If you’ve always wondered how restaurants make such perfect chips, mash, soup, and even poached eggs, we’ve got your back.

Chefs have kindly shared their secrets to achieving those pro-level dishes at home.

But what about ice? How come that’s so much clearer – and even seems to last longer – than the stuff you make up in an ice tray at home?

Well, apparently, the difference isn’t just in your head. Industrial ice really isn’t made in the same way.

Ice manufacturing company Memphis Ice said the cloudy, white-ish colour we associate with homemade ice is actually thanks to the air trapped in the frozen water.

But specific ice machines, which suppliers to restaurants often use, offer something called “directional” or “top down” freezing, which means air bubbles settle at the bottom of the tray.

They also use filtered water, with few impurities (another cause of cloudiness).

And because professional ice machines constantly circulate the water they use for ice, there’s less chance for air bubbles to form in the first place.

Lastly, the ice company shared, ice machines freeze water at a slower rate than our freezers do.

That promotes the growth of big ice crystals, which are smoother and clearer, and prevents temperature fluctuations that could lead to either cracks or the cloudiness that comes with melting and re-forming ice.

Not only does this mean the ice is clearer, but it’s also denser thanks to the lack of non-water substances getting in the way – so it looks better and melts more slowly.

Using filtered or double-boiled water to produce clear ice at home is a myth, cocktail experts at Dramson said (though filtered water will have fewer salts and other impurities, it’ll likely have just as much air).

They recommend freezing a small cooler container filled with water; after about 24 hours, they say, the top few centimetres will be frozen while “all the air and impurities will be in the unfrozen water, leaving crystal-clear ice cubes”.

Though the method is annoying, as you’ll have to carve ice to get cubes (which are unlikely to be even), it’ll still provide the clarity and longevity of commercial kinds.

Otherwise, investing in an ice machine or buying manufactured ice are your only options.

But recently, I’ve been wondering about what I always saw as a baffling on-board artefact: aeroplane ashtrays.

Even though the UK has banned smoking on flights since 1997, it’s not uncommon to find a metal ashtray in the loo of your plane.

In fact, regulators like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) require an ashtray on board. And in 2009, a British Airways flight was reportedly delayed because staff couldn’t replace a missing ashtray ― years after the smoking ban.

I reckon teachers, nurses, retail workers, and anyone who deals with the public at large will already know the answer: people love to break rules.

Robert Joslin, an associate professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s College of Aviation, told The Washington Post that “Smoking’s not allowed, but we know it’s happening” on board.

In Japan, the publication added, there were 429 reports of in-flight smoking in 2025.

After the 2009 delay, a British Airways spokesperson said: “It is a legal requirement, under air navigation orders, to have ashtrays because while smoking is not permitted on flights, if someone were to light a cigarette on board there must be somewhere to safely extinguish it”.

This is still the rule with some regulatory bodies. But even those who have changed policy might not have changed the layout of many planes.

But they added that “most large aircrafts flying today were certified under earlier rules which still require an ashtray”.

Getting rid of it would count as a design change, they continued, which would need formal approval.

So while some new planes don’t have to have ashtrays, those which already do (and most do) can’t get rid of them without some hassle.

A fire on a 1973 flight tragically led to the deaths of 123 passengers; later investigations found the source was likely a discarded cigarette butt.

And in 1983, 23 passengers died due to a fire in the toilet of another plane. Investigations didn’t prove for sure what caused the disaster, but one of the possible reasons cited was a cigarette in the bathroom.

After that, Simple Flying shared, rules regarding things like flame-proof bins, smoke alarms, and ashtrays changed.

When filmed right, a sex scene can be incredibly steamy and really enhance the viewing experience, especially if you’re already heavily invested in the characters.

For example, is there anything better in a romcom than the will-they-won’t-they couple finally coming to their senses and racing to the bedroom for a passionate evening in the sheets? I think not.

