Food and Drink

Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, Bar & Grill Birmingham was given a zero rating in 2014

Tying in with World Whisky Day on Saturday 19th May, Merchant House of Fleet Street has partnered with The Dingle Distillery for an exclusive ‘lock-in’ event. Usually closed to the public during the weekend, Merchant House of Fleet Street will be open from 4pm-1am on Saturday 19th May to host a one-of-a-kind World Whisky Day celebration. Throughout the evening, guests will have the opportunity to sample a rare single malt that will never be seen again, with The Dingle Distillery pulling...

Once upon a time, brunch was simply a meal between breakfast and lunch. A feast for those of us offended at the thought of surfacing before noon at the weekend; or just too greedy to withstand three or four hours without a meal. Now, in 2018, brunches are nearly all bottomless, boozy, gratuitously over-indulgent affairs: encouraging us to guzzle a whole weekend’s worth of alcohol before midday. Bottomless brunches recently came under fire as Carluccio’s outlined plans to serve brunch...

Born in a unit at Woolwich’s Royal Arsenal, Hop Stuff Brewery has since become one of the fastest growing craft breweries in London. ‘Funding III’ – a crowdfunding initiative – drew to a close earlier this year after just two days; receiving over 190 per cent of the original target, with more than 1,000 investors having participated. Founded by James Yeomans in 2013, Hop Stuff is the only brewer in the world to successfully complete three rounds of funding via Crowdcude, raising over £1.5m...

Bristol-based vegan charity, Viva!, have been campaigning against the sale of foie-gras since 2009. One of their greatest achievements in this campaign was in 2011 when, with the support of Bath Animal Rights Group, Bath City Council passed legislation to ban the sale of foie-gras on all of their registered food outlets. Despite the ban, local pub the Star Inn planned to sell foie-gras at Pub in the Park festival in Bath next month. However thanks to the vigilance of...

What’s in a restaurant name, and does it really matter in this day and age? At the time of writing, London is home to more than 39,000 restaurants, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that so many struggle to conjure an appropriate title. Last year, Flavour Bastard managed to ruffle feathers with its opening in Soho, largely condemned for its name and boundary pushing fusion food. Along with now renamed Pussey Liquor and Sexy Fish, the respective restaurateurs appear to have been...

Vegetables are everywhere in 2018. Once considered the sole reserve of vegetarians and vegans, meat and fish-free cooking has become so revolutionised it’s no longer a constant source of taboo for staunch meat eaters. At long last, mushroom burgers and slices of neoprene, masquerading as cheese, are becoming a thing of the past. Tapping into London’s long overdue appreciation of vegetable-centric cooking, Tom Oldroyd’s eponymous Islington restaurant has launched ‘Meat Free Mondays’. A pocket-sized space on Upper Street, Oldroyd serves...

In 2004 a group of native Londoners pooled their expertise to create an ultimate guide to the capital, pointing out the places that must be seen and those that should be avoided. Included as the fourth of five tips filed under the latter category was "never, ever eat at an Angus Steak House". It may seem like an appropriate British treat, but as David Mitchell was to point out later, only because we have a "proud heritage of serving shoe...

A global celebration of cocktails, World Cocktail Day takes place this weekend (Sunday 13th May). Marking the publication date of the first definition of a cocktail, on 13th May 1806, World Cocktail Day is a fair opportunity to indulge. Showcasing the fact that classic whisky cocktails needn’t be limited to the Old Fashioned or Manhattan, this whisky highball recipe features Japanese Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve. A fresh and verdant whisky from Suntory’s distillery in the Southern Japanese Alps, Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve...