Chefs spy light at end of Covid tunnel after Sunak budget March 3, 2021 Chefs and restaurateurs across London have welcomed Rishi Sunak’s “life saving” budget plans announced today. A raft of measures aimed at keeping the embattled hospitality industry afloat until it can fully reopen in June includes an extension of the furlough scheme, grants of up to £18,000 for pubs and restaurants, and an extension of the [...]
Champagne knocked off the F1 podium by a wine called Ferrari March 3, 2021 In what is surely a case of nominative determinism, Ferrari Trento sparkling wine has been named the official partner for Formula 1. From next season, it will be sparkling wine dousing the podium finishers instead of the customary champagne, with the 119-year-old winemaker taking the honours from incumbent brand Carbon. Other champagne brands associated with [...]
Are you ready to knock back seafood-infused vodka and gin? March 2, 2021 Many of us feel like we’re slightly losing our minds during lockdown, but few of us have used that time to infuse vodka and gin with various varieties of seafood. Some have, though, and when pubs reopen they hope you’ll be switching your Bloody Mary for a caviar-infused vodka, squid-ink gin or oyster voddy on [...]
We asked top chefs for their dream post-Covid meals – find out who ordered the brains! March 2, 2021 As we dare to dream about an end to the culinary purgatory that is Covid, we asked some of our favourite chefs to tell us where they most want to eat when the restaurant world reopens. The answers took us on an incredible gastronomical tour across the world, from the paladars of Cuba to the [...]
London has a new vermouth company just in time for summer March 1, 2021 London now has its own vermouth label, producing three very Home Counties vermouths. The new London Vermouth Company, set up by three life-long friends – Guy Abrahams, Andrew Wealls and Ben Leask – worked with recipe and drinks developer Camille Hobby Limon to produce their No.1 Amber Limon and No.2 Camille’s Red vermouths. The No.3 [...]
Why Uruguay should be on the radar of all wine lovers February 27, 2021 What’s the first name that springs to mind when you think about Uruguay? I ran out of steam after Luis Suarez. Well, shame on me, because Fernando De Lucca, Pablo Fallabrino and Santiago Deicas, three of Uruguay’s top winemakers, all deserve to be on that list. Carla Bertelloti is the woman hoping to add them. [...]
The green spirits revolution, and no absinthe in sight February 26, 2021 There have been an uncountable number of words written about how the restaurant industry has had to adapt to survive, and altogether fewer on how the premium booze market is staying afloat. Like the hospitality trade, spirits distillers and winemakers have seen a huge portion of their trade wiped out over lockdown, unable to sell [...]
Toast This Morning with a glass of Phillip Schofield’s own wine February 26, 2021 People say watching This Morning with Phillip Schofield is like having a nice cup of tea with an old friend. Well, you can go one better than that now, after the beloved presenter launched his own wine brand. The talk show host is a knowledgeable wine enthusiast who began collecting wine after he was introduced [...]
How New York invented the business breakfast February 25, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. Today we revisit Melissa York’s trip to New York to find the original business breakfast. ••• Every morning, Leigh Wynn, the maitre d’ of the most expensive and exclusive breakfast spot in New York, wakes up at [...]
Best of travel: Why Panama is Latin America’s hot holiday destination February 24, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. Today we revisit Alex Dymoke’s trip to Panama to see if it really is all hats and canals. ••• In Britain, Panama is famous for two things: the canal and canoe man. Back in 2002, John Darwin [...]