About Us

The same passion that drives our love of lifestyle and luxury carries through into our zeal for sustainability and positive change.

C&TH is highly aware of greenwashing, and the risks of paying lip service to sustainability and inclusion. We are simply dedicated to ensuring our words translate into real world impact, and actions.

We’re not interested in moralising or hectoring our readers. Our features educate our readers on the most aspirational, innovative expressions of sustainability to inspire us all.

We discuss sustainability in a way that’s particularly relevant and insightful for our readership.

While we approach sustainability with seriousness, we must also approach it with in a spirit of fun and adventure.

Through expert-written guides and ‘nudge’ tactics, across our content pillars, we aim to provide our audience with information on how to buy better, travel better, look after yourself better, eat and drink better – doing good for yourself and the environment, all without being too prescriptive or shaming.

Through these linked guides, we will inform our audience about what to look out for when they want to know if a company/product is ethical; we’ll sign post the accreditations to look out for; we’ll offer rental and vintage/second-hand alternatives (across now many industries) and advocate for the model of reduce (choose the one item over the many), reuse (use the items you have to get as much life and worth out of them that is possible), repurpose (have something remade, remodelled or upcycled), and then recycle (only when other options have been exhausted). But we’ll always do it beautifully and stylishly – and with a sense of fun. After all, if we can’t have fun in life, what’s the point?

We will also give space to people championing better ways of living, the brands either changing their practices or offering ethical products from the start, profiles of the people helping to change the world and the sustainable stories worth telling.

We have committed to measuring and tracking that at least 20 percent of our content output is focused on and around sustainability and will increase this percentage year on year.

We love celebrating Great Britain and what it does well – embracing thethe diverse range of talents on these islands. We therefore support local and independently owned businesses and brands that manufacture in the UK. We also support the UK's greatest soft power globally: our creative industries, from film, dance, opera, music and theatre to art craft, tech, fashion and architecture.

We are also passionate about protecting and regenerating our environment, so our content touches upon the ways in which our land can be improved, from regenerative farming, growing your own food, eating seasonally and locally to the importance of biodiversity and conservation. We are not afraid of looking at the big issues that affect our country.

We will include a broader range of voices within our own company, our contributors and our editorial. We want C&TH to feel as inclusive as possible in relation to our content.

We have committed to measuring and tracking that at least 15 percent of our content output is focused on diversity.

Employees, especially journalists and editors, should make all reasonable efforts to ensure that information and content is reported honestly, accurately and fairly.

Articles and images (including stock and syndicated) commissioned by C&TH should be clearly attributed to their owner.

The Bribery Act 2010 takes a robust approach to bribery, and creates a number of criminal offences, which even if committed abroad can be prosecuted in the UK. These include (i) bribery - ie offering someone in the UK or abroad a financial or other advantage to improperly perform an activity (whether public or private), (ii) being bribed and (iii) bribing a foreign public official. In some circumstances, offers or acceptances of hospitality and/or facilitation payments paid to public officials abroad in order to secure or expedite the performance of a routine or necessary action will come within the Act. There is no public interest defence, although where an individual is left with no alternative but to make a facilitation payment in order to protect against loss of life, limb or liberty there may be a defence of duress. Staff should always discuss with their managing editor beforehand if they are concerned that any payments might fall into these categories and, if such payments are requested or made, they should inform the editor-in-chief or their managing editor of the circumstances as soon as they are able to afterwards.

Staff members should not use their positions to seek any benefit or advantage in personal business, financial or commercial transactions not afforded to the public generally.

Special care should be taken when dealing with children (under the age of 16). Consent to publication should be sought where the child is reasonably considered able to make an informed decision.

No C&TH journalist or freelance primarily associated with C&TH should endorse commercial products unless with the express permission of their head of department or managing editor. Neither should they be involved in producing advertisement features (advertorials).

C&TH supports good commissioning practice, including fair treatment of freelancers.

Editors with access to personal information relating to other members of staff are required to treat such information as confidential, and not disclose it to anyone except in the course of discharging formal responsibilities.

Journalists should not use content from non-authorised third-party sources – whether pictures, text or other media – without obtaining the necessary permissions.

Staff must not reproduce other people’s material without attribution. The source of published material obtained from another organisation should be acknowledged, including quotes taken from other newspaper articles. Bylines should be carried only on material that is substantially the work of the bylined journalist. If an article contains a significant amount of agency copy then the agency should be credited.

It is always necessary to declare an interest when the journalist is writing about something with which they have a significant connection. This applies to both staff journalists and freelances. The declaration should be to a head of department or editor during preparation. Full transparency may mean that the declaration should appear in print and on the website.

Should not be changed to alter their context or meaning.

It is the policy of C&TH to correct significant errors as soon as possible. Journalists have a duty to cooperate frankly and openly with C&TH and to report errors to them.

Journalists should not engage the paid services of external non-journalistic agents or assistants without the prior knowledge and approval of the editorial director.

We understand that our talented journalists may want to undertake additional paid for editorial and/or commercial work. This may be undertaken with the consent of the Editorial Director or the Online Content Director in writing, but may not be undertaken during working hours or be a conflict of interest (i.e. byline credits for a competitor).

A gift which comes to an employee of Country & Town House is considered a gift to the company, not to the individual. Perishable goods like flowers and artisanal foods and products that are being reviewed by individuals must be first reviewed and where feasible, be shared with the rest of the company. Employees are forbidden from soliciting gifts. The management of the company shall decide upon the disposition of any gifts. Giving the gifts to charity or selling them in order to raise money for a charitable cause is encouraged. There is a gift cupboard in the editorial department and editorial staff only allow products for review when they are relevant to C&TH.

Our most important relationship is the one we have with our readers and online audience. Being polite and courteous applies whether an exchange takes place in person, by telephone, letter, email or social media.

C&TH accepts the journalist’s right to a private life and the right to take part in civic society. However, staff should inform their immediate editor if, in their capacity as an employee, they intend to:

• Chair public forums or seminars arranged by professional conference organisers or commercial organisations
• Undertake any outside employment likely to conflict with their professional duties
• Chair public or political forums or appear on platforms

We do partake of press trips in order to review hotels, events and restaurants but do not guarantee bias in review. Should we not believe that the experience is up to the quality standards upheld by Country & Town House, confidential feedback is given to the client direct. We do not post false reviews. We also choose our trips according to our press trip policy of judging a trip depending on our criteria, and we track and monitor press trip travel carbon footprint.

Except in some areas of travel writing it should never need to be the case that the journalist’s partner, family or friends are included in any free arrangement. When a partner, family member or friend accompanies the journalist on a trip, the additional costs should generally be paid for by the journalist or person accompanying the journalist.

Some designers and retailers offer a discount to their professional associates, commonly called a ‘trade discount’. Employees are permitted to accept a normal professional discount if it is offered, provided that it is not offered in order to obtain a business advantage or in exchange for favours or benefits. The discount must be offered openly, not secretly. An employee may not purchase an item using a trade discount with the intention of reselling it at a profit.