CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Last pie cooked in exercise class (7) 5 Expert’s in touch with worker (3,4) 9 I posted rolled joint (7) 10 Release group without charge (3,4) 11 Adult or child, we hear, to produce flower (3,6) 12 Do ask to engineer this car (5) 13 Rural enterprise needs credit frequently (5) 15 Chapels form alternative to a right-wing succession (9) 16 Ballet step performed in Dad’s winter headgear (3,2,4) 18 Beach prop (5) 21 Neckwear made out of shirt and footwear (5) 22 Notices musical ranges (9) 24 Insect found copulating half upside-down in sports car (7) 26 Childbirth healing process is not clearly understood (7) 27 Yes, snap exchange at body’s electrical junction (7) 28 Knowing a step in wrong direction (7)

DOWN

1 Mop coat when fallen in river (7) 2 Sea battle taking place in the French children’s entertainment (7) 3 City in Germany’s the place for hard worker (5) 4 Visit spirit world to appreciate different point of view (3,3,5,4) 5 Damaging formulation is sad, and gave out (15) 6 Be in time to lead for a spell (3) 7 An abbot I met working from original principles (1,6) 8 Birds on river – they provide the music (7) 12 Works hard to source prime firewood (5) 14 Initial theory that’s poorly reasoned needs minor adjustment (5) 16 Job lined up subsidiary of mail transport (7) 17 Put energy in when losing brew of homemade liqueur (4,3) 19 Work too hard when finished employment (7) 20 It’s very simple: if German you are not in the west (7) 23 Bunches of flowers brought back on Sunday for IT administrator (5) 25 Dance at source (3)