The trouble with Marmite marketing started when they handed over the concept, and a large sum of money no doubt, to the Social Media marketers, the ones who sit around sockless in Hoxton, talk a lot of impenetrable jargon about Web 2 and attempt to grow beards before the hormones are ready to oblige.
Elena’s L’Etoile, 30 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 2NG
Elena’s L’Etoile, with its bistro charm, kicks out naughty frills and Frenchness like the can-can. Its eclectic and Art Deco decoration includes random brass wall inlays and two stained glass windows inserted in the ceiling. Pictures of actors and slebs – not all visitors – plaster the tobacco-coloured walls. Diners are respectable, good-humoured, full of bonhomie.
Hard Rock 150 Old Park Lane, London W1K 1QZ
If only I could get into my loft – piled high from the entrance to the back – to dig out diaries from my late teens and early 20s. Did I first go to the Hard Rock Café between school and travelling or after I got back from my not quite two year north American trip?
Manseng and Musketeers
Is it fair to compare an offspring’s prowess with their parents’? Amidst visits to artisan producers of maple syrup coloured, orange and prune scented, addictively supple Armagnac in the drink’s 700th year, I tipsily ventured to the respective restaurants of father and son, Éric and Pepito Sampietro, deep in France’s Gers.
Great recipes for Welsh lamb
The latest dishes to hit the culinary catwalk from Welsh Lamb add an edgy twist to Britain’s best-loved meals, and with nearly a third of shoppers specifically buying locally sourced food*, there has never been a better time to cut down on your carbon footprint and get cooking with Welsh Lamb.
Top Five Turkeys, the most popular and best free range fresh turkeys on sale this Christmas
O come all ye serious foodies, if you’re planning to be the host with the most this Christmas you need to be ordering your favourite feathered friend right now.
When You Entertain, family friendly recipes to share with Coca-Cola
Open mind or not, I won’t be converted to drinking Coca-Cola any time soon, but this book has left me very open to its possibilities as an ingredient. When You Entertain charmed me with cheery presentation, accessible recipes and its ethos that good food is for sharing.
The long road to Mother’s Ruin, Sipsmiths distillery tour
Behind one nondescript blue door on a quiet residential street in Hammersmith, a single garage is the home of the microdistillery producing award-winning spirits. Located on the site of a former microbrewery, Sipsmiths is the brain-child of Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall. Taking advantage of a little wintry sunshine, Qin Xie went to meet the makers to learn a little more.
The Big Game, we go on food safari
The Big Game? Anita Pati dons pith helmet and loads her 12 bore to go on Safari in, errr, well in Clerkenwell actually. She bags us a nice Vietnamese style slow-cooked pork recipe from The Modern Pantry
Degò, Great Portland Street, London W1, a great place to eat on a special occasion, either as a couple or in a larger party
This new restaurant opened on the Market Place corner of Portland House in mid October. Our experience at Degò, was very enjoyable, their food is beautifully presented in its simplicity, excellent quality and tasty. The restaurant has an intimate atmosphere and a stylish, comfortable feel, it’s a great place to go both for quiet dinners with someone special or in a larger party.