“I’ve unlocked the door, and it’s cost me £2,000. Now I need to make £2,000.”
Why are so many restaurants closing down? Across Britain, the hospitality industry is facing unprecedented challenges. This time last year, it was the turn of chef Tony Rodd.
His passion for food had seen him progress from hosting dinner parties for friends, to being a Masterchef runner-up, to eventually opening his dream London restaurant - Copper and Ink, in affluent Blackheath.
But the dream unravelled. Crippled by Covid, increasing energy costs, VAT bills and ‘no-shows’, he shut up shop for good in January 2024.
One year on, he’s back, with an intimate new restaurant in Broadstairs - and, in this engaging interview with Olly, he explains how he’s making it work…
Olly Mann and Tony Rodd, Dec 2024
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Ollie Peart’s photo of the moon
Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart steps out into the cold night air to investigate the trend for smart telescopes, which combine automated star alignment and wireless connectivity to capture incredible images of the night sky.
How easy is it to find stars and take photos of them? What is driving the interest in astrophotography? And are they a worthy upgrade to an old-fashioned eye-piece? With a Vaonis Hestia by his side, Ollie reveals all...
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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox discovers how sound effects are created for erotic audiobooks, and tackles a question from a listener who wants to know about anal botox.
Can bum injections reduce pain during anal play, heal fissures, and relax muscles for easier intercourse? Dr. Evan Goldstein, aka “The Bottom Whisperer,” certainly thinks so…
… Alix considers the potential downsides, and investigates other aesthetic trends for 2025, from anal bleaching to skin tag removal, ‘scrotox’ and ‘showtox’.
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Music-wise, our record of the month comes from The Lumineers, whose new single Same Old Song spearheads their fantastic new album, Automatic 👇
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… and we’ll see you on Feb 10th!
