Well, it only took me a grand total of twenty-four months to get around to writing an Editors letter! Sorry for the delay…

Hello and welcome to the first, and hopefully not the last, Editor’s letter from myself, the Editor.

I thought that this month, in this year particularly, was the most perfect time to write down a few thoughts. And I might add, it is officially our second birthday (!) as a business. What a journey so far.

This year, I think I can quite comfortably say for most people, has really been extremely tough for many different reasons. I like many others have experienced personal loss, grief and testing times for my business. Something that has however been extremely apparent through all of this, is how much comfort we can take from others who are so supportive.

Working in this industry means that I am constantly in dialogue with a multitude of business owners in all different fields. Keeping in contact with people, and helping each other in any way we can, has been extremely heartwarming to experience. I could name so many from this year alone, but you know who you are.

On a more positive note, Christmas is undoubtedly my favourite time of year. The food, family, friends and memories are so special to me, and something I look forward to all year. This year, I wanted to ensure we could offer a mix of helpful guides and inspiring content to our readers, and I hope we can do so throughout December.

In the name of supporting small businesses this year, I wanted to turn your attention to a few of the amazing companies who are featured in our Christmas Gift Guides, many of whom I am lucky enough to call friends. Our “Small Business Gift Guide” features some of the South East’s most delightful start-up brands, our “Ultimate Foodies Guide” showcases just a small handful of our favourite foodie brands, all offering amazing gift options, and our “Experiences” guide provides plenty of inspiration for those looking to send a unique gift to a loved one.

To highlight some content that you may enjoy throughout the festive season, we welcomed the very talented Kiri Rayner into the team most recently who has created a simple 10-minute flow,  perfect for squeezing in during hectic moments this month (I’m sure you’ll encounter a few!) and if you’re looking for recipe inspiration this festive season, you can view a few of our latest here.

Also, we are running a fabulous competition with Marc O’Regan from a company called We Fly Fish. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and you will be automatically entered into a competition to win a £200 voucher, valid until December 2021!

In a bid to keep it short and sweet, I’m signing off for now. But I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of our loyal readers for keeping our spirits up this year and to wish you all an extremely happy and healthy holiday season. Wherever you are, whoever you are with, we must try to make this one even more special. I know I certainly will be.

Catch you in 2021,

M x