Skoda Octavia vRS review: Czech mate for the Golf GTI February 24, 2021 The Skoda Octavia vRS is a more practical alternative to a Volkswagen Golf GTI. We find out what the new, fourth-generation car has to offer.
Soho prepares to party, with al fresco dining back on the menu February 24, 2021 Hopes for a restaurant renaissance over the coming months were given a boost today when Westminster City Council announced its hugely successful – some have argued altogether too successful – al fresco dining scheme will return on 12 April. During the two “false openings” last summer and autumn, Soho became a Mecca for millions of [...]
Best of travel: Cowgirl fantasies in the Palm Springs desert February 23, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. Today we revisit Laura Millar’s jaunt to the kitsch Californian town of Palm Springs. ••• The wooden sign swinging in the breeze proclaims I’m at Smoketree Stables, just a short drive south of Palm Springs. Beyond the [...]
Survive the last months of lockdown with 35 amazing delivery kits February 23, 2021 Almost a year since the first lockdown, the restaurant world has been forced to change in ways that would have seemed laughable in the pre-Covid times. Top chefs including Simon Rogan are now launching successful at-home delivery platforms that promise to change the face of fine dining for years to come. We have sampled some [...]
Rankin: ‘I really feel for kids growing up during the pandemic’ February 23, 2021 The country can just about see a route back to normality, but huge question marks remain over the long-term effects of lockdown for a generation of children. Photographer Rankin, alongside model Daisy Lowe, BBC Radio 5 Live’s Nihal Arthanayake, Rinse FM’s Emerald Rose Lewis, TV presenter Anna Richardson, and UK advertising luminary Trevor Robinson OBE, [...]
Mercedes-AMG A45 S review: the hottest hatchback February 23, 2021 The 421hp Mercedes-AMG A45 S is a five-door hatchback that outpaces some supercars. Tim Pitt spends a week driving it.
Queen Victoria’s mourning brooches could soon be yours… February 22, 2021 Have you ever woken up and realised that the one thing you need to finally make your life complete is a collection of mourning brooches worn by Queen Victoria? Well boy are you in luck… Next month Sotheby’s London auction off the collection of Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, [...]
How to take your Margarita to the next level February 22, 2021 Today is National Margarita Day, the one day a year when our pagan ancestors would put aside their mead and throw together a few pitchers of Mexico’s finest. Okay, we made that up, but we still advocate mixing a nice strong tequila cocktail to take the edge off whatever Boris Johnson is about to announce. [...]
Valsana Hotel in Switzerland is a geothermal Alpine retreat February 22, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. Today we revisit Noo Saro-Wiwa’s stay in The Valsana, Switzerland’s first geothermal hotel. ••• These days, a sense of wellbeing isn’t just about body and spirit but also about leaving a lighter carbon footprint. Which is why [...]
Framing Britney Spears: A glimpse of the hell of celebrity February 20, 2021 “Choose your own destiny” reads Britney Spears’ t-shirt on a recent Instagram post. You could be forgiven for thinking she did just that. Britney is the working class girl from Kentwood, Louisiana who found fame as a precocious child in the Disney Club before rising to the summit of the pop world with hits including [...]