Stats hint at a drop in UK house prices October 31, 2011 MORTGAGE lending slipped for the second straight month in September, the Bank of England revealed yesterday, while a separate study released this morning exposes dwindling confidence in the likelihood of house prices holding up. More people expect house prices to fall over the next year than those expecting any rise, a survey by the Halifax [...]
Hair-raising tips: growing the mo October 31, 2011 G ROWING a moustache can be a dangerous business. You risk ridicule with uneven growth or social exclusion with an unclean and whiffy tache. Then there’s the maintenance and the blade-based dangers of trimming. You can avoid these pitfalls with our Movember guide. View this moustache-growing month as an opportunity to look dashing while raising [...]
FIT IN THE CITY October 31, 2011 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT FORGET swanky members clubs – no sooner has the stork paid a visit these days, everyone who’s anyone ditches chi-chi clubs for the family-friendly spa. The constant media bombardment of supermodel mum pics (you know the ones, catwalk-ready six weeks after being wheeled out of the delivery suite), combined with endless [...]
Look beyond Chinatown for the hottest regional food October 31, 2011 CHINATOWN should be worried. Just beyond its main artery, Gerrard Street, lies a triumvirate of restaurants muscling in on its territory with militantly spicy dishes and brazen authenticity. When they arrived in Soho, Bar Shu, Baozi Inn and Ba Shan were a celebration of flavours from the Sichuanese province of China in gorgeous lanterned settings [...]
QUAFFER’S CORNER October 31, 2011 HEAD SOMMELIER AND MANAGER OF LUTYENS RESTAURANT Pinot Noir is a tricky grape to grow. Countries in the New World struggle to reproduce the fragrance and elegance that characterise red Burgundy where this grape originates (and, I would add, the best wines of Germany, where it is know as Spätburgunder). New Zealand is probably the [...]
House prices now falling twice as fast October 30, 2011 THE DECLINE in house prices doubled its speed in October as economic turbulence scared prospective buyers and hit demand, a leading survey claimed this morning. Average house prices were down 0.2 per cent in England and Wales this month, compared to declines of 0.1 per cent in each of the previous five months, the report [...]
Knits and the City: how to rock the season of toasty jumpers October 30, 2011 1 Cashmere fair-isle V-neck sweater For him: wear on the weekend. Brora, £299, brora.co.uk 2 Wool blanket-scarf All-purpose for the rustic cottage. National Trust shop, £12. nationaltrust.org.uk 3 Ribbed wool cardigan For him: cosy glass of wine after work. J Crew at Mr Porter, £170, mrporter.com 4 Wolsey tank For her: wear to work with [...]
“Mandigans”: what women really think October 30, 2011 THE topic of men and knitwear has always aroused strong reactions in women – it’s like marmite: you either love it or hate it. The ski slopes are a particularly divisive arena for observing the male in action sporting knits. Even resorts as chi-chi as Verbier and Courchevel become a jamboree of outlandish bobble hats [...]
Affjordable Norway: a mountainous trekker’s paradise October 30, 2011 IF you want to turn back at any point, you can.” Our sympathetic Norwegian host was suddenly full of reassurance. She was looking across the breakfast table with the concerned expression of a mother observing her sick, ailing child. Fear, dread. Pity. Maybe a hint of disdain for being put in this position. With a [...]
TRAVEL NOTES October 30, 2011 Grand boutique hotel in Quito Old Town Ecuador is South America’s hot new destination for the luxury traveller – and has the prices to go with. Old Town Quito now boasts a hotel in the vein of a mini-Ritz: Casa Gangotena, a newly restored historic mansion overlooking the cobbled Plaza San Francisco, with 31 rooms [...]