Barts North Wing would be a worthy Toast Award winner August 27, 2026 Barts North Wing houses the restored Hogarth Stair and Great Hall, a free City landmark up for Toast the City Awards. The public voting for the Toast the City Awards is over but the judges have yet to cast their votes for their favourite bars, restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, cultural venues and more. As the [...]
Wine to buy this week: The very best Pinot Noir on the shelves August 27, 2026 Last week it was Pinot Noir Day and, though I am sorry not to have forewarned you, I can reassure you that I thoroughly celebrated and am able to recommend the best to buy right now. Pinot Noir is known as the ‘Heartbreak Grape’. It is stubborn, unpredictable, sensitive and tantrum-inducingly difficult to grow. Yet [...]
Lexus ES 2026 review: Easygoing electric saloon goes its own way August 27, 2026 Lexus has built some superb saloon cars during its 37-year lifetime, from the original LS 400, which bested the benchmark Mercedes-Benz S-Class, to the stylish and dynamic IS 300: a worthy rival for the contemporary BMW 3 Series. Today, however, Lexus is almost exclusively an SUV company. Its UK range stretches from the compact LBX [...]
Golf, events and bags of nostalgia at Newport’s Celtic Manor August 26, 2026 There’s something very nostalgic about Celtic Manor. Located a few minutes down the M4 from Newport town centre, it manages to feel entirely remote, an imposing stone building nestled within some 2,000 acres of grounds. Opened in 1982 by Welsh tech tycoon Sir Terry Matthews, once the richest man in the country, Celtic Manor brings [...]
Lamborghini’s new Revuelto pays tribute to the Miura August 26, 2026 The Lamborghini Revuelto Miura 60 Homage celebrates 60 years since the original Miura, with nine historic colours, bespoke detailing and a limited run of 99 cars. Lamborghini has turned back the clock with the Revuelto Miura 60 Homage, a limited-edition version of its flagship V12 hybrid supercar inspired by the car that helped invent the [...]
Why The Outer Hebrides is Scotland’s ultimate wellness escape August 26, 2026 Exquisite silence and beautiful beaches in The Outer Hebrides, Scotland’s wildest part I’m floating above luminous purple coral and brilliant white starfish. The water below me is so clear that I can see individual grains of sand and the scales on the fish. One giveaway that I’m not somewhere exotic? I’m wearing a wetsuit and [...]
The way Dolly Parton announced her death is an inspiration to us all August 25, 2026 “Sadness lies with us, not with Dolly,” says Dolly Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver in an Instagram video to announce the death of the country music star. It’s an obvious thing to say about someone who has passed, but nonetheless, an idea that isn’t often thought about directly. When someone passes we tend to focus on [...]
A love letter to Sweetings, the City’s oldest restaurant August 25, 2026 Ahead of our Toast the City Awards this October, we pay homage to Sweetings, the City’s oldest restaurant Britain is a country steeped in tradition and often too wedded to the past, but it also proved itself capable of great innovation. We should never forget that the Square Mile is a perfect example of world-changing [...]
The Highland tourist tax: Is Scotland pricing out whisky tourists? August 25, 2026 The latest available data from the Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor in Scotland (STEAM) shows that between 2012 and 2024, visitor numbers to the Highlands increased 82 per cent to 9.4m. Spending increased by a similar amount, to £2.1bn. A large share of that is directly linked to the Scotch whisky sector. You’d think, therefore, [...]
Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo Review: 550hp, 199mph and Nearly £200k – Is It Worth It? August 24, 2026 The Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo has the looks, soundtrack and blistering performance to turn heads across London, but does its £191,820 price tag justify a cabin that doesn’t quite match the glamour? There’s always something rather alluring about the Maserati line-up, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it’s that effortless Italian chic [...]