It’s midday at the Moon Under Water pub in Boston, Lincolnshire, and locals are busy tucking into cups of tea, fry-ups and pints. This popular Wetherspoons is in the centre of town, and the pub chain’s founder Sir Tim Martin is known to the locals for his 2016 visits to Boston, during which he argued that leaving the EU would be good for British business. The tycoon donated £20,000 to the Leave campaign, to help make Brexit happen – and he got his wish.
Through the pub window, just opposite, I spy a European supermarket. Inside, the aisles are full of Polish sausage, Latvian crisps and Lithuanian cake. You can, of course, find a Wetherspoons right by a Polish shop in plenty of towns or cities across the country, but here, their proximity sums up the complicated relationship this East Midlands market town has with Europe.
Boston has gone down in history as “the Brexit capital of Britain”. In the 2016 EU referendum this inland port recorded the highest majority of Leave voters in the country, with more than 75 per cent of voters choosing to quit the EU. One of the main reasons cited was the town’s high immigration – the 2011 census found Boston had the highest population of Eastern European residents of anywhere in the UK – and perceived impact on public services. After the 2004 expansion of the European Union (to include Romania and Bulgaria), EU workers had flocked to south Lincolnshire to work in the – often seasonal, and low-paid – agriculture and food production industries. Between 2004 and 2014, Boston’s European-born population grew by 460 per cent.
How to be more grateful for daily life in five easy steps
The world feels like a difficult place at the moment, and it can feel very hard sometimes to find things to be thankful for; when we are overwhelmed, we have less capacity to notice and reflect on the good things. Yet, ironically, proactively cultivating gratitude is one of the things that can actually help us feel less stressed.
NHS GP dR RADHA
The science
Research has shown that feeling or expressing thanks can actually alter our brain.
- The balance of neurotransmitters change; more serotonin and dopamine (feel good chemicals) are produced.
- This can be long lasting if we make gratitude a regular habit.
- We also get a decrease in our cortisol (stress hormone) levels which helps lower anxiety.
- Being grateful can strengthen the nerve pathways which triggers positive emotion.
How can we build gratitude?
Change your words
Instead of seeing something as a problem, try to see the opportunities within it.
Our brains are very receptive and what we read or write can alter our emotional system.
Express it
This will not only make you feel good, but you will also get a positive response from others.
How can we build gratitude?
Notice more
Throughout your day, try to notice all the things that are going well; has someone opened a door for you, or smiled?
The basics
By being thankful for the small things every day, we are far more likely to be and stay healthy so that we can enjoy them.
What to do
Gratitude can lead to feelings of optimism, lower our blood pressure, and improve sleep quality.
- Write down what potential good aspects there are to the things you don’t feel like doing, or even what could be worse about it.
- Spend a few minutes writing down three things that you are looking forward to that day, or the good things that have happened to you that day.
- Say thank you to yourself for the things you have achieved, or managed to get through and changed that day.
Sales of battery
electric vehicles hit a record high last year.
Starts at £22,995 for the smaller battery
Available with either a 40kWh battery or a larger 52kWh pack, that offers almost 255 miles, the latest, retro-inspired Renault 5 is both a joy to behold and a hoot to drive.
The interior has been lavished with a level of detail that’s typically reserved for more expensive cars.
4 min read
A champion of EV efficiency
It offers a remarkable 491 mile range on a single charge from the 85kWh battery.
It is a technological masterclass inside with the ability to option screens that span the entire width of the dashboard, including an optional display for the front passenger.
Priced from £37,400
2 min read
It’s a lot of money to part with, but this is arguably all the car you will ever need.
The £89,000 Macan is a premium SUV that somehow manages to blend Porsche’s reputation for dynamics and sporty driving with everyday practicality.
The 95kWh batteries can go from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 21 minutes from the fastest public charging outlets.
With the business class-style six seat configuration costing a staggering £76,995, it is by far the most expensive Kia ever made, but it backs up its financial demands with a suite of genuinely useful and impressive onboard technology.
It’s fast, goes a long way between stops and charges relatively quickly but the interior is bland, the onboard technology is infuriating and the experience is devoid of emotion.
All of its gadgetry can’t disguise the fact that performance is weak, even for a typically zippy EV, the ride is fussy at slower speeds and it’s not in the least bit enjoyable to drive on a country road.
- While good value (prices start at £17,935) for the 200-mile max range, there are more interesting options from Hyundai, Citroen and Renault for similar money.
