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Who’s propping up the bar with quizmaster Keir Starmer? Answers below (no cheating now!)
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Spotted all the famous faces? See how you did …
1 Sydney Sweeney’s on the bar there, in her denims. Does this mean she is a eugenicist? No, it doesn’t. Are you OK?
Continue reading...Sat, 20 Dec 2025 12:00:29 GMT
As two beloved presenters stand down, speculation is rife over who may take up the ‘very sparkly baton’
After more than two decades with Strictly Come Dancing, Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly are approaching their last tango.
The much-loved presenters will present the show’s live final on Saturday night and make their last appearance together for the Christmas Day special.
Continue reading...Sat, 20 Dec 2025 12:00:30 GMT
Our resident big cheese munches his way through 10 sets of crackers so you don’t have to make a snap decision
I’m treading dangerous ground critiquing classics such as Jacob’s cream crackers and Carr’s table water biscuits, some of Britain’s most nostalgic family foods. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of comfort eating, especially at Christmas, but both are also symbols of our industrial food culture: bland, beige and unadventurous. That said, maybe they’re just the ticket as a neutral vehicle for transporting cheese to the mouth.
The bottom-of-the-range crackers tested here were strikingly homogeneous: they’re essentially generic cardboard cut-outs made with commodity flour, palm oil and a plethora of raising agents. Food safe, yes, but firmly in ultra-processed food (UPF) territory. However, once the price gets up to about £2.50 per 100g, everything changes: restaurant-quality sourdough crackers, flavour-packed flatbreads and some classy products that are genuinely nourishing, minimally processed and traceable.
Continue reading...Sat, 20 Dec 2025 13:00:30 GMT
The actor on impersonating Elvis, her stint as a magician’s assistant on a cruise ship, and having eyes like currants
Born in Hertfordshire, Sarah Hadland, 54, attended Laine Theatre Arts college in Surrey. From 2009 to 2015, she played Stevie in the Bafta-nominated sitcom Miranda, and her other television work includes Horrible Histories, Waterloo Road, W1A, The Job Lot and Daddy Issues. This Christmas, she appears on The Festive Pottery Throwdown and The Celebrity Apprentice, and stars as the Wicked Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Marlowe theatre in Canterbury. She lives with her child in London.
What is your earliest memory?
I remember putting on my sister’s dungarees – they were purple and flared – to do an Elvis impression and my family laughing, and thinking: “Oh, this is good.”
Sat, 20 Dec 2025 10:00:27 GMT
A social housing victory at the ‘luxury’ Battersea power station development shows the power of grassroots politics – and holds a lesson for all of our cities
What happens when international capital arrives on your doorstep and threatens to devour your home? The residents of the housing estates surrounding Battersea power station in London, including the Patmore where I was raised, faced that prospect when, in 2012, a consortium of Malaysian investors bought the derelict power station, decommissioned since 1983, for £400m.
Two years earlier, David Cameron had launched the Conservative manifesto in the ruined power station. He promised to increase foreign investment into the UK, and so the international investors came and bought the thing and much more. Over the years, Battersea and the adjacent Nine Elms area was refashioned as a playground for oligarchs and other international elites. The US embassy arrived, a world-first glass sky pool was commissioned, and when Battersea power station shopping centre opened in 2022, it came with Rolex and Cartier stores, luxury private members’ clubs and apartments with multimillion-pound price tags.
Continue reading...Sat, 20 Dec 2025 08:00:26 GMT
Jewish voices say an attack of this kind was entirely predictable given the surge in antisemitic attacks in Australia since 2023
The sun rises early at this time of year, hitting the south of the beach first before chasing the shadows north, the gradual retreat of the darkness to the light.
Hanukah, the Jewish festival of lights, was being celebrated here on Sunday evening, when the darkness came brutally roaring back.
Continue reading...Fri, 19 Dec 2025 20:39:44 GMT
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor reclines across five people in one photo watched by Ghislaine Maxwell at Sandringham
Photographs of the child sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell released by the US justice department appear to show how Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor facilitated their access to British high society.
Epstein and Maxwell are pictured hunting with the former prince at Balmoral and with him in the royal box at Ascot. A separate picture shows Maxwell outside 10 Downing Street.
