Food and Drink
Beer of the Week – Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale
By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Strength: 7% Brewed: Kounoso, Japan First established in 1823, it wasn’t until 1996 that the Kiuchi Brewery started to produce Hitachino Nest beer, formerly better known for its sake production. Located in the small Japanese village of Kounosu, the beer’s name is inspired by the Kounosu’s literal meaning – “nest” – and has become hugely acclaimed over the past 20 years for both its beer and the quirky owl logo that adorns every bottle. Taken from their core...
Restaurant Review – Galley
By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Islington’s dining scene is booming at the moment. An extension of two of the city’s biggest gentrification victims - Shoreditch and Camden – Islington, although expensive, has remarkably avoided being forced into pretending to be anything that it is not. Instead, the borough has made quite a name for itself as a relatively central part of North London inhabited by a harmoniously dwelling blend of overpaid hipsters and ‘young professional’ couples with small children...
In Pictures: Food Photographer Of The Year
The winners of the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2016 have been announced. A joyful shot of a baker having fun with flour while making bread by British photographer Mark Benham has seized this year’s crown. Benham was presented with a £5,000 prize in front of an audience of 400 guests at a glittering Champagne Taittinger reception packed with celebrities from the food and photography world at the Mall Galleries, London last night. “Over 7,000 images and films were entered this...
Beer of the Week – Brooklyn Brewery Brown Ale
Image courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery. By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Strength: 5.6% Brewed: Williamsburg, Brooklyn, USA Set up in New York during the late 1980s, Brooklyn Brewery was inspired by Steve Hindy’s stint as a Middle East-based journalist, having befriended a number of Saudi Arabian diplomats that would ply Hindy with their flavoursome beer brewed at home, given the strict Islamic laws against alcoholic beverages. Upon returning to America, Hindy began to brew his own beer at home and...
The Weekly Cocktail Recipe – Disaronno Sour
By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food With National Amaretto Day fast approaching, taking place next week (Tuesday April 19th), this week’s featured recipe works in accordance with the day of commemoration. With Disaronno having become the world’s most globally famous brand of amaretto, it seems fitting to enjoy the evening with an original Disaronno Sour: a remarkably simple recipe that uses three easily obtainable ingredients, combined to create an extremely pleasant drink. Add the sugar syrup, stir and garnish with...
Bar Review – The White Lyan
By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Located within a Hoxton backstreet away from the main drag, acclaimed bartenders Ryan Chetiyawardana and Iain Griffiths opened The White Lyan a couple of years ago, reinstalling life into an old East London pub. At present, the drinking scene in London is remarkable, especially in the east, yet as is the case with most anything, although already spoilt for choice, the city’s most discerning drinkers are constantly searching for new dens to frequent, bars that...
Dolmio and Uncle Ben’s Rice ‘Should Be Consumed Once a Week’
Food products such as Dolmio pasta sauces and Uncle Ben's Rice should only be consumed once a week due to high salt, sugar or fat content. Mars Food, the firm behind the supermarket staples, said it will distinguish between "everyday" and "occasional" items on packs and on its website. The announcement comes following Chancellor George Osborne's sugar tax, which aims to tackle childhood obesity by putting a levy on products that are high in sugar. Mars Food has started a Health and...
Beer of the Week – Cloudwater IPA Citra Spring/Summer 2016
By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Strength: 6.5% Brewed: Manchester, England Set up at the end of 2014, Cloudwater Brew Co. is a Manchester-based brewery that operates from an ex warehouse space, just a stone’s throw from the city centre. Initially inspired by a Copenhagen Beer Celebration, the brewery was set up with a respect for the changing of seasons at its very heart, specialising in producing a fine range of constantly changing seasonal beers. In celebration of the spring...
Interview: Joakim Prat – London’s Most Exciting Pastry Chef?
By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Having worked within the kitchens of some of Europe’s most prestigious restaurants – notably Can Fabes near Barcelona and L’Atelier Joël Robuchon here in London – multi award winning pastry chef Joakim Prat opened his first solo venture last year. Located close to Kensington’s French Lycée, just seconds from South Kensington underground station, Maître Choux specialises in choux pastry, unsurprisingly, crafting the most intricately beautiful and tantalisingly delicious éclairs available outside a Three Michelin-starred...