It’s big, it’s brash, it’s the most controversial restaurant event of the year. It’s Carbone, London. www.thetimes.com/article/d95a...

Always nice to hear from a reader! Starmer at PMQs: “The Leader of the Opposition said… to The Sunday Times… ‘I’ve inherited a gigantic mess and I’m cleaning it up.’ She said ‘It’s very difficult, it’s going to take a while.’ I know exactly how she feels.”

North London pub alert The Salusbury review — another posh pub but I’m not complaining www.thetimes.com/article/2fc7...

Exclusive: Kemi Badenoch speaks to The Sunday Times about: Those who wish to replace her with Robert Jenrick (“sore losers”) Racist critics suffering from “Kemi derangement syndrome” Nigel Farage: “bullshit artist” And the impact of the job on her family www.thetimes.com/article/0370...

The story of my two Oasis gigs 16 years apart? I’m becoming my mum www.thetimes.com/article/bc8c...

The Kerfield Arms restaurant review: ‘Is the menu designed for weaning babies?’ www.thetimes.com/article/e8cb...

Lupa restaurant review: a terrific trattoria from a White Lotus star in Highbury www.thetimes.com/article/ea64...

Camp madness in Manchester, and coming soon in London Fenix review: ‘A large, brash cabaret of a thing — good for them’ www.thetimes.com/article/0d8b...

Home SW15 review: ‘A restaurant you’d want as your local’ www.thetimes.com/article/fb97...

Fat Badger, Notting Hill. Very chic, great food. One of the best new openings of the year. The Fat Badger review: ‘The genius is that it seems so simple — it isn’t’ www.thetimes.com/article/40ff...

Have been getting into watching films, basically from a standing start, at the age of 30. It’s been lovely but it does mean I keep saying things like “Hey did you know these guys the Coen brothers? They make really good films!” Absolute clownshow behaviour.

Game changer noodle situation in Chinatown Noodle and Beer review — ‘It’s a little bit magical’ www.thetimes.com/article/a4bc...

Sometimes you just walk into a restaurant and think YES. THIS. THIS IS IT. www.thetimes.com/article/8078...

South London on sea www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fift...

Just been at a bougie coffee shop and they have espresso tonic on the menu which has reminded me I used to host ‘espresso martini nights’ at university where I’d dissolve instant coffee in basics gin and add tonic water. Halcyon days.

Lower Marsh in Waterloo. Pedestrianised and clearly with very chill licensing laws. Even the greengrocer has people on tables outside drinking wine! More of this! A more fun world is possible!

New episode of wine times! open.spotify.com/episode/5uqH...

Janda Diner, Peckham review: ‘I needed it to deliver — and it did’ www.thetimes.com/article/7d79...

Oh this is awful - Pembrokeshire Council are trying (successfully so far) to close down this wonderful restaurant I reviewed only last Sunday. If you have visited, think you might want to, or just care about good restaurants, please do write to the address they advise.

Paternoster Farm www.thetimes.com/article/ac8f...

Put your phone away www.thetimes.com/article/d291...

Affordable Japanese food ✅ In Soho ✅ All your umami dreams come true ✅ www.thetimes.com/article/7dd6...

Delighted to be co-hosting this series of Wine Times with @Will_Lyons. Each episode we’ll be talking wine, food and the gaps between meals that make up life. Starting with a classic: wines to go with cheese. I’d love if you’d give it a listen. open.spotify.com/episode/338d...

Oh sure but when I pitch that column idea it’s ’upsetting your colleagues’ and ‘a bit weird that you keep bringing that up every week’

This week’s restaurant review is written in praise of those who keep slogging away for years, in pursuit of excellence, and achieve it. www.thetimes.com/article/44d4...

This week’s restaurant review!

In pursuit of Britain’s favourite food: the chicken wing (no paywall) www.thetimes.com/article/99e5...

My friends the paywall is down which means you could - if the mood took you - get all your restaurant recommendations at once without spending a single penny. Archive here: www.thetimes.com/profile/char...

Most exciting new restaurant right now Skof restaurant review: ‘Every detail is perfect’ www.thetimes.com/article/d638...

Pleasing visit to west London for a restaurant pretending to be a pub, but luckily it’s a good restaurant so that doesn’t matter much www.thetimes.com/article/7a97...

Pleasing visit to west London for a restaurant pretending to be a pub, but luckily it’s a good restaurant so that doesn’t matter much www.thetimes.com/article/7a97...

On turning thirty www.thetimes.com/article/52a9...

Against my better judgement, I toddled briefly back into political journalism this week to exclusively bring you the news that Rachel Reeves denies removing the service charge from her restaurant bill at Browns. www.thetimes.com/article/f64d...

A perfect, modern neighbourhood Italian in the Venice of England www.thetimes.com/article/4d99...

Chris Evans, hero of my people 🫡

Call now to give to charity, chat to me and receive great karma!

Hoping they all see this and act accordingly 🙏

omg everyone at the inauguration put your phones away stop filming this is so classless do you think you’re at like a school sports day?

Best thing about my job is every now and again you come across a restaurant that is truly joyful and deserves a thousand times more exposure, and you get to give a bit of that. Chapel Market Kitchen, in Angel, Islington, is one of those restaurants. www.thetimes.com/article/ffa9...

The darts! I love it! The beautiful game! Slightly perturbed as to where the picture editor found that photo in the archives but we move. www.thetimes.com/article/3e57...

Michael Donaghy - Resolution

Unbelievable game of darts going on rn. Yelled at the tv alone in my flat several times.

Glad tidings unto us all, I bring you the gift of my list of the best restaurants I went to this year, so you can go too www.thetimes.com/article/8f8f...

Save Latin! www.thetimes.com/article/838b...

One of my worst and most annoying opinions (they are many) is that Christmas Lights by Coldplay and It Doesn’t Often Snow At Christmas by Pet Shop Boys are the best Christmas songs. Christmas is a time for MELANCHOLY we all know this.

just totted up all the substacks I pay for and found myself thinking ‘wow wouldn’t it be better if all these writers were in one place and I could just pay a flat fee’ so anyway that’s how today I invented the concept of the ‘newspaper’

Power POWERFUL energy to be able to blurb your own book

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, dinner the most fun. But lunch? Lunch is the reason to live, the light that shines in the darkness, the burst of joy amid mundanity and routine.

Something beautifully exposing about letting a friend go through your Spotify end of year playlist. Like yes, I listen to a lot of Dire Straits and Let Me Entertain You by Robbie Williams is somehow in my top 50. See me fully, take me for all that I am and love me anyway 🤗

Great vibes, and some of the most interesting food I’ve had all year - Lahpet Larder on Bermondsey Street www.thetimes.com/article/b3b7...