{{Short description|British environmentalist and jeweller}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}} {{Use British English|date=November 2020}} {{Infobox writer | name = Sheherazade Goldsmith | image = | imagesize = | caption = | pseudonym = | birth_name = Sheherazade Ventura Bentley | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1974|3|14}} | birth_place = Camberwell, London, England | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Columnist, jeweller | education = | alma_mater = | period = | genre = | subject = Organic food and gardening;<br> environmentalism; jewellery | movement = | notableworks = | spouse = {{marriage|Zac Goldsmith|1999|2010|end=div}} | children = 3<ref name=Tatler/> | influences = | influenced = | awards = | signature = | website = | portaldisp = }}
'''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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Termination of appointment of Laura Bailey as a director on 30 March 2022 |publisher=Companies House |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08305787/filing-history |access-date=15 December 2024}}</ref>
Goldsmith frequently contributed as a columnist to various national newspapers and other UK publications, but does not any longer.
==Early life== 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.express.co.uk/comment/columnists/adam-helliker/304561/Zac-Goldsmith-in-no-rush-to-marry |title=Zac Goldsmith in no rush to marry |newspaper=Sunday Express |date=26 February 2012 |access-date=12 July 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/predator-turned-prodigal-son--john-bentley--profile-1574976.html |title=Predator turned prodigal son : John Bentley : Profile |newspaper=Independent |date=26 February 1995 |access-date=12 July 2015 }}</ref> She was privately educated at both the French Lycée in London and Aiglon College.
==Career== Goldsmith was known as Sheherazade Bentley prior to marriage, her pen name in newspaper columns such as ''The Sunday Times''.<ref name="Bentley column">{{cite news |last=Bentley |first=Sheherazade |newspaper=The Sunday Times |date=4 April 1999 |title=It's an education, a schooling in Switzerland. }}</ref> Since her divorce she has continued as a writer and spokeswoman for various environmental causes.
===Business=== 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.<ref name="shop">{{cite magazine |last=Fallon |first=James |magazine=W |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-27215030_ITM |date=1 December 2001 |access-date=25 May 2008 |title=Sheherazade Goldsmith & Serena Cook}}</ref> 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."<ref name="deli review">{{cite news |last=Gill |first=A A |newspaper=The Sunday Times |date=9 December 2001 |title=Table talk}}</ref> After the birth of her second child in 2002, Goldsmith closed down the enterprise.{{cn|date=September 2024}}
===Journalism=== 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''<ref name="shopping column">{{cite news |last=Goldsmith |first=Sheherazade |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/main.jhtml?xml=/fashion/2001/08/28/efwww28.xml|date=28 August 2001 |access-date=25 July 2008 |title=I'd rather shop till I drop |location=London}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="christmas 2007">{{cite news |last=Goldsmith |first=Sheherazade |title= Christmas 2007: Dreaming of a green Christmas |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2007/12/17/ftchristmas117.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217161802/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2007/12/17/ftchristmas117.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 December 2007 |date=17 December 2007 |access-date=8 October 2007 |location=London}}</ref> 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'',<ref name="FEC">{{cite news |newspaper=Western Morning News |date=23 February 2008 |title=Shop ethically – and eat well}}</ref><ref name="FEC2">{{cite news |last=Fagan |first=Gabrielle |publisher=Press Association |date=19 March 2008 |title=All the fun of the fair}}</ref> Waitrose,<ref name="waitrose">{{cite web|title=Organic Drinks|publisher=Waitrose|url=http://www.waitrose.com/drink/softdrinks/softdrinksarticles/0706034.aspx|access-date=28 May 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705051342/http://www.waitrose.com/drink/softdrinks/softdrinksarticles/0706034.aspx|archive-date=5 July 2008}}</ref> and the UKTV Food channel.<ref name="UKTV">{{cite web|title = Chef: Sheherazade Goldsmith|publisher = UKTV Food|url = http://goodfood.uktv.co.uk/|access-date = 28 July 2008|archive-date = 9 September 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190909211520/https://goodfood.uktv.co.uk/|url-status = dead}}</ref>
===Books=== Goldsmith is 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 <ref name="feastalbion">{{cite web|title=The Feast of Albion|publisher=Soil Association|url=http://www.soilassociation.org/Web/SA/SAWeb.nsf/848d689047cb466780256a6b00298980/2fbf7f9ab52c5b6f802573f00044d76b!OpenDocument|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313161757/http://www.soilassociation.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf/848d689047cb466780256a6b00298980/2fbf7f9ab52c5b6f802573f00044d76b!OpenDocument|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 March 2008|date=3 March 2008|access-date=28 May 2008}}</ref> 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".<ref name="discussion interview">{{cite web |last=Spence |first=Steve |title=Interview with Sheherazade Goldsmith, Editor of "A Slice of Organic Life" |publisher=Green-trust.org |url=http://discuss.green-trust.org/discussion/messages/1442618 |access-date=28 May 2008}}</ref> 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.<ref name="upcoming book">{{cite web|title=A Greener Christmas|publisher=DK Publishing|url=http://us.dk.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780756636937,00.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121150940/http://us.dk.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780756636937,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 January 2013|access-date=28 May 2008}}</ref> ''A Greener Christmas'' is a collection of various projects to help families celebrate an environmentally-friendly Christmas.
