Lotus Esprit is back as a £430k carbon fibre restomod December 12, 2025 This is the Lotus Esprit as you’ve never seen it before. Fifty years after its debut at the Paris Motor Show, the classic British sports car has been resurrected for the 21st century. Forget Noel and Liam, this is the biggest comeback we’ve witnessed all year. Encor’s stated aim with its new Series 1 restomod [...]
Whisky Business: A New Zealand brand blazing a trail December 11, 2025 Whisky Business: City AM’s monthly look at the world of whisky. If you’re looking for exciting ‘new world’ whiskies, New Zealand is a good place to start. In many respects, the country’s whisky industry is still in its infancy, but it’s carving out a niche in the market by leaning into New Zealand’s strengths. The country’s [...]
Why Sartoria Launceston Place is THE restaurant this Christmas December 11, 2025 The recent budget added over £3bn of further costs to the restaurant sector each year. Meanwhile, Jamie Oliver announced a return to the London restaurant scene with his ‘Italian’ brand – it’s been a challenging couple of weeks… More positively, the majority of London restaurants are full this week and my Evolv Collection of venues [...]
Sartoria Dei Duchi at The Royal Exchange: Redefining Luxury December 10, 2025 Meet Sartoria Dei Duchi, the fashion house bringing Italian craftsmanship to modern London professionals at The Royal Exchange In an era of relentless visual and cultural noises, true luxury has learned to whisper. Few maisons understand this better than Sartoria Dei Duchi, the Italian tailoring house whose philosophy is rooted in quiet luxury and unwavering, [...]
Somerset Cider Brandy: The UK’s most sustainable spirit December 10, 2025 The Somerset Cider Brandy Company claims to produce the most sustainable spirit in the UK, a bold statement, given the range and variety of products on the market. However, as managing director, Matilda Temperley tells City AM, apple trees, in particular cider apple trees, are one of the most environmentally friendly crops on the planet. [...]
London Museum: inside the £400m cultural development at West Smithfield December 9, 2025 The London Museum is set to open at West Smithfield in 2026. It is one of Europe’s largest cultural developments and is backed by more than £400m in funding from the City of London Corporation and the Mayor of London, of which the City Corporation is contributing £222m. I recently toured the museum and met [...]
The Fit Prince: Good, silly fun for the festive season December 9, 2025 The Fit Prince, now showing at the King’s Head, is a completely unhinged mash-up of Christmas rom-coms, fairytales and puppet shows. Coming off the back of a well-received run at the Edinburgh Fringe, The Fit Prince – whose full title actually reads “The Fit Prince (who gets switched on the square in the frosty castle [...]
Inside London’s occult bookshops December 9, 2025 As I stood outside Watkins Books, the oldest occult bookshop in London, an old man approached me. “Number 23 is the one you want,” he said, pointing down the street. I looked confused. “Murder! A woman stabbed in the basement!” The man, who quickly walked on, was referring to the 1961 murder of Elsie Batten, [...]
Woodford Reserve teams up with fashion house Markarian for 2025 holiday bottle December 9, 2025 Kentucky Bourbon brand Woodford Reserve has launched a limited edition 2025 holiday bottle, created in collaboration with New York fashion designer Alexandra O’Neill. Best known as the founder of luxury label Markarian, O’Neill’s design features a classy take on traditional sprigs of mistletoe and festive stars. The palette – with a backdrop of sage green [...]
Your guide to what’s new for the 2025/26 ski season December 9, 2025 Ski holidays are a mainstay at this time of year but with the general economic gloom and climate change affecting some of our favourite destinations, being informed is more important than ever. Here’s our guide to where’s hot and what’s new. South Tyrol The Italian Dolomites region is way less high-profile than the Alps, but [...]