Mark Hix feeds 10 with a single trout after coming up short in the river June 7, 2016 Mark Hix continues his fishy adventures in Ireland… (For pt.1 click here) Well, I’m sure you were looking forward to reading how many salmon we managed to land on the river bank on day two of my Galway salmon fishing trip? Well I’m going to disappoint you: between you and I, it was zero. Both Peter [...]
Working Lunch: City restaurant L’Anima near Liverpool Street has beetroot tortellini to die for June 7, 2016 L’Anima means “soul” in Italian and the aim of this City-restaurant is is to provide a glimpse into the very soul of southern Italian cuisine, featuring modern takes on hearty classics. The spring menu revolves around fresh, zesty ingredients like artichoke slaw with cured fish roe, and asparagus with egg and guanciale. There’s also a L’Anima [...]
The Audi SQ7 is a torque monster and the world’s most powerful diesel SUV June 6, 2016 Torque: it’s easy to feel, but difficult to explain. As my physics teacher once told me, “power is the speed you hit the wall. Torque is how far you take the wall with you”. If you do need to move a tonne of bricks, cemented or otherwise, the Audi SQ7 is the perfect choice. With [...]
Prints charming: How clashing, patterned prints are transforming the drab into the spectacular June 6, 2016 In the City, a full Prince of Wales check suit is considered rather outré, so the idea of an entire outfit made up of garish or contrasting patterns will be anathema to some. But top fashion houses from Alexander McQueen to Richard James disagree – and so do we. Sort of. While we're not sure if [...]
The best vodka: 8 bottles that prove Russia’s finest is a class act June 6, 2016 Vodka is the simplest of all spirits – its name is taken from the Slavic for “little water” – but as connoisseurs of Danish furniture can attest, getting more from less is an art of its own. It may not require months or years of ageing, but it’s a singularly unforgiving spirit, with no juniper [...]
You may love many cars in a lifetime, but you only ever have one first love. For me, it was an Aston Martin June 6, 2016 With 568 British horsepower it’s quite appropriate I should pay a visit to Her Majesty’s stud. Driving down Kings Avenue towards the Sandringham Estate I spotted the stables to the right, a big ‘ER’ embedded in the brickwork, and swung my Aston Martin through the open gate. Within seven seconds a royal protection officer arrived [...]
Fashion photographer Miles Aldridge took these amazing Polaroids of his raunchy shoots June 6, 2016 British fashion photographer Miles Aldridge is famed for his vivid, highly stylised photographs, saturated in colour but drained of emotion. His models stare blankly at nightmarish explosions of ketchup or broken crockery in recurring pastiches of 1950s domesticity. His photographs are meticulously crafted, his frames arranged and composed with all the precision of a painter [...]
Bhupen Khakhar at the Tate Modern review: LS Lowry meets Henri Rousseau in this touching chronicle of life in India June 6, 2016 Bhupen Khakhar | Tate Modern | ★★☆☆☆ This impressive collection of Bhupen Khakhar’s work is a deeply personal journey through the life of India’s most revered pop artist. It flits from his wide-eyed early paintings of life on the subcontinent to his darker, more blurred work that grapples with his homosexuality (much of which was made [...]
Long Weekend review: Island hopping around Spain’s Balearic Islands, from luxury villa to serene Mediterranean spa June 3, 2016 THE WEEKEND: Island-hopping around the Balearics is the perfect way to spend a three-day weekend. The Mediterranean islands may be notorious party hotspots, but the charm of the Balearics is easy to find in the quieter parts of the islands. You know, the parts that don’t attract groups of lads who expect two-for-one Jagerbombs poured [...]
The beautiful Caribbean island of Anguilla is the shimmering blue epitome of tropical fun times June 3, 2016 Far out in the well charted waters of the east Caribbean lies the Leeward Island chain, and at its northern tip is an utterly charming little strip of limestone called Anguilla. Its interior is arid, scrubby and overrun with semi-domesticated goats and chickens, but it is frilled with some of the most incredible beaches in [...]