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What does a “smacked cucumber” look like? What is a “rutabaga”? Why does a “spiny caldereta” sound so threatening? Is “blackened” just a fancy word for “burnt”? These are some of the many questions diners have to grapple with when they look at a menu in some restaurants these days. But Britons are a shy bunch who would rather curl up in a ball and disappear than actually have to utter these queries out loud to a waiter. I would know – my husband is one of 41 per cent of diners who would choose to google an unfamiliar menu term under the table instead of asking for clarification, according to recent research from reservation service Resy. Whenever me and my husband come across an obscure word on a menu, my suggestion of asking the waiting staff to explain is swiftly shot down by the appearance of his phone, followed by a muttered definition from a search engine. Navigating a menu has become harder in recent years. It’s not just the use of lesser-known techniques, nor the use of alternative words for common ingredients (a rutabaga is a turnip and a cep is a porcini or pennybun mushroom, by the way). With Covid came menus only available via QR code, a development that’s now the bane of eating out – some restaurants still use them. It means having to point our stupid camera phones at stupid, alien-looking squares and scroll through the menu in stupid silence, as if we need to be even more enslaved to our devices than we already are. And then, if menus do get printed, they’re impossible to see because restaurants insist on turning their lights down lower and lower. Or they print the text in smaller and smaller typeface, making it a struggle to read even with 20/20 vision – which I haven’t had since I was 10. I’ll never forget trying to read the menu at the ever-trendy Smoking Goat in Shoreditch in 2019, me and five of my companions sat squinting in the dark with our phone torches on. Going to a restaurant should be a relatively easy endeavour, an experience free of stress and embarrassment. But recent menu trends might be off-putting to the customer, says Gavin Rankin of the Mayfair-based French brasserie restaurant Bellamy’s. “Restaurant menus are supposed to seduce you, to persuade you,” he tells me. “There’s a tendency now to list vegetables or ingredients nobody’s ever heard of, but I don’t like it and people don’t like having to ask questions about what something is because it makes them feel foolish. Restaurants aren’t out to humiliate the diner.” Descriptors that give an idea of texture or flavour are important, but they don’t have to be complicated. It’s definitely possible to achieve a balance between having your menu be stylish and still informative Hugh Richard Wright, restaurant PR But could it be a good thing for menus to spark conversation between a diner and the restaurant? When I ask Rankin this, he blows a raspberry down the phone line, though not rudely – just in exasperation. “There’s something a bit… aggressive about it,” he says. “You can see on some menus they are deliberately choosing to list things that will force people to ask. Keep it simple, in my opinion. It’s different if you’re trying a really unfamiliar cuisine, but not when you go to an English or French restaurant. You should be able to look at a menu and be happy to eat 90 per cent of it with pleasure.” I’m someone who’s quite happy to have a chinwag with the waiter and ask questions about a menu. I also like it when a menu provides the opportunity to learn something new. But Rankin is right in pointing out that many diners don’t like asking questions at all, and menus shouldn’t force a diner into having to enquire about every single item. Hugh Richard Wright, leading restaurant PR and man-about-town with years of eating and consulting experience under his belt, says restaurants need to be mindful of striking the right balance with their menus. “A menu is more than just a list of dishes,” he says. “It should tempt you and excite you, so the descriptions should be tantalising. A menu that makes you want to have a conversation with your server is nice but it’s a balance. You don’t want to have everything explained to you and to go through every dish asking, ‘What’s this, what’s that’. That’s what a lot of places get wrong.” He adds that a menu should give the diner a “realistic impression of what you’re getting on your plate” – a reasonable enough expectation that some restaurants have foregone in favour of just listing ingredients. “For example, ‘pork, leek, kumquat’. It should describe how the pork is cooked. Is it pulled pork? Or roasted? Descriptors that give an idea of texture or flavour are important, but they don’t have to be complicated. It’s definitely possible to achieve a balance between having your menu be stylish and still informative.” David Paw, international editor at Resy, advises that we shouldn’t be put off by a sparse menu. “It may be deliberate,” he says. “The restaurant is setting up the chance for a guest and the front of house staff to engage in a dialogue. I lean into these moments as opportunities to have a chat about ingredients, techniques, and the kitchen’s creative process. I’d encourage diners to always try to ask for more information. Even frequent diners are always learning and expanding their food vocabulary.” It comes down to what kind of experience we’re looking for when we dine out. For some, like Paw and myself, it’s fun and exciting to come across new things on a menu. But for many, given that eating out nowadays is much more of a pricey indulgence than it used to be, relaxation is key, not being challenged. This isn’t to say that every single restaurant should acquiesce to simplicity, but it would be no small potatoes to consider ways to make a diner feel less like they need a thesaurus before sitting down. It doesn’t diminish a fine restaurant to make