All you never knew about crime in the British Empire December 14, 2011 EMPIRE OF CRIME: ORGANISED CRIME IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE BY TIM NEWARK Mainstream Publishing, £10.99 by Alex Deane UNTIL the 20th century, the British were active participants in the opium trade throughout the Empire. But in 1908, well-intentioned reformers banned that trade (a seismic shift in our role in the East, opposed by Gladstone in [...]
BEST CHRISTMAS READS ZOE STRIMPEL December 14, 2011 Snuff: Discworld Novel 39 by Terry Pratchett Doubleday, £18.99 When Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is reluctantly sent off for a holiday in the countryside, it isn’t going to be long until he encounters a crime – make that more of a ghastly layer cake of crimes and even “an ancient crime [...]
OUT OF OFFICE December 14, 2011 SLAVA’S SNOWSHOW AT ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL This surreal, laugh-out-loud, poignant festive-themed physical theatre troupe has been quietly gaining plaudits for years. As of tomorrow, Londoners will get their first chance in 15 years to see the larger-than-life performance. This distinctive brand of Russian clowning sees a group of rather terrifying characters put on a spectacular [...]
Clio Eco shows green doesn’t mean bad December 13, 2011 As other manufacturers rush to brand name their most economical cars with monikers like Bluemotion, Econetic and EfficientDynamics, Renault’s more fuel efficient combustion-engined cars are badged simply “Eco” and with no bright, blue or green badging on the bodywork at the rear you’d be hard pressed to know that you’d bought such an economical car. [...]
CAR TALK December 13, 2011 BENTLEY TO LAUNCH FUEL EFFICIENT MODELS Bentley is to launch Continental GT and GTC models with a more fuel efficient 500hp twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine. Capable of 0-60mph in under five seconds, the new engine is 40 per cent more efficient in terms of fuel and CO2 emissions than the existing flagship 6.0-litre V12 powered [...]
Get your adrenaline fix without leaving London December 12, 2011 In Chile there is a downhill bike race built through the middle of the city of Valparaiso. If you have never seen the footage, get your phone out and watch the YouTube video. If you have no signal, stop what you are doing and go to the nearest computer. If you’re in the supermarket, abandon [...]
Top gifts for gym fiends December 12, 2011 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT Whether you’re trying to nudge a loved one in a healthier direction, or stuck for a gift for your fitness fiend friend, these are the fitness gizmos that would make my Christmas list. The perfect stocking filler for the gym bunny, the new SmartShake is no ordinary shaker cup. With three [...]
EPISODE 40: BEER, BUSINESS AND BIRCH-THEM-ALL December 12, 2011 Birchenall only looked about 70. That means he can’t have been more than – what?” Quickly I do the maths. Surely not. “That means he can’t have been more than about 45 when we were at school,” I say to Nick, incredulously. “I know. Scary,” replies Nick. “I’m sure Birch-Them-All looked about a hundred back [...]
Alyn Williams’ debut sparkles December 12, 2011 Alyn Williams at The Westbury 37 Conduit Street W1S 2YF Tel: 020 8283 5036 FOOD ***** SERVICE ***** ATMOSPHERE **** Cost per person without wine: £65 Alyn Williams, who was head chef at Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley for four years, was sick of being the bridesmaid. You could tell – he’s been wearing white [...]
Stuck for wine this Xmas? Try a Madeira my dear December 12, 2011 HEAD SOMMELIER AND MANAGER OF LUTYENS RESTAURANT In the great age of exploration, Portuguese sailors would fill the holds of their ships with the wines of Madeira and sail to the New World. Like many wines of the era, destined for export, they were fortified – grape spirit was added to improve their stability and [...]