This Father's Day, we're going all in. Not with gift sets or fridge magnets or those socks you forgot you already gave him last year, but with actual effort – the edible kind. Whether your dad's more roast lamb and couscous or steak and sticky ribs, this week's line-up proves there's no greater act of love than slow-roasting, double-frying or stirring up a Guinness-laced brownie batter from scratch. Poppy O'Toole's harissa-spiked lamb shoulder is the sort of centrepiece that turns enemies into friends and dads into lifelong fans, especially when pulled apart by hand and crammed into warm flatbreads. Max Halley's coronation fried chicken sandwich is, frankly, outrageous – stacked and sauced and crunching with Bombay mix – but if there's ever a day for it, this is it. And then there are the brownies, which probably deserve their own holiday: rich, boozy and melting just enough to blur the lines between pudding and pure joy.
On the grill, Tom Kerridge's smoky beef short ribs are a masterclass in patience and pay-off, while Ben Tish's Tuscan-style steak, kissed with grape molasses and rosemary, is the kind of dish that demands a bottle of something decent and silence at the table. Or maybe breakfast is more your vibe – Alex Hughes' cheesy pan of breakfast potatoes with bacon and eggs hits like a weekend lie-in, and Christina Kynigos's protein-packed cinnamon buns mean you can keep it vaguely virtuous. Even baked beans are getting the glow-up they deserve thanks to Amy Poon, whose version with soy sauce and tomatoes is smoky, savoury and begging for a fried egg on top. Add in creamy sausage pasta, and Mark Hix's wildly versatile Yorkshire puddings (with toppings that stretch from bangers to ice cream) and you've basically got the blueprint for Dad's dream weekend.
Of course, if you're planning to mark the occasion with a meal out, you might want to brace yourself before looking at the wine list. A deep dive into restaurant mark-ups this week revealed what we all suspected – that the bottle you spotted online for £30 might very well reappear tableside for £90. And that's before you even consider corkage, which at Dorian in Notting Hill clocks in at a cool £100 and comes with a spend-matching clause. But before you swear off wine altogether, take note: there is value to be had. Look south – to Sicily, to South Africa, to less familiar grapes – and don't fear the middle of the list. Sommeliers, if you're brave enough to ask, are more likely to help you drink well for £45 than push a clunky bottle at £75. And while some restaurants might seem to be pushing their luck, others – like Burnt, Tayyabs or The Yellow Bittern – are offering real hospitality, not just smoke and mirrors.
In brighter news, The Ritz has officially been crowned the UK's best restaurant at the 2025 National Restaurant Awards. It's a win for silver cloches, old-school elegance and John Williams' masterclass in haute cuisine. London dominated the list, of course, with Moor Hall, The Ledbury and buzzy newcomer OMA rounding out the top spots. Skye Gyngell received a richly deserved Lifetime Achievement Award, and Lyle's – which closed its doors last month – soared to no 21, a fitting farewell for one of the capital's most quietly influential kitchens. Even Claude Bosi's having a bit of a moment, with three entries including the resurrected Bibendum. And while white tablecloths were in abundance, there's still room on the list for places like Chishuru, Kolae and Wildflowers – all serving food that feels personal, punchy and full of promise.
Speaking of personal, this week we also met Mehak Kansal – food writer, restaurateur, and now cookbook author. Her debut, Bindas, is more than just a recipe collection – it's a bold, joyful reclamation of identity, drawing on summers in India, a childhood in Wiltshire and a deep love of comfort food with an Indian soul. Whether it's the ultimate butter chicken, goan chicken and prawn satay curry or cumin-roasted veg crowned with a blushing burrata, her food is full of personality, unapologetically hers. It's not about fitting in – it's about feeling free. "Cooking is a form of art," she says. "It's really who I am." You taste it in every recipe, from the first spoonful of makhani to the last lick of orange-spiked dressing off a salad fork.
And if all that's left you hungry, here's one more kitchen trick to tuck away: flavoured butter. Everyone's doing it – and not just online. From punchy 'nduja to smoky cowboy butter and Stilton-rich slabs destined for steak, compound butters are the sort of five-minute flex that transform any meal into something memorable. Make one, stash it in the freezer, and consider yourself halfway to dinner greatness. Even Dad will be impressed.
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I spoke to the man who wrote the book on fermentation: Here is his golden rule for gut health |
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A more diverse gut microbiome can improve everything from our immune function to mood and cognition, but as we get more familiar with the powers of kimchi, kefir and kombucha, Harry Bulmore talks to fermentation expert Dr Johnny Drain who tells him why the CAP method of eating is the best |
Gut health has become something of a golden goose in health circles recently. With the world turning to prebiotics and probiotics to placate stomach aches (and many other ailments), fermented goods such as kimchi, kefir and kombucha are now the order of the day.
Few know more about this topic than Dr Johnny Drain – the man many Michelin-starred restaurants have on speed dial for all their fermentation needs. He has quite literally written the book on the subject Adventures in Fermentation, out on 12 June.
Drain's route to some of the world's top kitchens was far from conventional. It began with a chemistry degree in Bristol, followed by "a few years in the dark arts [finance]" and then a PhD at the University of Oxford in materials science – a field which, as the name suggests, explores the properties, composition and structure of materials.
It was only when he had completed this that a career in food came into the picture.
"I'd always loved food and cooked a lot, and maybe dreamt of becoming a chef one day," Drain tells me. "So I moved back in with my parents in Birmingham and realised there was a place for me as this kind of boffin who understood the science behind the food we eat, why things taste good and how you can make them taste better using science."
Read the full article here
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| I tested Ninja's double stack air fryer for weeks – here's my verdict |
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