Sunday
New Year – new you? Please don’t
January is when Britain collectively measures its waistline. Thanks to too much turkey, too much blue cheese and too much wine (the latter bought “for cooking with” but instead consumed while googling “can chest pains be caused by cold weather rather...
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Why so many of us long to do a Reggie Perrin
I was with a group of friends recently – drink had been taken, admittedly – and one of them said, “Sometimes I wish I could just run away.” What surprised me most was when I looked along the table everyone else was nodding. This was a sure sign of the...
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Round one IN THE NEWS
1 Which of the following terms was NOT added to the Cambridge dictionary this year? (a) Skibidi (b) Mouse jiggler (c) Lewk (d) Manifest 2 What did Donald Trump replace Joe Biden’s official portrait with on the Presidential Walk of Fame? (a) A...
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The curious versatility of the chocolate orange
Chocolate orange kunafa spread Kunafa (or kunafeh) can be found in Middle Eastern food stores or bought online. It adds a fabulous toasty flavour and crunchy texture to this addictive spread (warm it gently to pour over desserts). Makes: approx 450g...
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A houseful of festive tips from Mrs Christmas
There was a time when Holly Tucker would aim simply to get Christmas done. It was exhausting playing Mrs Claus for her family, on top of all the other pressures and expectations of the festive season. Now 48, Tucker, who co-founded online marketplace...
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Caught red-handed: the crooks plundering restaurant cellars
It was just before 5pm on a Wednesday afternoon last month when a couple appeared at L’Auberge Provençale Inn & Restaurant in the US state of Virginia, around 70 miles west of Washington DC. The woman gave her name as Stephanie Baker, and said the man...
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‘A has-been, eh? Well, Ben Stokes and England will have to prove me wrong’
“Ride the torpedo until the end of the tube.” This has been Lord Botham’s philosophy for as long as he can remember, capturing his resolve to hurtle through life like a guided missile. It is why, as this totemic sporting figure turns 70 on Monday, he...
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‘I’ve never been anti-trans in my life. I’m just pro-female’
Sharron Davies has what she describes as a “rod of steel” running straight through her. She is not talking about anything surgical, but about her unyielding resolve never to accept injustice. This philosophy can be traced back 45 years, to the time...
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‘I play a lot of upper-class people… the word “cold” is used of me’
These days, after half a century of relative anonymity as one of the country’s finest classical actors, Dame Harriet Walter is regularly stopped in the London streets by fans. “They can’t all have seen Succession,” she says today. From 2018 to 2023,...
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Life lessons from a confirmed optimist
“One of the things I’ve learned in my grand old age is not to give advice,” says Michael Morpurgo. “Children often ask me at signings, but time and time again, I tell them that they have to find their own way of doing it.” It’s a shame, because the...
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‘People are outraged that there’s no funding for this’
With his shaggy winter coat, long mane and unshod hooves, it’s hard to believe that Quaker once served in the Household Cavalry as part of His Majesty the King’s official bodyguard. The only duty the 17-hand-tall Irish sports horse performs these days...
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‘It’s 17·5 degrees in here – that’s practically tropical...’
The heat is on. Or rather it’s not. And that’s the problem. My wife is waving her fingers in front of my face. They are an unsettling shade of white. “They’re sore,” she complains. “Wear some gloves,” I recommend. The Hive app is open on my phone....
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Perfect eyebrows, lots of cold water – and go easy on yourself
In over three decades as an award-winning British actress with superstar status, Kate Winslet – who has just celebrated her 50th birthday – has become nothing short of a household name. It’s no mean feat to star in a film at 22 (you know the one) that...
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When Karla’s people fell in love with George Smiley
John le Carré has an impressive list of fans in the top echelons of Soviet intelligence. KGB veterans love citing his books, and two prominent Russian spies have named him among their favourite writers in their biographies: Yevgeny Primakov, who was...
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‘I want people to think differently about food’
Joe Wicks is stretching in his home gym. The “Body Coach” likes to multitask, he explains, so morning meetings take place on the phone while he’s walking or – like now – over Zoom, so he doesn’t have to sit still. Mostly, however, my screen is filled...
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‘What am I going to serve in future: a couple of quail’s eggs?’
I recently went to a favourite London restaurant, Colbert on London’s Sloane Square, excited to tuck into an indulgent lunch washed down with some lovely wine, at a precious get-together with two old friends. It’s our annual meet-up at which we...
