Patisserie Valerie crisis rocks Luke Johnson's business career
Entrepreneur’s business dealings include turning Pizza Express into national chainLuke Johnson made his name – not to mention his multi-million pound fortune – by investing in some of the high street’s...
View ArticleThe Pointer, Brill, Buck: 'If this is the future of hospitality, count me...
A beautifully restored country pub is spoiled by underwhelming service and food to forgetUntil recently, a “mini-break” spent in a “hotel” was the answer to many of life’s woes: exhaustion, ennui,...
View ArticleIt survived a Nazi air raid, but now Patisserie Valerie is in a deep hole
Brexiter Luke Johnson is forced to bail out the Soho cafe he turned into a national chain after it suffers financial catastropheIt’s not the first time Patisserie Valerie has been hit by a bomb: during...
View ArticleWhat price the wisdom of Luke Johnson, when his own company tanks? |...
The Patisserie Valerie chief should look to himself before lecturing others again‘Unfortunately,” Luke Johnson wrote recently, “financial illiteracy permeates society from top to bottom. Too many...
View ArticleParsonage Grill, Oxford: ‘A lazy approach to cooking’ – restaurant review
This pricey but forgettable Oxford establishment is a lesson in disappointmentParsonage Grill, 1-3 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6NN (01865 310 210). Starters £8-£13, mains £17-£33, desserts £6.50-£8.50,...
View ArticleFake restaurateur sends fake stand-ins for TV interviews
Vice writer Oobah Butler sends proxies to appear on radio shows and documentariesA man who tricked TripAdvisor into making his fake restaurant the top-rated destination in London has struck again,...
View ArticleAssheton Arms, Downham, Lancashire: ‘It’s hard not to fall in love with it’ –...
The perfect place to check out of city life and rehabilitate aloneThe Ribble valley is possibly still so beautiful because many people have no idea where it is. I went on holiday to Clitheroe recently....
View ArticleTräkol, Gateshead: ‘Outrageously good’ – restaurant review | Jay Rayner
Housed in shipping units by the Tyne, Träkol serves food so delicious you won’t be able to contain yourselfHillgate Quays, Gateshead NE8 2BH (0191 737 1120). Small plates £3-£8.50, mains £11-£8.50,...
View ArticleOFM Awards 2018: Best Restaurant – Hang Fire Southern Kitchen, Barry
Creole gumbo and Dolly Parton’s favourite brisket, served in the Deep South of Wales, and voted by OFM readers as their restaurant of the yearBest Restaurant – the runners-up“We call it San Fran...
View ArticleOFM Awards 2018: Best Sunday Lunch – runners-up
The UK’s best roasts, veggie options and more, as voted for by OFM readersBest Sunday Lunch 2018The Castle, WalthamstowEastenders love the relaxed atmosphere and, increasingly rare in London, the...
View ArticleOFM Awards 2018: Best Restaurant – the runners-up
OFM readers voted for their favourites from around the UK – from The Gingerman in Brighton to The Whitehouse in the Scottish HighlandsBest Restaurant 2018 Little Viet Kitchen, IslingtonNot your...
View ArticleOFM Awards 2018: Best Sunday Lunch – Queen o’ t’ owd Thatch, South Milford
It’s all about the Yorkshires in this village pub, voted by OFM readers as their favourite spot for Sunday lunchBest Sunday Lunch – the runners-upWe’re very Yorkshire about our Sunday roasts,” says...
View ArticleMore than 50 years on, central London Jewish deli Gaby's is to close
As owner retires, nephew says cafe cannot compete with West End restaurant chains Gaby’s Deli, a landmark Jewish cafe serving salt beef and falafel in the heart of London’s theatreland for more than...
View ArticleOFM Awards 2018: Best Cheap Eats – the runners-up
From fish and chips in Nottingham to quesadillas in Edinburgh – readers’ favourite places to eat for under £15Best Cheap Eats 2018Well Kneaded, BatterseaA repeat runner-up, it’s the vintage van selling...
View ArticleOFM Awards 2018: Best Cheap Eats – Bia Rebel, Belfast
Taking a Japanese classic like ramen and adding Irish flavours may sound like a food revolution too far. But not for this Belfast crewBest Cheap Eats – the runners-up‘Bia’ means food in Irish, but...
View ArticleWhere to get your salt beef in the West End after Gaby’s Deli closes | Letter
Graham Benson on the end of an era for Jewish cafe culture in LondonIn the beginning it was Carrolls, The Nosh Bar and others centred on Great Newport Street in Soho serving piping hot lokshen soup,...
View ArticleOFM Awards 2018: Best Newcomer – Cornerstone, London
With the skills he gained under Nathan Outlaw, Cornerstone chef Tom Brown’s fish-only menu is a classic in the makingThe menu at Cornerstone, Tom Brown’s restaurant in Hackney Wick, east London, is...
View ArticleOFM Awards 2018: Young Chef of the Year – Chris McClurg
From his first job at 16, our judges’ choice was hooked on service – and he’s after seven years with Paul Ainsworth at No 6 in Padstow, he’s never stopped learningWhen Chris McClurg landed in Cornwall...
View ArticleThe chefs who are closing for dinner to pursue a healthier life
Restaurant culture has long been defined by aggression and long hours – and mental and physical breakdowns. But a new generation of chefs are breaking the mouldLast Christmas, Stuart Ralston,...
View ArticleOFM Awards 2018: Best Ethical Food project – runners-up
From green cafes to pop-up supper clubs, readers’ choices of the UK’s best sustainable enterprisesBest Ethical Food Project 2018Allplants.comReady-made vegan meal delivery service, its environmental...
View Article