The Lord Napier & Star is the best – and only – pub in Hackney Wick November 16, 2021 Twenty years ago The Lord Napier – the last, boarded-up pub of E9’s scrappy backyard, wedged between the River Lee Navigation and the A12’s spaghetti junction – was bought with an eye firmly on the area’s encroaching realty rush. “S**THOUSE TO PENTHOUSE” became the most iconic bit of its fully graffitied exterior, as planning disputes [...]
Premier Foods leave sour taste with declining revenues November 16, 2021 Premier Foods has suffered a decline in revenue and operating profit in its half-year results. The owner of beloved household brands such as Mr Kipling, Ambrosia, Angel Delight, Sharwoods, and Oxo has left investors with a sour taste in their mouths as earnings per share have halved since the previous year. In its half-year report, [...]
COP26: The wine industry joins the Race To Zero November 10, 2021 COP26 is well underway in Glasgow, bringing 197 countries together to present their updated plans to act against carbon emissions, and the wine industry has its own, albeit relatively small, part to play. Wine itself creates relatively low carbon emissions but even so the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) exists. It was founded three [...]
Give it up for the world’s most extreme winemakers November 10, 2021 Every wine merchant has their hero or heroine – not necessarily their best sellers but the wines and winemakers they most admire. These are often viticulture’s unsung heroes – small producers who work with new techniques or revive old ones, sometimes toiling in the harshest terrain, where machines aren’t viable and human power is the [...]
A mouthful of cashmere: The joy of Lalande-de-Pomerol wines November 10, 2021 Traditionally wines from Bordeaux have garnered a certain high level of respect, esteem, fame and the price tag that goes along with that. In broad strokes, the Bordeaux Blend, historically referred to as Claret in the UK, is made up of a combination of the star players Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot alongside, at the winemaker’s [...]
Passed away at 43: London celebrity chef Gurpareet Bains hit by sudden heart attack November 10, 2021 Enfield-based celebrity chef and author Gurpareet Bains has passed away aged 43, City A.M. has been told.
Baker & Spice in Belgravia, has a tried and tested day service – but what about its new dinner menu? November 9, 2021 Nestled in a quiet backstreet in Belgravia, Baker & Spice is a gourmet Mediterranean café and bakery that branched out to dinner service this September. It has a generous outdoor dining space equipped with heaters and blankets to ward off the autumnal chill and a small indoor dining room with cosy booths and tables for [...]
The wine diaries: Dining out on oysters and fizz November 3, 2021 We are in Native Oyster season and there is no better place to enjoy them than iconic seafood restaurant, Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill. Situated on the cobbles of Swallow Street they have been serving the finest seafood to hungry Londoners for over 100 years. “You come here for the best seafood, the best oysters” [...]
British wine is flying high: Here are some of the best November 3, 2021 It is time to drink patriotically because business is booming for British wines. The pandemic did little to slow the growth; in fact wine sales went up by 30 per cent and last year we planted 1.4m new vines. This green, little island of ours now boasts around 800 vineyards and 178 wineries, though England [...]
The wine diaries: How I swooned over Frerejean Frères October 28, 2021 Champagne brand Frerejean Frères hosted a dinner at Michelin-starred Hide on Piccadilly, pairing four sensational courses with a stunning range of wines including, as a special surprise, the last two magnums of its 2006 Premier Cru in the UK. Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger, the youngest of the three “Frères” and great grandson to one of the founders [...]