Table of contents for 37 - 2017 in Best

I was lucky enough to get one of the hottest tickets in town last week – a chance to see Victoria & Abdul, out this Friday. The film charts the unlikely friendship between Queen Victoria (played by Dame Judi Dench) and her Indian clerk. It sounds like the cast had as great a time making it as you will watching it. Eddie Izzard, who plays Victoria’s son, Bertie, told me that Judi, 82, was the life and soul on set. ‘I was playing Ray Charles and dancing in between filming. Then, Judi came in and started dancing, too,’ he told us. Let me know what you think of the film when you see it – and remember to take tissues. • Please let me know your thoughts, siobhan. wykes@hearst.co.uk EXECUTIVE…

Last week, the happy news broke that a third royal baby is on the way, meaning that Prince George, four, and Princess Charlotte, two, will soon have a younger sibling. But, as the nation rejoiced, it also meant that Prince George’s mum, Kate, was forced to miss her son’s first morning at school. She is suffering from acute morning sickness, also known as hyperemesis gravidarum, which plagued her during her previous two pregnancies. Poor Kate. Not only is she feeling under the weather, but she’ll surely have been devastated to miss out on her baby boy’s big day. The nervous young royal arrived at his new school, Thomas’s Battersea, where fees are over £17,000 a year, looking a little uncertain and clutching his father, Prince William’s, hand. Wills, 35, was…

Despite wearing flats, 5ft 4in Heather Smith towers above her family. She walks across the crowded hotel reception area with her husband Paul, and their children, Jack, 13, and Erin, nine, following behind. But, for once, no one stops to look or make rude comments. This is the one place the family can completely relax. It’s the 6th annual Little People UK charity convention, held earlier this month in Leicester. For hundreds of people from the UK’s dwarf community and their families, this event is the highlight of the year. It’s a weekend of invaluable advice, friendship and fun. Children and adults alike zoom around on trikes, mobility scooters and Segways – not just for fun, but because dwarfism causes painful back and hip problems – from one activity to…

HOW IT WORKS 1 You don’t have to visit the health shop for expensive superfoods to feel great and lose weight this autumn. According to top Australian nutritionist Susie Burrell, the foods you buy regularly for your fridge and store cupboard – including oats, honey, tinned tuna and baked beans – provide nutrients such as omega-3 oils and fibre, which improve digestion, speeding up your metabolism so you burn calories more efficiently. 2 Raiding the fridge to step up your intake of semiskimmed milk and yoghurt will feed your body with calcium, which new research reveals helps with fat dispersal around the stomach. Slimmers’ fave cottage cheese is low-fat, loaded with calcium and tots up to just 98 calories a serving. 3 Frozen and tinned fruit and veg, such as…

10 to give away! Take a fashionable step into autumn with £50 to spend at Next. We’ve got 10 vouchers to give away as part of our big birthday bundle, so find out how to enter below! best birthday giveaway HOW TO ENTER POST: Send a postcard with your name, address, phone number and email address to Next Giveaway, GVBSTN17601, Hearst Magazines UK, The Data Solutions Centre, Worksop S80 2RT. Closing date for postal entries is 29 September 2017. PHONE: Call 0901 027 2713 by midnight on 26 September 2017. Calls cost 30p perminute, plus your telephone company’s network access charge, and will last no longer than two minutes. Calls from mobiles may cost significantly more. Phone line closes at midnight on 26 September 2017. If you call after this…

Easy avocado Make sure you have perfectly ripe avocados for your homemade guacamole, with Strong Roots Ripened Avocado Halves, £3,50 from Iceland. Defrost and use without cutting or slicing. It’s a showstopper Be a star baker and whip up an impressive birthday bake from Asda. Get the Clyde the Caterpillar Cake Kit, £3, and add eggs, butter, milk and sprinkles to bring him to life. Buy instore from 18 September. A TASTE OF BRAZIL Have a burger – samba style! If your idea of food heaven is a fully loaded burger, then you’ll love the Taste the Difference Picanha Burgers, £4, from Sainsbury’s. Made with the most prized cut of beef in Brazil, the picanha, create a juicy yet flavoursome taste that is quick and easy to cook at home.…

…his new TV gameshow Richard Osman’s House Of Games I invite celebrities along, but they’re handpicked to be super-competitive – and be driven mad if they lose! Radio host Anita Rani was going, ‘I’m not competitive at all,’ but by the end of the week she was like, ‘All I want to do for the rest of my life is quizzes.’ ...Pointless co-host Alexander Armstrong We’ve worked together for 25 years on and off, and we’ve never had a cross word or row. Part of the fun of Pointless is trying to make each other laugh. We’re very lucky to work together, and I’m privileged to know him. ...his music career Alexander has released an album, so I’m going to release a hip-hop mix tape. I’m just laying down the…

