https://www.octavialillywhite.com/home daily 1.0 2023-04-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/2178c64a-62e0-4a0d-9ac7-0bc6c2789296/OL+byline.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/ef67b173-e47d-4def-95ed-8c0ec19e67d6/Screenshot+2023-03-05+at+17.31.29.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/dd1a52d1-8979-4e5f-984f-71885ec63c52/Nb+interiors+special+1+20190929.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/32780a66-3e52-4bb6-a15d-0b8f81349647/Screenshot+2021-03-12+at+13.34.57.jpg https://www.octavialillywhite.com/contact daily 0.75 2023-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/378b19f5-05d1-4fc8-86cd-49f895c9ebf2/Screenshot+2021-03-12+at+13.31.59.jpeg https://www.octavialillywhite.com/portfolio daily 0.75 2023-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/a56cd901-ea25-4bd5-a3f5-12f52dfbf366/9.jpg Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/69a260a7-95cb-4d8b-8d42-839f50137e38/13.jpg Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/c2b99783-d230-47d5-9ffb-7dd1e8f5092e/6.jpg Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/0bc16827-3f1b-421b-9cec-ee10e2860eb1/2.jpg Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/f0fa3fd4-0956-45e3-97cb-f78ee1d5dff8/1.jpg Portfolio https://www.octavialillywhite.com/features daily 0.75 2023-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/09f57f76-7a7c-4d81-b6c2-41262c4ea746/Screenshot+2023-03-04+at+17.35.57.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/a56cd901-ea25-4bd5-a3f5-12f52dfbf366/9.jpg Features, celebrity, real life STRICTLY STAR: KATYA JONES: Katya had given up shopping for a whole year to help reduce clothing waste and landfill. When I met her, she was wearing her nan's 50-year-old dress and had made her headband out of an old pair of tights. We also discussed how difficult the social media spotlight can be on famous women. (S Magazine) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/24f6048b-1b1e-435f-8fa7-4e7f8cdd79ec/12.jpg Features, celebrity, real life SUMMERHILL FARM: I drove to Devon and back in a day to interview Ben Moseley, who farms Summerhill for the Soil Association Land Trust. He rears and dispatches his beautiful free-range geese on the premises, so he can be sure they have the highest welfare standards throughout their lives. He also runs a family yurt-glamping site on his idyllic hillside - click the picture for more info. (Country Living) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/e91cb93c-6f16-4f26-b85e-3914373a490b/For+ol.com+%282%29.jpg Features, celebrity, real life ON PLANET PATROL: Environmental activist Lizzie Carr was 25 when she developed thyroid cancer and endured a brutal treatment process. During her recovery she discovered stand-up paddleboarding, and travelled the length of the country along canals. Appalled by the plastic pollution, she came up with a plan to fight it. She would teach people to paddleboard, combining it with litter picks, and created an app to log what litter was found where. The resulting data is used to lobby companies who create the plastic pollution, to defeat the problem at source. Click the picture for more. (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/88850cc6-768c-46dd-b938-4793eab6a58e/2.jpg Features, celebrity, real life HUNGRY HAIRY BIKERS: I was lucky to interview the Hairy Bikers early in lockdown - over the phone, of course! They cheered me up enormously with tips and chat about how to make mealtimes a treat you can really look forward to, at a time when the country was toughing it out. (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/92fe96e9-bfe5-4887-93db-170e57f942a6/3.jpg Features, celebrity, real life RAYMOND BLANC - Lessons in Life: Mr Blanc was one of my favourite interviews ever. He's so enthusiastic about food and it's absolutely infectious. He taught me about the importance of terroir in French cooking, and how workaholic is just another word for passionate. That said, he maintains you still have to make time for your family - the lesson he learned the hard way. (Sunday Mirror) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/eac1a948-8a9f-4f42-8839-b1498eb04a7b/1.jpg Features, celebrity, real life DARCEY BUSSELL PROFILE: Darcey talked about the bling of Strictly and how she sometimes liked to have a break from it. She told me that posture will keep you young and told me she doesn't slouch. Ever! (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/5617b524-4ab6-4274-ac77-1ad9b0f19586/7.jpg