Last orders! Rate of pub closures reaches decade high as rate hikes and inflation bites August 7, 2023 The number of pub closures in the UK reached its highest quarterly figure in over a decade, new data reveals, as soaring costs force more of the country’s local watering holes to close their doors for good. Some 223 pub businesses entered insolvency in the second quarter of this year, up from 200 in the [...]
Grind One espresso pod machine review: Stylish and simple August 2, 2023 As someone who spends an inordinate amount of time making espresso – and reading about making espresso and buying espresso-related paraphernalia – I long ago grew out of the Nespresso pod machine that used to sit on my desk. There’s something meditative about the process of making espresso: weighing out exactly 18 grams of beans, [...]
Domino’s Pizza delivers hot half year results as it opens 29 new stores August 1, 2023 Domino’s Pizza Group has benefited from a bleak winter with UK and Ireland stuffed-crust lovers staying in and ordering cheesy slices, as the chain adds more stores around the country. The pizza delivery company has reported a 19.6 per cent rise in revenue to £332.9m, up from £278.3m in the first half year ended 25 [...]
Carmen Stevens on philanthropy, wine and South Africa July 26, 2023 The first black South African to study winemaking in South Africa, Carmen Stevens owns the first black-owned winery in the country and, aided by her partnership with Naked Wines in the UK, provides meals to 25,000 hungry school children in Stellenbosch each year through ‘Carmen’s Kids’. WHAT GOT YOU INTO WINE? Wine has a lot [...]
Secret cheese and wine pairings to amaze dinner party guests July 26, 2023 You will all, I assume, have yesterday been celebrating one of the highlights of the British calendar: National Cheese and Wine Day. Other than being an amazing excuse to eat loads of cheese and drink loads of wine, the day was also the perfect opportunity to ask my cheesemonger friend about the secrets behind the [...]
Taku Mayfair review: Strict omakase restaurant is a show-stopper July 26, 2023 Some restaurants hook and cook you before you even reach your seat. At Walthamstow’s SlowBurn you walk through a working jeans factory, passing industrial washing machines and stacks of denim en route to your table. Sessions Arts Club has you enter its grand former courthouse through what looks like the stone-hewn corridor of a castle, asking [...]
Food promotions now make up 22.5 per cent of grocery sales – and it’s up a fifth from last year July 25, 2023 Promotions on food and other items now account for 22.5 per cent of grocery sales, as Brits continue to seek out bargains amid the cost of living crisis. The figure has risen from 20 per cent last year in the same period last year and is the highest over the past 12 months excluding Christmas and [...]
McDonald’s UK apologises after 100 workers allege sexual harassment or bullying July 18, 2023 The boss of McDonald’s in the UK has apologised after more than 100 workers at the fast food chain, past and present, alleged they had been sexually harassed or assaulted or subjected to racism or bullying. Alistair Macrow told the BBC the company had “fallen short” in some cases after the corporation spoke to dozens [...]
Artificial sweetener aspartame used in drinks like Diet Coke is ‘possible’ cause of cancer – WHO July 14, 2023 An artificial sweetener used in thousands of products including diet fizzy drinks, ice cream and chewing gum has been ruled a “possible” cause of cancer by the World Health Organisation (WHO). But a panel of experts has said the sugar substitute aspartame is safe in limited quantities. In a report released late on Thursday, the [...]
Domino’s Pizza appoints experienced Aus boss as as new chief: ‘A textbook definition of a safe pair of hands’ July 13, 2023 Domino’s Pizza has appointed a new chief executive, bringing in the chain’s Sydney-listed head for over two decades. Andrew Rennie will get a slice of the action right at the top, having previously been its chief in France and Belgium, Australia and New Zealand, and most recently, Europe, which includes its ‘master franchise agreements’ in [...]