Illustration of a queue of people for Rain Room ©Luke Waller Jan 4, 2013

The Diary: John Lanchester

The novelist enjoys London in a quiet season and dissects the problem with the film of ‘The Hobbit’

Food & Drink

Illustration depicting wine disease ©Ingram Pinn
The rise in the incidence of certain vine wood diseases is worrying European vignerons
A long oval table surrounded with wooden seats and a brick wall nearby
A savoury pithivier is part of the classic French culinary repertoire and the restaurant’s version with black truffles is rich and impressive
Crab and raw artichoke salad ©Andy Sewell
The chef-patron of The River Café shares two dishes inspired by winter visits to Venice
Illustration by Shonagh Rae of symbols of US and China ©Shonagh Rae Gillian Tett from FT MAGAZINE Jan 4, 2013

Chinese lessons for America

The idea of ‘learning’ from China’s politics is almost taboo, given the US’s reverence for its constitution

Tyler Brule: The Fast Lane Tyler Brule Tyler Brule Jan 4, 2013

Planes, trains and magazines

Is there scope to introduce a sleeper service from London’s St Pancras to Zurich and Geneva?

Harry Eyres: The Slow Lane Harry Eyres Jan 4, 2013

Tales of colonial derring-do

The relationship between Sir Stamford Raffles and William Farquhar was close, rivalrous and ultimately bitter

peter aspden Peter Aspden from ARTS Jan 4, 2013

Death of the cutting edge

Culture is losing the sharp tang of specificity that used to impress itself so strongly upon us

A man in a jumpsuit ©Lucas Varela Robert Shrimsley from FT MAGAZINE Jan 4, 2013

Happy New Year, onesie and all…

It was a good break and a welcome week of atrophy, but it’s now time to go back to the real world and into work attire...

Jan 4, 2013

At home with my demons

‘The week felt so precious I didn’t want to use up a single second on any past-time that wasn’t first rate’

Beauty Insider From STYLE Jan 4, 2013

The lure of a new me

January ushers in the same old narrative of making plans for self-improvement

Vincent van Gogh's 'Bank of the Seine' ©Vincent van Gogh Museum From FT MAGAZINE Jan 4, 2013

Lights off for Van Gogh?

Some of the vivid yellow pigments in the painter’s works are unstable in art gallery lighting

Illustration of a scientist ©Luis Grañena Simon Kuper Dec 21, 2012

The sin of bad science

Different societies deal differently with sinners, and the Dutch seem particularly unforgiving