Scottish hospitality coalition urges chancellor to protect whisky industry

A coalition of drinks, tourism and farming bodies has urged the chancellor to protect the Scottish whisky industry from a steeper sales slump and further job losses by freezing spirits duty in her budget next month.The grouping, which includes the Scottish arms of the National Farmers’ Union, the Institute of Directors and UKHospitality, has written to Rachel Reeves to argue that a freeze in duty would be a “strategic investment” that could increase tax revenues.They said recent rises in spirits duty had taken the overall tax paid on the average bottle of whisky to at least £12, or 70% of the retail price, contributing to about 1,000 redundancies in whisky production since last year’s budget, when spirits duty rose.“The current duty regime, combined with wider economic headwinds, is placing significant strain on both producers and venues,” the joint letter said. “Some businesses are halting investment or looking abroad, while others are being forced to cut jobs

‘I felt my soul leave my body’: 13 readers on the worst meal they ever cooked – from ‘ethanol risotto’ to gravy cake

There are lots of potential errors a home cook can make, whether mistaking a bulb of garlic for a clove or experimenting with a banana sauce for pork. Here are some culinary experiments to avoidI’m very fond of steamed vegetables with lemon and black pepper. When I was pregnant, my loving partner took it upon himself to cook for me. We didn’t have any lemons. We did have kiwis

670 Grams, Birmingham B9: ‘A cascade of small, meaningful bowls that just ooze flavour’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

Birmingham’s dining scene often leans towards the intense. I recall a hazy afternoon seven years back at the Digbeth Dining Club, a ramshackle food market inside an old factory with few seats, loud music, breakfast cocktails and baos; it was a thoroughly chaotic way to take on board calories. More recently, I loved the city’s Albatross Death Cult, which served 12 courses of scintillating, seafood-focused finickiness to a pounding, darkwave industrial-goth soundtrack.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link

‘£30 for a ready meal?!’ Do Charlie Bigham’s new dishes really beat going to a restaurant?

Like Tesla cars and the ending of the Sopranos, Charlie Bigham ready meals seem to be rather divisive. On the one hand, people clearly love them: about 31m dishes were sold in the past year alone. On the other hand, they generate a heap of mockery. The critique seems to be that only a gullible idiot would shell out up to a tenner on an oven-ready fish pie, chilli con carne or – as one commentator once memorably labelled it – a tray of “Tory slop”.Those critics will be sharpening their kitchen knives because Bigham, who is a kind of Tim “Wetherspoons” Martin for centrist dads, has just announced the launch of his Brasserie range: deluxe versions of his meals with prices that fetch up to … wait for it … £30! Thirty whole English pounds!With a menu consisting of venison bourguignon, coq au vin, confit duck (all at £16

‘It’s about weaponising opinion’: the power of Topjaw’s online foodie show

When the presenter Jesse Burgess goes to a restaurant, the kitchen always sends him dishes he didn’t order. One of the ironies of fame is that the more you can afford, the less you have to pay for it. Except that Burgess isn’t a celebrity, he says. “I’m just a guy who really likes food.”Burgess is the 34-year-old host of Topjaw, a small but mighty internet platform featuring chefs and foodies, whose “Best of” series, for better or worse, has changed the way Londoners – and those beyond – eat out

Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for peanut butter banana french toast | The sweet spot

I can’t be the only one who is a bit ambitious when buying bananas. Despite my best efforts to get through them, a couple of well-ripened, black-skinned bananas in the fruit bowl is an all too common sight. Banana bread feels the obvious choice, but sometimes you just don’t have the time or enough people to share it with. A quicker option that I like to make at weekends is french toast, though I tend to lean into the Hong Kong-style in which the slices of bread are stuffed with peanut butter and drizzled generously with condensed milk and butter. Delightful stuff