Food and Drink

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food At the start of 2012, a young chef named Ollie Dabbous opened his first solo restaurant, having previously worked in the kitchens of Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, and Texture. Following some rave reviews alongside a swathe of excitement, the small Fitzrovia restaurant became an almost instant success, with tables virtually impossible to book - whereas four years later, in the present day, London’s foodie elite would be queuing the entire length of...

There are some 9,000 ‘curry’ restaurants in Britain, yet 99 per cent of them are cut from the same cloth. The Balti of Birmingham, the Tikka Masala of Glasgow and the onslaught of other salty, creamy dishes acting under the guise of ‘Indian food’ have created a unique Anglo-Indian style far removed from its country of origin, but that could be about to change. Britain is facing an unprecedented curry crisis as ageing chefs shut up shop at a rate...

If you ever want to get a taste of the vibrant multiculturalism in London, take a stroll down the backstreets of Covent Garden. Along New Row approaching St Martin’s Lane there is a French Asian bakery, Thai and Jamaican restaurants and then Italian and Egyptian street food alongside Greek and Indian eateries within a stone’s throw of each other. The West End is a microcosm of the cultural hot pot that is London, which makes it a food-lover’s dream. Murakami...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Heavily inspired by family tradition, R&B Distillers launched two brand new whiskies at the end of last year, setting the blueprint for what’s to expect from an ongoing project to build not one, but two new distilleries. Co-founder Alasdair Day’s great-Grandfather was a master blender in the Scottish Borders during the 19th century, and his other great-Grandfather hailed from the Hebrides, thus prompting the decision to build distilleries at these twin roots in the...

A highlight from the north London brewery's core range.

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food It’s no secret that Paris is generally regarded as the fine dining capital of the Universe. With thousands of restaurants, brasseries, and patisseries located across the French capital, boasting a selection of both classic and contemporary examples of the type of French cooking that has become so universally renowned. However, a tired stereotype often accompanies the notion of French gastronomy here in the UK, with grand expectations of stuffy dining rooms with over-starched table...

Around £1 in every £4 spent on beer in London now goes to a "super-premium" brand, according to Miller Brands. Defined as beer that has a clearly defined and understood provenance, authenticity and brand story and costs £4.15 per pint or higher, super-premium brands have corned a massive 25 per cent of the London beer market. Peroni Nastro Azzurro is the UK's number on super-premium beer, with Pilsner Urquell and Kozel also building a head of steam registering a double-digit revenue growth in...

A pan-European study has revealed Brits are the least likely to sample local food abroad. A survey of 14,000 people in 14 countries revealed that we stick to what we know away from home, eschewing continental for the full English experience. Just 57 per cent of UK adults will eat unknown food or indulge in local dishes – putting us bottom of the list of 14 countries studied and well below the 79 per cent European average. The Spanish and French...

The number of people following a vegan diet in Britain has increased by 350 per cent in ten years, making veganism one of Britain’s fastest growing lifestyle movements. There are over half a million vegans in Britain, new research commissioned by The Vegan Society in partnership with Vegan Life magazine, has found. At least 542,000 people in Britain are now following a vegan diet and never consume any animal products including meat, fish, milk, cheese, eggs and honey, up from...