It’s my birthday tomorrow. I know you didn’t get me a card but it’s OK – you weren’t to know. I’ll be turning 30, if you’re wondering, and I’m not at all happy about it. 30 is the oldest I’ll have ever been. But at...
Over 62 million tonnes of coconuts are grown worldwide every year and, if you think that sounds like an awful lot of Malibu and Bountys, it just shows how little you must know about them. In the Malay language, coconut palms are called “pokok seribu guna”...
Certain drinks seem to be associated with Britain, and for good reason. We all love a tea, a glass of Pimms on a hot summer’s day (still too close to a salad for my liking) or a nice G&T. But as with many things, there’s more to a drink of gin and...
I’m not sure if it says something about the Philippines, but the people who live there certainly believe in a lot of strange creatures. Of course there are giants, mermaids and vampires – all the usual ones – but there’s also manananggal (a monster who can...
There are many things that we, as a nation, are good at, for instance: making tea, apologising needlessly and… drinking tea. Learning other languages isn’t one of them. We are the slow learners of Europe. And can you blame us? Not only do we have to get our...
