The Lady Magazine

19 August 2016

Dear Readers, Even those who are committed followers of the ‘can’t cook, won’t cook’ school of kitchen philosophy are drawn to the tense drama and decorative icing liberally served up each week on The Great British Bake Off – and the new series promises to be just as addictive. How long will it take for Paul Hollywood’s icy stare to crack? Whose sponge will sink and what hysterical bon mots will Mary Berry serve up this year? What we do know, as Mary tells us this week, is that she will be watching the size of her cake slices and keeping Paul in check. I don’t believe that Rafe Spall realised how much ‘keeping in check’ he would be expected to do when he took on the role of Captain Flint for the new Swallows And Amazons film. I adored the 1974 original big-screen version, but Rafe assures us that this one is remarkable in its own unique way. But be warned, it is goodbye Titty and hello Tatty, a decision made less to do with our fragile sensibilities and more to do with children using the internet to google the names of their favourite characters. Thankfully the internet doesn’t feature in our classic, old-fashioned whodunnit serialisation, Calamity In Kent. We’re on chapter three this week and if you haven’t started reading already, I urge you to put your feet up and catch up. Sam Taylor, Editor