3 h. ago I visited UK Christmas market 'full of joy' — it was just like being in a European city

Journalist Liv Clarke visited a joyful Christmas market in a UK town which she says matches any European-style winter wonderland - and has 'the best' hot chocolate

Politics

15 h. ago I visited Europe's Christmas market with 'fondue trains' most tourists miss

Switzerland's largest city is often overlooked by tourists, but its Christmas markets offer unique food experiences including wasabi cheese and fondue served on a train

Politics

18 h. ago 'We've travelled the world – this is the best Christmas market you may not have heard of'

Dave and Tracey Mani paid a visit to a lesser-known Christmas market with "incredible" food and claimed it's the best one on the continent that "you've never heard of"

Politics

40 h. ago I visited one of Wales' most beautiful houses this Christmas and I was transported back in time

The Christmas event at Tredegar House is like taking a step back in time with different areas representing different eras

Politics

41 h. ago Anna Maxwell Martin looks back: ‘I was bullied a little bit, but it didn’t affect me because I was a happy weirdo’

The actor on being an introverted extrovert, performing as a pearly queen, and becoming a single mother when her husband diedBorn in Beverley, East Yorkshire, in 1977, Anna Maxwell Martin studied at the University of Liverpool and trained at Lamda. She made her name with a Bafta-winning performance in the BBC’s Bleak House and has since starred in Line of Duty, Motherland and Midwinter of the Spirit, as well as numerous stage productions. She lives in London with her two daughters. Their father, the director Roger Michell, died of a heart attack in 2021. Maxwell Martin is an Action for Children ambassador and stars in their Christmas short film, Santaland. To donate, visit iamsanta.org.uk.I am five and having my picture taken at school. On my eye is a medical patch. That’s what they did to you in the 1980s if you had a squint. My dad cut my hair using a bowl, which is why it is such a tragedy. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago I visited UK's best Christmas market for food and drink – one thing got me feeling so festive

This northern city's Christmas market is back for another year, with more stalls, attractions and cosy festive feels than ever before – and I took a look around to see what this year had to offer

Politics

3 d. ago 'I'm a vet nurse and there's 4 signs Christmas is leaving your dog stressed'

Households transform into whirlwinds of gift wrap, booming tunes, and jubilant visitors during Christmas. However, whilst you're caught up in the celebrations, what's really going through your dog's mind amidst all the mayhem?

Politics

4 d. ago It's now cheaper to fly to Europe for a Christmas market than visit one in the UK

More than 40 years after the first Christmas market came to Lincoln in 1982, experts have revealed it's now cheaper to fly overseas than visit some of the UK's most popular winter attractions.

Politics

4 d. ago 14 best Christmas light trails to visit in the UK over the festive season

Start off the Christmas period with a dose of holiday cheer at these spectacular light displays

Politics

4 d. ago Inside historic UK town's Christmas market labelled 'dreadful' with heaving crowds, 'out of hand' food prices and £58 pens

Visitors have taken to social media to document what they call a 'dreadful' and 'chaotic' experience at the annual Christmas event, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

Economics

4 d. ago Tourists slam UK Christmas market with 'no atmosphere' and crowds 'packed like sardines'

Bath Christmas Market is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, but some visitors have taken to social media to complain about overcrowding, high prices and lack of festive spirit

Economics

5 d. ago We visited the Christmas experience that sells out every year, it's bigger and better than ever

They really have pulled out all the stops this festive season

Politics

5 d. ago Visit Glasgow's highest Christmas market where one drink can win you £1,000 Secret Santa

Buying one festive tipple this weekend could see you bag a monster prize just in time for Christmas.

Economics

5 d. ago How to turn excess nuts and seeds into a barnstoming festive pudding – recipe | Waste not

Love ice-cream, don’t love Christmas pudding? This make-ahead semifreddo, jewelled with dried fruits, might just fit the bill Last Christmas we visited my in-laws in Cape Town, where, at over 30C, a traditional Christmas pudding just didn’t feel quite right. But my mother-in-law and her friend created the most delicious feast: a South African braai (barbecue) followed by an incredible ice-cream Christmas pudding made by mashing vanilla ice-cream with a mix of tutti frutti, candied peel, raisins and cherries. This semifreddo is a take on that dessert: a light frozen custard that still carries all the festive flavours.Tutti frutti semifreddo Christmas puddingWe stopped using clingfilm in our kitchen 15 years ago now, because it’s not easily recycled and because of health concerns about the possible transfer of microplastics into our food. Most semifreddo recipes tell you to line the freezer container with clingfilm, but I suggest using no liner at all, or silicone-free, unbleached bak...

Politics

6 d. ago German president's UK state visit will celebrate strategic ties and recall historic scars

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will be greeted by brass bands and Christmas trees when he arrives in Britain for a state visit that will celebrate the close ties between the two countries while also remembering the scars of the past

Politics

6 d. ago Popular UK city called out for having the 'worst Christmas market' as visitors are 'packed like sardines' and locals 'avoid it like the plague'

Videos and pictures have emerged showing heaving crowds taking over the historic city, with many locals labelling it a 'hellscape'.

Politics

7 d. ago Guide dog puppies enjoy magical Christmas visit to Royal Ballet’s land of treats

Guide dogs and playful pups experienced the magic of The Nutcracker at a special Royal Ballet touch tour, showing that Christmas classics can be accessible to everyone

Politics

7 d. ago 'I visited UK's best Christmas Market just 40 miles from Manchester'

After years of attending the likes of Winter Wonderland and other Christmas markets across the UK, this felt like a breath of fresh air to me – stripping it back to basics

Politics

1 week ago Phone snatching down 30% in Square Mile as City of London Police begin Christmas crime crackdown

Thousands of party-goers and Christmas market visitors are expected to flock to the City over the festive period

Events

1 week ago Cotswolds Christmas market forced to apologise after being labelled another 'infamous Willy Wonka disaster'

The Castle Combe Circuit's first ever Christmas market, which cost £5 to browse, left dozens of visitors disappointed, with reports of muddy fields, sparse stalls and 'just one ride'.

Events