All in Order by Phibs
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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.
As Saturday ‘lunchtime diversions’ go, this one required quite a long lunch! I had filled most of the grid and then while wondering whether I was solving a pangram, I suddenly noticed what was going on round the edge of the grid - “All in order” indeed!
Across
8a Page one is about what moles get up to (9)
ESPIONAGE: An anagram (about) of PAGE ONE IS
9a Knocked back extract of aphrodisiacal berry (4)
ACAI: Hidden in reverse in aphrodisIACAl
10a Delicate situation in France, when host's thrown Monsieur out (8)
QUANDARY: The French word for when and a host without the abbreviation for Monsieur
11a Every year Rudolph pulls this trick, saving time (6)
SLEIGH: An artful trick without (saving) the abbreviation for Time
12a Reform appeals to us - at heart, Farage is Conservative lad anyhow (8)
RADICALS: The ‘heart’ of faRAge and an anagram (anyhow) of IS C (Conservative) LAD
15a Running around wearing paper skirts (6)
RACING: The Latin abbreviation for around and a simple way of saying wearing ‘skirted’ by a derogatory term for a newspaper
17a Head first in soup, turning bowl over (4)
STUN: A reversal (turning) of an informal word for the head and the first letter of Soup
18a Abandon King, stuck in coach going the wrong way (5)
SCRUB: The regnal cipher of our current King inserted into a reversal (going the wrong way) of a coach
20a Poor quality raincoat discarded by one of Will's heroes (4)
DUFF: One of Shakespeare’s heroes without a raincoat
22a Either side of road, ground hits 5 degrees (6)
THIRDS: An anagram (ground) of HITS into which is inserted the letters at the sides of RoaD
25a Expert support nurses covering on gynae ward (female) (8)
PROTÉGÉE: An expert and a golf support, the latter ‘nursing’ the covering on GynaE
26a Smooth skinned, wearing wraparound headdress (6)
URBANE: Wearing a wraparound headdress without the outside letters (skinned)
28a She had her missing husband's bust fashioned from recycled material (8)
REHASHED: An anagram (bust) of SHE HAD hER (missing one of the abbreviations for Husband
30a Ratty, perhaps truly unpleasant when one's become old (4)
VOLE: Truly unpleasant where the I (one’s) is replaced by (becomes) O (old) – Ratty being a reference to the character in The Wind in the Willows
31a Cover uniform in exotic oil - from this? (9)
PATCHOULI : A cover and the letter represented by Uniform in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet) inserted into an anagram (exotic) of OIL
Down
1d Waspish insect that's cherished around the middle of July (8)
PETULANT: An insect that might be cherished (3,3) goes around the middle of jULy
2d Frank certainly not letting leader down (4)
OPEN: Move the first letter of a slang interjection meaning definitely not down to the end of the word
3d Not a chance son will take notice at present (8)
NOWADAYS: An informal expression meaning not a chance and the abbreviation for Son into which is inserted an abbreviated notice
4d Filthy ditches close to muck heaps (4)
MANY: A slang word meaning filthy dirty ‘ditches’ the last letter (close) of mucK
5d Bishop's left to sanctify English queen of minor importance (6)
LESSER: The chess abbreviation for Bishop is removed from a verb meaning to sanctify, the abbreviation for English and the Latin abbreviation for queen being added
6d It could be curly to begin with, kinky after lacquering ends (4)
KALE: The first letters (to begin with) of Kinky After Lacquering Ends
7d Greek urn lost, except for base (6)
JARGON: As in it’s all Greek to me – an urn and a synonym for lost without the letter that is the base of the natural system of logarithms
13d One's sent in to target slow bowler that's dismissed opening pair (5)
INNER: A slow bowler without the first two letters (that’s dismissed opening pair)
14d Band split after series of songs devoid of energy (5)
STRIP: A split or tear goes after a series of sons without the symbol for Energy
16d Bum's diameter? Shut up about it! (5)
CADGE: A verb meaning to shut up goes ‘about’ the abbreviation for Diameter
