EXCLUSIVE What it's like being the ONLY white Britons left on the street where we've lived for 40 years
Since then, the couple have dedicated their lives to others as NHS workers looking after their community in the Highfields suburb of Leicester and beyond.
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The Sun
31 minutes ago
- The Sun
Aldi's £1.25 kitchen staple will eliminate English ivy from your garden & stop it creeping over neighbour's walls
AN expert has revealed a £1.50 hack to stop English ivy from overtaking your garden. English ivy is a charming-looking plant, which can make your outdoor space look like a serene haven. 2 However, it grows rapidly, and can end up overtaking your garden, and creeping over your neighbour's wall. Ivy can grow up to a whopping 30m tall, and produces aerial shoots that allow it to easily cling to walls, trees and fences. Tara Besore, who has a gardening blog called Hammer & Headband revealed how she successfully managed to prevent ivy from taking over her garden. She said: "Stopping it [ivy] seemed impossible, but eventually I got rid of every last ivy root and vine in my yard. "Here's what you need to know to remove English ivy for good." The gardening whizz tried cutting and pulling up the ivy and spraying herbicides on it, but found that neither of these methods worked properly. However, she revealed that solarisation worked a treat on even the densest patches of ivy. "It doesn't strain your back, and it doesn't require chemicals", she said. "All it takes is patience." To try out this hack, she explained that all you need is a black plastic sheet, such as a bin bag. Expert Gardening Hacks for a Pet-Friendly Summer Garden "After spending a summer getting nowhere with brute force, I turned to the solarisation method," Tara said. "This involves letting the sun scorch the ivy under plastic." Wrap your ivy in bin bags, and then secure it firmly with bricks or stakes. Tara explained that this method deprives the plants of water. Top gardening trends of 2025 Gardening experts at Barnsdale Gardens has shared the top gardening trends of 2025. Matrix planting It seems that a top planting trend for this year is going to be Matrix Planting. In essence, planting in groups or blocks to give an effect of being wild whilst actually being carefully managed. Selection of the plants is essential, to give year-round interest either with flowers, seed heads or frosted/snowy spent flower heads. Some recommend using plants that seed around, but this could make managing your matrix planting harder to keep under control. Chrysanthemum comeback I hope that the humble Chrysanthemum makes as much of a comeback this year as Dahlias have over recent years, because the simple single flowered types, such as 'Innocence' and 'Cottage Apricot' would be spectacular within a matrix scheme. The hardy varieties are so easy to grow in a sunny spot and give such a valuable burst of late summer and autumn colour that would lift any dull- looking border. Blended borders For some time now we have been promoting the growing of veg within ornamental borders and I think this could really take off this year. The choice of ornamental-looking varieties available in seed catalogues is phenomenal and, if managed correctly, visitors to your garden will not even realise that you have veg growing! Must-have tool My secret is out. I discovered the Hori Hori a couple of years ago and now it seems so is everyone else. It is such a well-made, adaptable tool that can be used as a trowel or weeding tool in the garden that and everyone I speak to who have used it absolutely would not now be without it. Enough said! "It cooks in the heat, permanently killing the ivy, the roots, and even the seeds so it can't grow back", she said. Once the ivy has turned brown and brittle, you can easily pull it up out of the ground and clear it away. Bin bags are super cheap, and you likely have them in your kitchen cupboard. If not, you can pick them up from Aldi for £1.25.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Double wibble wobble: Helen Goh's recipe for strawberry jelly panna cotta
There's a certain charm to jelly in summer: its playful wobble, its glassy sheen, its ability to delight adults and children alike. This dessert leans into that charm and the unbeatable pairing of a softly set strawberry jelly with a silky vanilla panna cotta. It's light and cool, and ideal for long, warm evenings when no one wants anything too heavy: simple but balanced, the berries bright and tangy, the cream smooth and gently sweet. Best of all, everything can be made ahead, so all that's left to do is unmould and enjoy the wobble. Prep 10 min Chill 6 hr+ Cook 1 hr 20 min Makes 6 For the strawberry layer500g strawberries, washed and hulled, plus extra for serving200g caster sugar 40ml lemon juice 1 vanilla bean pod2 tsp almond oil, or sunflower oil3 leaves platinum-strength gelatine For the panna cotta layer300ml double cream 100ml milk 50g caster sugar 2 leaves platinum-strength gelatine Put the strawberries in a food processor and pulse a few times until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add 50ml water, the sugar and the lemon juice. Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds (save these for the panna cotta) and put the empty pod in with the strawberries. Put the pan on a low heat and cook, stirring gently, for about two minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve set over a bowl, allowing it to drip naturally – avoid pressing the pulp, because that can cloud the jelly (if your sieve is small, work in batches). You should end up with about 400ml strawberry juice (save the strained pulp to stir into yoghurt for breakfast). Meanwhile, lightly oil six dariole moulds or small glasses (150-200ml) with a paper towel dabbed in almond or sunflower oil, and put on a tray. Soak the gelatine leaves in very cold water for five minutes. Warm the strained strawberry juice (do not let it boil), squeeze the excess water out of the gelatine, then stir the leaves into the warm juice until dissolved. Divide the jelly between the moulds (about 60ml each) and refrigerate for about three hours, or until just set. Once the jelly has set, make the panna cotta layer. Combine the cream, milk, sugar and reserved vanilla seeds in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until steaming (do not boil), then take off the heat. Soak two gelatine leaves in cold water for five minutes, then squeeze out the excess water and stir into the warm cream until fully dissolved. Cool for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Carefully pour about 60ml of the panna cotta mixture over the set strawberry jelly. Refrigerate for at least three hours, or overnight, until set. When ready to serve, run a small knife around the edge of each mould just enough to break the seal. As air slips in, a soft bubble should form between the panna cotta and the mould. Invert on to serving plates, wait patiently and the panna cotta should release in one smooth, satisfying sigh. Serve immediately, garnished with the extra strawberries.
