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Guinness rustling in the Midlands, how to look after a listed building and why oat milk might make you depressed

James Fisher James Fisher

Plus a property perfect for a sweet summer's evening near Salcombe, the bewitching joy of darkness and a quiz.

Guinness rustling in the Midlands

You might have noticed that in the run up to Christmas and afterwards, there was a shortage of Guinness in the UK. This made people who wear boot-cut jeans and brown shoes, of which there are many, quite upset.

It also made Gen Z upset because, apparently, they were the ones who were drinking it all. This new-found demand caught Diageo off guard, leading to nationwide rationing of Guinness, with a spokesperson for the drinks company saying that it had seen ‘exceptional consumer demand for Guinness in Great Britain’ in December.

What definitely won’t have helped is a more recent news report, which revealed that a truck carrying 400 50-litre kegs of Guinness  — approximately 35,200 pints worth — was stolen from a depot in mid-December. The Guardian broke the story, which you can read in full here. According to the report, the truck still hasn’t been found.

It’s not the first food and drink related heist that happened in 2024. Also in December, chef Tommy Banks had his van stolen, which contained 2,500 pies; he asked the thieves to at least drop off the pies at a local community centre or food bank. In October, 22 tonnes of cheese were stolen from the Neal’s Yard Dairy; an arrest has been made. 

Quiz of the day

1) In boxing, which weight comes between flyweight and featherweight?

2) Which Roman numeral represents 50?

3) Camelus bactrianus has how many humps?

4) Whose was the first royal wedding to be broadcast on television?

5) How many Oscars did the 1997 film Titanic win?

A listed house is for life, not just for Christmas

Credit: Getty Images

You have probably noticed this already, but just in case you haven’t, we spend a lot of time in the magazine and online writing about listed buildings. That’s because listed buildings are usually the prettiest buildings. At least in my eyes. 

As I plough ever onwards, through ream upon ream of estate agent advertisements, the listings come thick and fast. Grade II*. Grade I. And so on. But what does it all actually mean? If you buy a listed house, what can you do with them? Must you inform the council if you want to have the ghosts removed?

Ok the last question wasn’t a serious one, but the first two were. Thankfully, there is a person that knows all the answers. He is Alfie Robinson, a historian and heritage consultant who leads the ‘Living with Listing’ course for the Create Streets Foundation, which is described as a ‘one-day masterclass for those that own, or are interested in owning, a listed building’. I am interested in owning a listed building.

In one day, the course will cover the history of listed buildings, common misconceptions about old buildings and how they are protected in law, and the planning process. The course will also look at how to do alterations (hello, double glazing) and how to choose the best craftspeople to do the job. Everything you could ever need to know before taking on (or improving) a piece of our built heritage. Have a look here.

Create Streets and the Create Streets Foundation was started by Nicholas Boys Smith in 2012 ‘out of frustration with the low quality of too much recent development and irrational decision-making’. I spoke with him on the Country Life Podcast a few months ago, which you can listen to here.

Dreaming of a summer soon to come

It is cold. It is raining. The days are short and the night is endless. Best to ignore all that and think about having a jolly nice spring and summer instead. Where better than this glorious ‘barn’ overlooking Salcombe?

Oat Milk makes you sad

The latest casualty of the Culture Wars is plant-based milk alternatives, which will make you depressed according to a new study from China. The study, conducted by scientists from the Southern Medical University in China, analysed data from 350,000 people enrolled in the UK Biobank. Per Farmers Weekly, it found significant correlation between the consumption of plant-based milk and an increased likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms. Those who drank oat, soy or almond milk were 14% more likely to report symptoms of depression. 

Any aspiring statistician, or grown-up, if we’re honest, knows that correlation does not always equal causation. Nevertheless, FW reports that the findings have ‘sparked concern among some experts’. Who those experts are, we are not told. Come back next week where we’ll be told that the Moon is woke or something else that will turn your brain smooth.

‘I’ve been craving it, the richness and peace of it, the way you crave silence’

Credit: Gary Martin via Getty Images

Author, editor and journalist Anna Niven writes beautifully about the joys of darkness. Read all about how it inspires her.

That’s all for today, we’ll be back tomorrow

Quiz answers

1) Bantamweight

2) L

3) Two

4) Princess Margaret’s (to Antony Armstrong-Jones)

5) 11