Food and Drink

By Simon Russell The consensus view is that big brands don’t deliver on flavour but you can at least be certain about what you’re getting. But even that forlorn hope appears misplaced as the brewers of Carling – a one of the biggest beer brands in the UK – admit that the alcohol content is less than claimed. Global brewing giant brewer Molson Coors owned up that their big seller is actually a modest 3.7% abv and not the 4% abv...

With a focus on rationality and simplicity – the basic principles of modernism – at the helm, Bavarian craft beer brand And Union was set up in 2007. The product of a father, his son and his business partner, And Union works with brew-masters from four small, family-run Bavarian regional breweries, with all of their craft beers brewed in a traditional manner, using just barley, yeast, hops, and water. As a result, the brewing process for the unfiltered and unpasteurised beers is...

While being herded like cattle through Gatwick airport recently, one member of a particularly raucous stag weekend roared: “England – the only country with queues longer than the entire flight home.” Like the birth right to complain about literally everything, and to make terrible decisions at the Polling Station; queuing is so ingrained into our culture and every day lives, it’s almost as British as the Monarchy, the ‘stiff upper lip’, or wholly unnecessary apologies. To use the most well-mannered...

By Justin Hawke, owner and brewer at Moor Beer Company When TLE editor Jack Peat wrote that we’ve got to stop thinking “craft” means “small” in response to BrewDog's ascension into Britain’s 100 Biggest Alcohol Brands I, as someone often referred to as a ‘craft brewer’, tended to agree. There is however a ‘but’. Being small is not necessarily a sign of a brewer that is uncompromising in their approach to producing a quality product – something well-made and full of flavour....

From the onset, I must admit I’ve never felt the need to visit a restaurant in the middle of the night. A bit of a traditionalist, perhaps; I feel night time is meant for sleeping, although admittedly, I have been partial to a midnight snack. VQ in Aldgate is by no means the first restaurant to offer 24-hour dining options, but its location on the ground floor of the Dorsett City Hotel does lend itself to extended dining hours. The...

New research has revealed the place we Brits are the happiest - and there's no prizes for guessing where it is. According to a new poll millions of Brits are happiest when they’re in the PUB, with the nation’s love affair with their local revealed to be stronger than ever. Brits are most likely to escape to the pub for a pick-me-up after a hard day at work, a bust-up with a partner or just to catch up with an...

A pub owner has launched the ultimate meal deal by giving away a MILLION lunches - for free. Craig Harker, 30, is using a cashback promotion from a new payment app to fund the "biggest giveaway ever". He has vowed to hand out one million 'parmos' - a chicken dish native to Teeside in the north east of England - which usually cost £6.95. Since launching the offer four days ago and has already had more than 500 orders at...

By Katherine Dart, Master of Wine and Buyer at Berry Bros. & Rudd Unbeknown to many, the UK wine industry makes a significant contribution to the UK economy, generating £9.1bn in total contribution to the public purse, employing 170,000 directly and a further 100,000 in the supply chain. And this isn’t a new phenomenon; globally, the UK has played a central – but often overlooked - role in the world’s wine industry from as far back as the Middle Ages, with...

In collaboration with the Future Laboratory, Tia Maria launched Tia Maria Coffee Cocktail Futures earlier this month. Taking place at Chapter 72 in Bermondsey, the event saw the unveiling of a trend report from Tia Maria and the Future Laboratory, featuring insights on current and predicted drink trends. The Tia Maria Coffee Cocktail Futures trend report outlines the fact that hundreds of millions of people have developed palates able to appreciate once alien flavours. For a new generation of coffee and alcohol...