The urban guide to the countryside -

Warwickshire

Well, hello!

I'm Catherine, editor of Muddy Warwickshire, here to bring you the quirky, cool and downright unmissable in the area.

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Gotta Have It

A little mood-boosting treat is something we all need right now, I reckon. A dollop of luxe hand cream seems a rather good place to start.

Our curated A-Z of the grooviest local businesses

#chefshelpinghands: Appeal for Warwickshire chefs to help homelessAubrey Allen boss Russ Allen has teamed up with local charities Helping Hands and LWS Night Shelter to produce meals for Leamington Spa's homeless and those most in need.
Muddy updates – if we can’t go out, order in!Independent food and drink businesses are adapting to the covid-19 crisis with takeaway servies, online delivers and non-contact drive-through options.
Working (out) from home: 6 on-demand exercise classesMissing your regular gym classes? Here's six of the best on-demand workouts you can stream into your living room.
Get creative! 6 fun at-home classes for kidsSchool's out for... well, nobody's quite sure, but never fear, we've got something to fill their days with these six fun online classes.
A Muddy call to armsThe escalation of you-know-what means our beloved local businesses are battling to survive - but we have some ideas to help. Ready, steady, support!

Little Black Book

The latest handpicked businesses we think you’ll love

Becketts Farm

KLR Interiors, Studley

Bumbles Coffee House and Lifestyle Store, Studley

Old Coffee Tavern, Warwick

Whittle’s Restaurant and Bistro, Leamington Spa

Slurp, Leamington Spa

The Townhouse, Stratford-upon-Avon

The George Townhouse, Shipston-on-Stour

Hill Close Gardens, Warwick

Arden House, Stratford-upon-Avon

The Arden Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon

Mallory Court Country House Hotel and Spa, Leamington Spa

Eat Out View more
Muddy updates – if we can’t go out, order in!

Many independent food and drink business owners across Warwickshire are adapting to online deliveries, takeaway services and non-contact collection.
- MUDDY EATS:The Star and Garter, Leamington Spa
  
  What's new at this Warwickshire gastropub?..A new chef, a new manager and a new spring menu that's what! Muddy meets the team at a fantastic spring taster evening.
- Top 50 gastropubs in the UK
  
  Whose tripled-cooked chips have got them into the gastropub hall of fame? Check out the best...
- A romantic afternoon tea in gothic Victorian splendour?
  
  Looking for chandelier-hung, vintage glamour and velvet sofas this Valentine's Day? Whittles at Binswood in Leamington Spa, a grade II listed gothic Victorian mansion and former school, should suit you nicely!
- 3 good reasons to visit Ettington Park Hotel
  
  We've been before but it was so hauntingly good, we just had to go again.

School Reviews

Our honest reviews of the UK’s best schools

Read the reviews

Fun Finder

Making plans? Find your perfect Pub, Inn, Hotel, Café, Restaurant or Bar across the Muddy counties.

Travel View more
Restaurants with rooms

Dreaming of a foodie getaway? We’ve scoured the Muddy counties for hotel stays with serious culinary credentials for when lock-down lifts. Tuck in.
- UPDATE: 7 National Trust parklands in Warwickshire **now closed**
  
  Free entry and car parking was announced at many National Trust gardens and parklands - but it has since taken the decision to close to reduce covid-19..
- The perfect theatre overnighter
  
  Oozing theatricality, with stunning waterfront views and an award-winning brasserie The Arden Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon is a stylish 4-star luxe hotel right opposite the RSC!

Fashion View more
How to buy jeans

Because let’s face it, it’s always a nightmare, right? Wrong! Thanks to this brilliant styling service at John Lewis. Tricky customer Kerry Potter gives it a whirl – here’s how she got on.
- 5 of the best…French slogan jumpers
  
  Bonjour, sexy new knitwear! These chic slogan jumpers are guaranteed to add a little je ne sais quoi to any ensemble - we adore.
- 5 of the best… trench coats
  
  It's a style classic for a reason - the trench is probably the most chic, useful piece you can buy (banish all thoughts of Inspector Clouseau). Here are our new season favourites.

