Food and Drink

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. Dirty Bones – Shoreditch With two successful restaurants already operating on the other side of the city (one in Kensington, and the other in Soho), the team behind Dirty Bones are set to open a third site this month. Taking over a Grade II listed heritage building at the Shoreditch end of Bethnal Green Road, alike the...

There was a time when rum in the UK existed in little more than Bacardi and Malibu varieties to be enjoyed with a splash of diet coke for the conservative sorts or a mix of pineapple juice for the more adventurous. But the Caribbean spirit has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence over the past decade. Two years ago it was cocktails, with a craze for the mojito cocktail helping rum to become the UK's fastest-growing spirit, but today it’s a demand...

There are many people that insist upon the most premium spirits (especially whiskies) being drank neat, without any accompaniments, no matter how simple. And to be completely fair, these particular people are often right. Why would anybody wish to invest in expensive, high quality alcohol only to let the taste be detracted by unworthy mixers? Much to the disgust of most purists, however, there are very few exceptions to the rule,. One bar in particular that has crafted a ludicrously...

The Byron Boycott is officially on after the popular burger chain lured its workers into an immigration trap designed in cahoots with the Home Office. Bryon has become the face of right wing Britain with messages of support streaming in from fascist loonies who are overjoyed at the inhumane set-up. Comments such as “About time - kick them out now” and “Maybe they should hold similar 'recruiting' events across Europe” soon appeared on a long list of hate-fuelled comments. For...

Strength: 5.9% Brewed: Chicago, Illinois Set up in 1988 by founder John Hall, Goose Island is now one of America’s most popular craft breweries. Inspired by Hall’s travels of Europe, through which he managed to experience some incredible tasting beers from the continent, Chicago was eventually the city chosen as a base for the brewery: a city that was at the time an ideal start with plenty of rapidly evolving tastes. Chicago is also home to the largest fresh water system on...

Four years have passed since the Shard was completed, and I’m still unable to understand why visits to the 72nd floor viewing gallery are so popular. Given the choice, why would anybody choose to pay £25.95 for the pleasure? Especially when that particular cost could, instead, buy a round of drinks (almost) within one of the restaurant bars? The restaurants are perched just half-way up the tower, yet the views are almost equally impressive – especially when seated window-side, with...

By Elena Orde, Editor of The Vegan You may have seen recent news stories about a malnourished child who was removed from his parents. A sad case, of course, but given that malnutrition affects over 3 million people in the UK, why has this particular story made international headlines? Because the child was vegan. In the wake of this news, chat show The Wright Stuff posed the question, ‘Abuse to put children on a vegan diet?’ while the Telegraph asked...

Traditional staple foods such as white bread and pasta are disappearing off the Great British menu as people opt for trendy alternatives such as quinoa and flatbreads. New research by Lurpak found a third of Brits say their dietary essentials have changed in recent times, with sweet potatoes, cous cous and pitta bread now commonplace. Seven in ten have expanded the variety of food they eat and a third of British homes have introduced ingredients like olives, avocado and chorizo. In fact, the...

It’s a crying shame that tequila has garnered a somewhat unscrupulous reputation within the United Kingdom, often linked with horrific memories of shots that combine cheap spirit, salt, lime, and regret. However, as is the case with most things, good quality is key and can make all of the difference – premium tequilas, for example, are not only designed to be sipped leisurely, many are also rather enjoyable. Patrón is a brand of Mexican tequila that has soared in popularity...