Eating Dave’s Hot Chicken Reaper Tenders – the best of 2025 Life&Style As Dave’s Hot Chicken opens its second branch in Croydon, we revisit this feature in which magazine editor Steve Dinneen attempts to break a UK record for eating the world’s hottest chicken tenders… It did not end well. I feel lightheaded, short of breath and the room has started to spin. Intense waves of heat radiate [...]
Where chefs eat: the best meals we had in 2025 Life&Style Despite economic headwinds so strong you could forgive most chefs for simply packing up their kitchens and going home, 2025 has been another vintage year for London restaurants. But which ones have made the biggest impression? We asked some of the best chefs in the land which meal they enjoyed the most. Stevie Parle, chef-founder [...]
Jamie Oliver ‘cutting jobs’ ahead of restaurant chain’s return Business A part of Jamie Oliver’s business empire has cut a firth of its workforce, according to reports, as the celebrity chef plans a return to the high street next year. Jamie Oliver Group has shed 25 of its 126 employees through a redundancy round, Sky News has reported. City AM has contacted the group for [...]
Leon to close sites and cut jobs as it enters administration December 10, 2025 Fast-food chain Leon is set to enter administration, close a number of locations and cut jobs as part of a bid by its new owner to turn around the struggling chain. The company was bought back by co-founder John Vincent last month from Asda in a deal reported to be between £30m and £50m, well [...]
Jamie Oliver to bring back Jamie’s Italian in the UK next year December 5, 2025 Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is to relaunch his restaurant chain in the UK in 2026, seven years after its dramatic collapse. Jamie’s Italian is to be relaunched after a deal was reached between Oliver and Cain International-backed Brava Hospitality Group, which owns Prezzo. The chain operated around 40 sites across the UK at its height [...]
Nando’s makes cheeky profit after losing more than £600m November 24, 2025 Nando’s has warned Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes will eat into its bottom line despite it returning to profit for the first time since 2016. The business has posted a pre-tax profit of £38.2m for the 12 months to 23 February, 2025, new accounts filed with Companies House have revealed. The profit comes after the restaurant [...]
The Capitalist: Return of Simpson’s Tavern hailed by Farage November 13, 2025 Nigel Farage said the absence of sausages on the side was a small price to pay for the return of Simpson's Tavern.
Labour has ‘unbelievably harsh stance’ on big businesses November 4, 2025 It is “unbelievable” that the Labour government has “taken such a harsh stance” on big businesses, the chief executive of restaurant chain Pizza Express has said. Speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM’s Boardroom Uncovered podcast, Paula MacKenzie said the industry had been “somewhat decimated” by the Covid-19 pandemic and has then been hit [...]
Pizza Hut: Restaurants arm owed £30m as 1,100 jobs lost November 3, 2025 The company behind Pizza Hut’s restaurants in the UK owed almost £30m as it collapsed with the loss of more than 1,100 jobs, it has been revealed. DC London Pie entered administration towards the end of last month with FTI Consulting appointed to oversee the process. Now, a new document has revealed the full story [...]
Liverpool Street Chop House: Should you go over Hawksmoor, Boisdale? October 20, 2025 The closure of Threadneedle Street’s M Restaurant earlier this year, after a decade slinging the capital’s finest steak, was a genuine blow. One of the restaurants that helped the Square Mile shake off its stuffy reputation, it combined a meticulous, scholarly appreciation of meat with a sense of fun, even whimsy. Robot waiters, wine vending [...]