Put yourself first: the top 15 solo trips in the UK

Being on your own is a chance to really savour the world around you - at your own pace. Here are 15 places to visit and eat. Plus, five great spa breaks for number one

Origin City, London: ‘A nose-to-tail ethos’ – restaurant review

As Smithfield meat market gets ready to close, a superb new meat-led restaurant opens up its doors

Masala Zone, Piccadilly Circus: ‘A profoundly cheering venture’ – restaurant review

One of London’s most opulent rooms finally gets a worthy restaurant, and even the pricing is a joy

Epicurus, London: ‘It deserves to be full’ – restaurant review

Finding its feet in a baffling new venue, Epicurus will soon win you over with its exuberant excess, writes Jay Rayner

A taste of Spain’s sunshine coast: a foodie tour of Costa de la Luz

The coast around Cadiz is enjoying a foodie revolution, thanks to a growing number of cool and innovative beach restaurants

‘The star was the teriyaki oxtail doughnut’: readers’ favourite restaurants and tapas bars in Spain

From a farm restaurant near Santiago de Compostela to a veggie-friendly Málaga diner, our tipsters share their gastronomic Spanish finds

I ventured out of busy central Berlin – and it rose to the occasion

As the city grapples with over-tourism, a new initiative aims to promote its lesser-visited outer reaches, where a mix of funky culture, historic gems and untamed greenery awaits

Brisbane claims Gourmet Traveller’s restaurant of the year for first time since 1997

Fire-fuelled venue Agnes wins top spot at the annual awards while a Byron Bay head chef is recognised as Australia’s best new talent

Row over restaurant ‘wealth screening’ boils over in French resort of St-Tropez

Mayor threatens sanctions over reported practices of large minimum spends and selecting diners by size of previous bills

Louise Casey: ‘We need a change of government. This lot are spent’

After 30 years of helping homeless people and troubled families, the can-do peer says she’s had her fill of this Tory administration

Abby Lee’s secret ingredient: gula melaka

The Malaysian version of jaggery, its butterscotch flavour is great in dressings, curries or even a sticky toffee pudding

The new kitchen gardens: meet the UK chefs and restaurants growing their own

From rooftops in the middle of cities to the grounds of top-class restaurants, chefs are taking back control of their ingredients

‘He does it with love’: the 32-year-old chef rejoining Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir

Nearly 40 years ago, the French chef helped pioneer garden-to-table cooking at his Oxfordshire restaurant. Now he is welcoming the return of Luke Selby

The Empire Café, Leeds: ‘Doing the good things’ – restaurant review

The reborn Empire Café in Leeds does God’s own country proud

I thought the best place for French food was Britain. Then my holiday breakfast arrived…

I long to believe the French eat better than everyone else. And, for one morning at least, it seemed to be true