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Twitter / X is losing users. CEO Linda Yaccarino just confirmed it in a tense interview.
Twitter / X is losing users. CEO Linda Yaccarino just confirmed it in a tense interview.
By now, you may have heard about Elon Musk's handpicked CEO for X, Linda Yaccarino,
2023-09-30 04:46
The top iOS 17 features we might see at WWDC 2023
The top iOS 17 features we might see at WWDC 2023
Historically, Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is iOS's time to shine. It may be overshadowed a
2023-06-01 18:45
Critically endangered white rhino born in Netherlands departs zoo for new home in Lithuania
Critically endangered white rhino born in Netherlands departs zoo for new home in Lithuania
A two-year-old square-lipped male rhinoceros born at a zoo in the Netherlands departed for his new home in Lithuania on Tuesday (26 September). Royal Burgers’ Zoo, in the Dutch city of Arnhem, contributes to the European population management program of breeding the square-lipped rhinos within the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. On the day of his big move, the young animal was sedated by vets before making his way into a “transport box” specially made for the journey. The square-lipped rhinoceros is considered critically endangered and possibly extinct in the wild. A group of five currently live on the vast East African savannah of Burgers’ Safari. Read More Months-old lion cub taken to safety after being found wandering road alone Elephant twins scamper round enclosure playing with trees Kate gets the measure of guardsman’s uniform on visit to Yorkshire textile mill
2023-09-27 22:23
Discovering Sierra Leonean flavours in South London
Discovering Sierra Leonean flavours in South London
Chef Maria Bradford remembers the first time she came to Peckham market. Originally from Sierra Leone, she moved to England in her late teens, and after four years she was desperately homesick. She was living in Kent and felt far removed from her home of Freetown – until she went to Peckham in South London. “The first time I ever came to Peckham, it was such a shock. I didn’t think a place existed like that [in England] – it reminded me so much of the hustle and bustle in Freetown,” she says. “All of a sudden, you get off the train and you come to this place and you’re like, Oh my God. I’m home.” Bradford, now 42, says she “desperately needed” a place like Peckham, and has been coming to the market regularly ever since. We’re back there today – on a hot but overcast London day, and Bradford is showing me how to pick out the best Sierra Leonean ingredients. We go on a weekday, as she says a weekend would take us a lot longer to get round, once she’s spoken to all the aunties in the community who want a chat. As we walk through the market, Bradford starts talking about Sierra Leonean cuisine. “I would say it’s quite healthy. We eat lots of leaves and greens, and we eat a lot of seafood as well. There’s lots of layers to Sierra Leonean food, because we mix things like smoked fish and meat in the same dish… Because we use fish more as a flavouring.” The words that spring to mind when she thinks about the food of her homeland? “Healthy, homely, comforting.” Bradford continues: “I don’t know if that’s because I’m Sierra Leonean, it brings me that calmness and home feeling. That warmth. It feels like I’m sitting at the back of our house with my mum, my nan, my grandmother, my aunties and everyone – we’re sitting around cooking, and it feels like comfort.” When she really wants to feel comforted and soothed, Bradford whips up a bowl of egusi soup (egusi – also known as melon seeds – is a thickener, and the recipe includes oxtail, goat meat, white sorrel, smoked barracuda and Scotch bonnet chillies) that Bradford says is like a “food hug, because when you eat it all you want to do is sleep”. After looking at some of the outdoor stalls full of colourful produce – bright pumpkins, squat varieties of cucumber, browning plantains – we go into Bit By Bit, a Sierra Leonean shop run by Sarian Karim-Kamara. Karim-Kamara immediately starts singing Bradford’s praises (“you’re flying the Sierra Leonean flag – we’re so proud of you!”) and thumbing through her new cookbook, called Sweet Salone – a nickname for the country. The shop is full of speciality ingredients you’ll need to make some of the recipes in the book – from the brightly coloured red palm oil (a staple in the country) to frozen cassava leaves and smoked barracuda. Bradford is keen to promote local shops such as this one, saying: “People are really friendly and want to talk about the ingredients – they don’t just know about the ingredients, they know what to do with it, how to promote it… It’s nice to step into these shops and have conversations, because you might learn so much more than what you bargained for.” As well as running the shop, Karim-Kamara is an FGM campaigner – she’s just launched a new campaign with the Mayor of London – and runs a food bank out the back. “For three years I’ve been supporting refugees and asylum seekers, but the food bank is open now to the community because everyone is struggling,” she says. Karim-Kamara adds she doesn’t talk much about it because “some people are really shy… The way we do the service is people come to the back and help themselves”. We move onto another shop selling West African ingredients – including jute leaves, black velvet tamarind and white hibiscus – and Bradford strikes up a conversation with the shopkeeper, who says she’ll pre-order the cookbook and give it to her daughter, so traditional Sierra Leonean