Crossword and Sudoku brain-teasers.

ACROSS

1 Artist noted for paintings inspired by the rural landscape of Suffolk including Dedham Vale, Wivenhoe Park, The Hay Wain and The Cornfield (9)

6 Derived from a Persian word meaning “turban”, a spring flower in the lily family with types including single early, fringed, triumph, Darwin and parrot (5)

9 Carbohydrate-rich food such as pappardelle, orzo, linguine or ziti (5)

12 Royal _______ Gardens, Kew; centre of plant and mycological research which is a popular visitor attraction (7)

13 _______ racing; ancient Roman sport depicted in the 1959 film Ben-Hur (7)

14 First name of the actress who starred as Sarah Brown in International Velvet (5)

15 _____ of the Unexpected; collection of short stories by Roald Dahl (5)

16 Solar or lunar phenomenon causing umbra, penumbra or antumbra (7)

17 _______ Acre Wood; fictional land created by A. A. Milne, home to Pooh Bear’s House, Bee Tree, Six Pine Trees and Where the Woozle Wasn’t (7)

18 Capital of Dominica, site of Boiling Lake (Earth’s second-largest hot lake) (6)

19 Bucolics or vignettes of country life such as those written by Theocritus including The Two Herdsmen, The Harvest Festival and The Beloved (6)

21 Comprising ling, gorse and bracken, habitats forming part of the natural landscape of areas such as the Quantock Hills or the New Forest (6) 25 General name for a profession represented by the NFU, governed by Defra and discussed on Countryfile (7)

28 Nickname of Louis XIV, the French monarch who reigned for 72 years and 110 days until his death in 1715 (3,4)

29 Largest country in Africa prior to the secession of its southern region in 2011, capital Khartoum (5)

30 The __________; novel by Iris Murdoch (10) 32 Town in West Bengal at an altitude of 6,700 ft, site of the Chamong Estate and the Happy Valley Tea Estate where the “champagne of teas” is cultivated (10)

34 Vegetables used for dishes such as vichyssoise, frittatas and gratins; symbols of Wales and St David (5)

35 MP and journalist who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer during David Cameron’s term as prime minister (7)

37 First name of the comedienne and actress in Not Going Out, Call the Midwife and her own self-written sitcom (7)

38 British danseur who choreographed the ballet Enigma Variations and film The Tales of Beatrix Potter (6)

40 The capital of Portugal (6)

41 Composer whose Wiegenlied: Guten Abend, Gute Nacht is recognisable as a well-known lullaby (6)

46 After-supper course such as lemon posset, chocolate mousse or jam roly-poly; or, a savoury

dish often with suet (7)

49 A name for hipster-style jeans (3-4)

50 Word linking ochre, sienna and umber for three natural pigments (5)

52 In mythology, son of Ares (5)

53 Province in the Italian Campania region in which the Amalfi Coast is situated (7)

54 Antonio _______; mandolin-playing captain in a novel by Louis de Bernières (7)

55 One of the colours of the Olympic rings or of the emblem of Pyeongchang (5)

56 Actor remembered for his role as Manuel in Fawlty Towers (5)

57 National tree of Scotland (5,4)

DOWN

1 Explorer who sailed his ship Matthew from

Bristol to Newfoundland in 1497 (5)

2 Actor known for his lead role in Bergerac; or, plants used for herbal tea (7)

3 North African country containing parts of the Tell Atlas and the Saharan Atlas (7)

4 Archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered following conflict with Henry II and later canonised (6)

5 With a coating of ice, one of the brightest, most-reflective bodies in our solar system, one of Saturn’s moons (9)

6 Framework for performing pikes, seat landings, straddles and tucks (10)

7 Flowing through a valley of the same name, the longest river in France (5)

8 Quality of sound based on perception of the frequency of vibration; or, the strip between two sets of wickets in cricket (5)

9 City in Basilicata which is one of the highest regional capitals in Italy (7)

10 Indian instrument that was played by Ravi Shankar and rock musicians such as George Harrison and Brian Jones (5)

11 Naval fleet such as the one sent by Philip II against Elizabeth I in 1588 (6)

18 Instances when horses stop or exit abruptly prior to obstacles in showjumping or crosscountry (8)

20 Brightest star in constellation Virgo (5)

21 Field event similar to pole vault (4,4)

22 Roman emperor who ordered the construction of Vallum Aelium (7)

23 Piece of cutlery designed for eating a boiled breakfast item (3,5)

24 Brain-teasers in which letters are rearranged to form new words (8)

26 Athletes participating in 5k, 10k or Marathon Des Sables, for example; or, an informal word for antiques dealers (7)

27 Members of an ancient civilisation who invented quipu mnemonic devices (5)

29 Stem of asparagus or broccoli (5)

31 General name for a tag such as one in a garment displaying laundry symbols, size or the name of the designer (5)

33 With white cells known as “lights”, word puzzles studied in enigmatology and solved by cruciverbalists (10)

36 Smileys in typographic form (9) 39 Petit _______; château given to Marie Antoinette six years after the death of its intended recipient, Madame de Pompadour (7) 42 Professor who made her television debut on Time Team in 2001 (7)

43 Illegitimate son of Canute the Great nicknamed “Harefoot” (6,1)

44 Collective noun for a group of teal (6)

45 Brand of hook-and-loop fastener that was inspired by burrs (6)

47 A gathering of whist-players (5)

48 The Noble _____; Isaac Asimov book (5)

49 Lavender-like pastel colour; or, a plant with flowers similar to buddleia (5)

51 French wafer biscuit formed with a rolling pin, used to garnish dishes such as panna cotta or sorbet (5) A sudoku grid has a 9x9 grid that is further subdivided into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve the puzzle, each of the rows, columns and 3x3 boxes should contain all the digits from 1 to 9. The solution to this puzzle will be published in next week’s issue.