Lifestyle

A beginner’s guide to being an amateur

When I was seven, my grandma decided I was going to be a pianist. For the next twelve years, I sat through weekly piano lessons, despite a complete absence of enthusiasm for the instrument.

What’s in a (mispronounced) name?

When you read the byline for this article, how did you pronounce my surname? Chances are, you worked through it phonetically, elongating the vowels as you went along.

Journey to decentre of the earth: Wilful ignorance of men

When I went back to my high school last year to talk to prospective applicants, the number one thing I was asked was: “Are all your conversations, like, really smart?”

A solo diner’s paradise: Rincha Café review

As the sun shone over Oxford and my collections drew ever closer, I decided I needed a change of scenery from the panicked atmosphere of my college hall.

Cocktail of the week: rainbow sangria

Sam Purnell shares a cocktail reminiscent of sunny Spain

Recipe: Mediterranean baked sweet potatoes

Sam Purnell shares one of his favourite home-cooked recipes

Review: The Eagle and Child

Emily Beswick follows in the footsteps of her literary idols

Life Divided: Cherwell

Nicola Dwornik and Emma Leech express their love-hate relationship with Cherwell

Food diary: the bagel shops of Beijing

Esmé Curtis recalls swapping bagels for baozi when settling into her new home

Blind Date: Emma and Nicky

Life co-editors Emma and Nicky get a taste of the Balliol Blue and their own medicine

A bloody nightmare

Heather Cant wishes for a happier period

Blind Date: Akshay and Lily

Akshay and Lily chat about their love of electronic music over an apparently mesmerising plate of macaroni

A student’s guide to cheap wine

Emily Beswick finds the best bottles for under a fiver

Recipe: Date night on a budget

Esmé Curtis shares a duo of dishes that won’t fail to impress

Letter from Abroad: Yaroslavl

Pip Cull is greatly envious of Russia’s readiness to embrace childhood fantasy

Life Divided: drinking societies

Jamie Onslow and Emma Leech debate the merits and misogyny of drinking societies

Blind Date: John and Bessie

John and Bessie fail to see eye to eye on their blind date

Cocktail of the week: Lemon drop

Sam Purnell suggests a cheap, but highly refreshing cocktail to enjoy this weekend

Time-turners and doppelgängers: battling homesickness at Oxford

Nicola Dwornik talks about the difficulties of finding a true home within college walls

Letter from Abroad: Paris

Eleanor Whitchurch speaks of Parisian courtesy in an unsettled atmosphere

An experience of Oxford Women Speak Out

Emily Beswick discusses using her time, and body, for activism

Food diary: why brunch?

Ellie Duncan explores the role of brunch in history, culture and her weekend routine

Recipe: Gluten-free pancakes

Naomi Bradshaw shares a versatile recipe to brighten up your weekend

Fear, frustration and self-loathing: welcome to an Oxford lecture theatre

Daniel Curtis takes a socially-awkward look at the perils of the contact hours in the humanities

Follow us