Ask the expert: ‘Can I delay registering my Audi so it appears newer than it really is?’
Dear Alex I am expecting delivery of a new Audi Avant estate next week. Will it boost its resale value in, say, three years’ time if I…
My partner’s grown-up daughter has just moved in and it’s driving me mad
Later life relationships bring unexpected family issues. Like his adult daughter suddenly moving in. She’s come to stay with us for a year while she studies for…
Why is school food all so… beige?
She also says she’s seen a real change in the way that the staff relate to their work. “When stuff comes in vacuum packed, you’re very removed…
‘I stopped trying to be skinny – and life is so much richer for it’
As a marketing tactic aimed at those who are seduced by the idea of losing a bit of weight, it is hard to resist. So-called transformational photos…
The best back pain remedies to buy for Christmas
TENS devices have two electrodes which are placed on the skin, and a small battery pack, which sends a mild electric current into your nerves to block…
Three easy ways to boost your breakfast
Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day or is this merely a marketing gimmick dreamed up by breakfast food companies? The latest research on…
Dear Prue: ‘My colleague’s scent gives me a headache’
Dear Prue, I’m worried that I’m going to be promoted at work. Usually, promotion would obviously be a good thing, but in this case it would involve…
What women want at Christmas (and we’re not talking about presents…)
Any minute now, all over the country, women will be having exchanges with their partners that go something like this: Them: Don’t worry about it, we’ll all…
A food snob’s guide to the microwave
Why do people who love food hate microwaves? Ask a food lover about one of these super-fast cookers, and the chances are their nostrils will flare disparagingly…
Six indulgent Christmas recipes for two (that aren’t too much faff)
Although in theory this year we’re back to large gatherings of friends and families, I’m sure plenty of people will keep numbers tight; and many others would…
‘Life in an empty nest was exciting, so having our son back was a big adjustment’
Like many parents in the same position, Jo and her husband, Jeremy, are happy to help their son get started on his career path – but cohabiting…
Americans don’t understand Scottish aristocrats – let me set them straight
A quick recap of the storyline for those who haven’t yet polluted their eyeballs: Shields plays a best-selling American author called Sophie, who leaves New York for…
Who are Ghislaine Maxwell’s sisters?
Invariably she’d arrive wearing a beret of some colour; on the final day of jury selection she received blown kisses from the defendant. As is the Maxwell…
Vitriolic France seems intent on trashing the precious Franco-British relationship
As someone who has spent most of his adult life studying and writing about France, who has a partly French family, who speaks French and could reasonably…
Iran’s bare-faced lies have finally been exposed
For decades Iran’s ayatollahs have insisted that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, their nuclear intentions are entirely peaceful, and forcefully rejected any suggestion that they…
In the sinister new linguistic regime, mothers are no longer women – they are ‘postnatal people’
As soon as a girl gets her period, she is never again allowed to forget for more than a few weeks at a time that she is…
In a year, Kamala Harris has proved herself unfit for high office
Why did Joe Biden choose Kamala Harris as his Vice President? It was in some ways a peculiar decision. Harris had herself run to be president in…
William Shakespeare can never be cancelled
Domestic violence, coercive control, teen suicide, the drugging and sexual exploitation of unconsenting women: all have been addressed in recent television dramas, praised for their courageous depiction…
The Government’s plan to ban conversion therapy must be properly scrutinised
Next week, the Government’s consultation on banning so-called conversion therapy will close. The aim is to make therapy that has the intended purpose of changing an individual’s…
Five of the best books to buy foodies for Christmas
For anyone who is a fan of Ware’s podcast, Table Manners, this is a must-read. It’s packed full of nostalgic food memories, weaving in family, friendship and…
How Sex and the City changed my view of love, motherhood and friendship forever
I can’t say it was Carrie and her squad who taught us everything we know about friendship, but they certainly solidified the idea that friends can feel…
By 40, I thought I’d have my life under control, but it hasn’t turned out that way
A snatched conversation I had more than 17 years ago has stayed with me. It wasn’t a deep and meaningful with a friend, nor a piece of…
Britain’s best cooks reveal how to be the perfect host this Christmas
I’m a huge believer in the idea that food should be for sharing, a way of bringing us closer. When I switched to a plant-based diet 10…
Five fabulous fragrances to wear throughout the festive season
Here’s a piece of information that might shock you, as it did me: perfume is the most searched-for category on John Lewis’s website. Over bedding, barbecues and…
How to look the part for both town and country
It can be hard to find outfits that fit the bill for multiple scenarios. Can the tweed coat you want to wear for a rural jaunt also…