My Dark Vanessa book review: Lolita for the #MeToo generation is a brave debut March 27, 2020 Kate Elizabeth Russell’s much-hyped debut novel, hailed as Lolita for the #MeToo generation, is narrated entirely by the titular Vanessa and captivatingly crafted in two parallel timelines. In 2000, Vanessa is a 15-year-old student at a Maine boarding school, when she begins a relationship with her English literature teacher, Jacob Strane, thirty years her senior. [...]
Cupboard Love: Our new daily column on isolation cooking – today, chickpea curry March 26, 2020 Chickpeas are a mystery to science. At some indeterminate point in modern history, every household in the UK was issued with between one and six cans of chickpeas, which were arbitrarily distributed at the back of their cupboards. Nobody knows how they got there, and most people don’t even know they exist, but search your [...]
Acclaimed chef Virgilio Martinez and Explora Peru come together to showcase the unique culinary identity of the Sacred Valley March 25, 2020 When most people think of Peru, it’s the ancient citadel Machu Picchu that comes to mind. And when you mention the Sacred Valley, it’ll likely conjure up similar images of hiking through misty mountains to equally mystical Incan ruins. This is, in fact, exactly what I’m doing. But I’m not only here for the archaeology; [...]
Batteries included: The Bentley Bentayga Hybrid offers zero-emissions city driving March 25, 2020 A few months ago, this page featured the Bentley Bentayga Speed, a 635 horsepower SUV with the thrust of a supercar and thirst of a supertanker. The Bentayga Hybrid is the yin to that yang, trading a 6.0-litre W12 for a 3.0 V6: the smallest engine ever fitted to a Bentley. It forgoes the title [...]
Cupboard Love: Clever cooking for an isolated population March 25, 2020 In the first part of a new series on economical home cooking, top chef Mark Hix demolishes a whole duck. I’ve written a few times about people buying too much food, not looking after it in the fridge, and it consequently ending up in the bin. I’ve also written many times about getting the most [...]
Doom Eternal review: Ultra, ultra violence has never been so much fun March 20, 2020 A 2014 study by scientists at Stetson University in Florida suggested that, rather than act as a predictor of violence in real life, violent video games may actually have the opposite effect, making people less likely to carry out acts of aggression. If that’s the case then the law won’t ever have to worry about [...]
Selling your home? Think twice before dismissing the first offer March 20, 2020 There are numerous examples that I can recall where we have received a good offer for a property very soon after bringing it to the market, sometimes in a matter of days – only to have the owner reject the offer on the basis that it has been ‘too quick’. More often than not, this [...]
Interiors: Working from home? Here’s four tips to make it a bit more bearable March 20, 2020 Unless you’re a nurse, a checkout assistant or a delivery driver, chances are you’re going to be working from home for a while. For those who don’t have a home office set up already, this brave new world of endless conference calls in your living room is going to take some getting used to – [...]
Home workout: Easy ways to stay in shape amid Covid-19 March 18, 2020 What a crazy few weeks it’s been. The City is quieter than I’ve ever seen it – it’s like a ghost town out there. Few of us have ever experienced this kind of mass uncertainty, and that makes it more important than ever to look after ourselves. Thankfully, although we might be locked inside, there [...]
Baraza Resort review: This elegant hotel in Zanzibar is a feast for the senses March 16, 2020 Visiting tropical islands usually involves sacrificing the richness and depth of continental culture for the simplicity of ravishing sun, sea and sand. Zanzibar, however, is almost unique in letting you combine the three ‘S’ with classic architecture and history – all in a space of less than 2,500 sq km. This island off the coast [...]