If you’re anything like us, then setting time aside to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol (otherwise known as the greatest film of all time) is an integral part of your festive schedule.
From the flawless soundtrack and the costumes to Michael Caine’s spot-on performance, there’s a lot to love – but how well do you really know the festive classic?
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To mark the festive season, we’ve uncovered 30 facts about the movie that even those who think they know it back to front might not have picked up on…
1. There was a lot riding on the film in 1992 as the first Muppets movie to be released since creator Jim Henson’s death
It was also the first big-screen outing for the Muppets in the better part of a decade, and marked the first time many people will have seen the characters in action since their creator’s death two years earlier.
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Jim Henson with Kermit The Frog
Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
The Muppet Christmas Carol opens with a dedication to both Jim and fellow Muppeteer Richard Hunt.
Richard died in January 1992 from AIDS-related complications, almost a year before the movie hit cinemas, with most of his usual characters being absent from the Muppet Christmas Carol, and others being recast.
Jim Henson and Richard Hunt at the Oscars in 1986
ABC Photo Archives via Getty Images
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2. Kermit The Frog performer Steve Whitmire says he had a supernatural experience the night before he began filming Muppet Christmas Carol
Following the death of Jim Henson, Steve took over the role of Muppets favourite Kermit The Frog. He’d already performed the character in a couple of smaller projects, but Muppet Christmas Carol was his first film since taking over as Kermit – not to mention his first time singing as him.
Steve previously told The Guardian: “The night before we pre-recorded the songs, I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep, thinking: ‘I really want this to be good, this means so much to everybody.’
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“Then I had a bizarre dream. I was in this building that was all white, and Jim was there. He comes over to me, in a hurry to get somewhere quickly. I said to him: ‘I’m really nervous about taking over Kermit.’ He looked at me. Jim would do this thing where he would take one finger and put it on his bottom lip as he was thinking – he thought like this for a second and said: ‘It’ll pass.’ And he walked away.”
Steve Whitmire with Kermit in 2003
Lawrence Lucier via Getty Images
He added: “It felt much more like a visit than a dream. The feeling from that gave me confidence for the whole film.”
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3. Songwriter Paul Williams – who previously penned Kermit’s Oscar-winning signature tune Rainbow Connection – was on hand to make sure Steve got Kermit’s voice just right
“Paul would stand in the recording booth and close his eyes while I was singing, to decided whether it sounded like Kermit or not,” Steve recalled to fansite Muppet Central.
“He’s not a harsh guy, at all. He’s one of the most easy-going, nicest people we’ve worked with, but he was really sensing it, and if I didn’t do it just right, we did it again.”
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4. Muppet Christmas Carol was not only Brian Henson’s first time helming a Muppets project – but his first time directing any film
Brian Henson at the premiere of The Muppet Christmas Carol in 1992
Ron Galella via Getty Images
The late Jim Henson’s son Brian took on directing duties, and while it might have been new to him, you apparently wouldn’t have known it.
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“Brian was incredibly good, right from the beginning,” Muppeteer Dave Goelz told The Guardian. “Michael Caine got halfway through the film before he found out it was Brian’s first time directing – he couldn’t believe it.”
5. The film was originally intended to be a TV special – until Disney got their hands on the script
Disney was quick to see the potential in The Muppet Christmas Carol, which is how it ended up getting a full cinema release.
6. That being said, despite going on to become a Christmas classic, it didn’t quite set the box office alight at the time
It had stiff competition from the much-anticipated sequel to Home Alone and another Disney project, Aladdin.
7. Muppet Christmas Carol’s songs have become festive staples – but there were originally even more of them
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Yes, not one but two songs were recorded for the film but ultimately never recorded. Chairman Of The Board would have been performed by Sam The Eagle under the guise of young Scrooge’s headmaster, while Bunsen and Beaker would have performed Room In Your Heart for the older Scrooge in a bid to try and spread some festive cheer, and raise money for charity, earlier on in the film.
Fortunately for those who love Beaker’s iconic “meep meep” vocals, while the songs never made it into the Muppet Christmas Carol, they are both featured on its accompanying soundtrack.
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8. And that’s without getting into that whole When Love Is Gone debacle
Depending on which version of The Muppet Christmas Carol you grew up watching, you may or may not be familiar with the song When Love Is Gone.
The emotional ballad is performed by Belle, younger Scrooge’s fiancée, as they part ways for the final time when he revisits his past. However, it seems not everyone was a fan, with then-Disney chief Jeffrey Katzenberg ultimately scrubbing it from the US cinema release as he felt it slowed down the film and younger viewers would find a whole musical number without any Muppets in it boring.