Features, celebrity, real life MICHAEL BUBLÉ My Life in Pics: Interviewing Michael was an absolute dream - and I did it from my bed: because of the time difference from America, we'd each been told different times for the interview, so I was contacted in the middle of the night. He was a consummate professional of course, and I was too, under the circumstances. (Celebs on Sunday) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/0c431835-ae8e-4dff-8291-c94808740a2b/8.jpg Features, celebrity, real life KIM KARDASHIAN PROFILE: I was meant to have 10 minutes with Kim but on the day it turned into 5 minutes and 56 seconds, during which time I managed to offend her by implying she didn't work out very much. It made for a funny piece though. (Celebs on Sunday) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/742bbb72-c784-4aec-a3e3-ee55fde18b68/5.jpg Features, celebrity, real life NICOLE SHERZINGER PROFILE: Nicole was mostly talking to me about her beauty regime, though somewhat reluctantly. (Celebs on Sunday) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/58d7256a-753c-40bf-9bc4-6fe06ce4d27b/11.jpg Features, celebrity, real life FICTION - A Ghost Story: A woman narrowly escapes an accident in her car but a spooky encounter afterwards leaves her much more shaken. (Sunday People) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/c9d5690a-da0d-4ef5-8123-30f91f4d3114/4.jpg Features, celebrity, real life PARIS HILTON - My Photo Scrapbook: Paris was adorable and told me about snubbing the First-Lady. She gave me tips on taking better selfies with the best angles and filters - it's her work at the top of the page. (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/646c3180-84f0-4e46-986e-be32b9835e97/10.jpg Features, celebrity, real life HOLLY WILLOUGHBY - My Beauty Secrets: Holly told me about how glossy her life used to be but that, since turning 30, she had started being sent incontinence pads rather than fancy shoes. (Notebook) https://www.octavialillywhite.com/foodandhomes daily 0.75 2023-03-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/2338d5ee-ac83-4056-906a-e476cf5f1f36/SMR_20150329_null_Notebook_01_25.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/d3947047-8786-4d84-8dfd-203c5d2fb5c3/2.jpg Food, drink, homes, garden INTERIORS - CAN WE ALP? Mountain-themed Christmas feature with top tips on how to get the look, and product recommendations. (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/2ffc624f-5895-47ca-9136-dd1b4e412a0e/9.jpg Food, drink, homes, garden SEASONAL MAKE MERRY: I designed and handmade all the decorations for this feature, and photographed them myself for a Christmas decorating special issue. (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/5cfd42bf-a973-41cb-af4c-79a4403e2362/11.jpg Food, drink, homes, garden FOOD EDITING: I use Vanilla CMS to edit and upload features and recipes to the food and recipes section of this respected website (goodto.com) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/685a3bd4-db24-4423-bb76-4dcb7694c44f/10.jpg Food, drink, homes, garden 50 BEST SUMMER WINES: This was part of a summer special with an emphasis on good-value bottles - almost all of them were under £10. (S) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/f66e85fc-6b85-468a-9518-e3bb7331f3de/8.jpg Food, drink, homes, garden HOME OFFICE BRIEFING: When the pandemic struck we had to adapt our content quickly and fill extra pages at short notice. For this interiors special, I created a 4-page feature on work-from-home inspiration. (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/69a260a7-95cb-4d8b-8d42-839f50137e38/13.jpg Food, drink, homes, garden MAIN FOOD: This was a book extract from James Martin's Home Comforts. (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/06081c0d-2f03-48c5-be85-6b64452eea2f/3.jpg Food, drink, homes, garden GARDENS: Tips and products to get your outdoor space summer-ready (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/d1c50bf9-099a-443e-b04e-d47c67ca1ae2/14.jpg Food, drink, homes, garden CHRISTMAS KITS: We wanted to find out if the home baking kits for gingerbread houses, cake pops and croquembouches gave results that were as good as the packet pictures. Mot of our home versions were pretty impressive but the cake pops were a dismal fail. (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/ccd8e809-9b9e-4ec6-8d07-2eb3a7a2ad91/12.jpg Food, drink, homes, garden MAIN FOOD: I was lucky enough