Classical tips

In the summer months, Tarr Steps heaves with families and visitors who come to cross the medieval clapper bridge that spans the River Barle. But in winter the woodland is tranquil, with lovely walks to the picturesque village of Dulverton. The Tarr Farm Inn – set right by the Steps – dates back to the 1600s, with nine comfortable rooms that come with fluffy bathrobes and Egyptian cotton, and homemade biscuits and fresh milk on the tea tray. Settle in for hearty dinners of chermoula-spiced scallops and a rack of Somerset lamb, with cream teas available until 5pm each day as a reward for a hearty walk. Doubles from £90 B&B; tarrfarm.co.uk

A major draw of being in New Orleans during the weeks of Mardi Gras parades—now underway ending with the Big Day on February 13th-is, naturally, sampling the restaurants in the city. But for those who can’t make it to the Big Easy during this stretch, or simply miss it and want to relive the dining experiences at home, it’s easy to get signature dishes from some of the city’s most famous eateries and bakeries shipped to points around the U.S. Various New Orleans establishments have partnered with Goldbelly and the shipments arrive in refrigerated or frozen form with instructions on how to defrost and heat them, bringing them close to on site restaurant form. (When scanning the city’s offerings, though, be warned that they’re not always grouped together. Type “New Orleans” and keep scrolling; other cities may be mixed in.)

During the 49 years that Estée Lauder worked at her namesake company, she oversaw the creation of a dozen scents and encouraged women to create fragrance “wardrobes” tailored to every occasion and mood. The brand’s Legacy Collection, which comes out on Feb. 1, revives five of Lauder’s creations with the help of Frédéric Malle (whose perfume brand was acquired by the Estée Lauder Companies in 2015) and the perfumers Anne Flipo, Carlos Benaïm and Bruno Jovanovic, all of whom have worked with Malle on previous fragrances. During an interview inside Lauder’s well-preserved office near Central Park, Malle explained how he retooled the scents using more modern fragrance-making techniques. He noted that, in Lauder’s day, perfumers combined base scents that were “like premixed mini-perfumes” to create a final fragrance. “They contained things that weren’t necessary and created background noise,” Malle said. To update the formulas, any nonessential ingredients in those bases were stripped away — “it’s like cleaning up,” he said. The new collection has notes that range from fresh and herbaceous to musky and sweet. Azurée, initially released in 1969, evokes dry Mediterranean shores with herby notes like basil and tarragon as well as jasmine, spicy cardamom, bergamot, and cumin, which Malle amplified in his edition. For White Linen, a classic floral bouquet of rose and jasmine, Malle used pure labdanum, an ambery resin from the rockrose plant, which wasn’t available when the scent debuted in 1978. Knowing, a seductive scent from 1988, “contained a little bit of the Muzak of the ’80s,” Malle said. The modernized version is a fruity chypre with raspberries, black currant, rose and patchouli. The overall goal of the collection, Malle said, “is to revive this work and show how good Mrs. Lauder was.”

Valentine’s Day is approaching and Brooklyn is the perfect space to celebrate. Cupid’s arrow totally extends to the outer boroughs, whether you’re looking for a low key pasta dinner, an intensely spicy Thai dinner, a luxe French-Japanese omakase meal, or a steakhouse feast.

Washington, D.C., is known as the heart of American politics, but it’s also an unexpected hub for some of the country’s most creative cocktail experiences. After all, the political parties must agree on something, right? A unanimous D.C. favorite is the espresso martini — a sweet treat packing a caffeinated punch.

The most important dinner date of the year is approaching.

Think that you have to cross the Pond to get some of the world’s best European spa treatments?

Demand for plant-based food has soared in the UK in the past few years, thanks in part to the popularity of movements and campaigns like Veganuary. With the latter came a blossoming of the country’s vegan dining scene, which now spans from fine dining to street food. While some establishments focus on lifting vegetables to stardom, others use meat substitutes to entice non-vegans. The biggest change, though, is the diversity of cuisines available — you can now just about eat your way around the world, whether you’re after flavours from Asia, Europe or the Americas. For those contemplating a dietary switch, here’s a selection of fully vegan restaurants around the country to get you started.

Lima defies easy culinary categorisation. Peru’s capital, set above the towering cliffs of the Costa Verde, overlooks a sweep of Pacific coast from the gritty port city of Callao to the fishing village of Chorrillos. A city, a port and a gateway to Latin America, Lima doesn’t have a distinct geographical cuisine, it has dozens of them. Regional ingredients and cultural heritage, both ancient and modern, all mingle together, creating new combinations of flavours. 

