Lifestyle

Horchata, the revered creamy drink made from tiger nuts, is still served in grand Valencian parlours – always accompanied by sugar-glazed pastries It was a glimpse of an old couple sharing a tender moment in the bustling horchatería that drew me into one of Valencia’s most storied culinary traditions. As he sipped his milky horchata de chufa and a white crescent moon appeared on his coiffed moustache, they shared a soft laugh and she dabbed it away from his upper lip. “There’s no fixed time to drink horchata,” the lady said. “As long we have at least one every day.” Continue reading...

The Guardian Lifestyle • 8 hours ago

Stephen Walsh was such a workaholic that none of his colleagues would believe he’d ever leave. But then he learned to dance and he’s now part of a dazzling tap troupe When he was 57, Stephen Walsh found himself in hospital with a stomach bleed from an ulcer. As he lay in bed recovering, he thought about his future. “‘You always had this vague idea that you’d retire early,’” he told himself at the time. “‘Well, I’m going to do it.’” Discharged from hospital, he gave his business partners three years’ notice. They had worked together at the General Electric Company, and after it was broken up in 1999, they launched their own training and consultancy business specialising in how to improve companies’ efficiency and outcomes. Continue reading...

The Guardian Lifestyle • 9 hours ago

Fragrant, punchy vegan dishes that can be kept in the kept in the fridge or freezer for an easy midweek dinner Whether you love it or loathe it, tofu is one of the most versatile ingredients in any kitchen. For me, it’s the saviour of stressful dinner times, because it cooks in minutes, absorbs flavour like no other and packs a real nutritional punch. Here, it plays two very different roles: crisped until golden in a fragrant, spice-infused Vietnamese-style pho, and mashed to give body and bite to bold, punchy Thai-ish fishless cakes. Continue reading...

The Guardian Lifestyle • 9 hours ago

Click here to access the print version. Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9. Continue reading...

The Guardian Lifestyle • 15 hours ago

Your rosy memories of the classic ice-cream dessert may not hold up to scrutiny today, but thanks to our resident perfectionist, you can make a delicious version of your own When I was growing up, viennetta was something I had in other people’s houses – for some reason, my mum regarded these frilly blocks of ice-cream as a waste of money, which made them all the bigger treat on the rare occasion I did get a front-row seat at the cracking of the chocolate. Launched, like me, in 1982, when developers at Wall’s realised that pumping ice-cream on to the production line slightly faster than the speed of the conveyor belt created a concertina effect that, I think we can now, with the wisdom of age, agree, is more impressive to behold than to consume. No doubt diehard devotees will beg to differ, but even as a child I couldn’t help but notice that all that air made the viennetta distinctly light on flavour (no wonder one slice is never enough, as the old advertising campaign had it). Happily, you can recreate the magic at home with something that looks good and tastes great – and you don’t even need your own conveyor belt! Continue reading...

The Guardian Lifestyle • 1 day ago

A retired teacher and a resident doctor found common ground over the NHS, but how did they fare on pensions? • Want to meet someone from across the divide? Click here to find out how Saima, 25, Birmingham Occupation Resident doctor and postgraduate researcher Continue reading...

The Guardian Lifestyle • 1 day ago