The Journal
A Guide to London Restaurant Festival

By Amira Hashish London Restaurant Festival is back for its fourteenth year this October, showcasing some of the most exciting talent behind London’s dynamic food scene. With a line-up of more than 50 carefully curated culinary events, the foodie feast will be serving up everything from gastronomic tours across the capital’s best restaurants to evenings […]

3 October 2022
London’s Most Exquisite Secret Events Spaces

By Amira Hashish Seeking a glamorous spot for a special occasion? There are the more obvious choices but there is something particularly fabulous about discovering an under the radar hideaway. From intimate restaurant takeovers to spaces that are as big on personality as size, here are some of London’s most exquisite settings you may never […]

5 September 2022
The Best Winter Sun Cocktails

By Anya Cooklin-Lofting ‘Tis the season to book your flights for a Christmas break under a golden sun, basking in the rays, paddling in the sea and enjoying a cocktail (or two) in a fabulous hotel bar. The pacing of a ‘winter sun’ holiday spent in one of the world’s finest winter sun destinations is […]

19 August 2022
Summer Picnic Hacks

By Anya Cooklin-Lofting From antique rugs on the lawn pulled casually from drawing rooms to fully-realised dining tables in fields of wildflowers, the picnic, humble or otherwise, can take many forms. For the Instagrammers and Pinteresters amongst us, picnics provide the perfect opportunity to really hammer home an aesthetic. You can take your picnic design […]

25 July 2022
The Art of Producing a Standout Event With Rapport

By Amira Hashish My creative studio Rapport thrives on working with global design, home, lifestyle and travel brands to shape their narrative through compelling stories and experiences. We work with everyone from Soho Home to SUITCASE Magazine to bring their stories to life. Event production and hosting is at the heart of our process. My […]

19 May 2022
Top 5 Valentine’s Day Meal Kits

If donning your glad rags and visiting a fine dining establishment isn’t quite making your heart skip a beat this Valentine’s Day, we’ve got just the (meal) ticket for you! Since the start of the pandemic, restaurants up and down the country have been mastering the art of the meal kit with options for at-home […]

9 February 2022
Festive Table Laying Tips

By Anya Cooklin-Lofting Never have we known a table richer in expectation or weightier in tradition than the Christmas dining table. From the jolts of nostalgia to the eye-stinging gratitude it brings, the sight of the Christmas table positively shuddering under the weight of its cumbersome contents is a touchstone many of us simply won’t […]

17 December 2021
A Long Weekend in Budapest

By Anya Cooklin-Lofting When one visits Budapest, one is greeted by two very distinct yet equally charming plains. I’m not talking about the city’s divided origins as Buda and Pest, but about the two most prominent ways of seeing it. Its first apparition as the Pearl of the Danube is the hodge-podge of Gothic, Renaissance, […]

25 November 2021
Exciting UK Restaurant Openings

By Anya Cooklin-Lofting The thrill of revisiting old haunts for ‘the usual’ or discovering new places to wine and dine is still tangible after months of seemingly unending captivity. For me, it’s the snippets of conversations collected like appetisers as you weave through busy tables, the fragrance from the kitchen as a waiter guides you […]

22 November 2021