Rachel Meddowes

Are you a classic case of cash rich / time poor? Are you hopeless at buying things for yourself or other people because you don't know where to look, don't trust your own taste, have run out of ideas, or are just plain lazy? Then you need this woman. Rachel Meddowes is an expert with an amazing network of contacts and an encyclopaedic knowledge of shopping. Who else knows this much about stores, boutiques, fairs, auction houses, warehouses, salvage yards and a host of artisans and craftsmen? With nine years as Interiors Editor of Haper's Bazaar magazine, she has broadened her career as a consultant with a thriving personal lifestyle and shopping business, working with private clients, photo shoots and impressive names like Claridge's, Debrett's and high-powered PR companies. Rachel can arrange shopping excursions and tours but her real skill is finding exactly what you need. Assignments include sourcing seascape oil paintings for a country cottage, a library to house an important collection of 18th century books, monogrammed sheets, towels and shirts for a stylish but demanding bachelor, a French bed, eiderdown, quilts and pillows for an architect's bedroom, a Twenties dressing table complete with mirror, photo frames and hairbrushes for a wedding present, and lamps of many sorts for a computer wizard. She'll take the terror out of Christmas, birthdays, christenings, baby showers, engagement parties and all those other social events where you can't turn up empty-handed. Prices start at about £200 for half a day but much depends on the project. Call Rachel on 07770 511 969 or email rachel.meddowes@btinternet.com

 

Tom's Kitchen - Part 2

Tom Aiken's mission to bring great food to all people has moved far beyond his classy Chelsea Michelin-starred eatery in Elystan Street. The younger sister, Tom's Kitchen in Cale Street, SW3, is like the diffusion version of a fashion brand, a cheerful, informal place serving gutsy British food. It doesn't pretend to be like the flagship restaurant and has successfully carved out its own reputation in just over a year since opening in November 2006. Now Selfridges in London has enticed Tom Aikens into the Food Hall on the store's ground floor. This new branch of Tom's Kitchen provides superior takeaway with a large range of seasonal dishes to be eaten immediately or taken home. There are soups like butternut squash, chorizo with red lentils, and a classic fish soup; meat dishes like blanquette de veau, coq au vin, or braised lamb with balsamic onions along with a wide range of vegetables; fish dishes, pasta and risotto, salad boxes, sandwiches, pies and tarts, and a traiteur or deli with items like marinated salmon or lobster mayonnaise. You need never cook again. Tom's Kitchen at Selfridges will be open daily during store hours. Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, London W1, 0800 123 400; www.selfridges.com