I spent a week as a Deliveroo rider. And learnt a lot.
First up, Deliveroo likes to claim you should earn at least the minimum wage of £11.44 while working. Me?
I worked for 22hrs 50mins, rode 105 miles, did 27 drop offs and earned £120.38.
That works out at £5.28 an hour🧵 I spent one evening shift delivering to City law firms, Bank of America, McKinsey etc.
The sheer volume of meals delivered to these workers is amazing.
That trolley outside McKinsey went from empty to 16 orders in 10 mins. Bank of America has a special holding pen for riders

Enraging that @NadineDorries – representing the Govt – contemptusouly dismissed warnings by @MartinSLewis etc that average bills could increase by £2,300.
"Some, *some* bills may increase by that amount," she told @BBCr4today

Does she not understand how averages work? "Action is being taken. That's why £400 hit people's bank accounts only last week," she said airly.
But the price cap went from £1,223 last summer, to £2,100 this summer. It's likely to hit £3,500 or £4k this winter. That's for *typical* homes.

£400 doesn't touch the sides

Nigel is officially extinct as a baby name.
@ONS has released full 2020 baby names data. There were 189 boys called Kylo, 142 called Kacper, 86 called Aadam, 64 called Cai. Not a single* Nigel *It is possible there were 2 Nigels. ONS only records a name if 3 or more children are called that name, for data protection purposes.

When I broke story about @Argos_Online axing its catalogue, I was contacted by someone who explained her sister-in-law was severely autistic.
"Throughout the last 2 decades, the Argos catalogues have been her only source of entertainment and comfort." 1/3 "Zina looks and plays with the catalogue all day/every day, using up one a week as she rips the pages off. She also takes it with her everywhere e.g. hospital and respite".
She was distraught that her supply of catalogues was going to end.
Was there any way I could help? 2/3

In today’s @guardianweekend I interviewed the boss of @Pret – who left school at 17 and worked his way up from the shop floor to dream job. Only for it to go horribly wrong.
It’s not online yet. You’ll have to buy AN ACTUAL NEWSPAPER. This is fascinating – @Pret’s best selling items pre/post lockdown.
In short, the takeaway breakfast – which has fuelled growth of high street cafés – is dead. For now.

The incredible rise of chicken over last 70yrs. In 1958, what did people eat for Sunday lunch? (survey of 4k people asked during winter):
- 37% had beef
- 17% had lamb
- 12% had pork
- 3% had mutton
- 2% sausages
- Just 2% had poultry Stats taken from an amazing UK-wide survey by a market research company, WS Crawford, published in 1958: “The Foods We Eat”

Baby Names. @ONS data shows last year 1,356 boys were called Jaxon, 1,433 were called Mason, 1,400 were called Albie.
A mere 11 were called Trevor, 11 called Vince and 13 called Gordon Baby names. @ONS data shows last year there were 1,213 girls called Luna, 1,156 called Aria, 777 girls called Aurora.
Just 8 called Janice, 7 called Susan, only 3 called Carol.

Argos has axed its catalogue. 'The laminated book of dream' is no more.
Here's exclusive I've written for Mail:
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8… 🦠📖🦠The Argos catalogue has been in decline for some time. But Covid was final nail.
As Mark Given says: 'We had to think if someone was flicking and browsing through 1,700 pages of a laminated catalogue, how would we keep that clean between browsing?'

I realise many are uncomfortable at the hospitality industry re-opening. That it’s both irresponsible and flippant to care about nice food cooked by professionals.
I get that. But it felt lovely to return to @lepontdelatour Your temperature is taken on entry. And there’s a rather smart hand sanitiser.

Anyone else tried to apply for bounce back loan from @HSBC_UK / @HSBCUKBusiness and had trouble? It's one of the rare banks that allow new customers to apply – but a month after applying they still won't say if / when it will approve or not.
Or give any update at all. Worse, @HSBC say they are unable to confirm the application – done over the phone – has even been logged. Which seems incompetent to say the least.

