'The British are coming!' Said to be uttered by Paul Revere in 1775 as he sped from town to town, it was definitely uttered by Colin Welland in his Oscar speech in 1982, but it proved a damp squib, as the film industry he was referring to remained earthbound and, arguably, ... Read More...

Designers have become increasingly introspective over the past couple of years, as manifested in a fair bit of navel gazing. Nacho Carbonell’s 2009 Fertility Cave installation is one such example: "The fertility cave represents the act of love between the random ideas in my head. It’s a symbolic representation of my ... Read More...

By now you will be feeling a vague unease in the back of your brainbox about the Christmas gifts you haven’t yet bought for family, friends and foes. If you fail to address this problem, that unease will turn into disquiet, then a Weltschmerz, then an angst and finally a ... Read More...

I like watching television, but I think it is an entirely frivolous activity. I don't believe it works as an educational tool (who hasn't had the conversation that goes like this: "Did you see that amazing Attenborough programme last night. It was in ... I've forgotten exactly which country, but ... Read More...

What with this cold snap covering the country in snow, Dabbler readers will be keen to warm their cockles. What better way than to slurp from a big bowl of steaming broth? Here then, courtesy of Hooting Yard's bluestocking soup maven Maud Pastry, is a recipe for Alphabet Soup: Ingredients: 1 lb ... Read More...

Here’s another post from The Dabbler’s Most South- Westerly Tip of England Correspondent, Toby Ash, who has discovered in the midst of tropical gardens a delightful new place to read books and take in the sea views. Situated on the western side of Penzance’s lovely tropical garden, close to the ornate ... Read More...

The Dabbler would like to congratulate Alexandra Harris, who last night won the Guardian First Book Award. Romantic Moderns presents a radical interpretation of the cultural history of Britain between the wars. Alexandra was up against books from all genres including fiction (previous winners include Zadie Smith and Jonathan Safran Foer), ... Read More...

[The story so far… Elusive poet Grayson Ellis is at the bottom of a well in the shadow of Titterstone Clee, following a failed assassination attempt by Tom Paulin;  Rod Lidl has been contacted by an anonymous mutual enemy of deranged academic Slavoj Zizek, and Boris Johnson's Nanny is still on the trail ... Read More...

Continuing today's boozy Dabbler Soup double-bill... Let’s be clear – what follows is a blatantly self-interested plug, so look away now if you are troubled by naked opportunism. But Brit did kindly invite me to review my own new book 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die so you can hardly expect ... Read More...

A Russian doctor takes the connoisseur's approach to combining vodka and food: Russian men drink vodka shots. They drink vodka with gusto while making loud breathing noises. They drink vodka as if their manhood depended on how loud those noises are. After these shots, Russians eat. They eat small morsels of food, ... Read More...