Whisky makers warn of damage in store in no deal scenario December 19, 2018 The makers of Scotch whisky have issued a warning to MPs that a no deal Brexit scenario would strike a damaging blow to the £4.5bn industry, which is the UK's biggest food and drink export. The Scotch industry, which supports 40,000 jobs across the UK, is particularly sensitive to the fall out from a no deal Brexit because 90 per [...]
What goes with Christmas? Your festive dinner wine woes solved December 19, 2018 To paraphrase the famous French proverb, a Christmas dinner without wine is like a day without sunshine. A recent survey showed our average spend on a bottle for Christmas dinner increases by 45 per cent, and you can double that if it’s a gift. So it’s clear that we like to put a bit of [...]
Forest Bar + Kitchen in Blackhorse Road review: London’s ‘cave scene’ has birthed a gem in E17 December 19, 2018 Have you heard of the cave scene? No, it’s not not an obscure sexual kink, nor a spelunking society. It is, in fact, the new big thing in eating and drinking. It’s essentially a bunch of hip young restaurateurs and oenophiles reclaiming the term “wine bar”, which had been tarnished by memories of 1980s couples [...]
From bottling in Battersea to viniculture in Tooting, you barely have to venture outside your house to find a winemaking scene December 19, 2018 There are many ways people imagine exploring wine country. In a Fiat 500, driving across the hills of Tuscany with sunglasses on noses and Alanis Morissette in ears; touring the Languedoc by train, sipping crisp Saumur from Tours all the way to Paris. And these days, back home in England, where from Kent all the [...]
Working Lunch review: Harry’s Bar is a glitzy Italian with a rosemary and olive oil ice cream that’s worth the trip alone December 18, 2018 Harry’s Bar 30-34 James Street, W1U WHAT? A glitzy Italian restaurant inspired by the original Harry’s Bar in St Mark’s Square, Venice. Thankfully, you won’t be charged €22 for a Bellini here and they’re just as scrumptious. Part of Richard Caring’s Caprice Holdings Group – which also runs the Ivy Brasseries, J Sheekey and Sexy [...]
The Drinks Master: A guide to the wines of the lesser-known Jura region, France’s best kept wine secret December 12, 2018 Often, when I talk about the region of Jura, the reaction is, “Oh, that nice little Scottish island famous for smoky whisky?” But the Jura I’m passionate about is the lush, verdant sub-Alpine region of eastern France, nestled in the shadow of the Swiss Alps, about 50km east of its more famous vinous cousin, Burgundy. [...]
Mark Hix thinks it’s time for the famous 500lb ‘tunny’ to make a comeback in British waters December 6, 2018 Britain’s waters have always contained tuna, but as a nation we largely ignored them until relatively recently. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that people started constructing special rods to catch these 500lb beasts, with a thriving fishing community growing in Scarborough. There was a huge herring fishery on the east coast and tunny – [...]
The Last Supper: World famous chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa on why he’d have a simple meal of steamed rice, sushi and fresh fruit for his last meal on earth December 6, 2018 “I was born in Japan and grew up there, so that culture and food is a big part of who I am. That’s why, for my last supper, I’d like to eat very traditional Japanese food: steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish like salmon, then Japanese pickles and seaweed. I’d also like my wife or [...]
Working Lunch: We review the Express lunch menu at St Leonard’s in Shoreditch, the restaurant from the team behind Brunswick House December 5, 2018 St Leonard’s Leonard Street, EC2A WHAT? An uber hip restaurant with earthy undertones, akin to Native in London Bridge and Lyle’s nearby in Shoreditch. Only, this one has a more primal feel to it, incorporating a ‘raw bar’ of pick-your-own shellfish, a speck-carving station and a flaming hearth. WHO? This is the second restaurant from [...]
The Drinks Master: Wine expert Harry Christie looks into his crystal ball and predicts what’ll be big in wine in 2019 December 5, 2018 As 2018 draws to a dark and damp close, it’s an attractive time to look ahead to the wine we’ll be drinking in 2019. For starters, there are many who think it won’t be Italian sparkling wine. Have we reached ‘Peak Prosecco’? The figures would suggest so. Sales in 2017 rose by their lowest amount [...]