After hours spent sweeping a field with a metal detector, most treasure hunters might welcome some extra help with the final stretch.

For Nick Berry, 58, that assistance came in the form of an unexpected signal from the ground during a detecting rally near the real-life setting of Downton Abbey.

The carer unearthed a rare 1,000-year-old Anglo-Saxon gold pendant on farmland in Ashmansworth, Hampshire, just a few miles from Highclere Castle.

Experts say the tiny artefact may represent the hand of God. It appears to have been lost by its owner and remained buried for more than a millennium, with no other objects discovered nearby.

Mr Berry was taking part in an organised metal-detecting event when his remarkable discovery was made.

He said: ‘We decided to go to a patch of a field at the far end that nobody had detected. There were three of us searching and I was in the middle.

‘I got a really good signal. I dug down and looked into the hole and saw straight away the glint of gold.

‘I carefully pulled it out of the ground and as I did I had a really strange feeling and felt quite emotional.

‘Then I gently brushed away the loose soil and there in my hand, ironically, was a hand.

‘I just stared at it. I knew straight away it was something very different and could tell it was Anglo–Saxon.’

After more than 30 years of metal detecting, he said he had ‘never seen anything like it’. Other people he consulted were equally struck by the find.

‘It is the find of a lifetime. I will never find anything like it again,’ he said.

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Highclere Castle, about an 11-minute drive from the discovery site, is best known as the exterior and principal filming location for the long-running television drama Downton Abbey.

Mr Berry, a married father of two from Northampton, reported the pendant to his local Finds Liaison Officer. It has since been transferred to the British Museum, which has declared it treasure and said its uniqueness means it should be preserved for the nation.

He was told the pendant dates from the early medieval Anglo-Saxon period, most likely the ninth or tenth century.

‘They don’t think it was made in the country but came from the east because of the style of it.

‘It must have belonged to a high-status individual like some sort of noble person and was definitely worn around the neck like a talisman.

‘The hand has always had a strong symbolic meaning, like when you shake hands to show the other person you haven’t got a weapon in your hand.

‘It has already been claimed as treasure and I probably won’t be getting it back. I imagine the British Museum will have it.

‘I have no idea what it is worth. It weighs 1.6g and is very high carat you can tell by the colour,’ he said.

Julian Evan-Hart, editor of Treasure Hunting magazine, said: ‘This is a truly wonderful and evocative find, the cause of many future ponderings as to origin and potential meaning no doubt.

‘As far as I’m aware it appears to be unique and judging by the reeded section and loop style most likely dates to the mid–Anglo–Saxon period.

‘The hand has often been symbolically related to Christianity and features as “The Hand of God” on several late Saxon/Viking period silver coins and later ecclesiastical artwork.

‘In this case it would seem likely that this too represents a “Hand of God” manufactured in the form of a gold pendant.

‘Its original owner would most certainly have been of a very high status in the society of the time.’

Choosing a dish at an Indian restaurant can be difficult, especially when the menu is packed with tempting options.

That decision could now become slightly easier after a leading chef shared the dishes he would think twice about ordering. His advice may disappoint fans of biryani, lamb and onion bhajis.

Chef Sanjay Gour, co-founder of south London modern Indian restaurant KOKUM, told the Daily Mail that he is immediately wary of restaurants offering “absolutely huge menus”.

“No kitchen can specialise in absolutely everything,” said the chef, who grew up in Mumbai and later moved to London, where he worked at Michelin-starred restaurants including Murano by Angela Hartnett.

According to Gour, the drawback of an oversized menu is that dishes may not receive the same level of care, preparation or freshness.

From curries offering every type of meat to brightly coloured chicken tikka, these are the popular-sounding choices Sanjay believes could leave diners disappointed.

1. I’d never order neon-red chicken tikka

“If chicken tikka arrives looking almost fluorescent red, alarm bells start ringing for me,” chef Sanjay explained. “Good tikka does not need colour alone to make it look appealing.

“I want to see chicken that has been properly marinated, remains tender inside and has slightly blackened, smoky edges from the heat of the tandoor.

“The spices, chilli and marinade will naturally add colour, but it should not look as though it has been covered in red food colouring. For me, flavour and char matter much more than an intensely bright appearance.”

2. I’m suspicious of restaurants with huge menus

The chef also urged diners to be cautious when faced with menus running across pages and covering every possible curry, biryani, grilled dish, seafood option and regional speciality.

