From Bangkok to Phuket, Thailand is a country of contrasts that’s full of surprises June 10, 2016 What are you missing?” the chef asked. I looked down at a soggy pile of noodles, looked back up and replied, “More soy?” “Sugar!” he barked, then he dumped an entire saucer’s worth into the pan. “Now that’s pad thai.” As someone with severely savoury tastebuds, I was appalled. I was in Issaya Cooking Studios, [...]
Welcome to the future: You can now order takeaway using your TV June 10, 2016 Smart TVs are about to get a little smarter thanks to a new invention being cooked up by Just Eat. The company is planning to launch an app enabling people to order food through their television. The app will sync with any mobile phone or iPad connected on the same Wi-Fi network, enabling friends in the [...]
Tesco takes a hit on sale of Giraffe restaurants June 10, 2016 Tesco has confirmed it will sell its Giraffe restaurant chain to British restaurateur and food empire giant Ranjit Singh Boparan, the owner of Harry Ramsden's for an undisclosed fee. The supermarket giant also announced today it will offload its Turkish supermarket arm, Kipa in a deal which reduces the company's debt burden by £110m. Tesco bought Giraffe [...]
Food billionaire Ranjit Boparan set to buy Tesco’s Giraffe restaurants June 8, 2016 Ranjit Boparan, owner of Harry Ramsden's restaurants, is set to buy Giraffe from Tesco. Sky News reports the food tycoon's private investment vehicle Boparan Ventures, which also owns London-based chain Fishworks, is snapping up the restaurant chain for a "modest sum". Boparan, whose known to be worth £1.35bn, is the founder of Britain's biggest chicken supplier 2 Sisters Food Group. Read [...]
Every little helps: Tesco to sell Giraffe chain and Turkish interests in bid to offload underperforming assets June 7, 2016 Britain's biggest supermarket chain Tesco is set to sell its Kipa chain in Turkey and Giraffe restaurants in the UK. The sale of Kipa, that Tesco acquired in 2013, is likely to raise "a couple of hundred million pounds", an analyst told Sky News, while an unnamed family-owned investment group is interested in snapping up Giraffe. Tesco bought Giraffe [...]
Mark Hix feeds 10 with a single trout after coming up short in the river June 7, 2016 Mark Hix continues his fishy adventures in Ireland… (For pt.1 click here) Well, I’m sure you were looking forward to reading how many salmon we managed to land on the river bank on day two of my Galway salmon fishing trip? Well I’m going to disappoint you: between you and I, it was zero. Both Peter [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open June 7, 2016 Markets are still cheering Yellen all but taking the June interest rate hike off the table and the Associated Press has called the US Democratic presidential nomination for Hillary Clinton ahead of today's primaries across the country. Here's what you need to know before the market open at 14:30 London time. Markets are still riding the wave [...]
You may love many cars in a lifetime, but you only ever have one first love. For me, it was an Aston Martin June 6, 2016 With 568 British horsepower it’s quite appropriate I should pay a visit to Her Majesty’s stud. Driving down Kings Avenue towards the Sandringham Estate I spotted the stables to the right, a big ‘ER’ embedded in the brickwork, and swung my Aston Martin through the open gate. Within seven seconds a royal protection officer arrived [...]
The beautiful Caribbean island of Anguilla is the shimmering blue epitome of tropical fun times June 3, 2016 Far out in the well charted waters of the east Caribbean lies the Leeward Island chain, and at its northern tip is an utterly charming little strip of limestone called Anguilla. Its interior is arid, scrubby and overrun with semi-domesticated goats and chickens, but it is frilled with some of the most incredible beaches in [...]
West Berkshire Brewery raises glass as it expands into Islington-based pub Shillibeers and puts pen to paper on new brewery June 2, 2016 Crowdfunding beer maker West Berkshire Brewery is raising a glass after it put pen to paper on a new £3m custom-built brewery and secured its first urban pub, Shillibeers, in Islington. The new brewery will allow West Berkshire to increase its brewing capacity tenfold and also to provide packaging for other breweries. The brewer has said the [...]