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The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Sudoku 6,991 medium
Click here to access the print version. Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9. To see the completed puzzle, buy the next issue of the Guardian (for puzzles published Monday to Thursday). Solutions to Friday and Saturday puzzles are given in either Saturday's or Monday's edition.
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- The Guardian
Sticky prune, pear and ginger cakes with ginger caramel
A variation of my mum's beloved sticky date pudding, these little cakes are all warming spice and soft, cooked fruit. As they're made with wholemeal flour, sticky prunes and pear, I like to kid myself that these are, in fact, healthy muffins. But then I drown them in ginger caramel and a puddle of cream, and that illusion is shattered! On a cold evening these really are heavenly, and I wouldn't even blame you if the leftovers masqueraded as breakfast the next day. The prunes are lovely in this – I actually prefer them to dates. If you're not convinced, just think of them as dried plums. I have often gifted a box of these, along with an accompanying jar of caramel sauce, and they are always well received. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Makes 6 100g unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra to grease185 ml full cream (whole) milk 125g caster sugar 120g pitted prunes, halved1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 eggs, lightly beaten1 tsp vanilla bean paste 2 small pears, ripe but firm150g wholemeal flour, plus extra to dust tins3/4 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp ground ginger 1/8 tsp fine sea salt Ginger caramel sauce100g unsalted butter, cubed165g light brown sugar 200ml single cream, plus extra to serve (optional)1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced1/2 tsp flaky sea salt Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced and grease a large muffin tin (with six 180ml capacity holes) well with softened butter. Line the bases of the holes with circles of baking paper, then dust with a little wholemeal flour, tapping out any excess. Put the butter, milk, sugar, prunes and fresh ginger in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, stir in the bicarb soda and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. When the mixture has cooled, stir in the eggs and vanilla. Peel and quarter the pears, removing the cores. Cut the quarters into 1–2cm pieces and set aside. Place the flour, baking powder, ground ginger and fine sea salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Make a well in the centre and pour in the cooled prune mixture, along with the pear pieces, stirring gently until just combined. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes or until the cakes are golden brown and risen, and just a few damp crumbs cling to a skewer when tested. Allow the cakes to cool a little in their tins while you make the ginger caramel sauce. Add the butter, sugar, cream and ginger to a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat down and let the caramel bubble for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, and watching carefully that the caramel doesn't bubble over. Remove from the heat and stir in the flaky sea salt. Carefully turn the warm cakes out of their tins, running a knife around the edges to loosen if necessary. Serve the cakes warm, topped with warm ginger caramel sauce and a puddle of pure (single) cream, if you like. I like to use a skewer to poke holes in the top of the cakes to allow the caramel sauce to really soak in. Any leftover cakes and caramel sauce will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days – just heat gently before serving. This is an edited extract from Handfuls of Sunshine, written and photographed by Tilly Pamment (Murdoch Books: $39.99, out now)
Scottish Sun
14 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Ugly & pornographic' 14-tonne mermaid statue to be torn down in Denmark in row over her ‘vulgar' boobs
The statue has been blasted for its poor representation of a female body THE LITTLE MERMAI-DD 'Ugly & pornographic' 14-tonne mermaid statue to be torn down in Denmark in row over her 'vulgar' boobs Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A 14-TONNE statue dubbed "ugly and pornographic" will be torn down in Denmark after a major row over her "vulgar" boobs. The enormous stone figure - known as the Big Mermaid - will be removed from Copenhagen's landmark sea fortification, Dragør Fort, after causing a massive stir. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 A row has broken out in Denmark over a mermaid statue Credit: The Danish Palaces and Culture Agency stated the statue does not "fit into the cultural-historical environment" of the 1910 landmark. This comes as dozens of locals blasted the sculpture's design, with one art critic calling the mermaid "ugly and pornographic". While, one journalist fumed the figure was a product of a "man's hot dream". She said: 'Erecting a statue of a man's hot dream of what a woman should look like is unlikely to promote many women's acceptance of their own bodies.' She added: 'It's truly uplifting that many find the statue vulgar, unpoetic, and undesirable, because we're suffocating in overbearing bodies in public space.' The artist behind the statue, Peter Bech, hit back at criticism calling the breasts "proportional" to the size of the woman. He said many visitors told him they loved the sculpture so he is trying to find a way of keeping it in the town. Others fumed the scrutiny she was receiving was much the same as body shaming. The statue was installed in 2006 at Langelinie Pier in Copenhagen, near the existing Little Mermaid statue but was relocated some years later after locals raged it was "fake and vulgar". Dragør municipality has reportedly declined Peter's offer of donating the mermaid as a gift, reports the Guardian. Shock moment tourist jumps railing and plunges 18ft into Terracotta Army pit before smashing two priceless statues Landmark boss Helle Barth said: "it's just hard to fit in. It takes up a lot of space.' Elsewhere in the UK, a public sculpture of a snail was likened to a "giant poo emoji" and branded a huge waste of public money. The Periwinkle Shelter sculpture, which cost £6k and was woven from willow branches, is designed to imitate the tiny sea snail. It was unveiled at Earnley Viewpoint at Medmerry Nature Reserve, near Chichester. But visitors say the 4.5 metre sculpture resembles a "giant poo emoji" and have slammed it as a waste of taxpayers' money. Solly Everett said: "The idea of marking the rich coastal heritage of the south coast with a giant poo emoji is hilarious. "But given the amount of raw sewage in the sea these day perhaps it is entirely appropriate.