By the way, that’s why Rizzo seems so disproportionately upset when Belle walks away from Scrooge in certain versions – what you’re not seeing is that she’s just performed a whole song about the slow demise of their relationship.
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Since then, different re-releases of the Muppet Christmas Carol have varied on whether When Love Is Gone was included, with many disappointed to see it absent when the film began streaming on Disney+ in 2020.
Director Brian Henson had always objected to the song’s exclusion, and previously lamented that it would not be re-included as Disney had lost the original masters. However, it turned out he was wrong, and a new edit of Muppet Christmas Carol for its 30th anniversary arrived on the streaming service in 2022, with When Love Is Gone still intact.
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Oh, and if you’re hearing it for the first time but feel like it sounds familiar, that’s because the film’s closing number The Love We Found is actually a reprise of When Love Is Gone.
9. It turns out Sir Michael Caine had long wanted to work with the Muppets gang, as he never got the chance to during The Muppet Show’s original run
Michael Caine and Kermit The Frog as Scrooge and Bob Cratchit
Blanshard/Jim Henson Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock
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Although The Muppet Show was filmed in Sir Michael’s native UK, its run coincided with his time living in the US, having moved away from Britain for tax reasons in the 1970s.
“Everybody I know has done a thing with the Muppets and I always felt a little bit left out,” he told Entertainment Tonight in 1992. “But they only did half-hour television shows and I got to do a two-hour movie, so it’s great.”
He was also heard saying around the film’s release: “Every one of my friends did The Muppet Show except me and now I’ve done a whole movie that I think will turn out to be a perennial Christmas masterpiece.”
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And, as it turns out, he was absolutely right.
10. The actor did have a previous connection with The Muppets, though
The 1988 comedy Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels – starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin – was directed by the OG Miss Piggy himself, Frank Oz.
Steve Martin and Michael Caine in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Orion/Kobal/Shutterstock
11. Sir Michael also wanted to do a film his then-seven-year-old daughter could watch
“She had never seen me in a movie,” he recalled to GQ back in 2016. “I had never made a movie that a seven-year-old can see. And so a man mentioned the Muppets and I said, ‘That’s it! I’ll do that!’. And it’s A Christmas Carol, it’s a fabulous tale! You’ll be old Scrooge, it’ll be marvelous!
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“And it was absolutely perfect at that time for what I wanted. I could make it, and my daughter could see it. That’s why I did it. And it was lovely.”
Michael Caine with the Muppets on the poster for their festive film
Jim Henson Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock
12. The actor took his role as Scrooge even more seriously than you might realise
As Brian Henson told The Guardian: “One of the first things [Michael Caine] said was: ‘I’m going to play this movie like I’m working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. I will never wink, I will never do anything Muppety. I am going to play Scrooge as if it is an utterly dramatic role and there are no puppets around me.’
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“I said ‘Yes, bang on!’”
That doesn’t mean he didn’t get swept up in the unique Muppets fun on set, though.
“It’s very difficult [to keep a straight face around the Muppets],” Sir Michael told GQ. “Very difficult indeed. You have to do a couple of extra takes.”
Michael has previously admitted it was hard to keep a straight face while filming with The Muppets
Jim Henson Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock
He added: “One of the funniest things that I remember is when all of my clerks were rats, in the office, and every time I looked away they did something – and when I looked back they were writing scrupulously and behaving properly. It made me laugh a lot.”
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As Brian Henson observed: “He was intimidating to start with, but he’s a delight.”
13. For Sir Michael’s Scrooge inspiration, he looked closer to home than you might think
“My basic role models for Scrooge were not Victorian, they were very modern,” he has been quoted as saying in promotional materials for the Muppet Christmas Carol.
He claimed inspiration “came from watching CNN and seeing the trials and tribulations of all the Wall Street cheats and embezzlers”.
Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come in one of the film’s most unsettling sequences
Jim Henson Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock
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“I thought they represented a very good picture of meanness and greed!” Sir Michael said. “My Scrooge looks particularly irredeemable and is more psychotic than most.”
Wall Street types in 1992… we wonder if there was anyone in particular he was thinking about…
14. It may or may not come as a surprise to hear that he had never sung or danced before the Muppets came along
He told GQ: “People say to me, Have you ever sung? I say, Yes, I sang in a movie. They say, Who with? I say, Kermit the Frog.”
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On his vocal performance, Sir Michael added: “It wasn’t bad, I wasn’t ashamed of it. I thought I was going to make a fool of myself but it didn’t matter, because it’s Muppets, you know.
