lifestyle
-
Conflicting diet advice? It's enough to make you take up smoking – cartoonA new report suggesting fat might be good for you has been dismissed as ‘irresponsible’ by the Department of Health. Confused? You’re not alone ...
-
Why do you so rarely see dead birds?Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts -
How I swapped the loneliness of the cross-country runner for the cosiness of the clubA move to Hay-on-Wye transformed me from a lone urban to a solitary rural runner. But getting over scepticism to join the local club has been a revelation -
The woman at the wheel – archive25 May 1914: Whatever the case for or against her, the woman driver has come to stay
-
Thrinder or Three-Ender: why Tinder’s upset about how you say 3nderThe creators of a threesome app claim to embrace various pronunciations of its name – true to their openminded values – but they are still being sued for trademark infringement
talking points
-
Why are David Cameron, George Osborne and co so keen on hard hats?Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts
-
From kebabs to wagon wheelsVegan diets are varied and healthy – but everyone craves a ready-meal and a biscuit sometimes. So, we got three experts – two vegan, one omnivore – to rate meatless mains, snacks and desserts. Here’s the best we found
-
Beyoncé was right – I simply am not ready for this jellyThis automatic jam machine claims to take the heat out of fruit preservation. It gives me a tension headache
-
Baked pastaPasta al forno is the mamma of baked pasta dishes – a tried-and-tested template of pasta with rich tomato sauce, basil, lots of mozzarella and pecorino – a big, generous, endlessly adaptable dish to feed a crowd.
-
Why dieting is so hardDean Burnett: Why is dieting so hard? Because the brain and stomach often disagree on what we should eat.
-
The New York Times should eat its words: breakfast is for championsWhether or not a morning meal makes us skinnier, healthier or more successful is not the point – breakfast is a poetic ritual that makes us feel happy
-
How to eat out if you're veganOur chefs and writers’ tips on what to order, what to avoid and what to ask. Plus, the best vegan-friendly restaurants around the country and where to eat on the high street
-
20 best vegetarian recipes: part 3Lasagne, ragout and more great dishes from top cooks including Nigel Slater and David Tanis, chosen by Observer Food Monthly
• The final part of this series launches tomorrow at 8am
-
Fashion is a big business in Australia – but you wouldn't know it from the newsThe Mercedes Benz fashion week kicked off last week with some sparkly media coverage but it soon fizzed out – why can’t we write well about fashion?
-
Bikinis and ballgowns: Australian fashion week 2016 – a photo essayFrom sparkling gowns to fluorescent bikinis our photographer Jonny Weeks captured the action on the runways and behind the scenes of Australian fashion week
-
-
Work it! Behind the catwalk with Karlie Kloss and Cara Delevingne – in picturesPhotographer Matt Lever has been shooting the backstage action at fashion shows for almost two decades – and has seen everything from frantic repairs to gatecrashing workmen
-
From colonial gowns to Collette Dinnigan: how Australian fashion shook off its cultural cringeA comprehensive new exhibition, featuring more than 120 works from 90 designers, dramatically charts two centuries of elite clothing in Australia
-
Paris fashion week autumn/winter 2016: the key shows – in picturesThe Observer fashion team rounds up the key collections and looks from the Paris autumn/winter 2016 shows
-
Interview with a Bookstore: Melbourne's Readings, the best bookshop in the worldThe people behind the independent Melbourne store that just won International Bookstore of the Year talk fostering local literature, great regulars and Australian book recommendations
-
48 hours in Newcastle: buzzy by night, active by day and a great short breakSteel city loses industrial edge as it switches to tourism and creativity, with niche cocktail bars, craft and farmers markets and a thriving art scene
-
Indigenous community lets tourists in on newly won Australian homelandIt took the Olkola 30 years to win rights to their land in north Queensland, but instead of mining, they will open it to visitors
-
Indonesia beginners’ guide: Bali, Lombok, Java and FloresThis vast country’s 17,000 tropical islands would take years to explore. As a new direct flight from the UK to Indonesia launches, we pick things to do and see plus the best hotels and restaurants in four popular destinations
regulars
-
ExperienceExperienceExperience: I was misdiagnosed with MSMany people felt I should have been relieved or even ecstatic at this news. But all I could think about were all those years lost to a disease I didn’t have
-
Felicity Cloake's perfect recipesFelicity Cloake's perfect recipesHow to cook the perfect aloo gobiThis Punjabi potato and cauliflower curry is now a prized dish across India and Pakistan. But for the best texture, should the potatoes be waxy or floury? And which spices bring out its comforting warmth?
-
Sali Hughes on beautySali Hughes on beautyBeauty: the best new light-reflecting foundationsWhile YSL is apparently shunning the light, several brands are positively striding towards it
-
Swipe right - online dating for the real worldSwipe right - online dating for the real worldAsk Eva says goodbye: seven lessons I learned from answering your questionsI’m signing off after more than a year of helping you swipe right (or not), but first, here’s what I learned from being your electronic agony aunt
advice
-
Problem solvedProblem solvedMy mother is a hypochondriac and has tantrums like a toddlerI find it hard to cope with her behaviour but I put up with it because I can’t bear the guilt trips. Annalisa Barbieri advises a reader
-
Private livesPrivate livesI love my partner deeply, but he is too controllingAt first I liked his dominating behaviour. Now, however, he has forbidden me to wear certain clothes, which makes me feel insecure and uneasy
-
people
-
What do my pet rats say about me?Donna, a 29-year-old risk consultant, adores caring for rats and breeding them in her spare time. She currently has seven adults and 11 babies
-
My husband has ceased to exist – I still can’t understand howJuliet Rosenfeld’s husband died suddenly a year ago during treatment for cancer. She describes her struggle to absorb the brutal fact of his death
-
The hypochondriac – 'A headache? I must be about to have a seizure'I need my parents and friends to tell me I’m fine, because I can’t do it myself
-
Joanna Lumley: ‘I like a bright lipstick in a Patsy red’The actor and model on why she wears a full face of makeup every day
puzzles
-
Crossword blogCrossword blogCrossword blog: how tasty are old chestnuts?Plagiarism is never welcome. But do you regard some familiar devices as friend?
-
the big picture
-
The woman at the wheel25 May 1914: Whatever the case for or against her, the woman driver has come to stay
Home is where the toxins are – the hidden poisons we live with