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The best things in life are free!

 

Struggling to find things to do with the children this weekend, we’ve got 15 things to do with the kids before their 12.

Become an adventurer

• Climb a tree – make sure the branches are sturdy though before putting your full weight on them.  Our Iron Knee® Classic-fit Jeans are tough enough to put up with the rough and tumble of climbing trees.
• Camp out– don’t forget your torch.
• Build a den – top tip: lean sticks against a low tree branch to make a wig-wam.
• Fly a kite – try and make your own kite out of a plastic bag, 2 bamboo canes and lots of string.

• Play conkers – make sure you chose the best conker by putting them in a bucket of water, winners always sink.

Become a discoverer

• Hunt for treasure on the beach – the best treasure is always found around driftwood and large stones. Our kid’s totes are great for holding all your wonderful finds.
• Bury someone in the sand – you might need a big spade for this one.

• Snail racing – hurry them along by dangling some tasty leaves in front of them.
• Mud sliding – the stepper the hill the fast you will go.
• Create a dam – make a dam in a stream, once you’re done it’s even more fun smashing it down.  

Become a ranger

• Find fossils – get a bucket and a spade and see what you can find.
• Feed a bird – why not try placing some bird seed in your hand and see if you can get a bird to eat it? But be warned you’ve got to stand very still.
• Night walking – what animals are out and about at night? Draw the ones that you don’t normally see in daylight. Only use a torch when you really need to, otherwise the animals will run away. Make sure you don’t get lost in our glow in the dark graphic tees.

• Find and follow wild animals – you’ll need a sharp eye for this one.
• Search for frogspawn – once you’ve found some frogspawn take pictures each day to see how it changes.   

Christmas is coming

Christmas! A time of joy, peace and goodwill. A chance to catch up with the family, see the joy on the children's faces on Christmas morning – and a really good excuse to dig out those elastic-waist trousers and reach for another mince pie! But amongst the snuggles and socialising, it's easy to become slightly overwhelmed by the thought of all the present buying, cooking & organising that the festive period inevitably brings. But don't fear - if you're in danger of losing your 'glad tidings', read on…with a little bit of preparation and planning, you can enjoy a joyful and (relatively) stress-free Christmas:

Presents to be proud of: 

Even if you're super-organised and the gift buying is done and dusted by the beginning of December, it's worth double-checking that you're happy with your purchases at least a week before the big day (so there's time to do something about it if you're not!) Pressies bought in haste often seem a bad choice in the cold light of day – is that novelty gadget you bought for Uncle Ted really cool and quirky – or just going to end up collecting dust? Ensure you're happy with the gifts you give and you'll relax and enjoy the day much more.

Dig out your walking boots: 

Arrange to get out and about – the post-lunch slump often makes you feel tired and sluggish so throw on your warmest coat and go for a brisk walk with whoever's willing to join you. It might seem a struggle to drag yourself out of the chair but you'll feel a million times better on your return.

Give yourself a break: 

Delegate! Just because it normally falls to you to do all the cooking, cleaning and shopping, doesn't mean it has to. It should be a holiday for you too, so let go of the reigns for a little bit and trust other people to help with the present buying - their inspired gift choices may just surprise you!

Eat, drink... and be just a little bit merry! 

Whilst Christmas shouldn't be a time to deny yourself life's little pleasures, cutting back slightly on the Christmas pud and panettone will have a positive effect on your energy levels (and the snugness of those trousers!) So if you're tempted to pour yourself another large brandy, remind yourself it will pay dividends in January when you're not joining the rest of the country on an emergency diet and exercise regime – and you'll have one less New Year's Resolution to worry about!

'The most wonderful time of the year':

Above all, remember that Christmas should be fun – and if it isn't then do something about it! There are no rules to say you need to cook a 10lb turkey to ensure you have a 'proper' Christmas so find something that works for you and your family. This could be as simple as changing the menu for the big day or booking a break away to escape the chaos – safe in the knowledge that by Boxing Day morning, there's another 364 days until you have to do it all again. Enjoy!

The perfect Christmas Pud!

 

Christmas pud is a big deal over here but doesn't feature much in the festive meals of our American cousins... but is that because they have yet to discover the perfect pudding recipe? One of our US colleagues, Rebecca, tells us how she had her tastebuds tickled by this fruity fare and now is in love with our great British tradition...

"I’m not sure when Christmas pudding entered my consciousness. Maybe it was the, 'Now, bring us a figgy pudding' line in 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas'. Or maybe a viewing of 'A Christmas Carol', with the Cratchits enjoying their meagre feast.

At any rate, I was intrigued by the thought of anyone having pudding for dessert on Christmas – thinking (logically, for a child) of the Jell-O Instant variety. (The only kind we ate in our house because the cooked stuff got that icky skin on top.) Only later did I learn that Christmas pudding was something else entirely. And then, I really wanted to make one.

