Lifestyle

  • Enron survivor sails to success
    Friday, 12th March 2010
    From poetry to cargo ships – one IT?entrepreneur has had a varied life, discovers Kathleen Brooks
    Kathleen Brooks
    BUDDING entrepreneurs consider this: you co-found a business and, after a while, you realise the culture isn’t right for you. What do you do? John Paskin abandoned his first dream of becoming an entrepreneur in 2007 and went back to his corporate job as an IT manager at BP and waited until the time was right. A year and a half later and Paskin’s dream of founding his own IT company was back on track. In late 2008 he founded Commodity Flow, a software programme that analyses the movement of cargo ships, in real-time, around the world. He founded the company with three former colleagues from... [Read more]

  • Spring clean your tax affairs for April
    Friday, 12th March 2010
    Small businesses need to put some thought to being tax-efficient
    Debbie Griffiths Tax partner, DELOITTE
    ONE of the drawbacks of starting your own business is that you have to become an expert in everything from day one. This includes the maze that is our tax laws. Come the new financial year, these are... [Read more]
  • OUTSOURCING
    Friday, 12th March 2010
    Kathleen Brooks
    Q. What are the benefits of outsourcing for a small business? A.The primary benefit is cost, says Cathy Ryan, Director at Transformosys, a business consultancy that specialises in outsourcing. “It... [Read more]
  • Scorsese takes over the asylum
    Friday, 12th March 2010
    The auteur’s eerie new thriller takes place in a prison for the insane, writes Timothy Barber
    Timothy Barber
    FILM SHUTTER ISLAND Cert: 15 HHHII MARTIN Scorsese pays tribute to his hero Alfred Hitchcock in this creepy thriller that lays the atmosphere on with a heavy trowel, but doesn’t quite keep us as... [Read more]

  • OUT THIS WEEKEND PREVIEWS
    Friday, 12th March 2010
    FILM GREEN ZONE Matt Damon and Bourne-director Paul Greengrass go to war in Baghdad. THE KREUTZER SONATA Danny Huston stars in this adaptation of Tolstoy’s novel. HACHI:?A DOG’S TALE Richard Gere... [Read more]
  • Bag yourself a leather satchel this spring
    Friday, 12th March 2010
    Timothy Barber picks out the smartest ways to carry your papers and laptop when a briefcase won’t do the business
    Timothy Barber
    1 Explorer satchel by Dunhill, £695, www.dunhill.com 2 Cavalry satchel by Aspinal of London, £395, www.aspinaloflondon.com 3 Jour Apres Jour shoulder bag by Berluti, £1,600 www.berluti.com 4 Men’s... [Read more]
  • TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO DRESS UP
    Friday, 12th March 2010
    Style Counsel
    Sara Hollamby
    THOSE gorgeous gowns in the Oscars earlier this week got me thinking. If I had a lovely dress (obviously nowhere near Oscar standard) where would I wear it? Maybe the odd charity ball that comes up... [Read more]
  • A haunting tale of cat and mouse as a child takes on a serial killer
    Thursday, 11th March 2010
    A first-time author’s deeply felt account of a boy seeking justice against the odds
    BLACKLANDS BY BELINDA BAUER Corgi, £7.99 by Zoe Strimpel EXMOOR dripped with dirty bracken, rough, colourless grass, prickly gorse, and last year’s heather, so black it looked as if wet fire had... [Read more]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    Thursday, 11th March 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    LONDON ASSURANCE AT THE NATIONAL Dion Boucicault, the Irish genius of London theatre in the mid-19th century, wrote the hilarious London Assurance in 1841, creating in Sir Harcourt and Lady Spanker... [Read more]
  • Cracking eggs for Easter
    Thursday, 11th March 2010
    Timothy Barber discovers which choccies are worth the festive calories
    Timothy Barber
    FLORAL EGG, COCOMAYA The chic Mayfair chocolate shop has come up with a rather eccentric egg, with a glittery surface decorated with a chocolate medallion embossed with the face of a Roman emperor... [Read more]
  • Put your foot down this summer
    Wednesday, 10th March 2010
    When the sun comes out, a sportscar is the only way to enjoy the great outdoors
    John Faithorn
    WHAT’S the best way to experience the great British countryside? Some might say it’s in a country pub, with a flagon of frothing ale and a ploughman’s lunch before you. Others might say that it’s in... [Read more]
  • Embrace a world of adventure
    Wednesday, 10th March 2010
    Polar exploring and Japanese skiing make 2010 the year for branching out
    John Faithorn
