Sarah Campbell
Sarah Campbell distinguishes herself through deeply rooted coverage of Scotland's evolving food landscape, blending restaurant criticism with cultural commentary that reflects her island heritage and understanding of local food traditions. As The Herald's Food & Drink writer, she moves beyond standard reviews to examine how global food trends intersect with Scottish identity while maintaining rigorous attention to regional culinary practices.
Scottish Culinary Heritage
Her reporting consistently centers Scottish food traditions with authentic perspective, drawing from her upbringing in the Outer Hebrides. Campbell documents regional specialties and historic establishments like Glasgow's 200-year-old Gallowgate pubs, highlighting how traditional venues preserve community identity. She profiles Scotland's most exciting chefs while examining how contemporary cooking respects or reinterprets heritage ingredients. Her coverage of Diwali celebrations by Scottish food influencers demonstrates attention to how immigrant communities enrich Scotland's culinary tapestry.
Restaurant Criticism
Campbell's restaurant reviews combine technical assessment with cultural context, evaluating establishments like Glasgow's Skillet for both culinary execution and contribution to the city's dining scene. She identifies specific experiential factors beyond food quality, noting which venues succeed or fail as romantic destinations. Her criticism extends to Scotland's unique hospitality settings, including remote hotels where the journey forms part of the dining experience. This approach provides readers with practical guidance while documenting Scotland's evolving restaurant culture.
Food Culture Commentary
She examines broader food industry developments affecting Scottish consumers, warning about the encroachment of American tipping culture on Scottish hospitality norms. Campbell investigates how food helps newcomers establish roots in Scotland, as demonstrated in features about podcast hosts who found home through culinary exploration. Her reporting connects dining experiences to larger social patterns, analyzing how restaurants reflect and shape community dynamics across urban and rural Scotland.
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.