Josh Barrie

Lidl’s first pub, The Middle Ale in Dundonald, east Belfast, cost £500,000, created at least eight jobs and secured a licence by acquiring one from a nearby closed venue. The clean, brightly branded pub attracts shoppers and locals in an area with few drinking establishments, but its £5–£6 pints are not especially cheap and it serves no food beyond crisps and nuts. The venue’s opening highlights Northern Ireland’s restrictive one-in, one-out licensing system, which critics say limits competition and harms independent hospitality businesses. Despite some locals viewing the pub as useful and welcoming, the reviewer finds its supermarket-operated, novelty atmosphere wears off quickly and does not plan to return.

Restaurant chefs and hospitality workers describe increasingly elaborate and disruptive influencer behavior, including bathroom photoshoots with lighting equipment, costume changes, tripods, staged solo meals and filming during service. While influencers can generate valuable publicity—one reportedly offered a five-minute Instagram video for £30,000—staff say some prioritize content over food, safety and consideration for other diners. Restaurants are responding with designated seating, time limits and phone restrictions, while trying to retain the marketing benefits of social media exposure.

Sunions, a tear-free onion variety developed in the United States and imported from Spain, is now sold by Waitrose in the UK. The writer’s test found that rubbing and chopping the onions caused no tears, supporting the product’s tearless claim. However, Sunions were sweeter and less pungent than standard onions, making them more appealing for salads than for strongly flavoured stews, soups or stocks. A bag of three costs £1.60, making the convenience relatively expensive.

Many popular chocolate bars contain less cocoa than consumers may expect, with McVitie’s Penguin and Club now labeled “chocolate flavour” after reformulation. Nutritionists say cocoa can provide potential benefits through polyphenols and flavonoids, but mass-produced bars often offset these with high levels of sugar, fats, emulsifiers and other additives. Dark chocolate is not automatically healthier: Cadbury Bournville has a nutritional profile close to Dairy Milk, while products such as Green & Black’s 85% Dark and Hu’s Simple Dark Chocolate are presented as cleaner choices. The article recommends checking ingredient lists, prioritizing high-cocoa products and consuming chocolate in moderation.

A taste test ranks seven UK high-street coffee chains from worst to best, with Black Sheep last, followed by Greggs, Pret, Costa, Caffe Nero, Starbucks and Blank Street in first place. The writer strongly criticizes Costa, Pret and Caffe Nero for bitter, harsh or low-quality coffee, while praising Blank Street’s flavor despite disliking its automated machines. The ranking is set against changes in Britain’s coffee market: consumers increasingly value specialty beans, trained baristas, provenance and sustainability, while rising climate-related supply costs, rents, wages and utilities pressure large chains. Costa’s performance has reportedly disappointed Coca-Cola, potentially making it vulnerable to a sale or private-equity takeover, even as branded coffee shops and out-of-home coffee consumption continue to grow.

Pizza Express has launched Pizza O'Clock, a £17.50 bottomless-pizza offer available from 2pm to 5pm for 90 minutes. Customers can order unlimited classic-base Margherita, American or Padana pizzas, provided they finish each one before ordering another. The reviewer eats two pizzas and finds the deal good value but physically excessive, while questioning whether quantity alone can restore the chain's relevance amid intense competition and rising hospitality costs. Pizza Express is promoting the offer as a social afternoon experience, and its CEO says the company has moved beyond recent financial difficulties after a £55m refinancing deal, but the chain will need to rely on its heritage and nostalgia as newer pizza styles and competitors continue to attract diners.

Gloucester Services, operated by the family-owned Westmorland Group, is praised as the UK’s best motorway service station after a Which? survey. The feature highlights its countryside-inspired architecture, lake, farm shop, local producers and higher-quality food, while acknowledging that prices are steep, including £11.50 for two arancini. Westmorland’s origins in Tebay, Cumbria, its sustainable farming heritage and plans for a fourth site at Tatton in Cheshire are also explored.

