Good old Greggs the Bakers. I know they aren’t on the radar of foodies, most fine diners probably don’t know where or what Greggs are, but the La Chavroche of the under classes is bucking recessionary trends and saw underlying sales in the four weeks to 3 January rise by 5.3%.What’s more they plan expansion into the gaping holes that will be left as other shops go out of business. Greggs already currently has 1409 shops which, when you think about it, is an awful lot of cheese and onion pies.
FishWorks Shares Suspended
One of the success stories of Luke Johnson, the man behind for my money the only decent pizza chain, Pizza Express, FishWorks now looks to be in trouble. It’s making a loss and unlike the average angler, is not exaggerating when it says the problems could be bigger than predicted
Chinese New Year at Ping Pong
Ping Pong, the 21st century teahouse and dim sum emporium, is grabbing Chinese New Year by the horns. Teaming up with Sun Lik beer to celebrate the year of the Ox from the 26th January, a sensational selection of new food and drink offerings, alongside free cocktails, are sure to cause a stampede in the capital.
Inn Noodle Restaurant
Even before the credit crunch (or ‘recession’ as we old financial experts still refer to a lack of employment, rising prices and general despair) there was a need for restaurants that delivered well-priced food served without fuss and at some speed. For many people, and I suppose that means young people, food is only a part of the evening, the start and not the main attraction. For them Inn Noodle is just the way to go.
A Veal First For Eagle Bar Diner
Eagle Bar Diner is set to be the first gourmet style burger restaurant in London to serve an organic veal burger on their menu. The ‘British Organic Veal Burger’ will offer consumers the opportunity to sample the gourmet meat at both an affordable and ethical price. Produced from the award winning Helen Browning Organics farm in Wiltshire, the burger is 100% British Rosé Veal, and will be available from January 12th 2009.
Rude Health at Valentine’s
There’s plenty of oomph in oatmeal. If you want to enjoy an orgasmic breakfast-in-bed this Valentine’s Day, Rude Health suggests serving up a healthy portion of their organic porridge or muesli. A bowl of ‘Morning Glory’ porridge, with creamy British organic oats, widely reputed to enhance libido by re-balancing oestrogen and testosterone levels, will help to keep your stamina up all morning thanks to their low GI score and iron content.
date and walnut cake
We all do it, there is some madness which happens to us just before Christmas and we become domestic goddesses, with the need to fill the house with everything and anything that anyone could possible crave over the holiday. Come January, we find ourselves with bowls of nuts waiting to be shelled and those ubiquitous boxes of dates, bought because Granny always likes them
Marmite at the Dorchester
Two British institutions; Marmite and The Dorchester, are set to form the quintessentially British partnership of 2009, as they team up in January to serve the first ever Marmite afternoon tea. For a limited time only, The Dorchester’s award-winning afternoon tea will begin with a selection of finger sandwiches that includes delicately sliced cucumber sandwiches with the addition of the nation’s most beloved (and hated!) Marmite.
Feed the family for under a fiver a head
Looking to save money on family feedtime? Sainsbury’s have a solution with a menu in association with top Soho restaurant Quo Vadis. You can knock out this fabulous meal for under a fiver a head,
Al Volo Restaurant
Italian restaurant Al Volo has opened its doors to the evening crowd offering its refreshingly simple interpretation of Italian food to London’s contemporary East End crowd. Located in the heart of London’s trendy Spitalfields Al Volo is a hidden gem and has long been a lunchtime favourite of both city workers and Shoreditch fashionistas alike.