THE LADY established 1885 • No 6,456
ContentsDECEMBER Features 12 Ladies of the Year
8 Her Indoors
We celebrate the
women who most impressed us in 2024 21 Competition Win theatre tickets,
a stay in London and af ternoon tea on a bus! 28 Horse Power Ali Stearn’s Shetland
pony is bringing joy to care home residents 32 The Photo Booth A bittersweet Christmas
tale by the novelist Kate Glanville 38 Sparkling Stories
We meet the author of a fascinating new histor y of jeweller y 42 Fit for Queens
The gardens at Sudeley Castle reflect its historic royal connections 50 Ready for Everything
Recipes for delicious Christmas meals that can be prepared in advance 54 Amazing Graze
Impress your friends and loved ones with these par ty platters 60 Happy Renew Year!
Our pick of the best spas and wellness retreats at home and abroad 72 Calming the Storm
Avoiding stress during the festive frenzy 76 Don’t Break the Bank
How to avoid top-up fees and reduce the overall cost of residential care 81 The Gift of Giving Help worthy causes by
leaving a gif t to charity in your will 97 Competition
Win free tickets for a selection of fabulous musicals in London
Regulars 6 The Lady Loves...
Gifts for yourself
Mary Killen 10 Letters 20 The Lady Remembers The Christmas truce on
the Western Front 22 Modern Manners
Thomas Blaikie 25 The Debate
Should the state fund weight-loss injections? 26 Liz Hodgkinson I ’ve found the ideal way
to make Christmas easy 46 Gardener’s Diary
Ciar Byrne 58 Ivo Uncorked Festive tipples 66 Fashion Go for glamour like the
ladies from Rivals 68 Fashion Extra Christmas sparkles 70 The Stylist
Armand Beasley 74 Case Notes Dr Sue Hyde 91 Weight of the World
Ivo Dawnay 114 Horoscopes
Victor Olliver 130 First Impressions John Wilson
Reviews 86 Bookshelf The best new novels
and non-fiction to buy for Christmas 92 Art
Roderick Conway Morris 96 TV
Emily Ross 98 Films Larushka Ivan-Zadeh 99 Radio
Louis Barfe
Puzzles 115 Word Fill and Codebreaker 116 The Ladygram
Challenge 118 Archive Ladygrams 120 Bonus Christmas
Puzzles, Sudoku
68
50
122 Cryptic Crosswords,
Wordsearch 124 Big Crosswords 126 Spot the Difference 127 Bridge 128 Solutions Classifieds 102 Holiday lets, positions
vacant and much more
Subscriptions 48 Subscribe and receive
a delicious Fig gy’s Christmas pudding
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DECEMBER 2024 TH E L A DY 3