How do I go about pruning the young trees in my garden?
If you love your garden but need advice on how to keep it looking lush and welcoming all year round, top head gardener Tom Brown can help. In…
No need for a stately home… how gardeners are taking topiary mainstream
Her mesmerising Instagram feed is full of the most extraordinary topiary shapes, usually set artistically in front of a dark grey backdrop. From Dalí-esque clouds to narrow,…
Action, not words, is needed to resolve the crisis in Northern Ireland
Recent events in Northern Ireland could mean the end of devolved Government for the foreseeable future. The pro-Union population has grown tired of being fobbed off with…
London’s silence about anti-Semitism is deafening
On December 2 2020, a knifeman stormed a Marks & Spencer in Burnley. Munawar Hussain, 58, went for the manager’s neck before moving onto a customer –…
Changing attitudes is an important first step towards eradicating FGM, but it isn’t enough
I was just seven years old when I underwent female genital mutilation (FGM) while on holiday with my family in Djibouti. I almost died a few years…
The BBC has lost the ear of Middle England
Following Nadine Dorries’s coarse attack on the BBC, in which she threatened to abolish the licence fee, the Corporation placed a two-minute video on social media proclaiming…
You’re never too old to seek help with your mental health struggles
This column is all about being human. It is all about you. So this week, I want to start with an email I received from Linda, a…
Low-fat wotsits aren’t the answer to Britain’s obesity crisis
When I first began to travel abroad it became clear that, while I was suitably impressed by the cultural glories, what really fascinated me were foreign supermarkets….
A welcome shake-up at No10
Boris Johnson’s appointment of Steve Barclay as chief of staff is a sensible move that appears to signal a critical shift in the Government’s style and substance….
The Queen is the agent of continuity. The country has changed but her persona has not
For the Queen, all her jubilees (this is the fourth, after 1977, 2002 and 2012) have been about stimulating an ethic of service among her people, and…
Air fryers vs deep fryers – which is best?
Fried food. Crisp chips, hot and fluffy inside; crunchy-coated chicken; churros dunked in choco-late, or the fatty, sugary joy of doughnuts: it’s hard to think of anything…
My friends are sceptical when I say I’ve fallen for a woman
You may recall that when I first met Alex, I wrote about how I was drawn to someone I’d seen at a party who I felt I…
Dear Richard Madeley: ‘My husband has revealed an alarming kink – should I give it a go?’
Dear Richard, I have been married for three years and love my husband very much. We have our own house and stable jobs, although for now we…
Why women are turning their back on the bra
Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in the UK, with one woman diagnosed every 10 minutes according to charity Breast Cancer Now. Sankey’s film addresses this…
Master the two-minute make-up routine
How long does it take you to apply your make-up in the morning? According to trend forecasters WGSN, 2022 is the year of the two-minute make-up routine…
Why I kept flying to New York for a regular haircut
Obviously this is nonsense. My hair isn’t out of control. It isn’t “unruly” or in need of “taming”, nor is it an outer indication of inner wildness….
How I finally found boots to fit my wider calves
Leather boots, £109. John Lewis & Partners + Erica Davies (johnlewis.com); Over-the-knee leather boots, £275, DuoBoots (duoboots.com); Suede boots, £335, The Spanish Boot Company (thespanishboot company.co.uk); Leather…
The symbolism behind the first outfit the Queen was photographed in as monarch
Like today, the new Queen was rarely seen without a brooch pinned to her left shoulder. In accordance with mourning dress convention, which dictates that only diamonds…
Vandals attack sculpture of Algerian resistance fighter commissioned by Emmanuel Macron
A sculpture dedicated to an Algerian resistance fighter was vandalized just hours before it was unveiled in France at the weekend, amid a presidential campaign charged with…
One of Syria’s best-loved actors issues rare criticism of Assad regime
While the interview was promptly deleted from Al-Madina’s website and Nouri reportedly suspended from acting by the government-controlled actors guild, the actor returned to air the the…
Emmanuel Macron says his negotiations with Putin ‘likely to prevent war’ in Ukraine
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has claimed that his negotiations with Russia are likely to avoid a military conflict, ahead of his visit to Moscow this week….
How the Queen has changed the way we holiday
From shaking hands with a newly freed Nelson Mandela to chinking champagne glasses with Russian president Boris Yeltsin following the fall of the Soviet Union, the Queen’s…
Nine amazing winter sports holidays to feel like an Olympian
Out of all my Olympic experience, it was at my final Games as an athlete, Nagano 1998, that I really fell for a destination. The resort of…
The pub with rooms that’s a haven of rural good living
The Duncombe Arms has a natural lamp-lit warmth; it is one of those places where, the moment you walk in, you feel better. In a circle of rooms,…
What’s on TV tonight: Chloe, The Curse, The Queen: 70 Glorious Years, and more
No ReturnITV, 9pmSheridan Smith has cornered the market on primetime TV for playing everywoman characters overcoming spirit-shattering crises. So she is perfect casting for this four-part drama…