Meeting up for coffee for the best of reasons: to talk about the Cotswolds!

“Between Shakespeare's Stratford-Upon-Avon to the north and the university town of Oxford to the South, the Cotswolds are graced by several dozen charming villages. Even their names hint of pleasurable hours spent in antique stores and little tea shops serving scones and clotted cream: Bibury, Burford, Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water.” ― F. Lagard Smith

I met a friend for coffee yesterday for the best of reasons: to hear about her recent first-time visit to the Cotswolds. (As Hannah can tell you, there is hardly a day that the word "Cotswolds" doesn't come out of my mouth. Not kidding!)

So a few months back, when our friends Lindsey and Cole reached out to meet for coffee (all the best things start and end with a lavender latte, don't they?) because they were planning a trip to my "happy place" and they wanted to pick my brain, I joyfully agreed.

Their trip involved a lot of "rambling" (read: hiking) through the Cotswolds, a beautiful rural region in south-central and southwest England known for its rolling hills (or "wolds") and picturesque villages built from distinctive honey-colored Jurassic limestone.

It's what comes to mind when one thinks of quintessential English countryside. Spanning nearly 800 square miles across six counties, it is England's largest protected National Landscape (formerly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

Chris and I have visited several times, and we are already planning our next visit in 2027, in which we will introduce Hannah to our favorite towns like Stow-on-the-Wold and places like Daylesford Farm. I cannot wait to see the newly restored Kelmscott Manor (William Morris' home) for the first time ~ there is always something new-to-us to explore!

In preparation for their adventure, my young(er) friends grabbed a copy of one of my favorite books, Meeting God in Quiet Places: A Devotional Journey through the Cotswolds, written by F. LaGard Smith.

A copy of this book was first given to Chris and me by our friend Christie during our first holiday in the Cotswolds (a bit about that here) with her and her husband John. She'd picked up the signed copy at Borzoi Books, the independent bookshop in Stow-on-the-Wold.

Since then, both Chris and I have each read it at least 5 times. The essays, all of them based on sights and places in the Cotswolds, bring a sense of calm and wonder, and take me right back to my "happy place".

What I love about Lindsey is her joie de vivre, which includes reaching out on a whim to the author via email after they arrived in England. LaGard Smith and his wife Ruth are Americans who divide their time between Tennessee and their English home.

In true Southern style, LaGard responded right away and invited Lindsey and Cole to tea at their cottage in the village of Buckland, near the town of Broadway. They truly knew they were in the presence of a fellow Southerner when, as he picked them up, he quipped, "I'm not sure I can have Alabama fans in my car!"

A few wonderful hours were spent over homemade lavender shortbread cookies and carrot cake (and tea, of course!), sharing stories and becoming friends in the best way possible: in a cozy cottage, tucked in the vicinity of history (the oldest rectory in all of England is in Buckland), amid sheep-covered hills and beautiful architecture (both the Church of St. Michael and Broadway Tower are close by).

My coffee with Lindsey yesterday reconfirmed why I love this region and keep returning to it time and again. Lindsey is very well traveled, but she could not help but gush about the Cotwolds and is already dreaming about their next trip there!

As you likely know, our entire business was inspired by their pretty village shops offering beautiful artisan goods. Speaking of which, my Friday Favorites this week either come from or evoke the Cotswolds. We love to bring a bit of England to you.

(And I can't wait to share our recent glow-up with you after the finishing touches are complete. Still just a few more... I promise a shop tour soon ~ or you can come in and see in person! We are back to regular hours: Mon-Sat 10-5.)

xo,