The poet relates tales of his childhood, run-ins with Bernard Manning – and explains why he wishes Ken Loach would lighten upDr John Cooper Clarke, Salford’s favourite son, arrives in the whitewashed upper room of St John near London’s Smithfield meat …
Where to find top restaurant wines to drink at home
The pandemic has seen new retailers emerge, on a mission to satisfy your inner sommelier Some wine merchants have done well out of the pandemic. Among them were big guns such as Waitrose and Majestic, which saw online sales rise by as much as 300% last…
Food, faith and family: how we feed our son his rich mixed heritage
My parents are Bangladeshi Muslims. My husband is an Ashkenazi Jew. And our baby son? He’ll eat chicken soup and chicken curry…Even before my son was born, I used to imagine all the things I would feed my future children. They would come home from scho…
Nigel Slater’s recipe for orecchiette with green beans and tomato confit
Toast the departing sun with a glorious tomato extravaganzaThere is much to do in the kitchen. I made the last of the plums into jam last week – a softly set version for spooning over yoghurt – there are damsons to be frozen for winter and I just manag…
A bar of dark milk butterscotch hits the spot after Kew
The gardens’ gift shop has plenty to satisfy my chocolate cravingThere is a photo in the family album, of me aged six or seven, wearing yellow shorts, crouched down on the lawn in front of the Palm House at Kew Gardens. Not long after, my parents bough…
‘Table for one? Yes, please’ – the joy of eating alone
More of us are cooking or eating solo – it’s time to break free from the stigma of dining alone“We call it a crisis of loneliness. In France, it’s a crisis of manners. In China, it’s a crisis of family,” Dr Mukta Das tells me. “Every nation around the…
Tofu Vegan, London: ‘Bring on the big hitters’ – restaurant review
With fresh, vibrant flavours at every turn, even old-school carnivores will be happy at Tofu VeganTofu Vegan, 105 Upper Street, London N1 1QN (020 7916 3304). Starters and dim sum £5.50-£8.50, large plates £7.90-£14.80, desserts £4.80, wines from £18.5…
Ainsley Harriott’s secret ingredient: allspice
The chef and broadcaster on his mum’s versatile kitchen favouriteAllspice has been with me for ever. My mum used it in the kitchen, there was always allspice around. It was normally the whole berries, she would crush them herself. We didn’t have pestle…
Deep impact: the underwater photographers bringing the ocean’s silent struggle to life
Kerim Sabuncuoğlu – just one winner in this year’s Ocean photography awards – tells the story behind his picture of a moray eel that also shows the wider perils of ‘ghost fishing’In July, off the Turkish port city of Bodrum, Kerim Sabuncuoğlu stepped f…
Vick Hope: ‘At Cambridge, I came through like Nigella just because I could make noodles’
The Radio 1 presenter on student food, fighting with her brothers over fish eyes and her mum’s lockdown Nigerian food Zoom classesMy mum did Zoom masterclasses for the family in the pandemic. I hadn’t cooked Nigerian food before, ever. She’d send us th…