In the years B.I. (Before Internet), finding a recipe for a classic Christmas pudding was a tall order. I searched for years and tried several that tasted awful or just flat-out failed. I thought I might have to give up on the pudding and content myself with fruitcake (for which I had a wonderful recipe).

Then, one day, I got talking Christmas pudding with a Lands’ End colleague who was raised in Ireland. She told me her mom made a wonderful pudding and she’d be happy to share the recipe. Carmella made a phone call and soon, I had a tried-and-true recipe in my hot little hands.

I know you’re wondering why I’m telling you about this now (especially if you’re one of the 'Why are they talking about Christmas already?' crowd). Well, because Christmas pudding is a process. You don’t just get up on Christmas Eve and make it for company the next day. It requires time to make and time to…uh…mature. Starting now is only prudent. Heck, some people make their pudding a year in advance. I just pulled one out of my refrigerator that’s two years old. I need to re-steam this thing and eat it! (No, I’m not kidding. If made and stored properly, a 2-year-old pudding is perfectly safe to eat.)

 

There are several reasons to make Christmas pudding:

1. Alcohol (hard liquor and a fermented beverage of some sort) is a main ingredient
2. Yummy fruit and nuts
3. You baste it with more alcohol as it ages
   
4. You pour alcohol over the top and set it on fire before serving

Seriously, though – it’s super yummy. (And not just because of the liquor – though that obviously helps.) I have family and friends who are hardened fruitcake haters – and every one of them loves this Christmas pudding. It’s easy to make, too. Yeah…I know it looks complicated, but there really isn’t that much active time involved. And because you make it way ahead of time, there’s the joy of knowing you won’t have to struggle with a fiddly dessert on Christmas Day.

So here is Carmella’s mom’s recipe. I halved it, because a whole recipe makes enough pudding to feed a small army. (If you want to make some for this year and next – and maybe the year after that – go ahead and double it.) I included some notes of my own."

Download Recipe

If you do give it a go, be sure to let us know what you think!

Top of the class!

It’s the time of year that lulls every parent into a false sense of security…six weeks of endless sunshine and no 6am alarm call to do the school run. Plenty of time to get them sorted with all the kit they need for September. Right? Wrong!

Leave it any later than the first few weeks in, and the shops are filled with mums and dads fighting over the last pinafore dress and pencil case! So avoid the mad rush and enjoy the stress-free experience of shopping online at Lands’ End. With our no-quibble returns policy and quality guarantee, getting all your back-to-school stuff has never been easier.

 

Here’s our pick of the best kit & caboodle for the classroom…

 

Liven up lunchtimes with our lovely lunch boxes! Choose from our innovative Madbox™ (designed by kids for kids to keep food super-cool), the ClassMate® Soft-Sided Lunch box in funky patterns and prints plus our Neoprene Lunch Bags which are de rigueur for all little ladies. Even more reason for it to be their favourite part of the school day! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Too cool for school? No way! Our bright, bold coats and jackets will take them through break time and beyond. The all new waterproof Squalls® for boys and girls take on the toughest of autumnal weather; whilst our down outerwear is great for kids who hate wearing heavy jackets - they’re light, warm & incredible value to boot!

 

 

Backpacks that score an A+ for fun, function and all-round fabulousness! In a recent Lands’ End Back to School Survey, 92% of parents reported the humble backpack as the number one item to have for the first day back. In patterns and plains, we’ve got oodles of options for kids including the ClassMate® medium and large backpacks for carting all of their heavy books and first term essentials. Check out our handy video link below to see what fits in each bag!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 For the rope swings and more – our classic pull-on joggers and yoga pants are perfect for your lively little monkeys. Made from soft, jersey cotton they’re wonderfully comfortable to wear – but are built to withstand PE sessions in the gym hall or out on the field; and all the muddy patches they can muster!

 

 

 

Even better value than the high street, our great back-to-school shoes take the pain out of one of September’s most expensive purchases! We’ve got boys and girls styles in genuine suede and leather complete with slip-resistant soles, stay-fresh finishes and easy-on, rip-grip fastenings to make weekday mornings that little bit easier.

 

 

Lands' End & Adam Frost Win GOLD... Again!

Congratulations to Adam Frost on winning his 4th Gold Medal at Chelsea and our 2nd in a row.

Please help us to win 'People's Choice' - click to CAST YOUR VOTE!

Lands' End 'A Rural Muse', designed by Adam Frost, and officially opened by Sir Andrew Motion, Ex-Poet Laureate and Janet Street-Porter yesterday, landed us our 2nd coveted gold medal!
The garden is designed for a Stamford couple who love their region's landscape and environment, especially the walks of the well-known local peasant poet John Clare. Adam Frost has taken inspiration from the distinct and diverse countryside that in turn inspired so much of Clare's poetry, to create a space for entertaining and relaxation, designed with biodiversity and wildlife in mind.

The materials have been selected to reflect the garden's regional identity. Many of the elements have multiple functions, such as the stone boulders that double up as stepping stones and seating. A green oak-framed shelter offers a focal point and attracts bees with its clover roof.