Times
3 hours ago
- Times
The 15 biggest kitchen myths
I love the idea of treasured recipes and kitchen wisdom being passed down through the generations — the handwritten notes in the margins of old cookbooks, the whispered tip from grandma about the 'right' way to make pastry, the family belief that gravy must always be stirred clockwise. These traditions give cooking its soul. But the truth is, times change. A better recipe comes along, a quicker technique makes life easier, or science quietly debunks what we always thought was gospel. And yet some of these so-called golden rules just won't die. They are passed on reverently, like folklore — repeated at dinner parties, printed in cookbooks, even taught at cookery schools. The trouble is, a lot of them are just plain wrong. Having spent my entire working life in the kitchen, as a food writer, editor, recipe developer and chef, I've had endless opportunities to test these beliefs for myself. And in many cases, I'm astonished they still hold sway. It's time to separate fact from fiction, tradition from truth, and do a little culinary myth-busting. It's true that 99 per cent of the time you don't need to. Most things — roasts, cakes, bread, cookies, pastry, casseroles and ready meals — can successfully (and safely) be cooked from cold. Put the dish in a cold oven and as it heats up, so does the food. It starts gently, then quickly catches up. Depending on your oven, just add 6-8 minutes to the cooking time and as ever, check food is properly cooked before serving. The sourdough guru and bestselling author Elaine Boddy has been on about this for years. 'Preheating is madness — so wasteful and pointless. I receive so many messages from people who don't believe it'll work, then try it, bake perfect loaves and swear they'll never preheat again.' So why do recipes and pack instructions tell us to preheat? Because cooks have come to expect exact timings, and the only way to achieve this is to start with a level playing field: a preheated oven. You can also save yourself even more energy by switching the oven off five minutes before the end. • Read restaurant reviews and recipes from our food experts This is a ceremonial habit in many kitchens, but mostly unnecessary. Modern flour is uniform, finely milled and bug-free. Experiments by the science food writer Harold McGee show that sifting has little to no effect on texture. You'll save yourself mess and washing up by giving it a quick whisk instead. Don't throw away your sieve just yet, though: cocoa powder and icing sugar clump and genuinely do need sifting. Obviously, if you keep opening and slamming your oven door, it will struggle to maintain temperature. But soufflés, cakes and even Yorkshire puddings are more robust than we give them credit for. It's absolutely fine to rotate the tray at half-time or test things by prodding towards the end. The one exception I've encountered is gougères; delicate choux pastry puffs that featured on the menu when I cooked in France. A few years ago I demonstrated the recipe at a large food festival. The celebrity chef with whom I was sharing the stage opened the oven door as a joke, and my point was proved. It sank. It's fine to put stainless steel serrated knives, such as paring or vegetable knives with plastic handles, in the dishwasher. Resin-handled or ceramic knives are another matter, however. It's not that you'll blunt them, but they are not designed to withstand the dishwasher's rapid heating and cooling cycles or harsh detergent. Wash by hand — it takes seconds. As Axel Steenbergs of Steenbergs Organic (the UK's leading organic herb supplier) explains, this isn't necessarily the case; it depends on the herb. 'The woodier the original plant, the more likely it is to retain its flavour — think bay, thyme, rosemary and lavender. Leafy herbs like basil, chives, chervil and parsley are better fresh, especially if they are from your own garden rather than the supermarket.' There are some exceptions — dried dill is one of Steenberg's favourites. As for oregano, dried is infinitely more flavourful. Steenberg also advises using fresh herbs for bright summer dishes and salads and switching to dried in winter. There is a myth that extra virgin olive oil is automatically better than other oils, in all contexts. It isn't — not for flavour (except when you want an olive flavour), and not for cooking. It is perhaps the best all-round oil from a health point of view, although rapeseed gives it a run for its money. Because it's unrefined, Evo (as it's known in the trade) retains far more of the olive's natural flavour — grassy, peppery, often with a bitter tang. That's desirable in dressings and drizzles, but often too assertive if you're making something like mayonnaise, where a milder or neutral oil is more suitable. Then there's the warning that Evo is bad for non-stick pans. Some manufacturers do advise against it (the low smoke point can cause the oil to carbonise and build up residue) so check care instructions when buying. My pan is a Scanpan (and is the best I've ever had) and I use Evo for all Italian recipes; the scent of the oil as it warms is una goduria — pure pleasure in a pan. • Seven olive oil recipes — this summer's favourite ingredient One of many myths surrounding pasta. About 250g dried pasta actually cooks perfectly in as little as 1 litre of water (add 1 teaspoon salt), or 500g in 1.2 litres (add 1½ teaspoons salt). You just