The other day, I tried to read an email on my phone while in the backseat of a moving car. Almost immediately, I was overwhelmed with nausea. Next to me, my boyfriend was happily scrolling through news articles. He tried to show me a headline, but I was too busy staring out the window, breathing … Read more
When most people were comparing how many times they had listened to Sabrina Carpenter, Charli xcx and Fontaines DC on Spotify Wrapped last December, I had to make do with Burger King Unwrapped, delivered to me via their app, which told me how many Burger Kings I’d eaten that year (a solitary Whopper meal in … Read more
I was moved to read of the grief expressed by so many at the brutal felling of the Sycamore Gap tree. I found it surprising. Not the crime itself: I know well the unconscious drive we all have within us to destroy good things – the most valuable, the most beautiful, the most life-affirming things. … Read more
There are two things in life guaranteed to put me in a bad mood. Starting the day in pouring rain, and getting stuck behind slow walkers. I’ve always had a fast stride. I cut the estimated walk-time on Google Maps by at least a third. I was nicknamed “spidergirl” in my netball team because I … Read more
When the Filter asked me to test and rate six dating apps, it was a challenge I undertook without flinching. I’m something of an expert in this field: for close to a decade now, I’ve written and talked about my love life on public platforms. The reactions have always been mixed: friends roll their eyes, … Read more
Household energy bills could drop this summer but experts have warned that “the crisis is not over” for households and manufacturers struggling to afford gas and electricity costs. The industry regulator’s quarterly price cap is expected to fall in July by an average of £129, or 7%, according to forecasts from Cornwall Insight, a leading … Read more
Gildas are such a lovely pre-dinner snack: really good olives and anchovies on a stick, with any number of variations, such as artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, bits of cheese … The one I had most recently, at Brett in Glasgow, was beyond wonderful, and featured chicken fat-topped croutons and homemade green chilli sauce with plump Perelló … Read more
Crab, wonderful crab, an ingredient that has always been found on my restaurant menus and at home in my kitchen. This simple, rather rustic tart is delicious and sings of warmer days. Tarragon is underrated, but this soft herb is a staple in my garden and eats especially well with crab. Then, all the love … Read more
Reading about ways to foster joy last week (I know, most of us would settle for waking without lingering dread, but why not dream big occasionally?), I was captivated by the memoirist and cancer survivor Suleika Jaouad’s suggestion: live each day like it’s your first. When Jaouad’s leukaemia returned last year, well-wishers urged her to … Read more
‘I declare this the best beach in the world,” my youngest son shouts, leaping from a three-metre-high dune on to the soft, golden sand. We’ve come to Praia de Monte Clérigo to watch the sun sink into the sea, and stumble upon a bay ripe for play with a babbling brook, rock pools, gentle swell, … Read more