“Scrooge sings badly, and it’s fine! It’s funny! But I thought we sang quite well as a duet, Kermit and me.”
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15. It’s tough to imagine anyone but Sir Michael Caine in the role of Scrooge opposite The Muppets, but a fair few actors were considered
Among them were David Hemmings, Ron Moody, and David Warner, with American comedian George Carlin also thought to have been a serious contender at one point.
George Carlin
Kai Mort Shuman via Getty Images
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16. And that’s not the only one case of almost-casting on the Muppet Christmas Carol
While new characters were created for the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present And Future, producers initially had an idea to have existing Muppet character portray the Spectres.
Innocents Scooter and Robin The Frog (the latter of whom ended up playing Tiny Tim) were both initially touted for the Ghost Of Christmas Past, while Miss Piggy was going to be the indulgent Ghost Of Christmas Present.
Meanwhile, Gonzo and Animal were both considered for the third, and weirdest, of the phantoms.
Miss Piggy was briefly considered for the part of the Ghost Of Christmas Present
Christopher Willard via Getty Images
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17. But hang on – if Gonzo had played the Ghost Of Christmas Present, who’d have played Charles Dickens
Well, initially the film didn’t have a narrator.
“Then we stopped and reconsidered,” Brian Henson told The Guardian. “Nobody had ever captured Dickens’s prose – the wonderful way he described the scenes. So we had to put Charles Dickens in the movie.”
Initially, according to Slash Film, the idea was to create a custom Charles Dickens Muppet who would have narrated the story, before they had the thought: “Who’s the least likely character to be Charles Dickens? Gonzo! So we made him this omniscient storyteller.”
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Gonzo The Great depicts Charles Dickens in the Muppet Christmas Carol
Jim Henson Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock
18. And what a storyteller Gonzo turned out to be
According to Brian Henson: “Ninety-five percent of what Gonzo says in the movie is directly taken from the book.”
We’re guessing that doesn’t include flirting with chickens and expressing his envy when his pal burns his feet on a “flaming hot goose”.
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The Muppet Christmas Carol is a true festive classic
Moviestore/Shutterstock
19. Unfortunately, changes to the original plans meant certain Muppet characters don’t get as much spotlight as fans would like
Scooter doesn’t speak in the Muppet Christmas Carol at all, while Animal utters just one word (“QUIET!”) at Fozziwig’s party.
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Even Muppets icon Miss Piggy doesn’t make her entrance until almost an hour into the film – although what an entrance it is.
20. Producers made a couple of key change to Dickens’ original story
For those unfamiliar with A Christmas Carol, Jacob Marley’s brother Robert only appears in the Muppets version, allowing the hecklers Statler and Waldorf to make an appearance to warn Scrooge of his fate. Whether producers chose the name Robert as a reference to reggae legend Bob Marley remains to be seen.
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They also removed the character of Scrooge’s younger sister, Fan, who dies in the book after giving birth to her son, Fred.
21. The Muppeteers took unusual measures to make the (frankly, terrifying) Ghost Of Christmas Past work
The specially-created puppet was filmed in a water tank to make her look like she was floating, before being superimposed into the final edit using green-screen technology
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22. Oh, and did you know she was played by a future soap star?
Hollyoaks’ Jessica Fox, who plays Nancy Hayton, was eight years old when she lent her voice to the ghostly character
Jessica Fox at the Inside Soap Awards in 2011
Mike Marsland via Getty Images
23. You might recognise some of the other human actors too
Steven Mackintosh and Robin Weaver play Scrooge’s nephew Fred, and his wife Clara.
Steven Mackintosh
Karwai Tang via Getty Images
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Since The Muppet Christmas Carol, Steven won a Bafta for his role in the BBC One film Care and appeared in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and the first season of Luther.
Robin, meanwhile, has played Simon’s mum Pamela in the Inbetweeners, as well as starring in the slightly-less-cheery Black Mirror Christmas special.
Robin Weaver
Joanne Davidson/Shutterstock
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24. Although one of them is noticeably absent in the final scene
Apparently Robin Weaver wasn’t available for filming on the last day, which is why she’s not present in the The Love We Found sequence.
25. Ever wondered what was the most complicated part of the shoot?
That would be this sequence in which Kermit appears in a full-body shot walking for the first time ever.
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It was achieved using a whopping 10 Puppeteers, a rotating drum and a whole lot of green screen.
26. And there was a lot more visual trickery going on
The Muppet Christmas Carol was filmed on a lot in the UK, meaning all of the buildings were specially-built.
