Mozzarella is oozing from the bottom of the freshly cooked pesto panini and is about to hit the woman’s wrist any second now but she’s too busy flirting with her husband to notice and I would be a weirdo for walking across Handforth Dean Costa to warn her – let alone dramatically pointing in her direction – so I let her ever-so-slightly burn herself and watch her tell off her husband for not letting her know mozzarella was oozing from the bottom of the freshly cooked pesto panini and I silently wish for their son to have the confidence to speak up and do the right thing when he grows up.

Carl Burkitt 2025