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Madonna kicked off her Celebration tour in London in a string of stylish outfits. The tour celebrates her four-decades-long career, with Madonna, 65, performing some of her biggest hits – including Crazy For You, Like A Prayer and Into The Groove. The world tour was due to start earlier this year in Canada, but was postponed after she was admitted into intensive care with a serious bacterial infection. Madonna is set to take the tour to 38 cities across Europe and North America throughout 2023 and 2024. In true fashion, her bold costumes have wowed fans and given several nods to some of her eras of the past. Here are some of her edgy tour outfits so far… In an updated cone bra Madonna harked back to one of her most famous onstage looks: the cone bra. Designed by Jean Paul Gaultier and worn on tour in London in 1990, the pale pink corseted outfit went down in music and fashion history. The singer paired up with Jean Paul Gaultier again, wearing an updated all-black version of the look. The iconic cone bra shape was instantly recognisable, and styled with tassels at the bottom of the mini dress, with embellished long-sleeve gloves. Earlier this year, Madonna posted a few different versions of the cone bra she’s worn over the years to Instagram, writing: “A trip to my archives is always a nostalgic trip down memory lane! “If I think about my journey through music over the last 4 decades — how could I not think about all the incredible clothes I got to wear and all the amazing designers I was lucky enough to work with!” In a kimono-style outfit Madonna also wore a black floor-length kimono dress with elaborate sleeves by costume designer Eyob Yohannes. She accessorised the look with a bejewelled headpiece that looked like a halo, designed by House of Malakai. It’s not the first time she’s been inspired by kimonos in her fashion – she wore a red version for the Nothing Really Matters music video in 1999. In underwear as outerwear Vetements’ creative director Guram Gvasalia has been working closely with Madonna to design outfits for the tour, including this blue and black lace bustier she paired with shorts and strings of chains. The lingerie-inspired design taps into the trend for ‘underwear as outerwear’ that has been making a splash on the catwalks. In glittering Versace Madonna also performed in a silver Versace smashed mirror catsuit with exaggerated shoulders. Designer Donatella Versace posted on Instagram: “My amazing friend @madonna – you are a ray of light in Versace on the 1st night of your Celebration Tour. Your talent and creativity inspires us all.” Read More 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 How Taylor Swift’s style has evolved over the years

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Autumn brings a cornucopia of colour to farmers’ markets, writes Gurdeep Loyal in the latest instalment of our guide to shopping at Borough Market. From red Russet apples and wild mushrooms and game birds, to butternut, acorn, pumpkin and delicata squashes; from turbot, king of the flatfish, to fresh clams; from freshly excavated beetroot to custard-coloured quinces to the purple of ripe autumn figs… there’s many a sight to behold. The recipes below are from Brindisa, a Spanish food stall that is celebrating its 25th anniversary at the market this year. From a clam and chickpea stew that’s perfect for cosy evenings to a hearty haricot beans with wild mushrooms, make the most of the season’s bounty with these delightful dinners. Clam and chickpea stew This recipe is from Monika Linton’s book Brindisa: A True Taste of Spain and has been adapted by Sophie Rushton-Smith. For the best taste and results with this recipe, Rushton-Smith recommends using the best quality shellfish you can find. Serves: 4 Prep time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 800g of shellfish, for example, clams or cockles A jar of Brindisa sofrito sauce A jar of Navarrico chickpeas 200ml or half a bottle of Fumet fish stock ½ tsp of sugar 1 tbsp finely chopped parsely Method: 1. Prepare the shellfish you have chosen for the stew well, wash and discard any shells that have broken etc. 2. Heat the Sofrito sauce in a pan and add a jar of chickpeas. Heat together for 2 minutes, until the mixture comes to a simmer. 3. Add the fumet rojo, there should be enough liquid for the chickpeas to begin to float. Taste the liquid and add the sugar if the sofrito tastes a little too acidic. 4. Add the shellfish (clams, cockles etc), bring to a vigorous boil, and put the lid on the pan for 1-2 minutes, just long enough for the shellfish to cook and release their juices. 5. Take the pan from the heat, stir in the parsley, and add a twist of black pepper. 