Latest news with #VictoriaMoore
Telegraph
01-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Telegraph
Ikea opens on Oxford Street… but how do you get anything home?
After an 18-month delay and much fanfare, the new Ikea on Oxford Street in central London opened this morning. The shop, occupying the site of the former Topshop flagship just off Oxford Circus, offers fans of the Swedish superstore a shopping experience in the centre of the city, away from its usual retail-park location, and with a more colourful, cheerful interior to match. While a three-hour trawl around an out-of-town Ikea is a rite of passage for most homeowners at some stage, the focus in the Oxford Street store is on the smaller products you can pick up and take home easily (i.e., the things you actually buy in a larger store after you finally reach the warehouse and discover the chest of drawers you came for isn't in stock). The larger pieces of furniture are on show in room sets, so that you can see and feel them; but you'll need to order for home delivery or collection from elsewhere, rather than taking them home with you on the day. There's also no parking, so you'll need to be able to carry away whatever you buy – hence, all the products in the store weigh less than 15kg and are no more than 150cm in length. Due to the lack of parking, some might question whether the shop is in fact in the wrong location; the idea, according to Ikea, is that you can go in to plan your kitchen or wardrobes, and choose the bigger pieces of furniture such as sofas and tables that you want to buy, but have them delivered rather than taking them away; a model that they hope will reach more customers in a more accessible way. The shop is accordingly designed more as a retail experience and has less of the feel of an aircraft hangar than the typical Ikea megastore; and yes, there are tea lights aplenty and, naturally, a Swedish Deli serving hot dogs, cinnamon rolls and meatballs. Of the 3,500 products that will be available to buy in the store (or order online if you're not in London), here are our pick of the best accessories, textiles and tableware that you can fit into a Frakta bag – and what to leave on the shelf. What to buy: Stockholm 2025 table lamp £65 There are some gems among Ikea's table lamp collection. This one, from the brand's recent relaunch of its Stockholm collection, has a neutral style that would work in most rooms, with a limestone base, a brass-plated pole and a linen-mix shade that diffuses the light. It also comes in a floor lamp version for £99. Tjärlek glasses £19 for four Many food and wine experts (including The Telegraph 's Victoria Moore) swear by the Storsint wine glasses (£12 for 6) for their price and practicality. From the new collection, the Tjärlek cocktail glasses have a wide bowl that would work for different types of drink, and pretty stems in four spring-fresh colours. Övermätt food covers £4 for a set of three If you're trying to cut down on cling film use, these stretchy silicone food covers come recommended by Telegraph food writer Xanthe Clay. They can be used to cover leftovers in bowls or jars in the fridge, and are dishwasher-safe. Vippärt chair pad £9 With warm weather on the horizon, a summery seat pad that you can use inside and take out to the garden table for alfresco dinners. This one comes in soft beige or a more practical charcoal grey, and its cotton-mix fabric gives it a more premium look than some of the cheaper, shinier versions. Gladelig 18-piece dinner service £49 While Ikea's plain white plates can be a little on the bland side, this set has a reactive glaze coating that gives it a more expensive, handmade effect that would look great with rattan place mats on a rustic wooden table. It's safe for the microwave and dishwasher too. Gångstig kitchen mat £19 Flatwoven rugs are a Swedish speciality, and Ikea's range includes the classic black-and-white-striped Stockholm (a stealth favourite with interior designers) and the new Stockholm 25, which has a smart geometric design. At 80 x 150cm, the Gångstig is just about small enough to pop in a shopping bag, and would work well by the side of a bed, or to soften a tiled kitchen floor. Monstera deliciosa pot plant £5 The house plants are the unsung heroes of the Ikea Market Hall: there's a good range of very well priced potted plants (and fake ones for the less green-fingered). The plant pots – for indoors or outdoors – are great value too. Sannahed walnut-effect picture frame £7, 25 x 25cm Picture frames are another popular product: this one, with an extra-deep frame that gives the effect of a far more expensive box frame, comes in various different sizes, with a wide mount that gives posters and prints a more elevated look. Gulvial bath towel £9 At under £10, this textured, cotton bath towel is a steal, and it comes in six other colours to suit a variety of bathroom decor. Klotstarr throw £19 The pale, clay-pink colour of this waffle-texture throw is derived from waste beetroot, and is great for summer, both indoors and in the garden. With a tasselled edge that gives it a decorative flourish, it also comes in charcoal grey, and there are cushion covers to match. What to leave behind: IKEA 365+ glasses £5 for six While the wine glasses are a favourite, some of the water glasses are not such a hit – these are a little too chunky, which perhaps makes them more durable, but also gives them a cheap, basic look. Jämlik vanilla-scented tea lights £2.50 for 30 While packs of tea lights make it into many a shopping trolley on a trip around Ikea, the scented ones are a bit of a disappointment. These have a sweet, slightly synthetic scent that is probably best left on the shelf.