In fact, these scenes can be so believable that it’s hard to believe that the actors aren’t actually going at it. How do you stay un-aroused while filming these scenes? How do you go back to talking normally to the co-star once the scene is complete?

Well, there’s a lot to it.

While these scenes are hot as hell to us, the behind-the-scenes filming is… not so much. According to Backstage, there are a number of measures in place to ensure the safety and comfort of the actors, as well as choreography.

Basically, the scenes may SEEM very real to us but there is so much that goes into making them happen that they’re anything but.

Before the scene is even staged, the parties involved in a sex scene will meet with an intimacy coordinator one-on-one to ensure that the actor feels safe in the scene, discuss any boundaries and any other concerns that they may have.

From there, the intimacy coordinator works with a choreographer to discuss what can and cannot happen in the scene, which areas of the body the actors are comfortable with displaying and being touched and the boundaries the actors have when it comes to filming a sex scene.

Then there are the modesty garments. Backstage explains: “Modesty garments are coverings or full-body makeup can shield certain body parts from the camera and prevent genital-on-genital contact, which is strictly prohibited on union sets. ”

Shibues and hibues—strapless thongs—are a popular form of modesty patch. These stick directly to the body and give the illusion of nudity without actually revealing an actor’s genitals. While the adhesive is pretty strong, these can be removed with baby oil.

Speaking to Backstage, Alicia Rodis, an intimacy coordinator said that she keeps these in a variety of hues on set, adding: “We take a shibue, open it up, and put a silicone guard underneath so everyone becomes like a Barbie doll.”

Though people with penises may opt to wear a “sock”, which is a drawstring skin-coloured pouch that holds the penis and testicles, instead. For those with breasts, they can wear pasties over their nipples.

With all of these measures in place, it’s hard to imagine getting aroused but according to David Thackeray, an intimacy coordinator for studios like Netflix, Warner Bros, Apple TV, BBC, and HBO, it’s perfectly normal.

Speaking to Business Insider, Thackery said that during the filming of sex scenes, actors “are going through the physical and the mind, so yeah, it happens.”

When it does happen, the production immediately pauses. Thackery said: “We just make it really clear that’s normal and that the worst thing you can do is carry on, so we call that a time-out. Give them five minutes then I come in and check in … Then we come back into it when they’re ready.”

Thackery added that actors are warned that this can happen beforehand and intimacy coordinators work hard to ensure the entire team knows that this is normal, saying: “The worst thing we can do is gawk or make it a massive deal. I will say for the crew as well, making sure they’re aware of what scene is being shot, what nudity is going to be seen. You don’t want them to be surprised.”

Thackery also added that the crew can also call a time-out during the filming of these scenes.

Did you know that some people can smell ants?

Yup – scientists have found that ants release a scent when they’re distressed or have passed away. The smell is different for various species, and some of us are more sensitive to it than others (probably due to genes).

And if you swear you can smell rain before it falls, it looks like science is on your side for that, too.

Scientific American explained that storms and other rainy events can bring ozone down from higher up in the atmosphere to “nose level”.

This happens before the precipitation actually falls.

Ozone, a type of oxygen whose name derives from the Ancient Greek meaning “to smell,” has a fresh, clean scent that reminds some of chlorine and can linger for hours after a storm ends.

Per The Times, some people can smell ozone at concentrations as low as 10 parts per billion.

The Times added that humidity often hits the ground before rain does.

After a dry spell, Streptomyces bacteria in the ground grow spores.

But when humidity, which often arrives before rain, hits the ground again, “the spores are shot into the air and people with a sensitive nose can pick up the smell” of the resulting pre-preciptiation geosmin.

The sum of all the smells created by rain’s interaction with the environment is called “petrichor” (one of my favourite words).

“Petrichor” is usually strongest after rainfall. It can be created by the aforementioned ozone and geosmin, as well as the volatile plant oils let loose in the air.

It is especially strong if rain falls after a dry spell.