- It attempts to wow with tech, much of which hinders, rather than helps.
- There’s no tangible benefit over mounting your phone to the dash.
- Simply an average driving experience, adequate range and slow charging speeds.
2 min read
The kitchen gadgets under £25
Victorinox paring knife
It’s comfortable to hold, with a point sharp enough for scoring pastry.
ProCook cast iron pan
For unbeatable searing and heat-retention, cast iron is the top choice.
Tesco chopping board
Priced at just £22, I’ve yet to find another board that matches it for sheer value and quality.
The kitchen gadgets under £25
Pyrex jug
It is the perfect vessel for blending smooth sauces, melting butter, or warming stock. It won’t stain like plastic and the red measurements never fade.
Salter scales
“I’ve had my slim little set of Salter Disc Scales for over a decade, and I’m delighted to see they are still made to exactly the same reliable design today.”
Microplane grater
It uses photo-etched stainless steel teeth that stay razor-sharp for a decade, something the lookalike copycats simply can’t match.
Braun hand-held blender
It’s an essential for everything from making velvety soup to getting the lumps out of white sauce.
Bodum cafetiere
As well as delivering great results, cafetieres are easy to clean and there’s no ongoing filter paper costs or pod recycling to deal with.
5 min read
The kitchen gadgets under £25
Oxo peeler
What truly sets it apart is the chunky, rubberised handle that absorbs pressure and stays completely non-slip, even if your hands are wet. It is inexpensive and incredibly durable.
Falcon pie dish
Made by fusing porcelain onto heavy-gauge steel for smooth durability, it is dishwasher, freezer, hob, air-fryer and oven-safe.
The golden rules for a happy, secure relationship
Psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr Amir Levine, author of bestselling book , explains why we behave the way we do in love.
Golden rules for happy relationships
Start with your own behaviours
The foundation of a secure, connected life is being what I call CARRP: that means being consistent, available, responsive, reliable and predictable. All of these qualities can be enacted in small gestures every day.
Express your needs
People need consistency and connection to feel safe. This is not, ‘You hurt my feelings by never replying to me’, it’s more ‘this is the kind of contact that helps me feel secure’.
Golden rules for happy relationships
The appendix ‘inflammation’ rule
If a relationship repeatedly inflames your nervous system, you need to disengage and deprioritise it.
Lean on community
You don’t need hundreds of friends. You need people and places that regularly remind you that you belong.
Stop blaming childhood
Humans are much more complicated than: ‘this happened to you, therefore you are doomed to be anxious’.
Reach for a
secure script
When something unsettles you in a relationship, your first reaction is not always the most accurate one.
If you’re anxious, your brain may jump very quickly to: ‘this is the beginning of the end’. If you’re avoidant, your brain may say: ‘this person wants too much from me, I need to get away’. So one very practical thing you can always do is pause and ask: ‘What would a secure person do here?’
Loneliness elsewhere
When people talk about loneliness, they often assume it means you don’t have enough people in your life. But you can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely if those relationships leave you feeling excluded, ignored or disconnected.
What to do
- Build a community that works for your temperament and gives you regular, reliable moments of connection.
- You can still be kind to people while not treating them as someone who belongs in your inner circle.
- Explain what you need. Sometimes people simply don’t realise how you are experiencing them.
- Check in with people: does this person actually feel that I’m reliable? Do they experience me as predictable? That’s the only way that you can start to become more secure.
Do some foods leave
you feeling hungry rather than satiated? Experts say there are…
Foods that leave you hungrier
A bowl of cereal and glass of orange juice
More refined cereals are digested quickly, and fruit juice, whilst one of your five-a-day, contains less fibre than whole fruit. This might mean you find yourself hungry again within 1-2 hours of eating this breakfast.
Swap the orange juice for a whole orange, the cereal for oats and milk or serve it with Greek yoghurt or a boiled egg. This would increase the fibre and protein content; two nutrients strongly linked with fullness.
Foods that leave you hungrier
These pastries are made primarily from refined flour and butter, and are relatively low in protein and fibre.
Toast and jam
Shop-bought packs can contain a lot of white rice, which is digested quickly, and the protein content is often modest.
Foods that leave you hungrier
Vegetable soup
On its own, it is often very low in protein and calories, so hunger can return quickly.
Unless it’s loaded with veggies, it’s probably pretty low in fibre.
Liquids are generally less filling as they require little chewing which may not trigger satiety signals.
