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Kendal Mint Cake: The happy accident that fuelled the first ascent of Everest
What started out as a happy accident, went on to become the world’s best-travelled confectionery.
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Curious Questions: Why do woolly hats have bobbles?
Some can rock a bobble hat, others will always resemble Where’s Wally, but the big question is why the bobbles are there in the first place. Harry Pearson finds out as he celebrates a knitted that creation belongs on every hat rack.
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'Dozens died, and during the 1683 Thames Frost Fair a party of skaters was caught by the wind and blown out to sea': The risky business of skating on thin ice
Now that we've successfully negotiated the ice skating season, spare a thought for those in the past who literally put their lives on the line to enjoy winter's most elegant pastime.
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'Conflict, back-stabbing, vendettas, false promises and the taking of malicious glee in others’ misfortune': Why Risk is exactly what Christmas is all about
Taking over the world might not seem the most festive of activities, but a game of Risk will see you through from First Night to the last of the leftovers.
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'The regular Satanic sort of thing', 'an appurtenance of terror', or 'capillary decorations': The moustache still divides opinion
We can all agree that growing a moustache for charity is a good idea. But is it worth keeping afterwards? Harry Pearson looks to the past to find the answers.
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What is Whitby jet? The once-prized northern native gemstone that is darker than the night
This 'beautiful, natural, heritage material deserves to be reassessed' and is slowly regaining popularity. Harry Pearson talks to the makers still working with this ancient gemstone.
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Curious Questions: Why do ships have figureheads?
Always adorned with eyes, often female and sometimes in a compromising pose, carved figureheads were cherished by their crews. But why? Harry Pearson takes a look.
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Britain's best folk festivals, from the weird and wonderful to the downright dangerous
Burning barrels, hare-pie scrambles, bottle kicking and horn dances: no one does eccentric quite like the English. Harry Pearson explores our weird, wonderful and sometimes distinctly dangerous folk festivals.
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Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers turns 30
Not all heroes wear capes, some are more likely to put on the wrong trousers and ask their dog if he wants ‘more cheese’. Harry Pearson meets Wallace and Gromit, two of our best-loved Plasticine characters.
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Curious Questions: Do Panama hats actually come from Panama?
As supple as an Olympic gymnast and as uncrushable as the bulldog spirit, the Panama hat has long been a staple of the British gentleman’s summer attire. Harry Pearson takes a look at them, and answers the burning question: do Panama hats come from Panama?
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The seven bumblebees you'll see in Britain, and how to identify them
The lovely bumblebee may look a little sozzled and slow compared to many species, yet one bumblebee is all it takes to make a prairie and its buzz is the soundtrack of a thriving world. Harry Pearson takes a look, and explains how to identify bumblebees you'll spot in a British garden this spring and summer.
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The extraordinary tale of Hadrian's Wall: 'Men have been deified for trifles compared with this admirable structure'
What once kept out hordes of bloodthirsty warriors is, nearly 2,000 years later, barely proof against the most timid of sheep. But if Hadrian’s Wall is now low on stature, it remains high on atmosphere, says Harry Pearson.
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Curious Questions: Who invented the jelly cube?
Once a sweet treat fit for the Royal Court, jelly was transformed into a favourite dessert of the masses by the launch of Rowntree’s concentrated jelly cubes. Harry Pearson tells their tale.
