1-across – Bread, spinach and turnip, a turnip’s first eaten : CHAPATI

5-across – Sweet thing, as French produce private parts : BROWNIE

9-across – Cylinder turns around : SPOOL

10-across – Heading for carrots, one fetching for us cut vegetable : COURGETTE

11-across – Take the blasted thing from the pen of author : NICKHORNBY

12-across – Midnight on a journey, excited : AGOG

14-across – With flyer penned, doctor ratifies orders : FRATERNITIES

18-across – 11’s distance to one Irish county and another? : ALONGWAYDOWN

21-across – See 19 : DISH

22-across – Spinner, figure surprisingly on the money : CENTRIFUGE

25-across – 11’s sin is so in Saladin? : ABOUTABOY

26-across – It’s recalled, story without a name : TITLE

27-across – Opening clue perfect for discussion : KEYHOLE

28-across – The oxygen group’s proposition : THEOREM

1-down – Function where figure hosts number : COSINE

2-down – One carrying great weight now : ATONCE

3-down – In autumn, group starts feeding together : ALLTHERAGE

4-down – Old person beginning to regret satnav so? : INCAR

5-down – Cried, describing Moby Dick? : BLUBBERED

6-down – Social occasion with some characters rolling over in ecstasy, groping : ORGY

7-down – Cooker cutting out? That’s always happening! : NOTAGAIN

8-down – Stimulate singer to perform in centre of Queens : ENERGISE

13-down – Let out houses in game one’s played : TINWHISTLE

15-down – People in diagram may be found : TRACEABLE

16-down – Book is easy there, but … : HARDBACK

17-down – Oodl — or poodle? : DOGSBODY

19-down – Spread out on this beachhead, absolute beauty : BUTTER

20-down – Trade in communist merchandise ultimately gets me promoted : REDEEM

23-down – Meeting judge, shut case : TRYST

24-down – German rising and falling? : OTTO

1-across – Unlikely winners don’t cook enough eggs on a regular basis : UNDERDOGS

9-across – Timid people include ‘hard left’ Frenchman : MICHEL

10-across – Credit must be taken by fast bowlers!! : SCREAMERS

11-across – For the Fallen, twice read: 28 rhyming words : HUMPTY

12-across – Badly stymied and frustrated, you initially make clear : DEMYSTIFY

13-across – Unwilling to heed content of idea FT originated : DEAFTO

17-across – Honey Bee, say? : MEL

19-across – Sloth’s a regret, when returning to large area of land : EURASIA

20-across – How one man composed capriciously : ONAWHIM

21-across – Clarkson as presenter, originally for Top Gear : CAP

23-across – Spots royal being more reckless : RASHER

27-across – Promote short clue within contrary setting : ADVERTISE

28-across – Idiot that’s wrecked my punt : NUMPTY

29-across – Everybody in Hackney perhaps needs to instruct youth about love : COACHLOAD

30-across – See 7 : DESERT

31-across – Surprisingly pleased about a new seaside amenity : ESPLANADE

2-down – A scene with liberal drink supply? Virgin territory, in more ways than one : NECKER

3-down – Two short names for a man or woman : EVELYN

4-down – See 11 : DUMPTY

5-down – One that’s spotted if Nigel Farage is upset, not representing Ealing : GIRAFFE

6-down – Very small chap, one that goes ballistic : MINUTEMAN

7-down – Ring newspaper editor about home with trees damaged by loose, uneven bits of Sopwith Camel : SHIPOFTHE

8-down – Where kids have fun seeing Mary’s polo game : PLAYROOMS

14-down – Daughter being sinful with the same bold action : DERRINGDO

15-down – Bloomer by model, eating hot carrageen : IRISHMOSS

16-down – Fool goes in to see yes-men? : ASSENTERS

17-down – Computer’s current backup : MAC

18-down – Cut off short run with a bounding stride : LOP

22-down – Punishing a couple in Russia : ARDUOUS

24-down – Camel’s broken spirit : MESCAL

25-down – Hot water off the south coast, after temperature rises by 4 degrees? : STOLEN

26-down – See 2 : ISLAND

9-across – Moving book back, Orwell initially secured by bent nail : EMOTIONAL

10-across – French author puts bird behind geese, flying : VERNE

11-across – See 8 : CHICKEN

12-across – County needing way to avoid country music genre : NORFOLK

13-across – Hook perhaps scratching head, incandescent : IRATE

14-across – Unknown number it’s under­stood, endless wine bottles for old movie star : ROYROGERS

16-across – Keep your chin up to apply warpaint? : PUTONABRAVEFACE

19-across – Proper bit of 11 in position : RIGHTWING

21-across – Ultimate bit of fluff in a leotard : FINAL

22-across – Dance with me for some fiddling : CONGAME

23-across – Barcelona’s tomboy? : CATALAN

24-across – See 20 : TONIC

25-across – Openers: with those for Sussex and Surrey testing reactions : RESPONSES

