renowned English Gardener Sarah Raven returns to Thyme this March to host four gardening courses spanning flowers, vegetables and pots, from 18th - 21st March.
Since 1999, she has been running courses from her own Sussex garden, Perch Hill, and is known for presenting on Gardener’s World and her books on gardening. Here she recounts her inspirations and what to expect this Spring.
This pretty botanical is the inspiration for one of our most romantic bedrooms.
A renewed purpose: the Christmas trees of Thyme now bring a new joy to our flock of Welsh Black Mountain sheep.
One of green's most wonderous attributes is its ability to create an atmosphere of calm.
In our mission to minimise waste and combat the throwaway culture that haunts hospitality, we’re proud to launch our newest initiative: Socks & Crocs.
This frosty season is known traditionally as ‘the hunger gap,’ yet our productive gardens are in no state of hibernation.
We often say that the wellbeing experience at Thyme starts with a simple walk through nature — no matter the season. We know that spending time in nature can have a profound impact on our wellbeing, and autumn offers its own healing properties.
Autumn is also our wettest season and the temptation is, when it looks like rain, to play it safe and stay indoors — but knowing the benefits of walking in the rain might tempt us to be a little bit braver, to get out and about even on the wettest of days.
A long standing friend of Thyme, Chloe Hodgson is a renowned Pilates instructor and respected wellness expert. Her experience extends beyond the mat offering a holistic approach to wellbeing and with over a decade of experience.
Autumn is a busy time for wildlife as animals and birds prepare for the coming colder weather. We have collated some tips on easy things that you can do in your own garden to help pollinators, hedgehogs, birds and more.
As the colours of the world start to change day by day, we begin our Thoughtful Design series with Edward Bulmer, partner and founder of Edward Bulmer Natural Paint. Here, he reflects on the philosophy behind the calming, verdant tones of our Meadow Spa.
Founded by Ruth Alice Rands, women’s knitwear brand HERD is a staple in our boutique.
HERD knitwear is described as ‘Honest as the Earth herself, our knitwear is nature unfurled. There is no harm, no squander, no toxicity, no needless travel. Made in the best of English wool traditions and brought to life. Our knitwear collections are all-natural complementary pieces that embody and imbue all that is the HERD way.’
Join us on a journey of joyful learning.
This Autumn we go back to school, launching a series of in person talks, workshops and events with Create Academy instructors.
We are excited to announce our summer exhibition, a solo show by Endellion Lycett Green in collaboration with Laura Lopes Art.
Tuesday evening marked the grand unveiling of Endellion Lycett Green’s latest exhibition, ‘And I Saw Solomon’s Seal’, brought to life in collaboration with Laura Lopes Art.
We are delighted to welcome back Rachel de Thame and Lauren Lusk, a mother-daughter duo who have recently launched a new collaborative book titled ‘A Flower Garden for Pollinators’.