The Biscuit: The History of a Very British Indulgence,

The rise of US biscuits Biscuits, like the banjo, have a complex lineage. Their roots lie in dry, twice-baked breads, or rusks, that the British called “bisquites” after the Latin phrase panis bicoctus, or “twice-baked bread”. But in the American South, particularly in the hands of Black cooks, they became soft, leavened symbols of class, skill … Read more

The flawless biscuit that took years to master

Womp, womp, womp.” That’s the sound, according to Grammy Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musician Rhiannon Giddens, of a sharp-rimmed glass cutting into just-right biscuit dough. Coming from Giddens’ mouth, the timbre translates as a low note plucked from a double bass. Giddens is an American scholar-musician whose folk, country and blues music illuminates the African lineage … Read more

4 A weekend in Cannes with an attaché to the stars

3. Best for a local foodie experience: Marché Forville At the foot of Le Suquet is Cannes’ beating heart: the Marché Forville (Forville Market) “You’ll want to go see the old town’s market,” Bastoni says, to truly get the feel of the Côte d’Azur life and step into a local’s shoes. Over in Forville, a sturdy, orange-coloured … Read more

A weekend in Cannes with an attaché to the stars

Every May since 1946, the red carpet has been rolled out onto Cannes’ palm-lined boulevards for its International Film Festival, turning the French Riviera resort city into a playground for silver screen stars. Much like the celebrities it attracts, Cannes isn’t camera shy: it’s a postcard-perfect town bursting with fuchsia bougainvillea and resplendent ivory-hued facades. And … Read more