Foods that leave you hungrier
Snack bars
They are ideal for a quick pick-me-up, but if reducing hunger is what you’re after, it’d be better to swap it out.
Low-fat yoghurt
A full-fat plain Greek yoghurt with berries and seeds tends to be much more filling due to the protein, fat and fibre.
On an empty stomach, it can actually increase your appetite.
What to eat instead
Instead of thinking about avoiding foods, think about what you can add to them.
- Add beans, lentils or shredded chicken to your vegetable soup and pasta.
- Thicken your smoothies with Greek yoghurt, chia seeds and oats.
- Apple slices with peanut butter, yogurt with berries and hummus with oat biscuits are better snack options than a pre-made snack bar.
- Have alcohol alongside a balanced meal containing protein and fibre.
How to age well
without pain
Will Harlow, a physiotherapist
for the over-50s and author of Independence for Life, shares
the key signs you’re ageing
badly – and what to do about it.
How to know
Ageing well is maintaining the ability to do what you want you want for as long as you want without needing help. Everyone is talking about longevity but what’s the point in living longer if the last decade is painful and you’re [totally] reliant on people?”
The signs to look out for
- The most obvious early warning sign of bad ageing is pain says Harlow.
- Another is losing confidence in doing daily tasks, which can quickly lead to a lack of independence.
- One call Harlow often receives is people calling after having a fall and struggling to get up.
4 min read
How to age without pain
Not just stopping
When people retire, they often put their feet up and stop. Your body really is use it or lose it.
Throughout our entire lives, Harlow says we need between seven and nine hours of sleep.
Social isolation
The lack of connection can increase the risk of premature death by
as much as 29 per cent.
Strength training
It really is the proxy for
overall independence.
The more muscle mass you have, the less chance of heart disease, diabetes, falls and even anxiety, depression and dementia.
The brain can be linked to muscle mass too, Harlow says. It’s not just about being able to lift things. It gives you more energy, better sleep and you’ll look and feel better.
How to age without pain
Daily habits
Do short bursts of exercise, between 30 and 60 seconds, in otherwise dead time during the day.
Stretch in bed
Take joints through a full range of motion for five minutes to loosen it before getting up.
Don’t crash diet
How to age without pain
Harlow advises 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight to stop muscle loss alongside resistance training.
Don’t wait
Harlow finds that many patients put off making a change to their lifestyle until their lives are consumed by pain.
For most people, it’s about reducing the number of times per week you’re exercising, not reducing intensity.
The three ageing tests to do
- Lie completely flat on the floor and get back up to a standing position using any technique. This should take less than 10 seconds.
See how many times you can sit on the chair and stand back up again in 30 seconds. Men should be aiming for more than 14 times and women 12.
The single-leg stand, which involves standing on one leg and balancing for 10 seconds. Everyone should be able to do that and for those under 65, Harlow asks them to do it with their eyes closed.
Despite the job market hiring fewer entry-level roles, employers are still looking for grads…
But you should be prepared to keep an open mind.
We’ve compiled the sectors hiring graduate roles, what degree is required, and what they pay.
The degrees to choose for a career
Hiring in the UK could
finally be on the up
47%
of employers offered entry-level
positions from July.
That is up nearly 15 per cent from the same period last year.
700,000
But graduate unemployment rose to six per cent in 2025 and 700,000 jobless graduates were claiming benefits.
Finance and insurance
- Around 42 per cent of UK finance and insurance employers say they will be open to graduate roles this summer.
- Business loan company Portman Finance Group has taken on 50 graduates over the past four years.
Portman graduates start on £36,000 for the two-year programme and the education you need to apply is a minimum “ABB” of A-levels, and a 2:1 or above university degree. But not in a specific subject.
Trade and logistics
What makes it particularly rewarding is that there’s always something to learn.
Nearly half (47 per cent) of trade and logistics companies will be giving graduates a go this year.
Salaries start at £30,000 with an uncapped bonus, rising to £50,000 plus a company car as a senior account partner.
Technology and IT
More than half (52 per cent) of UK tech and IT firms are actively looking for graduates.
Successful entry-level candidates can earn a basic salary of up to £35,000, with the opportunity to triple that within their first three years of working.
4 min read
Public sector, health
and social services
46 per cent of public sector, health and social services organisations are also ready to take graduates, according to a survey by Manpower.
- For example, Police Now runs a graduate programme into policing. They recruit graduates from any degree field, as long as they achieve a 2:2 or above. Starting salaries range from £31,164 to £42,210 depending on location and rising each year.
