I established the FT’s Slow Lane column, perhaps the freest-range and most organic column in world journalism, in January 2004. "Nature I loved, and next to Nature, Art", from Walter Savage Landor's 'Dying Speech of an Old Philosopher', is one of its mottoes: another is Henry David Thoreau's "I love a broad margin to my life." Before that in a varied journalistic career I have been a theatre critic and arts writer for The Times (1987-1993), wine editor of Harpers & Queen (1989-1996), wine columnist for The Spectator (1984-1989) and the first and so far the only Poetry Editor of The Daily Express (1996-2001). I write on wine and food, travel, theatre, literature and music for most of the UK’s leading newspapers.