Food and Drink

The meat and fish free dish is slices of tofu wrapped in seaweed - dipped in vegan-friendly batter and deep fried in groundnut oil. The 'tofish and chips' was added to the menu to mark National Vegan Month at award-winning chippy, Simpsons, in Stroud, Glos, Within the first thirty minutes of being on sale, fifty portions of the £6 treat had been sold. The 'tofish' slices cost £1.50 each and has more in common with Japanese food than English seaside...

Founded in 2014 by brothers Ed and Sim Cotton, The London Beer Factory operates from West Norwood in south-east London. Dedicated to crafting beers with character, unique flavours and distinctive qualities, The London Beer Factory was also the first ever UK brewery to use 360° cans, with a unique ring pull design that allows the lid to be removed completely, allowing a full spectrum of tastes and aromas to be enjoyed, without the need for any glassware (or washing-up). In...

Traditional cooking skills such as making tomato sauce from scratch, homemade gravy and poaching an egg are dying out, a study has found. Researchers polled 2,000 households on their cooking abilities and found a number of skills are on the wane – including being able to make cheese sauce that’s not from a packet, ‘proper’ stuffing and batter. Other cooking techniques on the decline include making white sauce from scratch and making you own salad dressing, along with making homemade...

Tucked between Notting Hill Gate and Kensington Palace, The Shed offers a convincing retreat from the middle of the city. Still within zone one of the tube map (only just), The Shed is poised similarly to that of a countryside garden centre café – charmingly rustic, yet intent on serving rousing food: the best of British. Launched in 2012 by brothers Richard, Oliver and Gregory Gladwin, the restaurant is very much a family-run operation. Having previously worked in London and...

People often ask me for recommendations on where to get the best steak, and I’ll often reply with just three words: “your nearest butcher’s”. Because, let’s be honest, steak is generally best when it’s cooked (properly) at home. A completely subjective experience, everybody likes their steak to be cooked differently – even interpretations of ‘blue’, ‘rare’, ‘medium-rare’, ‘medium’ and ‘well-done’ can differ between restaurants. At home, though, you’re in complete control of the cooking – which isn’t too difficult, following...

Luxury ingredients are no longer exclusively concomitant with fine dining. Over the past five years, a huge rise in luxury comfort food has become impossible to overlook, with so many restaurants embellishing the globe’s most comforting “junk” food dishes with ingredients fit for the Monarchy. Amongst those dishes, truffles make the biggest appearance. Celebrating the complete arrival of truffle season in the UK, Thai Square’s noodles with truffles and prawn use both fresh shaved truffles and truffle oil. First set...

England’s premier whisky distillery, The Lakes Distillery is offering the public a chance to invest in the brand, with £1 million worth of shares available through Crowdcube, which allows a minimum investment of £10. The money raised will then be used to produce whisky for stock and to invest in new warehousing and distribution facilities. Officially launched at the end of 2014, The Lakes Distillery is homed within the Lake District National Part, five miles north-west of Keswick, close to...

In February 1946, George Orwell wrote an essay, The Moon Under Water, in which he outlined his ideal London pub. Sadly, the eponymous pub was completely fictitious (contrary to the belief of the JD Wetherspoon chain) and the essay concluded, somewhat bleakly, with the fact that the perfect pub doesn’t really exist. At the time, The Jugged Hare wasn’t yet operating. On the site of an old brewery, just across the road from the Barbican Centre, The Jugged Hare is...

One of London’s most exciting Modern-Indian restaurants, Darbaar in Shoreditch launched a brand new bar – Lotus - in May. Bringing a different drinking and dining experience to the city, Lotus has been given a new identity and fresh, inventive cocktail menu. The new menu features spice-infused spirits and unique Indian twists on classics, paired with a new menu of Royal-inspired dishes from chef-patron Abdul Yaseen. Heavily inspired by the flavours and spices of India, and the opulence of its...