Every once in awhile I get to share something from someone whose eye I really trust, and today is one of those days.
Delaney Lundquist and I are doing another newsletter swap. You might remember Delaney from our January collaboration — she writes Tremont Home, one of my favorite newsletters for vintage finds, beautiful home objects, and an honest point of view. She came on our Cotswolds by Design trip last summer, loved it so much she went back and spent two months living there this spring, and has become someone I really love following in this little corner of the internet.
Today she’s sharing her Cotswolds shopping list — the things she looks for every time she’s in England, the finds worth stuffing into an already-too-heavy suitcase. It’s so good.
Here we go:
By my standards, returning from a trip with a suitcase heavier than I left with because it’s full of treasures worth schlepping back home is a sign of success. With a few trips to England under my belt, I’ve come across a number of things that England does excellently or are just easier to find across the pond — I keep my eyes peeled for these whenever I’m there:
Number one, and above all else, are these candles (which I affectionately call “chunky stubbers”):
I don’t know what it is about this downright girthy shape, but it is not easy to come by in the States, yet quite prevalent in England. They burn for a loooooong time and are substantial enough to stand up without a holder (though I love the look of them plunked into small trinket dishes).
I have come back home with a pair or two from each of my trips to England. Domestic Science is a reliable place to pick up a set (and luckily a stop on the Cotswolds By Design trip 😉).
You are in the land of sheep! Take advantage of the wool that is surely superior because the sheep were raised happily on the lush grasses of England? I picked up one of my favorite sweaters from a shop in Burford from local designer Cotswolds Knit. An excellent memento of my trip.
An English icon and household staple. I am partial to the classic Toast & Marmalade pattern that is covered in chunky, whimsical lettering, but there is a pattern for everyone: flowers, hearts, dots, birds, etc. Bonus: if you go on the Cotswolds by Design trip, you spend an afternoon lunching and doing a watercolor workshop with the illustrator behind the Emma Bridgewater designs, Matthew Rice. A highlight!
Enamelware is one of my favorite things and it seems like the Brits love it, too. The English enamelware heritage brand, Falcon, is stocked in most every home goods shop, my most beloved green and ivory splatter set is from TOAST (a brand with shops all over England, founded in neighboring Wales), and I do feel like there is more enamelware to be found in the antique and vintage shops vs in the States. If you are at all inclined towards enamelware, you will be thrilled at the selection in England.
If you thought your Bonne Maman section at your grocery store had it all…THINK AGAIN. Name a fruit and you will find a preserve, curd, or jam made with it in England. A dollop of passionfruit curd with my yogurt and granola in the mornings during my two months in the Cotswolds was my go-to but I was sorely tempted by the whole array on offer. Jams also travel well — they’re great to bring home as a souvenir and as gifts! Often beautifully packaged, too.
As residents of a country that is glumly overcast for most of the year, trust the English to know about mood lighting. Add in the hallmark of English interiors — colorful pattern mixing — and you’ve got yourself a lampshade market that is busting with delightful options far superior to what’s available on the US market. The selection at Burford Garden Company blows me away every time. Sadly I haven’t figured out how to get these big boys back home, but for smaller sconces and chandelier shades you could definitely make it work.
With its proximity to the rest of Europe, I’ve noticed there are also a lot of antiques from other parts of the continent in English antique stores (I noticed a lot of French confit pots and Romanian dishware) and frequently at lower prices than they would be sold at in the States (which makes sense, they have less of a distance to be transported). Being in England does not limit one to purchasing only pieces of English origin — it can be a stellar opportunity to browse for pieces from other areas of Europe, too, if you have something on your bucket list.
I’d love to hear in the comments if there’s anything you are always shopping for when you travel, or if there are any England-specific specialities you think I missed. And if you don’t happen to have a trip to England planned for the near future (but you could join the next one), I round up the best vintage and one-of-a-kind homewares in my newsletter every other week so you can do some shopping from your sofa instead.
<3,
Delaney
I hope you loved that as much as I did! Delaney’s eye for this stuff is fantastic — if you don’t already follow Tremont Home, it’s the kind of newsletter that makes you better at finding beautiful things.
More from Delaney:
Thanks for being here. Happy weekend!
x Eva
P.S. If the Cotswolds is on your radar — applications for next summer's Cotswolds by Design trip just opened this week, and we already have sign-ups coming in. If you've been thinking about it, now is a good time. 🌿
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