Mipim 2016: The Scottish Cities Alliance is wooing property bosses with boozy “Scottish hospitality” March 14, 2016 London's property folk are well-known for partying hard. But will Scottish civil servants drink them all under the table in Cannes this week? Scottish Cities Alliance, a government body uniting Scotland's seven cities, has announced its presence at Mipim by sending out invitations to three separate parties throughout the week. The invites don't explain what officials will actually be doing there [...]
Business travellers take liberties with their bizarre requests to Travelodge staff December 9, 2015 Get your head out of the gutter, we’re not talking about those kinds of requests. Business travellers appeared to take an awful lot of liberties when it came to concierges this year. Though high-flying City workers may not usually find themselves in a Travelodge while jet-setting around the UK, it hasn’t stopped them trying to get [...]
Exports of British gin have risen 37 per cent in the last five years, thanks to the James Bond and Downton Abbey effect November 26, 2015 James Bond may be known for his vodka martinis, shaken not stirred obviously, but the spy is responsible for a boom in British gin exports too. Over the last five years, global exports of British gin have risen 37 per cent, with sales worth £1.76bn in 139 countries, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association [...]
Play your own Game of Thrones in Northern Ireland November 6, 2015 Thronies, as they call themselves, have known for an age that the city of Belfast, and Northern Ireland in general, is the place to spot Game of Thrones film locations. Now even casual viewers (and readers) are following in the footsteps of the mythological characters, with popularity soaring for these epic, windswept landscapes. Based on [...]
Diageo looking better after a few shots (of cash) as Moody’s gives the seal of approval for its asset swap with Heineken October 12, 2015 Diageo's fortunes are looking up, after Moody's predicted the company's finances will recover over the next 12-18 months, boosted by its asset swap with Heineken last week. Diageo received £515m from selling its holdings in Jamaican brewer Desnoes & Geddes and Malaysian-listed GAPL to Heineken, in return for Heineken's 20 per cent stake in Guinness Ghana Breweries, which will increase Diageo's shareholding [...]
Mix it up: There’s more to coffee cocktails than the Espresso Martini September 16, 2015 Today, as you sip your morning coffee, take a moment to ponder London’s great institutions built under the influence of caffeine. During one of this nation’s many peaks – from the mid-1600s to the early 1700s – our streets were awash with thousands of coffee shops. These replaced taverns as the place to meet and [...]
Working Lunch: Ceviche Old St September 16, 2015 WHAT? Ceviche Old Street specialises, unsurprisingly enough, in the South American dish of ceviche. Its diverse bar serves up freshly prepared seafood in the classic Peruvian style using tiger’s milk, a sparky and citric marinade that has absolutely nothing to do with tigers. WHERE? A minute’s stroll from Old Street Tube and tucked inside the [...]
Kentucky is more than just fried chicken: Hit the bourbon trail for a spirited, unbridled discovery August 14, 2015 All bourbons are whiskies, but not all whiskies are bourbons. This is the first commandment drilled into visitors at the distilleries that pepper the state of Kentucky, USA. Now, I’m a walking Wikipedia entry, espousing facts about bourbon to anyone who will listen; for instance, did you know that bourbon has to be made [...]
The restaurants truffling feathers: Best truffle venues in London August 6, 2015 London’s love-affair with the truffle continues apace with the opening of Sackville’s in Mayfair. Here are some of our favourite truffle spots SACKVILLE’S This Mayfair new opening is crazy about this distinctive fungus, serving it on practically every dish. Last week our restaurant critic fell in love with Sackville’s self-titled wagyu steak burger with foie [...]
From Sir Mike Rake, John Dixon and Martin Wheatley’s shock departures to Apple Pay: Here’s what got us talking this week July 17, 2015 There was some golf. There was cheese (with our burgers) in London. And throughout the country's railway stations, there was a quiz that got us scratching our heads. Here's what got us talking this week 1. The City was overrun with ejecting chairs Fresh from Antony Jenkins' sacking last week, this week it was the [...]