Sitting in lockdown, when the world changed overnight for so many of us and feeling very isolated, I wanted to engage with distant friends and thought how lovely it would be to be able to share their knowledge with people who would like to know more about these special fields- be it in interiors, fabrics, travel, antiques, property, publishing etc… I was sitting in my kitchen, where I always sit drinking endless cups of tea, and missing people and decided that if I couldn't share a pot of tea with them physically, it could still be virtual. And so the idea for a cyber ‘Tea for Two’ came into being.

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NICKY HASLAM is my design hero. Everyone knows that. Not only because he gave me the biggest opportunity in my life, when at the age of 23 I became his design assistant, but because of the knowledge that is stored in his brain- like Google for design- which he shares so generously with those that he works with. It was through absorbing this knowledge that in a few years I was made creative director, before opening my own line.

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SERENA CRAWFORD is a synonym for instagram, like hoover is to vacuum cleaners, or kleenex to tissues. The ultimate sharer, promoter, observer and aesthete- she has embraced this platform to share and enhance her point of view and her generous nature spills over. A native South African, like I am, she has lived on 4 continents, and, my word, does she live! It was wonderful to have her “to tea” from her home in South Africa.

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PAUL BANGAY is to topiary what Serena is to instagram! He can literally carve a fabulous landscape from nothing. His famous garden, Stonefields, in his native Australia is the culmination of a lifetime of work. His eye for the short, middle and far view is unrivalled in his field and he too shares his ideas and work; inspiring a whole generation of gardeners to make the pilgrimage to Stonefields. He stayed up to 11pm to be able to share his views and news with me, so do excuse the glass of red instead of tea!

To see more in the Tea for Two series visit our YouTube channel