BUSINESS

When I was asked to review plant-based cheeses, I thought twice about doing so. Although there are some companies, usually smaller operations, that make non-dairy cheese out of fermented nuts or soya beans, more often than not it’s manufactured by big companies who are adept at recreating flavours, but who use ultra-processed ingredients such as … Read more

When Hurricane Beryl tore through Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in July, right at the start of the 2024 hurricane season, it knocked out power and communications, destroyed buildings and left 11 people dead as well as thousands homeless. Supercharged by warm seas, Beryl rapidly strengthened to a category 5 hurricane. The total … Read more

Born in London, Chris Bonington, 90, joined the army and became an Outward Bound instructor. In 1975, he led the first expedition to successfully climb Everest via its south-west face. Ten years later, he reached the summit himself. In 1996, he was knighted for services to mountaineering, and his many books include the memoir Ascent. He has two surviving children … Read more

The band I’m in is heading out for a spring tour from Edinburgh to Exeter, a dozen dates across four weekends. Two nights before we set off I leave a rehearsal room at 10pm, exhausted after a seven-hour practice. It occurs to me, not for the first time, that I am too old for this … Read more

The questions 1 Before Liz Truss, who was the last prime minister never to contest a general election?2 Which Egyptian pharaoh’s tomb was identified in 2025?3 What is the England’s southernmost city?4 In Chinese, what animal’s name means “big bear cat”? 5 The rock kimberlite is renowned as a source of what?6 Carina Vogt, in … Read more

I’m a woman of 50, married for 30 years to the best husband. He is a very kind person, whom I love dearly. We have a very comfortable and balanced relationship where we have our hobbies, but also shared interests. We parent the children (almost grownups) as a well-functioning team. All in all, life with … Read more

Bar Valette in Shoreditch is a casual, relaxed, laid-back, let’s-go-with-the-flow type of restaurant. It serves modern European food and caters to the kind of audience who follow restaurant news in much the same way as others follow opera gossip or Formula One, and they’ll book out of sheer curiosity to experience this all-new, deeply chilled … Read more

I’ve been diagnosed with mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). It means your immune system is triggered too frequently and can cause anaphylaxis, so you can become allergic to a huge range of things. It’s a rare, incurable condition. I’d had some minor problems from the age of two, and knew I was allergic to nuts. But … Read more

NASA made a bet a few years ago that commercial companies could take scientific experiments to the moon on a lower budget than the agency could. Last year, that was a bad bet. The first NASA-financed spacecraft missed the moon entirely. The second landed but fell over. But this month, a robotic lander named Blue … Read more

Rice Krispies bars are my favourite no-bake recipe, and they are particularly handy when I’m baking with kids. In their simplest form, you need only three ingredients (Rice Krispies, butter and marshmallows), but I’ve given them a sweet and salty twist by adding a good dollop of miso and some caramel-like brown butter, which makes … Read more