Gordon Ramsay’s TV show comes to life at the Cumberland Hotel In the heart of London, the Cumberland Hotel is now home to Hell’s Kitchen, one of Gordon Ramsay’s American restaurants. Inspired by the eponymous TV show, which launched in 2005, there are already seven restaurants scattered across the USA, one in Ibiza and now […]
The Pierhouse Hotel: Coastal Elegance in Port Appin
Scottish Hospitality and Charm at the Pierhouse, A small but perfectly formed Boutique Hotel I’m kicking off a big Scottish adventure in 2026, starting with a family visit and a trip to Mull, home of Clan Maclean, before eventually making the move to Edinburgh later this year. Since Oban is the main jumping-off point for […]
Teal Restaurant, Hackney
Little Chef Sally finds her home in Hackney, a charming little British Bistro There’s nothing that makes me happier than seeing someone like Sally Abé come into her own in a setting like Teal that seems ‘just so’. We’ve known her work since she took over as head chef at The Harwood Arms. At the […]
Hawksmoor Sunday Roast
There’s no beefing about this classic Sunday lunch How can we have gone so long without reviewing the Hawksmoor Sunday roast? It feels less like an oversight and more like something that needed the right occasion. The special occasion turned out to be my birthday, or at least the first Sunday after it. A very […]
The Authenticator
In The Authenticator, the act of proving what is real becomes inseparable from uncovering what has been deliberately hidden Some years ago, I travelled to Antigua to cover Sailing Week, an extravagant festival held every year at the end of the Caribbean sailing season with exclusive champagne parties, mega-yachts with professional crew and massive events […]
Siegfried – Royal Ballet and Opera Ring Cycle
Barry Kosky continues his Ring Cycle at the RBO with a Five-Star Siegfried In Siegfried, the third part of Der Ring des Nibelungen, Richard Wagner shifts the focus away from the troubled world of the gods towards the energy of youth on earth. This is storytelling through opera, where the theatre is crucial and the […]
Fulham Pier Hotel
Small but Perfectly Formed, with amazing river views – Fulham Pier Hotel is an oasis of calm. Have you heard of Fulham Pier? Despite being close to my last London home, and despite travelling regularly to the area to see friends, I didn’t know much about the place. It’s a relatively new development, opened in […]
Royal Philharmonic Society Awards 2026
For the Love of Music Despite my background in music (I have a degree in music and many years of singing in choirs and playing piano and violin as an amateur), an invitation to the Royal Philharmonic Society awards left me slightly confused. I’d heard of the awards, of course, but thought that the Royal […]
Carte Blanche at Salut!
Local dining in style at Salut! Islington The brainchild of Martin Lange, who grew up in a family-run restaurant in northeast Germany, Salut! is a small neighbourhood restaurant in Islington, founded in 2016, with Martin running front of house and his brother (and co-founder) Christoph in the kitchen. Although Christoph has returned to Germany, Salut! […]
Britain’s Bayeux Tapestry – Reading
1066 and all that – Elizabeth Wardle’s Arts and Crafts Bayeux Tapestry. What must it have been like for the women of Canterbury who embroidered the authentic Bayeux Tapestry? Imagine your country has just been conquered, and you have to spend the next few months making a celebratory embroidery for the enemy. The 70-metre embroidery […]