5 d. ago Australians in London taste test M&S lamingtons: ‘A cubed cake does not a lamington make’

The UK retailer has released its own versions of the classic Australian cake. Melbourne-born Londoner Rose Johnstone assembles a group of UK-based Australians to try itGet our weekend culture and lifestyle email“Sorry, did you say lemingtons? Are they like, tropical fruits?”Not the response I was expecting when I excitedly told my colleagues that M&S Food was about to launch two versions of lamingtons to the UK public. As an Australian living in London, I’m used to navigating minor cultural differences in the workplace. Case in point: Brits eat their sausage rolls cold, with no sauce. And if you ask for sauce, they’d ask: “What kind?” But to learn that they hadn’t heard of lamingtons – the treat I’d scoff at my Grandma’s house, the major player at any cake stall, the bakery stalwart, neighbour to the trusty snot block – felt downright wrong. Like I’d slipped through a wormhole into a tragic parallel universe.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture a...

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6 d. ago Champagne taste, cider budget? Try these fizzes | Hannah Crosbie on drinks

You don’t need a champagne supernova for your bash to go off with a bangBad news for me: I turn 28 this week, and I don’t feel particularly wiser. I do feel older, though. So, as you read this, you can be sure that I am probably quite drunk on sparkling wine. There’s scarcely a better excuse than a birthday, but I think we can agree that what you’re likely to be drinking at any such event will vary greatly, depending on whether or not the birthday in question is your own.It’s always good to start off with something sparkling, which is why, for the past few years, I’ve treated myself to a bottle of Billecart-Salmon in bed, but I think I might try something a bit different this year. My mind turns to Sip Champagnes, an independent, online retailer that connects consumers with the grower champagnes of the region. It even has a sub-£45 section, which, considering that many of the grandes marques are now pushing or exceeding £50 (eek!), provides a chance to taste something new for the sa...

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1 week ago Singer who had bottles and wheelchair thrown at her at Reading Festival speaks out

One performance at Reading Festival went down in history as a pop duo were sensationally bottled and had a wheelchair thrown at them, prompting an early exit off the stage

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2 w. ago Shirtless Justin Bieber looks dazed at nightclub partying with controversial rapper amid fan concern

The 31-year-old pop star - who previously got sober in 2014 - clutched a bottle of Clase Azul México tequila in the middle of a packed crowd at West Hollywood hotspot Zouk on Wednesday night

Society

3 w. ago Best supermarket Prosecco 2025 taste test: Top bottles to pop

Top bottles to add to your weekly shop

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3 w. ago A taste of Swedish island life – but on the mainland, near Stockholm

Stockholm’s 30,000-strong archipelago is rightly famous, but the sandy beaches and cabins just down the coast are more accessible and full of local flavourI moved to Stockholm from London for work a decade ago. As a newcomer with a passion for nature, I remember being eager to soak up the region’s archipelago of 30,000 islands and rocky outposts. But I was overwhelmed by complex public ferry timetables to dozens of places ending in the letter “ö” (the Swedish word for island) and uninterested in pricey cruise boats packed with tour groups.Then a former flatmate recommended Nynäshamn, which is on the mainland but embodies much of the nature and spirit of Stockholm’s archipelago. It’s home to a tasteful waterfront of colourfully painted bars and restaurants and a harbour packed with boats every summer, from simple dinghies to luxury yachts. Beyond, you can look across a clean, calm stretch of Baltic Sea, towards the island of Bedarön, flanked by pine trees and a smattering of dark red...

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