The Country Idyll - Cabbages Dispatch with Leah Lane

In our latest Cabbages Dispatch, Leah Lane (otherwise known as her Instagram moniker @mymulberryhouse) shares nostalgic anecdotes, reveals her female inspirations, a tableau of family life and how the magic she recreates in her storytelling has amassed her 1 million attentive followers...

What do you love most about your job?

The creativity and variety of work it enables, as well as working with so many incredible women.

Can you describe a perfect day?

A balmy day in Britain in May, a slow start, followed by a good walk or a game with the sprogs, a picnic, cuddles and film night.

What are the most cherished items you own and why?

Wow, this question made me think. My new C&R Glenda dress is right up there, along with a rather enormous cocktail ring I have from my late mother. She was rather fond of diamonds! Letters, photographs and my Great Grandmother’s babysham champagne glasses.

What’s your favourite failsafe dish?

Toad in the Hole. Hands down, every time!

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

You can’t beat a good country pub. I tend to measure my pubs by how good their Bloody Mary’s are. No tabasco, no go. Sundays generally are spent very slowly in the summer. We waft around in nighties until 11, eat breakfast outside with freshly laid eggs, read magazines on the porch and generally doss about a bit. In winter, it’s a different story… a hurried early start with rugby for the children, hopefully followed by a long bath, warm soup with fresh bread and a fire in the “fancy room” where we play a 3-month-long game of Monopoly fuelled with intense sibling rivalry; and no winter weekend is complete without watching Strictly Come Dancing!

Where do you go for inspiration?

Old things are always my inspiration. From old photographs of my Grandmother, to interior design, to vintage style, to vintage books. Authors are an inspiration to me visually in the world they conjure up in my head. Whether it’s a Jane Austen love story, a Beatrix Potter illustration or the nostalgic magic of Shirley Hughes.

What was the last book you loved and why?

To Kill a Mockingbird. I read it again every year. I read it when I was very young and I sobbed through the later half. It has remained with me as a most profound book. Kindness, sympathy and standing up for what is right are key principals I try to teach my sprogs.

What’s your favourite hotel and why?

Hmmm, we tend to stay in cottages as we prefer our own space with sprogs but one of the most magnificent hotels I’ve stayed in is Cliveden. I treated my husband to a night here in our 20s when he was on R&R from military service in Iraq and it was quite something! I pulled up in a mustard yellow fiat, which was quickly whisked away by the hotel’s valet (let’s just say it was unsightly…), who were more used to driving Bentleys. But for one night, we were Kings!

Favourite restaurant?

Anything serving Asian Fusion

Your favourite artist, living or dead, and why?

Probably Turner. We have his ‘Rain, Steam and Speed’ painting of a train as a centrepiece in our ‘fancy room’.

Name a song that is significant to you and why?

‘Hey Jude’ by The Beatles. It reminds me of Mummy. Her name was Judy. ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ by Van Morrison is ‘my’ song. And Elgar’s Nimrod. I cannot listen to it without crying, it’s so deeply evocative.

Who would play you in a film?

Ha! I love Rachel Weisz. I also love Emily Blunt, but she’s far too tall, I’m only 5’2”!

Who has had the biggest impact on your career?

3 people. My mother, who instilled in me a relentless drive to achieve. My husband is a thoroughly modern man. Behind any growing woman is a partner who unequivocally cheerleads for her (and does more than their fair share of the life admin!). And my friend Kate, who gave me the confidence to believe in myself. She said, “we’re all just winging it, until we’re not”.

Which delights you more: garden pottering or kitchen pottering?

Winter - Kitchen, Summer - Garden

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

I think it depends on the time of life. I spent many happy years in London, so the City will always be part of how I got to where I am, but the countryside has my heart. There is so much beauty in nature.

Early riser or night owl?

Early riser. You’ll find me asleep in front of the box by 9:30pm.

How would you describe your style?

Elegantly knackered.

What job would you do in a parallel life?

A dancer

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

Any coat in the collection is always on my radar. They’re like nothing else out there and they are collector items.