Editor’s Letter: January 2026

And just like that, we arrive in January. A new year always brings with it a sense of quiet possibility, don’t you think? January can feel slow and subdued, with shorter days and colder mornings, but it’s also a time to pause, reflect and find beauty in the season around us. Here in Derbyshire, we’ve been blessed with blankets of frost in the mornings - with some places further North getting snow - so the landscape is looking particularly beautiful. The image here is the view from the fields in my village this morning, and it felt so wonderful to step out and fill my lungs with the cold winter air.

We quietly released the Winter issue of Your Derbyshire at the start of December, alongside our Christmas special issue too. It’s important to recognise winter for its own beauty outside of the festive season, and this issue is packed with a whole host of content designed to see you through the darker months. You’ll find thoughtful wellness insights in our Winter Well feature, along with profiles of ceramicist Scott Allan, Pursuing the Past founder Rebecca Merrifield, and Jade Devall of Design 44. We explore the centuries-old tradition of wassailing, visit some of the county’s cosiest fireside pubs, and guide you on a crisp winter walk from Osmaston to Shirley. Our postcards this month are from South Derbyshire, an often forgotten part of our county and we head to some of the county’s best wintery food spots, Arthurs in Belper and The Packhorse in Little Longstone. It’s an issue shaped by warmth, creativity and the quiet magic of Derbyshire in winter.

As always, thank you for being part of the Your Derbyshire community. Whether you’re reading with a warm drink in hand or planning your next local adventure, we hope this month - and this season - brings you moments of calm, inspiration and connection.

Wishing you a very happy January,

Olivia & Rachel