Latest news with #EdChapman
Daily Mirror
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I tried UK's priciest sandwich and was floored when I looked inside'
YouTuber Ed Chapman, who reviews food on his channel, wasn't impressed when he bit into a Wagyu beef 'sando' from Harrods - which has been billed as the most expensive sandwich in Britain The humble sandwich remains a lunchtime favourite for workers across the nation. We've all made ourselves a sarnie at some point and it's difficult to imagine how you could get such a simple snack wrong. That is, until YouTuber Ed Chapman ventured to prestigious London department store Harrods to sample Britain's priciest butty. After trying several lacklustre sandwiches priced between £10-£18, Ed was eagerly anticipating the Wagyu 'sando'. "This is my kind of meat," he declared. "None of this fish nonsense." However, the moment he unwrapped his 'sando,' Ed encountered an unwelcome shock. He said with evident disappointment: "I've just touched the bread, and it feels very dry." Ed, who regularly reviews food and drink for his channel, continued: "It's kind of rubbery. It's bizarre. And as far as I can tell, this is Wagyu sort of wrapped up in a sort of katsu coating." He observed: "No crusts is an interesting one. But then the bread is very, very hard and tough." In summary, he concluded it prioritised presentation over quality: "Maybe it's trying a bit too hard to be a sandwich," he remarked. "It's one of those people that tries too hard to be cool. They call themselves Sando." The taste of his £28 sandwich failed to impress: "I'm just getting a lot of mushroom. It's odd. It says barbecue sauce, but I'm not really getting the barbecue sauce because it's been bleached into the bread." Ed described the sandwich as "fine, but nothing special" adding: "It almost feels like the way that they've served this up, it feels like I've been up in my grandma's loft and found like an old sandwich from when she was at work, you know, in the '70s. And I've discovered it inside a little shoe box." Ed then quipped that biting into the sandwich felt like chomping on a family heirloom, expressing his disappointment over its lack of freshness: "That's the biggest disappointment," he said. "You pay 28 quid for something," Ed added, "You expect it to be fresh. You expect the bread to not have this weird dryness to it. I know it's probably been done like that deliberately, but it's not the most appetising or fresh feeling when you're biting into a sandwich. " He admitted that the sandwich wasn't terrible, giving it a score of around six out of 10: "But you want it to be better than six for 28 quid. "In conclusion, Ed criticised the pretentious nature of the sandwiches he had sampled: "If you are going to have an expensive sandwich like that, make the filling just like, just your standard stuff. Chicken, bacon, ham, cheese. "Sandwiches are supposed to be simple, quick, and easy," he said, "and cheap. 28 quid? Yeah, don't bother with that c**p."
Wales Online
10-06-2025
- Wales Online
'I visited UK seaside town with bad reputation but I found one thing idyllic'
'I visited UK seaside town with bad reputation but I found one thing idyllic' A seaside city in Wales was dubbed the 'worst' in Britain, with people saying it was 'run down' and 'drab', but one recent visitor felt the title was 'misleading' YouTuber Wendall visited Bangor in North Wales to see if it was the 'worst' seaside town (Image: Wendall/YouTube ) A Welsh cathedral city that was dubbed as one of the 'worst seaside towns' won over one YouTuber who visited thanks to one thing. Home to around 16,000 people, Bangor in Gwynedd scored lowly for its food and drink scene, shopping and tourist attractions. Critics also slammed the city's beaches and value for money. The BBC reported that some commenters called Bangor 'drab' and 'run down'. Although people living in the cathedral city hit-back at the poll, pointing out that it has never been seen as a seaside resort, unlike destinations such as Llandudno and Rhyl. Instead, the city has garnered a reputation for its sixth century cathedral, 19th-century university building, its Victorian pier and the Penrhyn Castle. YouTuber Wendall visited the city and was won over by its surroundings. Bangor is located just miles away from the Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park. Its Garth Pier also stretches out into the Menai Strait overlooking Anglesey and the picturesque town of Beaumaris. YouTuber Wendall was won over by Bangor's harbour (Image: R) Article continues below In a video on his channel, Wendall visited the city's bay. He said: 'Before I came to this small city that has been given the title of the worst seaside town in Britain, I expected far worse than this, look at this idyllic setting. I'm starting to think this might be a little bit of tabloid sensationalism, even more so than other places I've been. 