Humans are unbelievably sensitive to the smell of petrichor – we can perceive geosmin, for instance, at concentrations of 10 parts per trillion.

The charity ADHD UK has penned an open letter to Channel 4 after it shared a new documentary will be aired dubbed ‘The Great ADHD Myth?’, HuffPost UK can exclusively reveal.

The TV channel said the show “seeks to determine whether ADHD [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder] is a genuine neurodevelopmental disorder, or a social construct”.

The show will follow NHS psychiatrist Dr Max Pemberton as he speaks to “a growing number of medical experts who are questioning the conventional narrative around ADHD”.

According to Channel 4’s release, these experts “discuss whether the real problem is the environments in which young people are growing up, as well as the current health and schooling systems not being flexible enough to cater for a wide enough range of personalities and behaviours among children”.

It will also follow a family who “want to see whether holistic lifestyle changes can eliminate one boy’s use of ADHD medication”, a press release seen by HuffPost UK reads.

Dr Max Pemberton, who features in the documentary, said: “As a psychiatrist, I’ve watched ADHD go from a diagnosis that was only occasionally made and after careful assessment, to one that is increasingly demanded and dispensed, and I wanted to understand why.

“There’s no doubt that the people seeking these diagnoses are genuinely struggling; that isn’t in question. What the film asks is whether ADHD is really the best explanation for that struggle and my hope is that we come away with permission to ask better questions about what modern life is doing to all of us.”

Since information about the documentary was publicly shared, some people with ADHD as well as mental health experts have revealed their disappointment over the framing of the show – especially the title.

An open letter to the channel from the CEO and co-founder of ADHD UK, Henry Shelford, seen by HuffPost UK, points out that “the damage of a title like this is done in the listings, in the commentary, before a single frame is broadcast”.

After the documentary details were shared on 29 July, Dr Chris Abbott, chief medical officer at Care ADHD, shared in an email: “Presenting ADHD as potentially no more than a ‘social construct’ is scientifically misleading and risks causing real harm to children, adults and families.”

While Dr Claudia Aymerich, consultant psychiatrist at Berkeley Psychiatrists, is also concerned by the framing, which she said “oversimplifies a far more complex issue and doesn’t reflect where the scientific evidence sits”.

In response to these concerns, a Channel 4 spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “This documentary does not deny the lived experience of those diagnosed with ADHD, but does present the view of an extensive range of senior medical experts – many of whom work or have worked with the NHS or have held presidential roles at professional membership bodies – who seek to question the conventional understanding of ADHD and if it is a neurodevelopmental condition.

“They also ask whether modern living has contributed to a rise in diagnoses, and whether there may be better alternatives for some children than medication.”

ADHD is recognised by the World Health Organization, the NHS and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Dr Aymerich said: “Studies consistently demonstrate differences in brain development and function, particularly in areas relating to attention, executive functioning and impulse control, alongside a strong genetic component.”

And “while modern environments, education systems, increased screen use and lifestyle factors can all influence how symptoms present or how significantly they affect someone’s daily life, they do not negate the existence of ADHD itself”, she added.

In its open letter, ADHD UK highlighted that “this is not a parlour debate. People die” and pointed to UCL-led research using UK health records which showed that adults with diagnosed ADHD have a shorter life expectancy. There was a reduction in life expectancy for men with diagnosed ADHD of between 4.5 and 9 years, and between 6.5 and 11 years for women.

“Having ADHD is tough. Undermining the condition just makes it tougher. When a national broadcaster invites millions to file all of this under ‘myth’, people cancel assessments, parents doubt their children, employers doubt their staff, and lives are put at risk,” said Henry Shelford, who has ADHD.

After a BBC Panorama programme investigating Private ADHD Clinics aired in 2023, ADHD UK surveyed more than 2,200 people with ADHD – 90% suggested stigma had increased because of the programme, and 84% believed it would stop people with symptoms from seeking an assessment.

