About Us
The Guide is committed to keeping its loyal readers in the know with what's new in the world of fashion, beauty, home, food, travel and culture.
Editor: Nancy Alsop
Nancy has worked as a journalist for fifteen years. She cut her teeth on the Mail on Sunday’s supplements and then sharpened them as editor of a variety of glossy lifestyle magazines. In 2014, she wrote the best-selling interiors book, Living Life Beautifully in conjunction with Cabbages & Roses, and is working on her debut children’s novel.
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First site that springs to mind. Now! - The Woodland Trust. Who doesn’t want more trees on our planet?
Coolest feed on Insta - AlexandraTolstoyTravel. Horse riding in Kyrgyzstan and extraordinary scenes adventuring across the Russian empire that make me feel woefully unadventurous by comparison
Website you most often recommend - National Rail’s website for booking tickets. Mainly to my mother who still insists on queuing for approximately five hours at the station.
Last podcast you downloaded - Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail. Always a good thing to know.
Twitter or Facebook - Facebook, though I’m slowly coming round to Twitter (the latest of latecomers to the party).
You can't live without - NHS Direct, for every time my toddler gets a weird rash/merest hint of a temperature
Funniest YouTube clip - An oldie, but Fenton chasing deer in Richmond Park will never not make me howl.
Biggest online mistake you've ever made - Booking the wrong flights. I have done this more than once.
Weirdest feed you follow - >@MuppetHistory. A man who has nothing to do with the creation of the actual muppets or Jim Henson, but just knows a LOT about these puppets
Coolest feed on Insta - AlexandraTolstoyTravel. Horse riding in Kyrgyzstan and extraordinary scenes adventuring across the Russian empire that make me feel woefully unadventurous by comparison
Website you most often recommend - National Rail’s website for booking tickets. Mainly to my mother who still insists on queuing for approximately five hours at the station.
Last podcast you downloaded - Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail. Always a good thing to know.
Twitter or Facebook - Facebook, though I’m slowly coming round to Twitter (the latest of latecomers to the party).
You can't live without - NHS Direct, for every time my toddler gets a weird rash/merest hint of a temperature
Funniest YouTube clip - An oldie, but Fenton chasing deer in Richmond Park will never not make me howl.
Biggest online mistake you've ever made - Booking the wrong flights. I have done this more than once.
Weirdest feed you follow - >@MuppetHistory. A man who has nothing to do with the creation of the actual muppets or Jim Henson, but just knows a LOT about these puppets
Features Editor: Becky Ladenburg
Becky joined the team in April 2017. After a decade on the Features desk of The Daily Telegraph, she now combines writing from home with the raising of her little boys (while trying to limit her almond-croissant and cappuccino intake).
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First site that springs to mind. Now! ocado.com (= tragic)
Coolest feed on Insta: @bagandbones, the brilliant LED neon art label
Website you most often recommend: farmdrop.com
Last podcast you downloaded: How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Twitter or Facebook: Neither. Instagram.
You can’t live without: Instagram’s interiors inspiration – particularly the (very different) feeds of @matildagoad and @studioolivergustav.
What’s on your iPod right now? I don’t have one but the Swedish folk duo, First Aid Kit, is on repeat on my Spotify.
Funniest YouTube clip: “Hilarious” video clips do my head in.
Biggest online mistake you’ve ever made: I continue to shoot myself in the foot with all of the old email disasters, like cc’ing people that I don’t mean to and forwarding old threads that aren’t meant for new eyes.
Coolest feed on Insta: @bagandbones, the brilliant LED neon art label
Website you most often recommend: farmdrop.com
Last podcast you downloaded: How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Twitter or Facebook: Neither. Instagram.
You can’t live without: Instagram’s interiors inspiration – particularly the (very different) feeds of @matildagoad and @studioolivergustav.
What’s on your iPod right now? I don’t have one but the Swedish folk duo, First Aid Kit, is on repeat on my Spotify.
Funniest YouTube clip: “Hilarious” video clips do my head in.
Biggest online mistake you’ve ever made: I continue to shoot myself in the foot with all of the old email disasters, like cc’ing people that I don’t mean to and forwarding old threads that aren’t meant for new eyes.
Shopping Editor: Lucy Abletshauser
Lucy lives in London and has a background in art and design. She loves interiors, photography, fashion, writing and long walks in the park with her family and little dog, Disco.
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First site that springs to mind: amara.com
Coolest feed on Insta: @firmdale_hotels
Website you most often recommend: The Good Web Guide, of course. After that, Houseology.com.
Last podcast you downloaded: Love Stories by Dolly Alderton, interviewing Marian Keyes.
