25 h. ago From peppercorns to plastic forks: US businesses that rely on Chinese products reel from Trump tariffs

Price hikes worry restaurants and online markets as uncertainty stymies their ability to plan for the futureChang Chang, a Sichuan restaurant in Washington DC, was already noticing that some of its business had dropped off after tens of thousands of federal workers living in the area lost their jobs. But the recent tariff rate hikes mark an even greater blow for the restaurant.Sichuan peppercorns, which create the signature numbing spice of the regional Chinese cuisine, along with other ingredients, face an at least 145% tariff after last week’s tit-for-tat trade battle between China and the United States. The steep rate is an existential threat for restaurants across the country that rely on specialty ingredients imported from China to craft the authentic flavors of their dishes, said operators who were blindsided. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Sweet lovers are only just realising the difference between spearmint and peppermint

An old-fashioned sweet shop owner has revealed the key difference between two popular types of mint sweets - spearmint and peppermint - prompting a debate over which is the tastiest

Politics

6 d. ago Man is arrested after spraying pepper spray at officers in a Boston

Police in a Boston suburb have arrested a 28-year-old man who they say entered a courthouse while wearing a gas mask and tactical gear and attacked several people with pepper spray

Events

9 d. ago ‘They called it black gold’: but should cuttlefish be on our menus?

It’s a delicacy in France and Spain, and springing up at the UK’s restaurants, but is the trend for dining on cuttlefish sustainable?It can be braised low and slow or grilled in a hot flash, covered in sauce and canned or stirred through a paella. Cuttlefish, a cephalopod closely related to squid, is the seafood menu offering du jour.In March a cuttlefish risotto was added to the menu at Rick Stein’s The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, Cornwall. In Cardiff, at Heaneys, you can find a dish of pork belly, cuttlefish and borlotti beans. At Cycene in London’s Shoreditch, a goat ragu with cuttlefish noodles, while at Silo in Stratford, cuttlefish is fermented to dress leeks, alliums and padron peppers. In Glasgow, Celentano’s offers a linguine and cuttlefish ragu with black olives and tarragon. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Peppa Pig caught up in tariff "storm" as merchandise company warns of hit to sales

Character Group said it was withdrawing its market guidance for the financial year ending 31 August.

Events

1 week ago Baked beans taste 'amazing' with specific seasoning that's not salt or pepper

Baked beans are a British staple, but some people like to add a little something extra to their canned beans - and there's one seasoning that many foodies swear by

Politics

2 w. ago Sir Elton John set to earn 10th UK number one album with Who Believes In Angels?

He has already had 10 number ones in the UK singles chart.

Politics

2 w. ago Curtains, wellies, nuclear subs and a tsar’s palace: how William Morris mania swept the world

His unmistakable floral patterns – awash with willow, blackthorn and pimpernel – are now on everything from walking sticks to the seats submariners sit on. We go behind the scenes of a dazzling new showHe has papered our walls and carpeted our floors, enlivened our curtains, coats and cups, and even infiltrated Britain’s nuclear submarine fleet. Almost 130 years after his death, the Victorian arts and crafts designer William Morris has blanketed the world with his unmistakable brand of busy floral patterns, wrapping our lives with tasteful swathes of willow, blackthorn and pimpernel, peppered with cheeky strawberry-eating robins. There’s no escape.“I started seeing Morris everywhere,” says Hadrian Garrard, director of the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, east London, speaking with the air of someone trying to shake off a stalker. “He’s on phonecases, umbrellas, walking sticks – and about a third of the Victoria and Albert Museum gift shop. I thought it was time that we address...

Politics

2 w. ago Danny Dyer issues 'come and get me plea' for role in iconic kids TV show

Danny Dyer is looking for a role as a parent or grandad of a fox in Peppa Pig and has asked the creators to 'get in touch' with him for the role in the hit cartoon show

Culture

2 w. ago My son would scream if I fed him anything other than tinned Peppa Pig pasta

For 12 years, Curtis, 14, would eat five cans of the novelty pasta a day costing mum, Kylie, £100 a month and would 'scream' and 'gag' if she served him anything else.

Politics

2 w. ago Leeds fire: Emergency services descend on Hunslet address following huge inferno

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service says it was called to a property fire on Pepper Road in Hunslet, Leeds, which continues to burn into Wednesday morning and has caused road closures

Events

3 w. ago What’s the difference between all the various paprikas? | Kitchen aide

This versatile spice has long outgrown its Spanish and Hungarian roots to bring richness, warmth, colour and flavour to a host of dishesSweet, smoked, hot What’s the difference between the various paprikas? And are there any substitutes? “Paprika brings warmth, it brings colour and it brings another layer of flavour,” says Monika Linton, founder of Brindisa. “Even just a sprinkling over goat’s cheese on toast, hummus or any kind of dip, along with a bit of olive oil, will bring it to life.” Crucial to both Spanish and Hungarian cuisines, paprika is made by drying peppers (generally speaking, Hungarian varieties are air-dried whereas the Spanish stuff is smoke-dried) and grinding them to a fine powder. The taste, meanwhile, depends on the variety of pepper used, although, as Linton points out, not all tins of paprika specify that.“Paprika brings a certain richness,” says Jeremy Salamon, author of Second Generation and chef/owner of Hungarian restaurant Agi’s Counter in New York. “It ...

