These are the places readers turn to when they are stocking a holiday cottage, sorting a family barbecue or just looking for an excuse to get out for a drive while the sun is shining.

Brocksbushes Farm Shop, near Corbridge

Brocksbushes is one of those farm shops that feels like a day out in its own right.

Just off the A69 near Corbridge, it combines a big farm shop and tea room with seasonal pick‑your‑own fields and play areas for children.

In summer the focus is on soft fruit, with rows of strawberries and raspberries ready to be picked, plus shelves of jams, chutneys and bakes made using what has grown on site.

Visitors talk about it as somewhere that works for the whole family: you can pick fruit, grab lunch in the café, and still have time to browse for pies, cheeses and treats to take home.

It is the kind of place that ends up on the yearly “we must go back” list once you have been once, especially if you are based in the Tyne Valley or heading along Hadrian’s Wall.

@brocksbushes It’s officially strawberry picking season and we’re so excited! The strawberry fields open tomorrow! 🍓🫶 #pyo #pyofruit #pyostrawberries #strawberries #strawberryseason #pickyourown #northumberland #brocksbushes #fruitpicking #newcastle #hexham #corbridge #fyp #foryoupage ♬ Show Me Love – WizTheMc & bees & honey

Moorhouse Farm Shop, near Stannington

Moorhouse Farm Shop, just outside Morpeth, is built firmly around its own livestock.

The farm rears beef, pork and lamb for the butchery counter, which has become a go‑to for people planning summer barbecues and Sunday lunches. Counters are lined with sausages, burgers, kebabs and roasting joints, backed up by pies, ready meals and plenty of local store‑cupboard staples.

Alongside the shop is a busy coffee shop serving breakfasts, lunches and home‑baked cakes, with outdoor seating that comes into its own on warmer days.

For anyone breaking a journey on the A1 or heading to a coastal cottage, it works as both a refuelling stop and a place to stock the fridge with Northumberland meat and dairy.

Blagdon Farm Shop, Blagdon

Blagdon Farm Shop is the one many people automatically aim for when they want “something decent” rather than a supermarket detour off the A1.

Set in the stone courtyard at the Milkhope Centre, it focuses on local meat, deli produce and a solid range of regional suppliers.

Fridges and counters are full of North East beef, pork and lamb, alongside sausages, pies, cheeses and salads that lend themselves perfectly to summer gatherings.

It has the feel of a place that takes its sourcing seriously without being precious about it.

Regulars pull in to pick up specific sausages or a joint for a special occasion; others call in for a general browse and leave with more than they planned.

With a café and other independent shops on the same site, it is easy to turn a quick top‑up into a longer potter when the weather is good.

Smaller stops and summer favourites

Beyond the bigger names, there are plenty of smaller Northumberland farm shops and producers that come into their own once the days lengthen.

Some are little more than a well‑stocked shed and an honesty box at the end of a lane; others combine a compact shop with a tearoom looking out over fields. Many add ice cream, picnic boxes or simple children’s activities during the school holidays.

These quieter spots are often where you find the most direct link between field and counter: trays of eggs from the hens you can see from the car park, salads and veg that were lifted that morning, and cakes baked in the kitchen next door.

For readers who like to build their own food trail, stringing a couple of these together with a walk or a beach stop can turn an ordinary Saturday into something that feels a bit more like a mini‑break.

Making the most of farm shops this summer

If you are planning a staycation, a week in a holiday cottage or just a run up the Northumberland coast, it is worth plotting a farm shop into the route.

Calling in at the start of a break to pick up meat, fruit, bread and cheese means the fridge is full of local food from day one, and topping up later in the week is a good excuse to get back out for another drive.

Most farm shops keep their websites and social channels updated with opening hours, pick‑your‑own dates and any special summer events, from tasting days to children’s trails.

It is worth checking before you set off so you can time your visit around the best of the season – whether that is the first proper strawberries, new‑season lamb or simply a slice of cake eaten in the sunshine while you decide what to put on the grill that night.

