Rufus Thurston launched Oli’s Thai with his wife Ladd in 2013, and followed up with tapas bar Arbequina, which he opened with Ben Whyles and Ben Bateman three years later. Harden’s caught up with him as he prepared to unveil a second branch of Arbequina in Oxford Covered Market later this spring. HARDEN’S: Oli’s Thai […]
The Sustainable Restaurant Association’s new report, “Hospitality Rising: Global Challenges, Local Solutions”, highlights examples of best practice and creative initiatives from businesses across the globe. Launched this week, the report discusses the latest trends shaping the sector and celebrates a wide variety of sustainability initiatives from hospitality operations of all shapes and sizes around the world. With restaurants, hotels, bars, universities, caterers, cafés, train networks, […]
From an impoverished childhood in Sri Lanka, chef Larry Jayasekara has completed an extraordinary journey to running The Cocochine in Mayfair, where guests feast on immaculately prepared European cuisine accented with South Asian flavourings. HARDEN’S caught up with him at the restaurant as its second anniversary approaches this month. Larry grew up in a small […]
Join The Sustainable Restaurant Association and Waterscan for a free-of-charge webinar, exploring why water stewardship matters to your business and how you can make a difference. The Sustainable Restaurant Association (The SRA) is pleased to invite you to join a free-of-charge online webinar exploring why water stewardship is a priority for hospitality businesses. Co-hosted by Waterscan and The SRA, the session will provide […]
Craig Bancroft has run Northcote country-house hotel in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley since 1983, guiding its development as a gastronomic beacon of the North. Harden’s caught up with him at Northcote in early January – a time of the year when many in hospitality take a welcome break after the rigours of Christmas and the New Year. […]
If sustainability, environmental principles or social concerns are important to your business, your customers, team members and business partners should know about it. The Sustainable Restaurant Association shares how you can create an impact report to share and celebrate your achievements. What is an impact report? An impact report is a way of showcasing your outcomes and achievements. […]
There is a growing suspicion that Chancellor Rachel Reeves has completely botched the reform of business rates. Since her autumn Budget last month, it has emerged that giants such as Harrods, Selfridges and Greggs stand to save millions of pounds a year while smaller hospitality sector rivals face sharp increases in their rates – negating […]
Healthy, affordable, planet-friendly and – most importantly – absolutely delicious, the vast and versatile bean family is set to play a growing role in our diet. With the ‘Bang in Some Beans’ campaign launched in the UK a few weeks ago, The Sustainable Restaurant Association explores why beans, peas and lentils will form an incredibly important part of […]
Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 9th November 2025 The Guardian Lilibet’s, Mayfair Grace Dent anointed her “new favourite restaurant”: Australian chef and Bone Daddies founder Ross Shonhan’s seafood specialist at the birthplace of the late QEII (fka ‘Lilibet’) – whose “turbo-chintz, Las Vegas-style royalist fever dream” […]
The Sustainable Restaurant Association shares five key takeaways from the Zero Waste Bar Guide, launched in partnership with Sustainable Wine Solutions and The Porto Protocol We were delighted to host an event at Tate to celebrate the launch of The Last Straw Collective and the Zero Waste Bar Guide. The Zero Waste movement is growing quickly, and sustainability […]
