Latest news with #WilliamSitwell
Telegraph
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
‘Like eating dried muesli': The best and worst chocolate Easter eggs
They're back and more indulgent than ever. Once again, supermarket shelves and boutique chocolate shops are groaning under the weight of Easter eggs showcasing the flavours of everything from champagne truffles to hot cross buns, some at eye-watering prices. Why you can trust our experts The Telegraph 's resident chocolate expert, Andrew Baker and restaurant critic, William Sitwell, put 20 of the latest luxury creations to the test. They tasted blind and separately, ensuring honest, unbiased reviews. What did they make of the giant bunny the size of a small child? Or the dessert-turned-Easter-confection that was practically impossible to get out of its packaging? Here's their verdict on the eggs that cracked the competition – and the ones that fell flat. How we chose the best Easter eggs First, each egg was judged on its appearance – did it have that wow factor? Taste was key, though, of course, highly subjective. If you have a sweet tooth, then high-percentage dark chocolate might not be your thing. Extras like truffles, bars and inclusions were also assessed, with close attention to textures and overall balance. At a glance Take me to The best luxury Easter Eggs
Telegraph
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
‘My neighbour thought somebody drowned her cat': The worst WhatsApp groups we've been part of
The fallout from the leaked US government war plans has yet to take full shape, but one thing is for sure: that group chats on apps such as WhatsApp and Signal have huge potential to go awry. Inadvertently inviting journalists to join top secret discussions involving US air strikes on Houthi strongholds is, admittedly, one extreme but for the rest of us, finding yourself added onto groups from relentlessly inane school parent chats to street Whatsapps where neighbours mull over wheelie bin hygiene – is often a high stakes exercise in keeping our manners, boredom and simmering rage in check. Here, our writers discuss the worst group chats to which they've had the misfortune to find themselves invited. Been there, bought the t-shirt, occupied the veritable land. I've forwarded filthy jokes to the wrong group – not the old school chums one, but the 'Nursery 2' gathering; to me, a worse incident than revealing a nation's plans to bomb annoying terrorists. 'Why does this inane chatter have to start now, nine months before the wretched event?' I wrote recently to my wife. Except it went to the group created to share intel on the wedding, the 'wretched event' to which I was referring, in which our nippers would be page boys. Thus, the WhatsApp group, a modern phenomenon competing for the hotspot in the Top 10 scourges of the modern age, is now something I studiously avoid. Which means no filthy jokes, no b----ing, indeed uttering nothing that could suggest any character deficiencies. All of which are laid bare in the WhatsApp group. The school groups being the worst: 'Is it Scientist Day?', 'When does swimming finish?', 'Sorry, I didn't realise that drive was one-way', from which the psychologist can build up a picture of sublime idiocy and uselessness. I shudder at the thought of the social ones in which my lies, as I wriggle out of things, are laid bare. My insatiable need to make stupid jokes and to inadvertently offend strangers sees me now upholding the principle of refusing to engage, of simply muting threads. Except I fear there is no worse a social faux pas, no terrible a societal crime than to effect the dreaded words (which don't quite have the resonance of Elvis vacating the premises): 'William Sitwell has left the group'. By Charlotte Hill* As soon as I receive an unusually perky WhatsApp notification from an unknown number, usually saying 'Helllllllooooooooooo ladies', I know that I have been added to the most dreaded of all WhatsApp groups – the hen do chat. The maid of honour has been charged with pulling it all together, she explains in a message liberally peppered with chicken emojis and exclamation marks. The bride would love to do a few days in [insert sunny European city here] in June. That or two days in Bath, which will, for reasons unknown, cost the same amount as a week in Spain. I am in at least four of these demented chats at any one time, each one pinging with messages from bridesmaids with the manic enthusiasm of school teachers organising a trip to an Outward Bound centre. Hundreds of missives follow. You owe £400 for the AirBnb, where you will have to share a bunk bed with the bride's cousin, and a bathroom with 14 others. Please send a picture of you and the bride by 5pm today!!! These will be arranged on the mantelpiece in the rental house like a shrine. The bride is adamant she wants an (ironic!) naked man to appear at some point during the weekend, so your crisps, dips and prosecco (£47.30 each for the group food shop, please) will be served by a slightly greasy 'Butler in the Buff'. WhatsApp now allows you to create a 'poll' for people to vote, which has unleashed a new level of tyranny. 