We are in for a cracking summer of strawberries
Apple upsets everyone and Warhammer is getting more expensive.
Hi there,
Where do you stand on tasting menus? I’m in two minds. The reality is that all I need is a burger and a Guinness and I’m set. I couldn’t be happier. But it’s a bit like endlessly rewatching Peep Show. Yes, it’s great but occasionally you’ve got to take the plunge and put on Solaris or The Seventh Seal or some other ‘challenging’ piece of cinema and try not to look at your phone too often.
Fundamentally a solid plate of food is a format we all know and love. Most of the time you know roughly what to expect. There’s more intrigue with a tasting menu, it’s a bit of a gastronomic adventure. Sure there will be something wobbly you don’t really like at course two or three but then in comes the delicious morsel at course 5.
Chefs have a difficult balance to strike with tasting menus because they’re always at risk of doing the culinary equivalent of a 35-minute Steve Vai guitar solo. Impressive, sure, but I want to leave now.
Ketchup and mayo please,
Hugo
Burgermeister General
The Business of Stuff
The Stuff
Apple upsets everyone with a crushing advert 🎭 - as ever you’re left wondering how this made it through all the various focus groups and approvals that must exist when you’re creating an ad for a multi-trillion dollar company. The video in question shows various artefacts of human creativity being crushed into an iPad.
Boeing suspended space launch for additional safety checks 🚀 - the aerospace manufacturer had two more incidents this week with planes skidding off the runway in Turkey and Senegal. Fortunately their intergalactic department is a bit more safety conscious and scrapped the launch of its first crewed space flight due to an issue with the rocket (which isn’t actually built by them).
Heineken is going to reopen 60 pubs 🍺 - the brewery is investing £39m into its Star Pubs & Bars chain which will create over 1000 new jobs. They will focus on suburban areas where people are spending more time as many people continue to work from home a few days a week. Greene King is also planning to open a £40m brewery by 2027 and Damm will open a £50m brewery in Bedford. Beers are back!
We’re on track for some great strawberries this year 🍓 - a wet and dark winter has resulted in some particularly plump and juicy strawberries. They’ll take a bit longer to hit the shelves but when they do what a party we’ll have! It’s been an incredibly challenging year for farmers with all the crappy weather but berries grown in polytunnels have done well.
Audiobook sales in the UK rise 17% 🎧 - do you say you’re reading or listening to an audiobook? I still haven’t figured it out. As revenues rise so does competition, with Spotify making books free to premium users and Audible getting Sam Mendes in to do some really over the top productions. It’s good news in general as audiobooks are much more accessible so are broadening the readership of books.
OpenAI wants to let users “responsibly” create adult content 😳 - just don’t guys, this can’t end well. Without putting too fine a point on it you’d have thought there’s enough by now? Do we really need to keep producing this sort of content? I’m all for consumer choice but it’s getting ridiculous.
Shein is planning a London IPO due to scrutiny in the US 🧦 - the Chinese clothes manufacturer that is now based in Singapore is currently facing too much opposition to listing in New York so is considering the London Stock Exchange. Although there are mixed feelings about the fast fashion business model a major London listing is much needed as several companies have opted to list in the US.
The UK economy and stock market are looking up 🇬🇧 - it’s been a pretty ropey few years for Britain but there are some signs things are improving (which the Tories are obviously leaping on with gusto) including economic growth and the FTSE 100 reaching all-time highs. The expectation is that there will be an interest rate cut next month.
The grace period for the holder of royal warrants is coming to an end 👑 - the companies holding royal warrants for Elizabeth II will see the end of a two-year grace period in September when Charles will announce what his favourite type of cereal and preferred supplier of pants are. The whole royal warrant thing is shrouded in secrecy as I discovered working at Paxton & Whitfield, who had a warrant for cheese. If I were to reveal the cheese I delivered to Buckingham Palace I could be hung, drawn and quartered on treason charges it turns out.
Warhammer enthusiasts furious after Games Workshop hike their prices 🖌️ - despite declaring a net margin of 35.4% in their financial reports, which is pretty bloody good, they are hiking their prices 3-5% which has ticked people off. They’re in a pretty monopolistic position as Warhammer alternatives are incredibly niche in an already niche subsection of society.
Quote of the week
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” ― Virginia Woolf