Retailers urge rethink on net zero ‘grocery tax’ as public blame Brexit for rising costs June 4, 2023 Top retailers have urged the government to rethink plans for green levies to fund the recycling of food packaging in a bid to avoid a further rise in spiralling food costs. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned the scheme, dubbed the ‘net zero grocery tax’, could push up shopping bills by up to £4bn [...]
Deliveroo, Just Eat, Amazon and Uber: Delivery apps charging DOUBLE for supermarket groceries, says Which? June 3, 2023 Ordering supermarket groceries via a delivery app such as Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats could cost twice the price of buying directly from the same store, according to Which? Meanwhile, Amazon is charging up to 45 per cent more for Morrisons products than if they were bought from the supermarket’s own website, the consumer [...]
Mad About The Boy charts 73 years of Noël Coward’s amazing life June 2, 2023 This new, bite-sized biography of the late playwright, actor, and raconteur Noël Coward squeezes a lot into just over ninety minutes, but while it rarely stops for breath, it paints an interesting portrait of a life of contradictions. Barnaby Thompson, director of the St Trinian’s reboot and likeable 2020 comedy Pixie, drags us through Coward’s [...]
Across The Spider-verse review: another hit animated romp June 2, 2023 It’s difficult to express just how impactful 2018’s Into The Spider-verse has been on Hollywood. Critically adored and a box office hit, it was a soft launch for the ‘multiverse’ concept in superhero movies. It played with possibilities safe in the knowledge that it didn’t need to be a part of any larger network of [...]
Pride Month 2023 in London: Where to go and what to do June 1, 2023 Summer is finally upon us and Pride Month has officially begun. Throughout June London will play host to hundreds of LGBT events in venues across the capital, culminating in the 2023 Parade on 1 July. As well as the usual host of fabulous drag acts, open-air theatre and coruscating comedy, there will be awareness events and [...]
Where Succession succeeded: An anatomy of a modern classic June 1, 2023 At the wrap party for the final episode of Succession, Jeremy Strong – who played Kendall Roy, the cursed sibling at the heart of this tragi-comic melodrama – had his head shaved by Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook. An infamous method actor (he actually drank the vile “meal for a king” of cacao powder, eggs [...]
Blacklock founder Gordon Ker on the rise of Canary Wharf May 31, 2023 I’ve wanted to open a restaurant in Canary Wharf for a while. I love the rich history of the nearby Docklands and Billingsgate Market, the diverse demographic of office goers and local residents that live and work there. But going from an old basement brothel in Soho or a furniture factory in Shoreditch to a [...]
A glass of wine with Pink Diesel rosé founder Amy Gatehouse May 31, 2023 Female-founded Pink Diesel rosé began as a pandemic passion project but made speedy waves with its tongue-in-cheek-yet-chic branding. Co-founder Amy Gatehouse is the woman taking it to the top. How did you get into wine? I grew up with it as my father’s hobby, but it was while working in hospitality in Hong Kong, pairing [...]
Kiss from a rosé: Why you need to drink the pink this summer May 31, 2023 Rosé season is finally here, and pink bottles can be seen glinting in the sun everywhere from rooftop ice buckets to picnic blankets. Rosé is a crowd-pleaser, perhaps the most accessible of all the wine styles – and it is on the rise. According to Wine Business Monthly, sales in the US are growing by [...]
Blur – The Narcissist: A deep-dive into the genesis of (another) hit May 30, 2023 There is a moment in the Beatles’ catalogue of which I’m particularly fond. It comes on the album Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band when Paul McCartney, ever the panting optimist, sings: “It’s getting better all the time.” Lennon improvises back: “It couldn’t get much worse.” The essentially dual spirit of the Beatles is encapsulated in that [...]