Last minute Mother’s Day idea: Try the Pan Pacific hotel March 25, 2022 Mother’s Day is on the horizon and with canny timing the Pan Pacific hotel has launched an afternoon tea centred around childhood memories in its elegant Orchard Lounge. Award-winning executive pastry chef Cherish Finden recalls her own Singaporean childhood during either a traditional English tea or a fully Asian affair, the latter of which I opted for. We [...]
Hospitality chiefs call on Sunak to reverse VAT hike or leave London businesses ‘unviable overnight’ March 20, 2022 Hospitality heads have said the government’s plans to increase VAT from current rates of 12.5 per cent to highs of 20 per cent at the start of next month will see some London businesses “become unviable overnight.” Industry chiefs warned that Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s plans to hike consumer taxes on food, soft drinks, accommodation, and [...]
Push the boat out on your Irish celebrations with a £1,000 whiskey March 17, 2022 This weekend is the perfect excuse to indulge in some Irish whiskey. But if you’re feeling particularly indulgent, you should get your hands on a bottle of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.’s new rare release, The Taoscán. The Taoscán is the first whiskey finished in a combination of tawny port and French chestnut barrels. Bottled [...]
Richard Corrigan on the rise and rise of Irish hospitality March 17, 2022 The past 10 years have been marvellous for changing the profile of Irish food and drink in London. Gone are the days of murky Irish pubs and in their place we’re seeing the rise of a fantastic set of chefs and restaurateurs bringing some of the finest culinary skill to the capital. From one of [...]
Get the cocktails right this Paddy’s Day March 17, 2022 Three of the world’s top cocktail virtuosos have released the definitive guide to Irish mixology just in time for the St Patrick’s Day festivities. Paddy Drinks: The World of Modern Irish Whiskey Cocktails, published by HarperCollins, features a comprehensive list of 90 recipes, although we don’t recommend you try them all tomorrow. It’s written by [...]
Invest in the changing food market March 15, 2022 | Sponsored Faced with a growing world population and climate change, the food industry was already under severe strain before Covid-19 struck. The pandemic has disrupted the food sector’s supply chains and is set to change consumer eating habits for good. The Pictet-Nutrition fund directs capital to companies that improve the sustainability, access, and quality of food [...]
Hendrick’s looks to the sea for inspiration for its brand new gin March 10, 2022 Hendrick’s flagship gin arrived in the vanguard of the gin revival. Packed with floral notes from rose petals, and freshness, from cucumbers, its inventive blend and distinctive bottling has been emblematic of gin’s return to prominence over the last two decades. In recent years the brand has continued to innovate, with regular releases of limited-edition [...]
The Pumproom at Rivet Distillery is a real treat March 10, 2022 Under an hour from London lies historic Chatham and nestled against the River Medway is the beautiful Rivet Distillery.A destination point in itself, guests can enjoy an hour’s tour of the distillery ahead of a tasting, trying their range of English spirits. Prioritising distillation over casks to create flavour, they make smooth grain whiskies, a [...]
Celebrating International Women’s Day – With Wine March 9, 2022 This week was International Women’s Day and it is fitting for me to celebrate this through wine. When drinking, women choose wine nearly twice as often as men but the industry itself is still largely a man’s game. Speaking to some women who have worked in wine for up to 40 years, it is clear [...]
The A-Z of wine: D is for… Douro March 9, 2022 HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE DOURO? doer-oh WHAT’S THIS THEN? An iconic, strikingly beautiful Portuguese wine region, best known for being the home to Port, the fortified wine that we all claim to love, yet usually only buy once a year. More specifically, the Douro is the wine region around the river of the same name [...]