4 h. ago London has plenty of posh breakfast options – but give me a greasy spoon any day | Adrian Chiles

The food’s better, the price is better and the company is better. You know where you are at a proper caffEarly some mornings, when I’m working in London, I go for breakfast with two good friends. So that’s me, a fabric dealer and a psychotherapist. Obviously this sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it’s one for which, at the time of writing, I have no punchline. Soho’s our hunting ground, the hunt in question being for somewhere to have breakfast at 7am. There’s not much open at that time. I mean, it’s not asking for much, is it? Somewhere to sit and eat at what is hardly a punishingly early hour.Being gentlemen of a certain age, we also require access to a toilet, which narrows our options still further. What this leaves us with is the grand total of four establishments. Three are fancy restaurants; one isn’t. Continue reading...

Politics

24 h. ago Teenage dreams are never practical. But where would we be without the people who chased theirs? | Adrian Chiles

It can feel wrong to encourage young people to shoot for the stars – yet if no one did, our world would be empty of the artists, actors, athletes and visionaries who give it so much pleasure and meaningWho wants to crush a kid’s dreams? Not me. But what to say when asked by a teenager about a career in the media? With tens of thousands of media, journalism and other graduates crowding into the market every year, the chances of finding steady work, let alone stardom, are more remote than ever. There’s no advice I feel comfortable giving. Too often, I suck my teeth and tell them how hard it is, which surely invites them to wonder exactly how hard it can be if I’ve managed to pull it off. Fair point. But what’s the point encouraging them to chase something that probably isn’t there? Dispiriting.Dispiriting too, when you encounter the opposite of a teenage dreamer: the teenage realist. A few years ago, I was being shown around a secondary school in the Black Country with various worthie...

Politics

6 d. ago Tottenham XI vs Arsenal: Confirmed team news, predicted lineup, injury latest for Premier League

Spurs have received plenty of good news ahead of north London derby showdown

Politics

6 d. ago Why Oxford Street is London’s most magical mile this Christmas

From rooftop bars with 360 city views to special festive events, there’s plenty to do on this legendary London street over the coming weeks

Politics

7 d. ago I’ve always wanted the perfect reason to declutter. Now I’ve found it | Adrian Chiles

It’s a radical but simple notion: ditch the dead weight of your worldly goods and get out there and live your best lifeI spend a lot of time worrying about stuff, as in physical, you know, stuff. Things I use, things I no longer use, things I’ve never used and never will, things I’d happily give away if anyone wanted them, things which will surely end up in landfill, dumped there by me or my children, or my children’s children. To misquote Larkin: Man hands on stuff to man, or in my case women. They’ll not thank me for it.Deborah has an interesting take on this, almost as an aside in a radio interview – she’d featured in the Guardian the week before – about how, at the age of 65, she’s renting a room in a house she’s sharing with three people whose ages, she says, barely add up to more than hers. She does so by choice, having no appetite for the upkeep of a house big enough to accommodate visiting grandchildren. Renting, she at least knows how much money is going out, and her childr...

Politics

7 d. ago I am the king of the common cold – and I can tell you how to avoid one | Adrian Chiles

No one suffers a cold like I do. Drops and brandy don’t touch the sides – but thanks to a friendly singer, I’ve learned a more extreme regime for countering the snufflesThis time last year, I was on a TV programme with three singers. There was a rapper of Ghanaian heritage, a big pop star, and a famous mezzo-soprano. It was deep midwinter. The night before, I’d been at an old friend’s 60th birthday, crammed into the function room of a pub somewhere in Surrey. It had been a good night, but now, just for something to say, I wondered how it was possible to avoid catching a cold when half the people at the party were players in a symphony of coughs, sneezes, snuffles and nose-blows. By the way, how come some people have nose-blows like trumpets, and others don’t? A question for another day.At mention of my night out, this trio of troubadours in the TV green room did two things. First, they shrunk away from me slightly. Second, they engaged in a feverishly enthusiastic discussion on how ...

Politics

2 w. ago To the cashier who left me absolutely speechless – I salute you | Adrian Chiles

Ours was a highly unusual interaction, and it made me question the way that British people speak to one anotherIt was Sunday morning and I was grumpy enough, filling up my mum’s car. It was one of those petrol stations which is also a supermarket, so you run the risk of joining a queue of people bearing baskets of slightly overpriced groceries. This is a dreadful thing to happen when all you want to do is pay for some fuel. Dreadful.I was fourth in the queue. There was only one person serving, a young woman. There was something unusual about her. When the faffer at the front of the queue had finally paid for his Viakal, his sausage roll and his box of eggs, I could have sworn I heard the cashier wish him a wonderful day. Odd. Perhaps I’d misheard, or maybe she did say it and was being sarcastic. I wondered if she could even be an ally in my fight against faff, sharing my contempt for people who hold up simple fuel-buyers like me. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Winter terraces in London: cosy spots to dine outside, from Hawk's Nest to Acme Fire Cult

Al fresco dining shouldn't end come winter, there are plenty of cosy spots outside in London

Events

3 w. ago I found something strange on my back – and eventually I just couldn’t ignore it | Adrian Chiles

When I first discovered this vaguely troubling symptom, I embarked upon my tried-and-tested routine for dealing with such things: 1. Pretend it’s not there. 2. Acknowledge it is. 3. Convince myself it’s growingThe NHS is a funny fish. It often kind of almost works brilliantly. Almost but frustratingly, not quite.I had this thing on the back of my shoulder which, being where it was, I couldn’t quite see. I could feel it though. A moley, warty thing. I’ll spare you a fuller description. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago London Bridge's Annual Christmas Market Is Returning Next Month

London Bridge's Annual Christmas Market Is Returning Next Month - Turning The Banks Of The Thames Into A Frosted Path Filled With Festive Entertainment, Magical Market Stalls, And Plenty Of Christmas Cheer  Secret London

Politics