Food and Drink

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...

With January well and truly under way and New Year's resolutions already starting to crumble, now is the time we really struggle to keep our diets up. New research has revealed boredom, expense and will power are among the top reasons for giving up a diet, with chocolate, alcohol and fizzy drinks the hardest treats for women to give up or cut back on when watching their weight. The study, commissioned by SodaStream, found a whopping 83 per cent only last an...

Set within 123 acres of rolling Surrey parkland, a stone's throw away from Ascot, the training ground of the England Rugby Team and the prestigious Wentworth golf club is Chef Michael Wingall’s two Michelin starred restaurant. Pennyhill Park is an exclusive hotel and spa that showcases an eclectic mix of grandeur and rustic naturalist architecture. Ivy climbs the walls turning a deep shade of crimson as it peaks below the pointed turrets of the building. The sprawling greenery planted in the...

The Vegan Society has today warned that a dairy milk crisis could be imminent as sales of plant-based milks increase exponentially and consumers demand healthy and compassionate alternatives to traditional milk. The retail price of milk has now slipped below the cost price and is lower than some bottled water, signalling that its production is becoming increasingly unmanageable. The largest dairy firm First Milk has delayed payments to farmers as the price of a four-pint carton has slipped to £1 with...

The Happenstance is the sixth restaurant venture from the Drake & Morgan group since opening The Refinery in 2008, and the welcome is pretty impressive, with floor-to-ceiling window frames views of St Pauls. But could the venue live up to its glorious neighbour? Well, just about. When we visited it was a Wednesday evening but it was already pretty busy. The bar area seemed pretty popular with after work drinkers. My guest and I were taken into the large restaurant...

By Simon Bennison - Food writer Located to the north of Edinburgh city centre, Stockbridge is home to some of the finest independent businesses, acclaimed gastropubs, cycling cafes serving their own coffee roasts, and an eclectic array of record, clothing and book shops. It’s an area of character, one that you would take visitors to for a feel of real life in the city. Housing some of Edinburgh’s best places to eat, it is a competitive place to run a...

Cous cous, prawns and kale are among the foods which millions of Brits consider as ‘posh’, a survey revealed. The detailed study also found risotto, pesto and fajitas made the list as did hummus, sushi and sea bass. Italian cheese mozzarella, rocket and even beetroot are also now considered up-market. The study showed that eight in ten Brits feel that certain foods are seen as ‘trendy’ now and that like everything thing else, foods come in and out of fashion. It also...