Salon Privé has unveiled The White Collection for its 2026 edition, a thoughtfully curated display bringing together 20 of the world's most significant collector cars, united by one defining characteristic: their finish.

Presented throughout the five-day event at Blenheim Palace, the exhibition explores the remarkable breadth of white in automotive design, from soft ivory and eggshell to luminous pearl and contemporary metallic tones. Rather than simply sharing a colour, each car reflects a distinct moment in automotive history, demonstrating how understated finishes have often adorned some of the most celebrated designs ever created.

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Among the highlights are the Lexus LFA, Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini Miura and the Aston Martin Valiant Prototype, alongside a carefully selected line-up spanning more than seven decades of automotive excellence, from 1955 through to 2026.

Together, the collection offers a rare opportunity to experience an unusually cohesive group of landmark automobiles. Many have seldom been exhibited publicly, making The White Collection one of the defining installations of this year's Salon Privé.

The first 10 vehicles confirmed for the display have now been announced, offering an early glimpse of a collection that celebrates not only rarity, but the enduring elegance of one of motoring's most quietly sophisticated palettes.

1. Lexus LFA 
One of the greatest Japanese supercars ever built, the 2011 Lexus LFA is renowned for its naturally aspirated V10 engine. Finished in Pearl White, it brings modern performance and precision to the Salon Privé White Collection. 

2. ​Bugatti Veyron 
The 2008 Bugatti Veyron redefined the hypercar with record-breaking performance and engineering. Finished in White and Chrome, its striking two-tone appearance makes it one of the standout cars within the White Collection.

3. Ferrari Dino 246 GTS
Widely regarded as one of Ferrari's most beautiful designs, the 1973 Dino 246 GTS combines elegant styling with open-top driving. Finished in Bianco Polo Park, it adds timeless Italian style to the all-white line-up.

4. Lamborghini Miura 
Often credited as the world's first supercar, the Lamborghini Miura changed automotive history with its revolutionary mid-engined layout. Finished in Bianco, this beautifully restored 1968 example is a fitting addition to this unique display.

5. Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster 
One of Porsche's earliest and most desirable sports cars, the 1955 356 Pre-A Speedster helped establish the marque's reputation around the world. Finished in Speedster White, it represents the origins of one of motoring's most celebrated manufacturers.

6. Aston Martin Valiant Prototype 
A rare opportunity to see the 2023 Aston Martin Valiant Prototype, which showcases Aston Martin's latest engineering and track-focused performance. Finished in White, it is set to bring cutting-edge British performance to the Salon Privé White Collection. 

7. Auto Union 1000 SP Roadster 
Nicknamed the 'Baby Thunderbird', this 1963 Auto Union 1000 SP Roadster is one of the most distinctive European sports cars of the early 1960s. Finished in Egg Shell White, it offers a charming contrast to the display’s super and hypercars.

8. Lamborghini Huracán STO 
Developed directly from Lamborghini's motorsport programme, the 2023 Huracán STO delivers race-inspired performance for the road. Finished in Bianco Monocerus, it combines aggressive styling with one of Lamborghini's most recognisable white paint finishes. A must-see!

9. Maserati 3500GT 
The 1961 Maserati 3500GT marked the brand's move into grand touring, combining elegant styling with refined performance. Finished in Bianco Eldorado, the Maserati brings classic Italian sixties sophistication to the line-up. 

10. Radford 62-2 Coupé 
One of the newest cars in the collection, the 2026 Radford 62-2 Coupé blends modern engineering with inspiration drawn from the iconic Lotus Type 62 racers. Finished in White, it provides a contemporary interpretation of British coachbuilding tradition. 

British lifestyle brand Hook Polo has arrived in Burford for the summer, opening a pop-up on the town's High Street.

Drawing on the traditions of polo and the British countryside, the brand has built a reputation for contemporary wardrobe staples that balance classic styling with modern detailing. A commitment to British manufacturing sits at the heart of the collection, with an emphasis on quality materials and enduring design.

The temporary store showcases Hook Polo's latest seasonal pieces, including its bestselling GB Flag Knit. Made in England from premium Italian-spun cotton, the knit reflects the brand's focus on British production and understated heritage styling.

