Food and Drink

“Fine dining is just a load of bollocks; don’t you think? When I eat out, I want to be filled-up with something hearty,” yapped an unfamiliar barber - oxymoronically complaining about Angela Hartnett’s recent suggestion that Brits aren’t a nation of foodies. Like a cat agitated by next door’s belligerent Pit bull, I instinctively arched my back and gritted my teeth, primed to curmudgeonly defend haute cuisine. But suddenly conscious of the razor being dragged across my gullet, I recoiled...

By Sophie Parkin  Chinese food is something that has become largely commoditised over the last 20 years or so. You’ll struggle to find even the smallest villages without a Chinese restaurant or takeaway, and much of the food is more or less comparable (obviously with a few exceptions). It would be fair to say there was an air of skepticism when making the trip up to the top end of the northern line. Situated on the main road, we were...

Created by award-winning Australian drinks entrepreneur and Think Spirits owner, Patrick Borg, Esprit de Figues was made readily available in the UK last year. Hand-crafted in the rolling hills of Burgundy, Esprit de Figues is a modern French fig liqueur, distilled with the intention of capturing the refreshing, succulent sweetness of fresh Mediterranean figs. Esprit de Figues’ origins lie within the fig tree cutting transported from Malta, when Borg’s family migrated to Australia during the 1960s. To this day, the...

Brits suffer from food envy once a week – with cheesy garlic bread, pizza and cheesecake most likely to bring on the green-eyed monster, a study has found. Almost half of Brits have fallen victim to ‘food envy’ - feelings of regret about a food choice and wishing they were eating what’s on someone else’s plate instead. But the cold days, dark nights and discipline required to stick to New Year’s resolutions may be contributing to feelings of jealousy. A...

January can be a rather dull month all told, which is why the brains in the booze business came up with Tryanuary in order to do-away with its sober counterpart. Initially aimed at the beer market, Tryanuary was created to encourage ale fans to support independent breweries, pubs, bars and other retailers during what can be a challenging month for the industry. Since its inception in 2015, the campaign has garnered huge support, and has now been adapted across the piste to...

With age, my personal whisky preferences have altered drastically - after some years of enjoying rich, fruit (sometimes even floral) drams. Now though, at the risk of sounding as though I’ve given in to toxic masculinity, I’m of the general credence that (dependent on occasion, of course) the smokier the whisky, the more desirable. Distilled with the intention of becoming a sophisticated, peated Islay dram, Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte Heavily Peated Islay Single Malt expression is a tribute to the men...

Launched in 2003, Innis & Gunn has since become one of the UK’s most successful international craft beer businesses. In 2016, for instance, the brewery sold more than 27 million bottles of beer around the world. Operating from a site in Perth, Scotland, Master Brewer Dougal Gunn Sharp and his team develop and barrel-age an assortment of beers sourced to over 28 countries. Alongside Innis & Gunn’s flagship - The Original – the award-winning brewery’s repertoire also includes American and Session India Pale Ales,...

As part of their week-long Burns Night celebrations, Mac and Wild hosted a haggis making masterclass last night (23rd January). Taking place at the restaurant’s Devonshire Square outpost, owner Andy Waugh was on hand for an interactive session, in which a small group were taught to make haggis from scratch, following a quick demonstration. Scotland’s national dish, haggis is often unappreciated south of Hadrian’s Wall, frivolously condemned for its “ick factor” – encasing sheep’s pluck (heart, liver and lung) within...

General perception of Chinese food in Britain has come along way since we began importing tea during the 17th Century. Now Britain’s favourite international cuisine, according to research conducted by Paymentsense in 2017, Chinese food was first introduced to London during the late 1800s. ‘The Chinese Restaurant’ in Glasshouse Street (near Piccadilly Circus) was London’s first recorded Chinese restaurant, opened in 1908. Until the 1930s, however, Limehouse in East London was considered London’s Chinatown, though the west-end overtook when a...