To make the streets look more like winding Victorian London, the rows of houses and buildings actually get smaller as they go along, with forced perspective being used to make them look regular-sized.
However, Brian Henson shared during the film’s DVD audio commentary that this illusion is spoiled during the It Feels Like Christmas sequence, which ends with a crane shot, briefly giving the game away.
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Brian Henson briefly gave the game away during this scene
27. Signs dotted around the Muppets’ version of London also hold hidden meanings
As well as nods to film’s behind-the-scenes team, one shop is shown as being called Micklewhite’s, a reference to Michael Caine’s real name. Another is named Statler and Waldorf’s, an obvious allusion to the Muppets characters (who themselves are named after two famous New York hotels).
Michael Caine singing outside a shop bearing his real name in The Muppet Christmas Carol
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28. But forget you might have heard about one supposed Easter egg (or whatever the Christmas equivalent would be)
Despite rumours that Beaker gives Scrooge the finger while telling him off, if you look closely you’ll see he’s just pointing enthusiastically.
No, that’s not Beaker’s middle finger
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29. There are fun details hidden in the closing credits too
Look out for “Rizzo’s personal caterer” among the rest of the cast and crew.
30. Keep your eyes open for a familiar face during the opening number, too
While Christmas Carol is the first Muppets film not to feature any characters from Sesame Street, there is a brief cameo from Fraggle Rock canine Sprocket.
Sprocket makes a surprising appearance in the beginning of the film
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The Muppet Christmas Carol is now available to stream on Disney+. HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.
If you’ve managed to go this far without becoming familiar with Mariah Carey’s iconic song All I Want For Christmas Is You, then I’d like to apologise for what I’m sure was a difficult time in your bunker.
The song has just achieved a record-breaking 16th week on Billboard’s number one spot, where it’s appeared for the past four consecutive years in the lead-up to Christmas ― some expect the tune will soon exceed $100 million in earnings.
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It blasts from shop speakers, car radios, and YouTube ads yearly. “That song is just embedded in history now,” David Foster, 16-time Grammy-winning composer and producer, said. “It’s embedded in Christmas. When you think of Christmas right now, you think of that song.”
But what I certainly didn’t think about while listening to it, because I didn’t know, was this; it only took 15 minutes to write the song.
“It’s definitely not Swan Lake,” Walter said. “But that’s why it’s so popular—because it’s so simple and palatable.”
Speaking to Billboard, Walter said, “It was always the same sort of system with us. We would write the nucleus of the song, the melody primary music, and then some of the words were there as we finished writing it.”
“That one went very quickly: It was an easier song to write than some of the other ones,” he added.
Huh!
I know ― though to be fair, they did tinker with their easy-bake hit for a little while after the first write-up.
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“I tried to make it a little more unique, putting in some special chords that you really don’t hear a lot of, which made it unique and special. I think that’s one of the components that made it unique year after year. That part of it took maybe an hour,” Walter told Billboard.
“Then for the next week or two Mariah would call me and say, ‘What do you think about this bit?’ We would talk a little bit until she got the lyrics all nicely coordinated and done,” he said.
So, while the core of the song was written in less time than it takes me to make my morning bowl of porridge, the entire polishing process took a few extra hours. Still, worth it for a record-breaking hit, right?
We all know that we’re going to spend Christmas day fighting over roast potatoes with our families and that the meat of choice comes after deep consideration but according to one chef, we’re actually missing a trick when it comes to our carrots.
Yes, that’s right, our collective disregard of the humble carrot has led us astray and we’ve been taking their essential spot on our dinner plates for granted, especially around this time of year.
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Outrageous, really, since carrots are the ideal snack for reindeers.
Michael Lawson, head chef at Atlantic Brasserie said: “Carrots are great produce to cook with; they’re available year round and are super versatile.
“For Christmas dinner there are countless ways to elevate this humble veggie into the star of the show.”
How to elevate your Christmas carrots
Lawson promises that this recipe can “transform carrots into a stunning holiday centrepiece, that’s as delicious as it is eye-catching.”
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All you need is honey, butter, pistachios, orange zest and, if you’re feeling extra fancy — chives.
Lawson says: “I start with glazing carrots with honey and butter, which gives them a rich and sticky finish.
“My secret ingredient is pistachios – they might not be the first garnish you think of when you’re cooking carrots, but they give the dish a nice crunch and a contrasting savoury flavour which is just mouthwatering. You can also add in some chives for colour and a more complex flavour”
Once you’ve done this, roast your carrots in olive oil for 45 minutes until fully cooked. Then, Lawson advises: “Make a glaze with the zest of an orange and around 20 ml of honey, cover the carrots in this and roast for a further ten minutes.
