There's a bit of surprise news in the world of restaurant critics today. After 25 years of being the restaurant critic at the Observer, Jay Rayner is moving on. But he's not going far, as he's about to start up as the restaurant critic of The FT.
Of his new job, Rayner says " I have been both an avid fan and devoted reader of the paper for many years and it’s an honour to become part of a team I have admired from afar for so long."
And that's not all, because also coming on board the FT is the no-longer-anonymous Marina O'Loughlin. She'll be writing a new monthly column for the magazine "about the global restaurant scene and food culture". The ex-Sunday Times critic (and much more besides) said that recently "I've made a hobby of saying ‘no’ to offers. So it's with enormous pleasure that I'm now saying ‘yes’ to my favourite of all the major newspapers, with the best food and drink section in the business."
If all that's made you think "but what about Tim Hayward", then worry not as he'll be staying with the paper but in a much broader role as food writer with more deep-dive articles. As he puts it "Twelve years is a long time to be critical about restaurants. I’m looking forward to being able to write fully about the thing I love, enthusing about food, in breadth and depth." Jancis Robinson will also continue as wine writer.
It's certainly a bit of a statement of intent by The FT and it's a welcome sight to see one of the nationals actually increasing its food and drink content. Both Jay's and Marina's first pieces will be in the new year.
As for the Observer, which is going through a slightly rocky sale right now, we'll have to see what they have planned for Jay's replacement. Watch this space.
Visit the FT's food section here (Paywall protected).
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