Revolution! Bruise it, still use it! A special report on the great ugly food coup

In this issue… The ugly fruit revolution is here! We investigate the vast quantities of food wasted every day, following the chain from farm to supermarket to your fridge. In this special report, Steven Mackenzie finds out what happens to the bruised apples of the world, and meets people finding new ways to use the food that gets binned – and cut waste.

The other road… We are used to heartbreaking footage of tiny boats packed with refugees trying to reach Europe via Libya, but the other road out of danger in Africa – through Israel – has resulted in a massive influx for that country. Find out what happens to Israel’s hidden refugees, and read a harrowing first-person account of how one woman who took a nightmare route from Eritrea to Britain.

In Letter to My Younger Self the brilliant Lorraine Bracco pays tribute to her Sopranos sparring partner James Gandolfini, declares her love for her Goodfellas husband Ray Liotta and reveals how Marty Scorcese pursued her.

Full Monty star Mark Addy has abandoned sunk ship Atlantis and is immortalised as an unlikely hero in Hercules. Find out what people shout at him in the streets these days in Mackenzie Meets.

National treasure of the wireless Mark Radcliffe reveals how he and Paul McCartney bond over Rupert the Bear – it’s his Peccadillo.

John Bird‘s faith in banking is revitalised – and yours will be too – after learning about the simple, brilliant, ethical way of managing money with The Change Account.

In Books Frank Cottrell Boyce picks 5 books every kid should read; overlooked literary gem Kent Haruf is celebrated in our new occasional series of Unsung Heroes; and Doug Johnstone dips a toe into the murky waters of horror fiction.

And our star vendor in My Pitch is Alan Massey, who after a life spent working from Penzance to Inverness is back home in Worcester starting a new phase of his life – with a little help from bongos! Find out what sci-fi authors he’s reading.

There’s lots more…

• Discover the medieval magical powers of mead in Pause
• Find out how Tuareg women were emancipated long before the British
• Brendan O’Neill says we need more politicians like Michael Gove
• Sam Delaney loves it when a plan comes together: welcome back The A Team
• In the world of pop Florence & The Machine and Jamie xx’s new albums are dissected
• Find out how rhinos are being saved in Texas and why elephants need our help
• Oscar-nominated Mauritian documentary Timbuktu is reviewed in Film.