“No kitchen can specialise in absolutely everything. The larger the menu, the more preparation is required, making it harder to believe that every dish is being made with the same care and freshness.

“I would much rather visit somewhere with a thoughtfully selected menu and order the dishes the restaurant is genuinely known for.”

3. I’d never order a vindaloo advertised as the hottest curry

Vindaloo is another dish Gour says diners should approach with caution. “Vindaloo has somehow become shorthand for ‘make me the hottest curry you possibly can’, but that completely misses the point of the dish,” he said.

“A good vindaloo should combine acidity, garlic, spice and depth with its heat. You should still be able to taste the food itself.

“If a menu boasts that its vindaloo is ridiculously hot or challenges customers to finish it, I would probably avoid it. Chilli should add flavour, not turn the meal into a punishment.”

4. I wouldn’t order a biryani that looks like curry mixed into rice

Gour said diners can often spot when a biryani has not been prepared properly. “It should not simply be rice, a spoonful of curry and streaks of brightly coloured grains mixed together.

“A good biryani takes time. The meat or vegetables, rice, spices and aromatics should complement one another, and opening the dish should release an immediate, enticing fragrance.

“The grains should remain separate, while the flavour should run throughout the dish. It is a meal where shortcuts are particularly easy to detect.”

5. I’d avoid a naan that’s completely pale and flat

When naan is cooked inside a properly heated tandoor, it should not appear perfectly uniform, revealed the KOKUM co-founder.

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‘I want bubbles, blistering, charred patches and those slightly crisp edges alongside the softer centre. That’s where so much of the flavour comes from. 

‘If a naan arrives completely flat, pale and identical all over, I’d start wondering whether it has actually been cooked fresh or whether it has been bought in and reheated. Naan is so much better when it goes straight from the tandoor to your table.’

6. I’d never order chaat if I knew it was going to spend half an hour in a delivery bag

‘I love chaat, but it is probably one of the worst Indian dishes to order for a long journey home,’ admitted the chef. 

‘The whole point of a chaat is the textures and the burst of different flavours that you get just from one bite: something crunchy, something soft, cold yoghurt, and sweet, sour and spicy chutneys all together. 

‘Put that into a closed takeaway container for half an hour and all those lovely crisp bits start absorbing the sauces. 

‘By the time it reaches you, you’re eating something completely different. I’d always have chaat in the restaurant or eat it immediately.’

7. I’d think twice about fried starters that clearly haven’t just been fried

‘A really good bhaji should be hot, crisp and light when you bite into it. You know immediately when fried food has been sitting around because it starts becoming heavy, oily and soft,’ revealed the expert. 

‘Fried snacks are simple food, but that means there’s nowhere to hide. If they don’t taste freshly cooked, I’d rather order something else than have something that was fried earlier and reheated.’

8. I’m wary when every curry lets you choose ‘chicken, lamb, prawns or vegetables’

Sanjay said: ‘When I see the same curry listed with a drop-down choice of chicken, lamb, prawns or vegetables, I start questioning how that dish is being cooked. 

‘It can suggest that there is a big batch of sauce already made and your chosen protein is simply being added into it afterwards. 

‘That doesn’t automatically mean the food will be bad, and restaurants obviously have to do prep, but a lot of Indian cooking is about the ingredient cooking with the spices and gravy. Lamb cooking in a sauce creates a completely different flavour to prawns or chicken.’

9. If a lamb curry is incredibly cheap, I’d want to know why

‘Lamb simply isn’t a cheap ingredient, so if I see a lamb curry being sold at a surprisingly low price, I’m going to question how that price is being achieved,’ insisted Sanjay. 

‘What cut is being used? How much lamb is actually in the dish? Is it fresh or previously frozen? Is it British lamb or lower-cost imported meat, such as frozen New Zealand lamb? 

‘There’s nothing automatically wrong with imported or frozen lamb, but price and quality have to add up somewhere. Personally, I’d rather pay a little more and know that good-quality meat has gone into the dish.’

Christa Pike remains unconscious in a guarded hospital room after surviving a botched execution in Tennessee, and her attorney says she may never fully recover.

Pike was sentenced to death in Tennessee in 1996, when she was 20, for the torture and murder of her classmate, Colleen Slemmer, the previous year.

After spending 30 years on death row, Pike was scheduled to be executed on September 30 following repeated delays.

According to witnesses and court filings, medical staff used at least seven needles while attempting to administer two lethal doses of pentobarbital over roughly two hours. Pike is now 50.

