Essex - The Urban Guide to the Countryside

Spotlight

Superflashy Newsflash! The Latest Goss in EssexLockdown schmockdown. The good, the bad and the blooming brilliant news we’ve heard on the Essex grapevine…
Sip and stroll! Get your caffeine fix at these Essex beauty spotsGrab your bestie and your walking boots for a good old natter over a top-notch cup of (takeaway) coffee, because what else can we do right now?!
How to tackle stress and boost mental healthStressed much? Ahead of a second lockdown, we explore how to navigate self-care and manage your emotional wellbeing by easing lockdown anxiety. Over to the experts...
8 amazing coastal walks across the countyWondering where you can fill your lungs up with fresh sea air and stretch your legs along the prom? Consider this your definitive guide to the best coastal walks across Essex right now
Is it time to start your own business?2020 has forced many of us to radically rethink our careers, goals and dreams. Muddy meets four inspiring women who took control and started their own businesses during Covid. Are you ready to take the leap, too?

Well, hello!

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

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Gotta Have It

Forget colour co-ordination - this year we're dressing our trees with the most bonkers baubles we can find!

The UK’s most creative and unique independent shops, makers and producers local to you.

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Eat View more
Superflashy Newsflash! The Latest Goss in Essex

Lockdown schmockdown. The good, the bad and the blooming brilliant news we’ve heard on the Essex grapevine…
- Bag your Brut from these Essex vineyards
  
  English wine is having a moment – and Essex has some corkers of its own on the grow with a flurry of fizz-friendly vineyards popping up across the county. Here’s where to pick up your fizz for the festive season.
- Regional farm shops foodies will love
  
  With more of us eschewing big-brand supermarkets to support local farm produce, we unearth seven independents selling the region’s ‘good life’ in (recyclable) bottles, crates and brown paper bags.
- 40 of the best indie coffee roasters
  
  Can't function without your morning brew? Try one of these delicious artisan blends from indie coffee roasters to kickstart your day.
- Eight of the best autumn pub walks in Essex
  
  Love the great outdoors? Us too – especially if there’s a gorgeous countryside inn serving up a crisp Pinot/pale ale conveniently placed along the way. Step forward our pick of the prettiest regional routes that won’t leave you out in the cold

Arts & Culture View more
Cheese-free Xmas films? It can be done (just)

‘Tis the season to hit the Baileys and get on a Christmas movie marathon. If you’re strictly dairy-free, here’s 17 alternative festive films for your viewing pleasure.
- Muddy’s TV guide: 9 new watches this week
  
  Bored? Not any more! Here are our top picks for new TV shows and films hitting the small screen this week. Popcorn at the ready...
- What’s on the box? 11 new TV shows and films
  
  Nowhere to go and nothing to see? Au contraire - snuggle down on the sofa and transport yourself with the best new watches of the week.
- Where’s the remote? 14 must-watch shows
  
  Already running out of things to do as the darkness draws in? Well, put away the chess board and engage with these 14 new televisual delights instead.
- Settle into the sofa: 9 shows to watch
  
  It looks like November is going to be spent on the sofa, so make an extra-big bucket of popcorn, get into your comfiest PJs and pop one of the these on the box.

Home View more
- Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s winter warmers
  
  Spent all of lockdown scoffing crisps and mince pies? Whip up a veg-packed soup or hot pot from Hugh’s new cookbook, ‘Eat Better Forever: 7 Ways to Transform Your Diet’
Wellbeing
- 7 steps to better sleep in lockdown
  
  So you've downed a chamomile tea and ignored your phone but still can't get to sleep. Sound familiar? Read on for our guide to getting some Z's during lockdown.
- 5 workouts you can stream at home
  
  Don't let Lockdown 2.0 wreak havoc with your health! Tear your eyes away from Netflix and get moving with these streaming fitness classes in the comfort of your own living room.

Travel View more
20 Muddy-approved attractions in Essex

From the big-beast tourist destinations to our cool insider alternatives, read on for our pick of 20 unmissable days out and stays across the county
- Book now: 10 European-style staycations
  
  Love a continental jaunt but staying in Blighty this year? These 10 UK holiday spots have a distinctly European feel - can you guess where this is?
- Where to stop on your way to Cornwall & the South West
  
  Driving down to your staycation and need a lunch pit-stop or runaround with the dog/kids? We've sniffed out the best places to stop near the south-west's major routes.

Work View more
Ready, steady… SHOP INDIE!

You want to ‘shop small’ but lockdown is making it tricky. Not on my watch! Our latest launch, The Indie Store, is all about supporting brilliant local retail, and here’s how you can help too.
Kids
- Stoke College, Suffolk
  
  Exciting times ahead for this pastorally-strong non-selective secondary day and boarding school with brand new owners, future development plans and an impressive new head.
- Chigwell School, Chigwell
  
  Perched on the outskirts of London and fringing the great, green boughs of Epping forest, this selective co-ed is set in 100 acres of prime Essex countryside and offers a holistic approach to education.

Fashion View more
Designer vs dead ringer: the leather edit

Leather is top of the trends this season but the real deal can be a *leetle* unfriendly when it comes to your credit card. Cue our edit of the best dupes for the hottest designer pieces.
- Sustainable fashion gets sexy
  
  Ethical, eco and everywhere - with the likes of Selfridges now pushing a new sustainable outlook, here's where you can rewear, repair and renew your wardrobe in style.
- The new-season fashion trends to take you into A/W 2020
  
  Coveting new-season fashion trends to add to basket? We've got the five leading wardrobe wins to nail A/W style, plus the local boutiques to shop them in

Beauty View more
- Muddy review: Amy Gordon Skin Clinic and Beauty Boutique
  
  Sun spots and wrinkles creeping in? Now’s the time to blitz them so you can ring Christmas in, blemish-free. I hit the Amy Gordon Skin Clinic in Colchester’s North Hill to test out its cutting edge Crystal Clear Elite Frozen Facial. Here’s the Muddy verdict.
- How to give yourself a DIY facial at home
  
  With salons closed until December, we're retreating to our own bathrooms for a stress-busting DIY facial treatment. Fluffy white robe and cucumber slices optional.

People View more
What’s cooking? Calum Franklin, The Pie Room

Fresh from the launch of his mouth-watering new cookbook, we caught up with the London Pie King himself to talk Scotch eggs, the Breville toastie masker and cooking for Axl Rose.
- Yes, people, this is Meg Mathews!
  
  Primrose Hill party queen turned wellness guru? Stranger things have happened! Muddy chats to the always glamorous Meg Mathews about her new book, self-care and, er, vagina facials.
- In conversation with: She Rises author, Kate Worsley
  
  Did you write a book during lockdown? Nope, us neither. But the global pandemic-shaped pause has created a new generation of novelists who want to. So what's it really like to pen a best-seller, and are there any hot hacks? We asked an Essex pro to share her story…
- Style spotlight: Fashion Re:Boot host Ciara Elliott
  
  The concept is gold: gather a group of trendy women together to buy and sell their pre-loved...
- Meet the maker: Dantes Ceramics
  
  From potters and painters to stylists and chefs, Essex is awash with creative talent and in this new culture series, we meet the skilled artisans who deserve championing. First up: Isabelle Taylor-Jones of Dantes Ceramics in Wivenhoe