Food and Drink

Yes, it’s only November - but Christmas is here. Well, in terms of food, drink and underwhelming streetlights, at least. In 2017, though, we’re not happy with just one Christmas dinner, judging the meteoric rise in popularity of Christmas sandwiches over the past few years. Unsurprisingly, this year’s veritable feast of Christmas sandwiches is larger than ever, with a tremendous selection. Pret A Manger, for instance, have created their first entirely vegan Christmas sandwich, filled with a stuffing of grilled...

Inspired by a quintessentially medieval recipe, C.Lidgate – one of London’s oldest butchers – near Holland Park has collaborated with AmazonFresh to create a traditional, meat-filled mince pie for Christmas 2017. Available in 302 postcodes across London, Surrey, Hampshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, AmazonFresh offers a fast, flexible delivery service, with one-hour delivery slots. Here, produce is available from some of London’s best local producers, shops and markets, including GAIL’s Artisan Bakery, PRESS, C.Lidgate, Paxton & Whitfield and more. Tracing back...

While Donald Trump continues on his personal mission to make America grate again, Britain has – if anything – completely fallen in love with all things Mexican. While various avenues of Latin American cuisine have been explored extensively in London, authentic Mexican food is finally having its moment. Critically lauded Santo Remedio has re-launched with a new home south of the river, while Mexican celebrity chef Martha Ortiz has opened Ella Canta – a fine dining Mexican restaurant within the...

Lambs’ brains and parsley salad on toast Ingredients Serves two Lambs’ brains, 2-3 Milk, to cover the brains Sourdough, 2 thick slices Court Bouillon, 2 litres Rapeseed oil, for shallow frying Salted butter, 75g Roasted peanuts, a handful, chopped (additional) Flour, enough to coat the brains, seasoned with salt and pepper Egg yolks, 2, beaten Panko breadcrumbs, 40g For the parsley salad Fresh parsley, 70g, roughly chopped Fresh dill, 20g, roughly chopped Lemon, juice of one (with a few drops...

Scientific research suggests sound (music, in particular) can enhance the ways in which we perceive flavour. High-frequency sounds can enhance sweetness in food, while lower ones can accentuate bitterness. As a result, Pied a Terre – one of London’s longest-running Michelin-starred restaurants – believes music played in restaurants could be manipulated to replace unnecessary ingredients (sugar, fats, etc.), or could essentially contribute to devastating your experience. Experimenting with this theory, the restaurant is currently collaborating with BBC Manchester DJ Karen...

One of the world’s oldest and most famous cocktails, this weekend marks the last chance to celebrate Old Fashioned Week (2nd-11th November). Set up in 2015, Old Fashioned week allows consumers to rediscover the classic serve, plus modern iterations, with ten ambassadors from bars across the world.  The official Bourbon of Old Fashioned Week, Wild Turkey have collaborated with a number of bars, hosting ‘Guided 101’ tours of London bars serving some of the best Old Fashioned cocktails. ‘London To...

The best Christmas sandwiches of 2017 have today been revealed, with Pret’s Christmas Lunch Sandwich the pick of the 2017 season. Which? unveiled its first ever guide to festive sandwiches after recruiting 36 tasters to blind taste popular turkey Christmas lunch sandwiches and find out which ones really delivered the festive flavours. The Consumer Champion also uncovered some surprising facts that connoisseurs should know before choosing their Christmas sandwich. In recent years, there’s been a proliferation of festive-themed sandwich varieties, from beef...

Tired of Anglicised Chinese and Japanese food, Taiwanese cuisine has become big business in London. Always on the hunt for something new and exciting, the city’s food fanatics became obsessed with BAO when it opened its first permanent site in Soho a couple of years ago – and rightly so. Since then, Shing Tat Chung, Wai Ting Chung and Erchen Chang have become the authority on Taiwanese food in London and steamed bao buns are available just about everywhere. Much...

One of the city’s best British restaurants, Chamberlain’s of London has been operating from a site in Leadenhall Market for the past 16 years. Still going strong, Chamberlain’s served fish and chips from their new standalone fish and chip shop (adjoined to the restaurant) for hundreds of service men and women in support of the Royal British Legion last week. Owned by fourth generation fishmongers Chamberlain and Thelwell – with the kitchen headed up by chef Andrew Jones – the...