Food and Drink

London Beer Week kicks off today for the second year, culminating in Craft Beer Rising this weekend. The festival celebrates the best beers, ales, lagers and ciders on the market, as well as the London pubs and bars who pump them out. A London Beer Week wristband costs £10 and allows you to stroll in to 100 of the capital's very best beer bars and order a £3 speciality beer. You can also grab £5 boilermakers across the bars for the entire...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Throughout the past five years or so, high-rise dining has become increasingly popular within the city. And it’s certainly unsurprising given the erection of so many monolithic new landmarks now piercing the sky, and towering over the iconic structures of yesteryear enticing with their Metropolis 21st century constructions, lifts (not elevators) that seem as though installed by NASA, and most of all: the sweeping panoramic views across our fair city. With many of these such...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Having enjoyed an impressive popularity resurgence in recent years, gin is currently taking the drinks market by storm. Last year, for instance, gin sales in the UK surpassed the £1 billion mark for the first time ever, and are predicted to steadily increase in the near future, what with just about every London bar jumping on board to accommodate demand. But it’s not just London and our famous gins that are being embraced, instead...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food London is widely regarded as one of the world’s most exceptional cities for food, with just about everything any hungry foodie could ever crave all available within less than an hour’s tube ride, give or take. And, aside from British food, it’s no secret that some of the most popular international cuisines among city dwellers are Asian. Both Chinese and Indian are often named favourites, so here’s the question: with all the great Chinese...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Strength: 5% ABV Brewed: Ellon, Scotland Tired of a market dominated by industrially brewed lagers and ales, the team behind BrewDog set up the world’s first crowd-funded brewery in 2007. Now operating from a site in Ellon, just north of Aberdeen, a community of over 35000 investors own shares in the business, with shares still available. And what’s more, the brewery that’s made for the people, by the people is still constantly striving to encourage passion for craft...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Although having gone hand-in-hand for decades, it seems that the celebrity endorsement of alcohol has accelerated significantly in recent years. Yes, Frank Sinatra constantly extolled Jack Daniels during his lifetime, and Woody Allen famously advertised Smirnoff vodka back in the 1960’s, but nowadays it seems as though more “A-list” celebrities than not have something to endorse, and the relationship with alcohol is perhaps the strongest. Most prominently, we’ve witnessed joint campaigns between Cîroc vodka...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Artisan bakeries, cake shops, and patisseries (mainly in gentrified East London) have certainly witnessed a boom in popularity in recent years. Something that’s peculiar given that now, more than ever, we’re constantly encouraged to limit our sugar intake, thus becoming more health conscious than ever. One establishment that has grown to receive particularly positive acclaim in recent years, however, is Cutter & Squidge – having opened their first permanent residence at the tail end...

Over 600 beers and ciders will feature at next month's Craft Beer Rising festival at The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. This year will see the largest and most diverse mix so far, featuring established UK breweries such as Beavertown, Thornbridge, and Harviestoun, to international talent from Little Bichos, Lagunitas, Mikkheller, and Bronx Brewery. A selection of newcomers will also make their debut with Bad Seed and Mondo both making an appearance. But it's not just about the beer. Brand new for 2016 is a...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Today (February 5th) marks the start of the world famous Rio Carnival, so to tie in with celebrating the festival carrying on into the weekend, Latin American restaurant chain Las Iguanas have created their own celebratory cocktail. Combining Malibu, blue curacao, mango and orange, ‘Carnival Kitsch’ is available from Las Iguanas until Tuesday (February 9th) priced at £8.95. Alternatively, the restaurant has shared the simple recipe for readers to celebrate Rio Carnival and make...