cooking continues down the generations. “The children that are born here, they don’t really know how to cook the traditional stuff,” Bradford says after this exchange. “They’ll be more gearing towards the Afro-fusion side. It’s really important we keep the core traditional stuff, and also keep it separate.” But Bradford is an advocate for Afro-fusion dishes as well, describing it as “taking traditional Sierra Leonean ingredients and using techniques we wouldn’t necessarily use to extract as much flavour from those things”. After working as an accountant for 10 years (which she hated), Bradford did an evening course at prestigious cooking school Leiths and set up a catering company, and now uses her classical training to give a spin on the dishes she grew up eating. Examples of Afro-fusion recipes in the book include cassava chips with truffle and Parmesan, and the oxtail pepe stew – which has red wine added, a French technique she drew upon to deepen the flavours. Whether it’s traditional dishes or Afro-fusion flavours, Bradford – who is still based in Kent – uses cooking to connect with her roots. It started when she first moved to the UK and was missing home. “So I started cooking, making stuff I like to eat with stuff I can get my hands on,” she says. One of the first dishes she made was peanut soup (“you can get peanut butter anywhere, and you can pick up chicken anywhere”) and it grew from there. “Cooking and throwing those things together to feel like you’re home, connecting back to Sierra Leone.” ‘Sweet Salone’ by Maria Bradford (Quadrille, £30). Read More A week’s worth of summery recipes (even when the weather is dire) The dish that defines me: Frank Yeung’s prawn wontons How to make cassava chips How to make a traditional Sierra Leonean rich cake How to make West African brasied beef shorts in peanut and coconut milk In Horto: Hearty, outdoorsy fare in a secret London Bridge garden
2023-08-02 13:54
USDA announces $667 million in funding for rural internet projects
USDA announces $667 million in funding for rural internet projects
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the latest in several nationwide efforts to bring
2023-08-22 03:19
What's up with your houseplant? Here's how to figure it out.
What's up with your houseplant? Here's how to figure it out.
It's every houseplant lover's worst nightmare. You're cosied up on the sofa with a blanket
2023-06-15 21:59
We need to talk about 'Run Rabbit Run's twisted ending
We need to talk about 'Run Rabbit Run's twisted ending
She spent years traumatising us on Succession via the medium of never-ending family misery, and
2023-07-06 01:46
Nike’s Profit Beats Expectations as Inventory Glut Eases
Nike’s Profit Beats Expectations as Inventory Glut Eases
Nike Inc. reported a drop in its stockpile of inventory — a sign the company is making progress
2023-09-29 05:45
Designer JW Anderson wears Irish rugby top on the runway
Designer JW Anderson wears Irish rugby top on the runway
Designer JW Anderson wore an Ireland rugby shirt to take a bow at the end of his Milan Fashion Week show. The Northern Irish designer – full name Jonathan Anderson – wore the green T-shirt on Father’s Day. This could have been an homage to his own father Willie Anderson, a former rugby player who captained the Irish international team. Anderson was taking a bow after presenting his latest menswear collection and womenswear resort collection at Milan Fashion Week. He’s also the creative director of fashion house Loewe, where he’s become well-known for surrealist designs. Clothes were a bit more wearable for his latest JW Anderson collection, but the designer still pushed boundaries and continues to show why he’s one of the most exciting voices in fashion right now. There was an emphasis on knitwear – from subdued matching sets in earthy tones to more exuberant colourful creations with 3D effects, which the brand said on Instagram was “creating the structured texture of popcorn”. Anderson wearing a rugby top at the end of the show wasn’t a complete curveball however, as sporty elements permeated the collection. The designer showed his spin on rugby tops, giving them a more structured shape and fashion-forward aesthetic. The brand wrote: “Flipping the idea of British heritage, sporty silhouettes and rugby stripes are reimagined.” Beautifully tailored dresses, coats and shirts rounded out the collection. Anderson has become a celebrity favourite, with Heartstopper actor Kit Connor and Sex Education star Asa Butterfield front row to see his latest show in Milan. He made headlines earlier this year after designing Rihanna’s bright red jumpsuit to perform at the Super Bowl, in his capacity as creative director of Loewe.
2023-06-19 20:20
French Montana chronicles mom's sacrifice after emigrating from Morocco in doc film 'For Khadija'
French Montana chronicles mom's sacrifice after emigrating from Morocco in doc film 'For Khadija'
If French Montana’s father never abandoned him as a teenager, the rapper believes he would not have grown into a popular figure who has earned three Grammy nominations
2023-07-01 01:46
US hospitals turn to gig platforms on nurse shortage
US hospitals turn to gig platforms on nurse shortage
When Jessica Martinez moved away from home in 2020, a temporary contract brought her to New Jersey as a nurse on the frontlines of the pandemic. But...
2023-11-08 10:16
What’s the Difference Between Club Soda, Seltzer, and Sparkling Water?
What’s the Difference Between Club Soda, Seltzer, and Sparkling Water?
They all sparkle. They all bubble. And they’re all water. But they're not interchangeable.
2023-05-16 01:22