A wine-oriented culinary reinvention will always prick the ears of the Harpers team, and news of the relaunch of Boxcar Bar & Grill as Boxcar Fire & Wine did just this. A stone’s throw from Hyde Park, the reinvigorated restaurant, with a revamped interior to boot, is led by head chef Zisis Gkalmpenis. Hailing from Greece, his experience incorporates time at top London restaurants including the Michelin-starred Pied à Terre. Central to the kitchen’s creations is the use of an open grill, with direct, elemental cooking its MO. Expect inventiveness, from Galician blonde beef rib to brill with asparagus and wild garlic. Wine takes centre stage too with an emphasis on small-scale, sustainable producers from the world over. Included in the restaurant’s wine list will be its own-label rosé, Tinted Glasses, created in collaboration with Château Saint-Maur in Provence.
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New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) can reveal that the number of payrolled employees decreased by 109,000 in May compared to the previous month. The employment drop comes after April’s National Insurance Contributions (NICs) policy changes.
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London’s Marylebone is already spoilt for top restaurants, with new Middle Eastern venue Noreen adding to this culinary grandeur. Diners at the new eatery can expect recipes taking inspiration from across the region. The menu, steered by ex-Dorchester chef Mehdi Hani, will includes mezzes to share, complimented by Tannour-oven fired flatbreads as well as selections from the Minqala grill for carnivorous diners. The drinks menu will include cocktails from Mr Lyan Studio, taking inspiration from the Middle Eastern ingredients including the distilled spirit arak, as well as hibiscus, za’atar and tahini. The wine list will spotlight a number of emerging regions, including Lebanon and Turkey.
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Be Inclusive Hospitality has announced that nominations for its BIH Spotlight Awards are now open.
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Nestled beneath Covent Garden Market, Courtyard Wine Cellars will bring an expansive wine offering to the central London tourist hotspot. The venue, which opened in May, touts itself as the capital’s largest wine bar, offering everything from reasonably priced Provence rosé by the glass to bottles of claret approaching the grand mark. The 1,000-strong wine list will cater to the diverse array of shoppers in the market, as will the gastronomic options, with a hearty lunch menu complementing more relaxed, pizza-oriented evening fare.
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In a letter sent to the Prime Minister and Chancellor, a coalition of leading pub, hospitality and brewing bodies has laid out its concerns regarding the cost and impact of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy.
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As his family’s restaurant group celebrates its 50th year, Harpers catches up with Cornish wine supremo Charlie Stein, director of wine at Rick Stein Group.
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Analysis of ONS data on average hours worked and median average pay by experts at money.co.uk shows that the hospitality sector offers the worst hourly pay of any UK industry.
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Ahead of our 30 Under 30 2025 list, which will be announced in May at the London Wine Fair and published in the June issue of Harpers, we caught up with some of last year’s top winners to gets their views on hospitality.
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The first House of Lords committee debate took place this week on the Employment Rights Bill after its successful passage through the House of Commons.
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Published: 30 April, 2025
The Drinks Trust has announced its annual Gala is to take place on Monday 6 October 2025 at Claridge’s, London. The event invites guests from across the drinks industry to join the charity in a “night of celebration and purpose”.
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Published: 28 April, 2025
Fresh data from the Insolvency Service shows an 11% drop in company insolvencies among businesses in the hospitality sector. The fall signals a slight improvement, however the number still remains historically higher than pre-pandemic levels.
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Published: 24 April, 2025
Harpers Top 50 Sommeliers listing is now open for nominations from the trade.
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Published: 18 April, 2025
Opening in the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery is the latest eponymous offering from Giorgio and Plaxy Locatelli, in partnership with catering supremo Searcy’s. The menu from chef Giorgio Locatelli will draw inspiration from the hallowed paintings that call the National Gallery home. So if Caravaggio-inspired Italian food, from braised veal ravioli to Tiramisu, piques your interested, then a trip to the new 80-seater restaurant opening on 10 May could be in order. The opening of the venue coincides with the reopening of the Sainsbury Wing after a two-and-a-half year transformation, undertaken to mark the bicentenary of the famous gallery. The wine list, devised by Martin Didden, head of Champagne and wine for Searcy’s and wine director Virgilio Gennaro, will include vintages from Broglia, the oldest vineyard in Gavi as well as Ca’ del Bosco Franciacorta.
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Published: 16 April, 2025
Championing the diversity of Spanish cuisine is the latest restaurant from Michelin-star awarded chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho, in partnership with JKS Restaurants. The Shoreditch venue will offer recipes that take inspiration from across Iberia, from Galician seafood in the north west to the tabancos of Cádiz and Jerez in the south. Legado, meaning ‘legacy’ in Spanish, is a nod to not only Spain’s gastronomic heritage but Mohacho’s personal journey as a chef. Having arrived in London in 1998 at the age of 19, she worked her way up in the industry, eventually opening her Michelin star-winning Sabor in 2018. The new eatery, expected to open this summer, will reflect both the chef’s food and drink memories and her continual culinary discoveries.
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Published: 15 April, 2025
The Pinnacle Guide – the global recognition system for the world’s best cocktail bars – has announced the latest additions to its list, with 85 now awarded across 12 countries.
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Published: 15 April, 2025
As Bibendum’s new sales director, Andrew Ingham is determined to tear up the old-school rulebook. Andrew Catchpole finds out how.
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Published: 14 April, 2025
Authentic pasta made from traditional recipes used in Italian households is the idea behind Officina 00 Covent Garden – the newest collaboration between best friends and business partners Elia Sebregondi and Enzo Mirto. The pair already have several Officinas dotted around Fitzrovia and Old Street, all of which bring a polished edge to classic Italian fare, while also giving the impression of serving up dishes straight from grandma’s table (hearty and moreish being the key words). The cocktail list is just as good as the food menu, incorporating the likes of Italian Margarita, Pink Americano and 00 Spritz, all brought together by a selection of slick Italian vinos.
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Published: 11 April, 2025
Becoming the drinks industry’s answer to the Michelin Guide is no easy feat. As Hannah Sharman-Cox, co-founder of The Pinnacle Guide, says: “It’s one of those things where other people have said ‘I had that idea too’. But no one has actually done it, have they?”
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Published: 10 April, 2025
A new report from CGA by NIQ and SIP by Pernod Ricard highlights a suite of predicted trends for the bar world in the next decade, including a growth in consumers’ desire for new hospitality experiences that can act as a digital detox.
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