By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor @TLE_Food One of the cultural pinnacles of Central London – The National Portrait Gallery -situated on the edge of Trafalgar Square re-opened the doors to its Portrait Restaurant last month. The current contract is owned by Company of Cooks, who took it over in 2013 from another company, the restaurant closed for refurbishment at the beginning of this year, also reigning in a new culinary director Helena Puolakka, having previously worked alongside the likes of acclaimed chefs...

 By Bea Patel, Director of Shop for an Agent – The Estate Agent Comparison Site Buy-to-let, for many, looks like an appealing investment option. And while it may not be as 'hot' as it once used to be, it’s re-emerging as a lucrative income investment if you can put down a big deposit. Investors are, yet again, tempted by better mortgage deals, low interest rates, rental price increases, lower house prices and a surge of tenants. But many investors who bought...

By Jared Sneath of Green Square Many rural homeowners across the UK are already off grid so their decision to switch from oil or LPG to a green, and significantly cheaper alternative, is often a complete no-brainer. What’s more, many of these households have large outside spaces and greater living areas to house different options of renewable energy technology, but what about urban households where space is limited inside and out? With renewable energy it’s usually not a ‘one size...

By Rashmi Dubè, founder of Bishopsgate-based Legatus Law and author of the forthcoming book on networking offers advice on the art of networking during the digital age. In an age where children are born into the internet world, where most of us access numerous social media platforms at the click of a button – does digital networking work? If so, is there an art to it? I have been an active networker for some time as an active member of...

By Dan Norris-Jones, co-founder at technology consultancy, Priocept Innovation is a business buzzword that won’t go away. What’s more, it’s a term that’s full of misunderstanding. Most people immediately equate innovation with an ability to constantly spark new ideas. But this is to miss the point. Why? Because ideas are cheap. It’s the execution of the ideas that’s the true source of business innovation. The reality is that businesses don’t generally suffer from a lack of fresh ideas. What they...

By David de Winter  @davidjdewinter  @TLE_Lifestyle There’s something about fringe theatre that really appeals to me.  The close proximity of the audience to the action gives the drama an extra dimension that one does not get from the larger and more established West End theatres.  There is an immediacy of performance and an intimacy which is quite unique and it can be incredibly moving and effective.  So I was more than happy when TLE sent me down to the Tabard...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Monday 15th June at the Royal Albert Hall will be a night to remember, celebrating the life and works of legendary blues guitarist Lead Belly. Van Morrison, Jools Holland and Laurence Jones had already confirmed some time ago, but now a number of great new artists have joined the an ever-growing lists of acts. Billy Bragg, Eric Bibb and Walter Trout are just a small selection of musicians, that have now announced their intentions to play. Lead Belly Fest is a...

Reviewed by Miranda Schiller @mirandadadada A village in Ethiopa, 1996. As 14 year old Hirut is walking home from school, she is kidnapped by a group of young armed men. One of the men rapes her and leaves her to sleep on the floor of his house. She has fallen victim to a tradition still observed in rural Ethiopia at the time: Men kidnap and rape girls they want to marry, overthrowing the family’s refusal to give their daughter in...

By Matt Keay @MattAdamKeay In the opening minutes of Gerard Johnson’s sophomore effort, Hyena, the audience is presented with a bravura neon-lit nighttime raid, set against foreboding music, a sense of dread permeating the screen. The men they see appear to be policeman, but they are so far removed from the friendly beat bobbies the majority of the public recognise that they could be forgiven for expecting their uniforms to be some sort of disguise; a ruse for nefarious criminal...