This seems first sensible bit of policy announced (or rather leaked) in weeks.
If you want to go to pub/restaurant you will have to give full contact details to help track & trace – if the pub later proves to have outbreak.

thetimes.co.uk/article/reopen… Hey, I get there are privacy issues. But most people booking restaurant tables hand over this data without thinking – in good times.
We hail South Korea as world beating at track & trace. Restaurant/clubs/bars have to hand over all customer details to trackers

It’s my wife (@VicSowerby)’s birthday. We usually go to a Nat Trust property (because we’re boring and middle aged).
But because of lockdown we decided to walk from Islington to Kensal Green cemetery. Wild.
First time I’ve ever logged more than 30k steps on this phone Here’s Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s grave. Along with his father and sundry other family members (including a g-g-granddaughter buried as recently as 2009). Fantastically elegant.

Here starts my career as a Spamfluencer.
Thank you @IcelandFoods. I think. Update to follow... I am hoping this lovely Pinot Gris from Alsace will pair well with the spice extract, onion powder and potato starch.

How is UK high street coping with this crisis? Will it survive when lockdown eases?
I spoke to shopkeepers, hairdresser, pub, butcher, restaurateur on one high street to find out: Southwold, Suffolk.
Me for D.Mail:
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8… One thing that didn’t make it into piece. Waterstones’ boss James Daunt told me in book shops – if you browse a book & not buy, you’ll have to dump it on trolley.
Book will be wheeled away, put in quarantine for 3 days before going back on shelves.
📚🦠📚🦠

Did no one at #Eurovision get the memo about this being a silly, joyful distraction?
Every song being followed by a funereal statement about the death of humanity is kinda killing the vibe. And now Slovenia is telling us the only thing that matters is God. 😬

Serious question. Can we drive to Cornwall/Suffolk/Lake District etc if we stay as family unit in a rented holiday home?
"People may drive to outdoor open spaces irrespective of distance, so long as they respect social distancing guidance while they are there." This is the key sentence in the newly published Gov't guidelines. p25.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…

Only ever having read one or two of the Cold War thrillers, I had no idea Smiley had a brief sojourn as detective solving murder at a boarding school.
Psmith meets Marple. Fun if flimsy. Has taken me 7 weeks into lockdown to realise the only thing I can really enjoy reading at moment are short crime/thrillers. If I adore Robert Harris, William Boyd, Michael Dibdin’s Aurelio Zen stuff what should I go for?

Twitter. After #Quiz, I watched with all my kids Apollo 13 – and they loved the drama and the fact it was true story.
Any other classic movies based on real life that everyone from 8yr old to 45yr old would relish that you’d recommend? Thanks for brilliant suggestions. Went for Quiz Show, which I adored when I saw it in 90s.
8yr old fidgeted & 17yr old complained every character was morally compromised 🤷‍♂️.
Kids’ view: Quiz Show not as good as Quiz. Tho’ I’d happily watch Paul Schofield read out phone book

It’s a lockdown, not a shutdown. And why – if you’re lucky enough to still have a salary – it’s your duty to buy flowers, Easter eggs and treats. To stop the entire economy seizing up.
My column for ⁦@thetimes⁩:

thetimes.co.uk/article/its-a-… Interesting to read how this censoriousness about people buying booze/presents is quite widespread.
Here’s comment from @thetimes reader who had similar story in Tesco

Over last 4wks alcohol sales jumped by 22%, an additional £199m of booze bought compared with normal March.
Store cupboard products & frozen rose by 28%.
Interesting stats by @Kantar, research firm which tracks supermarket sales Also proof that online supermarkets completely failed to cope with vast surge in demand.
Only 14.6% of households received an online delivery in past 4 weeks, up from 13.8% in March 2019.

Tonight, 7.30pm - on @Channel4 a @C4Dispatches special. ‘Coronavirus - Can our Supermarkets Cope?’
Why has the panic buying happened, how much pressure is the supply chain under? I try to answer these questions. Just doing the voice over now... Ahead of tonight's @C4Dispatches, I've written something about how the panic buying has come about, supermarket supply chains, and what the possible solutions are:
harrywallop.co.uk/2020/03/22/cha…