‘I use it in bolognaise sauce,’ says Silvena Rowe, her trademark hair for once not in rapid motion around the kitchen of the May Fair Hotel where she’s head chef. She’s taking five minutes out to tell us how she used Kikkoman’s Soy Sauce in the dishes just served us to add salt, umami and the delicious vibrancy good soy brings.

Refettorio’s truffle tasting menu may sound expensive at £125 a head and of course no one can deny that sort of cost is not for everybody. But if you’re on the right side of the great UK rich/poor divide, then actually it’s not bad, as Refettorio have kept the cost the same as last year, despite truffles being more expensive owing to the poor crops.

On one of the most favoured and protected stretches of the Mediterranean coast of France there exist 62 hectares of the luckiest vines. Here at Château Léoube the grapes are treated to a magical combination of roasting sunshine and cooling sea breezes.

Movember seems to be big news this year, with everybody seeking to reward the facially hirsute with all manner of goodies. The hipsters of Shoreditch must be rubbing their hands together in glee. To help you make the most of this, we’ve rounded up some of the offers available. Least we forget, it’s all for a good cause as Movember raises money and awareness for men’s health issues.

It took 8 months for the couple to find the perfect location for what would become their newest enterprise, Artisan, an independent café specialising in the one thing so many others can’t seem to get right, coffee. A space in Putney fit the bill and was far enough away from the coffee franchises that litter the high street, the places they were trying to avoid.