Cookbooks top of the Christmas gift list

It is Christmas this weekend, and people are exchanging presents with friends and family. And it seems that for the fourth year, the best-selling book comes from chef Jamie Oliver.
This year's Oliver book is dedicated to British food. His best-selling book last Christmas was about preparing good meals in just 30 minutes. His previous Christmas best-sellers included a general book and one about Italian food.
Interestingly, the best-selling book list includes two other cookery books in the top four.

UK children's adventurous diet

People around the world still think British food is very bland, but that idea is out of date.
A survey has found that average five-year-olds have eaten food from 14 different countries. Three quarters of parents regularly feed their children meals which were developed in different countries.
The dishes most often fed to children are chorizo sausage from Spain, curries from India, Halloumi cheese from Greece, Chinese egg fried rice and stir fry, Mexican fajitas and enchiladas and American-style hamburgers. Probably the most popular of all are Italian pasta and pizza dishes. Ten per cent of children had fed their young children on Japanese sushi. Most of these dishes are now a regular part of the UK diet.
Most parents said it was important that their children did not grow up to be reluctant to eat a wide variety of food.

London's traditional buses return

London's Routemaster buses are famous around the world. These are the old-fashioned red double-decker buses, with the open platform at the back for jumping on and off.
All the old Routemasters were replaced by newer buses, including ordinary double-deckers and long bendy buses. London's mayor, Boris Johnson, has been campaigning to get the buses with an open platform back.
So the Routemaster has been redesigned to give it more space by London designers, and eight new buses have been built in Northern Ireland. They will join several bus routes early next year.

Modern office building protected by Government

In the UK we have a system for protecting buildings which we think are special. They are "listed" at either Grade 1 for the very best, or Grade 2.
Grade 1 buildings include St Paul's Cathedral and Windsor Castle. The listing means the buildings cannot be changed or even repaired without official permission.
Now a 25-year-old building has got a Grade 1 listing. The Lloyd's building in the City of London is famous for having pipes and lifts on the outside. Very few buildings of the last 60 years are listed.