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“Sprinkle the pistachios and chopped chives before serving. It’s a super easy way to level up what can be a basic side – and it’s perfect for Christmas dinner.”
I think it’s fair to say I’ll be tucking into this treat throughout the year, too.
More goes into the design of a takeaway coffee cup than most of us realise.
For instance, you might not have known that placing the cover’s drinking spout opposite the paper cup’s “seam” can help prevent leaks.
And if you’re anything like me, you’ll have no idea why there’s often a tiny hole (separate from the main drinking point) in the lid either.
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Turns out it’s actually a pretty smart safety feature ― and makes sipping from the container easier too.
How?
According to the Aussie version of the food and drink site Delicious, it’s partly down to steam.
The minute vent helps steam to escape, they say ― though this doesn’t cool it down much.
Instead, it prevents steam from building up in the container, causing pressure to build and potentially leading to burst cups.
Additionally, the presence of another hole than the drinking spout allows coffee to run smoothly when you’re sipping from it ― otherwise, there’d be no airflow in the cup.
They write that the Viora lid’s “deep well and centred hole are designed to concentrate the coffee’s aroma.”
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It also helps to prevent spills
Per Delicious, the oft-unnoticed detail design also helps to keep your coffee where it should be (ideally, either in your mouth or in the cup).
It works for the same reason the hold creates a better sip; if there’s a lack of steady airflow, the liquid will move in jumpy, unpredictable ways.
Designer Louise Harpman and architect Scott Specht, who worked together on Coffee Lids: Peel, Pinch, Pucker, Puncture, say that trends, tech, and even legal cases have shaped the design of the mundane invention over the years.
For example, coffee lids became more dome-shaped as foamy, bubbly drinks rose in popularity; after the famous McDonald’s coffee court case, they told Atlas Obscura, brands started including more visible warnings on their lids.
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“Coffee lids are modest modern marvels, but we rarely slow down and take the time to consider, admire, or even wonder about these humble masterpieces,” Louise told the publication.
Peter Mandelson is to become the UK’s next ambassador to the United States.
The Labour peer and former cabinet minister is expected to take up the role in the New Year.
He will take over from Dame Karen Pierce, the current ambassador, whose tenure is will come to an end at the start of 2025.
A government source said: “The fact the prime minister has chosen to make a political appointment and send Lord Mandelson to Washington shows just how importantly we see our relationship with the Trump administration.
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“We’re sending someone close to the prime minister with unrivalled political and policy experience, particularly on the crucial issue of trade. He’s the ideal candidate to represent the UK’s economic and security interests in the USA.”
Lord Mandelson served in government under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, who controversially made him a peer to bring him back into the cabinet as business secretary in 2008.
The former MP for Hartlepool had been the Britain’s European commissioner since 2004.
Last month, the Labour peer told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show last month that he would be “very interested” in giving advice on trade to whoever became the UK’s ambassador to America.
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He said: “Can I just make the point if you don’t mind: nobody has spoken to me about this job.
“I read about it in the papers but nobody has actually spoken to me about it, so let’s put it to one side.”
Pushed further on whether he would be interested in the role, the former government minister said: “I would be very interested indeed in giving advice about trade to whoever is appointed.”
Lord Mandelson also said last month that the government should consider using Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as a “bridge” to president-elect Trump and Elon Musk.
People, I have been humbled by roast potato facts recently.
I thought my recipe was foolproof until I realised that not only should I be adding Mary Berry-approved semolina to the veggies for an extra crunch, but I should also retire my extra-virgin olive oil additions.
And now, it seems I’ve been making another mistake on my way to crispy, fluffy perfection ― turns out it’s important to cool your parboiled potatoes before cooking them.
We’ve written before about how applying low-moisture semolina to the outside of potatoes can ensure they crisp up as they cook rather than steaming their skins to softness.
Well, the same philosophy applies here. When you parboil your roast potatoes, you infuse them with water (no shockers there). And the steam puffs out from the exterior of your potatoes for a while after removing them from the water.
This can interfere with the potatoes’ interaction with the hot oil you should be adding them to after roughing up their sides and adding seasoning. And if they’re seriously steamy, or even wet, you can get some dangerous splashback.
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You should “strain them and wait until the steam stops,” William shared. “You’ll never get a crisp result if they are full of water.”
In fact, Joe White, head chef at 10 Tib Lane in Manchester, even goes so far as to say “For the perfect roasties make sure to steam or boil them the day before and let them air dry overnight in the fridge. It will make the outside extra crispy when you roast them.”
