Du pain, du vin, du Cornish Yarg October 14, 2009 IT’S a historic moment. British cheeses are outselling French fromages at a rate of two to one as shoppers choose the homegrown beauties now available by the hundred. The figures are not, to be fair, applicable across the populace, but rather relate to the tastes and inclinations of M&S shoppers. Still, as a barometer of [...]
Booker cuts debt pile as sales jump October 13, 2009 BOOKER, the UK’s largest cash and carry business yesterday said its first-half profits had climbed by 12 per cent. The group, which runs over 170 branches supplying corner shops, grocers, and restaurants, said it made a pre-tax profit of £29.7m in the 24 weeks to 11 September, up from £26.5m the year before. Booker said [...]
RYANAIR’S CHIEF O’LEARY PROVES HIMSELF A SUCKER FOR PUBLICITY October 13, 2009 RYANAIR boss Michael O’Leary isn’t exactly renowned for taking criticism lying down, so the BBC’s Panorama programme will probably have seen yesterday’s tirade coming. After Monday evening’s programme on the airline, Ryanair unleashed a campaign to maximise publicity from the episode – offering 1.1m free flights, labelling the show a “hatchet job” and slamming 11 [...]
Tootsies folds after Clapham House hires administrators October 12, 2009 TOOTSIES, the restaurant chain, yesterday fell casualty to the credit crunch after its parent Clapham House called the administrators in. Clapham House said it had put Tootsies into administration because “there was little prospect of the Tootsies business as a whole generating a profit in the near future”. The group said it was acting to [...]
Dolder Grand Hotel &Spa October 11, 2009 PERCHED just outside Zurich, the Dolder was built in 1899 as an escape for the good citizens. In 2001, though, it was taken over and given a thoroughly modern makeover, opening in early 2008. The old, castle-style hotel still exists, but is now embraced by a slinky and utterly fabulous new building. The old part [...]
OUT OF OFFICE October 8, 2009 MAHARAJA AT THE V&AThink thrones, gem-encrusted weapons, Rolls Royces – such were the trappings of the Maharajas that ruled from the collapse of the Mughal empire in the early 18th century to the end of British rule in 1947. The show is full of bling but also uses art, textiles, jewellery to examine the maharajas’ [...]
Take yourself out for a lovely dinner alone October 7, 2009 IT’S not just about where you eat, but who you eat with. Nothing says quiet confidence like dining alone. Indeed, Suzanne Pirret, the pin-up chef, wrote a whole book called The Pleasure’s All Mine, about the joys of dining alone. If the thought of sitting at a table for two on your own puts you [...]
THE LONG LAUNCH… October 7, 2009 JEFF GALVINWE FOLLOW THE GALVIN BROTHERS AS THEY COUNT DOWN TO THE OPENING OF THEIR NEW CITY RESTAURANT THIS week my two boys Daniel and William and my brother Chris’s children, Jessica, George and Joey visited the site of the restaurant and were totally overwhelmed by the 30m high ceiling, marble pillars, church-like arched windows, [...]
A new star appears in the East October 5, 2009 Eastside Inn38-42 St John Street, Farringdon, EC1M 4AY; tel: 020 7490 9240, www.esilondon.comFOOD *****SERVICE ****ATMOSPHERE ***Cost in restaurant per person without wine: £70 WALKING into the Eastside Inn, the first impression was unfortunate. The rain that was falling hard outside was also falling inside, and we had to step round three champagne buckets to get [...]
THREE OTHER SMITHFIELD GEMS October 5, 2009 ST JOHN BAR & RESTAURANTThe back-to-basics meat lovers’ favourite that spurred the revival of Smithfield as a foodie haven, Fergus Henderson’s restaurant in a former smokehouse is the place to go to try out cuts of meat you’ve never tried before, from pig’s spleen to its famous bone marrow salad. 26 St John Street, EC1M [...]