Saturday, November 22, 2025 |
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If you've glanced at the headlines this week, you'd be forgiven for thinking the cost-of-living crisis is neatly packing its bags. Inflation is falling, politicians are patting themselves on the back – and yet the bill at the checkout still makes your eyes water. Our lead piece gets forensic about why food inflation is rising while the headline rate drifts down, tracing everything from climate shocks and dwindling beef herds to HFSS rules, higher wages and our dependence on ultra-processed food. If you've ever stood at the till quietly editing your trolley in shame, this is the explainer that confirms you are not going mad – the supermarket really has become the truest barometer of Britain's malaise.
Of course, it's not just your bank balance that's under siege – it's your sleep, too. We're told to ban phones from the bedroom and glug magnesium like it's holy water, but two sleep experts argue the real saboteur might be hiding in your "healthy" dinner. From salty snacks that keep your blood pressure humming, to spicy curries and tyramine-rich red wine that ping your brain into fight-or-flight mode, we break down the foods that wreck your rest – and the ones that can quietly nudge you towards a better night's sleep. Think less late-night kebab, more banana, almonds and chamomile tea.
If that all sounds a bit puritanical, Gen Z would like a word. We look at how the supposedly loneliest, most online generation is reviving communal dining. While older diners still flinch at memories of Wagamama's benches and the chaotic conga line of Belgo, Gen Z are booking supper clubs, "come alone" nights and big shared tables on purpose. Drinking a little less, logging off a little more, they're rebuilding community around the table rather than the bar – and quietly redefining what a good night out looks like.
Speaking of good nights out, Rosamund Hall is here to make the case for Beaujolais Nouveau's big comeback. Once written off as a naff Nineties hangover, this cherry-bright bottle has rediscovered its joie de vivre – nowhere more so than in Swansea, where Beaujolais Day is still treated like a second Christmas. From bargain bottles at the supermarket (complete with free "glow up") to natural-leaning cuvées and even an English Nouveau from Devon, this is wine as it should be in November: fresh, frivolous and designed to be enjoyed, not analysed.
If your mind is already on Christmas, Lauren Taylor has been grilling Rick Stein on his first festive cookbook and his rules for a saner, better lunch. From not overcooking the turkey ("it's just a big chicken, really") to making your gravy the day before and treating roast potatoes with the reverence they deserve, it's a reminder that the magic isn't in the stress, but in the planning. There's goose with sage and onion stuffing, wasabi-spiked canapés and nutty pavlovas, all designed to be prepped over a fortnight rather than in a single, sweaty morning.
And because budgets are still tight and the weather is still grim, we round things off with six simple ways to eat better and spend less this winter. Think cheesy cavolo nero-stuffed jackets, hearty kale soup, smoky haddock fishcakes, green smoothies, kale omelettes and an all-in sausage, leek and potato traybake that practically cooks itself. It's a reminder that even as prices climb and the climate plays havoc with harvests, there is still comfort – and a bit of control – to be found in a warm kitchen, a tray of crispy potatoes and a table full of people.
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Inflation is down – so why is your food shop getting even more expensive? |
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Food inflation is rising again while the headline rate drifts down – and the reasons run far deeper than one bad harvest or a greedy supermarket. In this forensic explainer, Hannah Twiggs unpacks what has really turned the weekly shop into the real barometer of Britain's cost-of-living crisis
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If you only skim the headlines, you might think the cost-of-living crisis is neatly wrapping itself up. UK inflation has finally dipped to 3.6 per cent, down from 3.8 and the first fall in five months. Politicians are celebrating, markets are betting on rate cuts and somewhere, a Treasury press officer is polishing off the phrase "turning a corner".
But your weekly shop hasn't got the memo. Food and drink inflation has risen to 4.9 per cent. At the start of 2025, it was 3.3 per cent; by August, it had climbed to 5.1 per cent, the highest since early 2024 and the fifth monthly increase in a row.
By some calculations, food prices have jumped about 25 per cent in just two years, roughly the same increase we saw in the 13 years before that. The Bank of England (BoE) notes that even at 4.5 per cent in September, food inflation is still about three times its pre-Covid norm of around 1.5 per cent.
This isn't about one bad harvest or one greedy supermarket. It's what happens when climate change, global commodity markets, health rules, labour costs and our obsession with ultra-processed food all collide in the same trolley...
Read the full article here
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| 12 best red wines, recommended by a connoisseur |
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| More tasty recipes inside |
Enjoy endless inspiration with recipes, interviews and more in your latest Indy/Eats food and drink magazine, one of your Independent Premium subscription benefits |
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"At The Independent, we've always believed journalism should do more than describe the world – it should try to improve it.
This Christmas, we're asking for your help again as we launch our new campaign with the charity Missing People – the SafeCall appeal.
Every year, more than 70,000 children in the UK are reported missing. The misery that follows – for the child, for the family, for the community – is often hidden. Too many of these young people have nowhere to turn when they need help most. SafeCall will change that. Our goal is to raise £165,000 to help Missing People launch this new, free service – designed with the input of young people themselves – offering round-the-clock support, advice and a route to safety."
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| Rick Stein's Christmas is part festive manual, part fireside memoir. Between memories of family feasts and Cornish winters, he quietly hands over the good stuff: foolproof turkeys and geese, make-ahead gravies, show-off puddings and clever ways with leftovers, all laced with the odd sun-drenched, seafood twist for anyone who likes their Christmas with salt spray and noticeably less festive stress.
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