A visit to The Talbot in Blackpool, Britain’s first Reform UK-branded pub, finds a busy venue combining inexpensive food, bingo, snooker and football with a strong political identity. Landlords Nick Lowe and Peter Flynn say the rebrand has increased trade by 50–60 per cent and attracted Reform supporters from across Britain. Customers describe disillusionment with the Conservative Party, opposition to net-zero policies and concerns about immigration, poverty and neglected veterans. The pub’s success illustrates how Reform is building grassroots spaces and community networks, while also exposing a society divided between people who feel alienated from mainstream politics and those unsettled by the party’s rise.

Pastry chef Graham Hornigold says a woman claiming to be his long-lost mother, terminally ill and descended from Brunei royalty, manipulated him into giving her about £300,000. She initially paid for lavish expenses before asking to borrow money, while exploiting his longing for a parental identity and deceiving his family and friends. The scam contributed to the breakdown of Hornigold’s relationship, the separation from his partner Heather and their son, and substantial ongoing debt. His experience, along with those of other victims, is documented in Netflix’s Con Mum; Hornigold says the support of his hospitality colleagues has helped him recover and rebuild his life.

Farmer Pete Thompson is developing commercial olive cultivation at Brook Farm on Essex’s Tendring Peninsula, where warmer, drier conditions and free-draining soil appear suitable for several olive varieties. Working with Belazu, he has moved from small hand-pressed samples toward mechanical processing and hopes to produce around 500 bottles of British extra virgin olive oil next Christmas. The project forms part of a wider shift toward premium crops, restorative farming and diversification as climate change, changing consumer tastes and weaknesses in Britain’s food supply chain affect traditional agriculture. Success remains dependent on a reliable hot, dry growing season and the development of local expertise in harvesting and processing.

Chefs share practical ways to improve Christmas dinner, including brining and properly resting turkey, using a butter-and-wine muslin cloth, preparing vegetables in advance, and cooking roast potatoes with specialized techniques. Other suggestions include miso, Marmite or MSG for more savoury gravy, brioche crumbs in bread sauce, slow-roasted carrots, edible cauliflower leaves, and mince-pie ice cream. Several chefs stress preparation, temperature control and choosing smaller birds to avoid dry meat.

Greggs’ new outlet in the affluent Somerset town of Bruton has divided residents. Critics say the chain’s prominent branding, inexpensive processed food and high-street presence clash with the town’s conservation setting and farm-to-table culinary reputation. Supporters argue that Greggs provides affordable food for lower-income residents and is popular with local students. Despite the controversy, the shop is attracting customers, and the article concludes that Bruton is likely to accommodate the chain.

IKEA’s first standalone UK restaurant in Hammersmith, west London, offers highly affordable meals including £5.50 meatballs, 85p hotdogs and £6.95 fish and chips. The restaurant attracted thousands of customers shortly after opening, with quieter upstairs seating providing a better experience than the busy ground floor. IKEA plans further restaurants, including a 100-cover venue at its forthcoming Oxford Street store and another in Brighton, as part of a strategy to build accessible community hubs in British high streets.

Restaurant guides, especially the Michelin Guide, have flaws including opaque criteria and a focus on fine dining, but they provide many restaurants with credibility, visibility and customers. Claims that Michelin awards cause restaurants to fail confuse correlation with causation, as closures are more plausibly driven by difficult economic conditions. Chefs including Andy Beynon, Sat Bains and Jonny Lake say Michelin recognition is vital to their businesses, while restaurants that relinquish stars may simply be choosing a different operating model.

A food writer travels 127 miles from London to the Dew Drop Inn in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, to try its now-famous cheese and onion cob: a soft white roll containing a very thick slice of Cheddar and large pieces of raw onion. Pub manager Savannah Webb explains that the snack has been popular locally for about a decade and that social-media attention has led the pub to sell up to 200 a day. Despite its austere appearance and enormous portions, the writer finds it satisfying, punchy and well suited to drinking beer, and leaves determined to return.

