Surprise, surprise, the UK’s favourite biscuit is a chocolate digestive

December 20, 2017, 8:10 am

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It’s a debate as old as time but now, the UK’s favourite biscuit has finally been revealed.

So hold on to your mugs because it isn’t a pink wafer or a Mr Kipling Viennese Whirl.

Voted by viewers of Channel 5, the humble chocolate digestive has been given the accolade of the UK’s favourite biscuit.

Unsurprising, given that it’s something we’d save in an apocalypse.

Not far behind it, Hobnobs, Jammie Dodgers and Custard Crèmes came third and fourth respectively.

And we’re a nation of biscuit eaters – on average; Brits munch on 52 biscuits per second.

That wasn’t the only debate on the show, with viewers at loggerheads debating whether the chocolate… Read the full story

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How often you need to wash your pillowcase to avoid lash mites and all kinds of skin issues

December 20, 2017, 10:13 am

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Not to ruin any chance of you getting sleep tonight, but your pillowcase is probably absolutely filthy right now. And that could have some serious consequences.

As reported by the Sun, a woman recently became aware that she had more than one hundred mites living in her eyelashes thanks to sleeping on a dirty pillowcase for more than five years.

Yep, we’re talking about tiny little mites living on the woman’s eyes. An average of ten mites per lash, just hanging out and making her eyelids become swollen and irritated, all because she hadn’t washed her pillowcase.

Yes, this woman’s case is a little extreme. We hope… Read the full story

Man who ate pie in 32 seconds is crowned pie eating champion for third year in a row

December 20, 2017, 10:22 am

≫ Next: A baby donkey rejected by his mother will now spend his first Christmas in a family’s home

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The world pie eating title holder has eaten his way to victory once again after being crowned champion for a third consecutive year.

Martin Appleton-Clare participated in the Wigan World Pie Eating Championships, which took place at Harry’s Bar in Wigan today.

The winner is the person who manages to eat a standard beef and potato pie the fastest – with each pie 12cm in diameter and 3.5cm deep.

The competition changed in 2006, as previously the competition took place over a set time and the winner was the competitor who ate the most pies during that time – however the rules were altered to meet government healthy eating… Read the full story

A baby donkey rejected by his mother will now spend his first Christmas in a family’s home

December 20, 2017, 10:29 am

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There’s nothing sadder than a baby animal rejected.

But luckily, this baby donkey rejected by its mother will spend its first Christmas in a family’s home.

Miniature mule Bond has been bottle-fed for three months and now lives between his owner’s kitchen and the conservatory.

But he hasn’t exactly been behaving– he’s nibbled on their tree and pulled down his new family’s stockings.

And what does he particularly like chewing on? His owner Alison Wiseman’s Mary Berry’s cook books. Oh, and he even poos in the kitchen she isn’t looking.

Read the full story

An ageing dog has been given his very own special Santa’s sleigh stairlift

December 20, 2017, 10:35 am

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An ageing pet dog has been given a very special Christmas present to help him get down the stairs – his very own sleigh stairlift.

Timmie the 16-year-old Jack Russell has been gifted a stairlift in the shape of a sleigh after his arthritis and other health problems stopped him from getting around his home.

Timmie’s owner, 27-year-old Duncan Evans, created the red custom-built stairlift and designed it to look… Read the full story

Greggs launches bottles of one of the Festive Bake’s most crucial ingredients

December 20, 2017, 10:38 am

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Is there anything more Christmas-y than a Festive Bake? The answer you’re looking for is ‘nope’.*

*Apart from spending time with family, the joy of giving presents, and a proper turkey dinner, we guess.

One of the highlights of every December is Greggs’ re-launch of the Festive Bake. A firm fan-favourite, the Christmas dinner-filled pastry is the perfect way to get in the festive spirit.

The only downside? You have to leave the warmth of your house to grab one.

However, you can now re-create the tasty pastry at home – aka, you can quit having to brave the cold for your favourite savoury tweet.

Greggs has launched a bottle of one of… Read the full story

The ultimate guide to Christmas dinner for your dog

December 20, 2017, 10:00 pm

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If you’re anything like me, Christmas is a time to spoil our furry friends as well as our human ones.

I admit to taking just as much delight in seeing my dogs tuck into their roast turkey as I do in seeing my loved ones open their presents.

Why wouldn’t you give them their own meal?

What I’ve learned about caring for a blind dog

Not only does it add to the sense of occasion, it stops naughty dogs nabbing turkey off your plate, or wolfing down something they really shouldn’t.

