Ode to a great British tree | Brief letters

Ash trees | Domestic science | Heart conditions | Xmas entertainingYour editorial (12 December) extols the virtues of the ash tree, sadly under threat from an unintentionally imported fungus. The ash is an important native species for another reason: it is one of our few, fast-growing hardwoods. As a timber, it is famously stable and able to take twisting and bending forces well. It turns well on the lathe and can be polished to a soft sheen. For so many reasons, we are going to miss this lovely tree. Bob Caldwell Badby, Northamptonshireo As a man of 82 looking back at my all-boys' school education in the 1950s, I am in no doubt that cookery lessons, even Maggie Owen's (Letters, 12 December), would have served most of us better in life than the Latin lessons we received.George RedmanNew Eltham, London Continue reading...