Lifestyle, portfolio pieces and cultural musings
Somewhere between the allotment and the model railway, British leisure quietly got a business plan. A contrarian case for doing things badly, slowly and for absolutely no money — and why the least productive hours of your week might be doing the most work.
While arena tours get louder and more expensive, a quieter comeback is happening in back rooms, folk clubs and working men's clubs up and down the country. A look at why 50-capacity venues have become the most interesting tickets in Britain this year — and how to find the good ones near you.
The best design find of the year may be sitting between a jigsaw and a microwave, priced at £3.50. A practical, slightly obsessed guide to judging quality, spotting overlooked ceramics and textiles, and styling pre-loved pieces without turning your flat into a museum of other people’s grannies.
Ticketed dinners in kitchens and front rooms are no longer a London curiosity. Across Bristol, Leeds, Glasgow and smaller towns, home cooks are building regular crowds with fixed menus, honest prices and a bit of nerve. Here’s why the supper club is having a moment in 2026 — and how to join in without losing your weekend to a spreadsheet.
In 2026, the most interesting book recommendation in Britain might be a handwritten index card in a shop you can walk into. Indie booksellers are using shelf-talkers, blind dates and local obsession to offer something the algorithm cannot: a voice with a postcode.
The Sunday carvery is not glamorous, not photogenic and, in 2026, not especially cheap. It is also one of the last genuinely intergenerational, device-free rituals we have left — and it is worth defending with more than nostalgia.
Forget the fantasy of the converted warehouse. In 2026, some of the most interesting portfolio work in Britain is being made on kitchen tables, in shed corners and beside the airing cupboard. A practical, personal look at how domestic constraints shape the things we make.
Comfort viewing is not a guilty pleasure; it is a survival strategy. But as the nights draw in and the streaming queues fill up, it is worth asking what we are actually looking for — and whether nostalgia is helping us make anything new. A culturally curious guide to the 2026 winter.