The pistachio-crammed craze makes a superb gift. Our in-house perfectionist tries all the fiddly bits for you …

If you’re asking what on earth chocolate has to do with a city with an average annual temperature of 28C, then you must have been stuck in the desert for the past three years. Because, since its creation in the UAE in 2022, apparently to satisfy chocolatier Sarah Hamouda’s pregnancy cravings for pistachio and pastry, this bar has taken over the world. Though food (among those with the luxury of choice, at least) has never been immune to the absurdities of fashion, the internet has supercharged and globalised the process, so much so that pistachios, which back in January were dubbed “the new pumpkin spice” by this very newspaper, are now everywhere, from Starbucks lattes to Aldi mince pies.

The thing is, however, that whatever your thoughts on green, sugary, coffee-adjacent beverages, Hamouda’s Dubai chocolate developed for Fix Dessert Chocolatier has triumphed, because it really does taste as good as it looks: crunchy pastry, sweet chocolate and rich, slightly savoury nut butter are an incredibly satisfying combination, so a big bar of it is guaranteed to impress under the Christmas tree. Experience demands that I suggest you wrap it in a pet-proof box, however – emergency vet bills are no one’s idea of a great present.

The pistachio-crammed craze makes a superb gift. Our in-house perfectionist tries all the fiddly bits for you …

If you’re asking what on earth chocolate has to do with a city with an average annual temperature of 28C, then you must have been stuck in the desert for the past three years. Because, since its creation in the UAE in 2022, apparently to satisfy chocolatier Sarah Hamouda’s pregnancy cravings for pistachio and pastry, this bar has taken over the world. Though food (among those with the luxury of choice, at least) has never been immune to the absurdities of fashion, the internet has supercharged and globalised the process, so much so that pistachios, which back in January were dubbed “the new pumpkin spice” by this very newspaper, are now everywhere, from Starbucks lattes to Aldi mince pies.

The thing is, however, that whatever your thoughts on green, sugary, coffee-adjacent beverages, Hamouda’s Dubai chocolate developed for Fix Dessert Chocolatier has triumphed, because it really does taste as good as it looks: crunchy pastry, sweet chocolate and rich, slightly savoury nut butter are an incredibly satisfying combination, so a big bar of it is guaranteed to impress under the Christmas tree. Experience demands that I suggest you wrap it in a pet-proof box, however – emergency vet bills are no one’s idea of a great present.

The pistachio-crammed craze makes a superb gift. Our in-house perfectionist tries all the fiddly bits for you …

If you’re asking what on earth chocolate has to do with a city with an average annual temperature of 28C, then you must have been stuck in the desert for the past three years. Because, since its creation in the UAE in 2022, apparently to satisfy chocolatier Sarah Hamouda’s pregnancy cravings for pistachio and pastry, this bar has taken over the world. Though food (among those with the luxury of choice, at least) has never been immune to the absurdities of fashion, the internet has supercharged and globalised the process, so much so that pistachios, which back in January were dubbed “the new pumpkin spice” by this very newspaper, are now everywhere, from Starbucks lattes to Aldi mince pies.

The thing is, however, that whatever your thoughts on green, sugary, coffee-adjacent beverages, Hamouda’s Dubai chocolate developed for Fix Dessert Chocolatier has triumphed, because it really does taste as good as it looks: crunchy pastry, sweet chocolate and rich, slightly savoury nut butter are an incredibly satisfying combination, so a big bar of it is guaranteed to impress under the Christmas tree. Experience demands that I suggest you wrap it in a pet-proof box, however – emergency vet bills are no one’s idea of a great present.

With a return to thinness in the fashion industry, catwalks spanning size, age and race may be the secret of the Kors appeal

The sale of Versace to Prada this week in a $1.4bn deal marked a new chapter for two storied Italian fashion houses.

It also left Versace’s former parent company, Capri Holdings, with an even greater focus on Michael Kors, the 44-year-old brand know as America’s Armani that made up about 70% of sales in its last financial year.

With a return to thinness in the fashion industry, catwalks spanning size, age and race may be the secret of the Kors appeal

The sale of Versace to Prada this week in a $1.4bn deal marked a new chapter for two storied Italian fashion houses.

It also left Versace’s former parent company, Capri Holdings, with an even greater focus on Michael Kors, the 44-year-old brand know as America’s Armani that made up about 70% of sales in its last financial year.

With a return to thinness in the fashion industry, catwalks spanning size, age and race may be the secret of the Kors appeal

The sale of Versace to Prada this week in a $1.4bn deal marked a new chapter for two storied Italian fashion houses.

It also left Versace’s former parent company, Capri Holdings, with an even greater focus on Michael Kors, the 44-year-old brand know as America’s Armani that made up about 70% of sales in its last financial year.

Authorities say strain of virus that has killed wild boars in Catalonia is one often used for experiments in secure facilities

Spanish authorities investigating the African swine fever outbreak in Catalonia are now looking into the possibility that the disease may have leaked from a research facility and are focusing on five nearby laboratories as potential sources.

Thirteen cases of the fever have been confirmed in wild boars in the countryside outside Barcelona since 28 November, prompting Spain – the EU’s largest pork exporter – to scramble to contain the outbreak before it becomes a serious threat to the country’s €8.8bn-a-year pork export industry, worth €8.8bn (£7.7bn).

Authorities say strain of virus that has killed wild boars in Catalonia is one often used for experiments in secure facilities

Spanish authorities investigating the African swine fever outbreak in Catalonia are now looking into the possibility that the disease may have leaked from a research facility and are focusing on five nearby laboratories as potential sources.

Thirteen cases of the fever have been confirmed in wild boars in the countryside outside Barcelona since 28 November, prompting Spain – the EU’s largest pork exporter – to scramble to contain the outbreak before it becomes a serious threat to the country’s €8.8bn-a-year pork export industry, worth €8.8bn (£7.7bn).

Authorities say strain of virus that has killed wild boars in Catalonia is one often used for experiments in secure facilities

Spanish authorities investigating the African swine fever outbreak in Catalonia are now looking into the possibility that the disease may have leaked from a research facility and are focusing on five nearby laboratories as potential sources.

Thirteen cases of the fever have been confirmed in wild boars in the countryside outside Barcelona since 28 November, prompting Spain – the EU’s largest pork exporter – to scramble to contain the outbreak before it becomes a serious threat to the country’s €8.8bn-a-year pork export industry, worth €8.8bn (£7.7bn).