Calls grow for new laws to put an end to restaurant bosses pocketing tips intended for staff: Tough new laws are being demanded to stop unscrupulous restaurant bosses pocketing tips intended for staff. Campaigners say about 1.6 million hospitality workers are being left out of pocket as up to two-thirds of employers in the sector take a share of customer gratuities. It comes after we revealed last week that The River Cafe, a London haunt of supermodels Kate Moss and Gigi Hadid, does not share its optional 12.5% service charge with waiters and waitresses – instead it guarantees them the higher rate London Living Wage. Restaurant owners are banned from keeping cash tips left for waiting staff, but there is nothing to stop them taking a cut when the bill is settled by debit or credit card, which has become increasingly popular as cash use was discouraged in the pandemic. In 2019, the government announced plans to introduce an Allocation of Tips Bill to ‘promote fairness for workers by creating legal obligations on employers to pass on all tips to workers in full and, where they distribute tips among workers, to do so on a fair and transparent basis’. But there has been no legislation. Union chiefs at Unite have written to business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng warning that the fall in cash payments and employers ‘interfering’ with tips has created a ‘perfect storm’ that has wiped out recent rises in the Living Wage and Minimum Wage. Unite national officer for hospitality Dave Turnbull said: ‘Waiting staff, the majority of whom are on the minimum wage, keep being promised jam tomorrow by the government but in the meantime they continue to be let down by unscrupulous employers. Not only must the government finally bring forward fair tips legislation, but it must ensure that it is sufficiently robust to prevent it being undermined through loopholes. Unless action is taken, there will continue to be a recruitment crisis in the sector.’ (Mail on Sunday)

Bosses navigate the new normal in depths of a covid pingdemic: From tomorrow, customers ordering a drink at the Duke of Cambridge will be served by staff wearing face masks – but will not have to wear one themselves. The pub in Tilford, Surrey, is adopting this mixed approach even as covid-19 social distancing measures end in England. It reflects the dilemma facing businesses as the long-awaited “Freedom Day” arrives: how to juggle the interests of staff and customers without the backing of government rules. “It’s a fine balance,” said Mark Robson, who runs 16 pubs. “We tend to attract slightly older customers and know the majority of them have been double-vaccinated, as opposed to the majority of our staff, three-quarters of whom are under 30 and have probably had one jab.” Businesses across England are wrestling with similar issues as Boris Johnson hands responsibility back to bosses for keeping staff and customers safe. Every sector of the economy is now grappling with guidelines rather than regulations, which industry leaders fear could cause confusion and choke off economic recovery. After the biggest slump in 300 years when lockdown restrictions were announced in March 2020, the sharp economic rebound witnessed this year is now stalling. After gross domestic product rose by 2.4% in March, it expanded a further 2% in April, but had fallen back to 0.8% by May. Worker shortages – in part because of the distortions of furlough and Brexit, but more recently due to staff being “pinged” by Test and Trace – are also causing anxiety. Robson is unlikely to be alone in describing Test and Trace as “the biggest issue we’ve got at the moment”. He has had to close two different pubs on two different occasions – one of which reopened last week for the first time in ten days. Businesses have been poring over the guidance to devise their approach from tomorrow. In hospitality, for instance, venues are encouraged to display a Test and Trace poster rather than being legally required to do so. Robson is among publicans ready to allow customers to queue at the bar again, in addition to the once obligatory table service. (Sunday Times)

Staff ‘will quit if companies force them back to their desks full-time’: Four out of ten employees currently working from home would consider defecting to another employer if they were forced to return to full-time office working, according to a new poll. The survey found an “overwhelming desire” by office workers for continued flexibility from their bosses even when covid-19 restrictions are fully lifted. In evidence of likely tension ahead, only 17% of those polled wanted to return to the office full time, while 24% say a return to full-time office working is precisely what their employers are requiring of them. The poll, on the eve of so-called freedom day, comes amid warnings to employers that they are making a mistake if they issue blanket instructions for employees to return the office. The poll of 4,400 people by YouGov last month found that 80% wanted some ability to carry on working from home; 15% wanted full-time home working, 26% wanted it most days and 25% wanted an equal split between staying at home and going to the office. (The Times)

