business

As you may already know, the title of Britain’s Best Loaf 2025 was awarded to a brioche that was flavoured with lemon curd and earl grey tea. The inventor – Miyo Aoetsu, who runs a baking business from her home in Derbyshire – says the loaf was inspired by a recent Japanese trend for foods … Read more

Otto, 52 For the first time, we openly talked about what we liked and didn’t like, which really opened up our relationship for exploration Maeve and I are quite well matched in terms of libido. Sex isn’t on my mind all the time, it is something I have to foster and nurture. And that’s been … Read more

“Hello pervert” is how the email starts and frighteningly it appears to have been sent from your own account. It is a ransom note with the recipient warned that they have been recorded in a compromising act, and will be exposed unless they pay up. The sender warns “this is a very bad situation for … Read more

Praia de Odeceixe, Portugal Surrounded by the unspoilt Sudoeste Alentejano and Costa Vicentina nature park, Odeceixe rolls out from the mouth of the River Seixe. It’s a world away from the crowded Algarve beaches further south, and offers excellent surfing and bodyboarding, with the river shallows ideal for small children. Blue-flagged, with lifeguards in summer, … Read more

The demise of London’s Chinatown has long been predicted, what with recent rent and rate rises, and diners’ changing tastes. Yet on a spring lunchtime last week, business on Wardour Street was booming, with alfresco noodle-slurping, long queues and endless selfie sessions all in full swing. Song He Lou, a historic restaurant brand that champions … Read more

I’m sitting at my computer when a link refuses to load, leaving me with a white screen. I click on several of the 37 other windows I have open. None of them loads. I go and find my wife in front of her computer. “Are you having trouble with the internet?” I say. “Why yes,” … Read more

There’s something about its perfect balance of crunch and tenderness that makes roast pork belly such a timeless favourite, and slow-roasting fills the kitchen with comforting aromas that make you hungry long before the meat is anywhere near ready. I like to serve it with mojo verde, a vibrant sauce from the Canaries that’s often … Read more

I’ve gone off script here and rated jarred chickpeas and tinned/packeted ones separately, because they’re such different beasts – and with a price point to reflect it. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by a few standouts in the tinned section, one of which is about to save me a fair amount of cash as … Read more

The restored heritage village of Old Petrie Town lies about a 90-minute drive from the farm in Queensland, Australia, where Karen Weideman lives. She and her husband, Michael, were visiting back in 2022 when she took this photo on her iPhone 11. “The town is spread across 48 acres of parkland, and some of the … Read more

The pan of beans on my cooker have taken a long time to prepare. It’s not just because I soaked them overnight and have now simmered them for about an hour: more than 12 years has gone into the creation and production of these beans. After all that, they had better taste delicious. These beans … Read more