THE CUTLER LIST: OCTOBER
A few things worth buying, planting, lighting, eating and generally fussing over this month.
ENGLISH BEESWAX CANDLES
Pilgrim House, £9 a pair
Hand-dipped English beeswax, made in the sort of golden yellow no candle manufacturer could improve upon. Put them in old brass candlesticks, light them at dinner and leave the ceiling lights alone. They have done enough.
SWEET PEA ‘MATUCANA’
Sarah Raven, from £2.37
One of the oldest and most deliciously scented sweet peas, with deep violet and crimson flowers. Sow them in autumn, forget about them for a while and take all the credit when they appear next year.
THE LONDON UMBRELLA
James Smith & Sons, £85
A proper umbrella from a proper umbrella shop, complete with redwood crook handle and none of the alarming mechanics of the folding variety. Buy it once and keep it for years. Just don't leave it in a pub.
A WOOL BLANKET
Tweedmill, from around £65
October requires a blanket somewhere within arm's reach. Tweedmill makes theirs in Wales from pure new wool, and we prefer the traditional checks, herringbones and slightly old-fashioned ones. It should look as though it has always lived on the back of the sofa.
A TIN OF BOILED SWEETS
Maison Boissier
The French have naturally managed to make boiled sweets glamorous. Maison Boissier has been making confectionery in Paris since 1827, and its little illustrated tins are almost too pretty to open. Almost.
A HYACINTH VASE
Crocus, from £9.98
October is the time for forcing hyacinths indoors. Plant a prepared bulb in one of these wonderfully peculiar glass vases and leave nature to provide the entertainment. Old coloured-glass versions are also worth hunting down at antique fairs and on eBay.
PROPER WOOL SOCKS
Peregrine, around £22
Thick, ribbed and made for boots. Choose oatmeal, moss, burgundy or whatever colour makes you feel most prepared to inspect a woodpile you don't actually own.
SECOND-HAND CASHMERE
eBay or Vinted
There is an enormous quantity of very good cashmere already in existence. Search men's jumpers too, ignore the size on the label and check the measurements instead. Navy, charcoal, camel and chocolate are difficult to regret. Check carefully for moth holes before becoming emotionally attached.
REBECCA
Daphne du Maurier
Don't buy a pristine new edition unless you particularly want one. Find an old Penguin with a creased spine and somebody else's name written inside. Manderley, Cornish weather, enormous rooms, jealousy and a deeply unsettling housekeeper. October reading sorted.
FIND A VINTAGE COPY ON ABEBOOKS
CLARIDGE'S MATCHES
Claridge's, £15
A beautifully designed box of matches from Claridge's is unquestionably an unnecessary purchase. We would like one anyway. Leave it beside the beeswax candles and suddenly lighting them becomes an occasion.
CLARIDGE'S MATCHES
October's rule: plant something for spring, switch off the big light and never trust an umbrella that fits inside a handbag.