Beauty View more
- 5 of the best… face masks
  
  We love the enforced relaxation that comes with using a face mask - you have no choice but to lie back and take things easy for a while. Plus you emerge with skin peachier than a baby's bottom. Result!
- REVIEW: LavaShell Massage
  
  Could retreating underground for a massage with hot rocks be the perfect escape after the festive frenzy? Muddy Warwickshire's Rhiannon was all too obliging to give it a try, at Leamington’s stylish salon The Beauty Rooms.

Arts & Culture View more
Self-isolating? 20 ways to keep entertained

From a ‘lamb cam’ to watching 18 RSC productions for free we’ve gathered ideas from many of Warwickshire’s top cultural attractions on how to entertain yourself and the kids during self-isolation.
- Read THESE this month
  
  Reasons to be cheerful: spring has sprung and a brilliant new batch of March books has arrived. Gather around, and let Muddy's pro-bookworm Kerry Potter tell you a story.
- REVIEW: A Monster Calls
  
  A fantastical fairytale for the digital age - this inventive new UK touring production of Patrick Ness’s award-winning YA tear-jerker lands a raw emotional punch.
- Behind-the-scenes of… A Monster Calls
  
  After a critically-acclaimed run at London's Old Vic in 2018, Sally Cookson brings her Olivier Award-winning production to the Belgrade Theatre Coventry from March 3-7, as part of its first ever UK tour.
- Muddy meets comedian…Shazia Mirza
  
  The Brummie-born comedian on why she's not scared to shake things up, her new tour Coconut and where all the real eyebrows have gone.

Instamuddy

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Home View more
Speedy supper – tonight’s dinner dilemma solved!

Dinner dilemma? You need Melissa Hemsley’s easy-peasy, super-healthy fried chermoula cauliflower on herby bean dip with slaw. I’ll be around at 7, OK?
- Gotta Have It
  
  Bottom's up! We love this cheeky Anissa Kermiche voluptuous vase that's cropping up on every fashion editors' Instagram.
- Warwickshire’s Secret Garden
  
  As signs of Spring start to battle their way through the storms, Muddy’s Rhiannon Kouyoumjian heads to the secret solace of Hill Close Gardens in Warwick…
Wellbeing
- Working (out) from home: 6 on-demand exercise classes
  
  Missing your regular gym classes? Here's six of the best on-demand workouts you can stream into your living room.
- 10 wellbeing breaks
  
  Wanna escape the daily grind? Book on to one of these gorgeous wellbeing holidays for some much needed R&R.

Work View more
A Muddy guide to ‘WFH’

Take it from two editors who know, plying your trade from home can be hard work. Here are some top tips.
- A Muddy call to arms
  
  The escalation of you-know-what means our beloved local businesses are battling to survive - but we have some ideas to help. Ready, steady, support!
- How to be ambitious (without being a bitch)
  
  It’s International Women’s Day on Sunday so we had a chat with one of our favourite women - author and comedian Viv Groskop - about redefining female ambition for 2020. Need a life reboot? Viv can help with that.
Kids
- Get creative! 6 fun at-home classes for kids
  
  School's out for... well, nobody's quite sure, but never fear, we've got something to fill their days with these six fun online classes.
- Day tripper
  
  Half term's here (*smiles through gritted teeth*). Please the little people and save your sanity...

People View more
My favourite places

Renowned Oxfordshire floral stylist and friend of Muddy, Willow Crossley, knows some stylish local spots that she thinks you’ll love, including one in Warwickshire. Ready to take notes?
- Muddy meets… Melissa Hemsley
  
  It turns out the healthy cooking queen has culinary disasters too! Melissa spills the beans (then whips them up into a tasty frittata)...
- Muddy meets The Whip’s Katherine Pearce
  
  We caught up with the talented young northern actor who's gone from causing drama as Lolly in 'Corrie' to playing a gutsy former cotton mill worker in the RSC's new play about the abolition of slavery in Britain.
- Exclusive interview! Muddy meets…. Laurence Fox
  
  The actor-turned-singer has been front page news since an incendiary appearance on Question Time last week. In this exclusive interview, he talks midlife crises, death threats and groupies with Muddy's Kerry Potter.
- Muddy Meets Josie Long
  
  We caught up with (we reckon) the most positive comedian in the business about motherhood, MasterChef, making people laugh and her new tour, Tender.