Where’s the beef? Meat substitutes are suddenly big business: we try the UK’s first plant-based ‘bleeding burger’ and ask if meat will one day be a thing of the past March 8, 2018 In the mockumentary Carnage, Simon Amstel imagines a future in which eating meat is as socially unacceptable as cannibalism. Groups of elderly people sit in therapy sessions trying to come to terms with the atrocities they committed against the animal kingdom, with the narrator quipping “‘Meat-free Monday’ now sounds about as appealing as ‘ethnic cleansing-free [...]
Social Entertainment Ventures poaches D&D executive to head up growth of Bounce, Puttshack and Flight Club USA March 8, 2018 The company behind leisure bar concepts Bounce and Puttshack has appointed a new chief executive, as the group takes its first steps towards an eventual IPO. Social Entertainment Ventures (SEV), which also runs the US franchise of darts bar Flight Club, has ambitions to go public in five years, City A.M. revealed last month. The [...]
Focus On Victoria: A £4bn investment has completely changed the area from dowdy offices to shiny penthouses and hip restaurants March 5, 2018 If the Queen’s getting a £369m refurbishment of Buckingham Palace, it seems only fair that the neighbourhood surrounding it should get a polish, too. £4bn should just about cover it, and that’s how much has been invested in the area by developer Land Securities over the last five years. Around £700m of that has gone [...]
What happened when we got a job picking weed in California’s booming cannabis industry March 5, 2018 The rugged wilderness of Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity Counties, northern California’s “Emerald Triangle”, produces over half the cannabis consumed in the US. Every year, from September to December, the region swarms with seasonal agricultural workers known as “trimmers”, or “trimmigrants”, here to work the land to supply America’s legion of stoners. For years the going [...]
Holiday Homes: Get away from the chaos of Chamonix and find a quieter ski retreat in Le Grand-Bornand February 23, 2018 The Alpine towns of Courchevel and Val d’Isere, are as well known for their nightlife as their pistes, but if you’re more interested in skiing than apré-ski it’s worth checking out the quieter French resorts. Le Roc des Tours, France, from €195,833 One hidden gem is Le Grand-Bornand, a picture-postcard area in the Haute-Savoie region, [...]
The most famous houses in Jamaica and how to visit them February 22, 2018 When the plane comes into land in Montego Bay, the view isn’t quite the Caribbean I imagined during all those hours flying over the Atlantic. A line of mid-rise holiday resorts, uniform in their whiteness, bear down on the sea like a single gleaming fortress. At the end of the runway at Sangster International Airport [...]
Transport for London wants access to Uber’s greatest competitive asset – the swathes of data that underpins its success February 22, 2018 Efficiently matching supply with demand is the bread and butter of tech platforms operating in the gig economy. AirBnb matches spare rooms with short-term renters. Deliveroo matches restaurants with hungry consumers, via a network of riders. Uber matches car owners with people who need lifts. Each transaction creates rich data. When processed, that data becomes [...]
The Long Weekend review: The Grove in Hertfordshire is the countryside escape that’s only 20mins from London February 9, 2018 The weekend The Grove hotel and country retreat offers all the trimmings of a weekend getaway but without the Friday night journey from hell out of London. You can be on the terrace with a G&T in less time than your average daily commute. Where Just a 20 minute train ride from London in Hertfordshire, [...]
Painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Blue Plaque birthplace apartment in Fitzrovia February 9, 2018 Historic properties awarded with a Blue Plaque are unusual on the private sale market, but they’re positively rare on the lettings market. Hallam Street, Fitzrovia, £715pw Perfect for those looking for temporary inspiration and accommodation, this spot on Hallam Street in Fitzrovia is the birthplace of celebrated poet, illustrator, painter and translator Dante Gabriel Rossetti, [...]
British Land acquires the Woolwich Estate near Crossrail/Elizabeth line in south east London for £103m February 9, 2018 British Land has bought the Woolwich Estate for £103m, with plans to regenerate the space and bring in more retailers. The Woolwich Estate comprises 56 retail units and has footfall of 6m, and the company said it “benefits from an improving local demographic with over 40 per cent of residents falling within the top three [...]