Spirited away: The Brits making their own brand of tequila February 8, 2021 Two Englishmen have founded one of the first British tequila brands, creating their own line of super-premium, 100% agave spirit. VIVIR is distilled in collaboration with the multi-award-winning Casa Maestri, using natural volcanic spring water and traditional production processes. “I worked for a food company and brought Bircher muesli to the UK,” says co-founder Paul [...]
Special wines to treat your beau this Valentine’s Day February 8, 2021 “We sold a bottle of Sine Qua Non The Hussy Roussanne 2000 to a customer for Valentine’s Day. It currently retails for £1,580. The most expensive bottle we have in the shop is the Macallan Lalique 2 55YO, which sells for £145,000.” Established in 2012 in the heart of London’s Mayfair by Russian mobile phone entrepreneur [...]
Don’t let Covid spoil Valentine’s Day – bring the party home February 6, 2021 Usually the first busy night of the year for bars and restaurants, this Valentine’s Day promises to be a more subdued affair thanks to ongoing restrictions. But don’t let that spoil the romantic fun – here’s a list of some ways to bring the party to you on 14 February. Boisdale Valentine’s Night Dinner Kit [...]
Best of travel: The town made famous by Bruce Springsteen February 5, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. This week we revisit Laura Millar’s trip to the downbeat seaside town in New Jersey made famous by Bruce Springsteen. Read more: Jaguar XF P300 review: revitalised luxury at a surprisingly low price ••• On the boardwalk of [...]
Cadbury returns to Birmingham in post-Brexit production shift February 5, 2021 The owner of Cadbury, Mondelez International, is planning to shift more Dairy Milk production back to its historic Bournville factory in Birmingham. The company announced a £15m investment at the Birmingham site, and from 2022 125m more Dairy Milk bars are to be manufactured there. Mondelez’ UK managing director Louise Stigant said Bournville is still [...]
How to host the perfect evening this Valentine’s day February 4, 2021 This will be the first year in over a decade I won’t be working in a restaurant this Valentine’s day. For hospitality professionals it’s the most dreaded day in the calendar for so many reasons – it’s the first busy day of the year, restaurant owners cram in as many tables of two as possible. [...]
Unilever restores confidence as sales jump 3.5 per cent February 4, 2021 Consumer goods giant Unilever today reported underlying sales growth for the fourth quarter, buoyed by strong demand in emerging markets. Sales rose 3.5 per cent for the owner of Persil, Dove and Marmite, meeting analyst predictions. For the full year, sales grew by 1.9 per cent but turnover and underlying profit dropped 2.4 per cent [...]
Best of travel: Eating and drinking with the St Petersburg locals February 3, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. This week we revisit Ashwin Bhandari’s trip to St Petersburg, the cultural heart of Russia. Read more: Jaguar XF P300 review: revitalised luxury at a surprisingly low price ••• There are not many places that have left me [...]
Why baijiu is set to take the UK spirits business by storm February 2, 2021 The famous Chinese poet Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty had some very precise ideas about drinking. He once wrote, “One’s drinking companions should be elegant, unrestrained, forthright, understanding, old friends or beautiful”. He further counselled that “The best places for drinking should be in front of flowers, in the bamboo forest, in a high [...]
Get your lockdown foodie kicks with a YORStory Zoom night February 2, 2021 As the current lockdown drags into its third month, simple pleasures like a meal at a restaurant or a trip to the pub are becoming increasingly distant memories. For those of you desperate for gustatory experiences and human contact, YORStory has launched a weekly series of food and drink themed workshops to rescue your Thursday [...]