to interview Jamie a couple of times and he taught me to make an exceptional fish finger sandwich. This feature focussed on his Italian cookery book. (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/896902bb-d2b6-4683-bab7-19df40f0c5de/5.jpg Food, drink, homes, garden SEASONAL: I always love doing 'more or less' style features, comparing high-end and high-street versions of products. This Christmas version was irresistible. (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/11f2d419-4e25-40b4-bcb3-5b6cc104d293/7.jpg Food, drink, homes, garden INTERIORS - Hall of Fame: Hallways are often forgotten spaces but it can be the first thing people see in your home and first impressions count. I created this feature to celebrate them with some inspirational ideas. (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/f39de120-8d80-4062-8388-d44fbc61a4cf/6.jpg Food, drink, homes, garden THE LIGHTS FANTASTIC: Seasonal features are among my favourites, and it's always a great opportunity for flexing my headline puns. (Notebook) https://www.octavialillywhite.com/columnist daily 0.75 2023-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/28706d34-e73c-4c59-90ba-be74b0770ce8/Screenshot+2023-03-05+at+13.15.55.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/3945b01f-22fb-4a7f-9a3f-9bd9f4dc1e94/1.jpg Columnist TALES FROM THE BLACKSMITH'S COTTAGE: Month column in Country Living magazine. This began as an account of growing up in rural Hampshire, but came to encompass an account of my mother's developing dementia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/d8a6721e-c8a6-4f69-9fb6-776a65ea5138/3.jpg Columnist AGONY AUNTS: My mother and I had a long-running agony aunt column in Stella magazine, offering fairly acerbic advice to readers from different generational angles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/cc21468f-eaab-4693-b751-bf65e4551457/4.jpg Columnist REVIEWS: I did regular theatre reviews, as well as occasional film, hotel and spa write-ups. (Daily Mirror) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/558d2527-e808-43ac-8f7b-c79537cce31d/2.jpg Columnist RANT - SURVEY STRESS: As part of a series of humorous rants for our NB: Take Note section, I wrote about the bewildering amount of surveys that pop into your inbox every time you make an online purchase. (Notebook) https://www.octavialillywhite.com/healthandbeauty daily 0.75 2023-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/033538bd-fc60-40dd-bd37-2fade2ee715f/SMR_20180603_null_Notebook_01_21.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/0ed1e8c6-4aae-4fe2-922a-6cf9c4e400ca/1.jpg Health, beauty and wellbeing DRY SKIN: I won a Johnson & Johnson Best Feature award for this article on the mistakes people make with dry skin, which can aggravate the condition even more. (Celebs on Sunday) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/e06f365e-ddd3-41c0-80a0-5687f2b3bc30/9.jpg Health, beauty and wellbeing BEAUTY AWARDS: The annual Notebook Beauty Awards was a flagship project for my department. More than 1000 women were sent a product to test for 4 weeks, before reporting back on their results. At launch, it was the biggest reader-tested beauty awards in the industry, giving real results that our readers could trust. It was an epic task but the results were always fascinating and worth the effort. (Celebs on Sunday, Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/2a3170c2-207e-4d36-887f-b6b070d38839/13.jpg Health, beauty and wellbeing IMMUNE BOOSTERS: There was a huge rise in interest in boosting immunity during the pandemic, which was the inspiration for this online feature. (Balance.co.uk) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/240ad23a-bc50-4328-ba24-a2603635ad58/12.jpg Health, beauty and wellbeing COLD-PROOF BEAUTY: As well as developing ideas for features I planned, budgeted and managed shoots to illustrate them, using a small, trusted team of freelance photographers, make-up artists and hair stylists. (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/93c2268b-ed12-4f98-8674-493e8cbe404a/4.jpg Health, beauty and wellbeing WELLBEING - GRIEF: I interviewed people who had suffered tragic bereavements for this feature, including a man whose daughter had died from a brain haemorrhage. His grace and poise has always stayed with me. (Celebs on Sunday) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/9a706362-50d0-491c-bd74-a00f9a1c530d/5.jpg Health, beauty and wellbeing REAL LIFE: BREAST