Cryptic crossword No 1,246

Nice one Alf! A very enjoyable after-lunch solve with many smiles along the way. I particularly enjoyed 8a, 16a, 19a, 2d, 4d & 14d among others. All very cleverly clued. I found the bottom half a bit more difficult than the top, but got there in the end. Nothing to quibble about here, so thanks again!

Marvellous! Great fun and just the right balance of difficulty overall. And you write some excellent, coherent and witty surfaces, and that’s not easy. Liked 10a, 13a, 21a, 2d and 18d. Bravo! 👏

Nice & witty stuff :-)

Apologies for taking a while to get to this, Alf. It's nice to see you back. Some very nice surfaces in this lovely gentle puzzle. Favourites include 18d (COTD), 11a, 13a, 20a, 3d, 7d, 15d. Spoilers in Reply. Thanks. PM

Lovely stuff, Alf - just the right level of difficulty for me. Podium: 10a (notwithstanding whiskey-gate), 12d and 15d.

Cheers Alf! I'm late to this but enjoyed a gentle solve - 10a, 13a, and 16a probably my podium, and lots to like elsewhere.

Well done, Alf! I enjoyed this. Found the bottom half easier than the top and missed a couple of clue interpretations, but solved it without any help. Only just joined the site, so this is my first crossword to solve. A well-balanced puzzle, not too easy, not too hard, so a great example to start with!