6. To serve, lift out the chickpeas and shellfish with a slotted spoon and put into small bowls, then cover them with a ladleful of the cooking liquid. Garnish with a sprinkling of parsley. Haricot beans with wild mushrooms Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 10 minutes Ingredients: 1 jar Navarrico haricot butter beans 150g wild mushrooms Brindisa Arbequina olive oil 2 shallots 2 cloves garlic Parsley Method: 1. Drain the beans, dabbing with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. 2. Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth and cut them into medium-sized pieces. Dice the shallots and slice the garlic. Chop the parsley. 3. Place a large frying pan on a medium heat with a little olive oil. Cook the mushrooms until they just start to colour. 4. Reduce the heat, add the shallots and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes to soften. It is crucial because of the subtlety of flavours that you do not burn or over-brown your garlic. 5. Add the beans and warm through. 6. To finish, salt to taste, add a glug of olive oil and sprinkle over with parsley. For more information on what you can find at Borough Market, visit: boroughmarket.org.uk Read More Obsessed with Boursin? It’s the perfect way to elevate your leftovers Farmers’ markets in autumn are a cornucopia of colour Spice up your life: Three recipes from Nadiya Hussain’s new book that bring the heat Budget Bites: Three one-pan recipes that minimise on washing up How to cook to keep your gut healthy Three recipes from Michel Roux’s new fuss-free French cookbook

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If travel is about getting away from it all, then a flit to the countryside to escape the grind of modern life definitely fits the bill. Outside of the urban hubs, Britain and Ireland are blessed with country houses that have been transformed into elegant rural hideaways in which to spend the night. As the Good Hotel Guide award winners for 2024 are announced, The Independent can reveal the picks for the best 10 country house hotels in the UK and Ireland. Whether you're after Michelin-starred dinners in Devon or a hearty Cumbrian breakfast to start the day, whether exploring ancient woodlands or lounging beside a pool appeals, there's no shortage of options across this green and pleasant land. To find out more, visit the Good Hotel Guide website. But for now, here are some exceptional hotels that are sure to inspire an escape to the country. Viewfield House Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland A house-party atmosphere prevails at this 19th-century mansion in 20 acres of woodland garden, home to the Macdonald family for 200 years. Victorian interiors are filled with antiques and paintings, and you won’t find a TV in your bedroom – though it might have dual-aspect windows, a pedestal desk and original fireplace. In a dining room hung with ancestral portraits, guests sit down to a full Scottish breakfast, kippers or a vegetarian option, while at night there is home-made soup, cheese and charcuterie, devilled smoked salmon and vegetarian platters. Mallory Court Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England Built in 1916 in the romantic Elizabethan vernacular and set within formal gardens and pleasure grounds, Mallory Court welcomes families and their dogs. Described as “sumptuous and relaxing”, bedrooms in the main house blend traditional and contemporary style. Elsewhere, you’ll find places to relax over afternoon tea after a game of croquet or tennis, and in the spa or pool. Dinner in the panelled dining room is formal and fine. Gidleigh Park Chagford, Devon, England A single-track lane leads to this 1920s Tudor-style house, amid 107 acres of gardens and woodland on the banks of the North Teign. It’s home to a Michelin-starred restaurant, tennis court, croquet lawn and putting course. It is family friendly, with picnic hampers available to order and Dartmoor almost on the doorstep. Accommodation ranges from contemporary “classics” to spacious “master” rooms, up to the vast Spa Suite (where guests will find panoramic views of the valley). Chef Paul Eden’s “nouvelle but exquisite” dishes might include steamed turbot, mixed squash, pumpkin seeds, caviar and seaweed. Langar Hall Langar, Nottinghamshire, England This Georgian house in the Vale of Belvoir has been welcoming guests since the late Imogen Skirving was inspired by a dream to open her doors, greeting strangers as friends. Granddaughter Lila Arora now presides over a delightful, faintly eccentric operation. Bedrooms have intense charm; Cartland was a favourite of the late Dame Barbara, and Bohemia, featuring a four-poster bed, has poetry on the walls. Public rooms are filled with antiques and curios. Chef Gary Booth cooks locally sourced dishes, such as assiette of Langar lamb and warm salad of garden beetroot. langarhall.com Enniscoe House Castlehill, County Mayo, Ireland In wooded grounds on Lough Conn, against the backdrop of solitary Mount Nephin, this ancestral home is the very epitome of a Georgian country house in Ireland. Guests are hosted by Susan Kellett and her son, DJ, in a warm, inviting