James Russell
James Russell covers food and restaurant news for Hospitality & Catering News, focusing on how food brands move into new locations and the settings they choose for expansion. His work sits at the point where hospitality, retail, and catering meet, tracking the arrival of new food operators into established venues.
Food brand launches and regional debuts
James Russell’s coverage includes notable food brand launches, such as dessert concept Fluffy Fluffy and fast-casual chain Chopstix choosing centre:mk for their regional debuts. In work of this kind he documents which brands are entering a market, the nature of their offer, and the significance of a first or early opening in a new region. The emphasis is on clear reporting of who is opening, where, and under what positioning, giving a concise record of food operators’ growth milestones.
By anchoring stories in specific brands and sites, he provides a straightforward picture of how different formats — from sweet-focused cafés to noodle-led fast-casual outlets — add to the local hospitality mix. His pieces highlight the diversity of food propositions arriving in a given area, useful for understanding how new entrants broaden the choice for diners and visitors.
Food in retail and leisure destinations
Russell’s work also reflects the role of food in major retail and leisure destinations, as shown in his coverage of openings at centre:mk. He links brand activity to the character of the venue, showing how shopping centres and similar environments use food operators to strengthen their overall offer. In these stories, the location is not just a backdrop but part of the narrative, indicating how hospitality and catering are deployed to increase footfall and dwell time.
His reporting on such settings captures the interplay between landlords, destination managers, and food brands, and how this shapes the mix of operators on site. By setting out which names are joining a destination and for what kind of debut, he helps build a clear view of how retail-led environments evolve their food and drink line-up.
4 more food journalists.
Adam Maidment
Adam Maidment is a senior What's On and LGBTQ+ reporter whose food and leisure coverage is built around immersive, first-person reporting and concrete detail. He works at the Manchester Evening News, focusing on new restaurant and bar openings, regular food reviews, gig and event coverage, and issues affecting LGBTQ+ people. He treats restaurants, pubs, bars and experiences as stories about place, people and community, explaining what makes a venue different and how it fits into the local dining scene. His pieces cover pricing, service, atmosphere, crowds and concept, and he is willing to be critical when gimmicks undermine the experience. He writes character-led pub profiles, works shifts, joins treasure hunts and attends major cultural events, inviting readers to follow what he does and use his straightforward assessments to decide where to eat, drink and spend time.
Alice Lorenzato-Lloyd
Alice Lorenzato-Lloyd is editor at Secret Manchester, where she treats food as part of how people live in the city, not as an isolated subject. She covers restaurants, bars, street food and casual dining, linking new openings and food trends to neighbourhood change, local businesses and everyday routines. Her pieces focus on accessible spots, comfort dishes like pizza and tacos, and clear details of menus, presentation, atmosphere and practical information such as opening hours and booking. She often combines food, drink and live events, producing guides to venues for major sports tournaments and themed pop-ups as part of wider things to do. Alice also reports on hospitality business pressures, city-centre public spaces, charity initiatives, transport and infrastructure, always showing how food and drink fit into community and lifestyle stories. She previously wrote for other regional “Secret” sites as a staff writer and describes herself as a writer and food fanatic.
Aly Walansky
Aly Walansky specializes in service-driven food coverage that treats cocktails and dining as tools for celebration, focusing on how logistics, ordering options, and menu choices turn everyday meals and major holidays into shared experiences. She is a longtime food and travel journalist now writing for Forbes, where her beat centers on cocktails and occasion-driven dining. Her work includes practical, expert-driven roundups such as guides to many variations on the classic martini, shipped-meals gift lists for Mother’s Day, and accessible formats for Thanksgiving and other holidays. She reports through structured lists, restaurant features, and menu-focused profiles that highlight signature dishes and dining trends. Across outlets, she extends this approach to home cooking, grocery shopping, and recipes, and runs a newsletter that shares her current assignments and industry commentary.
Ben Hurst
Ben Hurst joins food, entertainment and cost-of-living angles, treating cooking, groceries and celebrity stories as everyday decisions for readers. He is Head of Lifestyle and Money at WalesOnline, shaping practical, trending coverage that is tightly written, headline-led and easy to scan and share. His food reporting leans on TV chefs and supermarket behaviour, turning their advice and product changes into clear tips and consumer explainers focused on value for money and household budgets. He also writes extensively about TV and celebrity figures, using recognisable names to carry stories about health, family challenges, cancer treatment and resilience. Alongside these, he produces visual, nostalgia-driven galleries and concise explainers on wide-interest phenomena, drawing on a senior newsroom background that includes executive editor, video lead and news editor roles.