First, they came for our energy bills. Now, they’re waging war on our beloved fish and chips. When will the tyranny end? Probably not any time soon and certainly not in Padstow, where Rick Stein has decided to add a £2 surcharge for extras like gravy, curry sauce and aioli at his fish and chippy. Apparently even celebrity can’t protect you from “food inflation, energy costs and rising wages”. Naturally, all hell broke loose among Padstow punters, who were outraged at the additional cost to their already £20 order. “I’ve always felt that there’s something of the night about him,” one decried. “Let’s boycott it,” exclaimed another. Let me add an unpopular opinion to the opprobrium. Back off, penny pinchers. Ketchup doesn’t come for free just because you decided to dine at Stein’s. It’s a product like any other, and it comes with a price. Why should Stein, or any other restaurant, have to pay it? As a restaurant critic, I’m aware that dinner is getting quite dear. But my advice for anyone complaining about prices is: have some perspective. My initial thoughts on hearing the news from Padstow were twofold. Firstly, if you don’t want to pay upwards of £20 for fish and chips, why don’t you just… go somewhere else? Stein’s is hardly the only joint in town. It’s also not the highest rated so if you are splashing the cash, splash it elsewhere. Secondly, what do people expect? Prices are going up in every aspect of our lives. Restauranteurs aren’t immune to that – they face exactly the same problems we do, if not more. The only thing alarming about the news is that even a brand as big as Rick Stein’s is struggling to survive. For a sachet of Heinz mayonnaise, sure, Stein should probably suck it up (though I imagine that, too, costs more these days). But is it so far-fetched to charge for condiments that are made in house, on the day, with quality ingredients, by trained chefs? Yes, Stein could just plonk it onto his already extortionate prices (£16.95 for cod and chips? You must be joking), but I imagine you might have a thing or two to say about that as well. At least he’s giving you the choice of paying for condiments at all. If you replicated the recipe at home, I’d be surprised if you could get the ingredients for under £2 in the supermarket. That perspective should extend to the impact our changing climate has had on fishing. We’re catching far fewer fish, which has driven up the price of a catch by 11 per cent in the last year. Politics also plays a role, where tariffs on Russia, which previously supplied 40 per cent of white fish in the UK, have forced fishermen to cast their nets elsewhere. The cost of vegetable oil has also gone up by 80p per litre. Given the fish and chip industry uses somewhere in the region 100,000 tons of the stuff, that’s an enormous cost for restaurants to shoulder. Even potatoes are heading upwards of £400 per ton due to increased fertiliser costs and the impact of last year’s hot summer. Then there’s the energy crisis – businesses don’t enjoy a price cap. You can see what I’m getting at. It’s a perfect storm. While arguments that a business as big as Stein’s should be able to absorb the costs somewhere in the empire are totally fair, the news reflects the struggle of all restaurants to reconcile spiralling costs with diner expectations. Earlier this year, Mandy Yin, owner of London laksa bar Sambal Shiok, responded to complaints from diners that prices were too high with a detailed breakdown of how much it costs to produce a single dish. From a portion of their £13 fried chicken, the business only makes 30p. This whole debacle also reminds me of a conversation I had recently with Charlie Bigham, a household name mainly for his boujie “ready meals” (he despises the term). When I asked him to justify why his fish pie now costs around £10 for two people, he gave me the usual spiel about rising costs etcetera, then asked: but why are we so obsessed with paying less and less for food? If we care about the quality of the produce, the impact on the environment and fair pay for the people that work in the industry, shouldn’t we be prepared to pay a bit more? For those lucky enough to be in the contingent that can afford fish and chips, £2 curry sauce might not be the hill to die on. Don’t get me wrong: I think it’s outrageous. But I don’t blame the restaurants. Next time you’re in Padstow, a little understanding, perspective and kindness would go a long way. Read More London’s best new restaurants: From Spanish-Welsh fusion at Mountain to British kitsch at 20 Berkeley The dish that defines me: Michele Pascarella’s Neapolitan ragu Is bottomless prosecco going to be killed off by climate change?

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Nyck de Vries admits his exit from AlphaTauri “hurts” after speaking out for the first time since losing his seat in Formula 1. The Dutch driver, who impressed so highly in finishing ninth last year at Monza for Williams, struggled throughout the first 10 races of the 2023 season. Alongside Logan Sargeant at Williams, De Vries was the only driver yet to score a point and has been under increasing pressure from Red Bull chief Helmut Marko. And with Marko dropping De Vries, Daniel Ricciardo has stepped in to replace the Dutchman ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend and for the remainder of the 2023 season. “Of course it hurts the F1 chance I dreamed of for so long ended prematurely,” the 28-year-old said on Instagram. “After recent events, I decided to take some time for myself away from social media, which I will continue to do. I would like to thank Red Bull and Scuderia AlphaTauri for the opportunity to live my dream. “But life is not a destination, it’s a journey, and sometimes you have to take the hard road to get where you want to be. “I am grateful for our privileged lives, proud of our journey and my family. This is just another experience, we move on and look forward to the next chapter.” De Vries also addressed media articles in the past week purporting quotes from the axed driver, which he implied are not accurate given he hasn’t spoken to the press. “I received some interesting articles about things I’ve said in the last week,” he added. “For clarity, I haven’t spoken to any media and for the time being I’ll enjoy some me time. Wishing you all a nice summer.” De Vries, the 2019 F2 champion and 2021 Formula E champion, was on Mercedes’ books as a test driver before switching to Red Bull for his move to AlphaTauri. Read More Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top Red Bull has handed Daniel Ricciardo the first step to Sergio Perez’s seat Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top Daniel Ricciardo: I thought I’d never race in F1 again Sebastian Vettel hints at return to F1: ‘I have some ideas’

I remember the first “latte makeup” video that came across my feed: Influencer Steph Hui created the prettiest warm, softly smoky neutral using a cornucopia of smoldering tans and browns for a monochromatic makeup moment. I was utterly obsessed — and as someone who gravitates toward neutral tones, it was like a 2.0 version of my everyday makeup. Needless to say, as far as TikTok beauty trends go, this was one I was very here for.

Labor Day has some of the best clothing, beauty, and wellness deals out there, but the best furniture and home deals consistently steal the spotlight. What can we say? The internet’s favorite home goods hubs — Wayfair, Saatva, Tempur-Pedic, Le Creuset, and the like — get a kick out of marking down their bestsellers. So let’s hear it for the boys furniture retailer’s dishing out steep discounts on their fan-favorite couches, bedding, and cookware from now until September. Yes, you heard us right — ’tis only August, but the Labor Day sales are already in full swing. So scroll on for the best Labor Day furniture and home sales happening now…and next week… and the week after that. Time may be an illusion, but the following Labor Day deals are 100% real.

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 24, 2023--

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