its menu more accessible – instead, it would make it so much more appealing, bringing incredible food to the many instead of the few. That said, we go to restaurants to eat food we wouldn’t normally cook ourselves, and often food that we’re not familiar with. There is so much joy to be had in allowing new flavours and textures to colour your palate, and the culinary world has never been more creative or diverse than it is right now. So in a time where suspicion of anything unfamiliar is rife, perhaps it would do us all some good to try something new on our plates. Next time you’re stuck, ask your waiter for assistance. I promise they won’t bite. Read More Best burgers in London: Where to eat top patties in the city Why ‘chain’ restaurant shouldn’t be a dirty word Three ramen recipes to change your life Best burgers in London: Where to eat top patties in the city Why ‘chain’ restaurant shouldn’t be a dirty word Three ramen recipes to change your life

Campbell Soup is set to buy Sovos Brands, the maker of Rao’s pasta sauces

Prime Day is July 11 to 12 this year, which gives us just about three

It’s been dubbed Britain’s answer to New York’s Met Gala: London’s first ever Vogue World, happening this Thursday, will be a star-studded theatrical extravaganza, fundraising for Britain’s cash-strapped performing arts scene. And at the helm, of course, is Vogue’s all-powerful Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour. Billed as a “multi-act celebration of the British performing arts”, the event will be fabulously starry. On the line-up will be British celebrity royalty, including supermodels Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne and Adwoa Aboah, British rapper Stormzy, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham as well as actors Ian McKellen and Idris Elba. In 2022, the first ever Vogue World took over New York’s meatpacking district with a rough-and-ready fashion show and street food fair, paying homage to the city’s street atmosphere and culture. It was quite the eclectic affair. “Old Town Road” singer Lil Nas X performed with the Hadid sisters as backup, 112 models stormed the runway to Madonna’s “Vogue” while Serena Williams made a surprise cameo. And it was all wrapped up with a street food party featuring pop-up stalls run by couture houses (think pastrami sandwiches courtesy of Michael Kors, gourmet cookies by Gucci and high tea by Burberry). Vogue World’s pilgrimage to UK soil feels like an inevitable one, given that British and US Vogues are at the heart of Conde Nast’s operation. But behind Vogue World is an epic power struggle between the two editors, Wintour and British Vogue’s outgoing editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful, as she moves closer into his territory and is even rumoured to be looking to relocate back to London. On the surface, the fundraising goal is the same as the Met Gala – a philanthropic arts cause the fashion crowd can get behind while at the same time beaming the Vogue brand around the world. Thursday’s extravaganza will be held at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London’s West End to raise money for Britain’s critically underfunded performing arts scene, which Anna Wintour insists is “under threat”. All net proceeds from ticket sales will be pledged to a range of performing arts organisations – but so far, they all seem to be based in London – including the National Theatre, Royal Opera House and the Royal Ballet. “The arts are under threat in the UK,” said Wintour of the fundraising decision. “Vogue World will be a timely reminder of how important they are, how vital a part of our lives, and how much they need our support.” A three-tiered party The main attraction of the night, like the Met Gala, will be the red carpet running outside of the theatre, where celebrities will fight it out to be the best dressed in the latest Spring Summer 2024 couture. But that won’t be all the event has to offer: those who were lucky enough to scoop up the exclusive and now sold out £150 tickets will watch live performances overseen by The Crown director Stephen Daldry, followed by a catwalk show featuring collections from British fashion labels like 16Arlington, Burberry and Vivienne Westwood to kick off London Fashion Week, which starts this Friday. Although the details of the event are being kept under the closest secrecy, we can hope for a number of spectacular surprises – perhaps cameos from British acting greats on stage at the Theatre Royal, or live performances from stars confirmed to be attending, like Stormzy or opera singer Hongni Wu? The theme The Met Gala is famed for its iconic yet often polarising themes, some of which have been cemented into fashion history. There was 2019’s Camp: Notes on Fashion, which saw Lady Gaga go through four theatrical outfit changes, or last year’s ode to the late controversial Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, with both Doja Cat and Jared Leto styling themselves as Lagerfeld’s beloved white cat, Choupette. While the Met Gala was launched as a fundraising evening for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in 1948, the event has grown to be the most exclusive event of the year, with an all-important red carpet arrival followed by a glamorous charity dinner and afterparty. The theme for Vogue World 2023 is in keeping with its cause. The invitation for the event says the dress code is “Opening Night”, with the invitation’s design depicting a West End stage covered by blood-red velvet curtains. Meanwhile, the original poster for Vogue World’s London edition sees British supermodel Naomi Campbell standing in a dance studio, dressed in all-black, while a group of leotard-clad ballet dancers straddle a wooden barre behind her – another nod to Britain’s performing arts scene. Though Vogue World tickets do not come with a price tag as hefty as the Met Gala’s