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Dining across the divide: ‘He talked about cancel culture going too far – Gregg Wallace came up'

Dining across the divide: ‘He talked about cancel culture going too far – Gregg Wallace came up'

The Guardian4 days ago
Occupation Sustainability lead in the construction industry
Voting record Labour in the last election, but feels more aligned with the Green party
Amuse bouche Ben was a Pampers baby model. 'I think my mum was paid for it, and got a healthy supply of nappies'
Occupation Retired from a career in aviation
Voting record Conservative in the last election. Previously either Conservative or Lib Dem
Amuse bouche Neil likes to write, and has a computer full of unfinished novels. 'I'm good at beginnings, middles and ends, but I can't make any match'
Neil I was expecting a rabid Marxist, but my first impressions of Ben were that he was a really charming chap, and so he proved to be. He's married with four children. I'm also married with four children, but I also have grandchildren. I had crispy squid with a mango, chilli and lime salsa to begin with, then a lemon sole.
Ben We were both wearing tan chinos and a blue shirt. We were a guarded to begin with, sounding each other out. I also had the calamari, then a sea bass with new potatoes and a white creamy sauce. The food was phenomenal.
Neil Woke is a word I struggle to use. We need to get back to the old 'sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me'. You shouldn't go around saying stuff that is clearly offensive, or not true, and, if someone does, you've got every right to say, 'Don't speak to me like that', but don't completely rip them apart.
Ben I think young people are far more aware of their mental health, of the impact of trauma, of wanting to be able to live their lives in a certain way. For me, that's what we mean when we talk about woke culture, and it's a positive thing. I think Neil feels it has all gone too far, and he talked about cancel culture. Gregg Wallace came up.
Neil If it was just for saying something a bit stupid, which I'm sure we've all done, Gregg shouldn't have lost his livelihood. It should have been: look, Gregg, you're being an idiot, don't say stuff like that, it's not appropriate. And that's it, walk away. But some parts of the media have ripped him apart. If it transpires he's done something worse, any physical contact, that's a different story – then you're on your own, mate.
Ben I agree that you have to be really careful with cancel culture. I'm also OK accepting apologies from people. I do, however, believe there are people in the public domain who need to be able to stand up and be counted. If someone has been found to have made inappropriate sexual comments, then absolutely I don't think that person should be working in that industry or sector again.
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Neil I've never voted Labour, but in my view Tony Blair was the best Conservative prime minister we've had in decades! Starmer's heart's in the right place, but he could do with exhibiting a little bit more charisma. Come on, Keir, a little bit more pizzazz.
Ben I grew up in a very Tory household, and became more progressive. I do agree with sensible conservative values, but I haven't ever seen those in place. I'm not a staunch Labour voter, either; I'm a tactical voter.
Neil Three of my grandchildren live in Cornwall, and in the next 10 years they may be looking to buy somewhere. I wouldn't like to think they'll be priced out by people with second homes, but by the same token I'm not going to deny the right of somebody to do what they want with their money. An act of government that says you can only ever own one home wouldn't be appropriate; it's like a tax on being wealthy, and there are other taxes on being wealthy.
Ben I am quite happy with a local authority saying we don't have enough housing for people, so we're going to ban Airbnb, or double the council tax on them, or whatever. Their job is to make sure local people can thrive.
Ben Social media algorithms pitch people against each other. Sitting down with someone, having a discussion, is a very human way of being able to resolve some challenges.
Neil It was a case of good old-fashioned British compromise. We weren't shouty – no shaking of fists or banging the drum like you might see from our colleagues across the Atlantic. Ben gave me a lift home. Charming chap.
Additional reporting: Kitty Drake
Ben and Neil ate at The Wimborne Pig in Dorset
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Salsify in Cape Town: The fine dining restaurant rewriting the South African food story
Salsify in Cape Town: The fine dining restaurant rewriting the South African food story

The Independent

time21 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Salsify in Cape Town: The fine dining restaurant rewriting the South African food story

