More from life
The beauty – and tragedy – of our nesting swans
There won’t be any cygnets this year. The cob was on the lake this morning on his own, occasionally slapping…
The wonder of Jon Pertwee and his frilly shirt
When a friend asked if I wanted anything for Christmas I took a deep breath and replied: ‘Well, maybe I…
The Spectator’s 2023 Christmas quiz
Fairly odd 1. What had for 50 years been the name for Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit before it was changed…
The new status symbol of the super rich: headlice
To help out friends, I sometimes collect a boy from his primary school near Sloane Square. This part of London…
The heady, hedonistic summer in which I became a life-long foreigner
Rome I have spent almost all my adult life as a foreigner. When I graduated from Oxford I faced a…
Be prepared to wait: how to make French onion soup like the French
Let me be clear: this week’s recipe is not a speedy little number. You can’t knock up a French onion…
How not to speak to builders
It’s week eight of the installation of a cheap Ikea kitchen in my flat, and an Albanian builder is slumped…
The death of royalty
The cohorts of Hamas have invaded my neighbourhood. I was walking my dog, Maxi, in the afterglow of a shower…
Dark, bold and perfect for autumn: how to make the perfect honey cake
I did not plan to cook a loaf cake when I embarked on concocting a traditional honey cake recipe. The…
They call me the ‘problem teetotaller’
My guts went on strike last July. I was staying in a hotel and I spent several days sprawled on…
Corned beef pie
A few weeks ago I was at the super-market juggling a toddler, several heavy bags and, it transpired, no pound…
French apple tart
There is, as the saying goes, more than one way to skin a cat. The same could be said –…
Aubergine parmigiana
In the middle of an unpredictable Indian summer, here is a recipe from sultry southern Italy which is suitable for…
Tarte tropézienne
Is there a more glamorous piece of pâtisserie than the tarte tropézienne? Born in the inherently chic Saint-Tropez, named by…
Fish and chips
The last meal my parents had before I graced the world with my presence was fish and chips, so I…
Pavlova
Whenever I tell someone that I’m making a pavlova the response is the same: sheer joy. Even the most fervent…
French tomato tart
Last year, we grew tomatoes for the first time. And we did so with our characteristic enthusiasm, lack of knowledge…
