Food and Drink

Whether it’s in the form of spirit soaked puddings, boozy Christmas parties, or a glass of champagne to toast the festivities; drinking season is upon us. So with the holidays just around the corner, here’s our round up of the best (and worst) Christmas beers on the market for 2015. Anchor Brewing Co. Merry Christmas Happy New Year 2015 Strength: 5.5% ABV Brewed: San Francisco, California The Christmas offering from Californian Anchor Brewing Co. has become a tradition of America’s oldest...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Following the success of this year’s competition, with Irish chef Mark Moriarty having won the title, S. Pellegrino have announced plans to run another global Young Chef competition for 2016 – an international competition that’s dedicated to finding the best young chef in the world, under the age of 30. For the UK/Ireland regional finals, a judging panel of chefs included the likes of Clare Smyth MBE formerly of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Atul Kochhar...

Photo: Daniel Lewis By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Inspired by Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, this week’s cocktail recipe comes from Portobello Road Gin Master Blender Jake Burger. Just in time for Christmas, this hot gin punch takes time to make, but the effort certainly pays off as soon as the warming concoction touches your lips in the lead up to the festive season. Based on Dickens’ Mr Micawber’s guidelines given in David Copperfield, this drink features gin, madeira, brown...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Just in time for the celebration of the restaurant’s 25th anniversary next year, Le Pont de la Tour located at Shad Thames and famed for its fine French food has recently undergone refurbishment. First opened at the beginning of the 1990s by Sir Terence Conran, the restaurant is now owned by D&D London – the group behind some great London restaurants such as Plateau, Restaurant Sauterelle – which has also recently reopened – and...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Having grown up in the 1990s, steak house restaurants are something that I’ve grown to constantly associate with the part of London that surrounds Leicester Square and The Strand. Harking back to early memories of eating overpriced, overcooked and underwhelming cuts at one of the many ‘Aberdeen Angus Steakhouses’ that the area has to offer - reeling in tourists with their neon red signage and a promise of offering the very best steak that...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food With December finally here, Christmas is drawing very close. So with the shops filling up, the weather changing, and as a time of true indulgence - we’ve compiled a gift guide of all of the best food and drink gifts to buy for your favourite foodies and drinks connoisseurs this Christmas. Aurora Crystal Head Vodka Arriving just in time for Christmas, Crystal Head Vodka - founded in 2008 by Hollywood actor Dan Aykroyd –...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food With plenty of exciting restaurant openings constantly taking place across the Capital, here’s our pick of the best new restaurants arriving in London over the coming month. Flat Iron – Covent Garden Ever since their initial inception as a pop-up restaurant, Flat Iron has become increasingly popular. So popular, in fact, that they’re set to open a third restaurant this month, in Covent Garden’s Henrietta Street. As is the case with the two restaurants already open in Soho,...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food For anybody that doesn’t live or work in the area - Canary Wharf is a strange place. Many people, in fact, are unaware that Canary Wharf – as an address – refers to an area, juxtaposed to just the building, the one that used to be the tallest in London before the Shard came along and ruined it for the most eastern of London’s skyscrapers. Then again, at least the name of London Bridge...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Located in Notting Hill, Kensington Place first opened back in 1987. Having grown over the years, the restaurant is now a destination space that prides itself on relaxed and casual dining with a strong focus on fish and seafood. What’s more, there’s also a bar that serves some exciting cocktails. Created especially for Christmas, this week’s recipe is for the Aztec Cocoa - a twist on Mexican hot chocolate that uses tequila, chilli, cinnamon,...