Francis Hotel Bath: Old-world glamour meets new-school cool July 21, 2026 We braved the heatwave and the crowds to take a long weekend in Bath, a city that’s balances its ancient history with a tourist industry precision-engineered to meet the needs of the modern traveller – not least the newly renovated Francis Hotel Bath. As someone who lived in Scotland for more than a decade, it’s [...]
UK fintech Pockit recruits founder of Burger King Kazakhstan July 21, 2026 A top British fintech has hired the founder of Burger King’s Kazakhstan franchise in an eye-catching board appointment. The Cardiff-based business, which offers prepaid accounts to customers without a credit score, has recruited Kazakh businessman Anuar Utemuratov to become a director, according to company filings seen by City AM. Utemuratov worked as an analyst for [...]
Fine dining and The Jab: A Michelin dinner with the Ozempic set July 21, 2026 The age of Ozempic is changing fine dining. Anna Moloney asks how to run a Michelin-star restaurant when your diners don't want to eat.
Warehouse tax could threaten high street businesses, Burnham warned July 20, 2026 Andy Burnham‘s plans to hike taxes on warehouses to pay for business rates cuts for pubs and shops could backfire and raise costs for high street businesses, industry figures have warned. The UK Warehousing Association (UKWA), a trade body representing retailers including Amazon, Co-op and John Lewis, has written to the new Prime Minister urging [...]
Toast the City Awards 2026 finalists announced – vote now! July 16, 2026 It’s here: the Toast the City Finalists have been announced, with bars, restaurants, coffee shops, green spaces and more from across the City being celebrated in the Square Mile’s biggest and best awards. Now is your chance to vote for your favourite city spots – just visit our Toast the City website and cast your [...]
2026 Open Championship set to double spending in Royal Birkdale July 16, 2026 This week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale is set to double takings at businesses in the local area, according to data from Mastercard. Last year’s edition at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland delivered a 119 per cent increase in spending within 5km of golf’s oldest major tournament, while the 2024 Open saw an 82 per [...]
Jamie’s Italian is awful but don’t worry, there are some great new Mediterranean restaurants too July 15, 2026 This week I talk about two Italians, one Greek, a talented Cypriot and an irritating Englishman. Prepare to read about two restaurants you should visit (Bancone and Zylia) and one you should reserve for your worst enemies (Jamie’s Italian)… ZYLIA Covent Garden is a part of London that you only go to for a specific [...]
Tom Kerridge: No good restaurant has ever been run by accountants July 14, 2026 No good restaurant or pub has ever been run by accountants, celebrity chef Tom Kerridge told City AM as he pushes for a VAT cut for hospitality firms. The TV personality and restaurateur has spearheaded lobbying efforts for the government to slash VAT for hospitality companies, a move which he says would offer the struggling [...]
Burnham risks ‘breaking manifesto’ without business rates reform July 14, 2026 Andy Burnham has been warned that he risks breaking Labour’s manifesto if he does not go further in his plans to overhaul the business rates system. The Prime Minister-to-be has been urged by hospitality and retail industry figures to expand his plans to modify a business rates system which they say unfairly disadvantages high street [...]
Why Theatre Deli is a City charity unlike any other July 13, 2026 We have launched the Toast the City awards 2026 and throughout the year we’ll be speaking to some of our nominees – this week it’s the amazing Bethan Screen, marketing coordinator from Theatre Deli. To vote for your favourite Square Mile spots for the 2026 awards, from bars and restaurants to galleries and green spaces, [...]