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‘There’s always been this feeling that Britain’s on the brink’
Penelope Wilton looks positively A-list as she walks into a room at Claridge’s, white jacket over a black suit, a make-up artist making last minute touches to her face. Her white hair has a bluish tint, which seems to match the rather ghostly colour of...
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Meet Manchester’s answer to the Pied Piper
As a pest controller based in the north west of England, Martin Kirkbride’s working year used to be a relatively mixed bag. Summers, he says, were typically the time for wasp infestations and swarming bees, while during winter he would focus on small...
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Six anxiety triggers and how to combat them
What people don’t realise about anxiety disorders, says Prof Oliver Robinson of University College, London, is just how commonplace they are. One in four of us experience a clinically significant level of anxiety at some point in our lives, and at any...
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Cognitive shuffling will help sort your sleeplessness
Until recently, I’d always been one of those irritating people who could sleep anywhere. Planes, trains, sofas with someone else’s dog snoring beside me… it made no difference. I’d be out cold in minutes. Friends with insomnia would eye me enviously as...
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When changing radio presenters goes wrong
Much-loved radio DJs leave big headphones to fill, as Scott Mills is learning to his cost. Since the 51-year-old took over from Zoe Ball as presenter of BBC Radio 2’s breakfast show in February, more than 600,000 listeners have fled the station. When...
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13 tips for the perfect restorative break
Whether it’s breakfast buffets, wine at lunch, sundowners, freeflowing rosé or late night dancing, it’s easy to overdo it on holiday. So much so that you arrive home home feeling drained, distended and – as the return to work looms – even a little...
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‘Accept who you are and find confidence in it’
The term “national treasure” is bandied about a lot these days, but one who is undoubtedly deserving of the title is Dame Helen Mirren. The actress, who turns 80 this weekend, has been a constant presence on our screens for six decades, earning an...
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The things people tell me – and what they really mean
Owen O’Kane worked as a nurse in palliative care for 10 years before retraining as a psychotherapist. He eventually rose to become a clinical lead for the NHS. O’Kane now works in private practice and is the author of four books including How to be...
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British nukes are back – and so are CND’s middle-class campaigners
“Gather round everybody, we’re going to do some chanting. And the first one we’re going to do is: ‘We want the nukes out now’.” It’s a scorching day in Norfolk, and outside RAF Marham, Sophie Bolt, the general secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear...
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‘I want Emma Bridgewater to be around in 40 years, so it has to go on without me’
When my taxi arrives at the unassuming two-up, two-down Victorian terrace house near Columbia Road where I am to meet Dame Emma Bridgewater (of the eponymous posh pottery), the venue looks so unlikely I double-check the address before knocking on the...
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The 10 most unfriendly cities on the planet
From the anti-tourism protests which have sprung up across Europe, to the old cliché of the waiter who can barely conceal his disdain at your dining decisions, a city is not always guaranteed to hail its visitors with a smile and a song. Here, 10...
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‘Most of the risk factors for heart disease are symptomless’
When I began my career as a junior doctor 40 years ago, the situation surrounding heart disease was terrible. People would come into hospital with a heart attack, and it was quite often a pre-terminal event. Not everyone expected to go home. But in...
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Round shoulders, a prominent seat and a long drop: dressing Mike Tindall for Ascot
The consultation session (first meeting) for any bespoke suit can be a bit overwhelming even for something like a simple two-piece single-breasted suit. Thousands of swatches of fabric to choose from, the scale of roping on the shoulder, giving the...
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‘We’ve taken out the racism, but the goose-stepping is OK’
Paul Nicholas is trying to pinpoint precisely what it is about Fawlty Towers that makes it so British. He settles on the setting – the slightly drab boarding house common to many a British seaside town. “I stayed in plenty of them as a kid, although...
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‘I was shocked: not everyone enjoys sex as much as I do’
Gurit Birnbaum loves sex. So fascinated is she by everything to do with human sexuality that she got a PhD in the subject, from Bar-Ilan University in Israel, nearly 30 years ago. Now she is professor of psychology at Reichman University in Tel Aviv,...
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Custard creams
The current number-one choice for Waitrose shoppers presents two eating options: twist the biscuits apart and lick the buttercream filling (scrape it off with your teeth if you must), before chomping the sandwich halves – or dunk the whole lot in tea...
