Food and Drink

Have you ever robbed a casino? No, nor have I. But after visiting the Heliot Steakhouse at The Hippodrome, I found the outstanding value enough to make most anyone feel like a member of the Rat Pack in Oceans 11. Quite honestly, I had my doubts about the restaurant before visiting. Although having heard nothing but praise, my partisan preconceptions of the place included an unsavoury concoction of Leicester Square, men in polyester suits vaunting their wealth while supping dry...

Nottingham residents have been urged to ditch takeaways for homemade "fakeaways" after new statistics revealed how unhealthy take-out meals are risking the health of families. Takeaways often contain more fat, salt and calories than your recommended government guideline amount and can increase your risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart and circulatory disease – two largely preventable conditions. Despite this one in five adults and children are reportedly eating a takeaway once a week, the National Charity Partnership between Diabetes UK, the British...

St Mark’s Community Centre, based in Newham, East London has opened the borough’s first ever deaf café. Café No.43 is run by Luca Cusini, an Italian chef with impaired hearing who grew up with the dream of one day running his own eatery. Despite the barriers Luca has faced, St Mark’s Community Centre which is managed by Caritas Anchor House, a homelessness and social action charity, has supported Luca to realise this dream. Café No. 43 opened in January 2017...

With plenty of exciting restaurant openings constantly taking place across the Capital, we pick the best new restaurants arriving in London over the coming month. Lupins - Southwark Named after the English garden flower, Lupins is the latest project from Lucy Pedder and Natasha Cooke – set to open this month in Flat Iron Square near London Bridge. Having previously worked together in the kitchen of Medlar in Chelsea, The Sand’s End, and having opened The Cross Keys together in 2015 –...

If the vegetable crisis that struck earlier this year taught us anything it is that we are now so far removed from the production of our food that we barely know how it gets from field to table. The extreme weather in the Mediterranean and in other parts of the continent literally left the country bewildered. People compared the empty supermarket shelves to conditions akin to a third world country, while others took to Twitter to berate the lack of courgettes...

Ideal for spring, this week’s recipe from Andy Oliver (Head Chef of critically acclaimed Som Saa) in collaboration with Singha Beer is completely vegetarian. A Thai aubergine salad with soft boiled eggs and roasted rice powder, the dish is healthy and quick to prepare – ready in just 30 minutes. In addition, the flavours of this dish are perfectly paired with Singha Beer, brewed using a blend of sweet, earthy and spicy flavours to complement Thai cuisine. “This is a...

With such a boom in e-commerce, is the future of Master Butchery really as depressing as we're often informed? Royal Warrant-awarded online meat suppliers Donald Russell champion Master Butchery and lesser-known cuts of meat. It’s a curiously warm Tuesday morning on the brink of winter rolling aside for spring to frolic on to the scene like a new born lamb, and there’s a knock at the door. A man carrying a polystyrene container almost as big as a chest freezer...

Britain's smallest microbrewery is producing 1,000 pints a week - from inside a garden shed. The Bulletproof Brew Co has been created in the back garden of founder Patrick Lawrence's mum's house. Mr Lawrence and co-director Connor Johnson are now struggling to cope with demand and say the 400 litres of German-style craft lager they are able to pump out every week is being snapped up. Their products - Hollow Point Helles, Schwarz Beer, and the 6.7 per cent ABV...

This weekend teams from Oxford and Cambridge Universities will take to the Thames to compete in the 163rd Boat Race. The annual race will feature both men's and women's teams in a head-to-head from Putney Bridge to Chiswick Bridge. Cambridge, who beat the Italian national crew in preparation for the 2017 race, won by two-and-a-half lengths last year, ending a run of three wins on the spin for the Oxford crew. The 2017 Boat Race will take place on Sunday, April...