Hannibal Lecter was named the greatest villain in American cinema thanks to Anthony Hopkins’s chilling performance in the 1991 film. Now, Gina Gionfriddo adapts Thomas Harris’s multi-million-selling novel for its world stage premiere. When FBI trainee Clarice Starling is sent to interview a cannibalistic murderer, it’s hoped that his brilliant mind will help her to catch a sadistic new serial-killer, Buffalo Bill. But there’s nothing straightforward about Lecter, as we know. Casting tbc.

Curve, Leicester, Aug 1-15, then touring the UK and Ireland

Tickets: silenceofthelambsplay.com

Our Friends in the North

The BAFTA-winning 1996 TV phenomenon returns to Newcastle, the city where it’s set, in a new stage adaptation by the series’ original creator Peter Flannery, with Jack McNamara, artistic director at local playwriting powerhouse Live. The focus of this fresh theatrical version is two episodes in which Nicky, Mary, Tosker and Geordie (played in the series by Christopher Eccleston, Gina McKee, Mark Strong and Daniel Craig) come of age in the city during the turbulent early Thatcher years (1979-1984).

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Booking: Oct 15-24

Tickets: theatreroyal.co.uk

Roku has quietly added new free live TV channels for customers to enjoy.

If you have a Roku TV or device, you can watch more than 500 free live channels on The Roku Channel, including four new sports channels that were launched Monday.

Customers can now watch women’s soccer on the channels FIFA Plus Women and its Spanish-language counterpart, FIFA Plus Español, Roku confirmed to The Independent. FIFA Plus Women is on channel 5243, and FIFA Plus Español is on channel 929.

Roku is also offering the Sports Illustrated channel, where customers can keep up with their favorite leagues, and a fishing channel called Stingray Hooked. Sports Illustrated is on channel 227, and Stingray Hooked is on 5306.

Cord Cutters News first reported on the new channels. The Independent has reached out to Roku for comment.

The Roku Channel allows customers to stream hundreds of movies, shows, live news, kids’ TV and more entertainment without paying subscription fees. But like other free streaming services, customers will have to deal with ads.

In April, The Roku Channel added a handful of free channels, including ones that air reruns of the American Western TV series Rawhide and the sixties sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies.

Customers can also view the tattoo reality show Ink Master and Comedy Central’s satirical show Tosh. 0 on recently added channels.

MTV en Español, which shows music videos and reality shows in Spanish, was also included in the April update.

Roku said in a letter to shareholders in late April that it had an “outstanding” first quarter.

The company’s platform revenue was up 28 percent from the year before, driven by advertising and subscriptions, it said.

Roku’s stock price stood at $127.71 per share Tuesday afternoon, up from a low of $87.15 in late March.

Police are appealing for information after a couple from Pontypridd were left in shock

An elderly couple have been left “in shock” after someone smashed their window and threw a “petrol bomb” into their house. The incident happened at around 4.30am on Monday on Porcher Avenue, Pontypridd.

According to their grandson, who posted publicly on Facebook, the couple are in their 70s and have no idea why they were targeted.

The post states: “This morning police and fire brigade have been. Front windows have been smashed through and police have said there was a petrol bomb that had smashed before landing in my nan and bamps living room.

“Haven’t got any idea who would have done this or why they would have done this, but let’s just say my nan and bamp are in their late 70s and do not deserve this.”

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Pictures show police and firefighters at the scene. Luckily no injuries were reported.

A police spokesman said an investigation into attempted arson is underway, while South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) said firefighters attended a report of a small fire at the scene.

A spokesman for South Wales Police said: “South Wales Police is investigating an attempted arson following a brick being thrown at a window at address on Porcher Avenue, Glyncoch on Monday June 1.

“No one was injured and extensive enquiries are on-going.

“Anyone who witnessed this incident or who has CCTV/dashcam footage or any footage they believe to be relevant should contact us and quote reference 2600171004.”

A spokesman for SWFRS said: “SWFRS received a call at approximately 4.23am on June 1 to reports of a small fire in the garden at a property on Porcher Avenue, Pontypridd.

