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English lowers his own Irish 800m record again
Mark English lowered his own Irish 800m record by more than half a second in Budapest on 32-year-old was competing at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Donegal native clocked a time of one minute 43.37 seconds to finish second behind Kenya's Laban Kipkorir Chepkwony, who won the race with a time of 1: race marked the third time that English has lowered the national record this season, having previously done so in Poland in May and then in the Netherlands a month won a bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships in March and is working towards next month's World Championships in Tokyo.
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Sylvanian Drama: Lawsuit against creator dropped by toy company
A lawsuit against the Irish content creator behind the incredibly popular Sylvanian Drama social accounts has been dropped. The brains behind the tongue-in-cheek account, Thea von Engelbrechten, whose TikTok and Instagram has 2.5m and 1m followers respectively, stopped posting in December 2024 which led to fans questioning where she had April of this year, Epoch, the Japanese company behind Sylvanian Families, filed a lawsuit in New York alleging "copyright infringement" and "irreparable injury" to its they have now dropped the case. The creator first found viral fame during the Covid-19 pandemic, using the dolls to create soap opera-style scenarios - such as murders and affairs. Video captions included "My marriage is falling apart" and "My boyfriend won't post me on Instagram".By contrast, Sylvanian Families - known as Calico Critters in the US - are marketed as "an adorable range of distinctive animal characters with charming and beautiful homes, furniture and accessories".Characters have names like Freya the Chocolate Rabbit girl, Ambrose the Walnut Squirrel baby and Pino the Latte Cat its lawsuit, Epoch claimed that the creator had advertised "other brands", including Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs, Burberry, and Netflix using the toys. In a countersuit, Ms von Engelbrechten claimed that the accounts were "parody".However, on 8 August, Epoch dropped its suit, voluntarily dismissing all claims "without prejudice," with each side covering its own legal costs. On the same day, Thea broke her social media silence, posting on Instgram: "Hi guys, on the 19th August I will be changing the name and profile picture of this account."I'm not sure what to change it to yet so please let me know if you have any suggestions". Newsbeat has reached out to Ms von Engelbrechten for comment. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.
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MasterChef 2025 contestants - Meet the Heat 4 hopefuls
MasterChef is back uncovering the country's best amateur cooks as they battle it out in the MasterChef kitchen. Who will be the 2025 Champion? Let's meet the Heat 4 contenders... Please note this information is accurate at the time of filming; certain aspects may have since changed but this represents the contributors as the competition starts. Watch MasterChef Heat 4 on BBC iPlayer and BBC One from Thursday 14 August at 8pm Read more: Meet the MasterChef 2025 contestants - Heat 3 GM Meet the MasterChef contestants Emily Advanced Podiatrist, Aged 50 Emily lives in Wales with two of her three children. She was born in Manchester but grew up in southern Ireland. How would you describe your style of cooking? I love home grown kitchen herbs and fresh local food, grown and raised with love. There is Irish influence in all of my cooking. Without being too 'Little House on the Prairie' and too wholesome about it, think anything between 'Anne of Green Gables' to 'Chocolat' and 'Amelie' to 'Julia Childs' or 'Mrs Beeton'. It's vintage, budget, homely food, made with passion and emotion, grown and reared by people who care - if possible - and a homage to Ireland, with a hint of Italian. Food is getting increasingly expensive and feeding your family home-cooked food rather than ultra processed is a real challenge with money, time and advertising power. How did you get into cooking? Earliest cooking memory? How I got into cooking involves my dad, who died from cancer when I was in my first year at university, he taught me to cook as a very young girl. I have memories of standing on my dad's toes holding his knees for dear life and being danced around the kitchen as we waited for the oven to produce the roast or the cake to rise. As I grew older, he would role-play being Head Chef and I would be his Sous. He was passionate about his produce, and we always had a veg garden and hens and for a while, with crazy goats for milk and cheese. Sometimes we don't appreciate these memories as kids until older, and today these are precious to me. I hope to pass on food memories to my three children and at some stage in their lives, they will find peace and feel a connection to family through food creativity and eating. What is your favourite ingredient to cook with and why? This is a difficult question