Saturday, December 8, 2007

curiouser&curiouser
This year's Christmas show at The Helix in Dublin inspired our fashionable tea party. Photographs: Alan Betson . Stylist: Jan Brierton. p

The flat-pack challenge
Ireland gets its first Ikea on Thursday, when the Belfast store opens. It's a great place to buy a kitchen in theory, writes Liam Stebbing , but here are just a few things that can go wrong. p

Questions of taste
It was a shared bottle of wine as a student in Oxford that made Jancis Robinson realise what life was all about. Tom Doorley meets the woman who decides what Queen Elizabeth will drink. p

A modern-day morality tale
The alleged abuse of the late Brooke Astor by her son has kept New York high society - and the tabloids - riveted for months. As the trial approaches, Marion McKeone tells a murky tale of greed and misery p
Inspect a gadget
Davin O'Dwyer rounds up the hottest gift gizmos - from the iPhone to USB batteries - and scratches his head at one of the oddest. p

Opening lines
Heavenly scents: On a wet day in the west of Ireland, I wandered into Cloon Keen Atelier and came out with an array of beautifully wrapped presents, most of which I think I will end up keeping. p
Planet Matters
Jane Powers on Christmas gifts. p
What's going on
December 8th-14th. p
My big week
David Curtis getting ready to sing out the festive season. p

Begging for applause
I watched her for longer than I should have. I had places to go and people to see. A sharp wind swept down O'Connell Street, and people passed quickly, not wanting to linger any longer than necessary outside the Gresham Hotel or the Happy Ring House or Burger King. p

Hemmingway's, Clontarf
Eating out/Tom Doorley: Northsiders can be very sensitive creatures. I was once one myself, having spent my formative years in Drumcondra. I migrated southwards at an early age - and continued to do so, ending up, now, some 250km south of the River Liffey. p
Top slice
Cooking In: Hugo Arnold on a tasty indulgence for visitors or a show-stopping gift. p
Bitesize
Everyday dinners: Fancy having your own personal cook to cater to your every whim? Emma Fleetwood (right), a Ballymaloe-trained chef, has identified a niche in the market for wholesome food made to order and chilled or frozen for future use by busy people who want to eat well, without cooking. p
Sweet success
Everyone appreciates the effort of a home-made gift - especially if it's something delicious made with top quality chocolate, butter and cream, writes Marie-Claire Digby . p
Season sparkle
Wine: It's a time to splash out - but a bit of bubbly doesn't always have to hurt your pocket, writes Joe Breen . p

Clotheslines
One for the kids: A former buyer with Dunnes Stores, Hilary Behan moved to live in Singapore with her husband and three children and on a trip to Paris more than two years ago discovered a children's brand called Du Pareil Au Même. p
About face
Phyl Clarke chooses top stocking fillers and seasonal stand-bys. p