Can we treat guests without blowing our budget?
According to Waitrose, a dinner party revival is underway led by younger people trying to reduce the cost of getting together.
Always have bread
People will feast on the
ELLA RISBRIDGER, AUTHOR OF THE KITCHEN BOOK – GOOD FOOD FOR EVERY DAY
bread, and then need less fish/steak/expensive whatever. All small plates restaurants know this: this is why the first thing on the menu is always artisan bread and butter.
Use vegetables as centrepieces
Add pantry items
Graham’s recipes include a braised cabbage with a preserved lemon sauce, a roast cauliflower with saffron, and harrisa roast carrots with mango labneh.
How to host on a budget
Improve the everyday
Guests will always appreciate a stellar interpretation of the ordinary. Think lasagna or curry.
Cooking dinner for your guests is spoiling them – you’re being generous with your time, your effort, and your home. So don’t feel the need to go overboard elsewhere.
Ask for help
Ask friends to bring a contribution, be it a nibble or a pudding.
Big platter energy
[Presentation] can be the key to elevating something . Spaghetti and tomato sauce suddenly looks like a feast when tumbled on a lovely big plate, dressed with olive oil and parmesan and placed in the middle of the table.
Food writer and editor Eleanor Steafel
How to host on a budget
Taco party
Have one expensive filling, like shredded chicken, and two cheaper options, like refried beans, says Ella Risbridger.
Shop-bought ice cream is so easily zhuzhed up with the help of handy toppings, says Eleanor Steafel.
Now, more than a decade after the Brexit vote, Andy Burnham has said it is “possible” a future Labour election manifesto could promise a new referendum on the EU. The Prime Minister says our departure from the union “has done more harm than good” and has pledged to launch a review of the country’s relationship to Europe.
That relationship remains complicated. If many Boston residents voted to leave the EU in the hope that Brexit would curb migration, then many will feel this has not been achieved. Immigration has continued to rise, year on year. In Boston, the proportion of EU citizens born outside the UK, grew from 0.7 per cent in 2001, to 20 per cent in 2021, according to census data from Nomis. Boston continues to have one of the highest proportions of non-British and EU passport holders of any local authority outside of London.
Immigration, then, continued to grow post-Brexit, but the landscape shifted. No longer did EU residents have a right to work in the UK, but had to instead seek permission to do so. Highly skilled work was prioritised, and foreigners had to adhere to a points-based system. Immediately after Brexit, there was huge drop in EU workers which meant that Boston – which had long relied heavily on foreign labour – had to urgently recruit more workers from abroad.
Many Boston workers now come over from EU and non-EU countries on seasonal work visas, which allow foreign workers to carry out temporary work such as harvesting crops. In fact, research shows that many Leave-voting areas actually saw faster relative growth in foreign workers post-Brexit due to labour shortages in key industries such as agriculture and social care.
In post-Brexit Boston, the biggest non-EU group are now agricultural workers from Kyrgyzstan, and another wave of migrants has come from East Africa (93 per cent of new registrations come from Kenyan nationals), largely on longer-term skilled worker or family visas, filling critical gaps in nursing and social care.
Another major reason cited for the high Leave vote was the locals’ deep desire to fight against decades-long economic decline. Since Brexit, employment rates have continued to decline. reported that Boston lost roughly one in six town centre jobs between 2015 and 2023. And according to the Office for National Statistics, the average hourly wage in Boston in 2015 was reported at £14.19 – one of the lowest rates in the UK.
For all the town’s impressive history, the beautiful, medieval St Botolph’s church, and a few independent business success stories, the signs of struggle are there. As I wander through the centre, there are lots of empty shops – some boarded up, or with “to let” signs in the windows. The M&S closed down in 2019, and Oldrids, a department store which had been there for 216 years, is gone. Once a wealthy medieval port, Boston has for many years been dealing with a collapsing retail sector, low-wage employment, overstretched infrastructure.
Half of all the town’s neighbourhoods are among the UK’s top 20 per cent most deprived areas, according to 2025 government figures. One in every five homes here is considered a “non-decent dwelling”, and one in 20 people in Boston say they are living with poor health. In 2017, Boston was given £1.4m to deal with issues including antisocial behaviour, the provision of English lessons and rogue, exploitative landlords.
