I particularly appreciate the importance of food at this time of year, with its role in bringing family and friends together.   For me It’s a big ‘yes’ to shopping for the best  quality produce for family and friends to cook a celebratory meal, so exhausted I have become from all the belt-tightening recessionary mantra. Christmas  breaks free from this, it is a glorious celebration ( or it should be) of life and its little luxuries, and a generous season that sits uncomfortably with the  notions of thrift and frugality that have loomed like a heavy shadow throughout the year. So it’s down to Clifton Road for me, and  Chamberlayne Road , a hearbeat away in Kensal Rise is  just fabulous too.

And then there’s the spirit of Christmas which really endears. You know – the general bonhomie and conviviality, the warmth and generosity of others and for others that just seems to spill over at this time of year, the traditions , the celebrations, and the joy on the children’s faces as they stay up all night awaiting the irrepressible St Nick. All of which, taken together, must surely be a metaphor for the hope that lies within us?

Lola Bailey

I am fired up with excitement about the Amadeus Centre’s thrilling plans for a new coookery school; read about this in our interview with centre manager Elias Bate.

And how about feeding the mind? In this issue you will find plenty to keep you interested, expand your social circles even, and perhaps, who knows, your career opportunities.

Indeed, travellers who would have previously left Blighty at the drop of a hat are now waxing lyrically about ’staycationing’. This of course is great news for the LifeWest team, it offers us the perfect opportunity to hunt out some unique and stunning boltholes for you. And that we have done, joyfully.

Do we have a theme for this issue? Well, besides the obvious, how about ‘Simple pleasures?’.  Ideas include a good game of tennis with friends. An ice  cold glass of elderflower lemonade. Lazy days spent by a pool reading the latest Booker listed. Fish suppers. Much of the inspiration for this comes from our gorgeous cover star Laetitia Maklouf, whose gorgeous book ‘ The Virgin Gardener’ is a testament to the richness and beauty of the simple- and the perfect summer read. 

Happy holidays.

Whether or not food and art are natural bedfellows is chewed over throroughly in the magazine, and we have looked for interesting arty-foody titbits for your enjoyment. We particularly encourage you to take a look at Enrica Rocca’s superb eponymous site , and perhaps sign up for one of her cookery classes.

Our Travel feature shortlists the best breaks which combine  food and art both at home and away. Last but certainly not least,  right here in the lovely Clifton Nurseries is an exhibition by renowned sculptor David Macilwaine whose pieces will live in Clifton Nurseries until September (for more information visit www.davidmacilwaine.co.uk); whilst you are there you are well advised to sample the sublime chocolate and Guinness cake in the new Clifton Kitchen cafe.

My inbox is positively reverberating with ‘va va voom’ as new ventures abound, and I predict more will follow in this bold act of rebellion. Amongst those enjoying  success right now are our Cover star and Nail Spa boss Farah Ahmed (  Clifton Road, Maida Vale) and the ridiculously talented Yvonne Martin of the eponymous beauty clinic. So we just had to interview them both in this issue.

Success is a key theme in this issue, fashion experts Rous Iland (www.rousiland.com) pick out  a killer wardrobe for us in our regular WorkLife feature and Matthew Waren has a few tips on motivating staff.

Naturally there is much more. We hope you get a chance to enjoy some of our shortlisted exhibitions in our ‘Spring Hits’ feature, we have negotiated some pretty good offers for you and tried out a few promising new restaurants such as Khun Mae and Poem. Then there is our gift list for Mother’s Day – that most important of days! Fabulous gifts await you mums! Indeed on this front, my faith is strong.

Our next issue is out in the first week of May and looks great, with Art and Food being the two key themes.Look out for it!

And we are very happy to oblige with inspiration and good news, which will have you positively skipping in the face of the economic upheaval. We have eye-opening features and wonderful treats await you in this issue. Valentines Day is of course celebrated with marvellously romantic ideas for a perfect day. Our local star this issue is Natasha Panas, Keeley Walker’s interview with her is fabulous and our advice to you is to buy Natasha’s new album ‘Yellow Flowers’ without delay( for more information go to www.natashapanasmusic.com). Enjoy the issue, and see you in the Spring.

Are you someone who has the luxury of ‘free time?’ If you are (and even if you are not) we’ve short-listed a few of the best events and exhibitions in town for you.  There’s more of course. Local celebrity singer Heather Small has granted us an exclusive interview giving us a glimpse into her incredible life. Heather will be playing Ronnie Scotts in October for a few dates only so don’t miss it. Throw in interviews with local author Simonetta Wenkert whose long awaited new book ‘The Half-Known Life’ is now out, plus Deborah Wulfsohn’s charming interview with oyster king Armando Lema and it’s a vintage one.

Cynicism, I am told by my more ‘with-it’ friends, is now passé, so we have decided to celebrate all things noble. Black History Month (October) is always a good excuse to single out the Great and the Good from the past, but right here right now, truly altruistic organizations such as Traidcraft, which we are also featuring in this issue, deserve a pat on the back.

