The patient referral comes through my reliable old fax machine on a single sheet of paper. “Thanks for seeing this 74-year-old gentleman with end-stage liver failure. He’s been following the news carefully and is eager to make a request for an assisted death. I hear you’ll be providing this service here in Victoria – courageous! … Read more
My parents came to the UK in 1960 from Calcutta, as it was then, in India. My father was a doctor. In Birmingham, I was often the only Indian girl in my class. There are ways that you’re marked out in the playground. There was quite a lot of teasing. You had to navigate your … Read more
Whatever “spring makeup’’ is, burgundy lips probably don’t fit the traditional bill. But that’s only if you are going down the traditional route. For something a little more interesting, I suggest ignoring beauty marketers’ expectations of what makeup we should wear and when. Dark red lipstick needn’t be dour or goth-like; it’s really all down … Read more
Sometimes a restaurant can change the whole way of thinking about a casual meal out with friends, and so it was with Jonathan MacDonald’s first Glasgow venture, Ox and Finch, back in 2014. It was all about sharing small plates that arrived whenever they were ready. There were wonderful flavours – confit pork belly, crab … Read more
The dilemma How can I feel less intimidated when talking to senior or pivotal people who might be good for my career? And feel less shame in the aftermath? I come from a working-class, immigrant background. I have risen through the ranks in my team and now have a lead role where I go to … Read more
Four astronauts will have to wait at least until Friday to head the International Space Station. This otherwise routine rotation of crew on the space station is garnering extra attention because it will at last allow the return to Earth of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, two NASA astronauts whose brief scheduled visit to the … Read more
Restaurant owners are abandoning the age-old “customer is always right” maxim because too many diners try to get freebies through threats, making malicious complaints and underhand tricks. Andrew Sheridan, cited as “one of the finest chefs north Wales has ever produced”, said he was tired of customers “trying it on”. “It happens all the time,” … Read more
The hungry gap is often seen as a tricky time in the kitchen, where the vegetables that have been overwintered or stored are running low, the ground is still cold and there is little growing. But I prefer to see these months as an exciting time to get creative with pickles, ferments and preserves, and … Read more
I start playing songs to my son James from the moment he is born. If I’m given the job of rocking him back to sleep, I usually put on reggae: Junior Murvin’s Police and Thieves and Dawn Penn’s You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) tend to do the trick. If my partner Ginny or … Read more
Unsalted butter is easily one of my most used ingredients. At any given time, I have at least four blocks in my fridge, ready to be softened and whipped into cakes or rubbed into flour for pastry. There is a camp of people who prefer to use salted butter for baking, and while there are … Read more