Why chablis is the perfect wine to pour with Christmas lunch
Chablis for Christmas should be an easy phrase to remember, and it really is worth doing just that. This is one of the most useful of wines…
The best Christmas movies of all time
The Holiday (2006) One of those films drummed into our brains as a “modern Christmas classic” in light of seemingly endless ITV2 repeats, The Holiday is twee…
Ed Sheeran & Elton John: Merry Christmas, review: this festive single might just become a classic
Ed Sheeran and Elton John have left no seasonal cliché untouched in their efforts to create a classic Christmas pop smash. It starts off with young Ed…
48 best Christmas shows to book during winter 2021 in the UK — from theatre to films, plays to pantomimes
‘Tis the season to don your gladrags, pack some popcorn (or mini chocolate santas, perhaps) and skip off to a show – whether that be a theatrical…
The best sweet and fortified wines to drink this Christmas
Waitrose’s own-label Sauternes is also made by Ch. Suduiraut and it, too, is lovely: Waitrose No 1 Sauternes Château Suduiraut 2013 (Bordeaux, France, 13.5%, Waitrose, £16.99) tastes…
Silent Night, review: Keira Knightley stars in quite possibly the bleakest Christmas film ever made
This extraordinarily odd British black comedy has a strong claim to the title of “Bleakest Christmas Film Ever Made”: imagine if a group of Richard Curtis characters…
The Darkness, G Live, review: part naff panto, part classic rock gig
Some, especially in the image-conscious world of rock, enter into the festive period with reluctance, perhaps rustling a tentative sleigh bell here, and briefly slipping on a…
The best mince pies for Christmas 2021, tried and tested
More than any other Christmas category, mince pies have become a blank canvas for creative producers. Salted caramel, apples, frangipane and gin – no flavour twist is…
Boney M’s Liz Mitchell: ‘At the moment, there’s such little hope in the lyrics we hear’
Comparing the chaste words to some of the “violent” lyrics in modern-day rap songs, Jamaica-born Mitchell says: “There is certainly something so clean and pure about those…
The best yule logs for Christmas 2021, tried and tested
This year’s offerings are largely based on the traditional, tried-and-tested formula of soft spiralled sponge, chocolate buttercream and a thick coating of rich ganache. Vegan options are…
The best Christmas cakes for 2021, tried and tested
Beneath an elegant, snow-white layer of fondant icing the marzipan is generous and well-flavoured. The soft, pale crumb is moist and filled with plump, juicy fruit, not…
The most opulent cars to buy this Christmas
The luxury car industry stuttered back to life in 2021, then took off full throttle as Covid restrictions eased. Freedom opened the floodgates but as demand soared,…
Ding dong merrily on pie
Mr Mason, 34, said: “It’s a whole hunk of pie. I wouldn’t even want to try to count the calories in it. “We’ve got shredded sprouts, roast…
25 ways to get into the festive spirit
See what the Queen and Princess Margaret once wore as pantomime costumes in a memorable exhibition to mark Christmas at Windsor Castle. The six outfits include an…
The best red wines to buy for Christmas 2021
Hollick The Bard Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra 2017 Australia (13.5%, Seven Cellars, Brighton, £12.95; Vineyards of Sherborne, Dorset, £12) This is a beautifully structured wine, all cedar and…
The best champagne and sparkling wines to buy for Christmas 2021
Best Sparkling wines for Christmas 2021 finest* Vintage Grand Cru Brut Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2015 France (13%, Tesco, £26) Is it worth trading up from the…
The 12 treats of Christmas TV: the best shows to watch this festive season
Jules Verne’s evergreen adventure story has attracted numerous adaptations. Partly, this is due to the winning simplicity of the plot: a bored Victorian gentleman-adventurer undertakes a bet…
Important life lessons are taught at a nativity play – schools throw these away at their peril
To say I was anxious was an understatement. As I sat on the hard wooden chairs of a slightly stuffy assembly hall, my hands were clammy as…
The Bolds, review: Julian Clary’s suburban hyenas make for sparkling, smutty entertainment
Letting Julian Clary loose in the world of children’s stories feels like a high-risk strategy – so alert are his antennae to potential innuendo, the comedian could…
The best restaurant meal-kits to avoid cooking Christmas dinner
Not everyone cooks on Christmas. That may come as a shock to some but, for a variety of reasons, millions won’t be tucking into their own turkeys…
The story behind this year’s spectacular Claridge’s Christmas tree
Jones’ modus operandi, throughout his career heading up Louis Vuitton’s menswear, as well as his work at Dior, has always been to toy with tradition – updating…
A Boy Called Christmas, review: where there should be magic and charm, there’s nothing but gloop
Dir: Gil Kenan Starring: Henry Lawfull, Maggie Smith, Michiel Huisman, Jim Broadbent, Toby Jones, Sally Hawkins, Joel Fry, Zoe Colletti, Kristen Wiig. PG cert, 103 min This…
A Christmas Carol, review: Stephen Mangan is an entertaining grump as a Scrooge with daddy issues
It can certainly be said of the Old Vic that they know how to do Christmas. Matthew Warchus’s Dickensian charmer, returning for a fifth year, is an…
Why your cheese addiction isn’t as bad for you as you think
It’s one of the best things on the Christmas table. A sprawling cheese board to be worked away at, with a slab of gooey Brie, a blue-veined…
The 30 best Christmas films to watch on Netflix UK in 2021, from Love Actually to The Princess Switch
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without fixing your eyes on the TV, for hours on end, watching festive films. It doesn’t even matter that many of them are completely terrible….