Soho House leaves home turf in search of world domination: The initial public offering of Soho House is designed to fuel the next wave of expansion, including a house in Hollywood, a branch of The Ned in New York and a beach house in Palm Springs. “We’ve never been exclusive,” says Nick Jones, founder of Soho House, who spoke to The Times from Soho Farmhouse, the hotel set in 100 acres of Oxfordshire countryside. “We’ve never looked at peoples’ wallets, we’ve never looked at where they come from, what job they’re in, it’s about them as a person. And, you know, a struggling script writer in one corner of the room and the most successful script writer in another part of the room is what Soho House is about.” Jones was “nervous and excited” before the float. In an email to members on Thursday afternoon he said that he expected “there will be some ups and downs”. At lunchtime in New York yesterday the shares were off almost 5%. Martyn Evans, a Soho House member and creative director at U+I, a property developer, said he subscribed for 100 shares in the offering, the maximum amount. “It’s not a financial decision that’s going to change my life but I’m loyal and I like the company. I think they’re interesting and ambitious and it feels like it added a bit to my connection to that company.” Other members are more concerned about the expansion plans. Jonathan Clarke, 53, an architect, was one of the first members of Shoreditch House, and has watched its membership grow to the extent that it can be hard to find somewhere to sit at the clubs. He compares the expansion to that of Patisserie Valerie, the chain which started in Soho and expanded across the country. “Patisserie Valerie was amazing when it was in Soho, and then it arrives on Bromley High Street, and weirdly the cakes taste different. It makes me nervous that [the Soho House expansion] might dilute it, it might need to become bigger and then it won’t carry the same value.” Jones refutes the idea that service will suffer as the brand expands. “The fact that we’re opening new clubs everywhere means that we’re offering much more for our members. All I think when I wake up every day, is how I want to make life better for our members, and opening new houses is something they love most.” (The Times)

M&S boss warns store hours may have to be cut with up to one in five supermarket staff forced into isolation: The boss of Marks and Spencer has warned that store hours may have to be cut amid covid ‘pingdemic’ chaos in the wake of ‘Freedom Day’ next week. Steve Rowe said the number of Test and Trace app ‘pings’ is growing exponentially – at about three times the rate of covid cases – and that by mid-August as many as one in five supermarket workers could be in home isolation. ‘If there’s shortages we’ll have to manage it by changing hours of stores [and] reducing hours,’ he said. His warning comes amid fears of food shortages when supply chain workers such as lorry drivers inevitably caught in the track and trace net, meaning supplies rot before they can be sold. Tesco told ministers last month that 48 tons of food was being binned every week due to a driver shortage, a situation that is bound to be made worse when almost all covid restrictions are lifted on Monday. Analysis by MailOnline suggests that in a worst-case scenario around six million adults could be in isolation by the end of the month. (Mail on Sunday)

Rick Stein’s family leads revolt against ‘pingdemic’ in Padstow: More than 40 years ago, Rick Stein began the foodie revolution in Padstow that put the Cornish fishing village on the culinary map. Now the Stein family is heading a new revolt – this time against the ‘pingdemic’ that is threatening to wreck the livelihoods of the town’s restaurateurs. After 16 months of pandemic, Padstow should be enjoying a ‘staycation’ boom. Instead, restaurants in the seaside town are being shut down at an alarming rate by the Test and Trace app that is pinging covid-19 contacts, fuelling an existing staffing crisis and forcing kitchens to close. Tourists cannot easily get a meal in the town and outlets are losing a small fortune at a time when they need to make all the money they can. It is a problem not limited to Padstow but being replicated in tourist resorts up and down the country. Jack Stein, the chef director in charge of the Rick Stein restaurant empire and son of the eponymous founder, has had enough. He was forced to stay at home and isolate for ten days after being pinged following a half-hour meal in a restaurant in Devon that the family doesn’t even own. One of the family’s four restaurants in Padstow was forced to close for a number of days (it has now reopened) and hours have been restricted, covers reduced and an open-air terrace at the flagship restaurant closed because there simply aren’t enough waiters and chefs to cater for it. “It [the app] is ludicrous,” said Mr Stein. “Half-a-million people were pinged and a lot of them will be in hospitality. Last summer at the height of the pandemic we didn’t have a single member of staff go anywhere because of covid and this year you just can’t carry on. We have had to shut restaurants; we’ve lost revenue. I was all in favour of the lockdowns but now I just think it’s ridiculous. This Track and Trace is really winding me up.” (The Telegraph)

