Articles by David Williams
Lynn Donkin obituary Original
My friend Lynn Donkin, who has died aged 95, was a teacher of children with special educational needs and a campaigner for social reform. She never forgot her former pupils with whom she would correspond for decades afterwards. Born Helen Welsh in Newcastle upon Tyne, to Josephine (nee Davison) and Richard Welsh, an engineer, Lynn was the third of four siblings. At the onset of the second world war, she was evacuated aged eight to Richmond, North Yorkshire, for a year.
Cannes honours Jackson, Middle Earth wizard who 'transformed' cinema
New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson turned J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth fantasy into a cinematic spectacle (Frazer Harrison) (Frazer Harrison/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP) "The Lord of the Rings" maestro Peter Jackson -- who will receive a lifetime achievement award at the Cannes Film Festival Tuesday -- has wowed the world with his big-screen epics and delivered a tourism bonanza to his native New Zealand.
Backlash as Australia kills dingoes after Canadian backpacker's death
Australian authorities have sparked a backlash by killing a group of dingoes linked to the death of a young Canadian woman on an island in the country's east. The Queensland government said six animals were put down after 19-year-old backpacker Piper James' body was found on January 19 at a beach on the World Heritage-listed island of K'gari.
Billesley Manor Hotel and Spa: the country retreat where history meets world-class hospitality
William Shakespeare is credited with the invention or introduction of a staggering 1,700 words still used in English today, including ‘traditional’, ‘accommodation’, ‘majestic’, ‘accessible’, ‘admirable’ and ‘bedazzle’. Any one of which not only applies to 16th century Billesley Manor Hotel and Spa - some four miles from Stratford-upon-Avon where the bard was born - but might actually have been composed there too.
Trump May Have Aided Australian PM's Election Victory: Analysts
Donald Trump's stinging trade tariffs may have helped Australia's left-leaning prime minister snatch a resounding election victory Saturday, analysts say. Unlike Canada's Trump-swayed vote three days earlier, the US president was far from the biggest concern for voters who backed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, academics said.
Suhana Rasam Masala: The Secret to Perfect South Indian Flavors
An everyday South Indian meal would be incomplete without the perfect rasam. This tangy, spiced soup is a staple in many households, often consumed as an appetizer or enjoyed with rice as a comforting prelude to sambar. Derived from the Sanskrit word "rassa," meaning juice, rasam is known for its fluid consistency and invigorating taste.
MG ZS Hybrid+ - how London roads helped shape this car built in China
So now we know. It’s no coincidence that MG’s latest ZS, the value-for-money Hybrid+ rides so well over London’s potholes, its proliferating speed ramps, its broken road surfaces; it was - at least in part - developed here. For not only does MG UK have its UK HQ in London at Marylebone Road, it transpires that during the years-long development of the car, it spent extensive miles being evaluated and fine-tuned on a variety of different UK roads. And that included the capital.
Spy Octane, The Vehicles Of James Bond: new book lifts the bonnet on 007’s cars
For some it’s the tense shoot-outs, or the almost palpable air of glamour and sophistication. Others love the intrigue, the lavish locations, or the breathtaking chase scenes. For millions, however, there’s one key ingredient that really makes a 007 movie: the vehicles. Many authors have nibbled away at the subject, scrutinising the cars, bikes, ‘planes, submersibles and so on.
The Harper: Boutique hotel drives off the beaten track in North Norfolk
The Harper (Handout) ‘Irreverent’ is how they like to describe The Harper, a bold addition to the boutique hotel scene in north Norfolk, adding an extra splash of colour to a particularly pretty, unspoiled corner of the county.
Advocaat, cream liqueur, spiced rum … why retro Christmas drinks are back
‘Has anyone, at least since the dawn of the Thatcher government, willingly consumed a snowball in a room without tinsel?’Photograph: Ruth Hornby Photography/Getty Images When it comes to the festive period, I’m definitely closer to the “most wonderful time of the year” than the “bah humbug” end of the spectrum.
The 20 best Christmas wines for 2024
When it comes to choosing the right wines, Christmas dinner is something of a challenge. The classic bird (or plant-based alternative) with all the trimmings is a riot of sensations, flavours and textures, from the soft umami hit of stuffing and gravy to the piercing sweet-sour burst of cranberry sauce and the bitter green tang of sprouts.