“Crews and appliances from Pontypridd and Abercynon Stations attended but the fire was extinguished prior to their arrival. The stop message was given at around 4.46am.”

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Hundreds of people have organised a protest march outside Southampton police station after Henry Nowak’s killer was sentenced to life in prison.

Despite the student’s father’s pleas that he didn’t want his son’s death to be used to create further ‘hatred or tension’, far-right activist Tommy Robinson and Laurence Fox turned up for the Justice for Henry march.

Marchers chanted ‘F***ing scum’ at the police holding them back.

The killer of finance student Mr Nowak, 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, told police attending the scene of the stabbing in Southampton on December 3 2025 that he had been the victim of a racist attack.

In bodycam footage released yesterday, police officers – who had been told Digwa was the victim of a racist attack – can be seen handcuffing the teenager in his final moments.

When Henry tells the officers he has been stabbed, one asks him to show them where before adding: ‘I don’t think you have, mate.’

On Tuesday night, hundreds of people chanted ‘No justice, no peace’ and held up pictures of Henry being handcuffed.

Robinson told the cheering crowd he had been warning of this day for 20 years.

Through a megaphone, he said: ‘To be victim of a race gang, i.e., Pakistani-Muslims, will be beating up a white kid, the police will turn up, and they jump on the white kid.

‘What the whole world can see now with Henry’s video is what we all know already. The different treatment of white people compared to non-whites. And we see this spreading to every institution in this country. The crying, the pleading “I can’t breathe” it’s insane.’

To cheers he said: ‘Get that f***ing family out of Southampton.’

He said police gave ‘executive treatment’ to non-whites. ‘People say this isn’t about race. This is about race.’

Hampshire Police has apologised to his family, who called his treatment ‘inhumane and degrading’ and said they would be carrying their grief ‘every single day’.

Speaking outside court yesterday, Henry’s father said: ‘We do not want Henry’s murder to be used to create further hatred, division or tension.’

Nigel Farage weighed in saying the police officers involved in the teenager’s arrest represented a system where the ‘rights and privileges of white people matter less than those of ethnic minorities’.

The Reform UK leader said Henry had been ‘treated in a way that meant an accusation of a racial slur was treated more seriously than an act of murder’.

He continued: ‘We need a change in culture. Enough of anti-white prejudice.

‘A promotion of the idea that white lives matter just as much as black lives.’

The phrase ‘white lives matter’ was later repeated by Reform MP Suella Braverman in a post on X and the party’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick in a question to the Home Secretary.

Speaking this afternoon, Starmer said Farage’s response was the ‘wrong reaction’.

He said: ‘I start my answer to your question through the eyes of the family. They said they do not want this whipped up, they’ve been through the most extraordinary, awful experience.

‘They don’t want this whipped up, and Nigel Farage is completely wrong to use this to try and create division.

‘It would be wrong in any circumstances, but when Henry’s family are saying, ‘Please don’t do that, it’s our son’, then really, as politicians – as human beings, we should start where they start, and that’s where I start.’

Following today’s racing tips? In need of some guidance? Or just fancy a flutter?

Each day, Marlborough brings you the best bets from every race at every racecourse around the country.

From the bright lights of the Cheltenham Festival and Glorious Goodwood to a low-key evening meeting at Chelmsford City, we have all your racing tips and best bets covered.

Meanwhile, you can get the latest betting offers and free bets from the top bookmakers here.

Looking for a daily racing nap? Marlborough will indicate his top tip for the day in traditional style, with his other notable selection highlighted with “NB”. Whistler, The Sunday Telegraph’s tipster will also name his daily Nap.

So come back every morning for Marlborough’s daily selection. Note, tomorrow’s tips will appear towards the bottom of the page. Good luck!

