Welcome to our annual edition of Charlotte Street Recommends.
As the year draws to a close, we’ve asked our team to share the books, films, podcasts, places and cultural moments that stopped them in their tracks. Some entertained, some challenged, others shifted how we see the world. All left a mark. Think of this as a curated snapshot of what’s sparked conversation, curiosity and fresh thinking across Charlotte Street Partners over the past year and, we hope, a source of inspiration for your own reading lists, watchlists, listening queues and travel plans.
Senior Client Manager
Place: Achmelvich beach and hostel
2025 was the year I decided to spend my weekends exploring Scotland’s beautiful coastline. One of my favourite discoveries was Achmelvich beach and the idyllic youth hostel that sits right on the white sandy bay.
With little phone signal, turquoise blue waters, and plenty of great walking routes, it’s the perfect weekend escape if you are looking to switch off.
The hostel itself is cosy and welcoming, with a communal fire to dry off your shoes and wet outdoor gear.
My top suggestions: A morning swim in the bay, grab a Lochinver Larder pie for lunch, take a walk to the Old Man of Stoer, and don’t forget your waterproofs!
Senior Partner
Music: Self Esteem
In 2023, music press wisdom had it that Young Fathers was the best live act in the UK. I was fortunate enough to see them at one of their ‘homecoming’ gigs at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh that year and, happily, the experience matched the hype.
This year, that title belongs to Self Esteem and in September the same 110-year-old concert hall was the scene of a communal celebration of her songs, her attitude, her stagecraft, her moment. This experience far outstripped any hype.
For the uninitiated, Self Esteem is the stage persona of Rebecca Lucy Taylor and the rolling collective of singers, musicians and dancers who help bring her artistic visions to life. Taylor’s music packs a powerfully poignant punch in its recorded form, but her live performance is a joyous and theatrical celebration of that pugilistic pop, complete with costumes, drama, and a crowd united behind their champion.
The live show borrows equitably from her two most recent albums; 2021’s Prioritise Pleasure and this year’s A Complicated Woman. The set list has everything – quiet tension, spitting anger, choral arrangements, spoken monologues, and soaring anthems fit for arenas, which is surely where all this is headed if RLK so desires.
If you missed her this year, fear not. Self Esteem will be back in Edinburgh next summer, supporting Florence & The Machine on a bill that also features local favourite Jacob Alon, for whom 2025 has been something of a breakthrough year.
Before then, you can also catch the multi-talented Taylor in the role of Maggie in a 50th anniversary revival of David Hare’s play, Teeth ’N’ Smiles next Spring. Alternatively, her debut book A Complicated Woman – “a subversive anti-Bible of womanhood” – was published this autumn. Prepare for Self Esteem to rise even further in 2026.
Film: The Ballad of Wallis Island
If you like your films with a musical theme, there’s been options to suit all tastes this year, from KPop Demon Hunters to A Complete Unknown. I’m not sure where Tim Key and Tom Basden place on that scale, but they’ve been producing great comedy together for years and struck soft-centred gold with this winsome story and a script that reeled-in Carey Mulligan. You may not know you need a heart-warmingly funny tale about a fictional folk duo reunited for one last exclusive/reclusive gig, but it’s *exactly* what your family needs this Christmas.
Associate
Album: LUX by Rosalía
Christmas came a little early for me this year, with a gift from the heavens in the form of this album.
LUX is the fourth studio album by Spanish artist Rosalía, released in November after a three-year hiatus. Inspired by the stories of female saints throughout history, each song is imbued with thrilling orchestral ornamentations and hefty vocals in some 14 languages.
While the undertones are religious, there is a universal appeal to the album’s sound – it wasn’t for nothing that Andrew Lloyd Webber deemed it to be an “eternal” work of music.
I first experienced the might of this album on a long walk around Palacerigg Country Park in Cumbernauld, listening to the swelling sounds of a string orchestra as the grey sky darkened. If, like me, you feel a little weary of superficial festive cheer, or need some time to yourself in the strange days between Christmas and Hogmanay, I cannot recommend this enough as your accompaniment.