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The art of the perfect picnic
The spring/summer social season gets underway this week as RHS Chelsea kicks off in London. Following hot on the storied flower show’s heels will be the Cartier Queen’s Cup, Royal Ascot and Henley Royal Regatta, among many other wonderful outdoor...
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Coaching tips for two stars of the generation game
At the 55th annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland this year, David Beckham reflected on his many similarities with King Charles III. Some of them we already knew. The fact their wives are posh, for instance. The awkward lull in...
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We thought a campervan would cure our midlife crisis. But we didn’t read the manual
There’s something irresistibly romantic about owning a campervan. The open road, the promise of adventure and the Instagramworthy sunsets viewed from the comfort of your tiny mobile home. My partner Pete and I had long dreamed of this life, so when we...
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‘This is England at its folky best’
The Government has announced that it is compiling a list of British “traditions” that “will champion UK values and heritage”. “Nominations will open this summer for traditions like Notting Hill Carnival, Hogmanay and artisanal crafts to be officially...
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Meet the man who helped Silicon Valley find God
The first of the Glorious Mysteries is the Resurrection. The second is the Ascension. The third is the Descent of the Holy Spirit. The fourth is the Assumption, the fifth is the Coronation. A sixth mystery could be added to that list: how Hallow, a...
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‘People don’t know what to believe’
A large, pink-frosted sponge cake is sitting on the table at the Deliciously Ella HQ in London. It’s proof that sometimes, wellness is all about having a little bit of what you fancy. We’re here to discuss the success of Ella Mills and Rhiannon...
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Yes, there really is a difference between the (average) male and female brain
The differences between the sexes is a topic of endless debate at the dinner-party table, but the latest research reveals what many of us already suspected: that there are profound differences between the brains of men and women, and this affacts...
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The wedding wars tearing the countryside apart
A few years ago, a good friend and I were togged up in fluffy white dressing gowns in the grounds of a spa hotel in Northamptonshire, happily sipping bellinis after a dip in the indoor pool. We were there for a low-key girls’ getaway, which was –...
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HOW TO FALL ASLEEP IN FIVE MINUTES
Benjamin Franklin once said “Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Or to put it another way: “Sleep is the single most powerful performance enhancer and health giver there is,” says Dr Guy Meadows, a clinical director...
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The Canadians who want to become part of Trump’s America
On the sunlit porch of a farmhouse in the Canadian province of Alberta, Don Casselman planted his feet, gripped a laminated document and began to read aloud. “I hereby declare an oath that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all fidelity to...
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‘For £3,000 you can be told how bad your ancestors were’
The National Trust has become a lightning rod for criticism over its attempts to “decolonise” its properties and foster social justice activism, and for placing historical links with the slave trade at the forefront of its conservation work. Add to...
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‘The photo shoot I did for Playboy lost me a $1 million contract’
“Daddy tried to keep his Alzheimer’s from us for a long time,” Stephanie Beacham remembers. “If the family was all together in a café” – she has two sisters, one older and one younger – “he’d pretend to be the waiter and write down on a piece of paper...
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‘Starmer’s planned trail hunting ban is another nail in the coffin of the countryside’
On a bright cold morning in Brodsworth, five miles or so north west of Doncaster, the Badsworth, Bramham and York South Hunt (BBYS) is getting ready for its regular trail hunt. The hounds raise their noses hopefully at trays of sausages that are being...
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The nation’s favourite biscuits – ranked for flavour and health
Even as a nutritionist, I’m partial to a Hobnob. Yes, you can be a nutrition expert and love biscuits because, as any dietitian will tell you, it’s all about balance. It’s your overall dietary pattern that matters, not individual foods. This is good...
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Hot trend
It’s a Wednesday night and somewhere in a basement under Canary Wharf in London I am reeling in shock after immersing myself in a stainless steel bath of ice-cold water. It’s not pleasant. Once my anatomy has corrected itself, however, I feel great:...
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THE FIVE BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT WEALTH
Time wealth – how many moments do you have remaining with your loved ones? Bloom’s “lightbulb moment” came after a dinner with a friend, almost four years ago. “He asked me: How old are your parents? Did you know that if you only see them once a year,...
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Eight everyday tasks that could hold back the years
If you’re not a fan of CrossFit classes and the aching knees wouldn’t cope with a run, your health is not doomed. In fact, there’s another way to add years to your life without ever wearing trainers or setting foot in a gym. Daily movement, from...