Tuesday, June 2

Pontefract

2.48 Alma Latino
3.18 Avionics
3.48 Bravo Zulu
4.18 Diamont Katie NB
4.48 Distinction
5.18 Quantum Power

Southwell

2.30 Vocito
3.00 Ceowulf
3.30 For Her Glory
4.00 Kingofthefrontier
4.30 Jaf Imagoso
5.00 Captain Cool
5.30 This Sway

Wolverhampton

5.24 Kakirra
6.00 Mintana
6.30 Filey Beach
7.00 Mr Noble
7.30 Lady of Clover
8.00 Zoulette 
8.30 Musical Soldier
9.00 Study Up

Newcastle

6.15 Lawmans Blis
6.45 Havachoc
7.15 Pivotal Terms
7.45 Auntie Jo
8.15 Quiet Resolve Nap
8.45 Cable Beach

• Whistler Nap: Distinction 4.48 Pontefract
• Marlborough Map: Quiet Resolve 8.15 Newcastle

Wednesday, June 3

Nottingham

2.48 Menhaal
3.18 Terminology
3.48 Safe Harbor
4.18 A Major Payne
4.48 Mudita
5.18 Run This Way NB

Ripon

6.00 Hidden Gift
6.35 Gone By
7.10 Superfortress
7.42 Fortamour Nap
8.12 Wen Moon
8.42 Ziggy’s Avenger

Newton Abbot

2.30 Premier Fantasy
3.00 Doc McCoy
3.30 Black Occ
4.00 Jena d’Oudairies
4.30 Arctic Voyage
5.00 Cogital
5.30 Matty’s Mate

Warwick

6.20 Colibri Bleu
6.55 Tyson
7.30 Modern Style
8.00 Thickthorn Tom
8.30 Northern Air
9.00 Theonlywayiswessex

• Whistler Nap: Menhaal, 2.48 Nottingham
• Marlborough Nap: Fortamour, 7.42 Ripon

The village is a good place to move to if you want the benefits of quiet village life while still being near the city

The city of Cambridge is a hugely popular place to have a home with it often being named one of the best places to live in Britain. However, the city centre can often be extremely busy and is packed with people so if you are looking for somewhere quieter to live, you might want to try one of the villages surrounding Cambridge.

Fen Ditton is a small village found right on the edge of Cambridge and offers homeowners a relaxing place to escape to after a day in the city. To get into Cambridge, you can either take a bus, a 17-minute drive, or walk along the River Cam.

Thanks to its location on the River Cam, the area used to be important for trade with goods being delivered to the village throughout the medieval period to the 14th century. Fen Ditton was still used for some trade in the 19th century but it stopped when the railway line was opened.

The village is known for being a great place to watch The Bumps, annual rowing races held on the River Cam. A ferry used to run across the river to the Plough pub during the races to allow people to watch the rowers from the pub’s garden.

To this day, the Plough is still always packed while The Bumps are taking place with people enjoying a cold beer or glass of wine while watching the races. The pub also has plenty of bar snacks as well as full meals for those wanting something to eat.

The village has another pub called the King’s Head that was reopened last year. The pub holds regular events including live music nights, pub quizzes, and bingo.

Fen Ditton also has a restaurant called the Ancient Shepherds that was opened by the Michelin star chef, Mark Poynton. The restaurant offers three different set menus and a Sunday lunch and also has a few rooms for those who want to stay in the village.

If you are interested in moving to Fen Ditton, the average price of houses in the village is around £425,396 according to Rightmove. Semi-detached properties sold for around £504,950 and flats cost an average of £247,400.

This detached bungalow with three bedrooms was last sold in November last year for £375,000. This 5-bed detached house sold in July 2025 for £685,000.

Richard Gadd is one of the stars of the show – which sees its final episode go out on the BBC this evening – with a Doune personal trainer to the Hollywood hotshots helping his physical transformation for the show.

As audiences enjoyed the final thrilling action of an acclaimed BBC and HBO drama this week, the show’s main star has hailed the efforts of a Doune-based personal trainer on helping him undergo a physical transformation.

The final episode of the six-part drama ‘Half Man’ went out to audiences in the UK last night, with Scottish actor Richard Gadd playing the main role as Ruben Pallister.

Gadd’s change into the muscle-bound Ruben was part of a dedicated plan from the popular ‘Baby Reindeer’ actor to commit to the role.