Continue reading...Sat, 20 Dec 2025 11:14:15 GMT
Lawyers argue ‘cumulative disruption’ regulations were quashed in May and should therefore not be used
The Metropolitan police have been using powers they no longer have to crack down on pro-Palestine protests, according to legal experts.
Based on evidence obtained by the Guardian and Liberty Investigates, legal experts said officers had imposed restrictions on at least two protests based on their “cumulative disruption” since their power to do so was quashed by the court of appeal in May.
Continue reading...Sat, 20 Dec 2025 14:54:37 GMT
Party that pledged to cut waste and save money faces criticism after pushing through vote to employ advisers
Reform UK’s “flagship” local authority, Kent county council, has been condemned for pushing through plans to spend tens of thousands of pounds on hiring political assistants.
The move comes after councillors from Nigel Farage’s party in Warwickshire were accused of hypocrisy in July when they voted to spend £150,000 on the advisers, some of whom are being parachuted in by the national party to deal with a litany of issues at Reform-run councils.
Continue reading...Sat, 20 Dec 2025 14:48:59 GMT
Attack brings total numbers of Palestinians killed by Israel to 401 since October ceasefire took effect
The Israeli military killed six Palestinians, including a baby, who were in a school that sheltered displaced people in Gaza City on Friday, hospital officials have said. The attack brings the number of Palestinians killed by Israel to 401 since the October ceasefire took effect.
Israeli troops fired over the ceasefire line which they have withdrawn to, killing the Palestinians and wounding a number more, the Palestinian civil defence said in a statement. It added that it was only able to recover the bodies after coordinating with the UN, to ensure they did not also come under Israeli fire.
Continue reading...Sat, 20 Dec 2025 15:27:28 GMT
Offers and services for you
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LE MASSIF SPA
Envelop yourself in the energy and essences of the alpine woodland and succumb to true wellness with our exclusive selection of rituals and treatments.
The BIOAQUAM CIRCUIT includes indoor and outdoor jacuzzi (30 sqm), indoor and outdoor sauna, steam room, relaxation areas and spa buffet with infusions and detox snacks.
PRIVATE SPA. A spa within a spa: rituals and relaxation in an exclusive setting, just for you. Experience unique wellbeing, alone or with a partner.The SECRETS OF THE FOREST, enchanting itineraries, with treatments inspired by thousands of years of Alpine wisdom and therapeutic, precious products sourced from mountain meadows and woods.
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CHÉTIF RESTAURANT
Our restaurant is a journey through the authentic flavours of our mountain cuisine and traditional Mediterranean cooking.
Every day our chefs carefully prepare the best raw ingredients and proudly present the fresh pasta and desserts they have made in our kitchen with infinite passion and devotion. The carefully curated wine list, the splendour of the surroundings and the distinctive service will engage your senses and fill your holidays with memorable experiences at table too. -
DEL GIGANTE BAR
Our hotel bar is named after the “Dente del Gigante”, or Giant’s Tooth, a mountain peak more than 4,000 metres tall in the northern section of the Mont Blanc massif. After a day out on the slopes or exploring the mountains, treat yourself to a delicious afternoon tea, Italian aperitivo or glass of wine. Berni, our Bar Manager, is a real icon of Courmayeur Dolce Vita, don’t it miss it out.
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LA LOGE DU MASSIF SKI LODGE
Is your private ski lodge on the slopes of Plan Checrouit
• Restaurant with indoor and outdoor areas
• Bar and après-ski
• 3 Terraces with 360° panoramic views on Mont Blanc glaciers
• Kids club (3-12 years)
• Ski concierge service and private ski-in/ski-out room with
heated lockers and direct access to the slopes. -
GIFT VOUCHERS
The most beautiful gifts are made up of happiness, splendour and relaxation.
Exactly what we offer at Le Massif, where every moment is created from the spirit of Italian hospitality.
HOLIDAY GIFT VOUCHER
Give the gift of a holiday in search of the most prestigious wellnes.
CUSTOM GIFT VOUCHER
Choose the value of your gift voucher and give the present of cherished relaxation and pampering.
SPA GIFT VOUCHER
A relaxing day at the natural spa.
Info and reservations at reception.