However, the execution did not kill her. Her lawyers said she could be heard crying, whimpering and breathing heavily throughout the procedure.

Media witnesses were escorted from the viewing chamber at 8.53pm, just over two hours after entering at 6.41pm. Behind the closed curtains, Pike could reportedly be heard snoring loudly.

Pike was taken to hospital unconscious, with swollen and blistered arms after the drugs were administered. She was intubated and placed on a ventilator, and her lawyers said she was still alive and unconscious on Sunday.

One of her attorneys, Stephen Ferrell, told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday that Pike’s hospital room “is guarded” and that she “may not fully recover.”

Ferrell said that, to his knowledge, Pike has not regained consciousness or spoken since the failed execution.

The attorney also said he had not been permitted to enter Pike’s hospital room. “We don’t really know the prognosis yet and may not know for several more days,” he said.

Ferrell added that Tennessee had not announced whether it intended to make another attempt to execute Pike.

During the attempted execution, Pike reportedly said: “My arm feels like it’s about to burst open.” At another point, she asked: “Does this happen like that?”

The botched execution quickly became a national scandal and drew a reaction from President Donald Trump. The following day, he said: “How does that happen? Should be easy to do. It shouldn’t be very difficult.”

The incident also prompted Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada to announce his resignation. He is expected to leave the top position later this month.

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Strada described serving as commissioner as a “great honor” and said he still “believes the Department carried out its responsibilities in accordance with the established protocol.”

“Even so, stepping aside is in the best interest of Tennesseans as the independent review moves forward,” he said.

Pike’s attorneys have argued that the Department of Correction failed their client. 

The lawyers said they believed problems with the IV lines caused the pentobarbital to flow into her body instead of her bloodstream.

‘Apparently at no point did any member of the execution team realize that the IV lines were not correctly placed or that the veins had blown and that the pentobarbital was, in whole or in part, entering Ms Pike’s body,’ the lawyers wrote in a court filing.

They wrote that instead of ‘remedying this failure,’ they prepared and administered a backup set of pentobarbital syringes.

Her lawyers are seeking to have all of the evidence from her botched execution preserved so they can ensure accountability and protect her legal rights. 

The court filing emphasized that Pike previously filed an appeal claiming her execution would result in cruel and unusual punishment because of her individual physical characteristics, including thrombocytosis, post-traumatic stress disorder and small veins. 

Tennessee’s execution protocol calls for a secondary set of drug syringes to be administered ‘if the inmate is not deceased’ after the first set. It does not spell out what happens if the subject is alive after the second set.

Governor Bill Lee has halted any additional executions for the year and ordered ‘a comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred.’

At the age of 18, Pike lured Colleen Slemmer to an isolated area of the University of Tennessee’s campus in January 1995 and, alongside her boyfriend and a friend, tortured Slemmer for up to an hour.

Slemmer was stabbed more than 100 times with a box cutter before Pike bludgeoned her to death with a piece of asphalt, carved a pentagram into her chest and took a piece of her caved-in skull as a sick souvenir. 

Michael Douglas has described himself as a “healthy product of the Sixties” while reflecting on his colourful romantic past.

In his forthcoming memoir, One Helluva Ride, the 82-year-old actor acknowledges that he had an affair with Kathleen Turner during the filming of Romancing the Stone, at a time when he was still married to his first wife, Diandra Luker.

The book recounts several of Douglas’s relationships and includes the story of how he made “five quick calls” after Catherine Zeta-Jones told him she would only continue dating him if he agreed to be monogamous. Asked by a British journalist whether he had ever questioned why he slept with so many women, Douglas rejected that characterisation.

“I don’t know if I slept with so many women, I don’t see it that way,” he said. “No, not me, no. I was a healthy product of the Sixties.”

He then questioned why British media appeared particularly interested in the subject, asking in what was described as an “accusatory” tone: “My curiosity is why, of all countries, of all the press that I do, why are the Brits so consumed with the issues of sex?”

Douglas also makes his position clear in the memoir, writing: “I was never a ***ing sex addict.” His comments address reports from the 1990s that he had entered rehabilitation for sex addiction.

When told that his memoir was “full of sex”, Douglas disagreed. “I didn’t feel like it was,” he said. “I mention a couple [of women] in the book.”

Asked to explain the story about ending relationships with five women before committing to the then 57-year-old Zeta-Jones, he told The Sunday Times Magazine: “No, no, it’s not what it was.”

