Pic credit: Copyright Ffern.co

In our first Cabbages Dispatch of 2025 we sit down with Emily Cameron, co-founder of Somerset perfumery, Ffern to discover the elements of her perfect day, her local foodie hotspots and the highlights of making Ffern a family affair...

What do you love most about your job?

That it’s never the same - it changes so much with the seasons, and with the unique artists, makers and communities we meet along the way.

Can you describe a perfect day?

A blustery walk by the sea - even a swim. And an evening in a candlelit pub by the fire.

What are the most cherished items you own and why?

An art deco-style copper box. Handmade by my great aunt Dorothy who was also a botanist at the Natural History Museum.

What’s your favourite failsafe dish?

Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce - you simmer a tin of tomatoes with half an onion and a good dab of butter for half an hour. So simple and good.

Dog walks, country pubs or gallery hopping: how do you spend your Sundays?

I used to spend it gallery hopping and on long country walks. Now it’s mostly drawing, painting or climbing up trees (with my sons!).

Where do you go for inspiration?

Definitely towards books. My favourite thing to do is to become lost in a bookshop, talking to the staff about their favourite authors, any treasures they’d recommend that I’ve missed… Followed by coffee in a cafe nearby.

What was the last book you loved and why?

I recently loved Dear Reader by Cathy Retzenbrink - it gives a host of suggestions for what to read and how, and revisits the old classics, asking why we love them like we do… Also Wintering by Katherine May. I reread this every winter.

What’s your favourite hotel and why?

I’ll always prefer a cottage in the middle of nowhere… Ideally in the Scottish Highlands.

Favourite restaurant?

Pic credit: Osteria Emilia

Emilia in Ashburton (pictured), run by Clare Lattin and Tom Hill of Ducksoup and Little Duck The Picklery.

Your favourite artist, living or dead, and why?

Winifred Nicholson. I love her use of colour and brushwork. Her window scenes are so peaceful and evocative.

Name a song that is significant to you and why?

Both Sides Now by the inimitable Joni Mitchell. It’s one of the first songs I remember my mother playing, and I still love hearing it on the radio.

Who would play you in a film?  

I’m not sure how to answer this one, but my favourite actress is Saoirse Ronan - she brings such a quiet elegance to any role she plays.

Who has had the biggest impact on your career?

Jessica and Jamie Seaton (the founders of Toast). I worked closely with them during my time at Toast and learnt so much.

Also my brother Owen (who I run Ffern with) - we have always bounced ideas off one another, and advised and supported each other, even before we began working together.

Which delights you more: garden pottering or kitchen pottering?

I’m just starting to dip my toes into gardening and finding it a wonderfully creative outlet so I’d have to say garden pottering. The pride that comes with seeing your plants and flowers come to fruition is unmatched.

If you had to choose, are you happier in city or country – and why?

This is a really tough question as there’s elements of both that I love. I love the thrum of the city and the colliding of different lives and cultures. But I’m equally drawn to the peace of the countryside, to the wide open skies and morning birdsong.

Early riser or night owl?

As a parent, I think early rising is a given but I do really enjoy the calm and quiet that mornings can bring, before the rest of the world has woken and the busyness of everyday life begins. I’ll often wake up early, put on the radio and take a moment to reflect on the day ahead. The view from our sitting room looks out onto trees, and I like watching them change through the seasons over a morning tea.

How would you describe your style?

I love pattern and print, so I’ll usually be wearing one of the two. Whether it’s an ikat skirt or a hand embroidered blouse.

Your favourite item of clothing?

My favourite pieces of clothing are the vintage dresses I own. My absolute favourite is one my grandmother made but never finished. I recently took it to a dress-maker to complete - it’s Liberty fabric and such a joy to wear as I never met my grandmother.

What job would you do in a parallel life?  

A song writer… I’m always writing songs. Whether or not they would have been sung is another matter.

What pieces from the Cabbages & Roses AW24 have you got your eye on?

I would say I’ve really fallen for the Locharron tartan.

 
And the dark fair isle is so unusual.

ffern.co