Lucy Pleasence bought a two-bedroom flat in Brixton, south London, in 2013 – at the height of a local property boom that became shorthand for middle-class gentrification, and saw protesters chanting “yuppies out” outside a wine and cheese bar. The 65-year-old and her husband paid £385,000 for the property and had every expectation that the value would only rise over time.
After all, the house in West Dulwich that they bought in 1995 for £135,000 had just sold for £985,000, representing a sevenfold increase in price. Why wouldn’t the place in Brixton be subject to the same market forces? “We bought this flat at the height of the Brixton boom – there were eight other people looking at it,” she says. So confident they were in the market, they offered £10,000 over the £375,000 asking price to secure the deal.
Now, in 2026, Pleasance and her husband have just sold for exactly the same price they paid for it. “At one point [these flats] were selling for £420,000”. So when they came to list earlier this year they were surprised the valuation was only £400,000. They asked the estate agents to list it for £425,000 anyway (they are moving to renovate in Hastings, East Sussex) but after two weeks the price was dropped, and later dropped again. The estate agent told her candidly: “If a flat doesn’t sell within two weeks, it’s going to be a really slow process.”
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.
“It’s mad,” Pleasance says. Yes, the couple managed a sale of £385,000 in a crowded market, but it was a real-terms loss, and certainly didn’t give them anywhere near the gains of their previous property sale.
London bricks and mortar used to be a surefire investment, testament to the 19th century phrase “safe as houses”. People on middling salaries bought cheap properties in the 1990s only to discover, decades later, that sitting tight during a time of high demand and low supply had made them millionaires. And soon, buy-to-let landlords followed, buying up, renting out and making double the profit after selling. According to one study, the average price of a London property rose by 571 per cent between 1995 and 2019.
By 2016, the Bank of England’s chief economist, Andrew Haldane, said that without more housebuilding, prices would keep “relentlessly heading north”, and conceded that property was a better investment than pensions. However, a lot has changed since then, and property prices are now stalling.
While the average UK house price has flatlined, according to the latest Lloyds index, London recorded the “largest annual decline”, down 2.5 per cent year on year. So what happened to the London property dream? And who misses out as a result?
Emma*, 38, has just been stiffed by a potential buyer. In 2016, her parents bought her a two-bed flat in west London for £895,000 and “hoped it would be an investment” as well as providing security for her. “They didn’t want me to be dependent on other people as a renter, they wanted me to have control and certainty. And they were hoping it would at least hold its value.”
A decade on, and newly married, Emma is looking to move to a larger home where she and her husband can start a family. “We were told that Christmas is a really good time to list because everyone wants to get divorced, so they’re all on Rightmove.” However, after listing it on 24 December last year at £900,000, just £5,000 more than the purchase price, no one was biting.
“So we slashed the price, had an offer for £875,000, accepted it, but then that fell apart. Then we were offered £850,000 cash and figured we’d accept it [as] it’s such a difficult market.”
Last week, that fell apart too, after the cash buyer said they believed the flat needed £100,000 of work. Unwilling to knock the price down that far, Emma is now waiting for another buyer to come along. “I’m still one of the lucky ones, but I do feel quite trapped, and we’ve lost tens of thousands in solicitors’ fees for failed sales.” She points out that in Scotland, once you’ve made the offer, there is a financial commitment, and would like that in England and Wales too.
“It feels like the [London property] promise has been broken a bit,” explains Brian Swint, a former financial journalist turned mortgage broker. “For decades, everyone was investing in London flats… taking a big Victorian or Georgian house, splitting it into flats and using that as an investment. So there was a great supply and then a huge demand of people coming in to buy them.”
Now, however, “the property market for flats is incredibly weak”, he says. This all started, according to Paolo Ulivi, who runs Pickwick Estates, a south London estate agency, around a decade ago. “Brexit was the first event that created stagnancy in the market. Then during Covid there was a flood of flats that came on the market because people had been cooped up without gardens and were desperate to get out. Or they needed an office, or they wanted to move to the countryside because they didn’t have to go into the office.”
That was, Ulivi says, “the first time I started seeing people willing to take less than what they bought for, because they just wanted out”. Then came Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget. “And by November 2022, interest rates went up. Meaning that anyone who had bought a flat in 2021 during the [Covid-era] stamp duty holiday, their flat wouldn’t be worth so much anymore.”
And this year, the Renters’ Rights Act came in, “and landlords are exiting the market and have saturated it with another wave of flats”. The result? “People are accepting 5 to 10 per cent less than what they bought for, so I’ve seen £500,000 flats going for £450,000. It’s mad to think that, if you’ve bought a flat in the past 10 years, you’ve not made any capital growth.” Ulivi says.
As for the option for owners to rent out properties, Swint says: “Everyone realises having this London flat is a burden now rather than a benefit. Some are just going to remortgage and hang on for a few more years, and some are going to try and sell up at whatever price they can get. But neither [group] are very happy about it.”
The knock-on effect is broad, Swint says: “The pain of London flats isn’t just felt in London. Everybody goes to London to make their fortunes when they’re young and then maybe move out, but they sometimes keep a flat, and now they’re kind of feeling like they’re stuck with it.”
This means it’s not just buy-to-let landlords feeling the pain. Owner-occupiers like Pleasence and Emma are selling at or below what they paid, and landlords who kept a flat when they left London are stuck unless they want to sell at a loss. For Emma, “the stress is that the process is so slow and so long and feels so uncertain. The first time round I was so emotionally invested and so stressed by it, because I had such an anxiety to move. But now I’ve become hardened… but ever since the beginning of the year I’ve had low-level anxiety about the flat.”
Plenty of renters may have no sympathy, but the issues affecting owners still touch tenants, as Swint explains: “While flat prices are falling in real and nominal terms… unfortunately, they’re still probably too expensive for most first-time buyers who would want to get in there.” Indeed, the average London property is still worth 10 times more than the average Londoner’s salary.
In addition, Ulivi says: “There are no rental properties now. We put a rental on the market and we’re inundated by tenants, we get to choose the best one. How is that helping those who need that help?”
Stamp duty and interest rates, both Ulivi and Swint agree, need to be amended, but one task may be easier than the other, and Swint concedes: “I don’t think there’s a silver bullet or one magic stroke to make it better”.
In the meantime, both Pleasence and Emma have become sanguine about their situations. Pleasence explains that while “it’s not great, at least [our flat] sold, because a lot of people are in much worse positions, selling under what they bought their flats for, and also not even selling at all”.
While Emma still waits for the sale of her flat, she acknowledges her parents have passed on some wisdom along with that hefty chunk from the Bank of Mum and Dad. “My dad said, ‘If you’re lucky enough to have investments, you’ll know some are great and can exceed what you could ever have imagined. And some that you hope will be valuable turn out not to be.'”
A Government spokesperson told The i Paper: “Our landmark Renters’ Rights Act gives tenants more security by banning no-fault evictions and giving renters stronger powers to challenge excessive rent hikes.
“We’re fixing the broken homebuying and selling process in London and across the country to make it faster, cheaper and less stressful for people, while our Your First Home scheme will reduce deposits and boost the number of high-quality new homes.”
*Name has been changed.