Samantha Rea

How to channel your inner karate kid

From our UK edition

'I don’t wear a headband. If you want to, you can!' says karate World Champion Jordan Thomas. 'Don’t disillusion me, Jordan!' I bark, perhaps a little aggressively. I’ve watched three seasons of Cobra Kai in a week and I am all about a karate headband / floppy fringe combo. Kick-ass comedy drama Cobra Kai is a spin-off of ’80s classic The Karate Kid. Resurrecting the original actors, it follows underdog Daniel LaRusso (now 'chopping prices' and 'kicking the competition' as the owner of a successful car dealership) and his high school nemesis, sneering country club bully Johnny Lawrence (now knocking back beer for breakfast).

How to play chess like Beth from The Queen’s Gambit

‘Oh you can definitely learn it as a mere mortal. Nobody’s born knowing how to move a knight!’ After watching Netflix phenomenon The Queen’s Gambit, I am picking the brains of Jennifer Shahade, the two-time US women’s chess champ. I’m relieved by Shahade’s assurance that there’s no need to be naturally gifted, but with Queen’s Gambit Beth starting at the age of nine, am I too old to learn? ‘No way! Older learners catch onto certain things more quickly, and they appreciate the beauty of chess,’ says Shahade, who learnt it while most of us were still eating mash via imaginary airplanes. With chess set sales surging by 1,000 percent, I’m not the only one inspired by the series.

How to go on a Zoom date

'You don’t have to wear anything below the waist!’ declares psychologist and dating coach Jo Hemmings, who’s advising me on Zoom dating. Heavens! This sounds saucy. 'Well, you’re not going to see it,’ she reminds me, as I wonder whether high heels are de trop for sitting indoors at my laptop. But won’t dressing up make it more exciting? Doesn’t it seem drab if you don’t bother? 'I think you should bother — you need to feel your best. But it’s more casual. It’s what you’d wear for a coffee date rather than a dinner date. I wouldn’t be dressing up in dinner suits or evening gowns,’ says Jo, as if she can see inside my brain.

zoom date

How to spot good French wine

‘If you swill it around, you look at the legs of the wine — we’re in the Naughty Room, so I’m sorry to talk about legs again!’ exclaims Prince Robert of Luxembourg, alluding to our saucy surroundings. We are tucked away in a bijou risqué room at 67 Pall Mall, a London private members’ club for wine lovers. The Naughty Corner, as it’s known, is adorned with erotic paintings, and a miniature sculpture of a naked man has been turned away from us. While members must be approved, there was little chance of Prince Robert being blackballed. His family owns the French wine estate Chateau Haut-Brion, the oldest of the great growths of Bordeaux.

good wine

A military guide to surviving lockdown

From our UK edition

“Wire your booze cabinet up to the mains so you can’t get into it!” says Jason Fox, the former Royal Marine Commando and Special Forces Sergeant who’s best known for barking orders on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins. With wine o’clock starting earlier each day for many of us, as we crawl the walls in isolation, I’ve asked Jason for his take on lockdown drinking. “It’s not the answer really. It’s great fun and I enjoy having a drink, but I won’t allow myself to drink all day. It doesn’t make you feel better about yourself.

How to cut your hair at home: top tips from Hugh Grant’s barber

From our UK edition

“I don’t like dropping names,” says Haks Oscar, when I ask him about his celebrity clients, “but we’ve got several – from Hugh Grant to Jose Mourinho.” The Chelsea based barber has been cutting hair for 33 years, and the tradition has been in his family for five generations. “We are, what I call, the old school real barbers,” says Haks, who’s transported by private jet to attend to the tresses of Saudi royalty, “whenever they require.” His King’s Road barbershop in Chelsea has even had princely posteriors in its seats. “We have members of royalty from various countries that, as a family, come over on their private jet, just for their haircuts, then go back.” Crikey.

Bad day at the office? Try these life hacks from the military

From our UK edition

“Do not waste a single vertebra,” says Major General Paul Nanson CBE, in Stand Up Straight, his book of life lessons from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he serves as Commandant. With a career in the British Army spanning more than 30 years, Nanson is no patchouli-scented shaman. His Sandhurst hacks have seen him through The Troubles, the Gulf War, the Bosnian War, the Iraq War, and the war in Afghanistan. So I reckon he’s reasonably well qualified to dish out advice. “I’m a great believer in healthy body, healthy mind. If you’re physically fit, you’ll be more mentally fit,” says Nanson, who takes his morning run as an opportunity to reflect.

How to spot good quality smoked salmon

From our UK edition

“Try smoked salmon without the lemon – you might just like it!” says Lance Forman, the fourth generation owner of family salmon smoking business H. Forman & Son. Overlooking the Olympic Stadium, Forman’s smokehouse (cum-deli-cum-restaurant-cum-shiny-disco-palace) is the fishtastic Trump Tower of the East End. “In a restaurant,” continues Forman, “the plate arrives, and people often add salt to their food before they’ve tasted it. It’s the same with smoked salmon – people automatically squeeze lemon over it. But actually, that’s a habit that has sprung from eating poor quality smoked salmon which can be quite slimy.