Francesca Specter

Francesca Specter is a freelance journalist and author of Alonement: How to be alone & absolutely own it

<p>OpenTable has seen a 4 per cent rise in booking for tables for one in the past year alone </p>

Solo dining is on the rise in the UK – here’s how (and why) to do it

<p>A stylish example of a solo living room replete with colour</p>

The ‘live-aloners’ embracing the unique possibilities of a solo space

<p>‘We’re worried about the increasing temperature of culture wars, together with rising parental concern around what children are reading in school libraries’</p>

Will the culture wars come for Britain’s books?

<p>Solitude has transformed from a shameful habitat for a self-proclaimed ‘spinster’ like Bridget Jones into something positive and empowering </p>

Solitude used to mean sad singledom. Now it’s become a status symbol

<p>Keeping a calorie log was less of a weight-loss strategy, and more of an enforced mindful-eating approach. It worked </p>

For emotional eaters like me, putting calories on menus is a godsend

Young people under the age of 25 have reported feelings of loneliness during the coronavirus lockdown

A year of lockdowns taught me the key to dealing with loneliness