Andi Oliver on her new cookbook and a lifelong love of food and music

Andi Oliver is a busy lady, and when she picks up the phone to talk about her new and long awaited cookbook ‘The Pepperpot Diaries: Stories from my Caribbean Table’ she’s doing a million things at once. You get the impression she gives a lot of herself to whatever she does and once she gets going (closes down her laptop and successfully gets the drier started), I can feel the full force of her glow. A total delight, bad mouthing over priced festivals and lamenting over restaurants that choose to blast house music when you’re simply trying to eat… She starts by revealing the lucky happenstance that finally led to the birth of her recipe book.

Pub in the Park fighting hunger with their ‘donate-a-dish’ scheme

Food is a wonderful thing. It unites us, nourishes us and is the foundation of many a family, friendship and as we know, festival! For many, though, it can also be a source of daily anxiety and stress. To play our part and do our bit to help alleviate food poverty especially in the current climate, this year we will be launching a donate-a-dish scheme across the tour. At every restaurant, punters will be able to ‘donate a dish’ to their order. Rather than acting as a physical meal, it will simply act as a way to donate to the local food bank in their area. Food is at the heart of the Pub in the Park festival and this initiative is a natural extension of what we do. Particularly in the wake of the cost-of-living crisis, we are proud to support local food charities which help those who face food poverty every day. 

Table Talks with Tom Kerridge

We sat down with Tom, the beloved captain of our Pub in the Park ship and found out what inspired his menu for Pub in the Park this year, the cookbook that changed his life and most importantly… how he feels about the pub!

What’s your Flava with Debbie Sledge (Sister Sledge)

In our next edition of ‘What’s your Flava’ where we interview musicians about their cooking habits and chefs about their listening ones, we find out from Debbie Sledge her must have food rider, the local spots she visits when she’s not on tour and her dream final meal.

Help! I have an avoidant attachment style

I recently had the realisation that my friends and I all talk like we’ve swallowed a self help/ psychology for dummies book. We talk about our “boundaries” and “triggers”, whilst scoffing pastries, flicking one another with buttery crusts and discussing the “anxious attachment” style of our latest Hinge match over brunch. It’s kind of insufferable, but I also absolutely can’t stop!! So, if you too want to be able to talk like a budget version of Esther Perelle! Look no further my fine feathered friend. 

Love, loneliness and failing as a feminist

I used to wear my independence like a badge of honour. Like only depending on myself was something to be proud of, protective of almost. I haven’t ever relied on someone else to fill me up, take me out. Being a person all on my own, whole on my own, not half of somebody else.

What your first date location says about you

A first date tells you a lot about someone. What they wear. Where you go. How they smell. (Just me?? ok). We thought we’d give you a run down of first date locations and what the hell your choice says about you: from coffee shops to prove that you are in fact literate, to cocktail bars (is a happy hour such a crime?) to inviting them to a party because you are SoOo chill about introducing them to your mates, or on a run (because you are a serial killer - jury’s still out).

Let’s talk about sex (on the first date) baby

Yes, no, maybe, I don’t know. Having sex on the first date can be hot, it’s all new and passionate and fumbley but in a gorgeously awkward way. Discovering someone’s body can just feel like a great extension of the intimacies you’ve already exchanged about your childhood pet fish Parsley, or that you might be in the middle of having a quarter life crisis, whilst delightfully stripping each other off. Most of the feral/flirty community shared the sentiment of: “FUCK yes! Try before you buy!!” . With all of this ringing in my ears I went on a first date this week.

What is Bisexuality?

(Written for Killing Kittens)

The word “bisexual” has an interesting history that has developed over time. Martha Robinson Rhodes, a researcher at Stonewall with a PhD in bi history, explains that originally, in the 19th century the term was used to mean the possession of “male” and “female” physical characteristics in the same body – more akin to what we would refer to as intersex today. The word only came into public consciousness as a way to describe those with a sexual or romantic attraction in the 1910s, and with a very binary meaning – an attraction to men and women. Today, this definition has expanded to encompass an attraction to more than one gender, with this attraction being for people of any gender identity.

Can you have sex with Covid?

To save you some reading, the short answer is: probably not.

But, you’re obviously reading this because a) either you have Covid and really want to have sex with someone or b) someone you really want to have sex with has Covid. So, that’s not really the answer you were looking for, is it?

Since the lifting of lockdown, casual sex has been making a come back, sex parties are alive and kicking, and overall hot girl summer has transitioned into a horny autumn (let’s make it happen, Gretchen). And there are ways you can lessen the likelihood of catching Covid-19 and still maintain a healthy sex life during this period… so read on to find out how! 

