In the eighties and nineties, the slow-burning TV romance of ‘the Kenco couple’ elevated the brand to the nations’ favourite, igniting the British love for a steamy mug of instant coffee. But how times and tastes have changed.

From the gin sodden debauchery depicted in Hogarth’s Gin Alley of 1751 to the glamorous Martini bars of ritzy hotels, London has been the spiritual home of gin for centuries and its affair continues with a new generation of brands and drinking establishments throughout the capital. Judith Baker, sips her way into 214 Bermondsey

As if it wasn’t specialist enough, restaurant Northbank begins Mead Mondays to mix the honey drink into refreshing cocktails alongside a sampler of the Cornish menu

Now in its 6th year, Peixe em Lisboa takes place over 10 days, with cooking classes, wine pairings, chef demonstrations and tastings provided by top Portuguese restaurants.  Rupert Parker spent a couple of days soaking up the atmosphere and sampling the food.

Hello Fresh is an idea for budding cooks with little time. Every week the chefs create recipes that are claimed to be easy to prepare. They then source the required ingredients from independent British suppliers. We cook up and consider.

Experimental cuisine’s all the rage but is there any substance to it or is it just smoke and mirrors? Catherine Jones finds out courtesy of Colgate

‘Oh Dubai it’s all bling and excess isn’t it, nothing to do, see or eat there’‘ Nick Harman finds the naysayers couldn’t be more wrong.

Gin and Tonic and a tapas or two? Lucy Self finds that at Taramontana Brindisa the odd couple is a marriage made if not in heaven, then at least in Shoreditch

If there’s two things that people love all year round and even more so at times of celebration, it’s chocolate and cheese. Both rich, creamy and yet never to be enjoyed together.

With a wave of property development about to commence across these islands including a private jet terminal and marina – swanky hotels, smart restaurants and fancy bars will no doubt be the order of the day in years to come. But for now, finds Judith Baker there is a taste of the simple life about St Kitts and Nevis which is as sweet as the sugar that made it so loved by the British