National Mezcal Day: Where to celebrate this Friday October 19, 2022 Mezcal seems to have been on the brink of ‘going mainstream’ for at least a decade, and yet it still hovers somewhere just shy of something you’d actually order. This Friday is National Mezcal Day (not to be confused with national Mezcal Week, which was in May) – so take the opportunity to be won [...]
Old vines: Why you should care October 19, 2022 You may have seen the term “old vine” or “vieille vignes” on your wine label and wondered why it matters. Though there’s no legal definition, it usually means the vines are older than 25 years, but preferably over 50 or even 100. These wines are rarer because the older a vine gets, the less fruit [...]
How Hawkes Cidery is making liquid gold from unwanted apples October 13, 2022 If you happened to be at this weekend’s third-tier clash between Forest Green Rovers and Bolton Wanderers, you may have been greeted by a strange sight: fans turning up with bulging sacks of apples. The club – dubbed the most sustainable in the country – is working with Bermondsey-based cidermaker Hawkes in its annual bid [...]
Why it’s time to invest in port, and drink plenty too October 6, 2022 There has always been a special relationship between Portugal and Great Britain. Indeed, the Portuguese government declared three days of national mourning to honour the passing of her Majesty, the Queen. Equally, there’s something quintessentially British about serving a decanter of port at the end of a dinner party, passed around to one’s left of [...]
Where to eat, drink and sleep in Birmingham for Tory Party Conference October 2, 2022 On 2 october, Tory Party Conference kicks off in Birmingham. It remains to be seen whether the city famous for its Bull Ring will witness any blood sport following the fallout from the chancellor’s mini-budget. But whether it’s toasting the new PM or ruefully navel-gazing over Keir Starmer’s poll lead, the city’s hotels, restaurants, bars [...]
M Canary Wharf is both fun and elegant September 26, 2022 M restaurant has launched its newest incarnation in increasingly buzzy Canary Wharf, making the most of all the sky, steel and views over the water with floor to ceiling windows showcasing aspects and angles of the London skyline I had never seen before. Lights hang like flocks of seagulls above booths and tables designed to [...]
Alsace wines have bite as well as bark September 25, 2022 When I began to learn about wine in my early 20s, Alsace was a region I was drawn to. I loved the opulent richness of the wines, from the semi-sweet floral Gewurztraminer and Muscat to the broad strokes of the rounded Pinot Gris and complexity of the Rieslings. The good ones were balanced by a [...]
Recipe of the week: Simon Shand, head chef of Leroy, on how to cook brill September 23, 2022 As summer gives way to autumn it can be tricky knowing quite where to pitch a dish, especially if you’re buying the ingredients a day or two before you cook. You don’t want rose and salad while it’s bucketing down outside, but nor do you want to waste the last evenings of sunshine of the [...]
Very lively in Venice: Having a ball in the city of water September 13, 2022 Every Italian has their favourite region of their home country they believe to be aesthetically and culturally superior. Part of the reason is the dizzying variety of culture, cuisine and architecture, which differs dramatically from region to region, the result of foreign invasions that chopped up the boot-shaped country a dozen centuries ago. But even [...]
M restaurant founder Martin Williams on his new Canary Wharf venue September 6, 2022 Sitting in the new M restaurant in Canary Wharf, a few days before it officially opens today, is a slightly surreal experience. Overlooking the river in the new, diamond-shaped Newfoundland Quay tower, a row of people in wetsuits are doing laps around the docks below us. As they approach the restaurant they glide past a [...]