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Sheherazade Goldsmith

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Sheherazade Goldsmith
BornSheherazade Ventura Bentley
(1974-03-14) 14 March 1974 (age 50)
Camberwell, London, England
OccupationColumnist, jeweller
SubjectOrganic food and gardening;
environmentalism; jewellery
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1999; div. 2010)​
Children3

Sheherazade Ventura Goldsmith (née Bentley; 14 March 1974) is a British environmentalist, jeweller and columnist.

During the 1990s, Goldsmith worked in the fashion industry and, after 2000, engaged in environmental activism undertaking a variety of green initiatives starting with an organic food business that she ran in London until 2002. In 2007, she edited a guide to eco-friendly living, A Slice of Organic Life: Get Closer to the Soil Without Going the Whole Hog, which she followed a year later by publishing a how-to guide for celebrating Christmas in an environmentally friendly way, called A Greener Christmas.

In June 2013, she launched a "concept jewellery" label Loquet London with her former friend and model Laura Bailey. After a falling out, the two ended their partnership both as friends and business associates. However, Laura Bailey's name is still leveraged to lend the company greater credibility.[1]

Goldsmith frequently contributed as a columnist to various national newspapers and other UK publications, but does not any longer.

Early life

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Goldsmith was born at King's College Hospital in Camberwell, London, to John Bentley, a financier and entrepreneur, and Viviane Ventura, a British actress, who successfully brought a paternity suit against him.[2][3] She was privately educated at both the French Lycée in London and Aiglon College.

Career

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Goldsmith was known as Sheherazade Bentley prior to marriage, her pen name in newspaper columns such as The Sunday Times.[4] Since her divorce, she has continued as a writer and spokeswoman for various environmental causes. At her current company, Loquet London, she often engages in greenwashing, falsely claiming that the packaging is made from recycled materials, despite it not being true.[5]

Business

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In 2000, while pregnant with her first child, she and her friend Serena Cook opened Deli'Organic, an organic delicatessen in Battersea's so-called "Nappy Valley". The café also soon became one of the first of its kind to set up what W called a "thriving business delivering fresh, organic baby food" to interested mothers.[6] Goldsmith cooked children's food from the shop's kitchen and served customers for nearly two years, her deli's best-seller being the full English breakfast: restaurant critic A. A. Gill said in a review, "The Deli'Organic is, despite everything, quite fun in a homespun, uncomfortable... way."[7] After the birth of her second child in 2002, Goldsmith closed down the enterprise.[citation needed]

Journalism

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Goldsmith has contributed articles on environmental concerns, organic food and products, style and beauty, and other topics to a variety of national newspapers and publications. She wrote a regular column for The Sunday Times on organic food and dining from October 2002 to March 2003. She has also written columns for The Daily Telegraph[8][9] and has been a food contributor to Harper's Bazaar magazine. Goldsmith has also contributed columns and recipes to various media organisations and brand names such as Sophie Grigson's The Fairtrade Everyday Cookbook,[10][11] Waitrose,[12] and the UKTV Food channel.[13]

Books

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Goldsmith is the editor-in-chief of A Slice of Organic Life: Get Closer to the Soil Without Going the Whole Hog, which was published by Dorling Kindersley in 2007 and became a best-seller [14] The book offers more than 90 self-contained projects to grow food organically, cook homegrown produce, and keep specific livestock, with different applications for city dwellers, suburban populations and homeowners with vast lands. The publication's projects range from growing strawberries in a hanging basket to keeping chickens or energy saving tips for home. BookPage called the book "an earnest, friendly manual that'll entice you into the kitchen to make jam, even if you've never before successfully boiled water": its central aim was to illustrate "that you can live anywhere and still make a contribution to the environment without actually making any sacrifices".[15] After the book's publication, Goldsmith stated, "there is a huge misconception that being green is more labour-intensive, more expensive and means giving up all your creature comforts."

Goldsmith's second book, called A Greener Christmas, was published by Dorling Kindersley in September 2008.[16] A Greener Christmas is a collection of various projects to help families celebrate an environmentally-friendly Christmas.