Taxing times for wine lovers
Equilibriste Chenin Blanc, Loire, France 2023 (£8.99, Waitrose) I’m not sure if Rachel Reeves is a wine lover. And given the fuss she’s made of the straitened circumstances of the public finances, I would in any case have been naive to think she might have cut the UK’s famously high wine duty in her first Budget. But there is one aspect of the wine duty regime that I still hope she might fix: rethinking the introduction of a sliding scale where the duty increases with every 0.5% in the wine’s abv.
Motorcycle Live 2024: UK's biggest bike show gets festival theme
Bike fans from all points of the compass will converge on Motorcycle Live this month to see the latest machinery, clothing, helmets, tools, accessories and daring stunts - and to meet race track legends. Staged at the NEC in Birmingham - a two-and-a-half hour’s ride or a one hour and 20 minutes’ train trip from central London - the show has been re-launched with a ‘festival’ theme.
More than malbec: the diverse wines of Argentina
Vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina.Photograph: EAQ/Getty Images Altos Las Hormigas Colonia Las Liebres Mendoza Bonarda Clasica Mendoza 2023 (from £12.49, Shelved, Hay Wines, Fenwick) For food and drink producers, there are certain benefits to working in a region world-renowned for doing one thing very well. Whether the product in question is parmesan, jersey royals or champagne, it means a lot of marketing has been done on your behalf before you so much as milk a cow or pick a potato or grape.
Portuguese white wine and salted cod is a match made in heaven
Esporão Reserva White Organic, Alentejo, Portugal 2022 (from £14.95, cheerswinemerchants.co.uk; thewinesociety.com; cambridgewine.com) A startling fact picked out by the wine-and-food writer Joanna Simon in a typically elegant and informative piece on the classic Portuguese baked salt-cod-and-potato dish Bacalhau a Gomes de Sà on worldoffinewine.com recently: apparently Portugal, a country with a population of just over 10million people, accounts for some 20% of all the cod consumed in the...
Range Rover Evoque plug-in hybrid review - premium city transport
In 2011 a dramatic, compact new Range Rover burst onto the scene, so chiselled, so stylised, it looked as though it had driven straight off the design board. Now the Evoque has been updated and - despite its undoubtedly SUV looks - it’s fitter for the city than ever, promising (slightly) more miles of emission-free, near-silent motoring. The team has made a raft of changes, not that you’d spot most of them from the outside.
Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid: A family Sports Utility Vehicle with a conscience
Porsche’s big Cayenne SUV was quite a sensation when it burst onto the scene in 2002. The firm’s ‘family’ looks were instantly recognisable but could this really be a Porsche; all big, macho and high-riding? Looking as though it was capable of going right off-road like no Porsche before? Driving it was a sensation.
Wines to capture the taste of the ocean
Rolling in: ‘The sea regulates the temperature, taking the edge off extremes of heat and cold which ensures ideal growing conditions.’Photograph: Marianne Lannen/Alamy Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc, Walker Bay, South Africa 2023 (from £11.45, ndjohn.co.uk; ampswinemerchants.co.uk; noblegreenwines.co.uk) Grape vines, like holidaying humans, love to be by the seaside, and an inordinate number of the world’s best wines are produced in vineyards that are near or in some cases directly...
Colorado attorney general backs Biden’s proposed Supreme Court reforms
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser speaks during a news conference on Jan. 9, 2024, at the Colorado Bar Association office in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser this week, in an exclusive interview with Colorado Newsline, endorsed President Joe Biden’s three-pronged plan for reforming the U.S. Supreme Court, with his own tweaks.
Just how extreme is a classic Land Rover? I drove one over a cliff to find out
Just how extreme is a classic Land Rover? I drove one over a cliff to find out Perched at a crazy angle on a rocky outcrop, axles twisted seemingly to breaking point, tyres scrabbling for grip… This is not where you’d expect to find a valuable, increasingly collectible, 1953 Series 1 Land Rover.