Salad cream, once threatened by declining popularity among younger consumers, is experiencing a revival as Gen Z discovers and embraces the traditional British condiment. Its 110th anniversary, renewed attention on TikTok and appearances on Grasso’s London menu are presented as signs of its cultural staying power. Heinz figures cited in the column indicate that salad cream remains Britain’s fifth most popular condiment, is bought by roughly a third of households and generates more than £30 million in annual sales. The piece argues that changing British tastes should not displace older food traditions and concludes with a strong personal endorsement of salad cream as a dip for boiled eggs.

Josh Barrie argues that Heinz’s £2 tinned carbonara should not be judged as an attempt to recreate authentic Roman carbonara, which traditionally uses guanciale, egg, pecorino and black pepper. Although the product is nutritionally limited and unlikely to satisfy Italian food purists, he welcomes it as an inexpensive, convenient comfort food, drawing on fond memories of eating canned meals with toast and grated cheese while home alone as a child.

Josh Barrie experiments with waking at 5:15am and going to bed around sunset to synchronize his sleep with daylight. Although the first mornings feel productive, inconsistent bedtimes, insufficient sleep, commuting and the loss of evening social life leave him fatigued and zombie-like. Sleep experts Sophie Bostock and Max Kirsten explain that abrupt schedule changes can create jet lag, sleep consistency matters more than following sunrise and sunset rigidly, and individual chronotypes differ. Barrie ultimately returns to a roughly midnight-to-7am routine that better fits his life.

The writer pays a TaskRabbit worker £24 an hour to queue at London taqueria CDMX Tacos, allowing a nearly hour-long wait to be avoided for a small additional cost. The practice is becoming more common as internet hype drives crowds to popular restaurants, bakeries and bars that do not take reservations. Although queueing services can provide useful help for errands and people with limited time, the writer argues that paying someone to wait for restaurant food feels ethically uncomfortable and reflects the privilege of being able to buy convenience.

Pickle juice is presented as a sour, fermented drink that may help athletes manage dehydration and muscle cramps because it contains electrolytes and acetic acid, which may trigger a nervous-system response that relaxes muscles. England footballer Kieran Trippier and tennis players including Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe are cited as users. Sports nutritionist Rob Hobson says it can work quickly but stresses that the science is not conclusive. The article also highlights pickle juice’s culinary uses in cocktails and the growing business of Suffolk-based producer The Pickle House.

Pet nat, a naturally fermented sparkling wine, is gaining mainstream popularity in the UK as an affordable and low-intervention alternative to prosecco and champagne. Marks & Spencer has begun selling its own £15 English rosé pet nat, signaling growing consumer interest despite concerns about the wine’s unpredictable production. Natural wine bars and producers report rising demand, especially among younger drinkers, while highlighting pet nat’s sustainability, relatively low alcohol content and suitability for casual occasions. The trend could benefit English winemaking and encourage increased production.

Josh Barrie argues that supermarket sandwiches, exemplified by Marks & Spencer’s £6 “posh” egg mayonnaise and watercress sandwich, are overpriced, heavily marketed and of mediocre quality. He contrasts Britain’s packaged convenience lunches with the fresher café culture of Italy and Spain, and suggests bringing food from home or buying freshly made sandwiches from independent sellers instead.

Crémant, French sparkling wine made outside the Champagne region using traditional bottle-fermentation methods, is gaining popularity in Britain as consumers seek affordable alternatives to champagne and increasingly look beyond prosecco. Waitrose and Marks & Spencer report substantial sales growth, while pubs and restaurants say customers value crémant's complexity and freshness. Crémant from Burgundy, the Loire, Jura and Alsace is widely available in supermarkets for roughly £8.49 to £15.99, compared with more than £40 for many champagnes, positioning it as both a budget-friendly and higher-quality alternative to prosecco.

A sudden government decision to reduce the pollack catch quota to zero has placed Mevagissey’s small and medium-sized fishing boats under severe financial pressure. Fishermen say they received only two weeks’ notice and cannot readily switch species because their boats, nets, licences and fishing seasons are specialised; one fisherman has sold his boat while another is relying on work aboard other vessels. Defra says affected under-10-metre boats can apply for £6 million in fisheries grants, but many of Mevagissey’s 62 registered boats exceed that threshold. Local fishermen and the harbourmaster warn that the restrictions threaten family incomes, the historic harbour and the wider community’s fishing heritage, even as they acknowledge that pollack stocks have declined and require protection.

