A London-based restaurant said it’s banning avocado to give other superfoods a chance January 11, 2017 In 2016, the avocado was far and away Britain's fastest-growing food or drink item, clinching nearly £50m in sales, according to research firm Neilsen's annual supermarket analysis. Now, one London restaurant that thinks the humble fruit is overrated has taken action with a zero avocado policy. In a statement, Firedog, an Aegean-inspired restaurant and bar has said, "Avocado isn't [...]
Our chef columnist Mark Hix on his enduring love for black pudding and the dish that made him fall in love with it January 10, 2017 I’ve been hooked on black pudding ever since it first passed my lips as a kid. There was just something about it I loved, even though the blood pudding I grew up with probably contained way too much rusk or filler and not enough actual meat, which was cheap and low quality. Maybe it was [...]
Chipotle’s sales disappoint analysts despite a rise in revenue January 10, 2017 Chipotle Mexican Grill's preliminary fourth quarter figures show sales are up, but its results will be lower than expected. Sales revenue is anticipated to be $1.035bn (£849.7m), up from $997.5m the previous year, but below analyst estimates of $1.05bn. The US-based Mexican food chain said comparable restaurant sales, or those that have been open for at least [...]
Serial entrepreneur Luke Johnson on Channel 4 sell-off, dodging journalism and having no Brexit regrets January 9, 2017 Life could have been very different for serial entrepreneur and investor Luke Johnson. His father, Paul Johnson, is a former editor of left-wing political magazine the New Statesman. And his brother, Daniel, is the founder of political magazine Standpoint. In the tight-knit media world, it would not have been a surprise if Luke Johnson had [...]
Seed capital comes to London start up that helps street food traders set up shop January 8, 2017 A LONDON-based tech startup that aims to modernise the street trading sector has secured £350K seed capital investment from private Singapore fund B.O.H LLC. StreetDots works with major landlords to open street trading pitches or 'dots' that can be booked by street food traders and other retailers via a one stop app. The technology handles [...]
Focus On Bayswater: Why Notting Hill’s overlooked neighbour is the next big central London investment opportunity January 6, 2017 Around any piece of prime central London, you’ll find a forlorn district on the outskirts whose fortune has improved immeasurably in recent years. Priced out of premium areas, buyers are increasingly moving to these formerly unpopular areas in search of space and affordability – and changing these areas in the process. Bayswater is a prime [...]
Exploring the Sardinian paradise of Costa Smerelda, Europe’s top playground for the fantastically wealthy January 6, 2017 Some places are just so beautiful, so unbelievably picture-perfect, so utterly, gob-smackingly Instagrammable, that you think, ‘if this didn’t exist, someone would have had to invent it.’ So I’m taken aback on finding out, on my first afternoon on the Costa Smeralda – one of Europe’s top playgrounds for the super-wealthy – that actually someone [...]
Hilton Food Group’s share price jumps after a joint venture is formed with Portugal’s leading food retailer January 4, 2017 Hilton Food Group's share price increased more than five per cent to an all-time high of 695p in morning trading after it announced a 50/50 joint venture agreement with Portugal's leading food retailer. This extends the UK-based retail meat packing company's presence to a total of 15 countries. The meaty deal with Sonae Modelo Continente will allow Hilton to supply a range of packaged beef, [...]
Millions of Brits spend holidays at work on Christmas and Boxing Day – with Londoners most likely to have their feet up December 26, 2016 Millions of Brits are spending Christmas and Boxing Day at work, in a growing trend – although Londoners are most likely to have their feet up. Almost six per cent of UK employees work on Boxing Day, while 3.3 per cent work on Christmas Day itself, according to the Office for National Statistics. However, employees [...]
Restaurants stand to gain £70m as more Brits than ever ditch Christmas turkey December 24, 2016 More Brits will ditch the kitchen and eat out this Christmas than ever before, new research suggests. Pubs, restaurants and bars across the country are set to gain upwards of £70m on Christmas day spending, research from Worldpay found. Pubs, which alone stand to make £7m on the 25th, will be 30 per cent busier than average across [...]