9 h. ago Cheap, healthy, sustainable and delicious – why mussels are a no

Fans say they’re the perfect food. No wonder they’re having a moment on restaurant menus. But how hard is this shellfish to prepare at home?It might be that they’re cheap. It might be that they’re healthy. But, in all likelihood, it’s “because they are just delicious”, says seafood chef Mitch Tonks. Whatever the reason, mussels are having a moment. Where once moules meant marinière (the classic French dish with white wine and parsley), now you can find them skewered, popcorned, pickled, barbecued, and even breaded and served in a burger bun.Mussels are making waves not just along the coast of Britain but in restaurants and recipes across the land. And they are being greeted with growing excitement, too, because, unlike the majority of food that becomes a fad, creating spikes in demand that cannot help but damage a group of people or their environment, there are no downsides to going mad for mussels. Continue reading...

Politics

15 h. ago Ghost of Yōtei: a determined outsider seeks revenge in feudal Japan

The makers of the forthcoming open-world adventure explain how new gameplay features and an extra-resourceful sword-wielding protagonist set it apart from 2020 predecessor Ghost of TsushimaAtsu is no samurai. The lead character in Ghost of Yōtei is a wandering sellsword from a lowly family. Her sex and lack of status mean that, following the murders of her family, she has no fixed place in 17th-century Japanese society, and there is no permitted path for her to tread if she is to get revenge on the Yōtei Six, the men who killed her loved ones. As the game’s co-director Nate Fox puts it, “Atsu is not somebody who walks in to a room and people pay respect to.”Yōtei’s predecessor, Sucker Punch Productions’ 2020 sprawling open-world game Ghost of Tsushima, is the story of a samurai, Jin Sakai, who shreds his honour to defend his homeland. Jin can’t repel the Mongols attacking Tsushima as a noble warrior, but as “the Ghost”, a fear-inspiring legend willing to use any dirty tactic to gain...

Politics

19 h. ago William Gleave’s recipes for Catalan fish salad and fried salted hake

Salt-cured fish shines in these distinctly Iberian late-summer dishesSalted fish, and salted hake in particular, reminds me of holidays. It’s very popular in southern Europe, where there are hundreds of recipes to choose from. The salting draws out some of the water and improves the fish’s flavour and texture, and it’s a method that pre-dates refrigeration, when salt was used to preserve food. Esqueixada is a Catalan salad of sorts that’s fresh, cooling and utterly delicious. The fried hake, meanwhile, is a little heavier, but addictive and perfect for sharing with a cold aperitif. Both are regulars on our summer menu, and we often flip between the two. Continue reading...

Politics

20 h. ago Russian cinema full of fairytales and propaganda, says Ukrainian film

Alexander Rodnyansky reflects on shift in Russian film as his documentary Notes of a True Criminal screens in VeniceThe Ukrainian film-maker Alexander Rodnyansky was once at the very centre of Russia’s cultural life. Over two decades he ran one of Russia’s biggest media conglomerates, produced some of the most celebrated films in recent Russian history – including the Oscar nominees Leviathan and Loveless – and helped bring Russian cinema to international prominence.But since the invasion of Ukraine, Rodnyansky said, he has witnessed a huge shift in Russian cinema. “The most popular genre in Russian cinema today is fairytales,” the 64-year-old told the Guardian. “They adapt all the stories we grew up with. There’s no single social drama, no movie reflecting life during the war. Continue reading...

Culture

20 h. ago Russian cinema has shifted to fairytales and propaganda, says Ukrainian film

Alexander Rodnyansky reflects on changes in Russian industry as his Notes of a True Criminal screens in VeniceThe Ukrainian film-maker Alexander Rodnyansky was once at the very centre of Russia’s cultural life. Over two decades he ran one of Russia’s biggest media conglomerates, produced some of the most celebrated films in recent Russian history – including the Oscar nominees Leviathan and Loveless – and helped bring Russian cinema to international prominence.But since the invasion of Ukraine, Rodnyansky said, he has witnessed a huge shift in Russian cinema. “The most popular genre in Russian cinema today is fairytales,” the 64-year-old told the Guardian. “They adapt all the stories we grew up with. There’s no single social drama, no movie reflecting life during the war. Continue reading...

Culture

21 h. ago Bread lasts 'much longer' when stored in one common kitchen location

There are many different ways people choose to store their bread, and while it is widely a personal choice, there is one method foodies claim will keep your loaves fresher for longer

Politics

26 h. ago Google will not be forced to sell Chrome, federal judge rules

Judge says tech giant can keep world’s most popular browser in ongoing battle over firm being ruled monopolyGoogle will not be forced to sell its Chrome browser, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday in the tech giant’s ongoing legal battle over being ruled a monopoly last year.The company will be barred from certain exclusive deals with device makers and must share data from its search engine with competitors, the judge ruled. Continue reading...

Events

34 h. ago 'I make homemade butter for less than £1 and it tastes better than Lurpak'

The recipe is simple to follow and uses just one ingredient.