Dr Aymerich is concerned about how the framing may impact those living with ADHD or currently seeking a diagnosis. “Many patients spend years being told they are lazy, disruptive, disorganised or simply not trying hard enough before finally understanding that there is a recognised medical explanation for the challenges they have experienced throughout their lives,” she said.

“Receiving a diagnosis can be genuinely life-changing because it allows people to access appropriate support and better understand themselves.”

She continued: “When public debate shifts toward questioning whether ADHD is ‘real’, it risks reigniting shame, self-doubt and stigma for those individuals.

“It may also discourage parents from seeking assessments for children who are struggling or make adults question whether they deserve support at all.”

Untreated ADHD is associated with consequences such as poorer educational outcomes, relationship difficulties, anxiety, depression, substance misuse and increased risk of accidental injury.

ADHD UK’s letter has called for a review of the title of the show and for the broadcaster to “make clear on screen where contributors’ views sit relative to mainstream clinical consensus”.

It also takes issue with a child being at the centre of an experiment involving replacing medication with lifestyle changes.

In response to this, Channel 4 said “the wellbeing of our contributors was of paramount importance throughout, and the observational study of one child’s medication break was undertaken in consultation with multiple psychiatrists, an independent doctor and the family’s GP”.

The open letter continues: “We are not asking Channel 4 to duck hard questions about ADHD. Waiting lists, service failure and the gulf between need and provision deserve every camera you can point at them. We are asking you to aim at the right target.”

All of the experts HuffPost UK spoke to stress that ADHD should be discussed in the media. Dr Abbott said: “There’s legitimate discussion to be had about the quality of assessments, inequalities in access, the careful use of medication and the need for holistic support.

“Diagnosis should always follow a comprehensive specialist assessment, and treatment should be individualised rather than reduced to medication alone. But questioning whether ADHD itself is ‘real’ is not a balanced contribution to that debate.”

Dr Aymerich added “there is an important distinction between asking whether we are diagnosing and treating ADHD as effectively as possible and questioning whether the condition itself exists”.

“The first is an essential scientific discussion,” she said. “The second risks undermining decades of clinical evidence and doing unnecessary harm to a patient group that already faces considerable misunderstanding and barriers to accessing care.”

Neil Patrick Harris, who starred as Barney Stinson in the smash-hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother, has opened up about his character’s “toxic” traits in an interview with The Times.

The 53-year-old became a household name after playing a rich womaniser in the CBS show, which was nominated for 28 Emmy Awards during its 2005-2014 run.

Fans have gone so far as to call his on-screen persona “an extreme womaniser, chronic liar and toxic manipulator”.

Speaking to The Times, Harris was asked about the “toxic” traits of his character.

Pointing out that the show’s entire story is narrated by the show’s protagonist Ted Mosby (played by Josh Radnor and Bob Saget), the sometime magician said: “None of the behaviours [in the show] are, you know, certified, or even true.

“So I had the freedom to be much more lascivious, much more ridiculous and overt than I imagine Barney probably actually was.”

He added that Barney “was always the devil on Ted’s shoulder”.

Earlier this year, Harris said in an episode of the behind-the-scenes podcast How We Made Your Mother that he’d often felt “insecure” playing the swaggering part and was worried he didn’t “nail” his scenes.

But, he added, “that insecurity absolutely played into the bravado” required.

“I’ve always felt Barney was kind of broken,” he explained.

“He wore armour. The suit was armour. He hid sincerity and vulnerability behind bravado because that’s how he survived.”

Neil also previously discussed reprising his role with Hilary Duff, who starred in spinoff How I Met Your Father, suggesting he wouldn’t play Barney again unless he seriously changed his ways.

“Barney’s antics, his overt delusions of grandeur, would likely get everyone in trouble. So, unless he’s changed his ways or joined a nunnery (insert an insert joke here), not sure if it’s in anyone’s best interest,” he said in his Wondercade newsletter, to which Hilary replied: “I’m pretty sure Barney would… be in jail in 2022.”

