Poverty looms for millions of UK families as energy bills climb by £1200, inflation rises and taxes jump 1.25 per cent in 2022 December 29, 2021 Soaring energy bills, inflation and rising taxes are likely to lead to a ‘cost of living catastrophe’ for millions of UK families, an economic think tank warned this morning. The Resolution Foundation (RF) said from next April families would typically face a £1,200-a-year hit to their incomes as the energy price cap is raised and [...]
Last Minute Xmas gifts: Singleton X Biscuit Boutique December 20, 2021 If you’re stuck for gift ideas, this culinary match made in heaven could be for you. Matching fine scotch with excellent confectionary, The Singleton x Biscuit boutique is one of our top gift picks of the year. The Singleton 12 Year Old is a delightful, fruity single malt, with buttery hazelnuts, baked apples, and blackberries, [...]
Christmas wine for your dry bird: How to pick the perfect festive bottle December 15, 2021 It is the festive season, and we will soon be shoving turkeys into ovens to feed the masses, but turkey is a notoriously dry bird and calls for the right wine to help wet our whistles. Though traditionalists may feel the classic Bordeaux is always acceptable beware of drying tannins. A wiser choice if you [...]
Xmas Drinks 2021: The spirits you need on your cabinet over the holidays December 15, 2021 The Botanist Islay Dry Gin is ideal for seasonal cocktails. Made by the experimental Scotch whisky-makers at Bruichladdich, using a rare, salvaged Lomond still, the Botanist combines nine traditional gin botanicals with a further twenty-two ingredients foraged from the island. The resulting spirit is incredibly smooth, enlivened by citrus, mint, and harmonious floral flavours, that make [...]
Things between Zurich and Greggs heat up as insurer insists on slicing bakery’s £100m covid claim to £2.5m December 14, 2021 Zurich Insurance has retaliated in a London court against a claim by bakery chain Greggs for between £50m to £100m in payouts for Covid-19 related losses, according to reports. The insurance giant told the court that its business interruption cover went up to £2.5m for a single event, according to Legal 360, which first reported [...]
The One that Trot Away: My dream of a Peppa Pig restaurant empire December 8, 2021 As Pied à Terre celebrates its 30th anniversary, there are plenty of highs and lows I could look back upon. Winning a Michelin star just over a year after opening; regaining our second Michelin star with chef Shane Osborn; the fire that closed the restaurant for most of 2014 (at least my badminton game came [...]
The last supper: Actor Nathaniel Parker on his dream final meal December 8, 2021 I prefer the sound of a “final meal on Earth” to “Last Supper”, as otherwise it feels a bit too much like the night before an execution. I also like it because if I was religious, I’d feel as if I was going on to somewhere else, which would be nice. My final meal on [...]
The big cheese: How old food can sell for crazy prices at auction December 7, 2021 It took two hours for bidding to draw to a close, but it was worth it. The 2.62kg Cabrales cheese left the auction tent at the 2018 Cabrales Cheese Competition to rapturous applause. Cream of the crop, the cheese had caught the attention of 15 restaurateurs from around Spain, each bidder hell-bent on blessing their [...]
‘Americans will be licking their lips’: Export of UK lamb to US from January as three decade-old ban ends December 4, 2021 Exports of British lamb to the United States are set to resume in January. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has amended the rule which currently prevents imports of lamb from the UK into the US. The amended “small ruminant rule” will come [...]
Shares drop as Deliveroo founder sells £47m stake to settle tax bill December 2, 2021 Deliveroo's stock is down 4.5 per cent after takeaway business founder Will Shu had to sell off £47m of his shares to pay a tax liability.