Spotlight

Superflashy newsflashIf it's new, exciting, happening in Somerset or Dorset and worth sharing – it's right here. All hail the Muddy newsflash!
What's on this week in Somerset & DorsetMon 21 - Sun 27 Sept: Ready to charge headfirst into the week? Check out our weekly guide first...
Your ultimate autumn culture planner 2020Culture vultures, grab your diaries. Here's your Muddy-curated cheat sheet to the season's best art, theatre, TV, books and film in the UK.
Bottoms up! The best new indie drinksGot a large glass to hand? We’ve rounded up 42 of the best new independent drinks from across the Muddy counties from wine and gin to rum and beer.
What's on in SeptemberDrive-in movies, live comedy, live comedy, live theatre – inside and out – art, wild swimming and markets galore all happening this month.

Well, hello!

I'm Sue, editor of Muddy Dorset & Somerset, here to bring you the quirky, cool and downright unmissable in the area.

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Gotta Have It

It's beginning to look a lot like advent calendar season! We've rounded up the top makeup, skincare and fragrance picks to get your hands on before they sell out.

Our curated A-Z of the grooviest local businesses

Little Black Book

The latest handpicked businesses we think you’ll love

The Oyster & Fish House, Lyme Regis

Summer Lodge Country House Hotel & Restaurant, Evershot

Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth

The Hive Beach Café, Burton Bradstock

RockReef & Pier Zip, Bournemouth

Anna Bucknall, Barrecorre and Cardio Barre

Level8ight, The Sky Bar, Bournemouth

Greenwood Grange, Higher Bockhampton

The Cotley Inn, Warmbrook

The Bear of Burton, near Christchurch

The Pig-near Bath, Pensford

Mill on the Brue Outdoor Activity Centre

Eat View more
Launch review: The Pig, Harlyn Bay, Cornwall

On its opening day, Muddy’s ed-in-chief Hero Brown was the first to eat lunch at the brand new Pig hotel in Harlyn Bay (what a trooper!). So what was the verdict – and is it worth a trip to North Cornwall?
- The Devonshire Arms Hotel
  
  Eat, drink and stay in a fab former hunting lodge on the village green in Long Sutton, Somerset –an ideal London/Cornwall stopover
- The best local afternoon teas
  
  More scones, madam? Nibble your way through petit fours and finger sandwiches with 10 of the best afternoon teas in Somerset and Dorset - a glass of fizz with ours, please.
- Eat Out to Help Out – in Somerset and Dorset
  
  Sick of cooking? Good news - throughout August, you can get a 50% discount on your dinner and drinks when you eat in. Here are the pubs and restaurants to call to make your reservation.
- Summer Lodge, Evershot
  
  Indulge yourself at the sumptuous Summer Lodge in Dorset – fine food and wine, luxury rooms, gardens, spa – and where the service and level of comfort are second to none

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Arts & Culture View more
What’s in: 7 new TV and film releases to watch this week

Sherlock Holmes spin-offs, live opera and the return of Bake Off – it’s all happening this week! Grab a cuppa, unearth the remote and stick one of these on the box.
- Boredom begone! Here’s what to watch this week
  
  In need of something new to sink your teeth into? Muddy to the rescue! Here are the latest TV and film releases coming to a screen near you.
- Back-to-school films we give an A+
  
  The best days of your life, they said. Hmmm... perhaps not but they were certainly memorable. Relive the pain and the glory with Muddy's top 10 school films.

Home View more
- J’adore/J’abhor: Dulux’s ‘Brave Ground’
  
  Dulux’s colour of 2021 is hot off the press and majorly dividing opinions at Muddy HQ – but will you be plastering your walls in ‘Brave Ground’? Let us know in the comments!
Wellbeing
- #PREPARETOCARE
  
  Five conversations you need to have with your parents sooner rather than later.
- 7 steps to better sleep in lockdown
  
  So you've downed a chamomile tea and ignored your phone but still can't get to sleep. Sound familiar? Read on for our guide to getting some Z's during lockdown.

Travel View more
Peat Spade Inn, Stockbridge

Eat, stay – and maybe try your hand at fly fishing – at this country pub in the heart of the Test Valley in Hampshire. Read on for the Muddy verdict.
- Top places to stop off on your way to Cornwall and the rest of the South West
  
  Driving to Cornwall or Devon for a weekend away (or last minute hols) and need somewhere to have lunch, walk the dog, let the kids run or even take a nap? Here are the best places to stop en route
- Into London: the capital reopens
  
  With the international tourist count at an all-time low and residents choosing to stay local, now could be a good time to visit our fabulous capital.

Work View more
Back-to-school for grown-ups

The kids may be going back to school but why should they get all the new gear? We all deserve shiny winter boots and bags too. Here’s our pick for back-to-school style.
Kids
- Yarrells Prep School & Nursery, Upton, nr Poole
  
  Muddy says: A happy, family-orientated school providing the ideal foundation for moving onto state grammars or the independent sector. So the best of both worlds, really.
- How to manage back-to-school anxiety
  
  With the nation’s schoolchildren poised to go back to school, it’s a tense time for everyone. So, how, as parents, should we control our fears? Muddy finds out.

Fashion View more
Autumn’s comfiest fashion trend

With luxe fabrics, funky designs and cool silhouettes, cardigans have never been cooler. Here are eight of our favourites to add to your autumn wardrobe.
- New season fashion trends: A/W 2020
  
  The fashionistas have spoken! Add pieces from these five trends to your wardrobe to nail autumn/ winter style this year.
- Hello Talolo !
  
  Splash about as much as you like. These super cool cowboy boots are actually wellies. Yee-haw!

Beauty View more
- Best beauty advent calendars for 2020
  
  It's beginning to look a lot like advent calendar season! We've rounded up the top makeup, skincare and fragrance picks to get your hands on before they sell out.
- The essential no make-up kit
  
  It’s a trend that’s not going away anytime soon; make-up so subtle that it just makes you look like a brighter and better version of yourself. Here’s the Muddy guide.

People View more
Muddy meets: Shlomo, beatboxer

He’s worked with Ed Sheeran, Lily Allen, and Rudimental, and now record-breaking beatboxer Shlomo has a new project on his hands – raising money for the NHS in association with theatres like The North Wall. Tell us about it, Shlo!
- What I’ve learnt in lockdown
  
  Love it or loathe it, lockdown has given us time to learn new skills but has it taught us something deeper? Muddy tapped five women juggling careers, babies and even a tumour, to tell all.
- Muddy gets chefy with Olivia Burt
  
  We catch up with the 'Masterchef: The Professionals' finalist to find out her backstage goss, favourite dishes and top spots to eat in London.