Languages are gateways into cultures. They can really give you a sense of what matters to a particular group of people.And what doesn’t. In Spanish, for example, there’s not really an obvious or direct translation of the word deadline. Make of that...
One of our producers used to work for a potato farmer. Not anymore. On Friday, as I did my rounds down in the South West, he told me why. The farmer he worked for had made a deal with one of the UK’s...
All this coronation chat has me thinking revolutionary thoughts. What if the British ate more like the French? Keith Floyd set out the difference, years ago. The British, he said, will find their recipe and then go out to buy the...
I’ve nothing against quiche. In fact, I quite like it. But is it really a dish fit for a king? The man himself obviously thinks so, having chosen it to celebrate his coronation. But it’s hardly ‘four-and-twenty-blackbirds’, is it? Or indeed the renowned cherries of...
The Celts of these islands used to light huge bonfires on the night before May Day. They were welcoming 'Bel', the god of light and fire, and marking the return of fertility to the land. It’s difficult to think of a better...
St. George was from Cappadocia, in what is now Turkey. But in the finest of English traditions, we made him our own. #culturalappropriation The point is that you don’t need to be English to celebrate St. George’s Day next Sunday. (Not least...
When we lived in Spain, I used to pride myself on heading out every now and again and buying a whole 'lubina' (bass) to do 'a la sal' (salt baked). This is the best of the Med, I used to think...
This is James. This time tomorrow he hopes to be 20 - 30 metres underwater. In fact, that’s true of every day next week. Because James is a scallop diver. At 0630, he meets his two colleagues in the habour and then the three...
The doctor’s bill was $900, and a sharp reminder of the difference between the British and American health systems. I was in Washington DC and had terrible bronchitis. Again. But it turned out to be the best $900 I ever spent. “I’ll prescribe...
The magic of brunch is that you can eat more or less whatever you like. Perhaps that’s why (or because?) brunch was born in America. But it’s interesting how big it’s got over here in the last few years. No doubt ably assisted...
One question we’re often asked is ‘how do you find your producers?’. 'With difficulty,' was the honest answer in the beginning. There’s a few reasons for this. First and foremost, our producers aren’t sitting behind desks, like lots of us. They’re out, doing the fishing, foraging...
In 1981, tensions between East and West were high, to say the least. Matters were not helped when a Soviet submarine beached itself in Swedish waters. Moscow apologised, but clearly NATO and the US had been rattled. They ordered millions more...