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For 200 years LA has been close to the edge. Now it’s fallen over it
Joan Didion, that most perceptive observer of Los Angeles life, was obsessed with the Santa Ana winds and the fires they carried in their wake. “It is hard for people who have not lived in Los Angeles to realise how radically the Santa Ana figures in...
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The Pope’s story
Pope Francis was born in 1936, and grew up in Buenos Aires, in the barrio of Flores, a simple neighbourhood. After spells working in a sock factory, Francis became a Jesuit novice in 1958; he was ordained in 1969, became archbishop of Buenos Aires in...
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How retirement could make or break your marriage
For many, retirement is the golden ticket at the end of a long career. For others, it is a seismic shift in their life – and their marriage. Experts consider retirement to be “a major life transition”, which basically means it doesn’t come without its...
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The year in the news
1 2 This baby pygmy hippopotamus, born in Thailand, captivated the internet earlier this year, but what’s her name? (a) Moo Wan (b) Hippocrates (c) Jonah (d) Moo Deng One of Labour’s first big acts in government was to sign away a British Overseas...
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Cunning strategies to stay ahead
Christmas Day can sometimes feel like the annual culmination of every single familial grudge and irritation. But, being British, we prefer not to express our feelings directly and, instead, prefer to do so via Monopoly, Risk or Scrabble. These...
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The hi-tech police cameras heading for your high street
Within two minutes of my arrival in Ilford, east London, the Met’s facial recognition technology has identified a man who has been wanted for robbery since 2008. I see him on a screen from inside a police van, where the faces of passing members of the...
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WELCOME TO THE HAPPIEST TOWN IN BRITAIN
The only people who are grumpy in Woodbridge are those trying to park. The Suffolk market town has always seemed to have it all: winding streets, proximity to the coast, beautiful countryside, a higher-than-usual concentration of independent shops,...
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I told her: ‘All your life you’ve helped people. By talking about this, you’ll help so many others’
“A lot of people don’t realise how long we were together. They think because I was younger that I was a toyboy, but actually it was a wonderful 27 years we spent together,” says Scott Mitchell of his late wife, Barbara Windsor. Known for her work on...
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‘I was asked to mentor Diana – I was the only woman who was as hounded as she was’
Selina Scott’s most pressing stress point right now is the valley she’s planning to flood on her 200 acres of North Yorkshire farmland, where she lives in a 16th-century farmhouse with Doogie, her wire-haired terrier, plus sundry otters and...
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Break your bad habits and start your day in the healthiest way possible. By Emily Craig
Have a few sips of warm lemon water to speed digestion “There are no hard and fast rules around how much water you should drink in the morning,” says Sammie Gill, a registered dietitian. However, a few sips after waking up can help work towards the...
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OUR SYMBOL OF REMEMBRANCE FACES A BATTLE FOR RESPECT
“This is the first time I haven’t bought a poppy as an adult, because I just feel like it is sending a message I don’t really want to send,” says Sophie*, 33, a writer from London. “It feels like it encompasses a lot of other things. We should...
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‘My attitude is: Just get on with it. Don’t sit and moan and groan...’
“I’m loving my life. I’m loving the speed at which I live… I love the adventure!” says Jo Malone, breezing into Soho Hotel, trailing a zesty cloud of rose, pomelo, vetiver, clove, patchouli and suede. The maverick fragrance rockstar, who sold her first...
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WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE HAPPIEST CITY IN THE WORLD?
My investigation began at passport control. “Reason for visit?” asked the immigration officer. “I’m here to find out if Aarhus really is the happiest city in the world,” I replied. “Oh it is,” she said, deadpan. “It is the city of smiles,” she added,...
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‘Smiley was there waiting for me when I started writing’ Nick Cornwell
A grey and cloudy day; a meeting in an anonymous house on a quiet north London street. It could almost be a setting for a scene in a John le Carré novel. Which is actually quite appropriate. The house belongs to le Carré’s son, Nick Cornwell – le...
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WHY WE DIE – AND WHAT YOU CAN DO TO LIVE LONGER
Ageing is a big existential question and, as far as we know, we’re the only species aware of our mortality. For most of our existence, there’s not been much that we could do about it. But biology has made tremendous steps forward in the last few...
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How Britain became blighted by sinkholes
For several days last week, AFC Wimbledon found itself unexpectedly on the front pages after staff arriving at the ground found a whole corner of the otherwise pristine pitch resembling a golf course. Sandy bunkers and grassy mounds had appeared after...
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