Monday 23rd February 2026

Lifestyle

It’s 2016’s world, and we’re just living in it (or are we?)

Barely a month has passed since we made our flustered entry into 2026. But it seems like the verdict is already in: your honour, we’ve had enough. Bring back 2016.

All buttered up: Broche, and the art of the perfect croissant

During these cold winter months, in which – thanks to that pinnacle of British construction, breathable walls – I wake up in a freezing room, I find great solace in hiding beneath my blanket.

The case for doing nothing (on holiday)

My best memories of gallivanting around Europe were of parks. They were found in the tranquility of self-reflection as I enjoyed the serenity of nature, clutching my too-expensive coffee and watching the ducks swim about in the river as the cold winter wind whipped the fallen leaves off the ground beside me.

Why you shouldn’t finish your reading list

On being accepted into Oxford, everyone warned me about the reading lists. “You’ll be reading eight hours a day,” they said. At the time, it sounded almost romantic.

Diversity, waste, and travel: what globalisation means for food

For many people, being at home during lockdown means that there is an abundance of time to spend preparing, eating, and thinking about food. Combined with...

A Note on Self-Forgiveness

TW: disordered eating, suicide In quarantine, where rooms are small and walls are thin, it’s very easy to become aware of the expanse of...

“Superstition ain’t the way” – did Stevie Wonder get it right?

On my left wrist sits a tiny silver star on a chain. On my right hand, a ring my mother was given by her...

The Real Cost of Eating Out

It’s a familiar feeling. You enter a restaurant, sit down, and by the time you open the menu and see the outrageous pricing, it’s...

Food for Comfort

Age 11, my secret banking password was RoastBeef, so, yes, I would call myself a foodie. Age 21, I eat three square meals under lockdown, so...

Home Workouts: A Guide

With term looming and a reading list down to our feet, we’re all getting our fair share of mental exercise. But with thinking comes frustration, and...

The Kitchen as a Political Space

Men tend to ‘enter into’ the kitchen whereas women are understood to be already there.

Genetically Modified Foods: Friend or Foe?

The EU has not approved any genetically modified (GM) fruit or vegetables as safe for human consumption and in the UK they are mainly used to...

Domestic, Religious, Uncanny: the Symbolism of Food in Art

The quotidian, comforting presence of food renders the trope ripe for subversion

A bygone age: restaurant reviews

I revel in the hyperbolic criticisms of journalists whose only job is to become eloquently irate about slightly sub-par food.

Hands or Cutlery? Resolving an Immigrant Identity Crisis

You are not merely what you eat, but, equally, how you eat.

Ode to a Waitress

‘I’d rather be doing anything, anything than this shit’, falls out between hysterical bouts of sobs – my Mum didn’t sign up for this....

Leaders of Tomorrow? It is Time to Practice Some Humility

At a recent job interview, I was asked whether I considered myself a follower or a leader. Later at lunch with some other candidates,...

Folding@Home: the virtual fight against a global pandemic

As we all isolate at home in the middle of this outbreak, it is difficult not to feel powerless. We are not medical professionals,...

Sleep is for the Rich

This may sound familiar. Five political prisoners are locked in a gas chamber in 1940s Russia. In a military-sanctioned experiment, the subjects are kept awake...

Oxford’s Best Chip Van: A Highly Scientific Study

It is high time for someone to put an end to this age-old dispute

Antisocial Media

Between digging the bunker in the back garden and foraging for loo roll, I’ve mostly been scrolling through Oxlove recently, becoming increasingly invested in...

Bread Making, Simplified

A new bread recipe that won't leave you with the usual sticky hands...

Rethinking Chocolate

When did you last eat chocolate? If you’re anything like the average Brit, your answer will likely fall within the last 48 hours. But...

Staying sex-positive during a global pandemic

The Coronavirus pandemic, of which the far-reaching consequences will not be fully appreciated for many years, has seen a short-term shift from young people...

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