The cultural tapestry of Sicily is a rich and varied one. Invasions by the Phoenicians, ancient Greeks, Romans, Moors, Normans, Spanish, and Italians left their mark, particularly in the island’s architecture and culinary traditions. The island is best explored through those understated haunts where locals convene, centuries-old buildings that lie well off the tourist track, and family-run restaurants where a simple cannoli can move you to tears.

Set in the heart of Funchal’s atmospheric Old Town, the five historic houses that make up Castanheiro offer guests an immersion in more than 300 years of Madeiran history. Communal areas in each house are filled with antique furniture and period pieces from its earlier incarnations – one as a handcraft atelier, another the home of wealthy traders – while bedrooms are sleek and modern. The cherry on the cake is the rooftop pool, with fantastic views over Funchal and plenty of quiet outdoor spaces on the walled terraces for relaxing with a book or a cocktail. There’s no restaurant, but plenty of good options within a minute or two’s stroll.Doubles from £153 B&B; castanheiroboutiquehotel.com

Many of the issues that dogged the UK’s dining scene in 2022 did so throughout 2023 — particularly the high cost of food, which continues to have a big impact on how and what we’re eating. This is being felt most notably in the capital, where food costs are compounded by high and rising rents, contributing to what many food writers have cited as a sense that restaurants are playing it safe, at least within the city centre. As the Guardian’s food critic Grace Dent put it in her end of year review, ‘2023 seemed to be the year that London’s restaurant scene lost its edge. Outside the M25, I was eating far better’. This sense of caution can be seen among many of the trends widely cited for 2025, with humble ingredients and classic creations seeing a return in popularity. Perhaps this is why the martini is back in fashion and beans are more prevalent on the menus of hip restaurants — albeit both with fresh twists and interpretations. For all this, though, there are still plenty of exciting developments, such as the rise of music-led restaurants and fresh ingredients to explore, such as the fig leaf. Here’s what’s on the horizon for 2024.

On Valentine’s Day, even the most elegant New York City hotel dining rooms raise the bar in terms of their culinary offerings.

A version of this article originally appeared in Condé Nast Traveller UK.

What’s the first dish that comes to mind when you think of classic British pub food? Fish and chips? Steak and ale pie? A burger? Yes, to all the above. And chips, always chips — still one of the most popular pub foods. But how did this all come to be? And why have these dishes endured?

“The people on this cruise ship continue to give me dirty looks everywhere I go,” Marc Sebastian announces to his 1.5 million followers on TikTok. He is filming in a cabin onboard the ship, addressing the camera in classic reality-TV confessional style. Text floats above his head. It reads: “day one on the 9 month cruise.”

When it comes to putting together the perfect pub tap line-up, parallels can be drawn from football management. As with an ideal first 11, there needs to be balance at the pumps — a required blend of promising youth and gnarled veterans, an equilibrium struck between the scampering pomp of the new world craft brewing scene and a solid spine of enduring, ageless classics, the odd eccentric from overseas and, at the fear of stretching the analogy a little too far, a couple of unashamed crowd-pleasers who go down far too easily.

Endless music, classic cars, beautiful seas and cultural swagger will ensure memories from a family vacation to Cuba last a lifetime.

You’ll know you’ve arrived at L’Escargot once you spot the vintage-style, neon lights spelling out its name, and notice the plaster bust of a person riding a giant snail above the door (it turns out this is the famous restaurant’s founder, Charles Gaudin, sat astride a giant gastropod). With its creaking stairs, top-floor, plant-filled bar and colourful, art-lined walls, the restaurant, in the heart of London’s Soho, has been at the epicentre of the capital city’s dining scene for nearly 100 years.

It’s that time of year again — New York City Restaurant Week is back! The winter edition runs from Tuesday, January 16 through Sunday, February 4, offering diners $30 to $45 multi-course lunches and brunches, plus $60 dinners at some of the city’s most renowned, trendiest and sought after spots. Technically, you have three weeks to book a table an enjoy a dining deal, so get ahead of your plans and take advantage of the discounted pre-fixes at these top New York City restaurants:

Skiers are not shy about spending on the sport they love and will go to great lengths to ensure that they have the proper, most up-to-date equipment. In addition to the newest skis, which these days practically ski by themselves, along with high tech boots that fit like a glove, the proper accessories can surely enhance one’s time on the slopes. These accessories, which range from thin heated glove liners to googles that boast a retro 70s look, should be on every skier’s “must have” list.