This is an update of a piece of mine originally published in The Times. In a gloomy recess in Ingenbohl Forest above Lake Uri, a buttercup yellow arrow beamed cheerfully out of a monochrome background. “Trust me,” it seemed to say. “I’m a Swiss signpost.” Think of a cartographical St Bernard, proffering reassurance, guidance and,… Continue reading
Clever chef brings haute cuisine twist to plant-based meat
Avoiding meat and dairy is one of the single biggest ways to reduce a person’s impact on the Earth. But if people resolve to cut down on the meat they eat, or give it up altogether, how attractive, or even palatable, are the alternatives? In one New York restaurant an inventive chef is creating a plant-based… Continue reading →
How the drive to push meat off the menu could soon turn into a stampede
Spanish Plant-Based Meat Company Heura launched its latest products this month (September 2021), somewhat provocatively, in the high temple of bovine muscularity, La Monumental, Catalunya’s last bullfighting colosseum still in operation. It was a potent photo opportunity, a “pork” sausage and a chorizo brought to market in a place so deeply imbued with the ritualistic… Continue reading →
In the climate crisis, could Lumo be the ticket to ride to a net zero future?
The worst day of the year for the railways in the UK isn’t when storms, floods or snow do their worst to cripple the network. It’s on that one day in August when the ritual above-inflation rise in fares is announced for the next New Year. By the same token, the best day for motorists… Continue reading →
Young trail on the banks of an ancient river: The Thames Path at 25
“At one end of the Thames you may picnic over the river on ancient farm bridges garlanded with stonecrop, and watch aerial warfare between monstrous dragonflies; at the other end is the Thames Barrier, reposing in the departing flow like a shining line of walnut shells.” – A Walk Along the Thames Path (Michael Joseph,… Continue reading →
Sobers six hit perfection at Swansea: That was the Day
53 years today, on Saturday, August 31st, 1968, Garfield Sobers became the first player in the history of cricket to hit every ball of an over for six. I was there and I wrote a book about it, Sobers six hit perfection at Swansea: That was the Day. Sobers was captaining Nottinghamshire that day, in a… Continue reading →