eye-watering $50,000, we hope celebrities tackle the Vogue World theme with the same commitment. Expect lots of West End theatrics, glamorous gowns, theatre binoculars and endless references to London’s world-leading theatre culture. The guest list The guest list is expected to be packed out with A-listers (the theatre’s auditorium seats more than 2000 people). Representing British supermodels will be Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne and Adwoa Aboah. It’s likely that Enninful’s very close friend and confidante Naomi Campbell will be playing a leading role, given that she appeared in the original marketing campaign for the event. British rapper Stormzy, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham as well as actors Ian McKellen and Idris Elba will all be involved in the theatrics in some capacity, as we know. Bridgerton’s Simone Ashley, Sienna Miller, Emilia Clarke and Kate Winslet will also be dropping in, while musician FKA Twigs is also expected to participate in some capacity since she was also included in Vogue’s announcement. But all eyes will be on “Vossi Bop” rapper Stormzy and who might turn up on his arm; it’s rumoured that he has rekindled his romance with Love Island presenter Maya Jama after fans spotted that the pair were holidaying in the same villa. We have word from Maya’s publicist that she is filming abroad, but seeing as the presenter starred on the August cover of British Vogue, will she fly back in time for the big event? The politics Vogue World comes at a time when Vogue’s senior editorial team is under scrutiny like never before The event has been billed on its invite as a collaboration between Edward Enninful and Anna Wintour, but it is very much seen as Wintour’s creation. Many will be watching closely, given rumours of a “feud” between the two editors ahead of Enninful’s departure. The rumour mill began the whir when the company announced in June that Enninful, who became the first Black gay man to take the role of editor-in-chief in 2017, would step back from Editor-in-Chief at British Vogue in January to become a “global creative and cultural advisor”. Alexandra Shulman, who was succeeded by Enninful when she stepped down as editor in 2017, has since said that Enninful was “always playing second fiddle to Anna Wintour” within the company, amid rumours that Enninful had harboured ambitions to become editor of US Vogue, which led to a rumoured rift between him and Wintour That Wintour is on Enninful’s London turf is being seen very much as her taking back “control”.She is said to be sizing up who will be Enninful’s replacement as British Vogue’s notably less fancy sounding “head of editorial content”, as the company’s senior editorial team prepares for an internal shakeup. At the front of the race is Chioma Nnadi, editor of vogue.com, and a global network lead at the company – a London girl who could be coming back to UK soil to take up the role when Enninful leaves. “Chioma is a great choice,” one insider told The Times. “She is serious and clever and knows her stuff. She doesn’t suffer fools.” Another Conde Nast insider told the newspaper: “Chioma isn’t the terrifying fashion editor of old. She’s quite shy one-on-one, and very calm. She’s one of those people that pauses before she answers a question.” One source credited Chioma for being down to earth. Another said: “She Brooklyn, not Manhattan”, while another said the journalist is the “nicest person” they had ever dealt with at Vogue. An announcement is expected this week with whispers that the news could break at Vogue World on Thursday. However, also in the running alongside Nnadi is Sarah Harris, the European deputy editor and another global network lead, who has worked on the fashion desk for almost two decades and has become an influencer of sorts, having been credited for making silvery-grey hair cool with her unmistakable locks. Others in the running could be Mark Holgate, another Brit in New York, who heads up fashion news on the US edition, or Emily Sheffield, the former editor of The Evening Standard and Vogue deputy from 2005 to 2017, who is also the sister of David Cameron’s wife Samantha. However, it seems a decision has not yet been made – the vacancy for Head of Editorial Content on the Conde Nast careers portal still says applications are open. Vogue fans will be watching what happens next in the chapter of fashion’s most iconic title and who will win the battle for its soul. Thursday’s gala could be a chance for Vogue to retain its relevancy in the world of live-streamed red-carpet events (Vogue’s Met Gala live stream generated 53 million viewers alone last year). And while Wintour is certainly the face of the Met Gala as its host, it is not Vogue’s creation, nor is it Conde Nast’s. Could Thursday night be an opportunity for Conde Nast to call a red-carpet event its own? Whatever the goal, this week’s Vogue World is clear evidence of the brand’s desire to evolve and maybe Anna Wintour’s desire to take back control. Read More Ex-Vogue editor claims Edward Enninful was ‘always playing second fiddle’ to Anna Wintour Edward Enninful steps down as British Vogue editor-in-chief to take on new Condé Nast role amid reports of rift Kate Winslet rails against male executives who ‘patronised’ her while she was raising money for new war drama Vogue story on Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet’s sparks backlash Saweetie’s ‘caveman’ inspired VMAs dress sparks comparisons to The Flintstones Selena Gomez returns to the VMAs red carpet in stunning red dress

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Welcome to Sun Blocked, Refinery29’s global call to action to wake up to the serious dangers of tanning. No lectures or shaming, we promise. Instead, our goal is to arm you with the facts you need to protect your skin to the best of your ability, because there’s no such thing as safe sun.

