Lifestyle - Tuesday, March 31, 2026

(Plus: triangle scarves, rival hair stylers, and a deal on glass containers) This story was originally published in the Filter US newsletter on buying fewer, better things. Sign up here to get early access to it Each week the Filter newsletter cuts through the noise to bring you smart, practical recommendations on how to live better – from what is worth buying to the tools, habits and ideas that actually last. When I think of rainy day attire, I picture blinding neon ponchos and unwieldy umbrellas. My own rain gear consists of a bulky waterproof coat and old sneakers I’ve designated as my “rain shoes”, but our recent rigorous test of 14 Pfas-free rain jackets reminded me you can look fashionable even when it’s pouring. Continue reading...

Jerrelle Guy’s salmon and kimchi quesadillas show how unconventional flavors and ingredients can reignite your cooking spark.

For some, it’s a meat thermometer or a knife, for others a roasting tin, a reliable peeler or, yes, a teapot (gravy, anyone?). Let the cooking perfection begin Crispy roast potatoes, golden yorkshire puddings and perfectly cooked meat (or a vegetarian centrepiece) – there’s nothing like a good roast dinner. But making a roast can be quite a balancing act in the kitchen. There’s a fine art to juggling all the elements: you want to make sure nothing is over- or under-cooked, and that everything is still warm when you come to serve it. To refine your techniques and help you feel like a pro in the kitchen, we asked top chefs from around the UK about the cooking equipment they rely on to make the perfect roast. Featuring life-changing peelers, roasting tins that make the crispiest potatoes and a temperature probe to help you cook to perfection, these are their recommendations. Continue reading...

Spring on a plate. The post 20 Plant-Based Easter Recipes (That Everyone Will Want to Devour) appeared first on Camille Styles .

Nicholas Jordan goes on the hunt for good Easter eggs. After nibbling through 29 products, he is glad the ovum ordeal is over Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email If you value our independent journalism, we hope you’ll consider supporting us today When I was a kid, chocolate usually came with some kind of regulatory statement: “you can have some if you finish your dinner”, or “don’t eat it all at once”. But at Easter, that went out the window. The amount of chocolate I ate then is barely believable. Now that adult me is making the decisions, I can eat chocolate whenever I want, with the fervour of an unaccompanied labrador in a pet food shop. But it’s rarely at Easter. Sadly, now I think of Easter as culinary enshittification. I imagine waxy chocolates making my fingers oily, compound chocolate (like regular chocolate but with more oil in it) that tastes like a patty of melted marshmallows, and unidentifiable cream fillings that ooze like sunscreen. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...

The staples that make my closet work—from the most flattering jeans to the swimsuit I want in multiple colors. The post My Personal Uniform: 50 Pieces That Make Getting Dressed Effortless appeared first on Camille Styles .

Our specialists weigh in on the sauce’s best uses, suggesting dressings, dips and more My wife adores roast lamb with mint sauce. However, a fter an online purchasing blunder, my larder now contains six jars . How can I make use of them apart from serving roast lamb every Sunday from now until the crack of doom? John, by email As is so often the case, it all starts with a shift in mindset. “When you see a jar of sauce, there’s a real tendency to think, ‘I must use this as a sauce,’” says Kate Young, author of Dinner at Mine? Start treating that surplus mint sauce as an ingredient instead, however, and your life will be a whole lot easier. “If John is planning on using chopped fresh mint with, say, meat, cheese or veg, then consider how you might use mint sauce in its place,” Young adds. Case in point: pea and mint soup, says Sally Abé of the recently opened Teal by Sally Abé in east London. “Stir in the mint sauce at the end of the cooking, then blitz with the peas.” Obvious, maybe, but it’s also worth pointing out that mint sauce has a decent shelf life, so John can be nice and relaxed in how he chooses to use the fruits of his shopping blunder. That said, sausage rolls are always a good idea, especially if you’re feeding a gang over Easter. Young says: “Put some finely chopped onion through lamb mince, then add big spoonfuls of the sauce.” Fry a bit of the mix before nestling it in pastry, mind: “You want to be sure the mint is really coming through.” (Likewise, any lamb meatball will be greatly improved by the addition of the green stuff.) Got a culinary dilemma? Email [email protected] Continue reading...

Even old pennies corrode too slowly to be useful. You’d be better off saving them up and buying proper plant feed The problem If a plant looks a bit yellow or drooping, someone might suggest putting a penny in the pot. The idea is that the copper will leach into the soil, liven up the plant and maybe even ward off fungi. It is one of those tips that refuses to die, passed on like family folklore. The hack The promise is simple: pop a coin in the compost and let chemistry do the work. Supposedly, the copper acts as a mini-fertiliser and a mild fungicide. Continue reading...

Her son and his family contact the letter writer often, but not his dad and stepmom – so she has someone in mind to fix that.

Letter writer noticed that even the most basic table manners are ignored.