Alongside the signature knit, the collection includes embroidered Oxford and linen shirts featuring countryside-inspired motifs, as well as premium knitwear, polos, caps and accessories designed to transition seamlessly between rural escapes and coastal weekends.

The store will remain open until Sunday 16 August.

hookpolo.com

THE PIG has announced plans to open its tenth hotel in late summer 2027, bringing its well-established restaurant-with-rooms concept to the Warwickshire countryside for the first time.

Known as THE PIG-on the farm, the new hotel will occupy a sensitively restored Grade II* listed farmhouse and collection of historic farm buildings on the Walton Estate, just five miles from Stratford-upon-Avon and in easy reach of the North Cotswolds. It'll also become the largest property in THE PIG portfolio to date.

Approached via a long tree-lined drive, THE PIG-on the farm occupies 53 acres of pasture and farmland. The landscape is steeped in history, encompassing the earthworks of a deserted medieval village dating back to the 13th century, alongside archaeological features believed to include a Neolithic enclosure with Iron Age remains.

Original brickwork, timber beams and centuries-old farm buildings provide the backdrop for THE PIG's largest restaurant to date, complete with the biggest terrace in the collection.
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As with every THE PIG, food will sit firmly at the centre of the experience. The kitchen garden will greet guests on arrival, supplying produce for the hotel's signature 25-mile menu alongside ingredients sourced from local farmers and producers. Housed inside a restored barn, the restaurant will be the largest in the collection, complete with what promises to be its biggest outdoor terrace too.

There will be 35 individually designed bedrooms spread across the farmhouse and surrounding buildings, together with the familiar PIG bar and a pair of Shepherd's Hut treatment rooms overlooking wildflower meadows.

Sustainability remains a key part of the project, with extensive on-site food production including fruit and vegetable gardens, polytunnels, a mushroom house and smokery, alongside electric vehicle charging and wider environmental improvements across the estate.

Although THE PIG quietly acquired a property on the estate back in 2022, work only began earlier this year after securing extensive planning and heritage approvals. Construction is now well underway, with the first guests expected to check in towards the end of summer 2027.

www.thepighotel.com/on-the-farm

There is something rather predictable about the arrival of a Gail's Bakery.

Not the sourdough, which is perfectly good, nor the pastries which are exactly as you'd expect from a company with dozens of locations and a well-oiled recipe book. No, the predictable part is the reaction. Half the town welcomes a shiny new bakery with Instagram-friendly interiors (which is absolutely fine). The other half wonders which brilliant local business will quietly disappear next.

Because this isn't really about Gail's.

It's about what happens when our high streets become places that only national chains can afford to occupy. Rising rents, rising rates and landlords chasing the safest tenant have slowly squeezed the independent businesses that actually give towns like Cheltenham their personality.

And personality is something Cheltenham has never been short of.

From artisan bakeries and family-run bars to independent restaurants, delis and coffee shops, this is a town built on people who know your name, remember your order and probably made your croissant before most of us had hit snooze for the second time.

Which is why the response from La Boulangerie Artisan last week felt so refreshingly Cheltenham.

As Gail's opened its doors, the independent bakery took to the streets offering free coffee and pastries, along with a simple message: remember your local independents. Their social media post struck a chord with locals, attracting thousands of reactions and comments from people who clearly understand what is at stake.

It wasn't a protest, neither was it bitter. It was simply a reminder that behind every independent bakery is a local family, local jobs and money that stays in the local economy rather than disappearing into a national balance sheet.

Nobody should be criticised for spending their money at Gail's. If that's where you enjoy going, that's entirely your choice.

But choices have consequences.

Spend £20 in an independent bakery and you're helping someone pay local wages, buy from local suppliers and keep a business alive. Spend the same amount in a national chain and you've bought a nice lunch, but you've also reinforced the slow drift towards a high street that could be almost anywhere in Britain.

The villain here isn't really Gail's. Businesses expand because they're generally very consistent and people support them for that reason. The bigger question is why so many independents are increasingly unable to compete for prime locations in the first place. That's a conversation for councils, landlords and anyone with an interest in what our high streets look like in ten years' time.