'This is quite idyllic, the tide is out at the moment so you have a bit of seaweed and stuff but it's peaceful and quiet. There's new buildings and pathways and stuff for people to walk. 'I've been to all sorts of seaside towns and Bangor, it's probably just a bit quiet and dead. But it's certainly not rough, not in the town centre and near the water anyway. 'It's been termed the worst seaside town and I immediately think of it like a dying holiday resort, but this isn't actually a holiday resort, it's a town by the water but it's not got all the arcades, all the empty holiday parks, I think that title is misleading.' Garth Pier in Bangor (Image: R) Wendall also visited the city's famous Garth Pier. At 1,500 feet (460 m) in length, it is the second-longest pier in Wales and ninth-longest in Britain. The YouTuber said: 'This is beautiful.' Fellow YouTuber Ed Chapman also praised the city's pier. On a video on his own channel, Ed said: 'Now, this looks beautiful that we're heading towards here. Sun's starting to set now, getting to golden hour, and we're heading onto the pier, which does look beautiful. It looks a little bit more sort of traditionally seaside-y." Looking out over the water from the pier, he added that the view was "impressive" and "glorious" before dubbing the pier "lovely". Later in the video, he expressed his admiration for the university, calling it a "nice" building and "very sort of Hogwarts". Bangor University (Image:) Ed was left 'very surprised" by the city and said Bangor, in his opinion, wasn't the UK's worst seaside town and "pretty underrated". After the survey results were announced, Bangor City Council hit-out at the poll. A spokesman said: 'It's disappointing to see Bangor City named as one of the UK's worst seaside towns. Such rankings often fail to capture the full picture and the unique charms that make Bangor City so special." Other highlights emphasised by the council included the Storiel Gallery and Museum and Pontio Arts Centre and the cathedral. Commenters on YouTube spoke-out in favour of the city. Article continues below One said: 'I'm Bangor born and bred. We are NOT a 'seaside town' and have never been one." Another added: 'We are a very small university city beside the sea. We are not geared up to be a seaside town - that's places like Llandudno and Rhyl. We've never had a sandy beach and they are shoring up the sea defences down there atm [at the moment], which is a massive job. Bangor is the gateway to the mountains."
New Statesman
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Statesman
This England: With a couple of kookies…
A portrait of David Bowie took the artist Ed Chapman 180 hours to make – out of biscuits. The mosaicist created images of the 'Heroes' singer for McVitie's, which is celebrating 100 years of the Chocolate Digestive. He used more than 1,000 of the treats to fashion the faces of icons including Trevor McDonald and Judi Dench out of whole biscuits, fragments and crumbs. His works go on show 2-5 May at McVitie's Chocolate Digestives Experience in Regent Street, London. Wales Online (Amanda Welles) Suite oblivion A sofa dumped in a Gloucestershire village has become an unexpected tourist attraction – with fans taking photos and giving Tripadvisor reviews. The two-seater was abandoned on waste ground in Lydbrook, but photographer Alex Elton-Wall saw potential in the forlorn furniture – and has since taken the portraits of more than 150 locals. 'It's taken on a life of its own,' Alex said, but he expects the fly-tipped seat will soon be disposed of properly. 'All good things come to an end,' he said. Metro (Daragh Brady) Forced to eat crow The owner of a cockerel that awoke neighbours early has been ordered to pay nearly £4,000. Harold Brown let the bird make 'unacceptable levels of noise' disturbing their sleep 'from as early as 5am each day,' said New Forest District Council. Mr Brown's bid to quash a conviction for non-compliance was dismissed at Southampton Crown Court. BBC (Michael Meadowcroft) Each entry that appears in the New Statesman receives a £5 book token. Send your entries to comp@ [See also: This England: One previous owner] Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Related
Daily Mirror
06-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Little-known European town dubbed 'world's most beautiful' with crystal-clear waters