Senior Partner
Film: I Swear
It’s not often an audience breaks out into spontaneous applause after a film, but this was the reaction after a screening of I Swear, the story of Scottish Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson. It is heartbreaking, funny and intense. A powerful piece of filmmaking that is deserving of every award going.
TV series: Riot Women From the very first scene this BBC series is gripping, unpredictable and intense, and full of moments that stay with you. The Sally Wainwright drama follows five menopausal women in West Yorkshire who form a punk rock band for a local talent contest, but it is really about friendship, getting older and societal expectations.
Podcast: Radical with Amol Rajan
Radical has been essential listening. Amol Rajan’s conversations with those who challenge convention offer insights into leadership, change and why certain voices break through. I recommend the episode with Jordan Schwarzenberger on splintering audiences and the “death of the monoculture”.
Newsletter: Reuters Institute
For the clearest global analysis on how journalism, platforms and audiences are evolving, this newsletter is invaluable for anyone interested in changing media and public debate.
JAMES ROBERTSON
Researcher
Experience: The New York Polaroid guy
In the summer, whilst my dad and I were navigating the urban gallery that is SoHo in New York, we stumbled across one of the few people who manage to stand out in the city’s sea of faces.
On the corner of Prince and Broadway, Jean Andre Antoine (@jaaphotos on Instagram) was leaning on the red brick wall, surrounded by vintage Polaroid cameras – one of them round his neck. You can find him there every day, weather permitting.
Speaking to the New York Times, Mr Antoine said: “I’m like a monk. I just sit and listen to my music and wait. Because I have this thing in my head – I think there are kindred spirits. There are people that are on the same wavelength. In a crowd of 1,000 people, we’re going to recognise each other, the antennas are going to connect.”
For $40, Antoine will take your photograph with his old camera and share his NYC wisdom as it develops before your eyes. A little piece of the Big Apple to keep in your wallet or your bedside table.
Senior Client Manager
Festival: Celtic Connections
Celtic Connections is the highlight of my cultural calendar. This celebration of the very best traditional folk, roots, Americana, jazz, soul, indie and world music takes place in Glasgow each year and is Europe’s biggest winter music festival. Next month’s line-up is particularly impressive, attracting world-class talent from overseas who rarely perform in the UK. I’ll be going to see the legendary North Carolina duo, Watchhouse, who are performing at the city’s Pavilion Theatre, as well as a few smaller and more intimate gigs.
Tickets are selling fast, so make sure you take a look at what’s on. The Festival Club and Late Night Sessions are also well worth heading along to for a taste of the atmosphere. The line-ups for both are never divulged before the night, providing a spontaneous and unique live music experience.
Executive Support and Office Manager
Play: To Kill a Mockingbird
I can be hard to please when it comes to adaptations of books, feeling slightly frustrated that the live version, be it film or theatre, doesn’t live up to the drama or joy created by the author of the story.
The 2025/26 tour of To Kill a Mockingbird is a notable exception. Most people are at least vaguely familiar with Harper Lee’s novel that has been placed into the hands of many a teenager since the 1960s, whose story involves a young protagonist telling the story of her lawyer father defending a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman.
Aaron Sorkin, who is best known as the creator and screenwriter of The West Wingand The Social Network, among other things, has written a powerful adaptation that caused the atmosphere to crackle across the three levels of Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre as the courtroom drama played out. It is entertaining, it is moving and it hits you in the gut. The tour has finished its Scotland dates, but if you can catch it south of the border, do it.
Founder Partner
Excursion: Sgarbh
On the west coast of Scotland, nestled among its rocky inlets, there is a small harbour at Crinan, near Lochgilphead. From here, Ross Ryan – a painter and artist – sails his 40-foot boat, Sgarbh, the Gaelic word for cormorant, the sea bird.
One evening in April, with my two youngest boys and some good friends, Ross sailed us from Iona to the volcanic lump of Staffa.
The sky was crystal clear, a cold breeze barely troubled this converted herring boat, and we bobbed around off Staffa listening to Mendelssohn’s Hebridean Overture on a bluetooth speaker and drinking Bruichladdich whisky from plastic cups. It was a near-perfect experience.
