Spotlight

Tissues at the ready - Adele's brand new single is out!Feeling emotionally stable? Not for long! The queen of breakup songs has released her first single in five years and it's a good'un. Watch the video here.
20 things to do with kids this October half termHalf term’s looming but don’t be afraid – we’ve sorted the fun with 20 brilliant things to do in Essex to keep everyone from littlies to teens spook-tacularly entertained!
Where are the Best Places to Live 2022?Our obsession with upping sticks and moving shows no sign of abating. Lucky then that for our new intake of Best Places to Live we've partnered with Strutt & Parker estate agents!
4 simple, stylish ways to revamp your home'Tis the season to make your house beautiful - so kickstart your dream project with our tips on what's trending right now, PLUS £500 to spend at the brilliant Brewers Decorator Centres
What’s on: OctoberFrom festivals galore and fabulous theatre to Halloween thrills and quirky exhibitions, it’s all happening in Essex this month. You ready? Off we go!

Well, hello!

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

Gotta Have It

It's the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness... and of scented candles! Check Muddy's pick of the best candles for autumn from our local indies and beyond.

Gotta have it

What’s on this month

Fancy doing something fun? Er, always! Read on for our curated picks of the best things happening near you right now

See What's On

Eat

Sip and stroll! Get your caffeine fix at these Essex beauty spots

Grab your bestie and your walking boots – we’re taking you on the most gorgeous walks around the county with a top-notch coffee to pick up en route.
- Autumn walks in Essex
  
  Love the great outdoors? Us too – especially if there’s a cosy inn along the way. Step forward our pick of the county’s prettiest routes in all their autumn glory.
- 12 gorgeous pubs with gardens in Essex
  
  Here comes the sun – get thee to a gorgeous pub garden pronto, I say! Here are 12 of the county’s loveliest locals to enjoy an alfresco quaff in. Cheers!

Culture

7 unmissable things to watch on TV this week

Why scroll through the Radio Times when we know exactly what’s good this week? From Succession’s bold new series to a saucy dating / dancing reality mashup, here’s what to watch.
- Six things you’ll want to watch this week
  
  Roll up, roll up! It’s the cream of the TV crop. From THAT Netflix stalker show to star-studded fundraisers and spooky horror specials, we know exactly what to watch this week.
- City slickin’: what’s on in London this autumn
  
  London’s heading into the cooler months with a host of unmissable cultural highlights. Bag yourself the best tickets now with our guide to what’s worth seeing in the big smoke.
- Ready, set cook! 9 new cookbooks for Autumn
  
  Want to switch up your meal plan for the new season? Or just a sucker for tempting pictures of food? If any of the above apply, we have you covered
- Let’s talk TV: 8 best things to watch this week
  
  Billie Piper’s anti rom-com, how to watch the London Film Festival highlights from home, and more big name telly this week. Pop the kettle on and settle in to watch our curated list of TV goodies.

Little Black Book

Want to support local? Our curated pick of the most creative, unique and brilliant businesses near you.

Florence Geary Photography

Wood Cottage Tea Room, Felsted

Amanda's Beautiful Ceremonies

Creeksea Place Barns

Frasers of Egerton, Ashford

OLIVETREEHOME

WIVENHOE HOUSE, WIVENHOE

Alpine Rose Interiors

Chigborough Farm, near Maldon

Browning Bros Glamping, near Colchester

Jepcrack's Barns, near Maldon

Tiptree Tea Room, Osea Island

Travel

Italy, Mr Bond? 24 hours in Matera

Make mine a martini, shaken not stirred while we tell you our insider tips on how to best experience the coolest city you’ve probably never heard of.
- 65 paw-fect dog-friendly stays
  
  Have pooch, will travel? You betcha! Here are 65 stays across the Muddy counties that are all Fido-friendly, from stunning stately homes to rural cottage staycations.
- The Muddy insider guide to Norfolk
  
  Stunning beaches, beautiful broads and bijou boltholes plus a vibrant capital city – Norfolk is one of our favourite year-round staycation destinations. Ready to ‘Do Different’?

Home

Raymond Blanc’s Ironbark Pumpkin Soup

Wondering what to do with those mountains of leftover pumpkin flesh? Ta da! Whip up this wickedly warming recipe, served up with a hunk of sourdough, it’s just what autumn ordered.
- Where are the Best Places to Live 2022?
  
  Our obsession with upping sticks and moving shows no sign of abating. Lucky then that for our new intake of Best Places to Live we’ve partnered with Strutt & Parker estate agents!
- 14 seasonal scented candles for autumn
  
  It’s the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness… and of scented candles! Check Muddy’s pick of the best candles for autumn from our local indies and beyond.
Wellbeing
- Your health questions answered!
  
  Don’t understand why the weight won’t shift? Have a back that’s reminiscent of Quasimodo? Muddy puts your questions to Healthily’s chief medical officer, Professor Maureen Baker
- 8 amazing coastal walks across the county
  
  Fancy stretching your legs and filling your lungs with fresh sea air? Then stroll on over to Muddy’s definitive guide to the best coastal walks across Essex.

Life

Shop local: the home-office updates you’ll love

In a bid to give ‘hot desking’ a thoroughly modern respin, Essex boutiques are stocking some standout office staples right now. Here’s where – and what – to shop for the dream WFH situ…
Kids
- 20 things to do with kids this October half term
  
  Half term’s looming but don’t be afraid – we’ve sorted the fun with 20 brilliant things to do in Essex to keep everyone from littlies to teens spook-tacularly entertained!
- New Hall School, Chelmsford
  
  Enjoy the best of both worlds at this impressive Essex school with a hugely successful Diamond Model of education, and equal emphasis on academics, sports, pastoral care and performing arts.

Instamuddy

Fashion

A new leaf: your 10 autumn wardrobe essentials

Bright knits, checks, big handbags, even bigger boots. We’ve got your autumn/winter 2021 fashion fix sorted.
- All that glitters! Bonkers sequin tote bags
  
  Lockdown uniform of jogging bottoms and tatty T losing its appeal? Time to get some sparkle back. First step: this bag from Maldon native Anya Hindmarch.
- Rent your clothes like Carrie!
  
  Ethical, eco and everywhere – with Carrie Symonds showing us how to work a sustainable wardrobe, here’s where you can rewear, repair and renew your clothes in style.
Beauty
- Our pick of the best beauty advent calendars 2021
  
  This month the Liberty beauty advent calendar launches along with the John Lewis and M&S’s versions. Best snap them up now before they sell out (yes, really!)
- Can Haringtons tame the Muddy mane?
  
  Fly-away hair with lots of grey? Not just me then… The challenge for award-winning hairdresser and colourist Barry was to create a style that will still look good a week later

People

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
- Muddy meets celeb ventriloquist Paul Zerdin
  
  He won America’s Got Talent and is finally back on tour. Muddy talks to ventriloquist Paul Zerdin about weird fan mail, dressing up as Maggie Thatcher and his beef with Barney the Dinosaur.
- Naked weddings and tigers: stories from a celebrant
  
  Celebrants will do a wedding any way you want, which means they have all the best tales. Muddy sniffed out the juicy bits from local celebrant Amanda’s Beautiful Ceremonies.
- Muddy talks parenting with Lorraine Candy
  
  “All teenage girls think their mums are a bit rubbish”. Journalist and mother of four Lorraine Candy talks parenting, moody teens and motherhood with Muddy.
- Shazia Mirza is back in town
  
  She’s an ex-science teacher (“I hated them, they hated me”), yet former pupil Dizzee Rascal still calls her Miss. We chat with this fierce comedian as she takes her tour on the road