How do the people of Boston feel about their Prime Minister potentially putting Brexit back on the table? I have lunch at Churches, a beloved local English cafe and restaurant, and David Wilson, the proprietor, tells me why he voted Leave. “My father and my grandfather fought for sovereignty, for our country back, to not be ruled by another country. That’s why I voted. I didn’t vote because of migration, I’m fine with that, we’ve long been a multicultural country. Although what people round here don’t like is the way some of them hang around in groups on the street. But that’s just what some nationalities are probably used to in their home countries, so people here will have to get used to that.”
Does Wilson feel that Brexit has worked out as he hoped? “Yes, it’s been alright,” he says. “We’re a poorer country than we would have been if we’d stayed in, but we have been getting poorer since post-war years, our economy hasn’t boomed, it’s got more stagnant. So that was happening already.” Boston has a significiantly higher proportion of its population claiming benefits than the UK average, and in 2025, 11 per cent of the working-age population (about one in nine people) were actively working and also claiming universal credit to make ends meet.
Does David regret his vote? “No. But we we do need politicians with some vision.” Who might they be? “There aren’t any,” he says, shaking his head with a weary smile.
The MP for Boston and Skegness is Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, who splits his time between nearby Skegness, and Dubai. He said in a BBC interview in June that Boston would vote the same way again, if another referendum was held today. “Boston would vote with me [to leave], but I don’t think there’s appetite for another referendum.” When asked whether Brexit is seen as a success by Bostonians, he said: “People are just grumpy now. I’m grumpy that it hasn’t been taken advantage of. It hasn’t been done properly.” He added, with a grin; “We’ve won the war but we haven’t taken advantage of the peace.” On a nearby parked car, a St George’s flag flutters in the wind.
For Ian, 58, who used to be a window cleaner but is now not physically able to work, the reality of Brexit has been a disappointment. “I don’t mind the Poles who came here, they breathed some life into our small shops, and they’ve integrated, married, had kids, settled down here, paid their taxes and all that. Some farmers round here have relied on the immigrants who have come over. They’ve not really taken our jobs, or anything. But what I don’t like is now, even with us being out of the EU…how can I say this without getting in trouble…we’ve got more big groups of people in a different ‘class’ who don’t learn English, who are sponging off our NHS, our systems. Groups of men not working, standing around smoking in our square. If you want to help build our town back, please come. But if you want to just take from us, don’t come.”
Would Ian vote Leave again if he had the chance? “I don’t know, because it’s made no difference, has it? I was very happy when I woke up in 2016 and heard that we were leaving the union. But if anything, things have got worse haven’t they? I voted to get control back of our town, of our country, [but] we have the same problems we had then. I still can’t get a GP appointment. There are still not many jobs for people round here. The politicians in charge, they never really cared whether Brexit happened or not. I don’t want another vote, I just want things to be done properly.”
A Polish customer in Korzinka Taste of Europe – a supermarket so popular with both Eastern European and English locals, it has two branches in town – tells me she came to Boston 18 years ago. She married a Lincolnshire local, and they have two children at local schools. “I don’t want to give my name because it is a sensitive subject and it can cause us to be divided from each other in our Boston community,” she says. She and her husband voted Remain, but says she understands why many voted to go.
“I can understand why English people are upset about foreigners who come and go on benefits and don’t try to learn English. There are people who don’t try hard enough and who don’t respect the English ways. I have never had benefits, I have always worked, and I pay my taxes and contribute to this town. But it is also the truth that some people here don’t like outsiders, and they have prejudice that all foreign people are bad. Many people who come here for a better life are very hard-working, and England needs them to do many jobs.”
How has Brexit impacted the mood of Boston? “Many people were relieved and they wanted everything to get better, to have some change, more money and support for the town. I hoped after the vote maybe some good change would come for the town, because so many people wanted it, but I am not so sure it has come. It is still a difficult topic now because there is anger and disappointment – we don’t talk about it as much now, but these feeling are still here, and it has not gone away, just like that.”
Back at the Moon Under Water pub, I ask a table of older men having a chat if they’d be interested in another EU referendum one day. “Another Brexit?” says Rod Pike, 68, a former fork-lift handler, rolling his eyes at me. “We’ve not even had the first one yet, it’s barely bloody happened.” He adds, pointing out of the window: “Have you been to our church? You know, there’s more to this place than this Brexit nonsense.”
As I head back through this pretty town, and walk back past St Botolph’s, its spires glittering in the autumn sunlight, I am sure Rod is right. Yet, whether he likes it or not, this town has gone down in history for its 2016 vote – so if Burnham does wade into Brexit waters again, all eyes will be back on the people of Boston.