What’s the right method, then?
According to Williams, “To get the perfect potatoes, peel them, add to cold water and bring to boil. Boil for around six minutes until the edges soften.”
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Shake them in the colander while hot to provide rough, textured edges, and apply semolina and seasonings while the spuds are still hot. Freshly-boiled potatoes will provide fluffier outer layers, and ingredients stick better to hot food.
Then, strain them and cool them. When you’re ready to cook them, place a fat of your choice ― duck fat if you want to be luxurious, though sunflower and vegetable oils are great options ― in a baking tray to get hot before adding the spuds.
“Roast for around twenty minutes in a hot oven before turning them over; this allows a crust to form underneath, so you won’t leave half the potato stuck to the tray,” Williams recommends.
We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about the three letters you should always look out for on Italian wine bottles to make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck.
Well bang is one thing, but what about fizz? After all, ’tis the season for a festive glass of bubbly ― and if you’re anything like me, you have no idea what to look for on a champagne label.
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Luckily wine expert Partner In Wine shared a TikTok video revealing how to “read” the drink’s bottle.
Let’s start with “Brut”
I’ll be honest here ― I thought “Brut” was a brand of champagne, but the wine pro says it’s actually to do with its taste.
“Brut is a common name for the sweetness of the wine,” she explained.
“So this bottle says ‘Brut’ on it, which means it’s a dry wine. If you want something bone-dry, look for the words ‘Extra Brut’ or ‘Brut Nature’.”
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The “drier” the champagne (or the more Brut force it has ― teehee), the less sweet it is, Champagne de Lozey say on their site.
If you’re after something a little more sugary, Martha Stewart’s site adds, you might want to go for a demi-sec or, for the sweetest sip, doux, variety.
Then, there’s the vintage to consider
“Most champagnes state ‘NV’ on the label,” the wine expert said, meaning they’re not vintage.
“This means it’s been made of a blend of grapes from different years.”
Though I always heard “vintage” matters, Partner In Wine explains that the blending method helps winemakers to produce consistent wine brands that taste the same every time you drink a different bottle.
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It’s a smart move because bad grape years spell disaster for your glass of bubbly ― mixing blends together can provide a better product.
With that said, Partner In Wine points out that if a winemaker shows you the year their product is from, that’s usually because its something to brag about.
“If there’s a year on the label, that means it comes form one exceptional year,” she shared. “This means it’s a vintage champagne, and they tend to be more expensive but also, more delicious.”
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Don’t let the word “vintage” lead you to think she means “ancient,” though.
Cult Wine Investment writes that 2008 is this century’s standout year, with 2013 and 2014 also yielding pretty great results. 2002 and 2000 went down well too, they add.
February 16, 2021 was meant to be the day that I birthed my newborn son – without drugs, not even gas and air! – into a birthing pool, under the glow of lavender-coloured LED lights, as the sound of ‘cicadas in a field’ gently filled the my private room at the midwife-led birthing unit of my local hospital.
Ideally, this would have been with the aide of a birthing Doula, but as we were deep into another nationwide lockdown, I was lucky to even have my (masked) husband as my birthing partner.
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However, somehow nearly three weeks later in early March – instead of the birth I had expected and made a playlist for – I found myself recovering from three excruciating days of induced labour and an emergency c-section, while laying in a pool of blood in a sensory clusterfuck of a maternity ward.
I couldn’t move – partly from exhaustion, mostly from major surgery and a catheter – so I couldn’t even pick up my son when it was time to feed him.
The story of my pandemic pregnancy and my son’s birth is complicated, tender, and generally something I keep very private. My husband lived it alongside me, but only my closest friends and my therapist know why orange Lucozade makes me want to vomit or why the sight of that small, blue suitcase under the guest bed can still make me cry.
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What is truly horrifying to me, aside from my own gruesome memories, is that my story is just a drop in the ocean when it comes to how many women in the UK have also had a “negative” or traumatic birth experience.
Because of these unsettling and life-altering numbers, a new campaign called Delivering Better, formed by a group of mothers, is urging Health Secretary Wes Streeting to take urgent action to improve maternity services in the UK.
The group’s new report highlights the need for “better support for women who often suffer, both mentally and physically, years after they have given birth” and shows the horrific impact that traumatic births are have on women, with almost half of all mothers suffering mentally and physically.
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They report one in four mothers experience a negative birth in the UK, and that 72% of those women say their experience had left them with long-term mental health impacts.