Pub becomes first-known in Britain to require proof of covid vaccination before entry: A pub has become the first-known in Britain to ban customers unless they can prove they have had a vaccine for covid-19. The Gardeners Arms in Norwich is bringing in the rule as other pubs across the country are considering a similar move to tackle the Delta variant “running riot”. Landlord Philip Cutter says he decided to take action after having to close for ten days during the Euro 2020 football tournament when two members of staff tested positive for covid. When the pub reopens customers must prove they have had at least one covid jab at least two weeks earlier – the time it takes to develop antibodies to the virus. Customers can gain entry using their vaccination card, which they receive after getting the jab, or the NHS app, which records their having had the jab. Mr Cutter said: “I’ve not heard of any other pubs doing this but it seems a common sense thing to do to protect my staff, customers and business. I know nightclubs have been asked to consider looking into some sort of vaccination passport. We’re a busy, city centre venue so not very different. If this Delta variant was not running riot, we’d be looking at things differently but there’s a lot of virus out there.” Mr Cutter said he expects most people will be happy with his pub’s new policy since around 80% of adults have been vaccinated. He said older customers – who are more vulnerable to covid – are especially supportive of the new policy. (The Sun)

Alcohol-related deaths surged during covid lockdowns: Alcohol-related deaths jumped by a fifth during lockdown as people bought more to drink at home with pubs forced to shut. Statistics from Public Health England (PHE) reveal that nearly 7,000 people died due to alcohol misuse last year – up 20% from 2019. There was a similar spike – 21% – in deaths due to alcohol-induced liver damage. PHE found that while pubs and restaurants were shut for several months, the amount of alcohol bought from shops increased by 25% from 2019 – around 12.6 million extra litres. “We saw increases for all product types, with the largest relative increase for beer (+31.2%), followed by spirits (+26.2%), wine (+19.5%), and cider (+17.6%),” the PHE report said. Further analysis found the bulk of the extra alcohol was purchased by the heaviest drinkers. The top 20% of at-home drinkers bought 5.3 million extra litres of alcohol during the pandemic than in 2019, accounting for 42% of the total year-on-year increase. Dr Katherine Severi, the chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said: “This report highlights the shocking increase in alcohol harm following the covid-19 pandemic. A 20% increase in deaths directly caused by alcohol must be an alarming wake-up call for the government to act. Alcohol harm in England has, for too long, been neglected – but these data show it can no longer be ignored.” (Sunday Telegraph)

French start-up Ÿnsect hatches plan for fast food restaurants to sell insect burgers and nuggets: Fast food chains in the UK could be selling burgers and nuggets made from powdered mealworms within just a few years, under plans by French start-up Ÿnsect to make insects a staple protein source for humans. Ÿnsect, which grows mealworms in vertical farms across Europe, plans to target Gen Z and Millennial diners – those aged roughly between 20 and 40 – with its insect-based offerings. The plan is to partner with fast food firms in markets such as the UK, Netherlands, Thailand, and Japan to develop insect burgers, nuggets and sausages to go on sale later this decade, the company’s co-founder and chief executive Antoine Hubert told i. Prototype products have already been created by Ÿnsect in the Netherlands, he revealed. “We are ready with products, with burgers, that are really amazing in terms of taste,” he said. “It is not the best burgers that you can eat in the really high-end food brands, it’s like a convenient food or fast food very similar to plant-based proteins.” Since its launch in 2011 Ÿnsect has focused mainly on producing insects to replace fishmeal in fish and animal feed. But following the recent takeover of Dutch firm Protifarm, a leader in insect ingredients for human food, it has set its sights on developing insect protein – mainly mealworms – for human consumption. Changes to EU rules in January approving mealworms for human consumption have also smoothed the path to getting insects on European dinner plates. Analysts suggest the edible insects market could be worth $4.67bn (£3.37bn) by 2027. (i News) 