We don’t want to give you more to worry about as we are being smacked in the face with the impacts of climate change this summer but, uh, have you noticed that there are far fewer wasps this year?

Come to think of it, I have seen one. In a train station. Once. I have a busy garden full of flowers and flourishing grass but I’ve not seen a single one of these little guys buzzing around out there this summer.

I’m not imagining it, either. Seirian Sumner, a Professor of Behavioural Ecology at University College London wrote for The Conversation and said: “As a wasp biologist, I’ve noticed it acutely, because my students need wasps for their experiments, and we simply can’t find them.”

Can’t find wasps? In summer? In England?!

Sumner explains that while Spring started well for wasp populations, providing ideal conditions for building nests, laying eggs and foraging, things soon took a turn for the worse, leading to conditions that could have been harmful.

She says: “Spring 2026 was strange: the warm, dry start should have been good. Warm, dry spring weather improves a nest’s chance of survival as it ensures a good nectar supply for the queen to develop her ovaries and good prey populations for her to feed the brood. But we experienced unprecedented heat for the time of year, punctuated by cold, damp days and followed by unexpectedly chilly nights.

“Such weather extremes may have caused queens to abandon their nests or die, reducing the initial spring queen bounty to a more modest population.”

She added that one heatwave after another won’t have helped matters, either.

I’m not the biggest fan of wasps and will admittedly completely freeze if one is near me but there is no doubting how important they are to our environment.

According to the National History Museum: “Without wasps, the world could be overrun with spiders and insects. Each summer, social wasps in the UK capture an estimated 14 million kilograms of insect prey, such as caterpillars and greenfly. Rather than being a pest, these important insects are a gardener’s friend.”

Additionally, scientists at Oregon State University say: “Even though [wasps] don’t collect pollen, they do visit flowers constantly to seek nectar for their own energy.

“As wasps visit these flowers, they inadvertently transfer pollen from plant to plant. Although this is a less efficient form of pollination, it is still quite impactful to our ecosystem.”

Let’s hope they reappear next year.

Labour has overtaken Reform for the first time in nearly 18 months in a poll of polls as the party continues to enjoy a boost in the wake of Andy Burnham becoming prime minister.

Data compiled by Election Maps UK, based on the last 11 polls, puts support for Labour on 25 per cent, with Reform on 24%.

The last time the national polling average put Labour ahead of Reform was in March 2025.

Keir Starmer’s deep unpopularity with the public then saw support for Labour nosedive, and by December last year they were in third place behind both Reform and the Conservatives.

However, Labour support has spiked since Burnham won the Makerfield by-election on June 18, a result which put him on course to becoming the party’s leader and prime minister.

At the same time, backing for Reform has plummeted as Nigel Farage has become engulfed in a row over his personal finances.

Reform support peaked at 31% in October last year, when the party was a full 10 points ahead of Labour.

But they have been falling steadily since May, shortly after it emerged that Farage had failed to declare a £5 million gift he received from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before becoming an MP.

A parliamentary standards investigation into the matter is currently on hold after Farage quit as an MP to trigger a “people versus the establishment” by-election in his Clacton seat.

Labour’s resurgence has led to increased speculation that Burnham could call an early general election to secure his own five-year mandate from the public.

But speaking to the BBC last month, the PM said: “There’s no early general election. I don’t think people want it.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

A former neo-Nazi who was jailed for posting anti-semitic material and harassing a Jewish MP can become a Tory councillor but not an MP, Kemi Badenoch has declared.

The Conservative leader said what Joshua Bonehill-Paine did in the past was “appalling and abhorrent” and he should not be given a “national platform”.

But she said it was fine for him to become a councillor because they only deal with things like “parking and putting out bins”.

Badenoch has come under fire from Jewish groups over her party’s decision to let Bonehill-Paine stand for election to Somerset Council.

