Back to Business – James Cochran on how the pandemic helped him launch a long-planned project August 15, 2020 We talk to London’s top chefs about how they are dealing with the strange ‘new normal’. This week James Cochran speaks about launching a new venture and missing the theatre of service. Who are you? James Cochran, co-owner and executive chef of 12:51, a casual fine dining restaurant in Islington. Around the Cluck is our [...]
Mark Hix on how to make the perfect seasonal risotto August 15, 2020 Risotto is a great comfort food, and I think it’s safe to say we could all use a little comfort right now. It can be a base for all sorts of flavours, from seafood to seasonal vegetables, so it’s a favourite of mine all year round. It’s important that before you start making your risotto [...]
Fitness advice: How to get your head back in the game after being on furlough August 15, 2020 The last few months have completely changed the daily routine of just about every person in the country, especially those who have been on furlough. With gyms having been closed for four months, fitness has been a major aspect of this. There are millions of gym-bros and -bunnies desperate to get their post-workout endorphin high. [...]
Back to Business: Jack and Charlie Stein on coming together as a family amid the corona crisis August 8, 2020 We talk to top chefs and restaurateurs about how they are dealing with the strange ‘new normal’. Rick Stein restaurants’ Jack and Charlie Stein talk about the relief of seeing cutsomers again and why the industry needs to go back to basics. Who are you and what do you do? Jack Stein: I’m chef director [...]
Reopened restaurants in London: The latest news about your favourite places to eat August 8, 2020 Coronavirus may have shuttered the food industry since lockdown was announced, but the restaurant business is bouncing back, with more of our favourite places to eat reopening every day. In this regular column, we’ll bring you the latest news from the front-line of the food business, complete with all the details you need to book [...]
Cider subscription service Pommelier Club injects a little fine wine luxe into the boozy apple market August 8, 2020 The subscription model was already booming before lockdown, with millennials and gen Z-ers getting everything from coffee beans to feline flea treatments delivered directly to their front doors. A report published by Zoura estimates that subscription revenues have grown by 350 per cent in the last seven years, and continued to rise almost 10 per [...]
Mark Hix on starting afresh with a fish van… And his new role at 1 Lombard Street August 8, 2020 Just as the coronavirus shit hit the fan, I was told by my business partner that the company was going into administration. All the restaurants would go, and the 130 staff were left high and dry with no furlough and no redundancy. I was devastated. It was a surreal moment, realising that all these people [...]
Back to Business: Masha Rener on keeping her restaurants afloat online August 1, 2020 We talk to London’s top chefs about how they are dealing with the strange ‘new normal’. Lina Stores head chef Masha Rener talks about how home-cooking with top ingredients is here to stay. Who are you and what do you do? I’m Masha Rener, head chef at Lina Stores in Soho and King’s Cross How [...]
The future of post-covid drinking, from the mega beer garden to drone deliveries August 1, 2020 With the baking summer heat threatening to melt my laptop, the idea of al fresco eating and drinking seems like a no-brainer. But Britain, with its unpredictable climate, traffic-clogged streets and plethora of excellent, dingy pubs, has proven resistant to the kind of outdoor cafe culture beloved of our European neighbours. Until covid, that is. [...]
Eat Out to Help Out – the best restaurants taking part in the government hospitality scheme August 1, 2020 There was a time when dropping most of your disposable income on avocado on toast made you an idiot who will never be able to afford a house. Now it makes you a hero who will save the economy. It’s so vital that you start eating at restaurants again that, as of Monday, the government [...]