Marina O’Loughlin reviews Pali Hill, London: I was gloomy when Gaylord in Fitzrovia closed without my ever having got round to checking it out. There’s nothing I love more than a fusty old joint so petrified in its period that it’s blind to advances in menu and service, blinkered to the latest restaurant design – and the sniggers caused by its name. I knew vaguely about the ancient meaning of gaylord as “joyful” (glossing over the Urban Dictionary one …), but until starting to write this I had no idea why so many Indian restaurants used to have this curious moniker. It was, apparently, following an original New Delhi Gaylord in the 1940s, so highly regarded that the name became synonymous with quality. Anyway, this is one of the reasons I hadn’t been in a tearing hurry to check out its replacement, its usurper, Pali Hill. It couldn’t live up to the Gaylord of my now permanent fantasy. (I imagined it an upholstered, twinkly, flocked and formally staffed version of the India Club. With lots of creamy sauces and gold leaf.) It turns out this is very much my loss: Pali Hill is a beauty. Owned by a duo of Indian hospitality entrepreneurs, it talks the usual safe, non-specific talk, all “diverse culinary heritage” and “eclectic menu of regional sharing plates” and “modelled on the cultural melting pot of communal living”. Yeah, yeah. Like we haven’t heard all this before. But any worries that it might be a little reductive, a tiny bit lowest common denominator, are trampled when two of the best starters I’ve had in a long time turn up together. On a day of boiling humidity, traffic in central London having come to a furious, noisy standstill, the city is doing a fair approximation of modern Mumbai, with Pali Hill – like its upscale namesake neighbourhood – a serene sanctuary, an air-conditioned oasis of seriously fine cooking. The place is beautiful too, with its rattan-backed furniture, moody gemstone palette and exuberant Indian art; it only lacks ceiling fans stirring the syrupy air to complete the feeling we’ve escaped to another continent. (Sunday Times Magazine)

Jay Rayner reviews The Double Red Duke, Oxfordshire: One of the new ventures to emerge out of the most recent lockdown was the relaunch of the Double Red Duke, a handsome honey-stoned pub in that part of Oxfordshire where nothing bad has ever happened and nobody has ever farted, or even thought of doing so. It has been added to a small but growing portfolio of country pubs run by Sam and Georgie Pearman, who made their name overseeing Cheltenham’s always reliable Lucky Onion group. Early on, Turner was announced as consultant chef with one of his Hawksmoor head chefs, Richard Sandiford, installed in the kitchen. When I visited they told me Turner was no longer involved, though the menu is the same as the one they touted when he was attached. It is smeared with his animal-fat finger prints. Surely it had to be worth a drive up the M40? It is. And for that matter, down the M6 to the M42 or along the M4 and up. Or train it to Oxford and splash out on a cab. You get the idea. The Double Red Duke is worth the trip. Inside the sprawling pub is a network of interlocking, low-ceilinged rooms, at the heart of which is an open kitchen full of live-fire grills, edged by a wide counter. Book a seat there, then stare into the embers and think about where your life went so right. Or make for one of the foliaged dining rooms with their plump green banquettes and the odd rust-coloured sofa, of a sort a food coma might pin you to at the end of the meal. Unsurprisingly, given the Hawksmoor DNA, steaks are at the heart of the menu: prime rib, porterhouse and T-bone with sauces many and various, including the anchovy-boosted wonder that is Gentleman’s Relish. Prices are a good 25% lower per 100g than Hawksmoor’s. Alongside those, there’s both a whole turbot, and a sturdy 350g cut cooked on the bone for £35. It is a terrific piece of fish shown due care and attention. (The Guardian)

