A blog by journalist Hannah Brandler
Rovi has been on my radar ever since I caught a glimpse of its luscious lobster crumpets back in 2018. Fast forward two years, and the arrival of a global pandemic, and finally here I am, ready to rave about Ottolenghi's latest venture (even if the crumpets are sadly no more). For a central London…
This week marks over 100 days of lockdown in the UK, an anniversary that many of us won’t be celebrating, instead continuously baffled at the concept of time. With travel starting up again, the time has come to bring this series to a close, a diary of sorts to be revisited in post-pandemic times when…
Gleaming skyscrapers and pastel-clad interiors have been vacated in lockdown, usurped by the city’s leafy areas – the closest many of us will come to suburbia. Gardens have become a sanctuary from the virus, spaces where we can reunite with loved ones and rekindle some sense of normality. Street-facing gardens are now al-fresco dining spots,…
With hindsight, I should have waited longer than the first weekend of lockdown to tidy my room and confront my hoarding tendencies. In predictable fashion, the room has reverted to its cluttered alter-ego, not too dissimilar from our state of mind. Wardrobe doors no longer close shut, a trouser leg peeking out in the hope…
It’s usually at this point in the year that we’re inundated with ads telling us to “get beach body ready”, a rightfully criticised slogan that seems to have only just disappeared in response to lockdown. “Get isolation body ready” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, with people unable to show off their newly…
It seems that I’m not alone in finding supermarkets a thrilling substitution for cancelled séjours abroad. Along with an ever-growing bank of dinner photos, my WhatsApp chats are filled with accounts of recent excursions to the shops – discussions cover the atmosphere (a toss-up between calm and frantic), bargain purchases and the rarity of chatting…
Where walks were once a means to an end – a form of transport to another more exciting destination – they are now an appreciated activity in themselves, one of the few we’re allowed to enjoy. Speed-walking has therefore become a rare sight as we no longer have the desire to rush home, exhausted by…
The once-yearly celebration isn’t quite as exciting as pre-lockdown days, victim to social distancing guidelines and the perpetual unawareness of time. At first, the notion of an isolation birthday seems rather gloomy as you metamorphose from a social butterfly into a lone wolf. Yet there’s a lot to be said for this anniversary, a welcome…
The bathroom has rather lost its USP in lockdown since incessant hand washing is a norm elsewhere in the house and unkempt appearances are now in vogue. The room has instead transformed into a work of conceptual art, left in the same state as pre-lockdown days – a kindred spirit to Tracey Emin’s installations. Beauty…
Days have seemingly merged into one, with the prefix no longer necessary – FriDay conjures up aromas of a greasy fry-up, SaturDay describes our couch potato lifestyle, and SunDay signals anytime there’s cloudless weather. Yet a new day has entered lockdown lingo: Delivery Day. DeliDay is akin to the feeling of Santa delivering the goods…
Spill the Beans 