How loose leaf tea could ease your lockdown stress January 21, 2021 As the reality of another few months of lockdown sinks in, we could all do with a lift right now. Young entrepreneur Katy Spalter believes she may hold the key with her loose tea business. Importing the finest teas and selling them alongside her super-handy portable tea filter, Spalter believes her restorative blends may be [...]
Why online masterclasses will be the hot food trend of 2021 January 20, 2021 While virtually every other industry has been busy digitising for the last decade or more, the restaurant world remained resolutely analogue. Modern kitchens are still built around the Brigade de cuisine hierarchy developed by Georges Auguste Escoffier in the 19th century, and the idea of giving up the level of control afforded by the walled [...]
The surprisingly refined world of Las Vegas dining January 20, 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 Steve Dinneen’s tour of the best restaurants in Las Vegas. ••• If Las Vegas’ 110-year history was played out over a single day, the first decent restaurant would open shortly before midnight. Vegas [...]
Travel South Africa through its top vineyards January 19, 2021 Like most people in the UK right now, I’m well overdue a holiday. Last year was the first I’ve not left the country in a very long time. The majority of the trips I take involve wine. Some of the most beautiful places I’ve travelled to have been wine growing regions. I can’t think of one [...]
Everybody loves Raymond: Blanc and his amazing Manoir January 18, 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 Kate Vandy’s meeting with superstar chef Raymond Blanc at his Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. ••• Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons first opened its doors 30 long years ago, to instant acclaim. A [...]
Best of travel: A food odyssey across the South China Sea January 16, 2021 Throughout January we’re remembering better times and sunnier climes by reposting some of our favourite travel stories from the last decade. In this instalment, our Life&Style editor Steve Dinneen eats a path across the South China Sea. ••• Hong Kong’s most celebrated restaurants are the kind of Michelin-rated palaces to gastronomy that you can find [...]
Celebrate Burns Night 2021 with Mac and Wild at home January 15, 2021 Burns Night has always had a disproportionately significant place in the hearts of people who work in the City. There’s something about the combination of financial products and wearing kilts that just… works. There’s a reason why City A.M. has diligently printed a cut-out-and-keep version of Rabbie Burns’ famous Address to a Haggis every year [...]
The Best of Travel: How L’Enclume transformed a Cumbrian town January 13, 2021 Throughout January we’re remembering better times and sunnier climes by reposting some of our favourite travel stories from the last decade. In this instalment, our Life&Style editor Steve Dinneen makes a culinary pilgrimage to Cartmel to dine at L’Enclume. ••• The village of Cartmel lies just beyond the boundaries of the Lake District. It’s quietly [...]
Save Burns Night with a virtual Boisdale party January 12, 2021 Burns Night is normally a beacon of extravagence in the post Christmas weeks, an island of indulgance amid Dry January and Veganuary and new year fitness resolutions. This year Covid threatens to take even this away – toasting the great Scottish bard alone seems like anathema to the spirit of the occasion, which entails drinking [...]
No more Dry January – let’s do Damp January with wine instead January 6, 2021 With the third lockdown, home-schooling, and the food and drink industry on its knees, this is not the year for a ‘Dry January’. I say instead we make it a ‘Damp January’, using the time to improve our relationship with booze, find new loves, and support independent food and drink businesses. Here are my top [...]