Twitter or Facebook: Facebook
You can't live without: Almond flat whites from 'Rude Health' cafe. Cannot function without.
What's on your iPod right now? Spotify - one of my husband's playlists.
Funniest YouTube clip: help!!!! I don’t go on YouTube!!
Biggest online mistake you've ever made: Undoubtedly an Instagram influenced, fashion related one. I have learnt from experience that one size does not fit all.
Weirdest feed you follow: @havanesedaily - feeding my obsession with Havanese dogs.
Coolest feed on Insta: @firmdale_hotels
Website you most often recommend: The Good Web Guide, of course. After that, Houseology.com.
Last podcast you downloaded: Love Stories by Dolly Alderton, interviewing Marian Keyes.
Twitter or Facebook: Facebook
You can't live without: Almond flat whites from 'Rude Health' cafe. Cannot function without.
What's on your iPod right now? Spotify - one of my husband's playlists.
Funniest YouTube clip: help!!!! I don’t go on YouTube!!
Biggest online mistake you've ever made: Undoubtedly an Instagram influenced, fashion related one. I have learnt from experience that one size does not fit all.
Weirdest feed you follow: @havanesedaily - feeding my obsession with Havanese dogs.
Lifestyle Editor: Lydia Mansi
Lydia is an ex-London magazine editor (Grove, The Resident) turned creative brand consultant, who decamped from West London back to the wilds of Devon to rear her two boys, Enid Blyton style. A self-confessed ‘wanderlust writer with a hippie heart’, she is happiest on the move, camera in hand, namely to the beautiful yet impractical French Manoir she is renovating with her husband in rural SW France.
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First site that springs to mind. Now! - The Modern House quenches my lust for property, architecture and interior design, whilst indulging my utter nosiness at other people’s homes.
Coolest feed on Insta: @Archdigest (see previous answer!) or @accidentallywesanderson – the colour combinations, the symmetry, the quirky beauty that people spot in the everyday. It’s like sunshine on my feed.
Website you most often recommend: Probably Cup of Jo. Joanna Goddard is one of my favourite writers and her NY women’s lifestyle site is one of my daily reads. Her warm and naturally conversational tone is part intelligent girlfriend, part talented editor. I feel like she’d be great in a crisis and fun at a party – the perfect mix.
Last podcast you downloaded: I am a rabid consumer of podcasts; they’re perfect dog-walking companions. Currently on repeat are: Hashtag Authentic; Griefcast; Table Manners with Jessie Ware… but my all-time favourite is Dear Joan & Jericha. I check obsessively for when the new season is launching.
Twitter or Facebook: Neither for a decade. I find Pinterest almost meditative (and addictive) and Instagram – for me it’s the perfect platform, a mix of visual photography, video and the written word. I’ve forged some brilliant friendships through the power of ‘the ‘gram’; I love it.
You can’t live without: Rococo Earl Grey Thins, Jasmine Tea and a nightly bath with Bamford Geranium, Lavender and Peppermint Bath Oil. Preferably all at once.
What’s on your iPod right now? The Greatest Showman (eldest son), Baby Shark (youngest son).
Funniest Youtube clip? Old Billy Connolly skits. That man never fails to make me sob with laughter.
Online mistake: Internet Dating. It was pre-smartphones. Those profile photos were grainy… and woefully inaccurate.
Coolest feed on Insta: @Archdigest (see previous answer!) or @accidentallywesanderson – the colour combinations, the symmetry, the quirky beauty that people spot in the everyday. It’s like sunshine on my feed.
Website you most often recommend: Probably Cup of Jo. Joanna Goddard is one of my favourite writers and her NY women’s lifestyle site is one of my daily reads. Her warm and naturally conversational tone is part intelligent girlfriend, part talented editor. I feel like she’d be great in a crisis and fun at a party – the perfect mix.
Last podcast you downloaded: I am a rabid consumer of podcasts; they’re perfect dog-walking companions. Currently on repeat are: Hashtag Authentic; Griefcast; Table Manners with Jessie Ware… but my all-time favourite is Dear Joan & Jericha. I check obsessively for when the new season is launching.
Twitter or Facebook: Neither for a decade. I find Pinterest almost meditative (and addictive) and Instagram – for me it’s the perfect platform, a mix of visual photography, video and the written word. I’ve forged some brilliant friendships through the power of ‘the ‘gram’; I love it.
You can’t live without: Rococo Earl Grey Thins, Jasmine Tea and a nightly bath with Bamford Geranium, Lavender and Peppermint Bath Oil. Preferably all at once.
