I wrote about protests in Albania, Europe, development traps, oligarchic capture, and, well, hope. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Thank you @deliciouslegacy.bsky.social A pleasure to discuss culinary time - the subject of my book The Missing Ingredient - with you!

Campaign launched to save the original Bramley mother tree, planted as a pip by Mary Ann Brailsford in the early 19th century. www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...

Hear "Repast: The Story of Food" by @jennylinford.bsky.social with host Miranda Melcher @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social Listen on: 📻CFRU 93.3 📅April 9 ⏰10am 🛜Hear anytime: buff.ly/7nyNPvG #foodhistory @theontarion.bsky.social @guelphhistsoc.bsky.social @foodstudies.ca @britishmuseum.bsky.social

This was a year ago. I'd say it's time we woke up.

'It is a dramatic assault on the First Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits the government from curtailing the freedom of the press.' @hcrichardson.bsky.social

Plump, scarlet pomegranates have long been a symbol of fertility in many cultures. It was a pleasure to write about the cultural richness of this beautiful fruit for @apollo-magazine.com.

@malorieblackman.bsky.social just heard you on Today talking about The Silver Chair. That piece you read is so relevant - thank you for highlighting it.

The @citylit.bsky.social run some fantastic writing courses, so do please check this out if you feel you'd benefit from one of the offered scholarships.

January 25, 2026

The ICE officer approaches him while he’s filming from the side walk. Only thing he’s holding is a cell phone. bsky.app/profile/mark...

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey: "I just saw a video of more than 6 masked agents pummeling one of our constituents and shooting him to death. How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?"

January 19, 2026

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” —George Orwell (1984)

The paper of record is, thank heaven, fulfilling its responsibility this time. That really matters www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...

A powerful, compelling and important read.

The overlap between places we want to dominate and places that have oil is striking

Get ready for Phase Two: a raid on Oslo to seize the Peace Prize.

Starting 2026 in style enjoying wonderful British cheeses bought online from Courtyard Dairy! Oozy Baron Bigod, a hard ewe's milk cheese called Corra Linn and flavourful Stichelton - so good!

December 31, 2025

Hard hitting piece by @rupertread.bsky.social on the dangers of “climate optimism” - at least 30 years of failure to take the threat seriously has led to multiplying risks and locked-in harm and suffering @climatemajority.bsky.social

Enjoyed this stimulating Start the Week this morning on animals and humans with @naomialderman.bsky.social @justingregg.com Peter Fretwell, Marianne Hem Eriksen. Well worth a listen. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

On this day 29th December 1975 “Radical new legislation” introducing a woman's right to equal pay and status came into force in the UK (Picture: A Second Picture Dictionary, artist: Eric Winter)

The mastery of artist Harry Wingfield. ‘Dates’ A box on the coffee table is a Ladybird Christmas essential. (Fifth Picture Book, 1973)

#PostOfficeScandal 'The revelation directly contradicts the Post Office's claims during criminal prosecutions - which led to hundreds of wrongful convictions and civil cases that destroyed livelihoods - that no bugs existed capable of causing accounting shortfalls.' BBC www.bbc.com/news/article...

Hen cages and pig farrowing crates to be outlawed in England

Ladybird Artists Advent Calendar, window 22 Durham Cathedral Artist: SRBadmin

December 19, 2025

Shooting hares in England to be banned for most of the year

Post Mortem, by Private Eye’s Richard Brooks, chronicling how the Post Office scandal and cover-up developed and later unravelled, is on sale now at all good bookshops. ➡️ Available at: private-eye.co.uk/books

‘Repast: The Story of Food’ by Jenny Linford ( @jennylinford.bsky.social ) has won ‘Best in the World’ in the Special Awards of the Jury for books at this year’s Gourmand Awards. Here's my interview with Jenny back in April, about her book, to your aural delight! podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

December 15, 2025

www.thetimes.com/uk/obituarie... A lovely tribute to the brilliant John Carey, whose work I return to again and again and again.

December 12, 2025

'The new discovery, in the village of Barnham, pushes the origin of human fire-making back by more than 350,000 years, far earlier than previously thought.' Human history rewritten by archaeological discovery in Norfolk. www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...

Last post - Denmark closes its postal service for letters bit.ly/3XHLEro ending a 400-year-old amenity

The AI surveillance state is real — and it's being built by Palantir. youtu.be/x_VwyhErd88?...

Repast: The Story of Food - @jennylinford.bsky.social, @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social newbooksnetwork.com/repast #foodhistory #aghist #envhist

What a pleasure to be interviewed by Dr Miranda Melcher about my book for the British Museum Repast: The Story of Food for @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social Here's a link to the podcast. newbooksnetwork.com/repast

'We’re gonna spend our money with businesses who actually respect our dollars, respect our communities, and respect our diversity, equity, and inclusion.' says We Ain't Buying It. @hcrichardson.bsky.social on consumer power.

November 24, 2025

'But I have to wonder whether, in our desire to never repeat the crimes of the 80s, we have overcorrected – whether we have thrown the starfruit-necklaced piglet out with the bathwater.' Ruby Tandoh on the allure of entertaining Martha Stewart style. www.theguardian.com/food/2025/no...

Turner was the first ‘modern’ painter; who directly inspired the impressionism of the 19thC and presaged the abstract expressionism of the 20thC. 'Evening Star,' (1830) is all the proof you need.

A chance to buy original artworks from Axel Scheffler, Rebecca Cobb, Sydney Smith and many others who have featured in #NewIllustrationoftheDay. Bidding starts on 28 November, and bids start at £100. @childrensbkshow.bsky.social www.jumblebee.co.uk/thechildrens... #originalchildrensillustrations

The real BBC bias story, narrated by Anna Ford

I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight www.cityam.com/the-british-...

'Ultra-processed food (UPF) is linked to harm in every major organ system of the human body and poses a seismic threat to global health, according to the world’s largest review.' www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

"They still have big designs on hurting this stewardship institution” warns America's former National Parks Director. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...