All posts tagged: cosy

Countdown’s Susie Dent says her new novel has more grit than ‘cosy crime’

Countdown’s Susie Dent says her new novel has more grit than ‘cosy crime’

Published by Daniella Wilson

This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. It’s partly – like so many things – Jimmy Carr’s fault. “He teases me about the number of non-fiction books I put out,” admits Susie Dent. (There are, indeed, 12 of them available on Amazon.) But her new, “nervous” foray into novel-writing is also down to her dad. “It was a bit like when I first started on Countdown,” explains the Channel 4 quiz show’s queen of words. “In both cases I was asked several times to do it, and someone had to apply a little bit of pressure before I actually said yes.” In the case of Countdown, that someone was Dent’s boss at the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), where she worked as a lexicographer; with the novels, it was, “first and foremost”, her father. “I don’t think I ever would have taken the step to write fiction, because I always say that dictionaries have as much magic and adventure and enchantment as anything you’ll read anywhere. But the proudest my parents have ever been of …

Yes, your candle is cosy. But it could be damaging your health

Yes, your candle is cosy. But it could be damaging your health

Published by Daniella Wilson

During the winter months, when days are short and cold and nights are long and dark, creating a warm and cosy indoor atmosphere can feel especially important. Where I live in Denmark, around 75 per cent of the population burns candles two or more times a week, and 34 per cent use them daily during the winter months. In fact, Denmark is often said to be the country with the highest per-capita candle consumption in Europe. Danes burn around 5.8kg of candle wax per person per year – the equivalent of about six bags of sugar. Yet, nice as they can look, studies show burning candles is one of the biggest sources of indoor air pollution. This is because when burning, candles emit a large number of ultrafine particles. These particles are so small that they are invisible to the human eye, and more than a thousand times thinner than a human hair. They can remain airborne for long periods, and when candles are blown out, the concentration of these particles (including soot) increases even …

Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, London WC2: ‘A rollicking list of cosy British joys’

Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, London WC2: ‘A rollicking list of cosy British joys’

Published by Sam Flores

As we sit awaiting the beef rib trolley in the Grand Divan dining room at the whoppingly sized Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, we fizz with ideas of how to describe its wildly unfettered quaintness. “It’s all a bit Hogwarts, isn’t it?” I say to my friend Hugh. He’s been four times already, but then, Simpson’s is that kind of place: a handy-as-heck, posh canteen a short stroll from Covent Garden. There’s a twinkly, ye olde cocktail bar upstairs as well as Romano’s with its more European-style menu. But, for now, let’s concentrate on the Grand Divan. “It’s all very Samuel Pepys’ London,” Hugh says. “Or very ‘I’m a member of the British establishment meeting my former Eton fencing team for claret and rabbit with grain mustard’,” I reply as the dining hall, which has been used in various forms since 1828 (apparently even Dickens popped by at one point), fills to the brim pretty quickly on this Sunday lunchtime. Old school: Simpson’s-in-the-Strand’s rabbit terrine is served with apricot chutney and toasted brioche. The soundproofing is world class, meaning …