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In the early hours of Sunday morning, I made it back to London after a very delayed flight back from skiing in Val Thorens. I think I am correct in saying it is the highest ski resort in Europe at 2300 feet. Having said that, I was delighted but not surprised to find this much [...]

Sales and Marketing Director Natasha has found some tips from the Telegraph Online to keep kids occupied in the snow. Click here to read them. It must be said that perhaps these are aimed at areas with a recent bountiful snowfall. There definitely isn’t enough clean powder snow in Battersea to make Snow Ice Cream. [...]

Expert Panel member Matthew Dennison reveals the best ways to decorate in style this season. He should know. He worked for years at House & Garden, and is famous for his table settings!
Be inspired by history. Early Christmas trees introduced by the Royal Family were not fir but holly, and decorated with twists of coloured [...]

Good news, bad news from our friends, Mr & Mrs Smith… The bad is that their biggest promotion of the year, offering two nights for the price of one across a wide choice of hotels, has only one month left to run. The good? Some hotels still have rooms available, so if you haven’t yet managed to [...]

Feeling a bit dejected by the official end of the summer? Not to mention having to start sweeping up all those leaves on the lawn. We’ve got an answer to them both. For the leaves, just stuff them in one of our love ‘em and leave ‘em leaf sacks and let nature takes its course. [...]

Finding the perfect holiday house to rent: 

Research the surrounding area before you book – that “surprisingly cheap” holiday home will become very expensive (and inconvenient) if the nearest facilities are 20 minutes away.

Draw up a list of essential amenities and check that your rented house satisfies your criteria. There is no point in having access [...]

We love Grant Thatcher’s Luxe City Guides, bite-sized gems about the world’s most exciting cities, and what makes them uniquely fabulous. Handpicked met him to try and discover how many Martinis he reckons he’s sampled in the name of research, and what he always packs in his suitcase.  
Your books specialise in finding the fabulous. What’s [...]

A recipe to do at home on Valentine’s Day – easy and good value with all the tips from the top anyone could need to produce a heartwarming supper for two.
Venison au Poivre for Two
Venison is delicious, unusual and incredibly good for you. Thanks to companies like Donald Russell (www.donaldrussell.com) and Blackface (www.blackface.co.uk) [...]

The Handpicked Collection thinks a signed copy of Lucia van der Post’s new book, Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me: Lessons in Taste and Elegance makes a fabulous present. In an extract from the book, the author looks back at a lifetime of gift giving.
Few of us need presents but life without them [...]