Of the women who reported a negative birth experience:
almost half (48 per cent) say it had a long-term impact on their relationships,
over a third (37 per cent) say it had a long-term impact on their ability to work,
more than half (54 per cent) said it left them less likely to want to have more children.
More than half of women (58%) of the women who said they had a negative birth experience said they “didn’t feel listened to during delivery” – which, for me, was one of the worst parts of my own experience.
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Being in one of the most vulnerable states a human can be in, and then voicing a need, a concern, or asking for help and being denied that help or dismissed by the people who are apparently there to help you can be incredibly damaging for your mental health. Not being listened to can also have incredibly serious, if not life-threatening physical implications, too, as we know from the startling statistics around Black maternal health care.
What can be done differently to help new mothers?
As both a mum and an editor I see a lot of press releases and newsletters targeting mothers and pregnant people. Some of it is helpful, but I’ll never forget an email I was sent about a new campaign to “support maternal mental health” which initially sounded excellent as some big name brands were involved.
However, reading the details, the campaign was meant to support women’s mental health after giving birth via… a meditation app. And some frozen food vouchers. And also a bit of funding for an organisation that has been criticised for its potentially harmful policies and focus on ‘natural births’.
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We deserve better than this.
There needs to be much more tangible action taken in both pregnancy and delivery to see any significant changes in maternal mental health.
In my opinion, a lot can be done by addressing the curriculum and policies of prenatal courses that are available to parents – and the cost and accessibility of these services, too. I’ve experienced first hand that women – especially first-time parents – are taught in these courses that we have much more control over exactly how and when our babies will be born. That we can choose a positive birth experience.
We’re told to just watch your favourite films and eat some chocolate to get those oxytocin levels up and then labour shall commence shortly thereafter. If you breathe correctly that baby’s gonna pop right out of you – you’ve been doing your cervical massages, right?
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But I can tell you firsthand – as can thousands of other parents – you can do everything “right” and still end up having an emergency c-section.
The Delivering Better campaign is asking for changes to be made in both pregnancy and delivery for mothers, including greater continuity of care throughout pregnancy.
The aftercare new mothers get is nearly comical in its limitations, and the group is also calling on GPs to proactively contact mothers via text message at three months and six months postpartum to check in on their physical and mental health.
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According to Delivering Better: “Mothers often report feeling abandoned after the current six-week check, which is often not fit for purpose, with only a couple of questions directed at the mother.
“Some mums say the main question they’re asked is whether they are back on contraception. In the survey, 88% of mothers say they support receiving mental and physical health checks in the months following their birth experience, and 81% say they would have benefited from this themselves if it had been offered.”
Shocking isn’t it?
You can read more of what Delivering Better is asking for on their website, where you can also sign their open letter to Wes Streeting, “urging action for maternity care that is safe, compassionate and evidence-based”.
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Help and support:
Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.
Help and support:
Sands works to support anyone affected by the death of a baby.
Tommy’s fund research into miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth, and provide pregnancy health information to parents.
Saying Goodbye offers support for anyone who has suffered the loss of a baby during pregnancy, at birth or in infancy.
Labour ministers have been accused of “betrayal” after ruling out compensation for women who lost out when the rules over when they received their state pension were changed.
Keir Starmer was among those who gave their support to the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign when the party was in opposition.
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Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall told MPs on Tuesday that it would not be “a fair or proportionate use of taxpayers’ money” to pay up to £10.5 billion to those affected.
That was despite the parliamentary and health service ombudsman ruling that the women should be compensated due to mistakes made in the way the changes to their pension age were communicated to them.
Women’s state pension age was increased from 60 to 65 so it was equal with men’s between 2010 and 2018.
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But the campaigners insisted they were not adequately informed about the change.
Speaking in 2022, Starmer said the Waspi women were the victims of “a real injustice”, adding: “We need to do something about it.”
Kendall herself was also pictured with a sign saying: “I will work with Waspi to identify and deliver a fair solution for all women affected.”
Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, re-posted the picture on X and said: “The Labour secretary of state is currently stating that her government will not provide any financial compensation to the Waspi women. They are shameless.”
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This Labour Secretary of State is currently stating that her Government will not provide any financial compensation to the WASPI women.
Waspi chairwoman Angela Madden said: “The government has today made an unprecedented political choice to ignore the clear recommendations of an independent watchdog which ordered ministers urgently to compensate Waspi women nine months ago.
“This is a bizarre and totally unjustified move which will leave everyone asking what the point of an ombudsman is if ministers can simply ignore their decisions.
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“It feels like a decision that would make the likes of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump blush.”
