Putting the new Audi R8 through its paces on some hair-raising roads from Calais to Paris to Provence September 25, 2019 The Audi R8 is a mid-engined supercar with multiple personalities. Ideal, therefore, for a blast through France to visit three characterful but very different hotels. The 2019 Audi R8 might have only received a mild facelift but it can still stop people in their tracks. From the front, I worry that the recent nip-tuck makes [...]
Boris Johnson visits damaged Derbyshire dam as storms expected August 3, 2019 Work to repair a damaged dam in Derbyshire and prevent it bursting has entered its third day as the Met Office warns of thunderstorms and possible flooding. Despite work being carried out to reduce the water level, the risk of collapse is still at a “critical level”, and there is a yellow weather warning in [...]
Ferrari Dino ‘Evo’ review: This modified Italian stallion is a £300,000 delight June 3, 2019 Ferraris are works of automotive art, says conventional wisdom; modifying one is like daubing Dulux on the Sistine Chapel. Not that Kevin O’Rourke seems concerned. His Ferrari Dino ‘Evo’ will be among the star cars at London Concours tomorrow and Thursday, while another Dino built by his company, Mototechnique – the 400hp, F40-engined ‘Monza’ – [...]
British winemaker Chapel Down grows revenue after record-breaking harvest May 30, 2019 British winemaker Chapel Down boosted revenue last year following a record-breaking harvest. The figures Group sales increased by 10 per cent overall, to £13m in the year to the end of December 2018. Sales of wine and spirits were up 11 per cent to £8.9m and beer and cider sales jumped by 10 per cent [...]
We planned a foodie road trip around Wales that you can complete in four days November 27, 2018 It took me 30 years to get to Wales. I never had an aversion to it, it was just easier to get on a plane than it was to learn how to drive. As a lifelong Londoner with no family to visit regularly beyond the M25, there was no immediate reason to learn, so I [...]
Don’t like new build homes in glass towers? We round up the best conversion homes in characterful period buildings November 12, 2018 You want to buy a new house, but you don’t want to live in a soulless shell. There’s good news: the historic conversion market is continuing to boom, with London’s ancient buildings being scaffolded as we speak. Hampstead Manor, at the heart of which is white-stucco mansion Kidderpore Hall, is one such development. It’s being [...]
Sun shines on Chapel Down as Kent vineyards double harvest October 24, 2018 British winemaker Chapel Down said it has the weather to thank for a record-breaking harvest. The Kent-based winery has more than doubled its previous record take in 2014 as the right weather came in the “right order”. Read more: Winemakers running out of storage space in wake of 'record' harvest Chief executive Frazer Thompson said [...]
Gintastic: Chapel Down to open new Kings Cross gin bar amid healthy results September 27, 2018 English drinks firm Chapel Down posted its results with a twist this morning, revealing a new bar, restaurant and gin distillery venture to be opened in Kings Cross in March 2019. Named the Chapel Down Gin Works, chief executive Frazer Thompson is hoping to build on the success of its vodka and gin products [...]
NEX Exchange Profile – Chapel Down Group PLC September 12, 2018 Frazer Thompson heads up the UK’s most successful wine producer- the Chapel Down Group, which is quoted on NEX Exchange. Aside from a multitude of accolades and awards for its wines, the company really came to the notice of the general public in 2011, when Chapel Down was widely reported to have been served at [...]
Chapel Down bolsters position as UK’s largest winemaker with new vineyard September 6, 2018 Chapel Down has announced the acquisition of another patch of land in Kent, affirming its position as the largest producer of English wine. The site in Boxley adjoins the company's existing vineyards in the North Downs, meaning it will be able to create England's largest vineyard. It adds 388 acres of land which will be vined [...]