    JAPAN SKI EXPERIENCE If you love skiing but are bored of France and fondue, then Japan can be a great alternative. There are now over 600 ski resorts in the country, and with annual snowfalls of up... [Read more]
  • Staying afloat in zero gravity is the way to beat City stress
    Wednesday, 10th March 2010
    There’s nothing New Age about relaxing in a floatation tank
    Timothy Barber
    MY abiding image of floatation therapy has always been Absolutely Fabulous’s Edina Monsoon thrashing about ridiculously in a tank in her bedroom. I think she ended up keeping a dolphin in it. Back... [Read more]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    Wednesday, 10th March 2010
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    BUTTERWORTH AT THE BRIDEWELL Find out how Jerusalem playwright Jez Butterworth made his name with the Tower Theatre Company’s staging of his acclaimed earlier show, Mojo, a scintillating tale of Soho... [Read more]
  • Supercars go green
    Wednesday, 10th March 2010
    Even mainstream sportscar makers Porsche and Ferrari are jumping on the eco bandwagon
    RYAN BORROFF
    FOR the last few years, the supercar brands largely ignored the move towards greener motoring. Instead they have continued to produce products and concepts that followed the traditional performance... [Read more]
  • Be inspired by these luscious Oscar dresses
    Tuesday, 9th March 2010
    The red carpet offers frock ideas aplenty for ordinary women
    Zoe Strimpel
    THE problem with the Oscars is that the razzle dazzle of the red carpet fizzles all too quickly once everyone is indoors and the awards actually start up. The speeches often go on too long and say... [Read more]
  • Riverside views and posh Euro nosh
    Tuesday, 9th March 2010
    It’s all about the glinting lights of the big city at this nicely conceived Docklands newcomer
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    Battery 34 Westferry Circus E14 8RR Tel: 020 8305 3089 Cost per person without wine: £55 YOU have to really want to go to Battery to make it inside. In the Phillipe Starck-designed space formerly... [Read more]
  • FOOD & BOOZE NEWS
    Tuesday, 9th March 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    TURKISH WINES AT TIKE A hit among the upwardly mobile of Istanbul, Tike opened last year to the delight of City folk who like a good bit of meat with fresh warm hummous.?Now a wine list has been... [Read more]
  • THREE OTHER RESTAURANTS WITH KNOCK-OUT VIEWS
    Tuesday, 9th March 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    RHODES 24 Gary Rhodes’ Michelin-starred establishment sits on the 24th floor of the City’s highest building, so – unless the windows were blacked out – it would be hard to find better views at any... [Read more]
  • All hail the queen of Savile Row
    Monday, 8th March 2010
    The most senior woman in London tailoring tells Zoe Strimpel why she loves her new job
    Zoe Strimpel
    KATHRYN Sargent is the first female master cutter on Savile Row. This is the most senior role at any bespoke suit-maker, the person responsible for meeting the client, sizing them up and making the... [Read more]
  • Games, guns and gyrating girls in Sin City
    Monday, 8th March 2010
    Dominic Wells finds a way to jump the queues and does Vegas just the way the big boys do
    FAHVE bucks? Girl, for five dollars yew can take as many pictures as yew want. Come on over, and get yo’ man over heyah too.” This was Elvis talking. Yes, Elvis. Tinted shades, jet-black jumpsuit,... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 8th March 2010
    Oporto, Portugal gains new luxury hotel This five-floor, sustainably-built hotel has been carved into the hillside using a terraced effect mirroring the vines of the neighbouring Douro Valley. Views... [Read more]
  • Animation fails to bring Alice alive
    Friday, 5th March 2010
    Visual tricks are not enough to make this blockbuster exciting
    Timothy Barber
    Film ALICE IN WONDERLAND Cert: PG THE idea of Tim Burton turning his imaginative powers to Lewis Carroll’s children’s fantasy, and roping in his old mucker Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter in the... [Read more]
  • SIX OF THE BEST
    Friday, 5th March 2010
    FILMS, MUSIC, GAMES
    FILM Ponyo Japanese auteur Hayao Miyazaki’s latest flight of imagination is his uniquely surreal take on The Little Mermaid. ART Richard Hamilton Tate Modern’s fascinating retrospective of the... [Read more]
  • OUT THIS WEEKEND
    Friday, 5th March 2010
    PREVIEWS