Sgarbh is licensed for day and night trips for up to 12 guests and you can find out more at https://www.crinanclassiccharters.co.uk/contact
Associate
Play: Moulin Rouge! The Musical
I saw Moulin Rouge! on a balmy July evening in London, just days after graduating. While jukebox musicals aren’t usually my thing, this hit-a-minute riot of colour, music and theatrical excess felt like the perfect celebration to match that slightly surreal moment in my life.
The production – which echoes Baz Luhrman’s original film with even more neon, glitter and velvet – had the audience on their feet by the finale and spilling out onto Leicester Square with palpable excitement in the air.
Now lighting up London and set to tour England after a hugely successful Edinburgh run earlier this year, it’s well worth seeking out.
As well as being a superb cure for the winter blues, it’s a reminder of how good it feels to be swept up in a live performance that’s exuberant, romantic and unashamedly fun.
Associate
Place: Monachyle Mhor
Scotland isn’t short of picturesque escapes. Yet, deciding on the perfect getaway for a long weekend can be a challenge when you are spoilt for choice.
Look no further than Monachyle Mhor – a boutique retreat nestled in the beautiful Balquidder countryside, less than two hours from Edinburgh. Stay in the charming baby pink hotel for a touch of luxury or opt for the “cute as pie” tiny house like we did.
Fill your day by visiting the lochside sauna and enduring a cold dip in Loch Voil before settling down in the evening for an award-winning tasting menu, showcasing the very best of locally sourced Scottish produce. And don’t forget to stop and say hello to some four-legged friends in the fields on an afternoon stroll in between.
This place is a must if you are a food lover seeking countryside relaxation. And I’m already planning my return. The wine safari is on my bucket list for 2026.
Senior Partner
Podcast: Shameless: How Shania Twain survived it all
That does impress me, much!
When the world seems to have gone to the proverbial, there’s nothing like a light-hearted podcast to melt away the stress. If you’ve spoken to me this year for five minutes, I’ve probably recommended Shameless to you. Hosted by Australian journalists Zara McDonald and Michelle Andrews, it’s the popular pop culture show for “smart people who love dumb stuff”.
If you gave me more than five minutes, you’ll have heard me rave about their episodes on Shania Twain. Before I listened to this, all I knew about the songstress was that not a lot impressed her much, but this series was a revelation. So much so, that it led to a deep dive, autobiography purchases and a list of documentaries I’m still making my way though.
What’s the one thing we should all do in 2026? Get some light relief and listen to this podcast. And of course, be more Shania.
Senior Associate
Bakery: Dune
This has been the decade of bakery hype. Many of us have waited one too many times in a ridiculous queue, bleary-eyed on a Saturday morning, all for a dry and underwhelming pain au chocolat. And your pocket is £5.75 lighter.
But, tried and tested, you won’t be disappointed by Dune in South Queensferry – a small independent bakery crafting what are, in my opinion, the most exceptional pastries.
There are always unusual and delicious specials, from savoury to sweet filling combinations and with lamination (yes, I watch the Great British Bake Off) that you wouldn’t believe. You won’t regret making the trip. The flaky pistachio croissant is a must – enjoy it with a view of the Forth Bridge while wandering around the area’s picturesque streets.
Client Manager
Photography Exhibition: Resistance
Film director Steve McQueen’s curated exhibition, Resistance, chronicles the history of protest movements in the UK and how they were shaped by photography – from suffragettes, hunger marchers and war-era anti-authoritarian resisters, to those fighting for racial and LGBTQ equality in the latter half of the 20th century.
Captured in striking black and white photography, this collection – as well as its companion book – tells the stories behind the movements and the lasting impact brought about because of them.
It’s both a fascinating retrospect as well as a timely reminder that progress is slow – a lot of the same battles are still being fought – but change is possible when collective voices coalesce around a common cause.
There’s still time to catch the exhibition, which runs until 4 January at the Modern Two Gallery in Edinburgh.