as there are quite a few favourite ingredients. I'm slightly obsessed with whisking and the folding of whisked eggs and flour, and the delicacy involved. Eggs it is - custards, tiramisu, ice cream, panna cotta, semifreddo, sponge. Not the taste particularly but the act itself is slow and involves emotion. I also love working with edible flowers. Why did you enter MasterChef this year? Applying for MasterChef was a dream. I had moved to Wales and was working in the NHS and I saw the advert. My impulsive streak came out and I just started filling in the initial application, despite my fear. Do you have a dream of working in the food world? In my work, I see some patients who have to be amputated due to diabetes and circulation problems. I'm inspired by my patients every day to stop the flow of chronic disease and go upstream to prevention. Food and movement are key here. Fighting obesity, diabetes and peripheral arterial disease starts with the food we eat and how much we move. So I aspire to help young people to cook and find joy in food and pleasure in cooking – remember how to gather around a table and put away our phones and connect. When I was a podiatrist back home, I'd sometimes travel to people's homes, farms and islands to treat them. I would always be offered a tea cake or scone or the family brown soda bread. I would love to capture those recipes and keep them alive. Fay Financial Management Consultant, Aged 31 Fay lives in London. She was born and grew up in Tunisia. She went to university in China and lived in Hong Kong for eight years prior to moving to London. How would you describe your style of cooking? My style is Tunisian inspired, Asian fusion. It reflects my life journey from North Africa to Asia and now with a modern European touch. How did you get into cooking? I did cooking classes for kids after school on Saturdays when I was 10 years old. Earliest cooking memory? My earliest cooking memory is cooking with my grandma and baking with my mum for the week What is your favourite ingredient to cook with and why? My favourite ingredients are harissa, butter and soy sauce. All of them can make your dish taste ten times better! Why did you enter MasterChef this year? I have to say a massive thank you to my friend Sandeep who pitched this idea to me and who I still haven't told! Do you have a dream of working in the food world? I would want be a voice for Tunisian food in the UK. Shockingly London has less than two Tunisian restaurants, so putting my culinary heritage on the food map is the main driver for me. I would love to open my own restaurant one day. Gabriel Personal Trainer, Aged 29 Gabriel has always lived in London. He currently lives with his wife Holly. How would you describe your style of cooking? I really enjoy cooking food that people actually want to eat, nothing too fussy, just delicious and comforting. When I'm hosting friends, I usually lean into Mexican. It's vibrant, fun and perfect for sharing. I also love pulling inspiration from places I've travelled recently, like Italy, where the simplicity and bold flavours really stuck with me. I try to cook as many different cuisines as possible. Italian and pasta dishes are my speciality, but I also cook a lot of Asian dishes too as they can be tasty and fairly healthy. How did you get into cooking? I've always been into food and cooking. It's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My passion comes from my dad, who's the ultimate host. We would always spend Saturday morning watching cooking programmes and learning all of the techniques. We've even attended a couple of cookery classes together. Earliest cooking memory? My earliest cooking memory is my grandpa (Papou in Greek), who used to do Souvla in the garden every Sunday on a spit. I just remember the first time he used a small knife to slice off some of the crispy edges and give it to me. To this day, I think that's still the best mouthful of food I've ever eaten. My dad worked in my grandfather's restaurant, and some of my earliest memories are being in the kitchen with him. I think I was about five when I started 'helping out' by serving ice cream to the guests. It was my first taste of hospitality, and I've loved it ever since. What is your favourite ingredient to cook with and why? Olive oil has to be the best cooking ingredient. As a Cypriot, it's used in absolutely everything - and not just a drizzle, we're talking generous pours. Why did you enter MasterChef this year? MasterChef has been a show that I've grown up watching - every series. I believe now is the right time for me. I've really homed in on my skills in recent years since meeting my wife and having someone else to cook for and impress on a regular basis. Not only would I love to challenge myself and advance my cookery skills, but I also believe I have the ability to win the show. I would love to use MasterChef to launch a career in food. Do you have a dream of working in the food world? Working in the food world has always been a dream of mine. Whether it's releasing my own cookbook or opening a restaurant, I've always felt called to create something that brings people together through food. If I were to open a restaurant, it would be named in honour of my late grandpa. I would try to make it as much like a Greek Taverna as possible, with a simple menu, locally grown food and a great atmosphere. Mickaël Teacher, Aged 46 Mickaël lives in London with his wife and two sons. He was born and went to University in Martinique, French West Indies. He has also lived in Jamaica, Paris and England. How would you describe your style of cooking? My cooking style is a fusion of Caribbean roots with bold Indian and Asian influences. Lately, I've been focusing on healthy, high protein, plant-based recipes. How did you get into cooking? I got into cooking late, but it seemed like a natural path to follow. I think it was through watching my mum and sisters cook. It was out of necessity at first and then it became a passion. It's like art. Earliest cooking memory? My earliest memory was when my mum and sisters were making cakes when I was not even 10, and I would whisk the batter. What is your favourite ingredient to cook with and why? Scotch bonnet pepper. For me it's the essence of Caribbean cuisine. People think heat when they hear scotch bonnet, but it also used to give the food an unbelievable flavour in long slow cooked dishes when used whole and not letting it burst. Why did you enter MasterChef this year? I entered MasterChef as I wanted to challenge myself and this is a programme I've been watching for at least a decade and wanted to showcase my cooking and style of cuisine. Do you have a dream of working in the food world? I would love to be a food influencer marrying my cooking skills with videography and editing skills. Nick Personal Carer, Aged 39 Nick lives in Essex with his wife and two children. He was born in London and grew up in Essex. How would you describe your style of cooking? My style of cooking very much depends on my mood. I enjoy attempting fine dining and am very keen to present food well although it doesn't always work out like that! I love cooking Asian food but also enjoy making a good burger. How did you get into cooking? I loved cooking as a teenager. As I got older, I was responsible for making my own dinners and didn't like the same things all the time so tried to be more creative as I became more competent and confident. I chose Food Tech as a GCSE, which was laughed at by many, but I loved it. Earliest cooking memory? I remember watching cooking shows from a young age, at the time a Gary Rhodes Christmas Special stands out as a catalyst for wanting to cook more. What is your favourite ingredient to cook with and why? I love cooking pork (mainly for the crackling) as I feel there is so much you can do with it. I'm also a massive fan of vegetables and like to try to elevate the flavour to make them more interesting. Why did you enter MasterChef this year? I entered MasterChef because I wanted to see how good I could be. I love cooking and it's the one thing I feel confident with, but I wanted to cook for strangers to get the most honest opinions of food. I've never had ambitions to win the competition, I just wanted to see where I was at. Do you have a dream of working in the food world? Moving forward I would love to be able to start a supper club with taster menus. I wouldn't want to focus on one particular cuisine but allow people to give suggestions then I can create a menu accordingly. I absolutely love planning and designing menus. Peter Floor Fitter, Aged 45 Peter lives in Cumbria. He was born and raised in Staffordshire. How would you describe your style of cooking? I would describe my cooking style as traditional, taking inspiration from locally-sourced, wild produce that includes fish and game. How did you get into cooking? Earliest cooking memory? I was first interested in cooking in my early 20s, with my first of many cookbooks being The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver, which I still refer to today. I'm a self-taught cook, although my mum is a great cook and my grandparents were always baking. I was very lucky at home; my mum always cooked really well and in particular a Sunday lunch. My cooking nowadays ties back to what my mum did when we were younger - traditional home-cooked food. My dad would often go to the butcher's on the weekend. What is your favourite ingredient to cook with and why? Wild game like pigeon and pheasant has a beautifully distinctive flavour so I think that tops the list of favourite ingredients. It's also a healthy choice and tastes incredible when cooked simply, especially over open coals. Why did you enter MasterChef this year? I entered MasterChef on a complete whim. I've always loved cooking. I think I'd had a glass too many of red wine one evening and just fired an email off after watching an episode at my mom's and then never gave it another thought. Do you have a dream of working in the food world? I don't have a foodie dream as such, but if I could cook and feed people lovely wild ingredients over coals and convert just a few to embrace an alternative to a supermarket chicken, then I'd be happy. Follow for more