ambience. Bedrooms are spacious, and there is a comfy drawing room with open fire and much-faded Adam wallpaper. Guests meet over drinks before excellent, pared-back suppers cooked by Susan with produce from the organic walled garden. After breakfast, explore the 19th-century pleasure grounds, fish in the Lough, or follow nature trails through ancient woodland. Ty Mawr Brechfa, Carmarthenshire, Wales On the edge of Brechfa Forest in the Cothi valley, this 17th-century country house wins plaudits as “a lovely comfortable hotel”, with individually styled bedrooms, locally sourced food, and great walks from the door. Lastingham Grange Lastingham, Yorkshire, England There is a home-from-home ethos at this former farmhouse on the edge of Spaunton Moor, owned by the Wood family for 70 years, where comforts include tea with scones, a dinner menu that changes each night, and breakfasts of kippers and Yorkshire ham. Warwick Hall Carlisle, Cumbria, England Fishing is popular on the River Eden, which loops around the estate at this dog-friendly mansion, where the day begins with a hearty Cumbrian breakfast, tea is served by the drawing room fire, and guests convene for dinner in the dual-aspect dining room. The Priory Wareham, Dorset, England Four acres of English cottage gardens on the banks of the River Frome surround this former monastery, home to smart and stylish bedrooms and a glass-walled dining room, where chef Stephan Guinebault’s menus draw inspiration from his grandmother’s cooking on her Loire Valley farm. The Old Rectory Martinhoe, Devon, England In a remote hamlet in rolling countryside between Exmoor and the sea, Huw and Sam Rees-Prosser have created the kind of hotel where friends would love to gather, hosting guests for drinks and canapés before they dine from an imaginative nightly menu. oldrectoryhotel.co.uk Read reviews of the best UK hotels Read More Best UK hotels 2022 Best luxury hotels in Scotland for 2022 Family-friendly hotels in the UK for style, location and value Best Isle of Wight hotels 2023 Best hotels in Devon 2023 Best hotels in Europe 2023

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There’s something enchanting about the mellow-misted colours of Borough Market in autumn that I find utterly absorbing and truly magical. Hypnotic shades of rusted ochre reds, dark butterscotch browns, plum purples, mustard yellows, forest greens and golden copper oranges. It’s a palette of comforting abundance, which ushers forth the only season of the year whose flavours exhilarate the tastebuds just as much as they soothe the soul. Russet red Discovery apples are one of the first fruits to arrive. Their sweet-acidic bite and floral strawberry notes pair fantastically with cheeses like Cumin Gouda or Bath Soft Cheese, drizzled with a kiss of truffle honey if feeling fancy. Tart ombré-green Bramley apples call for slow baking into cinnamon-sugar scented pies, old fashioned crumbles or streusel-topped crisps – the latter being particularly delicious with the addition of toasted coconut, rum-soaked sultanas, and a pinch of warming green cardamon. But the cornucopia of autumn’s apples also takes wonderfully to savoury treatment in the kitchen. A recipe I discovered recently from a north Italian neighbour is Tuscan sausage baked apples. The apples are sliced across the top to create a lid, hollowed out, then stuffed with a piquant filling of spiced Italian sausage meat, garlic, crushed fennel seeds, finely chopped shallots, toasted breadcrumbs, pecorino, wine vinegar and a splash of vermouth. Bake at 180C for 30-40 minutes until the apples are burnished outside and the filling cooked through – it makes for the most sumptuous autumnal supper with big hunks of focaccia to mop up the juices. Braeburn and Egremont Russets are great varieties for this, their hard-fleshed nuttiness adding an extra dimension of flavour to the dish. One of the most thrilling markers of autumn in the market are chalkboard signs blazoned with the word “WILD”: a moniker attached to both mushrooms and game birds, both of which have their moment at this time of year. Girolles, chanterelles, pheasant and partridge are a quartet of ingredients that cry out to be married together in a pie. This is an occasion for a crumbly lardy pastry, generous sprigs of fresh rosemary and a good splash of vin jaune or dry sherry for yeasted acidic kick. The comedic sight of squashes piled high in wooden market crates in an assortment of gnarly shapes and speckled colours always looks to me like a convention of delicious misfits gathered together for their annual symposium. Their names alone – butternut, acorn, pumpkin, delicata – have an inviting poetry that autumn’s harvests alone possess. My favourite among them is the kabocha – a dappled green gourd with a fluffy orange inside that tastes of fired chestnuts, floral honey and sweet potato all at once. Roasted at 180C for 30 minutes in elliptic boat shapes with a generous