Activism

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Goldsmith's interest in environmental issues was sparked by motherhood: "I became interested when I became pregnant with Uma, and then suddenly became very concerned with what I was eating, what I was washing with and so on, and the effect it would have on the baby. When your child is born you start to worry about a zillion other aspects too, such as toys, food and toiletries," she told Health and Organic Living magazine.[17] She is an admirer of Sir David Attenborough, whose "love, passion and also his understanding of nature and what she can offer" she has often praised.[18] She is a longstanding event organiser and donor of the Soil Association, for which she also served as a spokesperson during its Organic Fortnight from 6 to 21 September 2008.[14][19]

However, Goldsmith has recently shifted away from incorporating environmental activism into her personal life, particularly in her home, as it was not seen as aesthetically pleasing or a worthwhile investment.: "...the house is not quite a showcase for green living. She had solar panels on a previous home but not this one (“I found they didn’t greatly contribute”). And the heating comes from a gas system, not a low carbon air-source heat pump..."[20]

Philanthropy

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Goldsmith is a supporter of London-based charities: she has been a committee member of the HOPING Foundation,[21] and is also a supporter of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity,[22] for which she helped organise a fundraising fashion show with the designers Robinson Valentine, which made her wedding dress.[23]

Personal life

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She married Zac Goldsmith on 5 June 1999 at St Simon Zelotes Church in London.[24] They have three children: daughters Uma Romaine and Thyra, and son James. The couple separated in 2009, amid allegations of infidelity, as he had an affair with Alice Rothschild, and their divorce in 2010 was highly contentious.[25]

Goldsmith had a relationship with filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón from 2011 to 2018. She has been in a relationship with Matthew Freud since 2021.

See also

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Bibliography

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  • A Slice of Organic Life: Get Closer to the Soil Without Going the Whole Hog. Dorling Kindersley. 2007.
  • A Greener Christmas. Dorling Kindersley. 2008.

References

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  1. ^ "Termination of appointment of Laura Bailey as a director on 30 March 2022". Companies House. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  2. ^ "Zac Goldsmith in no rush to marry". Sunday Express. 26 February 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Predator turned prodigal son : John Bentley : Profile". Independent. 26 February 1995. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  4. ^ Bentley, Sheherazade (4 April 1999). "It's an education, a schooling in Switzerland". The Sunday Times.
  5. ^ "Sheherazade Goldsmith makes false claims to Forbes". Forbes. 22 October 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  6. ^ Fallon, James (1 December 2001). "Sheherazade Goldsmith & Serena Cook". W. Retrieved 25 May 2008.
  7. ^ Gill, A A (9 December 2001). "Table talk". The Sunday Times.
  8. ^ Goldsmith, Sheherazade (28 August 2001). "I'd rather shop till I drop". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 25 July 2008.[dead link‍]
  9. ^ Goldsmith, Sheherazade (17 December 2007). "Christmas 2007: Dreaming of a green Christmas". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2007.
  10. ^ "Shop ethically – and eat well". Western Morning News. 23 February 2008.
  11. ^ Fagan, Gabrielle (19 March 2008). "All the fun of the fair". Press Association.
  12. ^ "Organic Drinks". Waitrose. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2008.
  13. ^ "Chef: Sheherazade Goldsmith". UKTV Food. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
  14. ^ a b "The Feast of Albion". Soil Association. 3 March 2008. Archived from the original on 13 March 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2008.
  15. ^ Spence, Steve. "Interview with Sheherazade Goldsmith, Editor of "A Slice of Organic Life"". Green-trust.org. Retrieved 28 May 2008.
  16. ^ "A Greener Christmas". DK Publishing. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2008.
  17. ^ Kate, Collyns. "Power to the people". Health and Organic Living. Archived from the original on 3 July 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  18. ^ Soutar, Gaby (28 January 2008). "What matters to me: Sheherazade Goldsmith". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 3 July 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  19. ^ "'Love Your Planet, Choose Organic'". Soil Association. 21 May 2008. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  20. ^ "Take a look around Sheherazade Goldsmith's west London home". Financial Times. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  21. ^ "Karaoke with the stars in aid of HOPING" (PDF). HOPING Foundation. 21 June 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
  22. ^ "Peter Pan in Scarlet – the official sequel to Peter Pan – published today..." Great Ormond Street Hospital. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  23. ^ "Robinson Valentine Fashion Show to support Europe's largest children's cancer clinic". Great Ormond Street Hospital. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  24. ^ "EYE SCOOP". Women's Wear Daily. 7 June 1999. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  25. ^ "Inside the secret life of Lord Zac Goldsmith". Tatler. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
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