“What Catherine said is, if we’re going to continue this then I want it to be monogamous. And so I therefore, that evening, you know, made some calls to some people I was seeing, and that was that.”

Asked whether Zeta-Jones was anxious about the memoir’s publication, Douglas replied: “She hasn’t read it.” He nevertheless maintained that their marriage was “in good shape”.

One of the memoir’s major revelations is Douglas’s admission that he had an affair with Turner while the pair were filming the 1984 action comedy Romancing the Stone.

In an excerpt published by People, Douglas wrote: “Kathleen was smart, funny, and sexy with a deep, sultry voice that became her signature. I instantly liked her, and we were immediately attracted to each other.”

He said his marriage to Diandra was “in a bad place” and revealed that he had already been involved with Romancing the Stone screenwriter Diane Thomas before developing a relationship with Turner.

Douglas and Turner, who was single at the time but dating real estate mogul Jay Weiss, both repeatedly denied the affair. Weiss would later become Turner’s husband. The rumours intensified after Douglas’s then-wife, Diandra, became so concerned that she travelled to the Mexican set and confronted her husband.

Now, almost 40 years after the film became a blockbuster, Douglas says he is finally ready to “come clean”.

In the candid memoir, he recalls falling into what he described as immediate “lust” with Turner, now 72. “Kathleen was smart, funny and sexy, with a deep sultry voice that became her signature. I instantly liked her and we were immediately attracted to each other,” he wrote.

The Fatal Attraction actor continued: “Things at home were in a bad place. Diandra and I were both having extramarital affairs. The truth is that during the production of Romancing The Stone, Kathleen and I fell hard for each other and began a relationship.

“It wasn’t a fly-by-night affair; it grew naturally from how closely we were working together, how much pressure we were under, how much we respected and cared for one another, and how attracted we were to each other.”

‘Like every other guy in the world at the time, I was knocked sideways by Kathleen.’

The pair kept their affair hidden from everyone including their co-star Danny DeVito and director Robert Zemeckis.

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Douglas penned: ‘We found each other first as friends, then as co-stars, and finally as lovers.

‘Following an exhausting day of shooting in the jungle, we’d go out and have a meal, or head out with the group and afterward I would sneak into her hotel room after everybody was asleep.’

Their clandestine romance ended when Douglas’s wife flew from LA to Mexico and brought their young son.

He added: ‘Diandra grew suspicious. A woman’s intuition, I suppose.’

Their marriage limped on until 2000 when the couple divorced – with Douglas marrying Zeta-Jones that same year.

He and Turner had a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ never to discuss their relationship and for four decades both stuck to that pact.

Douglas wrote: ‘The official story went as follows: Yes, we confessed, we had amazing chemistry. Yes, we were both, as Kathleen said, ‘terrible flirts’, and yes, we were both tempted, but nothing ever happened between us.

‘That was a lie. It was a lie meant to protect my wife and son, a lie we told the world for 40 years.’

Turner honoured that pact in an interview with The Mail on Sunday a few years ago, saying: ‘The chemistry was there and Michael and I were both terrible flirts. We were in the jungle and I was feeling very romantic towards him. It was going to happen.

‘Then I walked on set one day and his wife was suddenly there. She sat next to him and that was that. You don’t mess with another woman’s husband.’

When asked this week how she felt about Douglas ‘outing’ their illicit romance, Turner appeared far from upset: ‘Good heavens, what a fuss about something 40 years ago! I love Michael and I look forward to enjoying the book.’

Turner and Douglas proved to be a box office draw, with Romancing The Stone grossing $115million at the box office.

They reunited a year later for the sequel The Jewel of the Nile, but they kept their relationship strictly professional.

They did a third movie together in 1989, The War of the Roses, which was another massive box office hit.

Luker eventually filed for divorce from Douglas in 1995 after 18 years of marriage.

According to several reports, Luker walked away with $45million and several homes.

Douglas met actress Zeta-Jones in 1998 and they married two years later. They welcomed son Dylan that year followed by a daughter, Carys Zeta, in 2003.

Douglas and Turner would go on to reunite once again, this time on the small screen in Netflix’s The Kominsky Method.

Turner joined the show’s second season in 2019 and also appeared in the third and final season in 2021.

They once again denied rumours of a past affair while promoting the series, leaving it as a four-decade secret.

One Helluva Ride will be released October 6.