For black women living with breast cancer, it can be especially difficult to talk about what they’re going through – for various reasons. A study by Cancer Research UK and NHS Digital published earlier this year in BMJ Open found black women were more likely than white women to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer, when the disease is generally harder to treat – with lack of awareness, delays in seeking help and barriers to accessing diagnostic tests all cited as contributing factors. Stigma and myths around cancer in the black community can also play a part. “Speaking freely isn’t something that black women do naturally,” says Jacqueline Bassaragh, 56, who joined The Black Women Rising cancer support project in 2018, after struggling with the aftermath of her own breast cancer diagnosis at 51. The groups gave her a much needed safe space to open up. “If I felt angry, sad, even joyous and really happy, I could share every emotion I was going through without judgement,” Bassaragh adds of the flagship programme of The Leanne Pero Foundation, a registered UK charity which supports people of colour affected by cancer. Bassaragh says she initially “shut down” emotionally after receiving her diagnosis. She experienced a post-menopausal bleed, after not having had a period for years, and two days later her left breast started leaking and became very hard, hot to touch and painful. When it had calmed down, she felt a lump and booked an appointment with her GP, who referred her to the local hospital. “The consultant shared that I had breast cancer in such a crude way. I asked if my son could join me — he was in the waiting room — and he repeated himself in the exact fast and crude way again,” Bassaragh recalls. “I was feeling angry inside, but when I looked over at my son and could see his eyes watering up, in that instance — as we do as black women — I just shut down my emotions and asked what we needed to do next. I hadn’t actually cried about it until April this year.” Rhakima Khan recalls how her first reaction when told she had hormonal-based breast cancer on Valentine’s Day, 2022, was laughter. “It’s a coping mechanism I’ve had since I was a child,” says Khan, 36. “The nurse was so taken aback, as she was expecting me to break down. At that moment, I accepted the news and just wanted to know what we were going to do next. “But when I walked out of that consultant room and went to the toilet, I cried. Not because I was sad, angry or frustrated. I cried because they diagnose you with breast cancer and then immediately flood you with information. That can be very overwhelming.“ Khan had discovered a lump near her sternum whilst having a shower after working a late shift as a theatre practitioner at Bristol Children’s Hospital. “I went across my chest with my sponge and thought, that wasn’t there before. I had checked my breasts the previous month but hadn’t checked them yet that month, so I lifted my hands and began,” she says. “I found a decent-sized lump that wasn’t very visible but hard and rigid. It just didn’t sit right with me.” She remembers being determined to stay alive for her son, who was nine, and daughter, who was two. “If it meant I’m going to lose two breasts — though the NHS would only allow me to have a single mastectomy because I didn’t have an aggressive form of cancer — so be it. My breasts don’t make me a woman, they were there to feed my children. It’s society that has sexualised them,” Khan says. She also took up blogging, documenting her journey to encourage other black women to regularly check their breasts . This is how Khan got involved in the new Primark and Breast Cancer Now campaign in celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month; the retailer will be donating £300,000 to the charity for support and research. Toye Sofidiya, 33, was first diagnosed and treated in 2016. The cancer returned in 2020 just before the first lockdown, and she eventually had a mastectomy in September that year. “I haven’t come to terms with it,” says Sofidiya. “It’s been three years since my body has gone through a major change – it’s not something you ever get used to. Going on holidays, gaining weight, having to always wear a bra, having to look extra hard for outfits that I would be comfortable and still stylish in. “I sometimes even forget to wear my prosthetic boob, which I can only wear with mastectomy or post-op surgery bras. I don’t mind wearing a lot of T-shirts, tank tops and bandeaus, but I’m really limited as a young woman. I’m worrying about things my friends don’t have to consider. “It’s important to know your body,” she adds. “I knew my body, and as soon as something seemed out of place for me, I knew I had to get checked, because I have a history of cancer in my family. I just didn’t think