Drink
In praise of old wines
The blessings of maturity
Hail Mary
A Bloody Mary is perfect at almost any time of day and in every kind of weather
Château South Downs
A hint of Roman history is nestled in the Surrey Hills
The original, best and shortest English opera
John Blow, Venus and Adonis; Henry Purcell, Dido and Aeneas (HGO)
Weeds in the garden
A brilliant new work walks the thorny path of motherhood
The truth about the Grand Mufti’s visit to the UK
Shakwi Allam speaks the language of religious pluralism to western audiences, but sanctions persecution within Egypt
Dedication’s what you need
Down with the gratitude-bloat of authors’ endless lists of acknowledgements
We need more private schools
The last thing we should do is make them more expensive
Oldham report shames us all
Victims were failed at every level — could there be more cases to come?
Boris brings up the rear
The prime minister is consistent only in his untidiness and unpreparedness
Artwashing
Lisa Hilton at the Venice Biennale
This time the mission is the man
B-Day comes and a beachhead is secured
Don’t cry for Harold Macmillan
Retro Toryism can’t save the Conservatives