These days, it seems like more people are traveling than ever. So it makes sense that many travellers are seeking unique experiences that don’t feel like the same standard vacation everyone else is taking (and posting about on social media).
Fortunately, there are plenty of fresh and fulfilling types of trips you can take ― from “destination dupes” to “mystery travel.” But a particularly meaningful option is “heritage travel.”
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Below, travel experts break down this approach to travel and what you should know before you plan a heritage trip.
What is heritage travel?
“Heritage travel is when you explore destinations tied to your ancestry or cultural roots,” said Gabby Beckford, founder of the travel site Packs Light. “It’s about discovering more about yourself, your family stories, and your overall identity by traveling to places where you are, in some part, ‘from.’”
People interested in heritage travel ― which is also known as genealogy tourism, ancestral travel, roots tourism and DNA tourism ― can plan vacations around their family lineage and walk the path of their ancestors. This is all much easier to do in the age of services like 23andMe, AncestryDNA and MyHeritage.
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“It’s been popular for years already, but I think it’s really grown since the advent of at-home DNA testing products,” said Laura Motta, the senior director of content at Lonely Planet. “They can give people a ton of insight into where their families are from.”
For many, these home kits have awakened a desire to connect with their history and experience aspects of their ancestors’ culture firsthand. Now, companies like Ancestry are offering special guided heritage travel opportunities to customers who want to gain a greater understanding of their family’s past. Options include ancestral home visits, genealogy cruises and personal guided tours.
Heritage travel is increasingly common in places that experienced mass emigration or forced removal at some point and therefore have a large diaspora community in other parts of the world. Examples include Ireland, Ghana and Italy (as seen in Season 2 of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” which featured a three-generation Sicilian American family returning to their ancestral roots in Testa dell’Acqua).
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“Lots of countries and communities are working to enable and encourage heritage tourism, which makes complete sense. It’s big business,” Motta said. “Tour operators and tourism boards often have information to help you get started.”
Heritage travel can also refer more broadly to any type of tourism that involves visiting historic and cultural sites and immersing yourself in the destination’s past and present way of life. And this certainly applies to ancestry-focused tourism.
“Reconnection to the past is at the central core of heritage travel,” said Katy Nastro, a travel expert and spokesperson for the Going travel app. “A type of travel designed to better engage a traveler with the cultural heritage of a place, heritage travel is more about understanding a destination through genuine traditions and experiences rooted in history.
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What are the benefits of heritage travel?
There are many reasons why heritage travel might appeal to tourists.
“It can be really fascinating and can help connect people to their ethnic and cultural roots,” Motta said. “Of course, heritage tourism can mean very different things to different people. You might be chasing a complicated paper trail of baptism certificates and immigration records in Ireland, or finding your family’s former home in California, or learning about rituals that your ancestors performed in Ghana.”
Beckford said she personally finds the heritage travel trend to be very exciting.
“As someone who is multiracial, I understand that in a world that likes to put people into neat categories, not fitting perfectly into one can feel alienating,” she noted. “I believe knowledge is power, and traveling back to where your ancestors came from to understand how you became the person you are today can be not only fascinating but healing for many people like me.”
Heritage travel can take many forms and include a wide range of experiences. People may have different goals and approaches to their ancestral journeys.
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“I see many families, particularly second and third generations, taking heritage trips to reconnect with rituals, traditions, religions, holidays, or even to honour specific family members who have passed,” Beckford said.
By taking a heritage-focused trip, you have the opportunity to truly immerse yourself in the local culture and history as well.
“Travellers more and more are seeking an authentic travel experience, away from uber-popular tourist traps, traveling more purposefully,” Nastro said. “There is no better way to understand your current surroundings than by walking through its past.”
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She added that you don’t necessarily need to design an entire vacation around heritage travel, but can instead incorporate it through specific activities or experiences in your trip.
Gerhard Pettersson / 500px via Getty Images
Travel experts believe the rise of DNA testing services has led to increased interest in heritage trips.
Here’s what else you should know before trying this trip.
Although there are many benefits to these kinds of trips, heritage travel is not an inherently positive experience.
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“History is messy. Families are complicated,” Motta said. “There are plenty of reasons why people become estranged from their families and heritage. Chasing your personal history can lead to discoveries that are uncomfortable, unpleasant and even contradictory. For most, the upsides far outweigh this, but it’s something to consider.”
Another downside is the potential for mismanaged expectations.
“Visiting your ancestral lands may or may not provide the healing someone might be seeking,” Beckford said. “These places and their people naturally change and evolve with time, and some travellers might put too much pressure on a destination to be what they need it to be, rather than accepting it for what it is.”