I would get it.” Neither did Deandra Paul, 29, who found a “tiny lump” on her left breast, two days after finding out she was pregnant with her second child, after being prompted by an Instagram post to do a self-examination. Paul had only recently stopped breastfeeding her baby daughter – but wanted to be sure so she booked a GP appointment, only to be told there probably wasn’t anything to worry about. “I wasn’t happy and wanted to get checked out properly,” Paul recalls. “So the GP made a referral to [the hospital] where I had a physical examination. They told me the same thing and said it was probably just [benign]. But due to their policy, they still had to do a biopsy and two weeks later on June 27, 2022, they told me I had breast cancer. “I remember having an out-of-body experience, where I could see and hear myself shrieking like a hyena. My husband, who was with me at the appointment, was just quiet. I was so alarmed because I have no history of breast cancer in my family. They never told me what to do, but said I could either keep or terminate the baby. “Most people in the black community would assume you can’t do chemotherapy or a mastectomy whilst you’re pregnant, but you can. It’s what I decided to do after going into research mode, to see if anyone has ever done it before,” adds Paul. “I stumbled across the Cancer and Pregnancy Registry, run by an American lady who has been studying cancer and pregnant patients. None of the women looked like me, but thankfully, someone had a similar story to mine.” After surgery to remove the lump and some chemotherapy, she decided to switch to London Bridge Hospital to receive private healthcare from HCA Healthcare UK, where she had more treatment and a skin-sparing mastectomy (with plans for an implant in the future). “Invest in your health,” she Paul. “If you have had the experience of not being listened to, or fear that your health is dismissed by the system, then try and seek a second opinion. If you or your partner have private healthcare through work, use it. If you don’t, research your options for health insurance and really consider if there’s something else that you can give up in your monthly expenses to invest in your health. Health truly is wealth.” Read More See Madonna’s extravagant tour outfits – including an updated cone bra Halloween pumpkins – how to grow your own Presenter Louise Minchin: Menopause conversations are no longer taboo – but we need to keep going Online apps recommended to manage lower back pain From choppy bobs to fox red, 5 celebrity-approved hair trends for autumn The UK’s first dedicated male breast cancer organisation has launched

The next edition of the British Grand Prix is on 5-7 July 2024 – and fans are eager to buy tickets for the popular F1 race at Silverstone. Round 12 of the 2024 Formula 1 season sees a return to the iconic Silverstone track, home to many memorable moments in the sport’s 73-year history. Max Verstappen won the 2023 grand prix with British drivers Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton – an eight-time winner at his home race – joining him on the podium. Here’s everything you need to know for this year’s sale: KEY DATES Thursday 14 September – Official camping and glamping released (11am) Monday 18 September – SRC (Silverstone Racing Club) Member priority ticket sale (10am) Wednesday 20 September – Official Campers Priority Ticket Sale (11am) Thursday 21 September – Enclosures, GA+, Abbey B and Hamilton A (11am) Friday 22 September – Grandstand tickets released (11am) Monday 25 September – General Admission tickets released (11am) General Admission tickets include single day, three-day (Fri-Sun) and a new four-day ticket which provides access to the launch party on Thursday evening. Prices come as cheap as £99 (Friday practice) for a single-day ticket, while a one-day ticket for qualifying are priced at £129 minimum. A ticket for the race will set you back at least £219. Four-day weekend tickets start from £359; three-day tickets from £259. You can buy a maximum of six tickets per purchase (child tickets are included in this number). You can add up to two age-related discounted tickets for each paying adult. Click HERE for more information on the official Silverstone ticket website. Hospitality options are also available with F1 Experiences. Read More Zhou Guanyu interview: ‘There is a lot of pressure in F1 – only winners stay in this sport’ Carlos Sainz interview: ‘All of us at Ferrari expected more – we haven’t done the best job’ Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top ‘Buzzin corner’: Sebastian Vettel reunites with F1 grid in Japan George Russell insists 2023 has been his ‘best season ever’ despite Singapore crash Lewis Hamilton says ‘something’s up’ at Red Bull – if Max Verstappen struggles again