The year of gin! Spirit enjoys record sales as drinking habits change
About 40m bottles were sold over the past 12 months – enough to make 1.12bn gin and tonics – as Spain and US become key markets
Food & drink
The best thing I ate in 2016
From a homemade birthday cake to wild pig in the Yucatán, the big names in food, including Nigella Lawson, René Redzepi and Nadiya Hussain, recall their favourite eating experiences of 2016
The great Christmas 2016 taste test
Observer Food Monthly’s cast of Dickensian players feast on the high street’s cakes, cheese and chocolates. Which are the best buys? And did anyone ask for more?
Osteria Francescana: does the world’s best restaurant live up to the hype?
Tanya Gold goes very, very fine dining in Modena, Italy
Heston goes the whole hog this Christmas with bacon and banana trifle
Gastronomic gamble from chef Blumenthal to hit Waitrose shelves as British food stores unleash twists on festive classics
Frozen in time: Salvador Dalí’s dinner parties, Paris, 1973
The artist’s foray into food and cookery was just as surreal as his paintings, as his recently republished book Les Dîners de Gala illustrates