    FILM LEGION Supernatural thriller with Paul Bettany as an angel saving the world from God’s wrath. Sure. ONDINE Colin Farrell plays an Irish fisherman who thinks he’s caught a mermaid in his net.... [Read more]
  • London’s new power couple
    Friday, 5th March 2010
    Zoe Strimpel meets the two women behind Mayfair’s most elegant shop
    Zoe Strimpel
    THE day I meet Carolina Herrera and her business partner and daughter, also called Carolina Herrera, I am foolishly wearing trainers. It is the wrong choice. Not because they are in any way snooty,... [Read more]
  • Treat yourself to a top tote
    Friday, 5th March 2010
    Gorgeous, bright bags are always in
    Zoe Strimpel
    1 Ostrich leather duffel bag, William &?Son, £2650, www.williamandson.com 2 Daria drawstring tote, Mulberry, £795, www.mulberry.com 3 Fabien bag, Jimmy Choo, £925, www.jimmychoo.com 4 Tate... [Read more]
  • MEN: GO AND GET MEASURED
    Friday, 5th March 2010
    Sara Hollamby Style Counsel A SHARP suit is an important investment – get it right, and it makes you feel so good that it’s worth the hefty price tag. A quality suit should last many years and make... [Read more]
  • A psychological masterpiece set amid the beauty of rural France
    Thursday, 4th March 2010
    The author of The Road Home has delivered once more
    Zoe Strimpel
    TRESPASS BY ROSE TREMAIN Chatto and Windus, £17.99 ROSE TREMAIN has proved herself time and again to be a novelist of astonishing skill, verve and imagination. Her latest outing was the Orange Prize-... [Read more]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    Thursday, 4th March 2010
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    JUDI DENCH AT THE ROSE One of the most noteworthy shows in London at the moment isn’t to be found in the West End, or even on Southbank. You have to head to Kingston to see Judi Dench starring as a... [Read more]
  • How to be as healthy as Barack
    Thursday, 4th March 2010
    If you’re nearing 50, it’s time to cut down on those fry-ups
    Zoe Strimpel
    EARLIER this week, the White House released the results of President Obama’s first medical report since he took office. For a 46-year-old man in a stressful job, they were pretty good. The only area... [Read more]
  • I’m trying not to scream at my ex-lover/colleague
    Thursday, 4th March 2010
    VEXED IN THE CITY SOLVING YOUR RECESSION PROBLEMS DEAR VEXED: I had an affair with a colleague that ended recently. He’s now seeing someone else outside work and won’t shut up about it. It’s making... [Read more]
  • The comeback cad trying his luck in the Med
    Wednesday, 3rd March 2010
    A Spanish venture is James Hewitt’s chance to restore his reputation
    Roger Baird
    JAMES Hewitt – former lover of Princess Diana, ex-solider, comeback cad – throws his head back and laughs at what I have just said. “Yes, I suppose this is like Rick’s in Casablanca,” he says when he... [Read more]
  • Plug & play
    Wednesday, 3rd March 2010
    Still think electric cars are glorified golf carts? As our new columnist discovers, electric vehicles are no threat to motoring
    RYAN BORROFF
    THE FACTS: TESLA ELECTRIC CAR PRICE: £86,950 RANGE: 236 miles 0-60MPH: 3.9 secs TOP SPEED: 125 mph CO2 G/KM: 0 THE demise of the combustion engine is not something I long for, yet burning through... [Read more]
  • The future’s bright
    Tuesday, 2nd March 2010
    The best speaker systems look as cutting edge as they sound
    Timothy Barber
    1. KEF REFERENCE 201/2 The ultimate full range bookshelf loudspeaker from perhaps the most design-conscious audiophile manufacturer. It may not be big, but the sound is as vibrant and clear as the... [Read more]
  • Choosing the right wine in a restaurant
    Tuesday, 2nd March 2010
    LIFE COACH
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    I never know what to do about wine ordering when entertaining clients. What advice can you give me? Jeffery, private wealth manager, 34 WHEN you’re entertaining guests at a restaurant, you’ve got... [Read more]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    Tuesday, 2nd March 2010
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    PAUL NASH RETROSPECTIVE British painter Nash is most famous for his nightmarish depictions of the battlefields of both World Wars as dark, dystopian landscapes. Beyond this, a new retrospective shows... [Read more]
  • Food to make central London blush
    Tuesday, 2nd March 2010
    A cosy, 24-cover restaurant in Amersham, Bucks, serves food crying out for a Michelin star
    The Artichoke 9 Market Square, Old Amersham, Bucks, HP7 ODF, tel: 01494 726611 Cost per person without wine: £40 For a Tuesday evening, it wasn’t the usual sort of place to meet for dinner. From... [Read more]
  • FOOD & BOOZE NEWS
    Tuesday, 2nd March 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    ALICE COCKTAILS AT THE ARTESIAN The beautiful Artesian bar at the Langham Hotel is celebrating the release of the forthcoming?Alice in Wonderland film with a new cocktail, the White Rabbit. It’s... [Read more]
  • THREE OTHER TOP COMMUTER RESTAURANTS
    Tuesday, 2nd March 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    CHAPTER ONE, BROMLEY, KENT It may be in Bromley, but with a Michelin star and four AA rosettes, Chapter One is on the same plane as London’s Pied a Terre and Cambridge’s magnificent Midsummer House.... [Read more]
  • Luxury comes to Abu Dhabi’s glorious desert
    Monday, 1st March 2010
    A new resort lets you marvel at the sands and sip champagne too,
    Esther Shaw
    THE Liwa Desert is in the area known as the Empty Quarter, and is the largest uninterrupted stretch of desert in the world. This vast area, which extends into the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES – UK EASTER BREAKS
    Monday, 1st March 2010
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    Cameron House, Loch Lomond Children can stay for free over Easter at Cameron House, one of the most splendid hotels in the British Isles. It occupies a grand 18th century country pile on the bonnie... [Read more]
  • Traders turning to stars for answers
    Monday, 1st March 2010
    The financial crisis wasn’t about CDSs and sub-prime, but Saturn and Pluto,
    Zoe Strimpel
    I’M sitting in an opulent suite at the Four Seasons Hampshire with about 20 other people, sipping tea and nibbling cakes. We’re here in deepest darkest Dogmersfield, a former hunting park of Henry... [Read more]
  • My colleagues are canoodling in the boardroom
    Monday, 1st March 2010
    VEXED IN THE CITY SOLVING YOUR RECESSION PROBLEMS
    DEAR VEXED: A couple of colleagues have recently got into a relationship and they are being really indiscreet about it – I actually stumbled in on them snogging in the boardroom the other day when I... [Read more]
  • Travolta goes over the top in Paris
    Friday, 26th February 2010
    A wildly over-acting superstar, complete with silly facial hair, can’t rescue this absurd action flick
    Film FROM PARIS WITH LOVE Cert: 15 YOU certainly can’t accuse this action comedy of being slow – its 90 minutes whistle by in a hale of bullets, explosions, cars, bodies and dodgy wisecracks. So it... [Read more]
  • OUT OF WEEKEND
    Friday, 26th February 2010
    PREVIEWS
    FILM MICMACS AMELIE AND DELICATESSEN DIRECTOR JEAN-PIERRE JEUNET SERVES UP ANOTHER DAZZLING FANTASY. EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES ROPEY DRAMA WITH HARRISON FORD TRYING TO FIND A CURE FOR POMPE DISEASE.... [Read more]
  • Fashion week is far from pointless
    Friday, 26th February 2010
    The shocking clothes and social whirl all serve a purpose with a bottom line
    Zoe Strimpel
    ANOTHER fashion week has finished and London has gone back to its (slightly) less glamorous self. The international circus of celebrity will return to wherever it came from for the six-month hiatus... [Read more]
  • Putting a spin on humble sneakers
    Friday, 26th February 2010
    Sneakers say a lot about you, so choose with care
    Jeremy Hazlehurst
    THEY’RE a funny thing, trainers. They are as much a part of a man’s functional wardrobe as jeans, but unlike jeans, they are also very expressive. Hip Camden Converse wearers are a different tribe to... [Read more]
  • NO KILLER HEELS FOR ME
    Friday, 26th February 2010
    Sara Hollamby
    SKY-high heels were everywhere at Fashion Week, elongating the models even more for the catwalk. But what about the rest of us? I’ve been trying to walk around in some of these vertiginous shoes sold... [Read more]
  • A brilliant debut novel that tells of tragedy in the City rings all too true
    Thursday, 25th February 2010
    Excess and desire ruin an ambitious young man’s life
    Zoe Strimpel
    THIS BLEEDING CITY BY ALEX PRESTON Faber, £12.99 You’d have thought the time had passed for another book about the City and its pre-crunch pulse of money, aspiration and the personal damnation all... [Read more]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    Thursday, 25th February 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    PRIVATE LIVES TO OPEN AT VAUDEVILLE Noel Coward’s play is sure to be a hit when it opens next week, starring Sex and the City’s Kim Cattrall and Spooks’ Matthew McFadyen. It is the story of Elyot and... [Read more]
  • Got the cash? Well then it’s lobster ‘n’ caviar all round
    Wednesday, 24th February 2010
    Some things never change. Caviar and Cristal are doing better than ever
    Zoe Strimpel
    ASTAR Tokyo chef, Shoichi Fujimaki, has delighted wealthy locals by charging £70 for a single serving of his signature ramen noodles, a price commanded by his special blend of broth.  A less gourmet... [Read more]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    Wednesday, 24th February 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    RON ARAD: RESTLESS The first major exhibition of Arad’s work in the UK includes a new reworking of his classic 1989 Well Tempered Chair – re-done in transparent polycarbonate – his ping pong table... [Read more]
  • How to get bidding for the first time
    Wednesday, 24th February 2010
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    I’m thinking of going to an auction to buy some antiques for my home, but haven’t been before. What should I expect? IT’S not surprising that many of us are a little intimidated by the idea of an... [Read more]
  • New cars to look out for in Geneva
    Wednesday, 24th February 2010
    Next week’s expo will see the auto industry getting back to business,
    Timothy Barber
    THIS time next week the Geneva International Motor Show will be underway, with the latest designs, concept cars, fresh innovations and new launches. After the travails the motoring world has suffered... [Read more]
  • Torode offers more sizzle than steak
    Tuesday, 23rd February 2010
    The Masterchef star has hit a dud note with his latest restaurant in Spitalfields
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    The Luxe On hearing the name of John Torode, those in the know are likely to grunt with satisfaction as the image of a large, juicy steak enters their head. Perhaps they’ve even read his book, called... [Read more]
  • THREE OTHER MEATY RESTAURANTS
    Tuesday, 23rd February 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    MAZE GRILL Jason Atherton’s more casual offshoot of Maze, the emphasis here is on steak, though everything else is good too. A waiter appears with a bundle of raw meat, from which you choose what... [Read more]
  • FOOD & BOOZE NEWS
    Tuesday, 23rd February 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    CALLING ALL FRUIT BEER LOVERS Fruit beer lovers who shop at Waitrose rejoice: a delicious new one from Liefmans has been added to the range. Based on Liefmans Cuvee Brut, a famous brown beer brewed... [Read more]
  • Find a new you with a new look
    Tuesday, 23rd February 2010
    Makeup guru Lauren Luke shares her top tips for City women
    Zoe Strimpel
    LAUREN Luke’s life was not going anywhere when she decided to ditch her job as a taxi dispatcher in a town near Newcastle and begin selling makeup on eBay. To accompany the products, she took photos... [Read more]
  • OTHER LEADING CRUISES FOR ALL TASTES
    Monday, 22nd February 2010
    Silversea Seabourn’s only serious rival for luxury, it’s possible that Silversea even exceeds Seabourn when it comes to room design and service – the Silver Whisper ship, for example, has more space... [Read more]
  • New day, new port: a view of the world from a luxury cruise
    Monday, 22nd February 2010
    Zoe Strimpel sees the Med from a small but beautiful cruise ship
    WHEN Oasis, the world’s biggest cruise ship, launched last year in Miami with all the fanfare of a royal spaceship, I recoiled. The idea of a floating carnival/town/funfair/shopping mall/beach resort... [Read more]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    Monday, 22nd February 2010
    ZOE STRIMPEL
    Explore Tanzania African tour specialist Wild about Africa has added seven new itineraries in Tanzania, ranging from eight to 13 days. They focus on the quintessential quartet of Tanzania’s “... [Read more]
  • Where to take the family for a splendid Easter
    Monday, 22nd February 2010
    The holiday season is full of oppportunities to get out of London, writes Timothy Barber
    Sunny escape in the south of France Les Jardins de Saint Benoit is a beautiful riverside estate in the Languedoc region of the South of France, with vineyards, olive groves and renovated medieval... [Read more]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    Monday, 22nd February 2010
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    HENRY MOORE AT TATE BRITAIN Opening this week, the Tate’s new retrospective revisits the legacy of one of the giants of British art in the twentieth century, and arguably the country’s greatest-ever... [Read more]