Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason – restaurant review
London! What do we think of? Historic continuity, elegance, refinement – and tea. So much of what visitors seek in this capital city includes one...
Winter Club Sandwich at Andaz Liverpool Street London – review
There seems to be no waning of the popularity of afternoon tea. It was, quite a while back, regarded as chintzy and stuffy but now...
Restaurant Thirty Six at Dukes Hotel – review
Think about Old London and what scene comes to mind? Fog, intertwined alleys and hidden courtyards, probably. Iron railings, warm brick, brass plaques. And hotels:...
Chef Matthew Tomkinson, The Terrace, Montagu Arms, Beaulieu – interview
He is a Michelin-starred chef and a Roux Scholarship winner but Chef Matthew Tomkinson seems untouched by his celebrity. He is a nice bloke who...
Mercer Street Hotel and Dial Restaurant – review
The neighbourhood belongs to the Worshipful Company of Mercers. A mercer was a dealer in textiles and The Mercers’ Company is one of the 108...
Anderida, Ashdown Park Hotel – restaurant and hotel review
Ashdown Forest is an ancient area of heathland about 30 miles (48 km) south of London in East Sussex. It was once a medieval hunting...
Andaz London for Afternoon Tea – restaurant review
Originally designed by Charles Barry and his son, Charles Edward Barry, the hotel opened in 1884, after ten years in construction. It was extended in...
Black and Blue Classic Steaks – restaurant review
It’s been a while since I had a steak. My dining companions will very often choose a hunk of meat, where I’ll go for a...
Humphry’s Restaurant – Stoke Park – review
It is indeed a park, and a world-renowned 27-hole golf course set in landscaped grounds. Lots of facilities for club members, as well as for...
Clive Dixon at The White Oak in Cookham – restaurant review
Cookham is an iconic and quintessentially English village near enough to London to be accessible even for lunch or dinner but far enough away to...
The Dorchester for Afternoon Tea – restaurant review
I am an unashamed supporter of The Dorchester. It’s iconic and has endured – it’s been around for decades, since the start of the 1930s,...
Roast for Lunch – a menu by new chef Marcus Verberne – review
Roast is a very aptly named restaurant in London’s famed Borough Market. That might conjure images of a steamy-windowed greasy-spoon cafe (note no accent over...
Bread Street Kitchen from Gordon Ramsay – restaurant review
Bread Street is a ward of the City of London in the neighbourhood of Cheapside, and its name is taken from its main thoroughfare, which...
Afternoon Tea at Dukes – restaurant review
Dukes boutique hotel is tucked away in a quiet courtyard in London’s stylish St James’s. It was the winner of “England’s Leading Boutique Hotel” at...
Auberge du Lac at Brocket Hall – hotel and restaurant review
Stately Homes have always held a fascination. Great houses set amongst manicured lawns, and trees often grown from seedlings collected by intrepid botanists a couple...
The Dorchester – for breakfast – restaurant review
It’s one of London’s most iconic hotels. Ask any local or tourist to name a couple of the most famous hotels in London and the...
Penny Black for Dinner, Chelsea – restaurant review
The Fulham Road isn’t my usual hunting ground, although it’s well served by public transport and easily accessible, but after my recent dining experience I...
InterContinental for Afternoon Tea and Summer – review
London is acknowledged to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It’s been a magnet for tourists for generations. Plenty of celebrated...
108 Marylebone Lane – restaurant review
Oxford Street has its chain retail outlets and stalls stocked with goods that no self-respecting adolescent tourist would want to live without: plenty of plastic...
Tuttons for Tea – restaurant review
Henry VIII dissolved all of England’s monastic properties in 1540, because he couldn’t get his way with the Catholic church and the ‘Bishop of Rome’...