’tis the season to be jolly

TV WEEK: 1-7FEBRUARY

Our latest fiction writing competition asked entrants to pen a love story, and we found find three romantic tales which we’re sure you’ll enjoy over the next few pages. Congratulations to Daniel Taylor with The Clockmaker’s Valentine , which you can read overleaf, along with two runners-up. Plus on page 58, find out details about our next themed short story competition...

The rise of young couples in therapy

‘He’s been a poppet, as always,’ Anne said when I arrived at her house to collect my son. On the days that I worked, my ex-mother-in-law picked Ezra up from school for me. She smiled indulgently. ‘He

I f the brighter days have inspired you ...

MEAT ✣ Medium whole chicken (1.6kg) ✣ 70g chorizo slices ✣ 500g beef mince (12% fat) DAIRY ✣ 150g pot natural yogurt ✣ 4 medium eggs ✣ 260g Cheddar cheese FRUIT/VEG ✣ 7 onions ✣ 1 red onion ✣ Garlic b