Allow negativity in and benefit from it — “There is a crack a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in.” (Leonard Cohen) In 2008, film-maker Mike Leigh surprised critics and audiences alike when his movie Happy-Go-Lucky was released. Here was an irony-free film with a main character who was chirpiness personified. Strange, many thought, when this…

An English garden-scented recipe — “Between ten and fifteen elderflower heads, zest of a lemon, sugar, and of course, vodka.” It’s not the first time my girlfriend’s been stopped by strangers when they see us collecting elderflowers. …

“I’m proud of my immigrant background” — I had just finished my Felix project shift and was on my way back to Urban Locker in Old Street, when I turned right onto Brick Lane. Right there, on the corner of Hopetown Street and Brick Lane, I was faced with a wall-sized, eye-catching mural. You couldn’t miss it…

Peanut bean stew with tofu and roast garlic — One of the advantages of being an omnivore is that I get to enjoy the best of both the meat-eating and the vegetarian- and plant-based worlds. Talk about being lucky, This is the reason why for the last couple of years recipes by the likes of Meera Sodha have become…

The times, they are a-changin’ (or are they?) — “He’s toast,” she stated matter-of-factly as we both looked at the graffiti. “No, he ain’t,” I retorted. “Who they gonna choose? The Tories are not stupid. Starmer might be dull, but they know he’ll give Liz or Rishi a thumping any day of the week. …

’Tis the season to show some flesh with pictures on it — I’m woken up by twitches on my feet muscles. Sudden jerks that jolt me out of my deep sleep in the middle of the night. It’s not the first time this happens. I’m beginning to think that I’m overdoing it with the running, cycling and walking. Not that I’ll stop…

If only Gazza had written his troubles away — In 1990, a man cried, a nation wept and an era was born. Paul Gascoigne, better known as “Gazza”, became an overnight icon when he broke down after being booked. The England team were playing West Germany in the semi-finals of Italy ’90. Gazza knew his yellow card meant that…

A love letter to Vietnamese cuisine — Whatever takeaway experience I’ve accumulated in almost twenty-five years living in London, it has prompted me to notice a funny pattern. Outside the West End, most Chinese restaurants offer food on the go. This contrasts with Indian, Mexican and West Caribbean food outlets (amongst others). The latter usually have the…