Autumn statement: winners and losers
Brill for builders, perturbing for pensioners
Who got a windfall and who got winded by Philip Hammond’s first autumn statement? Our quick guide delivers the good and bad news
Cap letting fees, don't ban them
The legislation around housing seems to be ad hoc and self-defeating
A ban will only mean higher rents. The government should instead regulate the sector properly, writes an estate agent
The hygge conspiracy
The British have become the agents of the dissemination of Danish hygge
This year’s most overhyped trend is a wholesome Danish concept of cosiness, used to sell everything from fluffy socks to vegan shepherd’s pie. But the version we’re buying is a British invention – and the real thing is less cuddly than it seems
How the cryonics business promises eternal life
News of the British teenager who wanted to be cryogenically frozen shed light on a practice that exists largely under the radar. Murray Ballard’s photographs give a rare insight into the process
The 10 lies about Black Friday
What’s that warm fuzzy feeling called again? Buyer’s remorse
As we approach the Christmas shopping season finale, Stuart Jeffries looks to neo-Marxist analysis to help us escape the seasonal circle of hell so appalling that even Dante didn’t dare imagine it
How to be a good listener
The experts’ guide to saying less and helping more
Step one: stop talking. From that friend in need to your nightmare colleague, here’s how to hear and make a difference
Amazon Echo reviewed
‘Once you get into your home you’ll find more and more uses for it’
Amazon’s voice-controlled speaker, with its intelligent assistant Alexa, is finally available in the UK - but was the wait worth it? What is it exactly and what does it do? Samuel Gibbs tries it out
Recreating 1970s Peterborough
Photographer Chris Porsz has tracked down hundreds of people he photographed decades ago in his hometown. He arranged a reunions at the locations of the original photographs and took new pictures - see the results with our before and after sliders
Warming winter vegetable soups
Ribollita and squash and pasta soup
A proper thick vegetable soup is just the thing to see you through the exhausting run-up to Christmas. Thomasina Miers offers two recipes to keep you happy
