Why The Ivy is a bastion of hope and quality during a bleak month January 19, 2026 The start of the year is an especially tough time for hospitality as people watch the pounds when it comes to both their wallets and weight. This kind of abstinence is even more of a travesty in London, a city packed with the most incredible restaurants, with a rich history of social eating and drinking. [...]
Galvin La Chapelle launches menu to celebrate Toast award January 15, 2026 I have written about restaurants for this newspaper for some 15 years – but my latest visit to City institution Galvin La Chapelle was a first: reviewing a menu designed to celebrate winning a City AM award. Last year we hosted the first Toast the City awards, celebrating the things that make the Square Mile [...]
The 100 most at risk pubs in London – is your local under threat? January 13, 2026 The most at risk pubs in London have been revealed by a new website that calculates how proposed changes to rates could affect the hospitality industry. New website ismypubfucked.com uses official data from the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to identify which pubs will be most affected by the proposed increases to the business rates. The [...]
We reveal England’s most ‘fucked’ pub thanks to Is My Pub Fucked January 9, 2026 A new website called Is My Pub Fucked (ismypubfucked.com) has been set up to identify the most at risk pubs in the country, ranking them by how “fucked” they are. The website uses official data from the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to identify which pubs will be most affected by the proposed increases to the [...]
Galvin La Chapelle launches special menu to celebrate Toast Award win January 8, 2026 Michelin starred City institution Galvin La Chapelle has launched a special new menu to celebrate winning Best Restaurant at the inaugural City AM Toast the City Awards. The Toast & Taste menu, which is on offer until 24 February, will feature a combination of brand new dishes and returning classics from throughout the restaurant’s 15 [...]
The Traitors winner Alan Carr on his new approach to drinking January 5, 2026 On Christmas Eve I was on The Celebrity Traitors winner Alan Carr and Lee Peart’s new podcast Bottom’s Up!, a hilarious series all about friendship and wine, which, as you are reading this ‘Wine Without the Snobbery’ column, may be right up your decanter. Carr clearly has celebrations in mind. “As I approach a milestone [...]
Food trends 2026: What Londoners will eat in the new year December 31, 2025 Another challenging year is over for the London hospitality scene, with restaurateurs great and small left licking their wounds amid the ongoing cost of living crisis and a hostile tax environment. So whats on the horizon for 2026. While the macro forces look equally bleak, the top chefs we surveyed expect to see a return [...]
Who made the naughty list in the wine world in 2025? December 23, 2025 This was another fascinating year in the world of wine, with some great initiatives and events celebrating the people who make this vital and brilliant industry tick. But there were also some things on my naughty list… read on to find out who made the cut. Nice List – Aldi Aldi’s wine department is fantastic, [...]
What I have learned from eight years of sober Christmas December 22, 2025 The last time I had alcohol on Christmas Day was 2017, at the age of 40. This year will mark—excuse me while I count on my fingers—my eighth sober Christmas, enough to make a statistically valid sample. So I thought I would distill any wisdom I’ve gathered from the two slopes of the mountain into [...]
Last minute gift guide: Top presents from tech to games and books December 18, 2025 Whoever you’re buying for, we have the perfect present ideas in our guide to the best Christmas gifts 2025. Whether you want cutting edge tech for the nerd in your life or fancy socks to keep dad happy until Boxing day, we have you covered. Christmas gifts 2025: Books Always Remember the Boy, the Mole, [...]