Food and Drink

Earlier this year British wine growers toasted a rather iconic achievement. At a tasting in the prestigious Juveniles restaurant in Paris an elite group of experts rated English sparkling wine as being better than Champagne, with many pointing to the 'sham' nature of the contest. For the first time ever, they couldn't spot the difference! English wine has been on an upwards trajectory for over a decade now, each year being pulled closer to our neighbours across the Channel who are now cautiously looking over...

Impress friends and guests this weekend by recreating Dry Martini’s Tonico N#2 cocktail at home. Using Bulldog gin, Zara lemons soda and just a few drops of lavender tincture, the recipe also calls for a simple tonic sorbet, served on top of the drink as a garnish. Ingredients You will need an ice cream maker Bulldog gin, 50ml Zara lemons soda, 30ml Lavender tincture, 4 drops Tonic sorbet, to garnish For the Sorbet Makes 2 pints Water, 1 ¾ cups...

Ten thousand calories, 18 inches and the world's hottest chillies. That's what makes up the World's hottest burger, and Rob Radcliffe of Cambridge has just demolished it in under half an hour, before polishing off 1lb of chips topped with red hot chilli con carne and the Carolina reaper. The Rocker’s steakhouse challenge burger contains four seeded buns, two 12oz beef patties, two chicken burgers and a beanie patty all smothered in four kinds of cheese and topped with salad. As...

  Once home to Turnmills, world famous nightclub, the corner of Clerkenwell Road and Turnmill Street has, this year, seen the launch of to two brand new restaurants opening upon the site. The first, Sosharu, is the latest venture from Jason Atherton, heavily inspired by Japanese Izakayas, and in June Albion opened next door. Following successful openings in both Shoreditch and Bankside, this is the third outpost of the joint venture between Sir Terence Conran, Peter Prescott and Isabelle Chatel...

I had an Avocado for lunch, in fact I had one for dinner as well last night. It seems to be something we all increasingly use regularly in our meals, it isn’t just for hipsters and Waitrose shoppers anymore. However, the popularity of Avocados in our diets is allegedly causing deforestation in central Mexico, according to the Guardian. Farmers in the country, which has suffered from thousands of drug related murders in recent years, are able to make larger profits...

Strength: 5% Brewed: Surbiton, Surrey Initially set up as a microbrewery behind The Antelope pub in Surbiton, Big Smoke Brew Co. have become massively renowned for their beer over the past two years, most of which are vegan-friendly. Operating from an old stables premise, Big Smoke’s produce is representative of the beer that the brewery founders personally enjoy drinking, which is all flavoursome, hard-hitting and additive free. The brewery also makes a clear point of refraining from using Isinglass finings...

The vegan diet is hailed as one of the healthiest, the actor Jared Leto seems to be the poster boy for a vegan lifestyle. So it is a shock that over in Italy an MP wants to make children who are exposed to a vegan diet victims of a crime. Elvira Savino, a Centre-right MP, is lobbying for a law which would protect any children from diets that may not contain enough vitamins and iron. This could mean that parents...

The American Hot can prove hard to handle for most people, but Pizza Express lovers will struggle to even find this one. A new brain teaser has been released with an illusive chilli pepper pizza hidden amongst a colourful array of other pizzas. The single American Hot, topped with pepperoni and slices of fresh green peppers, has been concealed in this graphic puzzle to tie in with their new summer specials menu which includes a Barbacoa Romana pizza, an Eton Mess...

Generally speaking, I’ve never been a great fan of tasting menus. It’s less of a problem with the sheer quantity of courses served, than it is with the chef’s decision to commonly present an array of gratuitously pretentious dishes. All too often this leads to spending three hours (or more) sycophantically congratulating the kitchen staff and pretending to enjoy outrageous flavour combinations like white chocolate and raw sturgeon or foie gras and marshmallow. Combinations that have never worked, and surely...