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.

‘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.

London loves a party, especially a Christmas themed one, and so we’ve made a list of the top 5 places to go this Christmas for an after work drink or a Saturday night social. From cloistered booths to large open spaces, cabarets to ski lodges this selection will have something for everyone from Chelsea to Canary Wharf.

That haven of tartan, Boisdale, is with Wright Brothers Soho holding an Oyster Festival until next April at its branches in Belgravia, Bishopsgate and Canary Wharf. Connoisseurs can shuck six winning oysters that were chosen from nearly 600 after an epic oyster judging championship earlier this month

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.

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.