Food and Drink

Strength: 5.9% Brewed: Chicago, Illinois Set up in 1988 by founder John Hall, Goose Island is now one of America’s most popular craft breweries. Inspired by Hall’s travels of Europe, through which he managed to experience some incredible tasting beers from the continent, Chicago was eventually the city chosen as a base for the brewery: a city that was at the time an ideal start with plenty of rapidly evolving tastes. Chicago is also home to the largest fresh water system on...

Four years have passed since the Shard was completed, and I’m still unable to understand why visits to the 72nd floor viewing gallery are so popular. Given the choice, why would anybody choose to pay £25.95 for the pleasure? Especially when that particular cost could, instead, buy a round of drinks (almost) within one of the restaurant bars? The restaurants are perched just half-way up the tower, yet the views are almost equally impressive – especially when seated window-side, with...

By Elena Orde, Editor of The Vegan You may have seen recent news stories about a malnourished child who was removed from his parents. A sad case, of course, but given that malnutrition affects over 3 million people in the UK, why has this particular story made international headlines? Because the child was vegan. In the wake of this news, chat show The Wright Stuff posed the question, ‘Abuse to put children on a vegan diet?’ while the Telegraph asked...

Traditional staple foods such as white bread and pasta are disappearing off the Great British menu as people opt for trendy alternatives such as quinoa and flatbreads. New research by Lurpak found a third of Brits say their dietary essentials have changed in recent times, with sweet potatoes, cous cous and pitta bread now commonplace. Seven in ten have expanded the variety of food they eat and a third of British homes have introduced ingredients like olives, avocado and chorizo. In fact, the...

It’s a crying shame that tequila has garnered a somewhat unscrupulous reputation within the United Kingdom, often linked with horrific memories of shots that combine cheap spirit, salt, lime, and regret. However, as is the case with most things, good quality is key and can make all of the difference – premium tequilas, for example, are not only designed to be sipped leisurely, many are also rather enjoyable. Patrón is a brand of Mexican tequila that has soared in popularity...

In modern day life, there are uncountable sources of irritation constantly flung at us from all directions, especially when eating out is involved. Dining companions immersed in the screen of their mobile phones, slates instead of real crockery, argumentative waiters, ‘gourmet’ burgers that are insistently over-cooked and over-sized... The list could go on and on - yet one thing that’s more infuriating than almost anything else is the ‘no-reservation’ culture that’s sweeping London’s restaurant scene – forcing us to queue...

Brewed: Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire Strength: 4.2% ABV Britain’s longest-established brewer of craft lager, Freedom Brewery has been operating since 1995. However, it’s not until very recently that they’ve finally started to delve into the world of ales. Following a huge expansion project, which saw a brand new brew house and 20 new vessels, the brewery set out to craft a prototype of their first pale ale. As well as being sustainably brewed and vegan-friendly, the beer is also the first...

Although of British descent, Theo Randall is a name that’s become synonymous with Italian food. Tracing back to family holiday road-trips through rural Italy, garnering plenty of food and wine along the way, Theo then spent a total of 17 years working at The River Café in Hammersmith – 10 of which were spent as Head Chef. It was here that he achieved his first Michelin star. In 2006, however, the chef decided to open his first solo venture, an...

Superfood quinoa could be farmed in Cornwall withing three years thanks to global warming, according to new research. The tiny grain, which is packed with health benefits including dietary fibre, magnesium and iron, was originally grown by the Incas in South America. But now, due to changing climate, the trendy superfood staple could be harvested on British soil in Cornwall. Parts of the south-western county became subtropical from 2000 onwards, due to global warming, with temperatures of 10C or greater for...