The Guardian - Life & Style • Jan. 19, 2026, 4:31 p.m.

Charente-Maritime is a more affordable, less manicured family destination than nearby Île de Ré Dinner comes with a spectacle in La Tremblade. Before I sit down to a platter of oysters at La Cabane des Bons Vivants , one of the village’s canal-side restaurants, I stand and watch orange flames bellow up from a tangle of long, skinny pine needles inside a large, open oven.

They are piled on top of a board of carefully arranged mussels and, by setting fire to the pine needles, the shellfish cook in their own juices. This is the curious tradition of moules à l’éclade , a novel way of cooking mussels developed by Marennes-Oléron oyster farmers along the River Seudre in the Charente-Maritime, halfway down France’s west coast.

The Guardian - Life & Style • Jan. 19, 2026, 4:31 p.m.

Beth’s liberated and open-minded attitude to sex has helped Alex reignite his passion after his former wife came out as a lesbian • How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously We’re always letting our hands wander under restaurant tables, or on the escalator in the Tube Continue reading...

The Guardian - Life & Style • Jan. 19, 2026, 4:31 p.m.

Jenny (left), 27, a gallery assistant, meets Sara, 29, a researcher Continue reading...

The Guardian - Life & Style • Jan. 19, 2026, 4:31 p.m.

Couples not sharing religious beliefs or going to each other’s places of worship isn’t unusual, but perhaps there’s something else going on here When I met my husband eight years ago , I knew he was churchy, but as a low-church Protestant, I thought this wouldn’t be a problem. Outside church, I am comfortable with our religious differences .

I sort of believe in God, and find immense spirituality in nature, but think Christ was simply a good man, whereas my husband believes it . He respects my beliefs and has never imposed his on me.

The problem I have is with the church we attend. I often feel a fraud as I don’t share the beliefs of the rest of the congregation.

The Guardian - Life & Style • Jan. 19, 2026, 4:31 p.m.

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts • This week’s readers’ replies: Should speed cameras be hidden? How can we accept that what feels like overwhelming love for someone is unrequited, and how can we get over it?

HH, Suffolk, by email Post your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com . A selection will be published next Sunday.

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The Guardian - Life & Style • Jan. 19, 2026, 4:31 p.m.

Moreish teatime treats that melt in the mouth… go on, you deserve it If I were to rank my top biscuits of all time, Viennese fingers would sit firmly in my top three. There’s not too much going on: just a good, buttery crumb, melt-in-the-mouth texture and chocolate-dipped ends, which are a must.

While they’re pretty straightforward to make, issues often arise when it’s time to pipe the dough, and it can be tricky to strike a balance between a consistency that has enough butter but still holds its shape once baked. I find that the addition of a little milk helps make it more pipeable, as does using a large, open-star nozzle to avoid cramped hands and burst piping bags.

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The Guardian - Life & Style • Jan. 19, 2026, 4:31 p.m.

Pandan leaf brings fragrant southern Asian sweetness to a mix of rice gin, white vermouth and green chartreuse At Bun House Disco , we’re all about bringing the vibrancy of late-night 1980s Hong Kong to Shoreditch, east London, and paying homage to a time when the island came alive after dark. In that same spirit, our cocktail list nods to the classics, but also features all sorts of Chinese and Asian ingredients and spices.

Serves 1 Linus Leung, Bun House Disco , London E2 Continue reading...

The Guardian - Life & Style • Jan. 19, 2026, 4:31 p.m.

A warming, scoop-it-up tomato and egg dish a bit like shakshuka, but the zippy lemony yoghurt and harissa give away its Turkish roots I am not the type of person to say, “These eggs will change your life”, but these eggs changed my life, so they may also make a sizeable dent in yours. The recipe is based on (but not authentic to) the Turkish dish menemen .

There is much to love about these eggs, not least how magnificently delicious they are and how fun it is to scoop them up with hot flatbread. On a practical note, meanwhile, they can be eaten at any mealtime and, if not finished, reheated later.

Which, if you love eggs and leftovers as much as I do, is a (small) dream come true. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Life & Style • Jan. 19, 2026, 4:31 p.m.

A Michelin-adjacent bistro with white tablecloths, red-trousered guests and a chunky wine list In a room packed with fancy types just off Sloane Square in London, I am eating a £52 plate of dover sole and chips while Status Quo’s Rockin’ All Over the World blasts cheerfully through the room. The chips are very nice, all crunchingly crisp and yieldingly fluffy in all the right places.

All 12 of them were perfect, in fact, stood aloft in their silver serving vessel. “A-giddy-up and giddy-up and get awaaaay,” sings Francis Rossi as I perch on a velvet, pale mustard banquette that’s clearly so very expensive that I shudder every time my greasy paws so much as skim close to touching it.

Clare Smyth , of three Michelin-starred Core fame, is letting her hair down with this new project, Corenucopia , where she’s cooking a less pricey, more comfort food-focused menu.

The Guardian - Life & Style • Jan. 19, 2026, 4:31 p.m.

Discover the joys of creamy soy bean curd in this spicy Sichuan dish that comes together in minutes Mapo tofu is a Chengdu favourite typical of the “spicy generosity” of Sichuan food, Fuchsia Dunlop explains, though it’s perhaps better not translated as “pock-marked old woman’s tofu”. It may even convert you to the joys of tofu itself, should you still be on the fence about the stuff, because its creamy softness is the perfect foil for the intensely savoury, tingly seasoning involved here.

It’s also ready in mere minutes. Prep 10 min Cook 7 min Serves 2 Continue reading...

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