He was convicted in 2014 of malicious communications over an anti-Islam hoax that led to death threats against the owners of a pub in Leicester.

Bonehill-Paine – the creator of the online satirical publication the Crewkerne Gazette – was jailed for more than three years in 2015 after posting anti-semitic material online ahead of a planned neo-Nazi rally.

The following year, he was found guilty of racially-aggravated harassment of the Jewish Labour MP Luciana Berger.

He has since recanted his previous anti-semitic views and now works with the Home Office on anti-radicalisation programmes.

Berger, who is now a Labour peer, told HuffPost UK she is “beyond upset and angry” that Badenoch is allowing him to stand for the Tories.

On Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, Badenoch defended her decision.

She said: “I did hear what Luciana had to say and I do understand Lady Berger’s position.

“What he did was appalling and abhorrent.”

She added: “I looked at this case very carefully, this was a judgment call, and this is someone who has served his sentence. But also it is about what he is doing right now.

“This is a man who is talking about how in his late teens and early 20s he was radicalised. He became a racist and an anti-semite.

“What Luciana is talking about is not rehabilitation, but forgiveness. I can understand that she might not want to forgive this man. I might not if I had been his victim.

“But I am not giving him a national platform. He is standing to be a councillor in Somerset. It is a local platform, looking at parking, putting out bins, that’s what councillors do. It’s not a national platform.”

Badenoch said her party “have much higher thresholds” for becoming an MP.

She said: “This man is not standing to be an MP. There’s a huge difference.

“At a local level, where someone is actively working on anti-radicalisation, fighting for Jewish people knowing the harm that he caused – he did a lot of terrible things, I do not minimise that at all.

“This is a judgement call, and I think in this case he should be allowed to stand.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Donald Trump is stuck in a “destructive cycle” over the Iran war, according to the BBC’s international editor.

The US president declared on Monday that Tehran was on its “last chance” when it comes to negotiations on opening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has effectively closed the major oil shipping lane since the US and Israel launched strikes against Tehran back in February.

The global economic impact has left the US scrambling to make a deal to get the waterway up and running again – though Trump insists he still has the upper hand in talks.

As the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen warned on Radio 4’s Today programme, it is Iran who has the “momentum” in these discussions right now.

He pointed out it was the Iranians and the Omanis who are in conversation over a deal to reopen the Strait this week, not the Americans.

Iran would control who goes into the Gulf via a shipping channel near its coast, while Oman would supervise vessels’ exit.

Bowen explained: “Iran has got this weapon of control of the Strait of Hormuz, and they’re not going to give it up. The Strait was open before the war started.

“Second of all, Trump has got no good options right now. Not at all.

“Yes the Americans can still bomb, though they have been weakened by their shortage of interceptors and that’s a factor for their generals.

“They can do a lot of physical damage to Iran, but that doesn’t appear thus far to force the regime to capitulate.

“Doing a deal – which is going to look weak – is something [Trump] is going to hate and he’ll be criticised for.

“Then he’ll think, ‘I’ve got to look strong so I’m going to bomb’. It’s a very destructive cycle.”

Bowen added that if there is a fee structure in the new deal, the Gulf countries “will not like it one little bit” because it was a free waterway prior to the US and Israeli strikes on Iran back in February.

He said: “It’s not at all clear Trump will be happy with this sort of a deal.”

The president laid out his war goals at the start on the conflict five months ago.

He said he wanted regime change, to end the Iran nuclear programme, restrict Iran’s relationship with its proxies and control what it does with its ballistic missiles.

But Bowen noted: “None of this is being talked about right now. It’s just about trying to get the waterway open.”

He said the current situation is one the neighbouring Gulf countries “have been dreading” because they have been left with a “massive mess caused by this rash and reckless decision by Donald Trump to go to war in the hope he could get a quick Venezuela-style victory.”

He added: “If any party to this has control of the momentum of discussion of events, it’s much more the Iranians than the US.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.