Working Lunch review: Smokestak in Shoreditch is bringing ‘cue to the masses’ November 29, 2016 Smokestak 35 Sclater Street, E1 WHAT? If you’ve been to a Street Feast in the last three years, there’s a good chance you’ve witnessed a scruff of beards lining up in front of Smokestak’s wood smoker, waiting to get those substantial follicles into some USDA grade brisket. Now, you can enjoy this sight all year round [...]
Carlsberg is launching a £15m rebrand of its Carlsberg Export in a last-ditch effort to save lager November 29, 2016 Carlsberg announced it will spend £15m in marketing its Carlsberg Export brand, in a push to save the lager. The new design will reflect the brand's Danish heritage while giving it a more premium feel. Read more: Carlsberg falls flat as profits miss expectations The design takes inspiration from the cross on the Danish flag and incorporates the [...]
Low-cost cakes beat Brexit blues as Patisserie Valerie’s owner reports profits and revenue are still growing November 29, 2016 Economic uncertainty doesn’t stop consumers from indulging in inexpensive cakes, the owners of Patisserie Valerie have found. Patisserie Holdings reported increased revenue and profits for the tenth consecutive year. The figures Revenue grew 13 per cent to £104.1m for the year ended 30 September, and online sales increased by 23 per cent to £3.8m. Profit before tax [...]
Competition led sales to fall at one of the US’s first craft breweries. What’s next for the UK’s craft beer market? November 28, 2016 A major craft brewery in the United States reported sales were down as new craft beers crowd the market, but microbrewers in the UK shouldn’t worry, according to the Society of Independent Brewers. D.L. Geary Brewing Co., founded in 1983, was the first craft brewer in Portland, Maine, helping start the craft beer trend take off in [...]
Portobello Road Gin is opening the UK’s first gin restaurant, hotel and distilling experience November 28, 2016 Portobello Road Gin is capitalising on the UK's "ginaissance" by opening an all-in-one gin-themed restaurant, bar, hotel, museum, distillery and off-licence shop. The venue, called The Distillery, is the first of its kind in the UK. The ground floor features a bar stocked with gin and a range of other spirits created on-site and abroad. The spirits verge on the experimental [...]
Bang for your buckwheat – here’s where Londoners say they pay over the odds for dinner November 24, 2016 While there are plenty of budget-friendly food options in England's capital, dining in some restaurants – and in some neighbourhoods – can come with a staggeringly steep price tag. Harden's London Restaurants Guide for 2017, released Wednesday, revealed the results of its 26th annual survey of 7,500 regular restaurant-goers to determine not only which restaurants [...]
Service Partner One coffee price index shows UK’s cheapest coffee is in Dundee November 16, 2016 Everyone knows that giving up your daily takeaway coffee habit is the fastest way to become a millionaire (or something like that), but maybe you don't have to go completely cold turkey – just move to Dundee instead. That's where you can pick up the cheapest cup of coffee in the UK, according to new [...]
Working Lunch: Climb to the top of Harrods for a view from Chai Wu, its contemporary Chinese restaurant November 15, 2016 Chai Wu Harrods, Knightsbridge WHAT? A surprisingly intimate Chinese restaurant in Harrods, with a crowd-pleasing, wide-ranging menu. WHERE? On the fifth floor, next to the menswear department. And if the thought of eating quite literally next to a room full of suits in one of the world’s busiest department stores puts you off, give it [...]
Healthy “grab and go” food chain set to open its 30th London location as millennials look for nutritious lunches November 15, 2016 Feel-good food chain Abokado is projected to turn over £17m following a current turnover of £14m and the opening of its 30th site in London set for early next year. The healthy, internationally inspired food company has thrived in the "grab and go" sector, providing busy Londoners something fresh for breakfast and lunch. The business, which aims to stock its [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix on the hidden charms of the Romanesco cauliflower November 15, 2016 The first time I set eyes on Romanesco I thought it was some weird hybrid broccoli-cauliflower that had landed from another planet. Later in life I discovered it was an ancient member of the cauliflower familly, also known as Roman cauliflower, and has been grown since the 16th century. Over the years I’ve gradually learned [...]