We tried The new Flora terrace outside the Sofitel Hotel in St James July 14, 2022 Summer is the perfect time to embrace European style café culture. Sitting at little tables on sunny pavements, sipping a glass of wine and watching the world go by is such a civilised way to while away a couple of hours. The new Flora terrace is directly outside the Sofitel Hotel in St James, allowing [...]
Summer recipe: Pied à Terre’s fabulous Apricot Greek Milk Pie July 13, 2022 This is my refined take on a classic Greek Milk Pie. I created it when I was in Greece at my family home on Kefalonia, where we have apricot trees in the garden. Enjoy! Ingredients• 16 7x7cm filo pastry sheets; six 6×6; six 5×5; and six 4×4• 3 tbsp melted butter• 3 fresh and ripe [...]
Fruity futures: A guide to buying wine en primeur July 13, 2022 Buying ‘En Primeur’ means purchasing a wine before it is even bottled, let alone released – it is, in essence, a futures market. Originating in Bordeaux but now a concept found across the globe, one purchases the wine upfront, with the duty and VAT payable on arrival. The mutually beneficial element to this is that [...]
All’s well that blends well: Our top blended whisky July 8, 2022 The rise of single malt whisky is a relatively recent phenomenon. William Grant & Sons pioneered modern, mass market single malts in the 1960s, and as other producers entered the market in the ‘70s and ‘80s, they steadily gained in popularity and prestige. But, while single malts have driven interest in Scotch, in terms of [...]
Expert opinion: Where to eat and drink in London July 7, 2022 Yuma Hashemi opened Clerkenwell’s 20-cover restaurant The Drunken Butler in 2017, combining classic cooking techniques with Persian influences. This summer he is serving a Persian Summer Feast, an evolving tasting menu with wine pairings. He gives his expert opinion on where to go in London. Paradise, SohoParadise is serving some of the best Sri Lankan [...]
Wining & Dining: riverside staple Le Pont de la Tour opens a new bistro July 7, 2022 Le Pont de la Tour has, for over three decades, been such a constant in the City-ish dining landscape that it’s quite possible to forget it exists at all. Nestled right by the river at Shad Thames, Le Pont built a reputation for its high-end French cuisine and its nice views of Tower Bridge. Since [...]
Lurpak row: ASDA says £6 butter with security tag is not UK-wide policy or related to cost of living crisis July 5, 2022 ASDA has said it does not have a UK-wide policy to put security tags on butter in relation to the cost of living crisis. The supermarket giant responded after a journalist shared an image on social media, showing a pack of Lurpak in one of its stores, costing £6, with a tag on. This comes [...]
Whispering Angel Opens Terrace at Yauatcha City for dim sum pairing June 29, 2022 You would have to have been living under a rock not to have heard of Château d’Esclans Whispering Angel and its premium big sister Rock Angel. These rosés have gripped the summer drinking crowd the last couple of years and now they are launching pop-up terraces around the capital for the sunnier months. At Yauatcha [...]
Spirit of Champagne Charlie reborn in rare cuvée June 29, 2022 The term “Champagne Charlie” is used to describe ‘a man who lives a life of luxury and excess’ and there are certainly a few of those around right now, but who was the very first to earn this pseudonym? Charles Camille Heidsieck was an entrepreneurial soul born in 1822 who founded his business in 1851 [...]
Serving Aces: Food and drink that will be a love match for Wimbledon June 29, 2022 It’s officially time to board the Wimbledon hype train. But the world’s oldest tennis tournament is about more than just hitting a ball – it’s ingrained in the British social calendar. Here are some food and drinks offerings to enjoy as you watch. Mix an ‘exotic coffee’ wimbledon cocktail Wimbledon partner Lavazza has partnered with [...]