My first port of call when I get to England is to visit the nearest Neal’s Yard Remedy store to find some herbs and tinctures that will magically lift my jet lag lethargy. So I rose rather too early my first morning in the UK (1am LA time!), had a cup of strong Matcha green tea and got ready to drive on what seemed like the wrong side of the road to the nearest town, Guildford, which resides in the rolling green hills of Surrey. The original Neal’s Yard store opened its doors nearly 30 years ago in the heart of London’s Covent Garden. Its founders wanted to fashion their shop after a seventeenth century British apothecary, where all the potions and tinctures were sold in cobalt blue bottles.
I started visiting this store in my teens, as I was drawn to the bohemian yard, which is tucked behind Neal St, Covent Garden. I used to spend hours 
chattering to the wise women who worked there about everything imaginable, and buying the tiniest amount of herbs and oils that I could afford, as I loved to make my own beauty potions/remedies. I remember the shop feeling cozy and safe, with it’s sawdust covered floors and jars of every herb imaginable lining the walls. The scent of honey yellow beeswax, bowls of dried rose petals, and floral waters wafted into the courtyard outside and mingled with incense from the psychic store opposite. When I finally made it as an actress, performing many times in the West End, I used to spend much of my hard-earned pay packet in my beloved apothecary, buying those legendary cobalt blue bottles full of everything from shampoo base (in which you mix your own essential oils,) and cough medicines to keep me going for eight shows a week.
So it was extremely nostalgic to find myself back there – not in the Covent Garden store, but in its tiny cousin, tucked away off the cobbled streets of Guildford. Owned by the lovely Suze, this mini version of the original had everything I needed and some!! Thank Goodness there was a security issue with my credit card, otherwise serious damage could have occurred!
Neal’s Yard products were non-toxic and organic way before these concepts had ever really been thought about. You can now buy Neal’s Yard remedies for everything health & beauty related, from their U.S. site, which is fantastic, however, now that many of you own your own copy of Do It Gorgeously, you can learn from my experimentation of the last two decades, and make your own!!
So great to see suze on your website, i have worked for suze for a number of years…and she is amazing in the store. she has helped so many people and i have learnt so much from her.
The other day your mum poped into the store and we were chatting, she told me about your book i was off to see a friend in the states, so when i was in her local bookstore looking for the latest Yoga book. Your book jumped right out at me i told my friend that i was just chatting to your mum the other day and i was very excited the book had found me !!! I love it and you have yoga in it to. So i am spreading the Gorgeouslygreen message to all my UK friends.