Tom Parker Bowles reviews Cépages, London W2: There’s something reassuring about Cépages, a Notting Hill bistro with French wine coursing through its veins. It may be the unselfconsciously bare brick walls, scuffed wooden floor and sherry casks that serve as occasional tables. Or the soft, dusky light (a sort of electric gastro-gloaming), cheerily Gallic waiters and battalions of empty wine bottles, featuring the superstars of Burgundy and Bordeaux. Most of all, perhaps, the easy, unforced feeling of a true neighbourhood restaurant, in a part of London where such things are all too rare. The menu (don’t be put off by the French ‘tapas’ chat) mixes the heartily bourgeois with an occasionally elegant flash of haute. So a half-dozen snails, blisteringly hot, drowning in garlic-sated butter. And a small Camembert, spiked with rosemary and dribbled with honey, baked until oozing, then attacked with thick hunks of sourdough toast. Vegetables are treated with respect: crisp discs of beetroot wear a hearty scattering of feta, as well as tart slivers of orange, fistfuls of thyme, with roasted hazelnut for extra crunch. It merrily melds the crisp, clean and creamy. Crab, pristinely fresh and immaculately picked, is mixed with a discreetly sharp mayonnaise and comes wrapped in ribbons of mooli. Blobs of avocado stand guard at its side. I usually avoid foie gras but here it arrives, fat, bronzed and indecently rich. Like a disgraced fashion tycoon, albeit with a whole lot more taste. Brioche offers sweet, toasted ballast, while an apple and Calvados compote provides welcome acidic relief. Best of all, two ravioli of langoustines, the pasta so ethereal I fear one errant breath will blow it away. A pinch of fresh morel sits on top, while inside, asparagus is mixed with pert chunks of crustacean in a creamy melange. It’s old-school, grand French cooking, with a gently modern feel. A dish that shows exactly what this kitchen is capable of. Their wine list, carefully chosen and predominantly French, has lots of good stuff by the glass, with a few magnums and jeroboams, plus enough depth to keep even the most exacting of oenophiles sipping with glee. In fact, everything at Cépages is suffused with easy charm and delight, the sort of place where you linger over ice-cold Poire William, slip back in your chair and wonder why the hell you haven’t been here before. (Mail on Sunday)

Giles Coren reviews Pythouse Kitchen Garden, Wiltshire: Pythouse Kitchen Garden is the brainchild, love child, whatever, of Piers Milburn, a former graphic designer (and brother of Oz Milburn, co-founder of Kitty Fisher’s and Cora Pearl), and his wife, Sophia, who bought it five years ago and ran it successfully enough, but with a series of chefs who didn’t really get the garden, Piers says, or his passion for cooking with fire. Didn’t understand the way that proper use of the 18th-century walled garden, and cooking over wood, could make something unique here. The hiring of Darren Broom, just before the first lockdown, changed all that. “He’s an outdoorsman,” says Piers, “a hunter and a butcher and a forager.” And in league with gardeners Heather Price and Annie Shutt, he’s started to do something amazing. The menu is fixed at £28 per head for what is effectively four courses, each incredibly wide-ranging and generous, and the whole thing is just insanely good value. We started with soft, comforting potato bread, warm from the wood fire, with great pucks of deep yellow, salty butter and pickled carrots, cabbage and onions, and a bowl of intensely summery broad bean whip with fresh herbs and a single, peppery radish. Twelve immaculate dishes. Such value is unheard of. Such beauty indescribable. I don’t think there has been food this pure and lovely, in a garden this perfect, since, well, that whole thing with Man’s first disobedience and the fruit of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste brought death into the world, and all our woe… Oh my God, this place has got me quoting Milton. It’s time to go. (The Times Magazine)