Adventure Bike Rider Festival: 'Glastonbury for motorcycles' plans unveiled
The ABR Festival (James Bridle Photo) Bikers dreaming of pastures green - and riding off-road rather than dodging traffic jams in the city - are gearing up for the biggest UK bike festival of the year. Dubbed the ‘Glastonbury for motorcycles’, the Adventure Bike Rider Festival has it all; skilled off-road instructors, 40 kilometres of exciting on-site riding trails for all abilities, a host of guest speakers at four different stages and expert advice from experienced travellers and riders.
A cut above: Austria’s exciting modern wine scene
‘Austrian wine is finally getting its due attention.’Photograph: Getty Images Funkstille Grüner Veltliner, Niederösterreich, Austria 2023 (from £12.49, Hay Wines) It’s taken a while, but it does seem as if Austrian wine, a long-neglected part of the classical European vinous repertoire, is finally getting something like its due attention in British wine shops and supermarkets.
Ducati DesertX - the best of both worlds all in one machine
Few new motorcycles - especially those carving out a daring new niche within their own range - receive universal praise from day one, but Italian firm Ducati’s latest has come close with its latest creation. The DesertX - a true adventure bike with high-riding suspension, good ground clearance, wide handlebars, long-distance ability - and dramatic, retro style - is such a bike.
Wines for great Easter feasting
Domaine des Tourelles Cuvée Pierre Brun, Lebanon 2020, £14.99, or £11.99 as part of a mixed six, Majestic Easter feasting in the UK is rather less bound by family traditions than Christmas. There’s an echo of Christmas excess in settling down after lunch to watch a film with a haul of chocolate eggs and a glass of smoothly, darkly, sweetly comforting port (such as Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage, now on offer for £12 at Asda, and widely available).
Deadly Texas wildfire torches 1 million acres - the largest blaze in state history - as more infernos rage
(CNN) — Catastrophic wildfires ripping across the Texas Panhandle have killed at least two people and threaten to destroy more homes, cattle and livelihoods as the biggest inferno in state history engulfs more land every minute. The Smokehouse Creek Fire has now torched more than 1 million acres in Texas alone, making it the largest fire on record in the state. The blaze has also charred more than 31,500 acres in Oklahoma as of Thursday evening, that state’s forestry service said.
Honda CRF300 Rally review - good enough to ride around the world
Remember the famous Remington shaver TV ad - ‘I liked it so much I bought the company’? After road-testing Honda’s great little CRF 300 trail bike I did the next best thing. I couldn’t afford the company so I bought a used version of this bike that’s finding mass appeal among commuters, weekend riders, round-the-world travellers and off-roaders, instead.
Here’s the single most important bit of information on a wine bottle
Photograph: EXTREME-PHOTOGRAPHER/Getty Images We all have our ways of picking wine from the great big, baffling wall of bottles at the supermarket or local merchant. Some of us choose by grape variety. We know roughly what we’ll get from malbec or sauvignon blanc, chardonnay or pinot noir, no matter where it’s grown. For others, it’s the place that is most significant, the particular style of wine they make in Bordeaux or Rioja, Marlborough or Mendoza.
Lower alcohol drinks for a ‘damp’ January
Photograph: Alamy The Doctors’ Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2022 (£9.99. Waitrose) If, as part of your campaign to get people to drink a bit more thoughtfully or just a bit less, you were looking for an attractive name for a period of semi-abstinence, you might well hope to come up with something a little more appetising than “Damp January”.
Three wines that tell the story of 2023
Photograph: Getty Images Italiano Vino Rosso NV (£4.50, Tesco) The wine trade has historically been pretty resilient in times of crisis. When the Great Recession hit in 2008, for example, a lot of merchants reported an increase in wine spending, as people cut back on eating and drinking out but spent some of the cash they’d saved on treat bottles to drink at home. Something similar happened during the pandemic, when the hospitality shutdown led to a boom in home wine deliveries.
Las grandes olas de tormentas desatan fascinación en California
CNN Por Cindy Von Quednow, David Williams, Robert Shackelford Tormentas mar adentro empujaron grandes olas hacia las comunidades a lo largo de la costa de California, trayendo inundaciones y cierres de carreteras, así como un susto a casi 20 personas que fueron arrastradas brevemente a lo largo de una playa de Ventura este jueves. Ocho personas fueron trasladadas al hospital, según las autoridades.
