Driven by a passion to protect the planet, Phoebe English hasn't bought a centimetre of fabric or a single plastic button for her...

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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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Las Vegas opens its doors to Formula 1 this week ahead of the inaugural race on the city strip – and anticipation is at fever pitch. After more than three years of planning and $500m spent on a state-of-the-art pit building facility, F1 is on the cusp of its ultimate moment in the American spotlight in the entertainment capital of the world. While the penultimate race of the 2023 season won’t have an impact at the top of the world championship standings, with Max Verstappen having already claimed the title last month in Qatar, the third US race of the year will be unique in the fact it takes place on Saturday night at 10pm local time (6am GMT, Sunday morning). There is also a lavish opening ceremony, planned for Wednesday evening. Former American racing driver Willy T Ribbs – who made history by becoming the first Black man to test an F1 car in 1986 – insists it will be the biggest race “in racing history.” “It is going to be mega – I would not be shocked if King Charles showed up,” Ribbs told The Independent. “I would not be shocked because the A-list is going to be insane. You’re going to be bumping into more celebrities and sports stars than you will fans. “Without any hyperbole, it will be the biggest race in racing history. That encompasses everything – the most talked about and the most glamorous. If you look at Las Vegas, it has a history of putting on the biggest event – whether it’s a boxing fight or an NFL game.” It is a huge week for Formula 1 who, unusually, is promoting the event themselves as opposed to outsourcing the promotion. F1 has a 10-year deal with Las Vegas for a race in Sin City, on the assumption all goes smoothly this week. However, preparations have not been plain sailing, with disruption in the city due to the mammoth construction projects leading to some anger among locals and tourists in recent months. But ultimately, F1 is confident the race will bring in more than $1 billion for local enterprises. “We’re going to bring in something like $1.7 billion of revenue to the area,” said Greg Maffei, CEO of F1’s parent company Liberty Media. “I want to apologise to all the Las Vegas residents and we appreciate that they have their forbearance and their willingness to tolerate us. “It’s not just for the benefit of fans who want to view. We hope this is a great economic benefit in Las Vegas. We hope this is the most difficult year with all the construction that went on and things will be easier in the future. “There will be 105,000 people so the sheer scale of it, even for Las Vegas, will be the largest event Las Vegas will have,” Temperatures are expected to drop to around 12C during sections of the race weekend, presenting a different challenge to the norm for the drivers and teams. There is also the possibility of rain for qualifying on Friday night. LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX - SCHEDULE Friday 17 November Free practice 1 - 4:30am Free practice 2 - 8am Saturday 18 November Free practice 3 - 4:30am Qualifying - 8am Sunday 19 November Race - 6am All times GMT F1 has raced in Vegas before, in the parking lot of the Caesars Palace hotel in 1981 and 1982. Yet this event, twisting around the city’s famous landmarks including the Bellagio Fountains and the new Sphere building, should take the razzmatazz up to the next level. “Vegas is all about show. When the drivers get on the track they’re going to put on a show,” Ribbs added. “For Max, he might have won the world championship – but he still has races to win. And he hasn’t won the most races in the history of F1, so there’s the incentive. It’s also just seeing who can knock him off. “Who’s going to be the team and the driver to win the first Las Vegas Grand Prix? If I was the promoter, that’s how I’d be promoting it. If I was talking to the drivers in the drivers’ meeting, that would be my message. The championship is decided, but you guys go knock it out anyway and put on the best show for the fans and for TV. “I think Vegas will knock it out of the park – and take Formula 1 in this country to the next level.” Read More F1 2023 season race schedule: When is the Las Vegas Grand Prix? Michael Schumacher fans set for rare insight into F1 legend’s life in new documentary F1 boss urges teams to improve and close gap after Max Verstappen dominance Martin Brundle predicts F1 sprint change to produce ‘thrilling’ Saturdays in 2024 Machine Gun Kelly defends bizarre clash with F1 presenter at Brazilian Grand Prix Las Vegas hospitality workers’ strike poised to derail F1 race

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