Cotswolds Christmas Magic ✨ Hidden Vintage Fair + Cosy Lunch at The Fox inspired by Hannah Adkins

Today I'm taking you with me on a really gentle rainy day wandering through Chipping Camden, one of the most beautiful towns in the Cotswolds, even when the weather is moody and grey. Chipping Camden has this honeystone warmth that still shines even in winter. It never feels commercial or crowded, just quietly beautiful. I love these little independent shops, especially at Christmas when everything feels handmade and thoughtful. It was really pouring outside but that didn't spoil our fun. Chipping Camden has some of the most beautiful architecture in the whole of the Cotswolds. The high street is lined almost entirely with honey-coloured limestone buildings. Many of them date back to the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. It still has that old wool merchant grandeur with long terraces of elegant houses built by incredibly wealthy traders during the medieval wool boom. You can really feel the history in the proportions, the tall gables, the long roof lines and the beautifully carved stonework. You'll often see mullioned windows, stone chimneys and those distinctive Cotswold steep pitched roofs designed to cope with heavy winters centuries ago. It truly feels as if you've stepped back in time but in the most wonderful way. Chipping Camden has the loveliest little collection of independent shops. It's one of those high streets where you can wander in and out and every doorway feels a little bit magical. There are so many gorgeous interiors and lifestyle shops, places filled with handmade pottery, linen, cushions, old books and beautiful homewares that feel very traditional Cotswolds. Just like I showed you in Stowe a few weeks ago we have a Sam Wilson shop here and a favourite of mine Robert Welsh who sells wonderful cutlery. End of November and December is wonderful for window shopping. Just off the high street tucked behind the old walls was the little Christmas vintage fair, the kind of place you'd easily miss if you weren't looking for it. Tables were scattered with tiny treasures, hand-stitched ornaments, lace-softened dolls, ribbons that looked as though they'd lived a hundred Decembers already. I love fairs like this, seeing both the antique and the handmade new items. A small quiet pause in the middle of the day and a reminder that sometimes the most beautiful parts of Christmas are found in rooms like this, filled will share with you later. Now we're heading to the Fox in Oddington for a nice lunch out. We visited today especially for the French brasserie menu which is available for a limited time. I opted for the beef beignon and my son had a burger which is his usual. I highly recommend this beef beignon with mashed potato, it was absolutely delicious. I ended up bringing home two little treasures from the vintage fair. The first was this striped advent doll stitched in a charming old-fashioned way. There's something so sweet about her, the hand-painted face, the tiny buttons. She looks as if she's straight out of a childhood Christmas from decades ago. I love pieces like this because they add a gentle whimsy to the house, a softness that only handmade things have. She comes with a stock of labels and you switch them out every day up until Christmas for the countdown to Christmas day. Then I found this very special beautiful French lace doll dressed in layers of antique fabric. She's definitely more of a special keepsake than decoration. She's delicate, serene with a lovely worn elegance that you only get from true vintage textiles. Both of them feel like tiny stories, little echoes of Christmases long gone. I'm so happy I found them, they're exactly the kind of simple soulful pieces that make this season feel special. I'm wearing a lovely heart and daisy dress which I had made especially for me about eight months ago. They take your measurements into account, they are wonderful. At the Fox in Odington I wore a Holland Cooper trench coat in green tweed with Fairfax and Favour boots and a cashmere long dress.