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This moreish, flapjack-style oaty bake, flavoured with maple syrup and dotted with sour cherries, works as well for dessert as it does for breakfastI’ve been making versions of these baked oats ever since discovering Heidi Swanson’s recipe in Super Natural Every Day. This is my favourite store-cupboard version, for when stone fruit and berries have slipped out of season. Morello cherries are a dark, tart variety of sour cherry, with an intensity of flavour and bright acidity that stand up particularly well to baking. I love them here paired with almonds and coconut drinking milk (the light kind sold in cartons, not the rich tinned variety). The cherries I use are whole fruit in syrup, which I drain and dot over the oats – they remain distinct while becoming deliciously jammy as they bake. Almost any fruit compote or jam will work here, though, so choose your favourite. Continue reading...

Thinking about writing a book and doing it are two very different things – so how to get started and follow through? At some point in their lives, many people are confronted with a big question: what if I wrote a book?Writing a memoir, murder mystery or steamy romance is an accomplishment. Like running a marathon or successfully filing your taxes, it speaks to grit, determination and hours of research and effort.How to start meditatingHow to start weightliftingHow to start budgetingHow to start running Continue reading...

An umami-packed dish for when you need a flavour hit in a hurryHere is a simple, practical recipe that I trust will be useful to many who don’t have the time for lengthy kitchen preparations. Boil the spaghetti as usual, drain it, and toss it with a little butter and parmesan. Then, for four, take a spoonful of meat extract and dissolve it in a small saucepan with just a few drops of boiling water. Pour the meat extract over the pasta, stir and serve. You will be pleasantly surprised by the exquisite flavour the pasta acquires – achieved with such a negligible investment of time.This is a roughly word-for-word translation of an Italian recipe for spaghetti con l’estratto di carne (spaghetti with meat extract). It is another dish from Ada Boni’s Il Talismano della Felicità (The Talisman of Happiness), which was published in English for the first time last month and, according to the food writer and editor Angela Frenda, is “still considered one of the most precise and accurate of all cookbooks”. Continue reading...

Christopher Gardner, the author of Food Sense and director of nutrition studies at Stanford, says we have overcomplicated the question of what to eatFinally, some good news: eating well is more straightforward than you think. “There’s a lot of good science out there, and it mostly agrees,” says Stanford University’s director of nutrition studies and professor of medicine Christopher Gardner from his office in Palo Alto – beaming, bronzed and the picture of health.In the age of social media and wellness grift, we’ve overcomplicated the question of what to eat, he says. Continue reading...

We are all going to die, and so is everyone we know. So how can you not be terrified?For most people, death is not a standard conversation topic. Once, at lunch, a friend began talking about her mother’s death several years earlier. Her voice caught occasionally, but she spoke about it plainly – like a simple fact of life. As we talked, I noticed another friend was shifting uncomfortably in his seat; he didn’t say much.Afterwards, I asked him what was wrong. “I really don’t like talking about death,” he said, his hands twitching anxiously. “I don’t even like thinking about it. It freaks me out.” Continue reading...

The 20 best residential gardens have been revealed in the first-ever Landscape Australia awards shortlist. Jury chair Emily Wong said each project was a response to urgent issues such as the climate crisis, fire and flood resilience, and the loss of biodiversity. They saw gardens as ‘part of a larger living commons that supports different ecologies and also … the future of Australian cities’. Wong also noted that private gardens take up a large quantity of space in Australian cities. ‘So really, these gardens are about seeing the design as a contribution to shared infrastructure’ Continue reading...

A great blender is a kitchen workhouse – I tested more than a dozen options including the Vitamix and Breville for budget, size, mulch factor, speed and whether they had plastic or glass jarsIn the UK? Check out Filter UK’s top-rated blenders hereThere are few breakfasts that feel as healthy and refreshing as the ever-mutable smoothie. You can make them virtuous, with lots of greens and nut milk, or luscious, with full-fat dairy and cocoa powder – but in order to make a good one, you need a really good blender.And while smoothies are the classic use for a blender, these appliances can do so much more; a truly great blender is a kitchen workhorse that can make your morning smoothie, your afternoon dip, your evening soup and even a frozen drink if you’re feeling frisky.Best overall: Breville Fresh & FuriousThe very best blender (luxury): Vitamix 5200 Continue reading...

Experts say that if you’re eating any berry – strawberries, blackberries, currants, raspberries, blueberries – you are benefitingSprinkled on top of yoghurt, blended into smoothies or baked into crumbles, berries are among Americans’ favorite fruits.Luckily, berries are as healthy as they are delicious and versatile: low in calories, full of vitamins and antioxidants, and a good source of fiber. Research shows that, depending on the type, berries support cardiovascular health, may boost gut health and fight inflammation and show promise as part of a “healthy dietary strategy for diabetes prevention and management”, to quote researchers. Meta-analyses also link compounds in berries with improved cognitive health. Continue reading...