Food and Drink

Brewed: Walthamstow, London Strength: 4.7% ABV Founded on the back of a hobby that turned into an obsession, Wild Card Brewery functions from its own site in Walthamstow, having opened at the beginning of 2014. Since launching, Wild Card has become renowned for producing no-nonsense, uncompromising beers with a four-strong core range inspired by playing cards. These include a ‘Jack of Clubs’ ruby ale, ‘Queen of Diamonds’ hoppy IPA, ‘King of Hearts’ blonde beer, and ‘Ace of Spades’ – "a classic London...

Perhaps even more so than Chinese cuisine in Britain, Indian food and restaurants have evolved massively over the past few centuries. Britain’s first encounters with the food of India can be traced back to the 17th century with the introduction of The East India Company. Set up for Britain to trade produce with India, this sparked further interest in Indian food, with various spices and curry powders becoming readily available in the UK during the late 1700s. As for Indian...

Just in time for Christmas, truffle brand Monty Bojangles (named after the founder’s pet cat) have teamed up with Michelin starred Chef Mark Sargeant to create a range of chocolate-focused desserts and snacks. This week’s recipe, ‘Cookie Moon Cheesecake’, uses Monty Bojangles’ Cookie Moon truffles, made with buttery cookie chunks and a dusting of bitter-sweet cocoa powder to create a delicious cheesecake with a granola base. Mark’s Top Tip: “Adding layers of cling film to the spring form tin when...

Accessed through a secret door at the back of Milroys of Soho – London’s oldest whisky specialist, having been operating since 1946 – The Vault has re-launched with a new Bar Manager. Having worked as part of the opening team at Satan’s Whiskers in Bethnal Green and as Head Bartender at Milk & Honey, Chris Tanner has brought a brand new cocktail menu to Milroys’ basement bar. All priced at £9.50, the new drinks list includes a number of original...

Donned in smoking jackets and toking on the finest Robustos, these are the men who know how to celebrate Winston Churchill’s birthday in style. Cigar merchants James J Fox, said to be the oldest cigar merchants in the world, held the bash at their London base in St James’s Street - one of the last remaining public places where people can smoke inside. The celebration, on Wednesday, saw men in pinstriped suits with silver-topped canes swilling Caribbean rum, puffing on aromatic cigars...

Strength: 5.5% Brewed: Aberdeen, Scotland Since launching their first proper brewery earlier on this year, Scotland’s Fierce Beer Co. has become intensely prolific. Having produced over 50,000 litres of beer within the past six months, the brewery offers a whopping core range of ten beers amongst some limited edition offerings and collaborative efforts of which are currently in the pipeline. Now operating from an industrial estate in Dyce, Aberdeen, Fierce was originally set up by joint owners Dave Grant (Managing Director) and David...

New York-influenced pizzeria NY Fold has created a hangover pizza in time for the festive season. Tge limited edition pizza has been specially designed for pre and post partying for those in need of rejuvenation and replenishment, with Alka Seltzer also available free of charge upon request. The topping combines the following: Egg: contains B-vitamins and amino acids that destroy toxins and replace the levels of B-vitamins lost through drinking Sausage: full of selenium essential for the normal functioning of the immune...

It was all going so well. Arriving over half an hour early, I met with my Editor at a pub close to the restaurant for a catch up over a quick pint. Yet by the time of our dinner reservation had rolled around, we had ended up at the wrong restaurant. Positioned in the middle of Great Portland Street, the Fitzrovia branch of Picture has been operating for around four years, with the newer Marylebone outpost (the site of our...

Despite being one of the most populated cities in the World, London maintains an incredible amount of green spaces. In all, the capital boasts 14,164 hectares of green spaces, including parks, wildlife habitats, natural reserves, gardens, outdoor spaces, and plenty of room to get foraging. Jonathan Cook has been foraging for most of his life. Nicknamed  'John the Poacher' he flogs food he finds to trendy restaurants and now makes his living picking mushrooms, fruits and flowers that grow naturally. Behind...