Ed Chapman, a leading travel YouTuber, was obsessed with one particular Swiss lakeside paradise years before he finally got to visit - and he says it's just like a "posh Benidorm" A YouTube star who dreamed of visiting one of the most beautiful places in the world was stunned when he showed up. Before becoming a top travel YouTuber, Ed Chapman had an obsession with one particular place. After years of dreaming about it, Ed has now achieved his goal of visiting the idyllic lakeside haven of Brunnen. But terrible weather put something of a damper on his dream. Perched on the edge of Lake Lucerne in the heart of Switzerland, Brunnen has earned the title of "the most beautiful town in the world" from several visitors. Ed had always wanted to gaze into the lake's clear turquoise waters, but there was a little problem. Upon arrival, the usually charming town was hidden under less-than-ideal weather conditions, with relentless rain somewhat spoiling the view. But Ed didn't let this dampen his spirits, donning a raincoat and pressing on. "I just hope the sun comes out, because then it will prove my point about how beautiful this place is and perhaps my dream of coming here might be realised," he said. The enchanting spot has lured notable figures such as Queen Victoria and Winston Churchill, who spent his honeymoon beside Lake Lucerne, as well as famed painter JMW Turner, who captured the majestic mountains in several watercolours. Even with the weather not on his side, Ed stayed hopeful, remarking: "Maybe it's the most beautiful place in the world ... we haven't exactly had the sun yet, but I think tomorrow we might." On the last day of his trip, Ed's patience was rewarded with a break in the weather. As the sun emerged, he exclaimed: "It's a new dawn it's a new day... we've got the sun! "We haven't quite got a clear view yet across the water. It's still a little bit cloudy but at least the sun's out hopefully it'll continue to clear up as the morning goes on. "We've got a few more hours here before we have to check out but I'm getting optimistic that we might get some you know some some clear skies." Despite the lingering clouds, Ed was captivated by the stunning mountain scenery and the lake's vibrant turquoise waters. "That is incredibly turquoise," he marvelled. "It's crazy how clear the waters are. I just love a mountain, I love a lake." He noted the snow-dusted mountain peaks, remarking: "It doesn't get much better than that." Ed even suggested the location could be one of the most beautiful places on earth. His holiday concluded with a contented moment on his hotel balcony, drink in hand: "This is what it's all about," he laughed. "Sat on a balcony having a citrus drink looking at the view. It's like a posh Benidorm."
Asharq Al-Awsat
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Biscuit Portraits of Famous British People
London-based artist Ed Chapman has created biscuit portraits of famous British people to mark the 100th anniversary of the McVitie's digestive biscuit range. The mosaic artist said he had some 'trepidation' when McVitie's called and asked him to make some famous portraits out of biscuits. 'I wondered if the portraits could be done with biscuits, I thought surely they're going to be crumbling all over the place,' Chapman said, according to BBC. 'I immediately went out and bought some biscuits to try them out and tested out how it might work - eventually I found my way with them,' he said. Asked how it was possible to make such vivid portraits out of digestives, he said: 'I initially thought they were all quite similar, but actually there's a white chocolate, gold chocolate, dark chocolate and of course the milk chocolate, and if you flip them over, there's the biscuit side which is plain, so there's a few grades of color and tones there - it's a palette.' He added, 'When I started this, I didn't think about the warm weather. Thankfully I've got a north facing studio, but I kept them in the fridge as they were easier to cut. Chapman explained the current warm spell is a bit of a worry, but said: 'I've protected them with several layers of varnish so, I'm not saying they're indestructible, but they should certainly last - they wouldn't last in the direct sun though.' The artist said it took about 180 hours to make the three portraits and he used 'thousands' of biscuits, which were supplied by McVitie's. Chapman said the work had already been getting good feedback and attention online. The mosaic artist has also done campaigns for other companies, including Keep Britain Tidy. The pictures will be displayed on The Strand from 2 to 5 May.
