Distillers at Yorkshire’s first whisky distillery have revealed details of the final bottling of their Sherry Cask Reserve series of releases. For 2026, the seventh and final bottling in Spirit of Yorkshire’s highly regarded series marries whisky from ex-Pedro Ximénez and ex-Moscatel casks.

And just like that, we are into autumn. This year has gone quickly, and while we have managed to get a lot done on the smallholding, I am not sure I am ready for winter just yet. Like most of the UK, I am enjoying the last of the late sunshine and dry days.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates around there were around 4.2 million incidents of fraud in the year ending March 2025, an increase of 31% from the previous year. With increased use of internet banking and apps, as well as AI providing virtually instant information to scammers from around the world, it’s never been more important to be ultra vigilant. And one of the growing ways scammers are trying to defraud people of their money is through pretending to be legitimate customer service departments.

When the Queen set off on the 1953 Commonwealth Tour, tucked among her wardrobe were dresses made not by a Parisian couturier but by a cotton firm from Preston. That Horrockses Fashions could occupy that position — dressing royalty while staying within reach of ordinary women — is the fascinating story now being told at The Harris as its major new exhibition opens its doors this weekend.

Sonya Venugopal considers herself a foodie. “My family all love food, and we have a group family chat called Foodies, where we tend to share recipes.

We can no longer ignore how we’re spending our time. It causes us to stop and think about where our energy goes. We book the trip, meet that friend, start the crafting project. Personally, I’ve read so many stories over the years of people who’ve made changes in their lives, big and small, because of something traumatic that has happened to them or someone they know.

Earlier this year, one of my miniature Mediterranean donkeys, Jasper, sustained an injury, the cause of which was unknown. Despite a couple of visits from the vet, no diagnosis was made, and the only advice I was given was to give him box rest and painkillers. Unhappy with the vet’s advice, I decided to look into the matter further myself.

Wars, political instability and polarisation, climate change, rising living costs and growing distrust of leaders and institutions can create a sense that the world is unstable and nobody is really in control. This presents a particular psychological challenge. Someone frightened of spiders, dogs or flying may be able to avoid the trigger, at least temporarily.