I was surprised to see that your article (‘The crunch? Spot on’: the best supermarket gherkins, tasted and rated, 13 September) didn’t include the Lidl own-brand option, which are lovely, whether you want full-size gherkins or crunchy cornichons. Despite this glaring omission, I do agree with Tom Hunt’s rating of the Sainsbury’s gherkins, which are inedible.
Saskia Neibig
Newcastle upon Tyne
• In Sy’s weekend crossword (20 September), a number of clues refer to areas of outstanding natural beauty. Of the clues, only the Ring of Gullion in Northern Ireland is still known as an AONB. All the others, in England and Wales, are national landscapes, renamed in 2023. I hope this fact might now be added to Sy’s vast area of general knowledge.
Marney Harris
Esh Winning, County Durham
• Sorry to disappoint, Nick Odell (Letters, 19 September), but I promise you there was no frisson when I took part in Dining Across the Divide! It was a brilliant experience, though. Made me think we all need to get outside our own bubble more.
Nyree Ambarchian
Peterborough
• The absence of Private Number by Judy Clay and William Bell (It takes two: the best pop duets – ranked!, 25 September) [from the paper] is a little mystifying.
John Lockwood
Carshalton, London
• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
• The last letter was amended on 29 September 2025 to make clear that the writer was referring to the top 10 pop duets that appeared in the paper; the online version carried the top 20 pop duets and Private Number by William Bell and Judy Clay was included in that ranking.
