The Beckhams: It’s a family affair as the next generation joins the limelight

Last week, 11-year-old Cruz became the latest Beckham to taste fame with a charity single, leading some to wonder if the family are developing a dynasty to rival the Windsors

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?

Laura Cumming: best art of 2016

Portraits woke up, the tiny Goldfinch flew in, the Switch House switched on, and junk art triumphed

• Observer critics’ reviews of the year in full

The joy of textiles: Britain’s new fabric designers

A new wave of designers is being inspired by nature and the great outdoors. Becky Sunshine meets three fabric artists brightening up the material world

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