need to watch that it doesn't boil over. Even more radical, you can start dried pasta in cold water then bring it to the boil; simply add 2-3 minutes to the time it says on the pack. Best of all, here's the way I do it. Add the pasta to boiling water, bring it back to the boil, pop on the lid, turn off the heat and leave it for the time it says on the pack. And don't add oil to pasta cooking water — it's messy and a waste of oil. Instead, stir the pasta often until the water comes back to the boil, after which there's no need because the bubbling water will stop it sticking. Finally, fresh pasta is not superior (or inferior) to dried, it just cooks quicker and has a slightly softer texture. And I find cream-based sauces (such as alfredo) stick to it better than dried. That might have been true once, but not any more. There are good reasons to choose unsalted: you might prefer the taste (especially with artisanal or cultured varieties) or wish to reduce salt intake. If a recipe specifies unsalted butter, then tells you to add a measured amount of salt, it's because the writer is aiming to control the salt level precisely or they persist in the old-fashioned belief that unsalted is inherently better. Smaller eggs tend to be laid by younger birds, at the peak of health, and are excellent quality. The yolks are proportionately larger than the yolks in bigger eggs, and the whites tend to be less watery. Yet because recipes often specify large eggs, people often turn up their noses at small and medium. The result? Hens are put under increasing pressure to lay larger and larger eggs through multiple husbandry techniques. Pressure is the word: large eggs can be painful and exhausting for the hens. Jane Howorth, the founder of the British Hen Welfare Trust, urges shoppers to buy mixed-weight boxes instead. 'The farmers and hens will thank you, and you'll get more yolk for your buck.' Plus, if you're following a recipe, switching egg size is unlikely to throw it off. As for the 'should I store eggs in the fridge?' debate — yes, they keep better. Ideally remove half an hour before using, or float them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. This is not the case — however, it does make the meat much tastier. The process doesn't seal anything in — in fact, some moisture is lost — but this doesn't mean the meat ends up dry. Juiciness comes from not overcooking and letting the meat rest. Just be sure to keep the heat high, so the surface browns quickly without stewing in its own juices. As the food writer and broadcaster Tim Hayward explains in his book Steak: The Whole Story, searing causes meat fibres to release amino acids and sugars. When exposed to high heat, these compounds trigger the Maillard reaction, creating that rich, savoury crust we associate with sizzling steaks, chops and barbecue favourites. Keep going and sugars begin to caramelise, adding depth and sweetness. Recently, disenchanted by a run of garlic that was mouldy or sprouted before its time, I tried prepared garlic cloves, the kind that are peeled for you and come chilled in tubs. They are a bit more expensive, but the cloves are large, fresh and juicy. I used them to make a batch of hummus, which my husband tells me I never make garlicky enough, and it was deemed the 'best ever'. I won't be going back to fresh. Who came up with this? Salting early, either in the soaking or cooking water, improves texture and flavour and allows the seasoning to penetrate the bean, not just coat the surface. If your beans are too hard, they are out of date, or you live in a very hard water area, or you've added acidic ingredients (tomatoes, vinegar, lemon juice) too early. • The perfect prawn cocktail and seafood recipes for summer It reduces it, but doesn't eliminate it. In a long-simmered boeuf bourguignon, about 5 per cent of the alcohol remains. In quick-flamed dishes such as crêpes suzette, as much as 75 per cent remains. The quantities of wine or cognac used are unlikely to get anyone drunk, but it's worth knowing if someone has an allergy or avoids alcohol for other reasons. Overheating will ruin chocolate, but by far the commonest cause of seizing — when chocolate turns lumpy and grainy — is water getting in while it's melting. Even the smallest amount (like from a damp wooden spoon) can make the sugar clump up and break the emulsification, ruining the smooth texture. The fix, which may seem counterintuitive, is to beat in more water (teaspoon by teaspoon, hot or cold) until it becomes smooth again. You may need to fiddle with your recipe to take account of this, but at least the chocolate is saved. As a guide, you'll need to add up to 1 tbsp water per 100g chocolate. Melting chocolate in the microwave rather than over a pan of hot water also minimises the risk. If you've seen the guck left in the water after washing mushrooms, you wouldn't want to eat it. Furthermore, McGee's experiments showed that they absorb very little water from washing, and if they are fried correctly over high heat you'll never know the difference. 'Never crowd the pan' is also nonsense. Mushrooms reduce enormously in volume when cooking, so pile them in and keep stirring and tossing to get them brown all Murrin is a former editor of BBC Good Food and the founder of Olive magazine. His latest novel, Murder Below Deck, is published by Bantam. He has a lifetime achievement award from the Guild of Food Writers. @orlandomurrinauthor;