1-down – Old transporter, truck loaded with embroidered lace : TEACLIPPER

2-down – Leading man I suspect, about which a word of caution? : DOMINANT

3-down – Relish difficult situation : PICKLE

4-down – A cipher featured in news soon : ANON

5-down – Tree — positive thing planting 50 x 2 : YLANGYLANG

6-down – Obvious figure, hidden meaning : OVERTONE

7-down – Bird hunter cut loose after evisceration : ORIOLE

8-down – Table for a Jamaican fool and poltroon : JERK

14-down – Those picking up signals there’s evidence of wailing in the synagogue? : RABBITEARS

15-down – Scores in southern river determined quality : STEELINESS

17-down – Bird which occupies nest until chicks hungry, primarily : NUTHATCH

18-down – Historian head examiner discussed? : ANNALIST

20-down – What one gets when noticing mixed drink : GINAND

21-down – First to fall, in short, a downward distance : FATHOM

22-down – Pretty detached, remote ultimately : CUTE

23-down – Patient enquiry : CASE

9-across – Chum and I including odd touch, an Asian shrub : PATCHOULI

10-across – Aim in occupying corporation : POINT

11-across – Fly without loud instruction up to this point : SOFAR

12-across – Sort of wit with point primarily that’s good for cut and thrust : SWORDPLAY

13-across – Transport animal in unusual cart : TRAMCAR

14-across – Pasta first for Rico, as against tucking into garlicky mix : RAVIOLI

17-across – Dish Papa and I mostly acclaim : PILAU

19-across – Add last word in thoughtful man’s aphorism : SUM

20-across – Pianist’s shift away from upright, it’s said : LISZT

21-across – It turns 6, missing start in posh car : ROTATOR

22-across – Last of gold charms, possibly, and coins of antiquity : DRACHMS

24-across – Addition of glossy stuff not right, fading away : VANISHING

26-across – Don’t confront total lack of diamonds, say : AVOID

28-across – Analysis in form of opinion : ASSAY

29-across – Things lacking in old vocations : OMISSIONS

1-down – Composition almost put out without piano : OPUS

2-down – Man on a Scottish island : STAFFA

3-down – Kind of film about fungal growth in kind of pastry : SHORTCRUST

4-down – All but nullify a monarch that’s gigantic and awfully distant : QUASAR

5-down – Unusually prim goal for work lacking, in a way — such as this : LIPOGRAM

6-down – Irish growth finishing disastrous slump, you said : SPUD

7-down – King is jolly mad such guys spoil things : KILLJOYS

8-down – Put off visit : STAY

13-down – Mammal I caught in nasty trap : TAPIR

15-down – A rival soap broadcast in port : VALPARAISO

16-down – Abrupt attack is capturing court, you said : ICTUS

18-down – In US city cash is tight, initially, for classical scholar : LATINIST

19-down – Runs into coach, going north into changing part of London : SURBITON

22-down – Taunts with it and starts to scoff : DIGSIN

23-down – Charming activity of husband, putting diamonds in rings : HOODOO

24-down – What’s glass, holding liquid, contributing to joviality? : VIAL

25-down – Batons in audition that you will finally pass across? : STYX

27-down – In hurry, fling small amount : DASH

7-across – 12 more Spaniards ate crackers : DRAMATIS

9-across – It’s not entirely lost on guest speaker : TONGUE

10-across – Shortage in change? Absolutely! : AMEN

11-across – Possums say Paul is off on another planet : MARSUPIALS

12-across – Characters listed in play : TILDES

14-across – Cover a municipal role : CAPACITY

15-across – See 23 : CHICKEN

17-across – Extend length of bird : STRETCH

20-across – Gun-toting kid somewhere on an island : YARMOUTH

22-across – Reason sensation happening : WITHIT

23-across – Dish, one quaking at the prospect of investiture? : CORONATION

24-across – Stalemate followed by defeats, officially stop game : DRAW

25-across – Diamonds in cargo, oddly, for Roman consul : CICERO

26-across – See 7 : PERSONAE

1-down – Search bottom parts, unattractive : FRUMPISH

2-down – Sign form, seen regularly : OMEN

3-down – See 24 across : STUMPS

4-down – Actress ultimately given daffy part as tramp : STRUMPET

5-down – Unwise to move since tired : INDISCREET

6-down – 15, something to do with a fast one, say? : PULLET

8-down – Tidy wood : SPRUCE

13-down – Broke down, having erased scores, might you say? : DECOMPOSED

16-down – Sovereign inspiring couple to catch lion, say, for master : EDUCATOR

18-down – Hit before lunch, perhaps with a new ball : CHINAMAN

19-down – Sixties’ model losing weight, tiny little thing : SHRIMP

21-down – Lovely person — who’s teaching Oxbridge students? : ADONIS

22-down – Get to taste bitter : WINTRY

24-down – Abandon GP and surgery : DROP