Politics

3 w. ago Bridget Christie on brain fog, flirting, and why she won’t be taking a lover: ‘My heart is full. I am open to it, but I’m not looking for it’

She’s newly divorced and facing an empty nest, but the standup and creator of The Change insists she’s having the time of her lifeIs it a pigeon-hole, Bridget Christie asked to be photographed in, or is it a box? Either way, it’s some pretty trenchant visual messaging: whatever society wants to do with middle-aged women, Christie is done with it.It was also a chance for the 53-year-old to dress up as Kate Bush, recreating her 1978 shoot by Gered Mankowitz. And Christie loves dressing up. She did a whole show dressed as Charles II. The actor, writer and comedian is playful: she has way more than the usual number of funny facial expressions; her chat is peppered with silly, surreal ­diversions. Making people laugh is her thing, she says. “It motivates me, it helps me navigate the world, it’s like a drug.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Fallen into wearing the same old work outfits? It’s time to up your game | Jess Cartner

There are simple ways to get out of your style rut. And a pepped-up outfit will set you up for a good morningThe way I see it, if you have high standards, then you have those high standards whatever you are doing. This is not to do with being good at everything, we all have things we absolutely suck at. Standards are about making an effort. And if you are someone who does stuff properly, then you are that person whether you are preparing a presentation deck or cleaning the floor. You are the same person in every room you are in.This is the real reason to dress well for work. Not because you have to, but because it sets the tone for who you are. And the person you are comes to work to get the job done, and shows respect for their colleagues, right? Right. Continue reading...

Sport

3 w. ago Turkey protests: Police turn pepper spray and water cannons on young demonstrators at university

Police in Turkey aimed water cannons and pepper spray at student protestors as nationwide demonstrations enter the eighth day

Events

3 w. ago Students pepper sprayed, arrested as protests flare in Turkish capital

Tensions flared anew in Turkey's capital, Ankara, as police clashed with student protesters early Thursday, deploying pepper spray, plastic pellets, and water cannons.

Events

3 w. ago ‘Porn is the most conservative business I was ever in’: behind the scenes at Café Flesh

The 1982 film was rejected by its conservative financiers but had an influential afterlife at cinemas such as the Scala in King’s Cross. A restored print is showing in London this monthYou never forget your first visit to Café Flesh. Mine took place in June 1986: it was a month before my 15th birthday and I was spending Saturday afternoon, as I often did, at the notorious Scala cinema in tawdry, pre-gentrified King’s Cross. I don’t know which staff member thought it appropriate to allow an acne-peppered child in to see the post-apocalyptic sex fantasy Café Flesh – in a double-bill with the equally explicit hardcore horror-comedy Thundercrack! – but I’m glad they did.When I emerged blinking into the early evening sunlight, I had witnessed sights that few 14-year-olds could have imagined. The movie is set in a desolate future where “the Nuclear Kiss” has left 99% of the population unable to enjoy intimacy without becoming nauseous. These are the Sex Negatives. The remaining 1%, known ...

Economics

3 w. ago Jeremy Pang’s black pepper short rib bao is a bite of Hong Kong bliss

Sliders, burgers, baos – call them what you like, but these pillowy buns stuffed with sticky, glazed short rib are a street food essential. TV chef Jeremy Pang shares the secret to getting them just right

Politics

3 w. ago Peppa Pig toy and shopping trolley among haul of rubbish pulled from River Forth

Sixteen volunteers collected 15 bags full of rubbish from the River Forth, in Stirling, including a shopping trolley and a Peppa Pig toy.

Economics

4 w. ago Mother feared she was the victim of an acid attack after being 'pepper sprayed' by random men during boozy hen do bar crawl in Poland

Jana Silgale (pictured) has vowed to never set foot in Krakow again following the bizarre incident last Saturday.

Events

4 w. ago Moment police officer fended off large crowd of yobs with pepper spray after 50

Police officers were forced to fend off a large crowd of young yobs with pepper spray after a music event at a primary school descended into anarchy with two teenagers stabbed in London.

Events

4 w. ago Mum describes terrifying ordeal after being "pepper sprayed" during hen

"People need to be warned about what happened to us, it was shocking."

Economics

4 w. ago Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for salt and Sichuan peppercorn tofu with tomatoes | Quick and easy

Meaty mushrooms, tofu and warming spice combine winningly in this colourful and quick weeknight stir-fryAn easy weeknight stir-fry that comes together in just 10 minutes. I love the subtle, mouth-numbing effect of Sichuan peppercorns, but be aware that more is not more when you’re adding them to a dish – a half-teaspoon is all you need, otherwise you’ll get the culinary equivalent of a bowl of clove oil for dinner (great if you’ve got upcoming dentistry, otherwise less palatable). Serve with rice or noodles. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago The kids' TV show the BBC wants you to forget: How 'bizarre and sketchy' series Crush was scrubbed from the internet after viewers fumed 'how did anyone think this was okay?!'

From Peppa Pig to Horrible Histories via Balamory, Tracy Beaker and The Sarah Jane Adventures, the Noughties youth were glued to their screens from the moment they got back from school.

Culture