'Would you prefer to go axe-throwing, go-karting, or to a Sunday morning 'willy workshop' before the train home? Please vote in the poll by the end of the day.' As the weekend approaches, the messages take on a vaguely threatening aura. Individuals who still owe the maid of honour £84.70 are named and shamed. The 'Hi ladies!!!!' comes with alarming ferocity. Drop-outs are banished from the chat. I long to be banished, too. *name has been changed By Melissa Twigg There are only so many notifications you can get about a near-stranger's stinging crotch or cracked nipples before you start to wonder whether your attention might be better directed elsewhere. Yes, there's an intimacy that is forged from having babies at the same time – but the eye-popping details shared on your average NCT chat are not for the faint-hearted. At first, it's polite – you meet with bulging bellies in a church hall and create one big WhatsApp group of impending mums and dads to send each other smiling photos of their last dinners out. Then, the actual babies are born, and the men are swiftly booted out because the tone has switched from cheerful excitement to gore and horror. It's all birth trauma, infected scars, bleeding nipples, crotch sprays and weepy 2am voice notes from women asking if it is OK to hate your husband with the heat of a burning star because he is sleeping in the spare room. Yes, it makes you feel less alone – but when you're deep in the newborn phase, it can all be too much. Also, while everyone is encouraged to share, there is one unspoken rule: never be smug. Once, about two months in, someone asked if any of us had resumed intimate relations with our husbands yet. Immediately, the replies pinged in: 'Absolutely not!', 'Can't think of anything worse!', etc. But among our group of 12 Brits, there was one lone Frenchwoman and she clearly hadn't picked up on the mood. 'All the time,' she wrote back, 'For us, it is very important that our love comes first.' The silence was deafening, and no further messages were exchanged. I have long since muted the group, but it clearly made an impression on me: often, as my husband and I run around after a boisterous toddler – our social life, looks and finances in tatters – we turn to each other and say, 'Isn't it lucky our love comes first?'. By Guy Kelly You're probably familiar with the moment from Gavin & Stacey when Alison Steadman's Pamela, vibrating with giddiness, explodes: 'It's all the drama, Mick. I just love it!' This is how I feel about my old street's WhatsApp group. We moved house more than a year ago, but I remain a lurker on the missives of my former neighbours. The content is too rich. The plot too unpredictable. I will never leave. The culprit – the sole culprit – is a woman who we will call Jill because that is her name. Jill, her possible husband, her indeterminate number of children and her herd of permanently-threatened cats moved in during the latter stages of the pandemic. The woman herself was so seldom seen as to be almost mythical, but we heard from her many times a day. Often it is just to claim any – and I mean any – freebie offered up, regardless of its state or size. 'My sons will come and get it,' she always says. Her household seems to operate like a beehive. As the queen, she never needs to leave. Most of her contributions are of a tinfoil-hat nature. Like the time she assumed, because a cat came home damp, that somebody must have tried to drown it in a bin. 'Some spiteful wicked person decided to hurt my big fluffy ginger cat,' she blazoned that morning. 'He was soaking wet. I hope nobody tried to drown him.' This would become the first in a series. Whenever a cat doesn't come home, it must have been murdered by a neighbour; whenever she spots a stranger stopping to stroke a cat, she declares a catnapper on the loose. Whenever a Thames Water man appears, she warns he could be a con man. A noise complaint spat with another member ended with her claiming she has a medical condition known as 'barmaid hearing' – which means she 'cannot switch off to surrounding noise'. She enquired after any planned firework displays taking place on Bonfire Night or New Year's Eve in early July. Once, she alerted the street to a gentleman thief. 'Watch out, just saw a guy jump the wall wearing a crash helmet a black leather jacket not sure if he was up to something but it's a strange way to leave your house.' People were alarmed. 'I am [No.] 46 so next-door to my left,' she continued. 'White man with grey bushy hair.' Her bushy-haired next door neighbour, whom she had lived next to for three years by that point, then replied and revealed the mystery man was quite obviously him, leaving through his own garden, as he often does. She did not reply. Eventually, a splinter group narrowed to a few houses around ours became a quasi-Karen fan discussion. And that is how a good, chaotic WhatsApp group can bring people together. It's all the drama, Mick. We just love it.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Review of BBC MasterChef judge's favourite Indian restaurant in Taunton
