The Good Pub Guide names the pub of the year 2021 – so who won? December 10, 2020 It has not been a good year to be a publican, with the burden of coronavirus restrictions largely placed upon the shoulders of bars and restaurants. So if ever the sector ever needed cheering up, it’s now. The Good Pub Guide 2021 has stepped in with its yearly honours list to celebrate the finest drinking [...]
What it’s like to launch a restaurant in a pandemic December 9, 2020 New Indian restaurant Pali Hill’s Avinash Shashidhara tells us what it was like opening a restaurant just as the government announced a national lockdown – not once but twice. I left the River café in 2018 after 10 amazing years and I felt like I was leaving home all over again. I wanted my own [...]
The top wines to drink this Christmas, from cooking to pudding December 9, 2020 Bars and restaurants across the country have finally been allowed to open their doors to the great British public, allowing us to enjoy Christmas alongside what I imagine will be a record number of Scotch eggs. It’s essential we all do our bit and support the beleaguered hospitality industry so I implore you to push [...]
Pride and produce: Why it’s time to stand up for British farming December 7, 2020 Covid-19 has affected all our lives in some way or other, bringing large parts of our economy to a standstill and giving the government no option but to invest billions to support the NHS, businesses and workers. The farming sector too has been challenged. Huge surges in demand at the peak of the pandemic for [...]
Drink up to help out: The gin raising funds for hospitality December 5, 2020 Even with the lifting of the second national lockdown enabling some bars and pubs to reopen this week, hospitality remains one of the sectors worst affected by Covid restrictions. Hospitality Gin is a not-for-profit gin brand created to support the industry during the pandemic, offering the drinking public the opportunity to order in to help [...]
Kol restaurant review: An endlessly inventive tour through modern Mexico December 5, 2020 Restaurants have finally reopened this week and what better way to celebrate than by indulging in a tasting menu at Kol, designed by one of the world’s most highly-rated young chefs. What is Kol? Reopening on Wednesday, Kol is a Mexican fine dining restaurant that, after two years of meticulous planning, was open for just [...]
Meet M Threadneedle’s newest member of staff: Marion the robot December 5, 2020 This has been a year of surprises, few of them very pleasant – especially when it comes to the hospitality sector. But being served a glass of Veuve Clicquot by a robot called Marion was an unexpected and welcome moment of levity, especially on the first day out of lockdown. Marion the champagne bot is [...]
Where chefs plan to celebrate the end of lockdown 2 December 1, 2020 It has been a truly miserable month for foodies, who have had to rely on the new home delivery options from top restaurants to get their fix. As lockdown 2 nears its conclusion, we spoke to some of London’s top chefs to find out where they will be spending their first post-lockdown meal. Take some [...]
Restaurants and clubs that survive Covid may see a boom like never before December 1, 2020 For those in the hospitality industry, 2020 can’t end soon enough. Recent news suggests that by Spring, London finally will start to see some semblance of normal life return, with a lifting of this year’s countless rules and regulations. The hospitality industry has been decimated this year, despite the Government’s attempts to help by offering [...]
Restaurant food delivered for the last weekend of lockdown November 27, 2020 This is the last weekend of full lockdown, although the muddled, miserable restrictions that continue to place an unfair burden upon the hospitality sector mean it’s hardly time to pull out the party poppers. Still, if you’re looking for one last big weekend home-delivery binge before venturing out in your household bubble to enjoy a [...]