27th July 2025
Perhaps it was the day of steady rain, the first sight of elderberries darkening on the hedgerows, or those rosehips I’d spotted last week, but the quiet joy of preserving fruit crept into my thoughts this week.
On a local walk, I came across a tree heavy with cherry plums, their colours catching the light, and their size just right for my littlest foraging basket. That basket now lives on the cool kitchen step, a permanent fixture catching the morning sun while keeping gathered fruit out of the heat…
THE CREATION OF A NEWSLETTER
Notes from Under the Walnut Tree is my way of sharing the quiet moments, small discoveries, seasonal joys and highlights of our week at The Artisan Founder. It’s for those who love slow Sundays, noticing small seasonal changes, inspiring founder stories, curated edits, and beautifully handcrafted pieces.
Inspired by the Walnut Tree at the bottom of my little rural cottage garden, the canopy offers a quiet place to pause and reflect, whatever the weather, whatever challenges arise in life.
I started the weekly letter as any newsletter begins. A way to keep in touch with subscribers of The Artisan Founder and to share what’s new.
Something prompted me one week to share a very simple recipe for cheese scones with wild garlic, a celebration of Spring. I had so many replies to the email, so many of you had enjoyed making them, added your own twist, shared with neighbours. It was so lovely to read.
In the weeks that followed – a photo of my view from the Walnut tree, a book I’m reading, or what I’d gathered in my little foraging basket on a woodland walk.
It’s these humble glimpses into simple country living that have resonated most with readers, and have shaped the notes to become a weekly diary of sorts.
‘I really enjoy The Artisan Founder emails on a Sunday eve. They are a lovely, gentle reminder of the good things in life before the working week kicks in!’
‘I love your Sunday writing. It gives me a boost for the week ahead. Please never stop.’
‘I love the Sundays Newsletter – your words are so beautiful!’
I spent much of my career styling interior scenes and room sets as a commercial photographer, creating the somewhat false view of reality required for commercial gain. The perfectly styled table, scattered cushion, or a sprig of thyme placed with tweezers.
That over-styled version of reality, once reserved for the world of publishing and branding, seems to have crept into everyday social media now. Perhaps that’s why people are drawn to something that feels real and familiar. Little notes of life within historic cottage walls, my growing collection of second-hand books, the simple pleasures of returning to favourite winter knitwear, gathering pine cones and drinking good coffee on a frosty morning.
I underestimated the power that sharing unedited observations of life and nature can bring, the newsletter now reaching thousands of inboxes around the world.
Like the canopy of the Walnut tree, it too offers a quiet moment to pause and reflect, direct to your inbox.
Lyndsey