Chelsea is open to the public from Tuesday 22nd May to Saturday 26th May. Be sure to tune in to the BBC to check the live footage from the show.

Click here to view the full gallery of images from the garden including many A-list celebs!

CHELSEA UPDATE – GOLD FEVER!

Across the pond… and over the moon

This year’s Chelsea Flower Show saw four seasons in one week. We went from sun to a soaking in just six days. But nothing could wipe the smiles from our faces after discovering we’d won a gold medal for our Lands’ End Across the Pond garden.

Knowing that our garden captured the judges’ approval has made all the months of planning and hard work worth it. It’s great news for Lands’ End as a first time sponsor and a milestone for Adam Frost Design as it completes a hat trick of gold medals at Chelsea. 

We can’t go any further without some well-deserved thanks. The guys at New Ground Landscapes and the team from Barnsdale worked incredibly hard to get the garden looking perfect during the 11-day build.

Nick Hamilton and his team at Barnsdale were also on hand during the show to answer questions from the thousands of people who wanted to know more about the garden. We lost count how many times we’d spelt out Digitalis Laevigata by the end of Saturday!

Nick also saved the day by loaning us a beautiful clump of Iris Sibirica from outside the coffee shop at Barnsdale. Our apologies to visitors there over the last week who were greeted by a large hole and a sign that said: “Gone to Chelsea, love Iris.”

David Rawlings delivered some beautifully crafted seats that have now been graced by the backsides of some of gardening’s TV greats, including no less than Mr Alan Titchmarsh himself!

Meanwhile, we expect the phone has been ringing off the hook at Polished Concrete Designs as our bespoke concrete stepping-stones turned out to be the conversation piece of the week. The aforementioned Mr T loved them, saying they were as smooth as any marble.

Honourable mentions must also go to Deepdale Trees, Stoneworld, Aggregate Industries, Travis Perkins and Sinclair Horticulture who each played a key part in our success.

Of course, I couldn’t sign off without a huge personal thank you to my wonderful (and very understanding) wife Sulina who has lived and breathed this project with me every step of the way.

Final thanks must go to all the wonderfully enthusiastic visitors we saw at the show. The nightly TV coverage we received drove thousands of people to come and see our garden and almost universally the feedback was hugely positive. So, if you came to see us there, thanks for all your lovely comments. You really made our week!

 Adam Frost

Adam Frost Design

 

 

 

Chelsea - we've won Gold!

The Lands' End garden has won Gold at this years Chelsea Flower Show. Well done to Adam Frost, Barnsdale Gardens & New Ground Landscapes. Come and see us if you're visiting the RHS Chelsea Flower Show - we’re on Royal Hospital Way, plot RHW28. Let us know what you think of our 'Across the Pond' garden & enter our prize draw competition to WIN a garden consultation with Adam Frost!


Gold winner Adam Frost with Alan Titchmarsh photographed just before Adam was interviewed for the BBC to talk about the inspiration for the garden design.

You can rate the Lands' End Garden at the RHS website by clicking here.

STOP PRESS! A glimpse of the future.

Every year, twice a year, the press descend on London's West End, visiting the best and most interesting fashion houses to preview the delights we'll all be buying a couple of months down the line.

If they like what they see - it gets featured on the pages of their magazines and on websites. So, as you can imagine, these events are pretty important to our PR and Buying team, who work like Trojans to get everything looking amazing for the PRESS DAY!



Over 70 esteemed editors and stylists from leading publications such as Woman & Home, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Glamour, Marie Claire, Prima, Easy Living, Good Housekeeping, Grazia, The Lady and Junior magazines, dropped in to the ArtSpace Gallery in the heart of London's West End, for a glimpse of Lands' End's gorgeous autumn ranges.

CHELSEA UPDATE – we’re on site!

And we’re off…

After all the months of planning, meetings, and battling the weather to make sure our plants are in their prime, it feels good to have put a spade in the ground at Chelsea.

It’s day one of the big build and it’s all finally beginning to feel real. There’s a buzz around the showground and, although last year’s event was great, I get a strong sense that 2011 is going to be a vintage Chelsea Flower Show.

As many of you will know, our inspiration for the Lands’ End Across the Pond garden is the work and philosophy of US architect Frank Lloyd Wright. I hope our garden does justice to his ability to blend architectural features with nature.

The plants are our biggest headache. As the media have already highlighted, the unseasonably warm spring has brought everything on early. I’m still not sure if our irises are going to make it, despite my wife Sulina’s best efforts. She spent hours meticulously wrapping them in tissue paper to stop them unfurling so we’ll only know when we ‘unpack’ them. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Ideal Home Show 2011 - See us on the catwalk!

Between 11th and 27th March, Lands’ End will be at the Ideal Home Show at Earls Court, London.

Come and see us on the catwalk in the Ideal Woman section, showcasing our latest collections. You’ll also be able to pick up some fashion and beauty tips.

So come on down, we’d love to see you.

Click here to find out more information at the Ideal Home Show website.