End the year with a bang: great sparkling wines
Photograph: Getty Images Domaine Sérol Turbullent Champs Libre Rosé, Vin de Table, France NV (£19.37, stannarywine.com) Buying sparkling wine is so much more complicated than it used to be. That’s a good thing for the most part, reflecting as it does how many more very good sparkling wines are being made these days in so many different places.
Classic wines for Christmas lunch
Photograph: Paula Solloway/Alamy Waitrose Blueprint White Burgundy, Mâconnais, France 2022 (£10.99, Waitrose) Even if you are the sort of endlessly curious food-lover whose day-to-day eating habits are a non-stop whirl of new cuisines and ingredients, Christmas dinner is the one meal that, give or take a few insignificant tweaks and additions, barely changes from one year to the next.
Primer ministro australiano intenta rescatar referendo indígena
El primer ministro australiano, Anthony Albanese, hizo el viernes un emotivo llamado de última hora para rescatar un referendo sobre los derechos de los pueblos indígenas, al decirle a los votantes que "la bondad no cuesta nada". Los australianos decidirán el sábado si reconocen a sus pueblos originarios por primera vez en la constitución de 1910 y crean un órgano de asesoría sobre asuntos indígenas, llamado "voz", para incidir en políticas que afectan a sus comunidades.
Kawasaki 1000SX Ninja - does it live up to the legend?
Just like Honda’s famous Fireblade, Suzuki’s Hayabusa or even Ferrari’s Testarossa and Lamborghini’s Huracán, Kawasaki has its own iconic moniker; Ninja. It burst into public recognition in 1986 when - ridden by Tom Cruise - it howled down a runway in Top Gun. No wonder Kawasaki has kept the name alive, using it across much of its range, to signify sports performance. One of Kawasaki’s best-known bikes - the 1000 SX sports tourer - bears the legendary badge and deservedly so.
Clarksville falls in high scoring contest vs. Boles
CLARKSVILLE — After enduring a difficult week due to sickness and other issues, the Clarksville Tigers were hoping an extra day would benefit them in their second game of the season. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. The Hornets racked up more than 400 yards of total offense, as Clarksville fell 59-35 at New Century Field, dropping them to 0-2 on the season. CHS has now lost three straight contests dating back to last season.
The best bank holiday wines
Tesco Finest Viñas del Rey Albariño, Spain 2022 (£11, Tesco) The bank holiday trip to the seaside is an enduring British tradition that for most of us will inevitably feature fish and chips. That’s important for practitioners of what is, by all accounts, a dying art.
Bubbling up: sparkling wine without snobbery
Mionetto Valdobbiadene Prosecco Extra Dry, Italy NV (£14.90, Golden Wines) In the world of sparkling wine, there’s a distinct class divide. At the top, you have the aristocrats of Champagne who believe fine sparkling wine can only be achieved by the so-called méthode champenoise, in which the wine is given its second fermentation in the bottle.
Award-winning wines from Britain’s biggest supermarket
Tesco Finest Puemo Carmenère, Cachapoal, Chile 2020 (£8, Tesco) Tesco isn’t one of those companies that people tend to love. For most of us, most of the time, it’s simply there, a place we use almost without thinking. But when it does arouse strong feelings, they tend to be negative: as the UK’s largest supermarket chain it is inevitably the focus for critiques of the efficiency, equitability, and environmental sustainability of the UK’s food system.
Sparkling wines for summer food
Martini Asti Spumante, Piedmont, Italy (from £8.50, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Tesco) I am not a complete obsessive about seasonal eating – I have way too many mid-winter fresh fruit-and-veg cravings to be able to carry that off. But I do think strawberries are only really worth having in Britain during their traditional season. We’re in peak strawberry season now, of course, a moment of sweetly succulent, perfumed abundance when I would happily eat them at every meal.
Cool reds to drink when it’s hot
Read full article Photograph: Sally Anderson/Alamy Extra Special Fleurie, Beaujolais, France 2022 (£9, Asda) If we are asked to picture a summer wine, most of us will think of crisp whites and rosés, with and without bubbles. These are the wines that we instinctively associate with refreshment, that we pour straight from the fridge or the ice bucket, that match the lighter foods we tend to eat when the temperature rises.