Economics

35 h. ago Enjoy 'light and crispy' air fryer bread with chef's fix for 'common mistake'

The expert explained there's a common mistake that could be ruining your homemade loaves

Politics

36 h. ago Cress to impress: the peppery, unsung hero ingredient | Kitchen aide

What to make with cress that isn’t an egg sandwichGrowing cress with my daughter is a fun activity, but she’s intolerant to eggs so can’t have the classic sandwich I grew up with. What else can we make with cress? Sophie, via emailThis is also a pressing matter for Rosie Birkett, author of the A Lot on her Plate Substack, because her daughter recently returned home from nursery with a yoghurt tub containing cress: “It might be tiny, but cress is mighty – peppery punchy, and full of character, almost like a mini rocket leaf.” And if eggs are off the menu, Birkett’s first port of call would be to harness the young seedlings’ ability to accessorise: “Do your usual mashed avocado with a little lemon and olive oil, spread that over bread or toast, then top with a scattering of cress. It will add brilliant bite, freshness and pepperiness.”The same goes for bruschetta, or toasts with hummus, olive oil and gentle spices such as cumin, says Anna Jones, author of Easy Wins. She’s no stranger ...

Events

38 h. ago Above the Knee review – man struggles with body integrity dysmorphia in gory amputation horror

A man grapples with an overwhelming desire to remove his leg in a lingering psychological interrogation from Norwegian film-maker Viljar BøeNorwegian director Viljar Bøe has been hacking out an interesting niche for himself in the horror genre, specialising in a variety grounded more in psychology than supernatural jiggery pokery. For example, Good Boy from 2022 revolved around a man and his “dog” (who is obviously a guy in a dog costume) acting like a mutt at all times. Similarly, his new feature features a character called Amir (Freddy Singh) with a psychological fixation that’s so unusual he feels he must keep it a secret from his girlfriend and all acquaintances: he has body integrity dysphoria (BID), which in his case means he has an overwhelming desire to amputate his left leg even though there’s nothing physically wrong with it.Amir lives with his super-nice, cheerful girlfriend Kim (Julie Abrahamsen) in hyper-tolerant, Scandi-socialist quasi-utopia Norway, so when he drunken...

Events

40 h. ago Sanatorium review – Ukraine health resort guests seek sanctuary amid shelling

Poignant documentary by Irish director Gar O’Rourke peers into a faded Soviet-era institution where visitors search for relief while war grinds on outsideThere is something ever so slightly Martin Parr-like about this documentary, filmed inside a shabby rundown health resort near Odesa, in Ukraine. It’s not the colour palette, which is Soviet-era pale beige, but the images of holidaymakers: elderly men strutting about in thongs and playing ping pong in their vests; retirees of both sexes glad-ragged at the disco. Like Parr’s photos, the images are funny but not unkind; everyone retains their dignity. The director is Irish film-maker Gar O’Rourke, who planned Sanatorium before the war, but filmed it after Russia invaded Ukraine, which adds a layer of melancholy to the guests’ search for health and happiness.The huge Kuyalnik sanatorium is a time warp with its brutalist architecture and institutional interiors. Back in its glory days, people must have come here in their thousands. Now...

Politics

51 h. ago Nestlé fires its CEO for an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a subordinate employee

The world’s largest packaged-food maker said Monday the undisclosed romantic relationship had violated its code of conduct

Events

56 h. ago Retired vicar used scissors to carry out extreme body modification surgery

Geoffrey Baulcomb was friends with 'Eunuch Maker' Marius Gustavson

Politics

57 h. ago Sick 'Eunuch Maker' kept own penis in drawer for four years after chopping it off

Geoffrey Baulcomb, a former vicar, has been jailed for three years after he chopped off a man's penis with nail scissors. He was an 'acquaintance' of Marius 'Theo' Gustavson, the 'Eunuch Maker'

Politics

59 h. ago Retired Church of England vicar involved in ‘Eunuch maker’ extreme body mutilation group jailed

A retired Church of England vicar has been jailed for three years after admitting to carrying out an extreme body modification.

Events

59 h. ago Retired vicar part of 'Eunuch Maker' castration ring is jailed after using nail scissors on man's genitals

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Reverend Geoffrey Baulcomb, 79, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent after video of the shocking procedure in January 2020 emerged.

Events

60 h. ago Eunuch Maker genital mutilation ring in full after vicar's penis surgery with nail scissors

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT. As retired vicar Geoffrey Baulcomb is sentenced to three years in prison for his part in a vile castration ring, the Mirror takes a look at everything we know about the twisted group

Politics

60 h. ago Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for mini mushroom okonomiyaki | Quick and easy

A crisp cabbage and mushroom pancake, made with rice as the ballast, and stuffed with cheddar, onions and a secret ingredient I’ve made chef Tim Anderson’s okonomiyaki from memory for years, realising only recently that rice is not a traditional ingredient and that his recipe is, in fact, for rice yaki, a speciality of Kyushu. It’s the first cousin to okonomiyaki in that it’s a crisp cabbage pancake, but with cooked rice as the main ingredient; after that, however, it’s up to you what you put in. I like to make this mini mushroom version because, miraculously, my children eat it. And the secret to a super-crisp pancake? A good gluten-free flour (I like Freee) – the combination of flours in a gluten-free mix gives you an amazingly crisp pancake. Continue reading...

Politics

63 h. ago Supermarket sandwich megadeal faces formal competition probe

The £1.2billion tie-up of supermarket sandwich makers Greencore and Bakkavor will face a formal investigation by Britain's anti-trust watchdog.

Economics