- Michelin-starred central London restaurant Veeraswamy, considered to be the oldest Indian restaurant in the UK, could be forced to close and possibly relocate after being told its lease wouldn’t be renewed after it expires in June. The restaurant’s landlord The Crown Estate is understood to want to take the site back in order to, carry out a 12-month renovation of the entire building that would see the space converted into offices.
- More details have been revealed about Stevie Parle’s long-awaited new London restaurant, which he has described as the ‘biggest, most ambitious project’ he’s ever done. Called Town, the restaurant, which was first mooted back in late 2023, will open next month on Drury Lane and is billed as ‘blending the best of sustainable British produce with a design-forward interior’.
- Craig Johnston has become the first-ever chef to win both The Roux Scholarship and MasterChef: The Professionals. Johnston, who is head chef at the Michelin-starred Angler restaurant in London’s South Place Hotel, won the 2025 Roux Scholarship yesterday (14 April) following the finals of the competition held at the Alain Roux Culinary School at The Waterside Inn in Bray.
- Liz Cottam is to close her Leeds restaurant The Owl at the end of the month ahead of plans to relaunch the site as a relaxed ‘gastrobar’ concept called Emba. The chef and restaurateur has launched a crowdfund that’s aiming to raise £45,500 to support an overhaul of the space with plans to build a central bar and a separate open kitchen space complete with a charcoal grill.
- The Government’s commitment to reform the business rates system and provide a permanently lower level of business rates for the sector has become law. The move has been described by industry trade body UKHospitality as a ‘landmark moment’.