Holiday on a plate
Some of England's most renowned chefs are speaking up about the delights of the country's food and drink in a culinary campaign aimed at foreign visitors. Government tourism office VisitBritain is behind the year-long TasteEngland initiative, which aims to convince sceptical would-be guests of the attractions of taking a break in England based on a profusion of high-quality food and drink.
The past decade has seen a quiet revolution in the quality and variety of English food and drink, VisitBritain says. Past perceptions have given way to a revival of traditional fare and new and improved recipes and menus. England is at last, it seems, the home of world-class restaurants, eateries and gastro-pubs. 'Research indicates that half of England's visitors rate the quality of food and drink as playing an important part of their holiday,' says marketing director Michael Bedingfield.
TasteEngland highlights the best English produce across nine regions, each of which is endorsed by a celebrity chef proving just how versatile dishes such as Lancashire hotpot, Yorkshire pudding and Norfolk duck can be. Kings of the kitchen who have signed up include Gary Rhodes (South East), Albert Roux (Northumbria), Rick Stein (South West) and Brian Turner (London).
Court circular
The mainland's hutongs may be no match for its bulldozers, but the Marriott hotel group is restoring some sort of balance by building its sixth courtyard property in China.
The moderately priced, 247-room Courtyard Nanchang will open in 2006, having sprouted from the sort of office building and residential cluster now all the rage in mainland cities. Fixing its sights on the conference crowd, the hotel, joining sister courtyard properties in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shunde and Wuxi, will feature a host of function and meeting rooms, an executive floor and lounge, a business centre with boardroom and four private dining rooms.