Nibbles

If you fancy making a little connection with nature and trying something new, here’s an introduction to the Japanese art of bonsai.

Next time you’re out and about, keep your eyes peeled for the start of elderflower season. Here’s all you need to know.

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Next week it’s the 250th anniversary of possibly world’s most famous ballet companies: The Balshoi. Here a clip from 2001.

If you’re more into window boxes than allotments, here’s a great guide to growing herbs in the UK. Level up your garnishes!

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Today marks 180 years since the saxophone was patented … so here’s 100 glorious seconds of the great Charlie Parker.

If you an excuse not to tackle the garden over the Bank Holiday, lucky you, it’s No Mow May. Here’s why it’s important.

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In truth, opinions about Eurovision here at COOK are pretty split … but it’s hard to be complete anti when you watch this banger from ABBA.

One of the more bizarre Eurovision winners, from 2006, when Finland was represented by a heavy metal band dressed as, we think, orcs.

Even if LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER doesn’t win (not sure about the shouty caps, to be honest), we’ll always have Katrina & the Waves.

For complete novices to seasoned gardeners, you’ll find a world of suggestions, advice and tips on the Royal Horticultural Society website.

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Short-form videos have taken over the internet, and this article from The Dispatch looks at how they might be actually rewiring our brains.

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It’s a very busy time for growers of the famous Jersey Royal potatoes. Great British Chefs tells the story of the harvest in pictures.

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Any culture tradition that celebrates nature and stretches back over 500 years is a winner in our book. Check out this modern group Boss Morris.

With Stars Wars Day coming up (yes, it’s a thing) we’re sharing this great story Mark Hamill told from his time filming the original movie. Very funny.

It’s a delicious but very short season for asparagus, so don't hang about. Here’s 10 ideas of how to make the most of it, care of Jamie Oliver. Now, get cooking!

On US TV earlier this year, Sir Ian McKellen brought a lesser-known Shakespeare speech roaring into the 21st Century. Very powerful.

It’s Earth Day on Wednesday, and there’s loads of great stuff on their website … like this: Six Myths Polluting the Environment Conversation

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The great Peter Sellers’ mash up of Richard III and the Beatles might be 60 years old but it’s still as funny as ever. A joyous two minutes.

We love The School of Life’s YouTube channel. Here’s a starter for 10, about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. It’s fascinating stuff.

The World Nature Photography Awards for this year have been announced … and the winners are just as stunning as ever.

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There’s something almost hypnotic about the great French chef Jacques Pépin in his home. Here’s his coleslaw recipe.

How did we miss the ‘fun languages’ menu on Kagi Translate? It’s turns any post in corporate jargon, Gen Z, or – our favourite – LinkedIn speak. So good.

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A real Easter treat from Naples in Italy is casatiello, the traditional bread with cheese, salami and eggs. Here’s a how-to video, dubbed into English.

A fascinating TED Talk about the overwhelming energy demands of AI data centres … and how the solution could lie in the tech causing the problem.

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It’s the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race on Saturday. Here’s a video of what it feels like for the crews competing. Serious stuff!

Onions are an amazing ingredient and the base of so many recipes. Here’s how to chop one properly. Essential information!

Some of the voices behind the brilliant and shocking Channel 4 documentary about the British sewage scandal, Dirty Business.

An amazing story from Sydney where a forward-thinking team kept 65% of the original structure of a building but completely transformed it. A must-watch!

Word of the day: Photomicrography. A fascinating competition from Nikon reveals the complex beauty of part of our world not visible to the naked eye.

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A great introduction to the transformative power of regenerative farming, courtesy of Gabe Brown, who’s spent decades farming and ranching in North Dakota.

It’s the Ides of March today, so here’s Marlon Brando in the 1953 film version of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

We’ve getting some serious flashbacks of snack from the new book celebrating crisp packets from yesteryear…

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Some wonderful wisdom here, in a letter from the acclaimed actress Laura Dern to her daughter, written in 2017.

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Joni Mitchell suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015 and had to learn to walk again. Seven years later, at 78, she played a surprise set at the Newport Folk Festival.

In this brilliant TED Talk, Caroline Strachan goes back to the basics of gender equality in the workplace, focusing on confidence, capability and childcare.

If you haven’t heard about the inspiring life of Nellie Bly – the American traveller, journalist, industrialist and war-correspondent – you’re in for a real treat.

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If you didn’t get your pie fix from this email, there’s a lot more waiting on the official British Pie Week website … including how to fix pie distasters when you’re cooking.

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You have to explore the website of Empathy Studios, who develop the skill of empathy through film, education and straining. Something the world needs a lot more of!

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The first celebrity chef was the French pastry master Marie-Antoine Carême, whose work in the early 19th Century has inspired generations of chefs. Get the story…

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What a wet winter that was. If you need a bit of a lift, try this video form the British swing band, The Jive Aces: a joyous cover of ‘Bring Me Sunshine’.

It happens every Winter Olympics: the British collective memory to cast back to 1988, when Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards hit the slopes in Calgary.

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You can hardly imagine South East Asian or Indian cuisine without chilli peppers … but they only arrived there in the 1500s. Here’s a potted history.

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Many of lemons grown in Sicily come from around Syracuse. Maybe it’s the wet British weather, but we found this drone footage of the city captivating…

Chetna Makan, the Great British Bake Off contestant from 2014, shares a brilliant, simple recipe for homemade chapatis. A great addition to your next curry.

Trust us: if you need a little downtime, this video of a Chinese craftsman making a teapot from clay is the most calming thing we’ve seen all year. Incredible skill.

Take a leaf out of the bird of paradise’s book. When it comes to attracting a mate, he knows how it’s done: tidy the place up, then pull out your very best dance moves.

According to Billboard, this duet between Lionel Richie and Diana Ross is the greatest love song of all time. Maybe. Still this performance is pure ‘80s gold. Headphones on.

For those of you who couldn’t care less about Valentine’s, here’s an amazing Turkish salad recipe, made with raw onion and sumac. Really easy and really tasty.

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We don’t know how you’d ever really choose the best ever tries from the Six Nations, but here’s a compilation of 30 that, surely, are in the running.

For a recipe for the classic Shrove Tuesday-type pancake, you can’t go wrong with Delia Smith. So tasty, it’s worth a few practice pancakes before the 17th!

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It’s estimated an A.I. search uses between 10 and 30 times the energy of a regular one. For A.I. searches powered by green energy, try using Ecosia.

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Proof, again, that if you can imagine something, it’s online: here’s two men playing football with a bowling ball on a pitch covered with Lego.

We have to go without plenty of garden herbs in the winter, but sage survives. Try it this easy and delicious sage and butter pasta recipe. Delicious.

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Trust the wonderful Olivia Coleman to give what has to be the most heartfelt and charming Oscar’s acceptance speech of all time. Have a watch.

Now, this is actually a great use of AI: virtually rebuilding London from 17th Century imagery, from the plague-ridden streets to the Great Fire and beyond.

If you like The Traitors, you’ll love the party game The Werewolves of Millers Hollow. You need at least eight players and it’s lots of fun. Here’s the background…

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Over 50 years ago, Martin Scorsese filmed his mother making her famous pasta sauce. More than just a recipe, it’s a fascinating glimpse into a whole other world.