Top chef Richard Corrigan on his great love of native oysters September 23, 2021 Native oysters would definitely be on the menu for my last meal. When I was growing up in the west of Ireland, we’d often have a plate of native oysters, with some soda bread and butter. The flavour is so distinctive it immediately takes me back to those days, so it’s something very special to [...]
Working Lunch: LPM is an excellent Mayfair dining destination September 23, 2021 We sampled the Niçoise delights of Mayfair’s LPM Restaurant and Bar and found an excellent, ingredient-led kitchen that’s perfect for entertaining clients. What is it? Formerly known as La Petite Maison, the recently rebranded LPM is the hip new iteration of the lauded restaurant that opened its doors in 2007. Serving traditional Niçoise dishes, it’s [...]
Exclusive: Startups and finserv firms push for more rules to keep bots under control September 21, 2021 Bots are changing the way we work, saving businesses thousands of hours and significant sums per year as they increasingly play a key role in automating key corporate functions, including customer service and data collections. Despite this, due to the actions of a small number of irresponsible bot users, myths and misconceptions, many business leaders [...]
City hiring spree: Financial services sector’s recruitment plans to break records this autumn September 16, 2021 Employers in London have ambitious plans to increase their headcount as they enter the fourth quarter, according to new research shared with City A.M. this morning. Even though London’ outlook was the lowest of all regions in the fourth quarter of last year, at minus 13 per cent, businesses in the capital now have one [...]
Wagamama owner The Restaurant Group reports mediocre interim results September 15, 2021 The Restaurant Group has reported lacklustre results for the first half of the year with a statutory loss before tax of £58.8m. Total sales stood at £216.8m, a 4.5 per cent drop compared to the same period in 2020. The company made a modest recovery when it came to EBITDA which jumped from a loss [...]
Deliveroo launches free delivery offer for Amazon Prime members September 15, 2021 Amazon Prime members in the UK and Ireland will be able to get free unlimited delivery through a fresh partnership with delivery platform Deliveroo. All new and existing members of the online retailer’s speedy service will now be able to access a year’s Deliveroo Plus membership for free. Customers can use the offer on orders [...]
Franco Manca’s Fulham Shore hails rising revenues after its full-year slip September 10, 2021 Fulham Shore, which owns Franco Manca, has hailed rising revenues in its latest trading update after it fell behind 2020’s recording. The hospitality group pulled in £40.3m in revenue in the year to 28 March, plunging 41.3 per cent from the £68.6m it raked in last year. But in the three weeks to 5 September, [...]
Lloyd’s of London reports £1.4bn profit in first half of 2021 September 9, 2021 Lloyd’s of London returned to profit in the first half of 2021, with the help of a stronger underwriting performance, the insurer announced this morning. The commercial insurance market’s results indicate its recovery after it incurred significant losses during the pandemic last year. In the same period a year ago Lloyd’s suffered a total loss [...]
Gordon’s wine bar: ‘Insane paperwork’ putting pressure on supplies September 8, 2021 London wine venues are experiencing shortages of some wines thanks to red tape and driver shortages. The Wine and Spirit Trade Association has warned some of the country’s favourite wines could be unavailable in the run up to Christmas. Bars and restaurants have struggled to keep menu items available because of shortages of packaging products [...]
How Hastens luxury beds are helping beat ‘Covidsomnia’ September 8, 2021 Before the onset of the pandemic, insomnia was something I’d only experienced vicariously, through the red-eyed stares of characters on screen, or the defeated anecdotes of colleagues with young children. I’ve always been a big sleeper, never really growing out of that teenage phase of lying in bed late at weekends and occasionally enjoying an [...]