Published in The Financial Times, 2003

Giorgio Locatelli is late. Forty minutes late. But then it’s to be expected: he is Italian after all. And not Italian in a bland, Spaghetti House, Caffe Nero kind of way, either. The 40-year old TV and restaurant chef is Italian in the way that Graham Norton is gay. He is extraordinarily, superlatively Italian.

Published in The Financial Times, 2003

Whatever happened to Bernard Matthews? Not that long ago he was on television every day, in those adverts where, if memory serves, he stood outside his country mansion, stroked packets of his Turkey Roast and told the world they were “bootiful” in a broad Norfolk accent. And even when the adverts stopped, he was in the papers, being (ahem) basted for his company’s animal welfare and food standards, or explaining, in the City pages, why investors should take a punt on his (ahem) turkey stock.

Published in The Financial Times, 2003

The most famous actor in the world walks into London’s Locanda Locatelli restaurant and not one head turns. Not one diner asks for his autograph and not one member of staff rushes towards him, obsequiously, to make sure he has everything he needs.

Published in the Financial Times, 2003

Here’s a challenging thought for all those working in the magazine industry: maybe change is a bad thing. Maybe all the re-designs, format alterations, editorial revolutions, style modifications and endless transformations that are accepted as a necessary part of modern magazine publishing are a waste of time. Maybe magazines would attract more readers, or at least just as many readers, if they never changed. Maybe the strange truth is that readers like things as they are.