===Activism=== 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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kate |first=Collyns |title=Power to the people |publisher=Health and Organic Living |url=http://www.healthyandorganicliving.com/reallife.html |access-date=22 August 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080703103736/http://www.healthyandorganicliving.com/reallife.html |archive-date = 3 July 2008}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |last=Soutar |first=Gaby |title=What matters to me: Sheherazade Goldsmith |newspaper=The Scotsman |url=http://www.healthyandorganicliving.com/reallife.html |date=28 January 2008|access-date=22 August 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080703103736/http://www.healthyandorganicliving.com/reallife.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 3 July 2008}}</ref> 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.<ref name="feastalbion"/><ref name="bs">{{cite web|title='Love Your Planet, Choose Organic'|publisher=Soil Association|url=http://www.soilassociation.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf/b0062cf005bc02c180256a6b003d987f/fa77054ef8901fd680257450005ddc60!OpenDocument|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610135603/http://www.soilassociation.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf/b0062cf005bc02c180256a6b003d987f/fa77054ef8901fd680257450005ddc60!OpenDocument|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 June 2011|date=21 May 2008|access-date=22 August 2008}}</ref>
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..."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/7613e0fe-a173-11e9-a282-2df48f366f7d |title=Take a look around Sheherazade Goldsmith's west London home |newspaper=Financial Times |date=12 July 2019 |access-date=15 December 2024 }}</ref>
==Philanthropy== Goldsmith is a supporter of London-based charities: she has been a committee member of the HOPING Foundation,<ref name="hoping">{{cite news |publisher=HOPING Foundation |url= http://www.hopingfoundation.org/fundraising/karaokewithstars.pdf |date=21 June 2007 |access-date=20 June 2008 |title=Karaoke with the stars in aid of HOPING |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070814144558/http://www.hopingfoundation.org/fundraising/karaokewithstars.pdf |archive-date = 14 August 2007}}</ref> and is also a supporter of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity,<ref>{{cite web |title=Peter Pan in Scarlet – the official sequel to Peter Pan – published today... |publisher=Great Ormond Street Hospital |url=http://www.gosh.org/news/latest-news/2006-archive/peter-pan-in-scarlet-the-official-sequel-to-peter-pan-published-today/ |access-date=22 August 2008}}</ref> for which she helped organise a fundraising fashion show with the designers ''Robinson Valentine'', which made her wedding dress.<ref>{{cite web |title=Robinson Valentine Fashion Show to support Europe's largest children's cancer clinic |publisher=Great Ormond Street Hospital |url=http://www.gosh.org/news/latest-news/2006-archive/robinson-valentine-fashion-show-to-support-europes-largest-childrens-cancer-clinic/ |access-date=22 August 2008}}</ref>
==Personal life== She married Zac Goldsmith on 5 June 1999 at St Simon Zelotes Church in London.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1085987/|title=EYE SCOOP|date=7 June 1999|website=Women's Wear Daily|access-date=18 September 2023|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230904194953/https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1085987/|archive-date=4 September 2023}}</ref> They have three children: daughters Uma Romaine and Thyra, and son James.<ref name=Tatler>{{cite news|url=https://www.tatler.com/article/inside-the-secret-life-of-lord-zac-goldsmith-britains-most-connected-politician |title=Westminster power player, brother to the Birleys, environmentalist extraordinaire: inside the secret life of Zac Goldsmith, Britain’s most connected politician, following the death of his mother Lady Annabel Goldsmith |newspaper=Tatler |date=18 October 2025 |access-date=22 May 2026}}</ref> The couple separated in 2009, amid allegations of infidelity, as Zac had an affair with Alice Rothschild, and their divorce in 2010 was highly contentious.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.tatler.com/article/inside-the-secret-life-of-lord-zac-goldsmith-britains-most-connected-politician |title=Inside the secret life of Lord Zac Goldsmith |newspaper=Tatler |date=7 October 2024 |access-date=15 December 2024 }}</ref>
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 == * Goldsmith family
==Bibliography== *{{cite book | year = 2007 |title = A Slice of Organic Life: Get Closer to the Soil Without Going the Whole Hog | publisher = Dorling Kindersley }} *{{cite book | year = 2008 | title = A Greener Christmas | publisher = Dorling Kindersley }}
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldsmith, Sheherazade}} Category:1974 births Category:Alumni of Aiglon College Category:English jewellers Category:English people of Colombian descent Category:English columnists Category:English environmentalists Sheherazade Category:Living people Category:People educated at Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle Category:People from Camberwell Category:People from Chelsea, London Category:People from Denmark Hill Category:People from East Dulwich Category:Spouses of life peers Category:British women jewellers Category:Writers from the London Borough of Southwark