It’s a win-win.

From the full works to a… Read the full story

What it’s like to live in supported accommodation at Christmas

December 20, 2017, 11:00 pm

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I love Christmastime.

Getting this year’s ridiculously oversized Christmas tree from the garden centre and venturing into the dusty loft to bring down the decorations that lay redundant for the last twelve months is all part of the merriment.

Peeing before sex makes women more likely to develop a UTI

Decorating the house and creating a cosy festive abode is as much a part of Christmas as the turkey and the Queen’s speech (or roast Quorn and EastEnders Christmas for me, but you get the picture).

Putting up that first bit of tinsel and opening the… Read the full story

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Peeing before sex makes women more likely to develop a UTI

December 20, 2017, 11:00 pm

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Attention, please, any woman who is about to have sex (we’re not sure why you’re on the internet right now, but good on you for doing your research before boning and making your partner wait for you to scroll through Twitter).

If you’re someone who sticks to the routine of peeing before and after sex, having been told it’s the best way to avoid the horror of UTIs, we have some bad news.

You really shouldn’t urinate before sex – and doing so can actually make a UTI more likely, rather than less.

This isn’t new information, but it bears repeating. Especially as loads of us will be heading home for the holidays,… Read the full story

Eating a daily bowl of kale, spinach or lettuce could slow brain aging by 10 years

December 20, 2017, 11:52 pm

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If you’re starting to wonder what nutritional New Year resolutions to make after a month of eating your weight in mince pies and yule logs, we’ve got just thing for you.

Rather than making outlandish, hard-to-keep promises, simply make sure you’re having at least one serving of kale, spinach or lettuce a day.

Why? Because green, leafy veg has been linked to slowing down brain ageing, according to a new study.

Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago has found that people who eat at least one serving a day have slower rates of decline on memory tests and thinking skills, compared to those who rarely eat these kinds of vegetables.

In fact, report author Martha Clare Morris, claims… Read the full story

How to handle your first Christmas as a separated parent

December 21, 2017, 12:00 am

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Christmas is tough when you’re single, and tougher still when you’re separated.

Hearing “it’ll be lonely this Christmas” every time you’re buying bread isn’t much fun, and the day itself can be a minefield.

If this is your first Christmas as a separated parent it’s going to be tough, but there are ways to make it easier for everybody.

1. Put the kids first

Whether you’ll be seeing the kids solo or with your ex, it’s crucial that you put them first.

If you can suspend hostilities for a family dinner then great, but if the pain of separating is… Read the full story

Model says she cleared up her severe acne in a week with this natural skincare routine

December 21, 2017, 12:08 am

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Let’s just preface this story with something important to remember.

What works for one person’s skin will do absolutely nothing for another’s. Don’t let yourself feel like you’ve lost all hope because one ‘miracle cure’ doesn’t clear away your acne forever. You’re not alone in this struggle, you will find a routine that works for you, and you shouldn’t feel like nothing will work just because one method doesn’t do for you what it did for other people.

We’re sharing one woman’s skincare routine not because it’s a guaranteed fix, but because her results are so… Read the full story

2017’s house of the year is a magical five storey treehouse

December 21, 2017, 12:36 am

≫ Next: #BlackBoysEmbrace is destigmatising black male intimacy and it’s truly heartwarming

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It turns out we had it all figured out when we were kids: A treehouse really would be the best place to live.

That’s not just according to our own daydreams of swinging from vines and climbing ladders into the treetops.

Every year, Zillow announces the year’s best house, voted for by tens of thousands of readers. For 2017, the people voted a treehouse to take first place.

A five-storey treehouse, to be exact. It’s located on Bainbridge Island, just outside of Seattle, Washington, has three bedrooms and four bathrooms, and up until recently belonged to Jason McLennan, a designer and environmentalist.

It’s recently been bought by a… Read the full story

#BlackBoysEmbrace is destigmatising black male intimacy and it’s truly heartwarming

December 21, 2017, 12:36 am

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Despite it being 2017, it can still be hard for men to show affection for each other, for fear of being ridiculed.

It’s a kind of hangover from the bad old days of rampant homophobia but it affects men of all sexual persuasions.

And it’s especially rife among black men.

Which is why the hashtag #BlackBoysEmbrace is so incredibly positive.

Back in 2016, Vanity Fair ran a beautiful monochrome portrait of actor Michael B Jordan and director Ryan Coogler and faced all kinds of negativity.

