Restaurateur Des McDonald discusses the burger revolution, forests and what it means to have cooking in your blood December 7, 2014 Sitting in your own month-old restaurant would be extremely exciting for most people. It is for Des McDonald too, except this is one of six – and they’ve all opened within the last two years. His second branch of The Fish & Chip Shop is the latest, and it’s bringing the City what McDonald describes [...]
A day in the life of a chef on the world’s finest yachts November 23, 2014 It sounds like a dream job, but serving food on the high seas to the world’s elite comes with its own challenges. People assume being a chef on a super-yacht – the kind you see in Hello magazine – is a dream job. In many ways they’re right, of course. But it’s not [...]
From Vibease to Elon Musk’s underwhelming big reveal, here are nine of the worst inventions of 2014 December 13, 2014 If you're looking for Christmas present ideas, you've come to the wrong listicle. This is all about the worst inventions of 2014, and there have been some real crackers. If you end up with one of these under the tree, you know your family hate you. 1. Pizza Hut's mind-reading menu app We're pretty certain [...]
48 Hours in… Budapest October 13, 2014 Where to stay Brody House is a great reflection of the new, young Budapest. You don’t just get a room – you get an “inspiring space”, and it’s as well known for its parties as its suites. The rooms are beautiful in their own right, though, with a cool, shabby-chic vibe. brodyhouse.com Where [...]
Chateau Gütsch: Journey to Lucerne, the ticking heart of watchmaking January 11, 2015 Overlooking Lucerne, Chateau Gütsch is a belle-epoque retreat with a horological secret. As a writer with a particular penchant for Swiss watchmaking, I probably use the term “chocolate box” far too frequently. Hard not to when describing a springtime visit to an atelier nestled in the verdant Jura foothills, surrounded by cows and their clanking [...]
The Supper Club founder Duncan Cheatle talks cowboys, venture capital and safe spaces January 25, 2015 If you ask Duncan Cheatle, founder of members-only entrepreneur networking group The Supper Club, to describe his formative entrepreneurial experience, you’re instantly transported. “Like lots of entrepreneurs, the first early thing I did was to sell tuck,” he tells me. “I guess there’s a limit to what you can do as a kid to show [...]
Institutions get a stronger hand in new issues April 14, 2014 THE PENDULUM of power in the new issues market could swing back to institutional investors this summer after a spate of companies floated so far this year sank underwater. Big name issues in London including Brit Group, Just Eat, AO World and Pets at Home have all fallen below the price they floated at in [...]
Going places: The Source founder James Crabb talks risk-taking and velour sofas December 14, 2014 It was just time to do something completely different,” James Crabb tells me. He’s talking about going from managing director of global technology and operations at Deutsche Bank to founding The Source, a digital lifestyle business that satisfies the emerging affluents’ every need – from food, wine, travel and childcare to art, home interiors and [...]
Inside Track: Three reasons why the new issues market is struggling April 24, 2014 AS ADVISERS to Saga put the final touches to the largest flotation so far this year in the London new issues market, it is an opportune time to look at where we stand. Few could deny that the London new issues market, so dormant a couple of years ago, has come back to life. Since [...]
From banking to barista: Meet Notes director Edward Halfon February 8, 2015 Mass-produced coffee is out: new, hip speciality cafes are in. Former financier Edward Halfon tells Annabel Denham how the founders of food and wine “destination” Notes plan to indulge our ever-evolving taste buds. Recent research from the small business website Startups.co.uk found that “cult cafes” will become the hottest business opportunity over the next 12 [...]