HARRY VAN DER HOORN and Thomas WoodhamSmith show a confident swagger in the naming of their fairs: Treasure House opens at Royal Hospital Chelsea, London SW3, tomorrow as a replacement to their previous Masterpiece, which fell victim to the turbulence of recent years. A ‘talking head’ I used to know would say ‘ah well, only the next 24 hours will tell’—but all parties in the art world will be wishing success to this new venture. The prospect of London without a major summer art and antiques fair was deeply worrying, as testified by the enthusiasm with which this initiative was welcomed.
Mr van der Hoorn is the owner of Stabilo, which builds elegant stands for TEFAF Maastricht and the Frieze autumn fairs in London, as well as Masterpiece, which he founded in 2009 with Mr Woodham-Smith, a long-experienced antiques dealer. He comments that the new name points to continuity as well as quality: ‘Our choice of title reflects the wide range of disciplines and masterpieces in the fair, each piece a treasure in its own right. From my perspective, and I speak as a Dutchman, “Treasure” is a word that is understood throughout the world and “House” is a mark of respect to the Grosvenor House Fair, a fair that inspired so many of us over the years.’
Tales as old as time
By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth
Do the active farmer test
Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts
SOS: save our wild salmon
Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish
Into the deep
Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel
It's alive!
Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters
There's orange gold in them thar fields
A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd
True blues
I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.
Oh so hip
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland
A best kept secret
Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning
