S10, Ep1: Joy Crookes, musician

Musician Joy Crookes joins Grace to kick off a brand new season of Comfort Eating. Born and raised in south London, Joy’s rich, punchy and intimate songs means her music is everywhere. With Bangladeshi and Irish heritage, Joy writes music that’s rich in politics, identity and a lot of raw feeling. Her debut album, Skin, was an intimate patchwork of heartbreak, protest and pride, earning her not just accolades and a Brit award nomination, but a passionate and loyal fanbase. A rollercoaster of success was interrupted by her mental health struggles, which led to a hiatus. But she’s back with a new single out now and a big European tour getting underway later this year

New episodes of Comfort Eating with Grace Dent will be released every Tuesday

Continue reading...
Continue ReadingS10, Ep1: Joy Crookes, musician

The life swap dream – or a marketing gimmick? The Italian towns selling houses for €1

Frustrated with my life back in the US, I was captivated by the idea of a new home – and new life – for less than the price of an espresso. So I travelled to Italy to find out whether it was too good to be true

If you could move anywhere, where would it be? This used to be a question I’d ask myself or others at dinner parties, but two years ago, as new parents facing the unsustainable costs of Bay Area life and the looming threat of middle-age atrophy, my husband, Ben, and I took to the internet in earnest with the notion of reinventing our lives somewhere new.

We were, of course, part of a widespread trend: seeking adventure and greener pastures elsewhere in the era of globalisation. Even so, the notion felt thrilling. Where would we go? Our search had some parameters: affordability, a natural landscape (I dreamed of cicadas, cypress trees), a place with a language we either already spoke or could learn easily enough so that we could contribute to the community. We’d spent our careers working in schools and nonprofits with young immigrants, and, however different it might look in a new country, we had no intention of leaving a life of service behind. Above all, though, what we wanted was an environment in which we could spend a lot of time writing and afford to do it. But Ben had another non-negotiable of his own: proximity to surfing. This annoyed me, as it significantly limited our search, but I supposed it was reasonable enough to design a dream life according to one’s actual dreams.

Continue reading...
Continue ReadingThe life swap dream – or a marketing gimmick? The Italian towns selling houses for €1

The fisherman aesthetic: anglercore is everywhere – but does it suit me?

Waders you could wear to a gallery opening, vests cropped weirdly short and laden with pockets. I tried the biggest trend in fashion to find out why so many non-fishers are wearing it

It was, in the end, a fashion trend awaiting better weather. Now that summer is here, the “fisherman aesthetic”, long heralded as one of the key looks for 2025, has finally arrived. Or has it? Standing on the beach at Hastings, with a stiff wind blowing into my face, I am adding one layer of fishing gear on top of another while holding my fisherman’s hat on my head, gently overheating under a hazy sky.

I’m not sure this is what Vogue had in mind when it predicted that “the menswear customer will take to water, embracing the ‘fisherman aesthetic’” earlier this year. I can’t see anyone else on the beach embracing it. Then again, I can’t see anyone else on the beach.

Continue reading...
Continue ReadingThe fisherman aesthetic: anglercore is everywhere – but does it suit me?

Farmers turned soldiers, fields full of mines and a rural exodus: how Russia is punishing Ukraine’s countryside

Agriculture is woven into Ukrainian culture, but daily attacks, a loss of workers and land contamination are tearing the industry apart

In a field outside the eastern Ukraine city of Sumy, Mykola Mondrayev, 55, is moving the wreckage of a Russian drone. A pickup truck stands nearby, mounted with a gun, the only defence against the deadly unmanned aerial devices.

Three days a week, Mondrayev serves with a territorial defence unit. The other days he works his fields.

Continue reading...
Continue ReadingFarmers turned soldiers, fields full of mines and a rural exodus: how Russia is punishing Ukraine’s countryside

Children in England ‘living in almost Dickensian levels of poverty’

Children’s commissioner says any Labour strategy to tackle deprivation must scrap the two-child benefit cap

Children in England are living in “almost Dickensian levels of poverty” where deprivation has become normalised, the children’s commissioner has said, as she insisted the two-child benefit limit must be scrapped.

Young people said they had experienced not having enough water to shower, rats biting through their walls, and mouldy bedrooms, among a number of examples in a report on the “crisis of hardship” gripping the country.

Continue reading...
Continue ReadingChildren in England ‘living in almost Dickensian levels of poverty’