Food and Drink

If you, like me, ever worry about showing up to a party with a low-grade bottle of fizz then worry no more - we've unearthed a bottle that looks the part, tastes the part and, most importantly, doesn't break the bank. Villa Oppi Spumante Extra Dry comes in a sleek tall bottle with a silver plaque carrying embossed print. It's the sort of branding you would associate with a vintage champagne but with the price tag of a bottle of prosecco,...

Islay’s first and only dry gin, The Botanist is distilled with an assortment of 31 botanicals - 22 of which are locally foraged. As a result, the gin is exceptionally complex, rich and mellow with plenty of citrus freshness. With this, The Botanist also complements a wide variety of garnishes (personally, we prefer a sprig of rosemary), rendering the spirit an ideal base for inventive cocktails. Featuring homemade elderflower cordial (recipe below), the Spring Collins is a seasonal serve, also comprising...

Good news can be hard to come by in Castleford. The old mining town has sat and watched by as industry moved in and out of the region bringing with it tidal sweeps of economic uncertainty. Redundant collieries are the last remnants of the boomtown growth that accompanied the mining industry. Large-scale retailers such as Burberry and Nestlé, which once called the town home, have since shifted their operations elsewhere. But on the corner of Church and Carlton Street sits...

The global gin market is oversaturated, but there’s still plenty of space for Gin Mare (pronounced ‘mah-ray’). Meaning ‘sea’ in Spanish, Gin Mare is a Mediterranean gin, distilled using botanicals sourced from the region; including Spanish Arbequina olives, Greek thyme, Italian basil and Turkish rosemary. Produced in Vilanova, a small Spanish fishing town near Barcelona, Gin Mare’s pot still is housed within an ex monk’s retreat, purchased by the Giro Ribot family during the 1950s. By this time, the family...

Musician turned Butcher, Jonny Farrell is Head Butcher at Jimmy’s Farm in Suffolk, set up by Jimmy Doherty. Hosting over 300 rare breed pigs, a working farm, restaurant, butchery and more – Jimmy’s Farm gives Jonny Farrell the opportunity to work with stunning free-range, rare breed meat that’s expertly prepared and delivered nationwide (or available to sample at the onsite restaurant). With a prominent focus on nose-to-tail dining and sustainability, Jonny has shared a guide to his favourite lesser-known cuts...

Born in a unit at Woolwich’s Royal Arsenal, Hop Stuff Brewery has since become one of the fastest growing craft breweries in London. Last month, the brewery drew ‘Funding III’ – a crowdfunding initiative - to a close after just two days, with over 190 per cent funded and 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 in the...

Easter is here and like other religious festivals it gives us chance to enjoy a few days off, overeat and, crucially, think hard about wine pairing. With spring on the horizon it is a wonderful time of year to embrace the rich and diverse colours and tastes of the season, tapping in to the variable flora and fauna transported to our table courtesy of the lamb meats we consume. Although there is a temptation, especially given the gloomier weather forecast, to...

In theory, the walk between Westminster station and Roux at Parliament Square should take less than two minutes. But during a curiously bright afternoon on the cusp of Spring, you’ll want to allow at least ten minutes to weave through the human traffic. At noon, the world and its wife has descended upon Parliament Square in hope of photographing Elizabeth Tower, unattractively cloaked in steel and silent as the grave. In sharp contrast, the surrounding area is punctuated by a...

A florist has teamed up with innovative cheese specialists Norseland to create the world's first bouquet made out of cheese and biscuits. The bouquet, which consists of ten mini Jarlsberg cheeses, five packs of Peter's Yard biscuits and the new edition of handmade straw chicks, was sculpted by the Oxfordshire florist and has an RRP of £30. It also features stunning foliage including different varieties of eucalyptus, ruscus and thlaspi. Lisa Harrison, Senior Brand Manager at Norseland said: "We were inundated with...