How apt that it was perfect barbecue weather when Dominic Cummings appeared in the Downing Street garden for his media grilling. The senior government adviser had been marinating in a sauce of molten opprobrium since his illicit lockdown dash to Durham became public news. He had also been highly seasoned by the chilli rage of … Read more
They move slowly across the landscape, lumbering and flat footed, but tenacious. Their primordial mission is to safeguard the past, then furnish and burnish the future anew. Look at them! Their heads are huge and their brains are perhaps not so huge – but their path is straight and true. They trudge onwards through the … Read more
Elton John did it in front of a hedge in his back garden, with two basketballs. Paul McCartney did it in front of some cheapo pine cupboards in his kitchen, no doubt stuffed with tofu burgers and his favourite veggies. Stevie Wonder did it in front of lavishly tasselled curtain tiebacks in his elegantly appointed … Read more
One interesting thing is that — in public at least — the Royal Family have kept quiet about the hasty departure to America of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The collective air emanating from the House of Windsor, like a smog of ever so jolly spring lilacs, seems to be one of understanding and … Read more
You can say what you like about our teadrinking habits, our passion for Yorkshire puddings and wearing socks with sandals, but laughing at our most beloved condiments? What sauce. However, a noted Spanish gourmand has just published a guide to the UK’s condiments — and warns unsuspecting diners from around the world to expect the … Read more
The lockdown is not going to end any time soon and I for one am profoundly grateful for that. Surely it would be too hasty and too rash to peel away now from the path of self-isolation and locked doors? With the number of deaths still terrifyingly high and heartfelt pleas from NHS workers for … Read more
As the sun rose on another blameless California morning, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex took their daily turmeric shots boosted with raw ginger, naked opportunism and freshly squeezed brass neck. The world was in turmoil around them, as Covid-19 continued to sweep across the globe. Yet not even a pandemic can stop Harry and … Read more
Thinking Again Jan Morris Faber £16.99 Rating: Back in 2001, Jan Morris, then aged 74, announced that she had just written her final book. Oh yes? By my calculation, she has produced another six books since then – or seven if you include this new one. She has never been a slave to consistency. Whenever … Read more
Stuck at home, perhaps bored with home-schooling the kids, definitely missing their restaurants? Yes, yes and yes again. Many top chefs and cooks have turned to the internet to rustle up tasty films showing how they are cooking and caring for their families during the lockdown. For once these Michelin-starred gods are not tweezering herbs, … Read more
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have finally reached the promised land of California and they are within kissing distance of Hollywood, no doubt their intended destination all along.