lifestyle
-
Dame Kelly Holmes: 'I'm a runner – not a marathon runner'Ahead of her participation in the London Marathon, the Olympic champion discusses why distance running is out of her comfort zone and talks about the charities close to her heart that have inspired her
-
Why are my itches so mobile?Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts -
Doris Jacobs obituaryOther lives: South Londoner who devoted her life to her family; looking after her brothers when they were young, and then raising her own children -
Varicose vein removal: how men are avoiding 'grandpa legs'Surgery to get rid of ‘knotty blue’ imperfections is on the rise – with many swapping sandwiches for surgery during their lunch hour
-
Running: the art of never being satisfiedRunners have a habit of talking down their achievements, but is that such a bad thing? Perhaps there are benefits to negative thinking
talking points
-
Why does my 'home ripening' fruit not ripen?Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts
-
Wine: five wine crimes to avoidRed that’s too warm, white that’s too cold: our wine critic lists five pet peeves… plus three recommendations from the Co-op
-
Food in books: sponge cake from A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson BurnettKate Young riffs on a recipe from one of her favourite childhood books and muses on the magic of stories, the pleasures of reading out loud – and how literature has the ability to offer us what we need
-
A drink at the Zayn Malik Arms? Why music stars build bars at homeIt’s easy to mock musicians with more money than sense, but the superstar pub phenomenon is more tragic than simple rock-star hubris
-
Burnt on purpose: three recipes that celebrate charred food, by DucksoupCook residency: European cookery culture tends to frown on burnt food. But charring fresh produce intentionally – as they do in the Middle East – can be a revelation, especially with yoghurt and spice, says Clare Lattin
-
Work it! Behind the catwalk with Karlie Kloss and Cara Delevingne – in picturesPhotographer Matt Lever has been shooting the backstage action at fashion shows for almost two decades – and has seen everything from frantic repairs to gatecrashing workmen
-
Paris fashion week autumn/winter 2016: the key shows – in picturesThe Observer fashion team rounds up the key collections and looks from the Paris autumn/winter 2016 shows
-
Louis Vuitton in Paris: regenerating athleisureThe mighty luxury house’s Paris show aimed to reflect ‘the way women dress’ - and, remarkably, succeeded
-
Stylewatch: Willow Smith at Chanel's Paris showChanel’s new ambassador looks like a superhero – and is just what the fashion label needs
-
Eight key trends from Paris: silk scarves, studenty velvets and flashy pleatsParis fashion week featured weird trench coats, crooked hems and quilted biker jackets. And there was an up-all-night party-girl vibe thrown in for good measure
-
Easy Riders, anoraks and patchworked jeans – the rise of post-chic Paris fashionThe most Instagrammed piece on the catwalk this week was a green Balenciaga anorak, while, in the front row, Kanye West is the new Catherine Deneuve. How did Paris get so hard-edged?
-
Border crossing: whitewater rafting in Hells Canyon, USA five-day rafting and camping trip in dazzling Oregon and Idaho, along the deepest canyon in North America, was the perfect adventure challenge for our devil-may-care writer
-
Interview with a Bookstore: The Strand in New York CityStarted by a 25-year-old with 600 dollars in the 1920s, the Strand is the only bookshop left of New York’s once-thriving ‘Book Row’. With 18 miles of books, its staff talk about its past and present – and give reading recommendations
-
Instagram snapshots: dog gone – the Iditarod sled race, AlaskaFrom mountain ranges and frozen rivers to forest and windswept coast, this 1,000-mile race is a battle with nature. Photographer Marc Lester captures the action
-
Frozen Dead Guy Days: Colorado’s weirdest festivalWhen a man froze his grandfather’s corpse, he could never have guessed it would lead to a bonkers festival in Colorado that now includes coffin races, frozen salmon tossing and a frozen T-shirt contest
regulars
-
ExperienceExperienceExperience: I lost three limbs to meningitis as an adultDoctors didn’t think I’d make it through the night, but three and a half weeks later, I opened my eyes
-
Felicity Cloake's perfect recipesFelicity Cloake's perfect recipesHow to make the perfect leek and potato soupAn unapologetically hearty dish to warm the cockles in March. Do you leave the peel on the spuds? Puree the soup? Add onions and garlic? And what dollop of dairy does it need?
-
Sali Hughes on beautySali Hughes on beautyBeauty: lip scrubs that are worth the botherThere’s a reason lip scrubs are so popular with makeup artists. And the best ones don’t cost a bomb, either
-
Swipe right - online dating for the real worldSwipe right - online dating for the real worldAsk Eva says goodbye: seven lessons I learned from answering your questionsI’m signing off after more than a year of helping you swipe right (or not), but first, here’s what I learned from being your electronic agony aunt
advice
-
Private livesPrivate livesMy boyfriend is vague about our future. Should I force the conversation?I want marriage and children but even though we are meant to be moving in together, I’m not sure he wants the same
-
people
-
The Buddhist Michelin star chef who changed my lifeAs food writer Joshua David Stein prepares to convert by taking the Vow of Refuge, he checks back in with Eric Ripert, the man who inspired him
-
The other man from NomaThe Danish TV host and entrepreneur helped create the world’s best restaurant and turn Copenhagen into a leading dining destination. Next stop: New York
-
I’m 16. Five months ago, I was diagnosed with terminal cancerNow I measure time in distinct chunks, focusing on events – a holiday or a party
-
There was nothing wrong with my wife – it was meMen have all the time in the world to have a baby, right? Not according to new research. Meet a generation freezing their sperm and battling their biological clocks
the big picture
-
Water water everywhere at the UtaxThe Ultra Trail Aldeias do Xisto (Utax) is a 110km race in Portugal. As photographer Ian Corless puts it: “6000m of vertical and horrendous conditions. Torrential rain pretty much all the time”
Cycling: it is never too late to start