Benjamin Newman, known as Spudman, has turned his Tamworth jacket-potato trailer into a viral sensation after TikTok videos attracted more than two million followers. The business now sells up to 1,000 potatoes on busy days, drawing customers from across the UK and abroad, generating wider benefits for local shops and other potato vendors, and supporting two additional full-time employees. Newman has kept prices at £5 for three potato halves despite the surge in demand, emphasizing accessibility and consistent quality. He credits local Melody potatoes, hot ovens, efficient queue management and generous toppings for the business’s appeal. The growth is especially significant because he runs the business while managing kidney failure and lifelong dialysis, and he values the flexibility social media provides.

Greggs has grown from a North East family bakery into a national institution, with more than 2,300 shops, sharply rising sales and plans for further expansion and longer opening hours. The writer argues that this success has crossed a cultural tipping point: Greggs’ former underdog charm and regional identity are being replaced by an impersonal corporate presence. Although its convenience and affordability remain powerful, the article questions whether Britain’s hospitality sector and food culture should become so dependent on mass-market sausage rolls.

The UK restaurant and hospitality sector is facing widespread closures due to rising energy, rent and food costs, the cost-of-living crisis and reduced customer footfall. While some businesses remain successful through strong service, value and quality, even many good independent venues are now struggling. Diners who can afford to eat out are urged to support local restaurants and pubs, while the public should lobby MPs for more sustainable VAT and business-rate policies to protect hospitality businesses and community spaces.

Tim Martin’s knighthood has angered many independent pub landlords and restaurateurs who blame his outspoken Brexit support, and the wider political establishment, for worsening staffing and trading conditions in hospitality. The sector is facing closures driven by energy and food costs, business rates, VAT, falling demand and labor shortages, with independent businesses especially vulnerable to Wetherspoon’s scale and low prices. Several publicans criticize Martin’s influence and his relationship with the Conservative government, while others argue that building and sustaining a large, adaptable pub chain is a significant achievement deserving recognition.

The piece argues that Veganuary has lost momentum and failed to translate growing sign-ups into sustained consumer demand for meat-free products. Farmers, restaurateurs and food-industry figures criticize the campaign as a simplistic, short-term gesture and instead advocate eating less but higher-quality meat, buying locally and seasonally, improving communication between farmers and consumers, and addressing ultra-processed food and fossil-fuel emissions. Market data cited in the article indicates falling household purchases and sales volumes of meat-free products.

The UK vegan cheese market has become more mainstream and sophisticated, although many products remain highly processed and nutritionally weak. Researchers at the University of Nottingham and The Good Pulse Company have developed Cheese from Peas, a pea-based cheese substitute made from UK-grown yellow peas with convincing texture and melting properties. Its flavour still needs to be developed with a commercial flavour house, but the creators believe it could reach consumers within a year. The product could provide a new market for British farmers while offering a more sustainable and potentially nutritious alternative to existing vegan cheeses.

France’s reputation as Europe’s culinary benchmark is portrayed as outdated, with many ordinary restaurants allegedly relying on reheated or factory-made food rather than cooking from scratch. The French government will require restaurants from 2025 to label dishes prepared elsewhere, following the failure of a voluntary homemade-food label and amid inflation and rising energy costs. The writer welcomes the measure while arguing that London’s diversity and innovation increasingly make it a stronger culinary capital, despite Britain’s own shortcomings.

Waitrose’s launch of a £5 meal deal is portrayed as a sign that the cost-of-living crisis has spread even to affluent shoppers. Although the deal is more expensive than comparable offers and the writer dislikes the repetitive nature of meal deals, it appears attractive because lunchtime food has become so costly, particularly at Pret. The piece argues that affordable, quick and reasonably balanced lunches are increasingly difficult to find, while the need for discounts at an upscale supermarket signals broader economic decline.