Sky News AU
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Wild wine and ice cream trend takes London and Paris by storm: 'Surely no one in their right mind'
Is this the most disgusting wine trend of all? Wine with ice cream is trending in Paris. And despite the sniggers from the wine elites, Gen Z-ers can't seem to get enough of it. There are long queues outside Folderol 'Vins et Glaces' bar in the hip 11th arrondissement. There are wildly different combinations: fruity red wines are served with chocolate ice cream while sauternes are recommended as a match for the coconut ice cream. Surely the combination of sangiovese or shiraz with chocolate ice creams is too much of a good thing? Perhaps it's not such a bad idea after all, say some sommeliers. Folderol was swamped by TikTokkers from the day it opened and had to engage security guards to manage the crowds. And it banned TikTok filming for safety and privacy reasons. The wine with ice cream craze has quickly spread to London and I have no doubt it will soon arrive Down Under. In England, The Dreamery opened at Islington, London and again a TikTok contagion turned a humble artisanal ice cream parlour into a lick and slurp tourist attraction. Folderol offers unusual ice cream flavours like fig shortcake, nectarine and hibiscus. Critics in London are divided on the whole idea of pairing ice cream with wine. The top wine critic Victoria Moore said she liked tawny port with millionaire's ice cream - where the vanilla ice cream is covered with salted caramel sauce and coated in milk chocolate and served with crunchy biscuit chunks. And she says Pedro Ximenez sherry ('reminiscent of molasses: dark, viscous and very sweet') could be served affogato-style with the PX replacing the coffee. Pedro Ximenez has been the dessert wine happily served in Australia alongside a Scottish toffee and raisin pudding with vanilla ice cream - but not tipped on top of it, surely. Puddings like this would equally be enlivened with classical Australian muscat like those made by Campbells of Rutherglen. A surprising red wine pairing was pinot noir with chocolate and cherry flavoured ice creams. But surely no one in their right mind would pollute their fine burgundy with ice cream. Ms Moore said sweeter wines are a more comfortable match, and sugary food and spätlese riesling will work. 'It has notes of nectarines and sweet apple which meld with the peach melba. Also lovely with apple ice cream or sorbet,' she wrote in The Telegraph. Prosecco lovers would not miss out. Marco Leanza, who runs a family pizza restaurant, Dough, in Bath in England says sgroppino cocktails are popular there. It's a drink originally from Venice and now served all over Italy where prosecco is mixed with lemon sorbet. Leanza adds vodka 'for that extra kick.' Now that is a simple recipe to try at home. A popular New York food blog, NewSuperVinoBros, recently focused on wine and ice cream and in a video on Instagram they paired ploussard wine with Honey Lavender ice cream. Ploussard from France is also known as peloussard and delivers delicate, pale, floral reds with rosehip and hibiscus, and watermelon notes. It comes from Jura, a department in the eastern French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté known for its breathtaking scenery with vine-clad slopes and finger lakes. Sommelier Federica Zanghirella from the UK Sommelier Association is more sceptical about wine and ice cream matches. She believes it is impossible to match all wine with ice cream due to the temperature of ice cream that will impact the wine flavours. 'Cold brings out the 'hard' parts of wine — the acidity, savouriness, tannins and bubbles. Those sensations can be too sharp if the wine is made cold in the mouth by ice cream, the taste can be unpleasant,' she told reporters. Ms Moore said her star match was given to her by a colleague who recommended hand making the ice cream and matching it with sauternes, the famous French sticky from Sauternes, a small sub-region of Bordeaux. Sauternes' fruit flavours with hints of pineapple with crystallised fruit and saffron works brilliantly with coconut ice cream, she reported. Perhaps coconut ice cream may be one to try with our own leading dessert wine De Bortoli Noble One that shows orange blossom honey, apricot marmalade and toffee flavours and aromas.
Telegraph
12-03-2025
- Telegraph
The best Mother's Day gifts, according to our readers and expert columnists
33 Mother's Day gift ideas for 2025 With the combined wisdom of our readers, I've drawn up 33 Mother's Day gift ideas, starting at under £20, which should cover everything mums love to receive. I've only included trusted brands that we've tried ourselves and I've included their delivery times, in case you're buying at the last minute. For gifting advice you can't get elsewhere, I've also asked Telegraph experts Xanthe Clay, Victoria Moore and Jessica Doyle to tell us which food, drink and interior decoration gifts they'd love to receive. You can read all of these below, followed by the answers to some common questions about Mother's Day gifting. But if you're in a hurry, here's a quick look at our top five gifts for mum: Best Mother's Day presents for 2025, at a glance: Our thorough, real-world tests will always help you find the best product. No manufacturer ever sees copy before publication and we do not accept payment in exchange for favourable reviews. Visit our Who We Are page to learn more. Best affordable Mother's Day gifts Chosen by Simon Lewis, Telegraph Recommended gift guides editor 1. Mother's Day Everything H-Box £17.95, Hotel Chocolat Best Mother's Day chocolate gift
