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Silvana de Soissons
NGLND
{ FOUNDING EDITOR , THE FOODIE BUGLE }
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You’ll find Silvana de Soissons where English sensibilities meet Italian passion. The bubbling and exuberant editor of Britain’s popular online magazine The Foodie Bugle, Silvana is infectious. She greets you with her little dogs by her side and with hugs and pints of local ales. Her home, named Bicknoll House—located in Wiltshire, in the provincial countryside of southeastern England—was originally constructed in the middle of the eighteenth century. Staying true to the history of the home and to her geography at large, she has created a countryside paradise, outfitted with a host of wellies for visitors and jelly molds by the dozens.
Every room, corner, and wall has Silvana written on it. Decoupaged bathrooms, stacks of striped tea towels, teakettles in various blues and yellows—all reflect her pastoral and eclectic style. This is a woman who has mastered the art of making a house a home, not only for herself, her husband, and her daughter, but also for all weary travelers and transient visitors.
In her role as editor and founder of The Foodie Bugle, Silvana often finds herself hosting lunches, teas, and casual get-togethers with other food-minded individuals. She created the magazine in an effort to “tell the whole story of simple, frugal, seasonal food and drink from farm to fork.” She provides an accessible resource with quality writing, which spotlights freshly grown produce around the country and the artisans who use these ingredients to make their own offerings. Her leadership and vision established The Foodie Bugle as a pioneer in England’s food culture; it won the Guild of Food Writers New Media Award in 2012.
Though we stayed with her for only a few days, we could have stayed through the winter, huddled over books in the drawing room, warming our stocking feet by the fire. Silvana’s world is charming and bucolic, nourished by good food and brought to life by her own spurts of laughter. Leaving here was not unlike leaving home—in the hope and expectation that you will, one day, return.