19d Ballyhoo over upper-class thrash regularly held in support of fallen women? (8)
BROUHAHA: The cricket abbreviation for Over, the letter representing Upper-class, and the regular letters of tHrAsH inserted into (held in) a piece of underwear ‘supporting’ women
21d Wild swimming in Crete inferior to France (8)
FRENETIC: An anagram (swimming) of IN CRETE is inferior to (or goes below in a Down solution) the abbreviation for France
23d Hospital tight, rejecting new ground-breaking device (6)
HARROW: The abbreviation for Hospital and a synonym for tight without (rejecting) the abbreviation for New)
24d Doc's colleague removes covering from around youngster's head (6)
SLEEPY: A reversal (around) of removes covering from followed by the ‘head’ of Youngster
27d Tip: take off mark for a wrong answer (4)
APEX: Take off or mimic and the mark used to indicate a wrong answer
28d Stylish establishment sprinkled Tizer with no end of caviare (4)
RITZ: An anagram (sprinkled) of TIZeR without the ‘end’ of caviarE
29d Cut fries up, obscuring essential character (4)
SNUB: A reversal (up) of a synonym for fries without the letter in the middle (essential character)
Extremely entertaining – many thanks to Phibs.
The puzzle’s title was a great help once I’d got about halfway through and the penny dropped.
I liked lots of clues including 10a, 15a, 26a and 7d but my favourite must be 19d for the support of fallen women.
As to be expected from this setter, this was very challenging and a lot of fun.
After several of the less used letters appeared, I began to suspect a pangram but, for once, I didn’t need to verify it after I had filled the grid! Very clever!
There were a lot of very clever definitions, although one I can’t reconcile is 13a. The wordplay and answer are clear. I assume that the definition is “one’s sent in to target” and this must relate in some way to the centre ring on an archery target but I can’t quite get from one to the other.
I can’t parse my answer to 29d.
From a plethora of ticks, 19a emerges as my favourite.
Many thanks to Phibs and in advance to CS.
Take the reversal of your answer to 29d and add an extra letter in the centre. Think in terms of frying oneself – on the beach perhaps.
Ah, yes. Thanks, Jane. I missed that. I think I was brain dead by the time I reached the SE corner.
My goodness, that was a real challenge but a wonderful display of this setter’s ingenuity. Sadly, the title didn’t help me at all, it was only once I’d filled the grid that its meaning became clear. Well done indeed to anyone who finds it useful!
Favoured clues here were 11,20&31a plus 1,6,14&24d.
Thank you, Phibs, I shall toast you with a LARGE glass of wine!
Just worked out what the title meant, very clever – but needed to reveal some letters to finish the crossword – and still struggling to understand one or two of the answers. Many thanks, Phibs, and thanks also in advance to CS. Now to catch up on the puzzles we missed when away.
That was really tough but such good fun that we could not put it down until we’d got it all sorted.
Thanks Phibs.
Much more than a long lunch required here but eventually solved without help. I suspected a pangram but it wasn’t till I spotted some consecutive letters in the perimeter unches that I realised what was going on – and was able to finish at a gallop! Favourite, and one that I got early on, was 31ac.
Thanks, Phibs and CS.
Many thanks for the review, CS, I was glad to have confirmation of the Greek urn!
I was busy last weekend so printed the puzzle for some mid-week entertainment – which was supplied in good measure. My long list of favourites includes 10a, 15a, 18a, 28a, 16d & 27d; also 20a made me chuckle. LOI was 26a, which required some alphabet juggling in the empty lights until such time as the penny dropped. I didn’t know the 9a berry previously. My printout does not show a title, but I shouldn’t have needed it to spot the really clever periphery – although, of course, I didn’t
It was only after reading the comments in this review that I discovered it… 
Thank you, Phibs, for presenting us with an excellent puzzle, and my thanks also to CS.