Fine Dining

After hours with... Sandeep Bhalla

After hours with... Sandeep Bhalla

The India-born director of food and beverage at The Berkeley in Knightsbridge has worked in some of the world’s top class hotels. In his current position he has overseen the transformation of Petrus into Marcus Wareing’s eponymous restaurant, and the...

Vongerichten to open Spice Market in London’s W Hotel

Vongerichten to open Spice Market in London’s W Hotel

By Lorraine Heller

Three Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten will be bringing his East Asian-inspired restaurant concept to the UK, where he plans to open Spice Market London in the new W Hotel early next year.

Linking food preparation to flavour is key, finds diner survey

Linking food preparation to flavour is key, finds diner survey

By Lorraine Heller

As we look to the dining trends that are likely to pick up in the new year, a recent survey of UK diners suggests that people are especially interested in discovering new flavours that are linked to the way food is prepared.

John Penrose: Bigging up the Bocuse d’Or

John Penrose: Bigging up the Bocuse d’Or

By John Penrose, Minister for Tourism

John Penrose, Minister for Tourism, believes cooking is Britain's secret "tourism weapon", and urges the whole country to back Simon Hulstone and his bid for the 2011 Bocuse d'Or trophy...

Business profile: Loungers

Business profile: Loungers

By Joe Lutrario

Helmed by Alex Reilley, Loungers is turning heads across the industry with its blend of homely surroundings, genuine all-day dining offer and cleverly located units.

Pub and restaurant sales slow as Christmas approaches

Pub and restaurant sales slow as Christmas approaches

By Lorraine Heller

Pub and restaurant operators will likely face a tough trading environment as we head towards Christmas, as analysts say the latest sector sales figures reveal a challenging time ahead.

Pearls of Wisdom: James Gingell

Pearls of Wisdom: James Gingell

James Gingell is executive development chef at Italian restaurant group Piccolino. He heads up the kitchen teams in 22 sites, and plans to keep re-inventing the dishes and brand.

EcoPure Waters launches in-house water purification

EcoPure Waters launches in-house water purification

By Rachel Johnson

EcoPure Waters has launched a new purification system that will allow restaurants and cafes to serve pure filtered water straight out of the tap and into a refillable bottle for the customer's table.

Burger King launches UK dessert bar

Burger King launches UK dessert bar

By Mark Stretton

Burger King has opened its first UK dessert bar at London’s Westfield shopping centre, the fast food chain has announced.

Christmas party bookings rocket by 73 per cent

Christmas party bookings rocket by 73 per cent

By Rachel Johnson

Restaurants are seeing the renaissance of the office Christmas party, with dining out bookings up by 73 per cent on last year, an online reservations agency has said.

Hospitality industry resilient to ‘arctic’ weather

Hospitality industry resilient to ‘arctic’ weather

By Becky Paskin & Lorraine Heller

The snow and ice affecting many parts of the UK does not seem to have severely affected the hospitality industry, with most restaurants, pubs and hotels continuing to trade as normal.

International buyers eye London’s Hoxton Hotel

International buyers eye London’s Hoxton Hotel

By Lorraine Heller

London’s Hoxton Hotel, which is exploring a potential sale, could attract interest from international investors keen to benefit from a week pound and strong tourism prospects, according to property agents Knight Frank.

Living Ventures launches new Manchester bar

Living Ventures launches new Manchester bar

By Martyn Leek

Living Ventures will this week launch new cocktail bar and restaurant The Alchemist at Manchester's Spinningfields business district, after a £500k investment.

Ian Payne leaves Bay and Town & City

Ian Payne leaves Bay and Town & City

By Becky Paskin

Ian Payne, the industry veteran who recently acquired a £373m pub package from Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) as part of the new start-up Stonegate, has resigned as chairman of both the Bay Restaurant Group and the Town & City Pub Company.

National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme begins roll-out

National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme begins roll-out

By Becky Paskin

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is encouraging local authorities to adopt its new national Food Hygiene Ratings System (FHRS), launched today at Bluewater shopping centre, to reduce the number of annual food poisoning cases.

Clapham House CEO resigns after Nando’s takeover

Clapham House CEO resigns after Nando’s takeover

By Becky Paskin

Paul Campbell has resigned from his position as chief executive of Clapham House, following its recent sale to casual dining restaurant group Nando’s and de-listing from AIM.

Government urged to rethink London tourism cuts

Government urged to rethink London tourism cuts

The tourism industry and the British Hospitality Association (BHA) have written to London Mayor, Boris Johnson, the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, urging them to consider the risks of funding cuts...

The future of hotels, through the eyes of top CEOs

The future of hotels, through the eyes of top CEOs

By Lorraine Heller

CEOs and top executives at Malmaison & Hotel du Vin, CitizenM Hotels, Best Western Hotels and InterContinental Hotels Group share their views on what’s in store for the industry, and where hoteliers should be focusing

Pearls of Wisdom: Wolfgang Puck

Pearls of Wisdom: Wolfgang Puck

By Joe Lutrario

Austrian-born Wolfgang Puck is among America’s most influential chefs. He now operates 17 fine dining restaurants including the two-star Spago in LA, and is set to open steakhouse restaurant CUT at 45 Park Lane next summer.