FOR STARTERS
WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
IN DEFENCE OF... The Urban Fox Ignore the “nuisance” narrative, these wily canids represent the best of us, says Madévi Dailly
THREE OF A KIND
Go-To Products for a Spring Refresh
1 2 3
39 BC FIG MILK BODY OIL CLEANSER — The newest project from beauty mogul Sharmadean Reid, who’s intent on putting a bit of fanfare into the ritual of bathing, is 39 BC. This capsule collection comprises four different fragranced oil body cleansers inspired by Cleopatra and Mark Antony. The Fig Milk oil is perfect for spring, with uplifting notes of wild fig, cyclamen and green leaf. Unboxing the products – which arrive with a letter “signed” by Cleopatra in a box fastened with a silver seal – feels ceremonial in itself. £ 39 , 39 -bc.com PERFUMER H X STUDIO NICHOLSON SOAP FRAGRANCE — With their shared penchant for minimalism, Studio Nicholson and Perfumer H feel like the perfect fit for this made-in-London collaboration. Fashion designer Nick Wakeman and renowned nose Lyn Harris have collaborated on a scent named Soap, meant to evoke clean fabric on the skin. The subtle fragrance blends notes of cardamom and white pepper with aldehydes and orange flower over a base of white musk and tonka. £ 190 , perfumerh.com KEATS ESSENTIALS BUNDLE — Results-focused beauty brand Keats has gained a dedicated following in an impressively short time. Former Beauty Pie formulator Lucinda Hart launched Keats in 2025 with just two products: a serum and a moisturising cream (in sleek monochrome packaging), both silky-smooth and glow- giving for even the driest winter-weary skin. This bundle gives you both goodies at a discount. Watch this space for a third must- try product. £ 51 , keatsbeauty.com
After a temporary King’s Cross residency came to an end in 2020 , so began the careful restoration of five derelict waterworks buildings in Clerkenwell to create the UK’s first-ever permanent centre for illustration. This passion project of the nation’s most beloved nonagenarian illustrator, Quentin Blake, opens in the New River Head development in May. With free exhibitions, urban gardens and a cafe, plus a studio for budding illustrators to practice their craft, it’s described by the team as “art with a job to do”. Off Amwell Street, EC 1 R 1 XU WE’RE EATING Tuna melts
They’re furtive, fur-wrapped and sport noses so pointy one might be moved to ask for details of their Harley Street surgeon. No, I’m not describing Chelsea trophy wives, but rather the roughly 10 , 000 estimated representatives of the Vulpes vulpes species living in the capital. Notorious sightings of the common red fox include on various TFL buses, at the Pure Gym in Catford and in a kimono-loving, baseball-bat-toting lawyer’s back garden. If you missed the headlines, I’ll spare you the gory details. To say these bouncy, opportunistic foragers cleave opinion is an understatement. Yes, they can carry such exotic diseases as mange, flystrike, canine distemper and tapeworm. Yes, they might dig up your prize lettuces and freesias in search of toothsome voles and mice, ransack your bins and emit an ungodly screech when in heat. Yes, the Daily Mail has branded them an “urban menace” – but if you ask me, that is reason enough to be pro-fox. This time of year is when you are most likely to spot cubs – all oversized ears, bright eyes and bushy tails – taking tentative first steps into the world. I was blessed one spring by their playful, clumsy antics in my north London garden, where I watched them explore the world in tantalisingly close reach. Every encounter felt like being transported into a Studio Ghibli film – great helpings of magic and whimsy in a city that rarely affords us such innocent wonder. Before you reach for the nearest bat to deal with our local “nuisance” (or, like my cat-whispering neighbour, lure one into your car and drive it to Epping Forest), remind yourself that we’ve been encroaching on their habitat since World War I. Fox populations are naturally self-regulating, which means their numbers won’t explode and several charities will send out free treatment for mange. If, like me, you fall hard for a fox, you’re in good company. The wily canids are scrappy, resilient and oddly endearing – true Londoners at heart.
The dowdy tuna melt has been dusted off and upgraded at restaurateur Martin Kuczmarski’s new American diner, Dover Street Counter, in Mayfair. Chef Hamish Brown is mixing preserved tuna with mayo and a mix of secret spices, before layering it with house-made American cheese and red Leicester on organic sourdough, and pan-searing it in brown butter. The kicker? The chopped chives and pickled red chilli garnish, which lifts it to another plane. 31 Dover Street, W 1 S 4 ND
Illustration by Maisy Geddes
Words by Hayley Spencer
BROADSHEET LONDON
SPRING 26
8
9
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator