Food and Drink

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  The notion of a retreat hasn’t caught on in the UK to the extent that it has in places such as the USA, but given that 92 per cent of the population is expected to live in cities by 2030, perhaps it ought to have. I find it almost laughable at times that despite being a global transport hub London can also become a prison. Acres of glorious countryside lay within half...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Blacklock – Soho Best known for his work at Hawksmoor, Gordon Ker’s new restaurant – Blacklock - will open in Soho this month. Heavily inspired by"Joe Beef in Montreal, roadside shacks in Portugal and the US to the Turkish Ocakbasis off the Kingsland Road," the restaurant is set to focus on serving top-quality beef, pork, lamb and veal chops. Cooked especially on a homemade charcoal grill before being seared with hot irons, made in...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food editor @TLE_Food Despite the constant changes within British food culture, one ideal that has always stuck out as the pinnacle of the “great British dinner” is our beloved traditional Sunday Roast. Nowadays, the clockwork routine of gathering the family at the dining table at a set time to embark upon a grand feast of roasted meat accompanied by a plethora of trimmings doesn’t run quite as deep. However, as a nation, whenever these opportunities do arise,...

By John Coles - Food Writer Expectations were high long before we went to the Pony & Trap, with many friends singing its praises. Then on the very day we finally got to go there a new poll was published rating it second among Britain's Top 50 Gastropubs, so the juices were flowing well in advance. This old snug country pub stands alone on a hillside overlooking Chew Valley Lake south of Bristol. We arrived on a bone cold January evening, unable to...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor @TLE_Food As S. Pellegrino’s hunt for the World’s best young chef progresses, spanning across 20 worldwide destinations, the ten UK semi-finalists have been announced. Two of the ten young cooks (Alberton Fluttero and Antonio Sanzone) are London-based, while the other eight accomplished culinary masterminds are scattered out across the UK and Ireland. The full list of the regional semi-finalists can be found here: https://www.finedininglovers.com/special/sanpellegrinoyoungchef2015/blog/spellegrino-young-chef-2015-the-candidates/ So leading up to the competition’s finale in June, which will...

By Laura Heads, Food Writer With the current weather making summer feel like an eternity ago and like it may never come again, it is very easy to find yourself pining for that sunshine fun, and more importantly, food. Now to me, summer means BBQs, beer, friends and any place I can get that outside of usual operating hours is gratefully received. Grillstock allows you to do just that. Walking through the door of the small, intimate restaurant you are...

This week is National Breakfast Week with people around the UK being encouraged to Shake Up Their Wake Up with new and exciting foods that set you up for the day. Breakfast Week, managed by HGCA and run on behalf of arable farmers who grow crops such as wheat, barley, oats and oilseed rape, is an innovative campaign looking to raise awareness of the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast and demonstrate the wealth of wonderful breakfast produce available around the country....

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic Oh how I miss spontaneous, local, seasonal food. For nights on end I bellow “where art thou market-based cuisine” across the rooftops of London, my desperate whimpers reverberating against the constant stream of wagons bringing food from afar. A city founded on the bustling markets of Camden, Portobello, Borough and Smithfield is crumbling under the weight of mass-produced foods marketed as being artisan, organic, ethically sourced and the rest (when will 'local'...

By Jonathan Hatchman  Food Editor Single menu restaurants have become quite trendy in London over recent years. A steady stream of exciting new restaurant openings offering an extremely limited choice menu allowing them to focus on just one or two signature dishes as opposed to flapping around a hectic kitchen while adding various inattentive touches to a wide variety of, sometimes, sub-par dishes. With eateries such as Burger & Lobster, Arancini Brothers and Flat Iron having enjoyed irrefutable success surrounding their limited...