The man responsible for helping Gadd build and maintain that physique required for his role is not a Hollywood trainer, but a sports therapist based in the Stirling village.

David Jenkins, who splits his time between film and television sets and his treatment room in Doune, spent seven months helping Gadd prepare for the physically demanding part.

By the end of filming, Gadd had gained 100lbs and was regularly lifting several tonnes of weight during each training session, training up to seven days a week and squeezing workouts in between the bare-chested fight scenes (or ‘taps aff’ takes as they were known on set) and continuing to train even on 16-hour workdays.

The pair trained together for months before filming began and continued throughout production to maintain the physique required for re-shoots and public appearances, from the BAFTAs and press interviews to participating in UNICEF’s Soccer Aid.

As a former prison physical education instructor, Jenkins drew on first-hand experience to help shape the realism of Gadd’s physical transformation.

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“He never cancelled a session,” Jenkins said. “He turned up every single time, even after the longest days on set.

“People see the performance on screen, but they don’t always see the discipline behind it.

“Richard was carrying an enormous workload creatively and physically. He could spend 11 hours on set, another five hours writing and then still turn up ready to train.

“It wasn’t just about adding size. It was about understanding how somebody like Ruben would realistically train, move and carry themselves.

“We’d celebrate with protein-only curries, no naan, no rice, then do it all again the next day.

The collaboration between Jenkins and Gadd reflects a growing but largely unseen part of Scotland’s expanding film and television industry, where productions increasingly rely on specialists to keep actors healthy and schedules on track.

Industry crews routinely work long days, while delays caused by injury or exhaustion can cost productions thousands of pounds per hour.

Jenkins, who previously worked in elite sport, says the demands placed on actors can rival those faced by professional athletes.

“People underestimate what lead actors are dealing with physically and mentally,” he said.

“You might have someone performing emotionally intense scenes while also training hard, sleeping irregularly and working extremely long days.

“The production machine only works if the cast can keep going.”

For the past 15 years, Jenkins has worked across film and TV, with credits including Outlaw King, Outlander and upcoming productions including Blood of My Blood.

During filming for Outlaw King, Jenkins worked closely with Chris Pine, at one point strapping the actor’s injured shoulder between takes to allow him to continue with gruelling battle scenes.

Pine later gifted Jenkins the sword used in the production alongside a handwritten note thanking him for “saving” him during filming.

Jenkins has also worked with undisputed boxing champion Josh Taylor and a host of touring recording artists.

Away from set, Jenkins and Gadd have remained close friends since filming wrapped, with plans to meet up together in the US during the World Cup.

The sports therapist even presented Gadd with a tongue-in-cheek “Best Trainer 2025” trophy created on a 3D printer to mark the end of filming.

Jenkins concluded: “People only see the finished performance. “They don’t see the months of work behind it, the long days and the mental resilience needed just to keep going.

“The TV and film industry demands a huge amount from actors, both physically and mentally. My job is to make sure they are ready for action when the camera rolls.”

‘Half Man’ is available now on the BBC iPlayer.

Undated handout file photo originally issued on 07/12/25 by Hampshire Police of Henry Nowak. Sikh man Vickrum Digwa has been jailed at Southampton Crown Court for life with a minimum term of 21 years for the murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak. Digwa stabbed Henry to death with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial knife five times in the incident in Belmont Road, Southampton, on December 3 2025. Issue date: Monday June 01, 2026.

PA Media

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on artificial intelligence Tuesday, less than two weeks after postponing a White House ceremony over his concerns that a similar policy could dull America’s edge on AI technology.

The order establishes a framework for the federal government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems for up to a month before their public release. The government will be able to work with trusted partners “that will have early access to covered frontier models to promote secure innovation and strengthen the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure,” the order says.

It was not immediately clear to what extent the order differed from the one he declined to sign on May 21.

Trump canceled an Oval Office event with tech industry executives last month because he did not like what he saw in the earlier version of the order’s text. “We’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead,” Trump told reporters at the time.

That directive was characterized as a voluntary collaboration with participating U.S.-based tech companies, including Anthropic, OpenAI and Google.