Here at Glossy Magazine, we love what we do. Especially when it involves us heading to Marbella to cover the launch party for a wonderfully funny new book by our very own Glossy columnist, Catherine Saunders, aka Lady Muck.

Whilst packing, we realised something. This year marks a major milestone for this much-loved writer. For nearly a decade she has been entertaining our readers, first with her hilarious articles on gardening and now with her amusing stories as an expat living in Andalucia.

To celebrate, she has published a collection of Lady Muck’s most popular articles from her Grow Your Own Food, Lady Muck Style columns – updated, expanded and now beautifully illustrated. A particularly moving achievement, when you consider that for years, behind the scenes, Catherine was seriously ill. 

So, last Saturday, Glossy Magazine caught up with her in the sunny garden of Breathe, a Marbella hotspot – to chat about her journey, her new book and her seemingly never-ending supply of amusing anecdotes.

Well, congratulations on your new book, Catherine! How does it feel? 

Aww, thanks, to be honest, it’s a bit surreal. Like the first time I managed to grow a carrot! I never imagined my madcap scribblings about gin gardens and slug wars would ever lead to this.

People do seem to love Lady Muck – how much of you is in there? And why did you create her? 

There’s a little bit of the real me in there, for sure – perhaps more than I care to admit! But she’s way more fantasy than reality. When I first got hooked on gardening, most books I read were so boring and I couldn’t understand why! I had so many funny growing stories to share. So, I created Lady Muck, wine glass in one hand, a hoe in the other, grinning, and the aim was to make people smile, to inspire beginners to have a go and to give seasoned gardeners a laugh too.

 “Growing food doesn’t have to be difficult or dull, especially when you grow the ingredients for your own cocktails” Lady Muck  

But you came to writing late in life, right?

Yep. I worked in marketing for years, played hard too, but sadly, in my 30s, that life ended overnight when I collapsed. Struck down by severe ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) following a bad virus. I spent years in a blacked-out room in pain, unable to walk, talk, sit, stand or feed myself. Little more than a breathing corpse. But I’m one of the lucky few to find a way out of that hell. So many never do.  

That sounds awful. How’s your health now? How’s the gardening?

Doing better in Spain’s warm climate but I’m certainly not 100% – relapse can hit at any time. But writing as Lady Muck is a wonderful escape. Gardening here is a little different than the Northwest though – less rain!

Right, tell me about the Lady Muck Style Series! I hear there are three books in total.

That’s right. All the gardeners I know are special people. But boy are we difficult to buy for! I wanted to create a lovely gift set for my gardening friends; something I’d have loved to give my dear old mum, who nursed me when I was ill and encouraged me to start gardening in the first place. 

Sounds great! Now, I heard a rumour that Glossy’s own Beverley and Salim are in the book. Is that true?

Yes indeed, in Chapter 5 – The Duke & Duchess of Didsbury! 

Oh, we love that! Thank you. We can’t wait to read it.  

Read The Book – Lady Muck Style 

Exclusive for readers of Glossy Magazine – your chance to read a preview of the first chapter of ‘Grow Your Own Food, Lady Muck Style – The adventures & antics of a fun-loving gardener’. Enjoy! 

“A deliciously, delightful read” Greens Restaurants

Waking up on Monday morning, slumped over my kitchen table, bleary-eyed and hungover, is never a good start to the week. Throw in one sniggering husband posting the image on Instagram, and my shame is complete. Of course, that sniggering husband is completely to blame for my latest disgrace. Leaving his good lady wife unsupervised as he headed off for his mate’s stag weekend. A recipe for disaster if ever I heard one. 

My weekend alone started out innocently enough. With my trusty iPad for company, I turned my attention to the herb garden I was planning. I was just getting stuck into researching the best herbs to grow at home when I stumbled upon a site devoted entirely to growing herbs for cocktails. Entirely. For. Cocktails. Now that’s my kind of site. 

Before long, my plans for a simple kitchen herb garden had morphed into plans for a fully blown cocktail herb bar where I could delight and amaze my family and friends with rainbow-coloured cocktails infused and garnished with the very herbs and flowers from my garden. And as we know. Any good plan has to be tested. 

So I rang round my girlfriends to see who fancied joining me for an impromptu herb-testing happy hour on Sunday afternoon. Purely for research purposes. Honest. You see, dear reader, while I have indeed got hooked on ‘grow your own’, I’ve never felt the need to give up my fun-loving personality just because I enjoy growing stuff.

A conviction clearly demonstrated last Sunday. The shaker shook. The herbs were muddled. The cocktails flowed. The Bose boomed. We danced. The neighbours complained. And let’s just say that, come Monday morning, Instagram got a real corker of a picture. So, to all you readers who fancy having a go at grow-your-own, remember, you definitely don’t have to give up fun afternoons with friends. Just merge your two passions. Growing your very own cocktail herb bar is a great project and can be as big or small as you want. You could start out with sweet basil, mint, and rosemary, which are all easy to grow. Here’s how… 

Grow Your Own Food, Lady Muck Style is now available on Amazon. E-book £7.99. Paperback £10.99. Hardback £19.99. Timga Publishing. Matching products include a Gardener’s Big Puzzle Book & a Gardening Planner & Journal (Lady Muck Style Series) £9.99. Visit www.ladymuck.style for more info. 

WIN  WIN WIN!

Here at Glossy Magazine, we love what we do. Especially when it involves us heading to Marbella to cover the launch party for a wonderfully funny new book by our very own Glossy columnist, Catherine Saunders, aka Lady Muck…

To celebrate the launch of the Lady Muck Style Series, Timga Publishing is giving one lucky reader the chance to win a set of all three books, signed by Lady Muck herself!

Simply answer the following question: 

How many books are in the Lady Muck Style Series? 

A.  1        B.   2          C.   3           

To win simply visit https://www.instagram.com/glossymagazine_ and “Follow Us” and “Like” the post on social media and comment: A, B or C…

Alternatively send your answer on a postcard to ‘Lady Muck Style Competition’, Glossy Magazine, 5 The Stables, Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 5PG along with your name, address and daytime contact number.

The competition closes on 30 November 2024. 

For full T&Cs, please visit www.glossymagazine.com 

Good Luck!