What does it take to be named Restaurant of the Year? Those words conjure a certain set of expectations: a beautiful setting, warm hospitality, knowledgeable staff, a focus on seasonality and sustainability and, obviously, perfectly delicious food. You'd expect all these things as the minimum, plus a little something extra that makes it special. Salsify nails every one of them, and then some. It has that extra something – a chef at the helm who couldn't hide his passion if he tried. Though it sounds like a cliché, chef Ryan Cole of Salsify – pronounced 'sal-si-fee', not 'fie', as I kept blurting out – genuinely lives and breathes his work. Whether it's fishing several times a week with his brother to supply the restaurant (their dad was a commercial fisherman), foraging for indigenous ingredients that 'tell the South African story,' sourcing sustainable produce or, you know, running two lauded businesses (the other is COY, a more laid-back but nonetheless excellent destination), it's clear he means it when he says, 'there was never anything else'. Salsify is housed in The Roundhouse – a national monument dating back to 1786, which served first as a guardhouse and then a hunting lodge. Perched at the base of Cape Town's Table Mountain, with sweeping views of the Atlantic, it's a setting that does a lot of the talking. But Ryan insists Salsify is 'about a sense of time and place'. 'It's an experience, a longer journey – put your seatbelt on and trust us.' From the hand-washing ceremony (my palms had never felt so soft or smelled so good) to the welcome mountain-sage cocktail served in the preservation chamber – apple-y fresh and delivered in a room daubed with graffiti by Louis de Villiers aka Skullboy – Salsify is full of sensory surprises without ever tipping into excess. A desire to be 'ingredient-led' means there's nowhere to hide. Ryan says he'd 'prefer taking off a plate, opposed to adding to,' and as he told the 2025 Eat Out Awards after winning: 'We stand for a few things: no bulls**t, honesty and flavour.' That ethos translates into exquisite, understated dishes – some dictated by what's been caught that day. A parsnip and chicken skin tart is smoky, delicate and absurdly tasty; its texture almost as appealing as its flavour. Springbok tartare, dressed with a lightly spicy Asian influence, is impossibly tender, offset by teensy pieces of popcorn. Steamed pork jowl sounds intimidating, but it couldn't be softer; its crunchy topping is delightfully reminiscent of pub pork scratchings. Ryan knows how to keep guests happy from the outset – with a 12-hour sourdough and milk-stout butter dusted with lemon, served alongside a small glass of stout – and right to the end, with the Salsify chocolate bar, best described as a fatter, denser, fudgier Twix. Something that adds to the experience – particularly for visitors – is the abundance of new things you'll get to try. In just one (admittedly sizeable) meal, I tasted spekboom on an oyster; umfino, made from pap (a maize dish that's a staple in any Cape Townian's diet) and leafy greens; chokka, a squid found off the South African coast; chakalaka, a spicy vegetable relish; and cake made from the tropical plant pandan – along with many more ingredients you just can't get in the UK. This pride in South African food and ingredients isn't unique to Salsify. At De Tafel at the Palm House Hotel and Spa – a gorgeous place to stay that exemplifies South African hospitality – the menu 'takes its cue from the indigenous flora and flavours of the Cape'. That felt true enough; I recognised fewer ingredients than I didn't – from kaapse suurings and veld patat to kappertijies, confetti bush and suikerbossie. My palate felt awakened in a way it hadn't in years. A standout discovery was snoek – a lean, local species of snake mackerel often turned into a smoked pâté that, bizarrely, pairs perfectly with marmalade. It's also a brilliant way to use up leftovers from the braai – that's a BBQ, to Brits. That pride extends to wine too, although it's something the rest of the world hasn't quite caught up with yet – as my colleague Hannah Twiggs wrote back in March. Despite its Mediterranean climate, deep-rooted winemaking tradition and truly breathtaking wine regions, South Africa still struggles to shake off its reputation as a budget alternative to the French classics. Wines here are often massively underpriced in British supermarkets – seen as the 'cheap option.' That perception seems to be shifting. Babylonstoren in Stellenbosch – a working farm, winery and luxury hotel – provided the official wine of this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show: a 2024 Mourvèdre Rosé. My own top tip, after trying (almost too) many bottles championed by South Africa's tourism agency, Wesgro, is to look out for SA Chenin Blancs. Crisp, subtly fruity and refreshing, it quickly became my wine of the summer. I particularly loved a bottle from Jordan Wines, but I picked up a brilliant one in Tesco when I got home – yet more proof of the undervalued prices. Naturally, South African wine features heavily at Salsify, and a Charles Fox 2016 Cœur de Cuvée was one of the most spectacular sparkling wines I've tasted. But I must also mention my peruse-the-menu cocktail – a rhubarb cosmopolitan. Tart, sweet and tangy, it's the kind of drink that would drive Carrie Bradshaw crazy. Almost as crazy as Ryan is about cooking. He's only ever wanted to quit once – deathly hungover, he tells me – and if he couldn't cook, he'd 'burn the place down. And by place, I mean the world.' Luckily for us, he's still doing his thing – and South Africa is all the better for it. Since my visit, Salsify was ranked No 88 – on its debut entry – in the World's 50 Best Restaurants Top 100 list for 2025. Here's how to braai fish like Ryan, paired with a summery curried salad. BBQ fish and summer curried salad Ingredients: 1x 2kg whole fish (preferably sea bass or kingfish) Zest and juice of 1 lemon Zest and juice of 1 lime 2 tbsp Maldon sea salt 50g butter, softened to room temperature 1 clove garlic, finely grated 1 apple, juiced 1 carrot, juiced 1 tsp medium curry powder 40ml olive oil 30ml apple cider vinegar 100ml Greek yoghurt 1 head butter lettuce, leaves picked 1 tub ricotta 1 pomegranate 30g salted roasted cashew nuts 1 cucumber, peeled into ribbons For the fish: Ask your fishmonger to butterfly your fish and remove the head, leaving the collar on and the belly whole. Method: 1. Light a fire and allow the coals to burn down to embers. Season your fish with the zest and juice of both the lemon and lime, 1 tablespoon of Maldon salt and a good crack of white pepper. Place the fish skin side down on the grid over the coals. Cook for 4-6 minutes, then flip onto the other side and cook for 1 minute. Allow the fish to rest for 3 minutes, before brushing the soft butter, with one clove of finely grated garlic mixed in, over the flesh. For the summer curried salad: 2. Mix the carrot and apple juice together in a heatproof pan and place over heat. Reduce the juice by ⅔, then remove from the heat and add curry powder, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Allow the mixture to cool, then stir through the yoghurt. 3. Add the lettuce, pomegranate, cucumber and cashew nuts to a bowl. Toss together with the yoghurt mix and ricotta. Serve alongside your fish.

