Fish n Chips – still flying the flag after 150 years

Fish and Chips, now 150 years old is, depending on where you live in the UK, good bad or downright terrible. The dish that helped batter Hitler – it was never rationed and special trains were laid on to ensure the whole country got their portions every day – has in too many places descended to be a sad shadow of its former sel

Avalon opens in Shoreditch – ironic trilbys get a night out

Avalon grew on me as the night progressed, but a couple of things still spoiled my evening. A packed guest list meant that the venue was too full and made moving around almost impossible. Then there’s the lighting, which baffled me. If your main clientele are the colourful array that Avalon will presumably attract then covering everyone in red lighting, which not only dulls outfits but also conceals the luxurious décor, seems a wrong decision.

Bellevue-designed to a T

It’s not often we spend more time in the office looking at packaging rather than the food within it, but the Bellevue Tea sample pack had designers rushing over from their Macs to coo and drool over this elegant tea’s exterior.

Le Garrick, Covent Garden, London

No one’s looking for Michelin Stars at Le Garrick; it exists to serve well-priced., well-cooked food in a cosy, clubby, environment. And it is very well-priced particularly at lunchtime with set menus. They’ve launched the Lunch Club which gives a 10% discount off a lunch bill to all members. Membership is free, so what’s not to like about that?

Tom Aiken turns up at Somerset House

The well-known River Terrace Café at Somerset House has been completely re-designed to become Tom’s Terrace when it opens on 29 April. Underneath a futuristic canopy diners will enjoy protection from the London summer whilst enjoying stunning views of the river Thames.

Great British Food

All of GB’s best and unique ingredients are used here, venison, ham hocks, beetroots, John Dory, rare pork breeds, Somerset cider Cromer crabs – the list goes on and on reading as a roll call of all the things we can be proud to call British. Preferably raising a pint of warm beer into the air as we do so while litter flaps around our ankles in a bracing seaside breeze.