In the meantime, the answer is pretty simple.

Use your local bakery. Pick up a coffee from an independent instead of the familiar logo. Make the extra effort. Because once an independent closes, we all mourn what we've lost. The trick is supporting them while they're still here.

Cheltenham has no shortage of brilliant bakeries. Let's make sure they're still around long after the novelty of the newest chain has worn off.

The Painswick has quietly become one of the Cotswolds' most dependable spots for stylish stays and seriously good food. Now its restaurant, SAUCE, begins a new chapter with Kian Puerta-Terron taking the reins as Head Chef.

Having spent the past 18 months in the kitchen at The Painswick, Kian steps into the role after honing his craft in some of the South West's most respected restaurants, including Cheltenham's Lumière, Michelin-standard kitchens in Cornwall and Bristol favourite Bravas.

His cooking is rooted in classical French technique but isn't afraid to borrow from elsewhere. Seasonal British produce sits at the heart of every menu, complemented by subtle Spanish influences from his family heritage and the precision and depth of Japanese cuisine.

The result is cooking that feels polished without becoming fussy. Expect dishes such as steamed halibut with fig leaf beurre blanc, roasted pork with calamansi, crispy pork jowl and braised pork croquette, alongside The Painswick's deservedly popular Beef Wellington.

Local sourcing remains central to the kitchen, with trusted suppliers such as Walter Rose & Son providing ethically reared meat, while the menu evolves naturally with the changing seasons.

For those who appreciate refined cooking without the ceremony, SAUCE continues to offer one of the most compelling dining experiences in the Cotswolds.

thepainswick.co.uk

​There is something wonderfully optimistic about this time of year. The summer still has a quite a lot of warmth left in it according to the forecasts, yet the mind has already wandered to crisp October mornings and the first sight of horses cantering to post in the shadows of Cleeve Hill and that unmistakable sense that another National Hunt season is stirring into life.

The Showcase Meeting has always been the curtain-raiser, the first chapter of a story that stretches through winter, reaching its crescendo in March and leaving us counting the days until the next year's Festival to begin again. For those who want to be there every step of the way, Cheltenham Racecourse has unveiled a new way of belonging with the launch of its Favourite Membership.

Designed for racegoers who measure the passing of the winter months not by calendars but by fixtures at Prestbury Park, the new membership offers admission to every one of Cheltenham's 16 racedays, placing members at the heart of the action from the opening roar of The Showcase to the final flagfall of the spring.

It is a package that balances tradition with thoughtful modern touches. Every member receives a classic metal badge and membership card, the sort of keepsake that still carries a quiet sense of pride , alongside access to the Members Marquee and the ever-popular Istabraq Bar, giving familiar places to gather between races and debate fortunes won and lost over a Guinnes or two.

The benefits continue away from the track too. Members receive reciprocal racedays at racecourses across the country, free admission to the ever-popular Official Festival Preview, digital editions of the Season Ahead and Festival Preview magazines, discounts in the racecourse gift shop, reduced prices on selected admission tickets for friends and family, complimentary parking at most fixtures and savings on Festival and November Saturday parking. Outside the Festival and November Saturday, Favourite Members can also enjoy exclusive access to the Central Grandstand seating, offering one of the finest vantage points from which to watch the action unfold.

There is also a calendar of exclusive events included and created to bring members together throughout the year, from a Royal Ascot Parade Ring Picnic beneath the big screen, to a Christmas Racing Film Night celebrating some of the sport's most cherished stories, an invitation to the Official Festival Preview, and a supporters' day trip to Aintree's outstanding Thursday card during Grand National week. 

This new membership provides incredible value for money, securing you access in the heart of the action within the Club Enclosure. And as the countdown to The Showcase gathers pace and another National Hunt campaign edges ever closer, the membership feels aptly named. For those whose favourite place is beside the running rail, whose favourite sound is the Cheltenham Roar before the tapes go up in March and whose favourite season is almost upon us, it could prove to be exactly that.

Enjoy access to all 16 racedays and save OVER 50% compared to booking individually.
Adult: £379
Concession: £245

www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/membership-and-offers/annual/the-favourite-membership