The complicated truth about age-gap half-sisters
Some of these details are eerily familiar to me. And, I presume, like Lara, this father-daughter relationship has been something that’s shaped me and the course of…
Why premium toys for adults are the key to Lego’s astonishingly profitable year
Nostalgia is a key ingredient. While the first plastic bricks were moulded in 1958, Lego sets were quite rudimentary until 20 years later, when themes still recognisable…
Dear Prue: ‘We can’t work out why my father refuses to wear his shiny new hearing aid’
Dear Prue, A few weeks ago, my dad finally got round to getting a hearing aid – and a very expensive one at that. He refused for…
The best cheeses in Britain – and the perfect accompaniments
Ingot, Cumbria (£9.90/190g, the Courtyard Dairy) British cheesemakers adapted to the epidemic with admirable enterprise, and there are few more entrepreneurial than farmer-cheesemakers Martin Gott and Nicola…
Is it possible to have a completely British Christmas?
I don’t know about you, but for me the exotic aromas of cinnamon and cloves are the smells of Christmas. This year, though, I’m going to mull…
I still send Christmas cards to people I’ll never see again – should I cull my list?
To firmly establish a new personal algorithm for send-outs, and in the name of research, I get in touch with a friend I haven’t seen or spoken…
Why I’m determined to keep calm and carry on kissing this Christmas
That meant dinner dates on Zoom, and FaceTiming men I matched with on apps, replacing the more friendly bottle of red and candlelit meal for two. Grinning…
There’s a new threat to Christmas: elf and safety
Would you believe a bunch of Scrooges in Bailiff Bridge, West Yorkshire, have only decorated the bottom half of a Christmas tree, declaring it “dangerous” to finish…
As with Jussie Smollett, the most powerful hoaxes are those we want to believe
It was the perfect story for these atomised and fractious times. The victim was a gay black actor on a successful television show: his attackers were two…
We must end this disastrous assault on liberty
Two shots of AstraZeneca, followed by a booster of Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine three days ago, should have left me pretty well protected against even the omicron variant…
British politics has turned into a toxic spectator sport with no winners
Decline and Fall has been much on my mind this week. Not the one by Edward Gibbon, but rather that by Evelyn Waugh. In particular I have…
Poirot’s toughest case yet: the mystery of the Downing Street parties
If we do end up getting locked down at Christmas again, we’d better hope that there’s something good to watch on television. As it happens, I’ve been…
Britain must not fail its children again
One of the most dispiriting features of the lockdowns the country has endured over the past two years has been their effect on children. Despite the virus…
The collapse of trust can be traced to the fatal flaws in Boris Johnson’s personality
I can’t see any way out of this for Boris Johnson. The political crisis hinges entirely on his personality. His policy decisions are in question on the…
We’re too gutless to boycott China’s Olympics, let alone denounce it for genocide
Shortly after arriving at the camp, Gulzire Aulhan was given an injection. They said it was a flu shot, but afterwards, she found it hard to think…
Our move to France has prompted interest from the locals and an unspoken implication of ‘Don’t mess this up’
Everyone says it’s the prettiest house in the village. People are kind, curious, welcoming, but sometimes it’s said slightly accusingly, with an unspoken but entirely present implication…
I ran away from my wedding – now I’ve got cold feet about my new home
I’ve so relaxed into life in my chintzy caravan that when my solicitor calls to say we’re finally ready to exchange, I panic. I get cold feet…
Benedict Cumberbatch on playing Louis Wain: ‘I had to learn his signature quickfire brush strokes’
In the wake of The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, interest in his drawings is escalating. ‘When the film was released in Canada in October, I had…
Why 2021 is the year of the maximalist Christmas
‘I believe in the power of interiors to enhance and lift moods,’ says Hannah Cecil Gurney. Her philosophy is immediately evident when you walk through the door…
11 of the best decorations you need for a stylish Christmas
Left, menu cards, £25 for six, place cards, £18 for six, Romeo + Jules. Right: drinks trolley, £260, shell planter, £50, glasses, from £8, metal sign, £38,…
The plant-based beauty heroes that are just as good as ‘tweakments’
1. Intense Overnight Mask – Rosehip and Hyaluronic, £85, Votary; 2. Angel Balm, £55, Alexandra Soveral; 3. Rosa Centifolia Cleansing Gel, £22, Ren; 4. Water Meadow 3-in-1…
The brooch is back – here’s how to wear the perfect pin
What would you call a small gathering of brooches? A bundle? A bevy? A nest? Perhaps I should ask Lady Hale, the former president of the Supreme…
The best real Christmas trees for 2021 – and where to buy them online and across the UK
Christmas wouldn’t quite be the same without the scent of pine, sparkling lights, baubles and the slight crunch of fallen needles underfoot. But finding the right real…
The truth about dressing Carrie Bradshaw and co. in their 50s
The result certainly feels like a departure from the original series and this approach has divided the critics – but what is interesting is that amid all…
Joe Biden wages financial warfare against Putin as Ukraine tensions mount
Meanwhile Ribakova adds that Europe’s energy needs could also deter such a move against a country which provides more than 40pc of its natural gas. “It could…