Other than that, we’ve got the usual mix of Gastro treats, Property bits and some sound work advice alongside elegant work accessories for our hard-working but glamorous readers. I have signed the deal and hooked up with two superb new columnists: the urbane Steve Winney of flaunt-it* www.flaunt-it-decoration.co.uk who starts with us in our Christmas issue as does the lovely, super -energetic wellbeing guru and Radio 2 presenter Janey Lee Grace of the ‘Imperfectly Natural’ fame, www.imperfectlynatural.com. As for me, I have been hard at work looking for some serious gems of businesses for our lovely readers. West London continues to triumph with its eclectic mix of cutting edge, high quality businesses. Lovers of Italian food (I refuse to use that overused, ubiquitous word ‘foodie’) should look no further than Alimentari wwww.alimentarilondon.com for quality Italian produce. The e bar in Little Venice, www.theebar.co.uk (which we hope will be joining us in our Christmas issue) is currently brimming with fresh new  confidence thanks to its brand new Spanish chef, and Samson of Samson Miro fame www.samsonmiro.com tells me that  a new look is being planned for his wine bar on Chamberlayne Road, Kensal Rise… sooo exciting.  What else, I hear you ask? I am having a chat with Minkies very soon (also on Chamberlayne Road) to discuss promoting their music events which by all accounts are fabulous. There really is much, much more. Look out for my Christmas blog!

Lola Bailey

If, like me you are not quite ready to get out the bikini for your glamorous holiday in Bora Bora, we do understand. I have been desperately searching for quick- fixes and may have just found the answer which I reveal to you in the magazine.

If however, you are staying put for the summer then London is most definitely a happening place – read our hot list of things to do, and take advantage of the great new restaurants opening up in the capital. Unfortunately, though, you don’t get much change from £50 for a decent meal out, so we have teamed up with a high profile diners club, for some super offers for you.

What else, I hear you ask? For a start, we have great new features and super reader offers to enjoy. New features include a new, regular  Interiors page, Travel, At Work, Natural Health, Eco Life and as already mentioned, the new, regular “Capital Ideas” page -our pick of the best “To do’s “ in London. Following the feedback, we have received future issues will include even more on food and wine, interiors and architecture, and maybe the odd celebrity interview.

Also brand new is our  Directory of essential services and businesses which you will find at the back of the magazine and which we hope will give you even more reason to hang on to your issue for longer. Please do continue to write to us with your comments and suggestions, which are very helpful. The magazine continues to grow from strength to strength- in both pagination and in the outstanding quality of the editorials. Our advertisers offer premium goods and services, originality and quality being the essence to their continuing longevity. Looking for high-end, hand made wallpaper? Look no further than Fromental, www.fromental.co.uk. Need some architectural help with your building project?  Give Archplan a call or surf their site at www.archplan.co.uk

Or perhaps a little bit of interior styling is all you are after, in which case have a look at www.myinteriorstylist.com. For buying and selling advice or help Compton Reeback are the ones to go for, www.comptonreeback.co.uk- we have had nothing but positive feedback on them.  If you have household goods from antiques to iconic modern items you would like to sell then try www.simplysold.co.uk.  Store your precious gems at a metrosafe- www.metrosafe.co.uk- there’s a good one on Circus Road, in St Johns Wood.

There is plenty on offer gastro- wise in the magazine too. Our favourites include Raoul’s, both the deli and the café –www.raoulsgourmet.com, The fern house on Abbey Road, The Boat House, XO to go –check out www.rickerrestaurants.com, and finally Brilliant Kids  if you have children and need a break at the same time as drinking a decent coffee www.brilliantkids.co.uk. Talking of Kids, we hear through the grapevine that Paddington Arts, www.paddingtonarts.org .uk is planning to launch a special project in September so look out for this in our autumn issue. The Tricycle Theatre continues to be a welcome relief to parents on a Saturday morning courtesy of their Saturday Workshops, www.tricycle.co.uk.

During the week, if you are with the children try Gymboree Hampstead, which for a franchise is actually very good and Sonia Garrett’s team do a marvelllous job there. We have some new specialist children’s shops joining us in the autumn too, which provide essential goods and services so look out for these in our next issue too. They include The Natural Mat Company which provide organic bedding for babies www.naturalmat.com, funky kids clothing by way of Their Nibs, www.theirnibs.com and many more.

Last but not least, we are calling all ladies! The Inner Circle is what you have been waiting for! Have a look at their site, www.theinnercircle.tv and feast on the treats lying in wait for you. If Private Member’s clubs are not your thing then we recommend the divine Divine for some beauty relief; Ade there does an amazing facial and massage www.divinebeauty.com. Word on the street is that Human nature is of much value too, massage wise, www.thismassageworks.com. Prices are steep though, you have been warned.

For now though, put your feet up, have a browse, and enjoy. And do shop locally- apart from helping to maintain the diversity of our streets, the value of our properties is much helped in so doing.

Lola Bailey