A Dark day for American Democracy: Is this a video game?

Daylight. A government building is surrounded. It’s a multiplayer game. The protagonists, men and women in costume, eagle faces, animal fur and striped in war paint, scuffed boots haphazardly rest on an office table for a photo, official objects carried away gleefully, the chaos is being live streamed, reveling in the disorder. No, this is not a new level of Halo you’ve yet to hear about or a classic dystopian episode of Black Mirror, but a description of very surreal, real life events that took place in Washington DC last week, much to the shock of the world.

What do women want? (Now what you’d expect)

It’s an age-old question, one that men and women have been asking themselves since the dawn of time in that hard worn battlefield of L-O-V-E. A question in fact made famous by a noughties rom com sharing the same name, featuring a taught, DILF like Mel Gibson, who is suddenly able to hear women’s thoughts after being electrocuted by a hairdryer in the bath. (PLZ DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME).

The Surprising Secret to Finding Love Online

Your eyes meet, there’s some seeerious vibes a happen’ and then, you decide. You’re going to say something, but what to open with? A cheesy/ semi-ironic pickup line? You quickly try and think of something to say, anything, on some kind of topic – music, films, AIR? Oxygen… ah WORDS, words are hard to come by at times like this. You go for it, pluck up your courage and… tap their photo on an app, like. It’s a meet cute, but not quite like you know it. Dating apps are in, meet cutes are OUT.

Unwrapping Spotify Wrapped

It’s getting to that time of year again, the decorations are up, the temperature is dropping and you’re luxuriating in eating an advent calendar chocolate first thing in the morning. That’s right, it’s SPOTIFY WRAPPED TIME! The most wonderful time of the year. A time to revel in your top tunes, question why you had to listen to Taylor Swift’s Folklore quite so much whilst gracefully crying over a glass of red….

A Christmas Movie Special

Christmas won’t look the same this year for a lot of people, even with Michael Buble blasting. (Seriously, would sell an organ to see M. Bubbles live). Many will be spending it a part from family, without Mum’s classic roast potatoes or Nanna’s probing questions on WHEN you are getting married, despite basically still feeling in utero, there’s lots of things we’ll be missing out on. But, one such tradition, perhaps even as old as the religious holiday itself, is the watching of a classic Christmas movie.

Who Cares? Zillenials do

It’s 2020 and it’s cool to care. Suddenly, actors that aren’t activists are considered out of touch, musicians or influencers that lack social awareness – passé, and this has all been dictated by a more politically and socially engaged millenial generation. One, which attends climate protests, supports the Black Lives Matter Movement, and has gone on strike in support of Greta Thunberg.

Where To Eat, Sleep and Play in Mexico City

A lifetime spent in Mexico wouldn’t be enough to discover everything it has to offer. So, we’ve pulled together some of our favourites for you. There’s more to this city than just mezcal and delicious food. Here’s a guide on what to do when you touch down in one of Latin America’s most colourful, lively cities.

Lisbon City Guide

Lisbon has been steadily growing in popularity over the years. Businesses are moving there, oat milk drinking trendies are using it as a Berlin substitute, and friends are saturating your timeline with photos of them eating Pastel de nata by the water. Usually, when a city has a boom like this, it tends to die down. But Lisbon is one of those special places where we don’t see that happening.

6 Country Walks Right on London’s Doorstep

Living in a city is wonderful, but sometimes when the weekend comes all you’re after is some fresh air, blue skies and not standing on the tube for an hour a day. Here are six of the best places to escape for a country walk near London, along with the nearest pubs to have a cheeky bevy in while you’re there.

Affordable Yoga Retreats

Maybe you had a stressful winter and want to make good on your 2020 New Year’s resolution to live a healthier lifestyle. Perhaps it’s a matter of wanting to  feel closer to nature, or maybe you simply want to treat yourself to a holiday in an exotic destination and feel a little smug about doing lots  of yoga. So here are five awesome, yet affordable yoga retreats – you can thank us later.

How to Be A Respectful Traveller

Chances are you’ve recently come across photos of someone riding an elephant, petting a tiger, or showcasing the fact that they did charity work one time on their gap year. These may seem like ‘eye opening’ experiences, but the underlying truth can be a lot more sinister. Do your research (or let us do it for you).

Nomad’s Guide to Skiing Cheap this Season

Swooping down a mountain, overdosing on cheese fondue, hot chocolate by the fire, screaming along to songs you don’t even understand at apres ski; Ski trips are a thing of beauty, but they can also be outrageously expensive. Check out these tips to avoid some unnecessary costs.