‘Of the hundreds of photos taken during a photoshoot…this is the effeminate image the Vanity Fair photo editor selected to display to the world. No… Read the full story

Mum calls out Amazon for selling girls’ nappies for almost double the price of the same product for boys

December 21, 2017, 12:59 am

≫ Next: 7 ways Christmas changes when your kids become adults

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Being a woman is expensive – and it turns out the pink tax starts long before you have to start spending money on tampons and pricey razors.

Rachel Whiteley, A mother of two from Hull, East Yorkshire, has bashed Amazon for charging customers more for girls’ nappies than for boys… with the packaging the only difference between the products.

A 22-pack of Huggies pull-up potty training pants for boys costs £6 on Amazon Pantry, while the same style for girls costs £7.50. The night-time version in small for boys is priced at £2.87, while the same product for girls costs £5.48 (that’s almost double… Read the full story

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7 ways Christmas changes when your kids become adults

December 21, 2017, 1:00 am

≫ Next: Foster mum refuses to put her tiny pit bull down after it was born with a cleft lip

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Christmas when the kids are little is wonderful.

From how they react to even the paltriest street decoration, to their astonished delight at a pile of presents underneath the tree – it’s all magic to them.

Even when they are past the age of believing in Santa, they still get excited when the battered box of family tree ornaments is hauled down from the loft.

But as they all become adults, it can feel like Christmas has lost some of its sparkle, although in other ways it changes for the better.

1. They become a lot harder to buy for

Read the full story

Foster mum refuses to put her tiny pit bull down after it was born with a cleft lip

December 21, 2017, 1:01 am

≫ Next: KFC lunch, emoji cake for dessert and limited family time: Japan’s weird but wonderful Christmas traditions

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This is Sasha.

She was born back in September with an obvious cleft lip and palette which left her unable to nurse.

Nurse practitioner Marie DeMarco loved little Sasha all the same and called an animal rescuer as soon as she was born.

It was then discovered that the pit bull pup was also suffering from hydrocephalus (fluid buildup in the skull), an upper respiratory infection, a UTI and orthopaedic issues.

‘She has an amazing will and determination,’ Marie tells The Dodo.

‘Through all this, she really shouldn’t be here.’

But despite her harrowing first three months, Sasha is getting stronger every day.

She gets to wear all kinds of… Read the full story

KFC lunch, emoji cake for dessert and limited family time: Japan’s weird but wonderful Christmas traditions

December 21, 2017, 2:00 am

≫ Next: How to get through Christmas when you’re recovering from an eating disorder

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Valentine’s gifts on Christmas Eve, feasts of fried chicken on Christmas Day and a festive cake made of strawberries and sponge. Welcome to Christmas in Japan.

Japanese Christmas has its roots in American celebrations, which is why much of the iconography appears similar to Christmas in the west – think lots of red and white, Christmas trees and fairy lights, and Father Christmas to boot.

Sex around the world: Here’s what goes on at Swingfields, the UK’s most secretive swingers’ festival

Yet Christmas in Japan is a secular affair and lacks the same schmaltzy sentiment we attach to… Read the full story

How to get through Christmas when you’re recovering from an eating disorder

December 21, 2017, 2:15 am

≫ Next: Can we please stop criticising older women for working out ‘too much’?

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Christmas can be stressful.

There’s the emotional labour of rushing around cooking dinner, buying the perfect presents, and making sure everything is as festive as humanly possible by the time it’s 25 December.

But for those who struggle or have struggled with an eating disorder, Christmas takes on another layer of intense mental discomfort.

The return to your family home and group meals around a table can be distressing, and the overwhelming amount of food, – with all its cultural Christmassy connotations and the pressure to eat more than usual – can trigger disordered relationships with food,… Read the full story

Can we please stop criticising older women for working out ‘too much’?

December 21, 2017, 2:22 am

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Davina McCall is a fitness goddess.

She’s been working out regularly for years (who hasn’t got one of her workout videos?) but in recent times, she’s really stepped it up.

Davina is ripped.

She has the kind of six-pack that most women could only dream of – and she’s 50.

Yep, whoever said that it was impossible to shred fat and build muscle post-menopause obviously hasn’t met this absolute machine.

But she’s come in for a fair amount of criticism for her ultra-fit looks, with people claiming she’s gone ‘too far’.

‘Dude. As much as a six pack is cool, you seem to be getting too slim now. I can imagine the stress with… Read the full story