CANCER: I'm always so grateful that people are happy to talk about this kind of issue and share their experiences to help other people going through similar experiences. (Celebs on Sunday) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/e7686c0a-d265-4970-a9e9-6fe708429460/7.jpg Health, beauty and wellbeing ENVIRONMENT: I'm always interested in ethical and environmental features, especially anything focussing on personally reducing our image on the planet. (Celebs on Sunday) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/0bc16827-3f1b-421b-9cec-ee10e2860eb1/2.jpg Health, beauty and wellbeing SUNBLOCK: This feature on sunblock myths features images from my first international shoot. We went to a hotel in Greece where it was almost consistently cloudy, but this shot came out of a rare sunny moment. The photographer had to go into the pool to take the shot. (Notebook) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/f5f2bb41-6113-495a-8afb-29b9ee8c60a9/3.jpg Health, beauty and wellbeing SLEEP HEALTH: How to sleep better was an eternally popular subject with our readers in print and online. (Notebook) https://www.octavialillywhite.com/travel daily 0.75 2023-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/32e42f6a-35ce-4028-8ebe-ae913c53db99/IMG_9253.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/c2b99783-d230-47d5-9ffb-7dd1e8f5092e/6.jpg Travel, entertainment CITY BREAK: MADRID I used to live in Madrid so this was all my top tips for making the most of a weekend trip there. (Daily Mirror) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/6dffeeaf-cebe-46b1-83c7-3e51231ab19c/For+ol.com+%281%29.jpg Travel, entertainment UK BREAKS: PEMBROKESHIRE A high=octane break flinging myself off cliffs into the Atlantic in October (mirror.co.uk) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/57a85ce5-e023-4c3f-b60c-a70a737cbae5/9.jpg Travel, entertainment HOLIDAYS: NORWAY How to do a budget trip around this pricy but beautiful country. (Homes & Holidays) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/b9058277-2900-4bee-bdf1-fa9880e8f33a/1.jpg Travel, entertainment HOLIDAYS: THE ALPS IN SUMMER French ski resorts are just as appealing in summer for fans of active breaks. (Homes & Holidays) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/0db1df54-88f8-40da-916c-965c96bd1cae/4.jpg Travel, entertainment HOTEL OF THE WEEK Brief reviews of top spots to stay around the UK. (Sunday Mirror) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/e3eb356d-7e47-49ab-8f63-4d2261bdc478/5.jpg Travel, entertainment UK BREAKS: SHROPSHIRE UK breaks are always popular with readers, offering easy holiday inspiration. (Sunday Mirror) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/6b7add36-1f1f-4510-aa63-a3406cb0d0d4/10.jpg Travel, entertainment HIGH-END TRAVEL: GREECE Travel inspiration for bigger budgets - the Grand Resort in Lagonissi. (Sunday Mirror) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/9a5a98d3-636f-45d0-8099-e186fe75abe6/2.jpg Travel, entertainment LONG HAUL: THAILAND Ethical travel in Thailand, including wild-elephant spotting. (Sunday Mirror and mirror.co.uk) https://www.octavialillywhite.com/travels daily 0.75 2023-04-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/0de4abeb-64aa-4d9d-b5ff-ef5f5adc17b0/4.jpg Travels https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/87d39914-54fb-406f-be97-55ec88ecec7d/2.jpg Travels https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/35e2d7a3-7df1-4472-96ce-aed026035677/For+ol.com.png Travels https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/f2ebda13-a2d4-405e-9615-4f567b38c8a8/1.jpg Travels https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/b244f994-16c3-4c09-a187-c21783c9528a/Untitled+design.jpg Travels https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640204db97acb614918b6579/bfde28d8-362c-4108-9a70-3835ef36f08a/5.jpg Travels https://www.octavialillywhite.com/the-north-coast-500 daily 0.75 2023-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618511387030-5LI1E5QMVTQ2RY9S00A4/20140228_Trade+151_0046+1.jpg The North Coast 500 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618511743693-J3A8OYH6X8C7RXNU5K0J/20140301_Trade+151_0124+1.jpg The North Coast 500 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618511467879-K5J9BYNACHJVDV3BNSFU/Aro+Ha_0387+1.jpg The North Coast 500 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618511440608-5BVMHVN4WR2I9YQV1WWR/Aro+Ha_0010+1.jpg The North Coast 500