Food and Drink

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...

Against all odds, Victoria is becoming a dining destination. The surrounding area, that is, rather than the station itself. Now, joining the Mango Trees and West Cornwall Pasty Companies of the world, a number of genuinely exciting restaurants have opened – largely thanks to the new Nova complex. No longer at terminus of terminal discontent, Victoria and its steely Nova complex, is now home to restaurants such as Jason Atherton’s Hai Cenato, Sticks’n’Sushi, Bone Daddies, Franca Manca and Aster. Opened...

The shortlist for the 2018 Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year was revealed this morning. It features over 500 images selected from 8,000 entries from 60 countries across the world. The judging panel is chaired this year, for the first time, by David Loftus, who has shot more cookery books than any other photographer on the planet. His international jury includes Ferran Adria, one of the world’s greatest chefs, Alison Morley, Director, Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism, International Center of Photography, NYC, His Excellency...

Independent pizzeria Zia Lucia has opened a new local restaurant in Brook Green following the launch of their first eatery on Holloway Road in 2016. Founders Claudio Vescovo and Gianluca D’Angelo bring their authentic Italian neighbourhood pizzeria to this leafy part of West London with the same unusual doughs, delectable toppings and Italian community flair. Famed for its impressive selection of 48-hour slow-fermented dough, pizzas at Zia Lucia are as much about the base as the topping. With wholemeal, gluten free and...