MATTANCHERRY is an award-winning Indian restaurant in Taunton that has been named in the top eight Somerset restaurants and named 'Best Takeaway in Taunton in 2025'. It has also just been named in the top five most romantic restaurants in Taunton, awarded a 'coveted' 2024 Good Food Award and a "Recommended restaurant" certificate from the Restaurant Guru. Alongside these achievements Mattancherry was the only Indian restaurant to be named Bristol, Bath and Somerset's 'Restaurant of the Year' in 2024 (bronze), Tripadvisor's 2024 Traveller's Choice and BBC MasterChef judge William Sitwell's favourite Indian restaurant in Taunton. I had the pleasure of dining at Mattancherry this week and was really impressed by the attentiveness of the staff from the beginning of my visit. They were all so friendly and greeted me with huge smiles and no matter how busy the restaurant got my glass of water was constantly topped up and I was constantly asked if I need anything and if I was enjoying the food throughout my visit. READ MORE: Taunton restaurant named best aims for Michelin Guide 2025 READ MORE: Review of the best curry restaurant in the South West READ MORE: Top four most romantic restaurants in Wellington for Valentine's Day 2025 Patha Chaat. (Image: Molly Kirk) I really enjoyed taking in the warm interior as I settled into my seat at my table. The décor all felt homely, understated and intentional and I really appreciated how the ambience of the restaurant added to and complimented my overall dining experience. To start off I was given poppadoms with a chutney trio, including mint and pickled lemon flavours while I decided on what to order which was a light and tasty way to start my meal. In terms of food, I wanted to try a little bit of everything, and the lovely manager Gopi helped me pick out some popular menu items including the Patha Chaat for my starter. Patha Chaat is a dish consisting of baby spinach leaf fritters topped with sweet yoghurt and tamarind sauce. As someone who naturally opts for vegetarian dishes I really enjoyed this one. The fritters were absolutely delicious and I really enjoyed how the savoury spinach mixed with the sweet yoghurt and tart tamarind sauce. If I had to offer a slight critique I would say at times the strong sweet flavouring of the yoghurt slightly drowned out the taste of the fritters and tamarind for me but overall this did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the starter. Assortment of mains. (Image: Molly Kirk) For my main I had Toran (spiced stir fried vegetables including cabbage beans and carrots sauteed with coconut oil, lentils, aromantic curry leaves and subtle spices), Pan-seared Sea Bass served with curry leaf infused mash potato and raw mango ginger coconut sauce, Garlic Naan and beef Kizhi Parotta - which is parotta layered with beef, fresh onion and curry leaves wrapped in banana leaf. All were also really tasty, with the beef being really tender and flavourful on top of the crispy but also soft parotta mixed with all the delicious stir fried veggies complimenting the meal perfectly. I also really enjoyed the sea bass and mash potato with the mango ginger coconut sauce perfectly complimenting the meal and providing the perfect dipping sauce for the garlic naan. Overall, the main was incredible but if I were to be slightly nit-picky I would say that the sea bass was slightly too salty for me. Despite this, I again do not feel that this significantly took away from my enjoyment of the meal and very much do send my compliments to the chef. Rose Brulee. (Image: Molly Kirk)For dessert because I was extremely full from trying a bit of everything aforementioned I decided to opt for something light and fragrant. Enter the Rose Brûlée - a floral twist to the classic Crème Brûlée made with rose petals. This pretty little number was truly the perfect way to finish off an already successful dinner. Whilst small in size this dessert is by no means forgettable (and not just because of its bright pink colouring) with the delicious creamy taste of the classic Crème Brûlée shining through but complimented the subtle taste of rose making it also perfectly on theme for the week of Valentine's Day. Overall, this was a wonderful introduction to yet another restaurant I have never tried before in Taunton. The food exceeded my expectations, which were already pretty high, and with the outstanding service I received I had no choice but to give this place a high score. Mattancherry truly deserves the recognition and the awards the team have worked so hard to receive, and I cannot recommend it enough to those who haven't tried it yet.
