08/08/2026
Introducing The Almanac - a new monthly edit from Coeur et Maman.
Inspired by the old-fashioned almanacs that gathered together the rhythms, observations and pleasures of the seasons, ours is a little collection of things to eat, drink, read, listen to, make and gather around, alongside ideas for creating and keeping family memories along the way.
Our first edition is The High Summer Almanac.
EAT
Pear, Brie & Prosciutto Crostini. Sweet pear, creamy Brie and salty prosciutto on crisp crostini. An easy little bite for long summer lunches, impromptu gatherings or an evening in the garden. The sort of recipe that feels a little special without requiring too much from the cook.
DRINK
A lavender iced latte. Floral, fragrant and served over ice. A gentle nod to the lavender blooming through the garden and the slower pace of summer afternoons. One to make when there’s nowhere else you need to be.
DECORATE
Keepsake decor. We’ve always believed that the loveliest homes are filled with things that mean something. Summer is a particularly good time to bring out the pieces that hold memories: photographs, inherited treasures, children’s artwork and objects collected along the way, and let them become part of the rooms we live in.
GATHER
An alfresco dinner or a picnic with the family. There is something wonderfully uncomplicated about eating outside in summer: a table in the garden, a blanket on the grass, food shared from the middle and children disappearing between courses. Nothing elaborate required.
READ
Two books to dip into slowly: The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, with its beautiful observations of the natural world throughout the year, and Brambly Hedge: Summer Story; a childhood favourite that feels particularly fitting when the days are long and the garden is at its fullest.
A SEASONAL COLLECTION
Botanical kitchen art. Bringing the garden indoors doesn’t have to mean grand arrangements. A seasonal botanical, a pressed flower or a few gathered stems can become something to display, turning the fleeting beauty of summer into something that lasts a little longer.
IN THE GARDEN
Press a flower from this season. There is something lovely about preserving a tiny piece of summer before it passes; a flower picked from the garden, pressed between pages and kept to rediscover later.
LISTEN
Our High Summer playlist is made for golden evenings and open windows: Our House by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Fields of Gold by Eva Cassidy; Come Away With Me by Norah Jones; Bloom by The Paper Kites; and Harvest Moon by Neil Young.
A little nostalgic, a little dreamy, and very much for summer.
A MEMORY WORTH KEEPING
An annual family portrait.
Not necessarily a formal photograph or a perfectly coordinated moment; simply a record of your family as you are this year. The faces, the height differences, the favourite clothes, the slightly chaotic reality of family life. Because these are the details that become precious with time.
And perhaps that is what we love most about summer: how ordinary moments can become the ones we remember most vividly.
Welcome to The Almanac.
A monthly collection of seasonal inspiration and simple pleasures; with a few things worth keeping along the way.
