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FOOD
Cookbook author Zuza Zak’s best
Polish Easter dishes
Why not try making eggs with
caviar or rye soup in a bread bowl
BOOKS
Five of the best new cookbooks
for spring
Go on a journey through world
cuisine, from Portugal to Tibet
PHOTOGRAPHY
Francesco Lastrucci on island life
in the Dominican Republic
The photographer discusses his
recent assignment for the magazine
There’s something magical about standing in
a woodland surrounded by wild and native
bluebells. The delicate blooms and their heady
fragrance last just a few precious weeks each
spring, but the sweeping displays can take
hundreds of years to bulk up, making their
awe-inspiring display a colourful indicator of
undisturbed, ancient woodland. In the south
of the UK, they start to bloom from April into
May, while further north, they follow about
four weeks later.
According to folklore, the bluebell wood
is where mischievous fairies gather to lead
humans astray — by ringing the bluebells
and waiting for passers-by to kneel down
and pick the flowers. The old tales were a
word of warning for walkers tempted to
pull up the plants, but the message is still
important today: the native English bluebell
is a protected species, so be mindful stick to
marked paths to avoid disturbing them.
- Highgate Wood, London
Visitors can escape into a woodland
wonderland at Highgate Wood — just by
Highgate Tube station — which has a history
that stretches back thousands of years.
Footpaths of varying lengths offer winding
routes around the 70 acres — but the entrances
via Granley Gate or Bridge provide the most
direct routes to the bluebells.
- Castle Ward, Co Down, Northern Ireland
Castle Ward features an impressive 1 8th-
century mansion and offers a range of scenic
walking routes, all featuring vast swathes of
wild bluebells. Try the so-called ‘Mountain
Wood’, a gentle walk inland, or the ‘Grand
Tour’, which runs along the shore. Game of
Thrones fans may be interested to know that
the castle was the location for Winterfell and
several more settings in the series’ first season.
READ THE FULL STORY ONLINE NOW
BEYOND THE
TRAVEL SECTION
How local midwives mix Mayan
heritage with Western medicine
The fight to reduce maternal
and infant deaths in Guatemala
and Mexico is taking place in
local communities
| HISTORY |
How the UK’s red kites came back
from the brink
After centuries of persecution,
the red kite seemed doomed. But
thanks to a reintroduction, this
spectacular and colourful bird
of prey is thriving. Here’s how it
happened — and what we can learn
| ANIMALS |
What can we learn from Istanbul’s
3,000 mosques?
Faith, art and history converge at
these places of worship. Here’s
how architectural feats chronicle
Istanbul’s history
| HISTORY |
CASTING A PURPLE HAZE ACROSS FOREST FLOORS, BLUEBELLS IN FLOWER
ARE A SURE SIGN THAT SPRING HAS SPRUNG. HERE ARE EIGHT OF THE
BEST PLACES TO SEE THEM. WORDS: MIRANDA JANATKA
EIGHT OF THE BEST BLUEBELL
WALKS IN THE UK
IMAGES
: GET
TY
;^ JAMES
MC
DONALD
;^ PÊCHE;
FRA
NCESCO
LASTRU
CCI
ONLINE
JUNE 2022 43
