Ghostly goings on in haunted York, recollections of photographing the Falklands War, competition success for The Ritz chef and more - Five long reads from The Yorkshire Post features team this week

York, 'the most haunted city in Europe'

There are 600 books on ghosts that sit in John West’s personal library at his home in Suffolk, the result of an almost lifelong fascination for spirits and phantoms.

West published his own book on ghosts in 2019 , Britain’s Haunted Heritage, and last month a second volume followed. Britain’s Ghostly Heritage features a chapter on the city of York.

Here, he speaks to The Yorkshire Post about some of the area's ghostly goings on: Haunted York: The ghostly goings on at Micklegate Bar, Theatre Royal and Treasurer's House in 'most haunted city in Europe'

Competition victory for Sheffield chef who works at The Ritz

After waiting three years for his chance to represent the UK on the world stage, Sheffield-born chef Ian Musgrave has secured a place in the final of the celebrated Bocuse d’Or, a global cooking contest that has been described as the culinary equivalent of the Olympics.

Ian, who was the British Culinary Federation’s Chef of the Year in 2018, has worked at the Ritz Hotel in London for the past 11 years, where he is now senior sous chef.

Here told The Yorkshire Post what the competition involved: Sheffield-born chef at The Ritz in London reaches grand final of world contestYorkshire photographer's recollections from Falklands War

Paul Haley never imagined he’d be in the middle of a war. He was a civilian, not a soldier, and carried a camera, not a gun. Yet for a few tense weeks in 1982 he found himself in the thick of the ferocious fighting to recapture the Falkland Islands.

Paul was there to photograph the British forces trying to liberate the islands from their Argentinian invaders, and uniquely amongst the press covering the conflict, he was present at the personal request of the commanding officer of troops who fought in the climactic battles.

Now Paul’s pictures are at the heart of the Imperial War Museum’s 40th anniversary exhibition about the war. More here: The Yorkshire photographer who captured frontline images in the middle of Falklands War

Nutritionist's 'culinary spa' to help gut health

“Somebody described it as a culinary spa experience,” Vicky Richardson says of her first ever Mindful Dinners event.

Meditation, singing bowls, and a five-course meal are on the menu at the nutritionist's events designed to help people with their gut health.

The idea came from her own health journey, after experiencing digestive issues. She speaks to The Yorkshire Post here: The Yorkshire 'culinary spa experience' designed to support gut health

The heart of the live industry

Production Park in West Yorkshire is at the heart of the global live events industry.

Founded in 2015 with the intention of being ‘Where Live Industry Lives’, it is home to a community of live events businesses, six studios and a creative cohort of more than 200 students based at onsite education facility Backstage Academy.

It's a place where multi-million pound concert touring stage sets are constructed, where theatre props, set designs, sports structures and sculptures are created and where the shows of some of the biggest acts in the world are brought to life, with lighting, sound and production rehearsals.

We found out about the impact of the pandemic at the site, its recent work and plans for the future: The corner of Yorkshire creating shows and sets for the biggest festivals and artists in the world