Are you into fantasy, reality TV or glam drama? Those dream locations are within your reach… GRIPPED BY THE DRAMA OF GAME OF THRONES? Go to… Dubrovnik This medieval Croatian city is the setting for King’s Landing, home to the scheming Lannisters. Inside its 14th-century walls is a labyrinth of tiny lanes, stone houses and defence turrets. The main street, Stradun, is lined with shops, restaurants and cafés. Walk round the top of the city walls for a bird’s-eye view of Dubrovnik’s beautiful terracotta rooftops. Or catch a ferry to nearby Lokrum island, where the historic monastery has a museum which details the filming of GOT, complete with a replica Iron Throne to pose for pictures on! HOW TO DO IT: British Airways (ba.com), easyJet (easyjet.com) and Monarch (monarch.co.uk) fly…

best LUXE BUY best BUDGET BUY TAP THE APP Google Keep is a great alternative for reminders if you’re on the go.…

Over the past few years, as many of us look for the secret to easy weight loss, attention has often turned to carbohydrates. Low-carb – and even no-carb – diets are very popular, but what is the real truth about carbohydrates and weight loss? Here’s my guide to everything you need to know about carbs… CALORIE COUNTING Cutting down any carbohydrates will lead to weight loss because you’re cutting down a source of calories. Any unused calories you eat but don’t burn off are converted into fat in the body, and the same is true for carbohydrates; lowcarb diets work through this principle, as they are also often high-calorie foods. Cutting them out simply cuts a big source of calories from your diet. KEEP IT LOW Zero-carbohydrate diets can be…

Biker buy A cropped style will balance out your bottom half. Safety belt You can still show off your figure in this style! TAP THE APP Glamoutfit helps you organise your wardrobe digitally so you can easily plan what to wear. Perfect puffer If you buy one jacket, make it padded! Fur real Keep cosy in oversized fluff – faux, of course!…

WATCH OUT ON WALKIES! As the season changes, making the most of the great outdoors is fun for you and your dog! But there are a few things you should be aware of... Some autumnal plants could be poisonous to your four-legged friend, and make them very sick if eaten. In severe cases, they could even prove fatal. Signs to spot include vomiting, diarrhoea and breathing issues. If you think your dog has eaten something poisonous, go to a vet straight away – the quicker you act, the quicker you can get vital treatment. To help you be plant savvy this autumn, PDSA vet Rebecca Ashman shares her advice on what to watch out for... ACORNS These are very toxic if eaten by all pets, as their tannic acid affects…

Working for a younger boss makes me feel uncomfortable... I ’ve worked at the same company for more than 20 years, and I have always felt valued. But a few months ago, a new younger colleague joined the team. At first, her feisty nature was great, but now her confidence has started to verge on arrogance. I feel she looks down her nose at me. Whether she means it or not, she’s very blunt and patronising. She says things like, ‘At your age...’ and I don’t want others to think I’m jealous of her youth if I bring it up, but it’s starting to upset me. Deirdre, East Sussex Don’t feel pushed out at work – be proud of all the experience you’ve gained, and continue to put a value on yourself.…

66p PER SERVING Little ham & egg pies These little parcels of ham and egg are perfect straight out of the oven or make a great snack when cooled down. PER SERVING CALS 506 FAT 40g MAKES 12 7 eggs 2tbsp milk 1tbsp wholegrain mustard 20g Cheddar cheese, grated 1tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 40g smoked ham, chopped 320g pre-made shortcrust pastry 2tbsp butter 1 Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC. Whisk the eggs, then fold in the milk, mustard, cheese, parsley, seasoning and ham. 2 Roll out the pastry to just under the thickness of a £1 coin then, using an upside down mug, cut out 12 rings – these are your bases. 3 Using the offcuts, form a ball, re-roll and then using a slightly smaller upside down glass, cut…

Our X Factor insider – Simon Cowell’s brother, Tony – may be away this week, but we still have all the behind-the-scenes gossip from Simon, Sharon and Nicole. They’ve been whetting our appetites with what to expect this year, from ‘extreme characters’ to fierce competition amongst the panel. There’s also been plenty of action off-screen, including a new ‘mini-me’ judge. We caught up with the team to find out more… SIMON: ‘ERIC HAS GOOD TASTE IN MUSIC’ The X Factor is all about future stars in the making – and one of those is very close to home for Simon. The 57-year-old judge reckons his son Eric, three, who’s been sitting in the wings as thousands of hopefuls audition, will end up in the music business himself. ‘At the moment,…

