‘We keep getting crushed’ – hospitality reacts to Covid news June 16, 2021 News this week that Covid restrictions will not fully end on 21 June as previously planned has come as a fresh blow to the embattled hospitality industry. While bar and restaurant owners were hoping to capitalise on the combination of the good weather and Euros, they are now they are back in survival mode. We [...]
Visit the world’s biggest open-air bar, Sweden’s Drinkable Country June 15, 2021 Sweden yesterday celebrated the stoic defensive performance that earned them a Euros draw against highly fancied Spain almost as if it were a victory in the latter stages. Today any Swedes still in the party mood can let loose at Drinkable Country, which has been dubbed “the world’s largest open-air bar”. Comprised of pop-ups hosted [...]
Meet Dhavall Gandhi, the Willy Wonka of the spirits world June 15, 2021 Now you can have your whisky and drink it. With cake-loving, sweet-toothed malt lovers in mind, Lakes Distillery has added a patisserie-influenced single malt to its Whiskymaker’s Editions series, created exclusively for Harvey Nichols. Inspired by the sensory experience of a Parisian cake shop, the new expression is called Le Goûter, meaning “taste it”. Lakes [...]
Staff crisis in hospitality: Act now or risk being the next France June 15, 2021 The hospitality sector is in the midst of a staff crisis. We always knew that staffing would be a challenge with full reopening post-Covid, that not everybody would return to work after furlough. Many of our French and Italian staff went back home during lockdown and had decided not to return to the UK or [...]
World Martini Day is this Saturday: Let us inspire you June 14, 2021 Let me let you into a little secret: flavoured gins and vodkas can do away with the faff and reduce the building costs of a memorable home-shaken Martini. The UK’s countless new small batch distillers have brought with them a bewildering increase in the number of cocktail possibilities so why not enjoy them without so [...]
Toast the summer of golf with a dram of Loch Lomond June 14, 2021 GH Mumm Champagne is the official drinks sponsor of the America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in international sport, going back to 1851. Now the oldest golfing major has its own official spirit too. The 149th Open Championship is being held between 15-18 July at The Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England. To mark the occasion, [...]
King’s Cross restaurants: Breakfast lunch and dinner, sorted June 11, 2021 Once little more than a train station set in a dystopian commercial wasteland, King’s Cross is now a business hub to rival The City and Canary Wharf, with tech giant Google’s vast campus overlooking an ever-expanding roster of sophisticated shops and restaurants. Here’s how to eat there in style, no matter what time of day. [...]
How Kent came of age as a top wine-producing region June 11, 2021 It’s all happening in Kent. Ahead of National English Wine week, a well-established Kent winemaker has announced the release of its latest wine and, in the same county, another vineyard has launched its first bottles. Balfour Winery has launched its first Blanc de Noirs using Pinot Noir and Meunier from the excellent 2018 vintage and [...]
Welsh Wine Week: Meet the UK’s fastest-growing wine region June 10, 2021 Welsh Wine may be the UK’s best kept secret. Though wine was grown here as far back as Roman times it fell by the wayside, with the rolling countryside being dominated by other agriculture, farming and basically a lot of sheep. Until now. Today it is one of the most dynamic new regions for wine, [...]
The end of lockdown could spell a dinner party renaissance June 10, 2021 The end of lockdown should be close; we wait with bated breath for a final decision on whether 21 June will in fact see the sweeping away of most of the remaining restrictions. In the meantime, however, we are allowed to gather indoors according to the rule of six (or more, if they are drawn [...]