Culture

‘A tawny owl swoops round your head, there is a background scutter of twitchings and scratchings from the depths of cages, a crow called Brian screeches incessantly… the room is suffused with a limey smell.’ In 1984, the Observer’s...

Bemi Shaw, contributing stylist‘Sharpen up a casual look.’ T-shirt, £120, Kenzo (brownsfashion.com). Earrings, £79, missoma.com. Waistcoat, £98, Jigsaw (johnlewis.com). Trousers, £40, riverisland.com. Trainers, £89.99, Adidas (kickgame.com). Bag, £75.90 for 4 days hire, Coperni (hurrcollective.com)

My parents were eccentrics, living in a big mad house in the country. We had a free-flying parrot and a goat that came on walks. Everything was an adventure. At midnight on a school night, they’d say, “Let’s visit...

Pumpkin, kale and spelt broth with fried sageSage and pumpkin are a match made in heaven. This hearty, vegetarian broth is exactly what I want to eat when the temperature begins to take a nosedive.Prep 15 minCook 45 minServes...

Born in Derby in 1992, comedian Munya Chawawa is best known for his online sketches skewering politicians, musicians and celebrities. Aged 11, Munya and his family moved back to England from Zimbabwe, to the village of Framingham Pigot in...

Layla, 65 Our chaste public personas actually make us more passionate behind closed doors because what we’re doing feels excitingly furtive When I met Martin he was a 27-year-old virgin. We were both Catholic, but I had quite a...

Could chocolate cake be one of the world’s most welcome guests? A prolific traveller across the globe, and an integral part of office meetings, fundraisers, dinner parties, batmitzvahs and no doubt weddings, too, the chocolate cake plays an outsized...

If a recipe calls for mushroom stalks to be removed, take the time to think whether that’s a strictly necessary step and, if possible, ignore the instruction and leave them on, to save both time and waste. The cap...

The morning after we return home I’m on the phone with the bank for a long time. The man at the other end is explaining to me why the new card I just received has already been cancelled.“There was...

John Crace watches a glitter-covered Keir Starmer get down to business with a game-changing speech (1m21s); Dolly Parton on style, stardom and sexism (9m51s); plus one man’s leap of faith into the world of hair transplants (26m46s) ...