CAROL McGIFFIN THE WAY I SEE IT... Wise words from our feisty, fearless and funny columnist ‘I’m guessing that by the time you read this, everything will be back to normal Chez Rooney, following Wayne’s latest indiscretion with a girl in a bar, which resulted in him being charged with drink-driving her car. Poor wife Coleen, pregnant with his fourth child, had to supposedly rush back from her holiday to sort the mess out. And I suppose I should feel sorry for her – but I’m afraid I don’t. Largely, because she is the reason it keeps happening. If you behave like a doormat, you’ll get treated like one. Wayne being a disrespectful t**t isn’t the problem here, it’s Mrs Rooney’s serial forgiveness. He is obviously a child who, unless…

She was all smiles as she accompanied her younger sister, Loose Woman Coleen Nolan, on the red carpet last week for the TV Choice Awards. But in her private moments, Linda, 58, whose face appeared swollen and was relying on a crutch to help her walk, must be terrified when she thinks of what may lie in the months – hopefully years – ahead. After falling and breaking her hip in March, Linda was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer – six years after being given the all-clear – a diagnosis which she admitted made her ‘scared to death’, though she vowed to fight. Speaking exclusively to best earlier this year, Linda said, ‘It’s difficult to understand but the breast cancer is like dust particles and they were resting in my…

Forget worrying about acne and wrinkles – pores are the latest fixation. Got a case of porexia? Here’s how you can get some complexion pore-fection! ZAP THEM WITH LASER IPL treatments can help to reduce the appearance of pores – each light pulse works to smooth and refine while encouraging collagen, which plumps up the skin for a smoother look. Pores are slightly larger in between the eyebrows, nose and on the chin, and this light-based treatment can help rejuvenate these areas, making the pores appear more reduced. Downtime is minimal, as it’s non-invasive. A course of four treatments, once a fortnight, tends to give the best results. Cost: £80 per treatment. SMOOTH THEM WITH BOTOX At the clinic, microinjections of Botox – called Sprinkles – can dramatically fade pores.…

‘I f there’s one thi ng I’ve learnt’ ‘You have to want to lose weight in order to succeed, but support is invaluable. It’s much easier if you can find something that fits with your lifestyle.’ Everyone has their go-to food that they love to indulge in – sometimes too much. For me, that was undoubtedly crisps. I could munch my way through six packs a day without giving it a second thought. But my love of them – and having three kids – saw my weight spiralling upwards until I needed walking sticks to get around. Thankfully, with the help of Weight Watchers, I’ve dropped 8½st, and am fitter and healthier than ever. Growing up, my weight was never an issue. I was always on the go, exploring on…

For the week 12 – 18 September PRINCE HARRY IS A VIRGO 24 August – 23 September Virgos prefer working with cold, hard facts and will be realistic about unreliable people and information. Their sensible approach has a lot going for it. ARIES 21 March – 20 April If a job or developments in a work project fall short of your expectations, ask to give the task another go – especially if you are new to this kind of work. Remember the old saying, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.’ TAURUS 21 April – 21 May A sudden change in arrangements will be a blessing in disguise. This will leave you free to take up an offer that may have exciting romantic consequences. As a Taurean,…

Best Test best BUDGET BUY! Editor’s choice Budget buys - manual foot files Superdrug Spa Retreat Foot Buffer, £2.99 It resembles a cheese grater but gets genuinely good results without overdoing it. Plus the box means no mess to clear up either. Boots Gorgeous Feet Soft Foot File, £4.99 Its ergonomic shape comfortably fits into the palm of your hand and quickly smooths away roughness. Soap & Glory Foot Buffer, £9 The large handle makes manoeuvring the product easily and the double-sided buffer sees away hard skin. Relax - foot spas Beurer FB20 Foot Spa at Argos, £39.99 Incredibly simple to use, it literally is an in-built spa with buffer, massager and bubbles aplenty! Rio Deluxe Foot Spa at riobeauty.co.uk, £39.99 Featuring one dial to activate the spa, 10 minutes…

Former Real Housewives Of Cheshire babe Ampika Pickston, 36, chats to us about her ghostly experiences and leaving the TV reality show that catapulted her to fame... What made you want to take part in this reality TV show? It’s something I’ve always been interested in. I’ve been part of a spiritual circle since I was 16, so this isn’t something out of the norm for me. This is something that I’ve embraced. I’m a big believer in spirits, and not just the liquid ones! What’s your most memorable ghostly encounter? It’s when I’ve allowed a spirit to enter my body. The last time I did it, I picked up on someone’s father, took over his characteristics and the things that I said were just how her father would, and…