What’s on your iPod right now? The Greatest Showman (eldest son), Baby Shark (youngest son).
Funniest Youtube clip? Old Billy Connolly skits. That man never fails to make me sob with laughter.
Online mistake: Internet Dating. It was pre-smartphones. Those profile photos were grainy… and woefully inaccurate.
MD: Arabella Dymoke
Arabella has run The GWG since 2008, surfing the web day in and day out. A self-confessed information junkie, the web is the perfect medium for her to work in. Arabella is also a keen cook, with an extensive collection of cookery books. With that, walking where she can and reading, her days are never boring.
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First site that springs to mind. Now! - Very boring but it's Amazon, to help with things like 'When do I need to order ink cartridges for the printer?'
Coolest feed on Insta: folkscenery for its stunning photography of the world around us. At the other end of the spectrum, @susirejano. Susi Rejano is a lady of a certain age with an uncomplicated style that I would love to emulate.
Website you most often recommend: Apart from The GWG, it would usually be travel related, Culture Trip for things to do, places to see.
Last podcast you downloaded: Last Seen about the 1990 art heist at the Isabelle Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston when thirteen important artworks were stolen
Twitter or Facebook: Twitter for breaking news and links to interesting articles on social media etc
You can't live without: Walking, a day stuck behind a desk is my idea of hell so walking plays an important part, whether to meetings or with my dog.
What's on your iPod right now? Music with a good beat to run by so I can go that little bit faster. As if...
Funniest YouTube clip: It's quite an old clip but it went viral when it was first released, Panda sneezing: I haven't looked at it for a few years but it still makes me laugh.
Biggest online mistake you've ever made: In the early days of the web when we used html code on every page and with one tiny mistake, I virtually rendered the whole site unusable. And finding the mistake was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Coolest feed on Insta: folkscenery for its stunning photography of the world around us. At the other end of the spectrum, @susirejano. Susi Rejano is a lady of a certain age with an uncomplicated style that I would love to emulate.
Website you most often recommend: Apart from The GWG, it would usually be travel related, Culture Trip for things to do, places to see.
Last podcast you downloaded: Last Seen about the 1990 art heist at the Isabelle Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston when thirteen important artworks were stolen
Twitter or Facebook: Twitter for breaking news and links to interesting articles on social media etc
You can't live without: Walking, a day stuck behind a desk is my idea of hell so walking plays an important part, whether to meetings or with my dog.
What's on your iPod right now? Music with a good beat to run by so I can go that little bit faster. As if...
Funniest YouTube clip: It's quite an old clip but it went viral when it was first released, Panda sneezing: I haven't looked at it for a few years but it still makes me laugh.
Biggest online mistake you've ever made: In the early days of the web when we used html code on every page and with one tiny mistake, I virtually rendered the whole site unusable. And finding the mistake was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Contributing Editor: Annabel Jack
Annabel joined The Good Web Guide as Editor in 2016, before becoming part time. The journalist previously worked at ES Magazine, The Independent and mydeco.com. She has three rowdy children and five chickens. Her weaknesses include pasteis de nata, blockprint fabrics and flea markets.
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First site that springs to mind. Now! - eBay.
Coolest feed on Insta: @mollymahonblockprinting – interiors idol.
Website you most often recommend: Nextdoor.co.uk - This neighbourhood network has helped me out many a time.
Last podcast you downloaded: The Parent Hood chatting to Jo Saunders and Georgie Soskin from Cooking Them Healthy.
Twitter or Facebook: Facebook for nostalgia, Twitter for work.
You can’t live without: Chillies, garlic and ginger.
What’s on your iPod right now? Mamma Mia. It’s currently my school run soundtrack.
Funniest YouTube clip? The Bad Lip Reading videos - Never not funny.
Biggest online mistake you’ve ever made: Booking non-refundable flights for my family of five on the wrong dates. An expensive blunder.
Coolest feed on Insta: @mollymahonblockprinting – interiors idol.
Website you most often recommend: Nextdoor.co.uk - This neighbourhood network has helped me out many a time.
Last podcast you downloaded: The Parent Hood chatting to Jo Saunders and Georgie Soskin from Cooking Them Healthy.
Twitter or Facebook: Facebook for nostalgia, Twitter for work.
You can’t live without: Chillies, garlic and ginger.
What’s on your iPod right now? Mamma Mia. It’s currently my school run soundtrack.
Funniest YouTube clip? The Bad Lip Reading videos - Never not funny.
Biggest online mistake you’ve ever made: Booking non-refundable flights for my family of five on the wrong dates. An expensive blunder.
April 2024