glug of olive oil and either a sprinkling of ras al hanout, a splash of ponzu or a scattering of freshly torn sage, it makes the perfect accompaniment to any autumnal roast. But I think kabocha squash is most delicious when gently baked with a little brown sugar and grated nutmeg, then blitzed to a velvety orange mash for enriching autumnal deserts. A deep-filled pumpkin pie is the truly classic way to go, but the bake I turn to on repeat every autumn is the kabocha, olive oil, and bittersweet chocolate cake from Los Angeles-based restaurant, Gjlena. Eaten warm from the oven in a puddle of vanilla custard, its rich, buttery texture and intense roasted-squash flavour is the bear-hug of comfort that autumn’s colder days demand. The market’s fruits of the sea also flourish at this time of year. Turbot – king of the flatfish – is exquisite in the prime of autumn. With its firm flaky texture and delicate flavour, it takes well to spicing – but always do so with subtlety. I like to pan fry well-seasoned fillets in a little oil with a good knob of butter, crisping up the skin side for 3-4 minutes. Complete by flipping over and adding a pinch of a single spice to the frothy butter, as suits your mood. Crushed black lime will add zesty smokiness, finely ground pink peppercorns bring lemony fruitiness, or for something a little decadent, a pinch of crushed saffron pairs perfectly and tints the turbot bright sunshine yellow. Whichever direction you take it, serve with leeky spring onion champ on the side. For autumnal suppers with a more brazen hit of spice, I turn to the season’s fresh clams, which arrive at the market in abundance at this time of year. Their sweet brininess has a special affinity with the powerful flavours of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. I love them stir-fried with fresh ginger matchsticks, bruised lemongrass, slivers of garlic, a little tamarind paste, palm sugar, fish sauce and a chiffonade of Thai basil to finish. Add a birdseye chilli if you want a touch of autumnal heat and serve with fragrant jasmine rice. Alternatively, there is no better time than now to be making spaghetti alle vongole on repeat! Bundles of freshly excavated beetroot, dotted around Borough’s market halls like giant purple baubles, are the quintessence of earthy sweetness that makes cooking in autumn so homely. For a simple warming lunch dish, keep the beets unpeeled then slice into thick discs. Jumble together in a shallow roasting tin with blanched purple kale, a jar of Spanish chickpeas, a glug of tarragon vinegar, maple syrup and a generous sprinkle of smoked salt. Roasted at 190C for 30-40 minutes, it makes for a delicious vegan bake. These cooked beetroots are equally delicious blitzed into a soup with some good vegetable stock and obligatory ripple of double cream just before serving. Garnishing with Kentish cobnuts will add hazelnutty crunch, while shavings of manchego cheese add a delicious tang. Among Borough’s most welcoming autumn arrivals are the wicker baskets of pear-shaped quinces in muted shades of custard yellow. They make for the most delicious autumnal breakfast compotes and chutneys – marrying just as well with vanilla bean, cinnamon and sugar as they do with freshly grated ginger, cider vinegar and star anise. Their sweet citrussy bitterness also makes them wonderful for baking into brown sugar upside-down cakes, pairing gloriously with toasted almonds and marzipan. I particularly love cubes of quince gently stewed in orange juice, honey and cognac for layering into nostalgic trifles, with dense madeira cake and pillowy orange blossom whipped cream. But of all the sights in the market, it’s the majestic purple of ripe autumn figs that brings me most joy. Their flavours are so intensely raisiny at this time of year that I like to eat them fresh – simply score in a cross with a knife, then gently squeeze open like a ruby-seeded lotus. Their syrupy sweet flavours can be amplified even further by adding savoury sweet adornments for devouring together in the same bite. The flavour-chord trio of ripe figs, crumbled Stichelton and sour cherry molasses is rather special. But what I love most is a slice of warm sourdough with the jammiest soft figs of the season smooshed on top like an avocado – then decorated with slivers of pickled walnut, fresh thyme and a little flaky salt. It’s a combination that both enlivens your palate and comforts your senses in equal measure. All the magic of autumn on toast – simply sublime! For more information on what you can find at Borough Market, visit: boroughmarket.org.uk Read More How to shop at Borough Market in the summer Obsessed with Boursin? It’s the perfect way to elevate your leftovers Spice up your life: Three recipes from Nadiya Hussain’s new book that bring the heat Budget Bites: Three one-pan recipes that minimise on washing up

President Joe Biden is weighing a trip to Israel, adding to the US diplomatic push after Secretary of