How a junior trader paid for the banking crisis – while the big bosses never joined him in the dock
How a junior trader paid for the banking crisis – while the big bosses never joined him in the dock

The Independent

time21 minutes ago

  • The Independent

How a junior trader paid for the banking crisis – while the big bosses never joined him in the dock

The wheels of British justice are appallingly slow. Back in 2016, I wrote that the conviction of Tom Hayes, the bank trader jailed for conspiring to manipulate the Libor interest rate, was unsafe. Today, finally, the Supreme Court has agreed to quash his conviction. The case of Carlo Palombo, the other trader who had his conviction quashed today, was not linked to Hayes. Palombo received four years in 2019. When ex-Citi and UBS banker Hayes was found guilty in 2015, he was sentenced to 14 years, an astonishing long term for a white-collar criminal in this country. That was reduced to 11 years on appeal, but as I remarked at the time, you get less for killing someone. There is no doubt he was being made an example of. There was considerable public anger at the way bankers had walked scot-free from the financial crisis – still is – and Hayes was seen as discouraging others. He was portrayed as being at the centre of a web, setting the benchmark rate used for millions of personal loans; he was therefore the worst of the worst, an arch-villain who profited from ordinary folks; he, everyone seemed to agree, deserved every moment spent inside. But in his case, there literally were no others. A year later, in a blow to the Serious Fraud Office, which brought the prosecutions, six brokers were acquitted of conspiring with him to fix the interbank rate. On their acquittals, in his cell at HMP Lowdham Grange, Hayes could be forgiven for raging against the iniquity of a system that saw his life ruined. Particularly, as in the professional hierarchy, Hayes was a junior. We were supposed to believe that others never condoned what he did. It simply never rang true that he was able to act without anyone above him at the bank knowing and agreeing. That unease only increased with details emerging about his personality. 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