Why Portuguese wines are such good value
Read full article Photograph: Michael Brooks/Alamy Marks & Spencer Found Alicante Bouschet, Alentejo, Portugal 2021 (£8, Marks & Spencer) There is no end in sight to food and drink inflation, which means the destabilising, stressful feeling of never knowing the price of something from one week to the next is also here to stay. And when it comes to wine, it’s only going to get worse once the new duty rates kick in in August.
Jaguar F-PACE P400e underlines the need for e-car policy revamp
The Jaguar F-PACE P400e (David Williams) The F-PACE is one - largely - impressive package. It is a plug-in hybrid, so propelled by the combination of a potent 2-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a powerful electric motor. Unlike a self-charging hybrid - think Toyota Prius - the clue to the difference with plug-in hybrids is in the name; to harness the benefits they must be charged up by cable, as self-charging is only minimal.
The non-vintage wines with timeless appeal
Read full article Photograph: Andrea Pistolesi/Getty Images Tesco Finest Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France NV (£18, Tesco) The idea of the vintage is a big part of the romance of wine, and it’s easy enough to understand why. By basing each release on a single year’s crop, we’re reminded that wine is an agricultural product, one that changes from year to year according to the conditions.
Why orange wines are the best of both worlds
Read full article Viña González Bástias Naranjo Orange, Maule Valley, Chile 2022 (£24, The Sourcing Table) With the zeal of the previously sceptical convert, I have become rather evangelical about orange wines in recent years. So here I am, clambering atop my soapbox once more, megaphone in hand, to preach to the many unconverted my message that all wine-drinkers’ lives would be richer with a little orange in their lives.
Australia recibe al líder de India con la mira en el comercio, no los derechos
Australia afirmó el martes que quiere llevar su relación con India a "un nuevo nivel", al recibir al primer ministro Narendra Modi en una visita centrada en el comercio, con poca atención al tratamiento dado a las minorías por su gobierno. El gobierno australiano se vio seducido por el creciente comercio con la India y la posibilidad de tener un aliado para hacerle frente a la creciente influencia militar, diplomática y económica de China en el Pacífico.
The red wine grape that conquered the world
Read full article Photograph: Carlos Barría/REUTERS Big Beltie Cabernet Sauvignon, IGP Pays d’Oc, France 2021 (£8.99, House of Townend) Although in recent years Burgundy has been the most influential French fine wine region – the one that winemakers all over the world have been keenest to imitate – for years that title was held by Bordeaux.
Shades of grey: how steel, clay and even concrete are being used to make truly great wines
Read full article Photograph: Richard Saker/The Observer Zuccardi Concreto Malbec, Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina 2019 (from £25.99, robertsandspeight.co.uk; farehamwinecellar.co.uk; hicwinemerchants.com) One of the many eccentricities that, depending on your perspective, make wine either an endlessly engaging or a needlessly fussy pursuit, is the influence of the different vessels used in its production.
Rosé-tinted glasses: the season of pink wine begins
Read full article Photograph: Peter Huggins/Alamy Jerôme Lacondemine Vol de l’Hirondelle Rosé, Beaujolais, France 2020 (£18.60, Alpine Wines) Provence has made itself synonymous with rosé of a certain stylish kind.
Italian grape varieties in all their diverse glory
Read full article Photograph: Davide Zanin/Alamy Castello di Verduno Verduno Doc Basadone, Piedmont, Italy 2020 (£18.67, justerinis.com) Of all the many reasons to love Italian wine, one of the most compelling is the sheer, dazzling array of grape varieties the country’s winemakers have at their disposal.
Jaguar F-PACE P400e - luxury driver’s SUV with green credentials
The Jaguar F-PACE P400e R-Dynamic (David Williams) With its dazzling, sporty lines, bright red badges, dynamic stance and premium glow, Jaguar’s F-PACE SUV instantly marks itself out as something of a driver’s car. Which is a bit of a contradiction. For the long-windedly-named ‘Jaguar ‘F-PACE P 400e R-Dynamic’ is - gasp - a ‘greenie’, a plug-in hybrid, making it a potential winner for London motorists.
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