Iceland Supermarket Can No Longer Tell Iceland, the Country, What to Do

U.K. supermarket no longer legally trumps a literal country

Iceland Foods, which operates Iceland supermarkets in the U.K., no longer holds the EU trademark on the word “Iceland,” which is, of course, a sovereign country. The EU Intellectual Property Organisation granted the food company said trademark back in 2014, but that trademark is now invalidated after the supermarket tried to stop the country from mentioning itself in a slogan, prompting the country to sue. Iceland’s foreign minister Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson said: “…[I]t defies common sense that a foreign company can stake a claim to the name of a sovereign nation as was done.” Iceland, which memorably defeated England in football’s 2016 European Championships, has now claimed another victory; this one is rather less surprising, but Iceland Foods is able to appeal the ruling within the next two months. [Boing Boing]

And in other news...

• Two of the world’s most famous chefs have got into some good-natured Twitter beef over paella. Yotam Ottolenghi — chef, London restaurateur, cookbook author, subject of a hit hip hop track, and adopter of celeriac shawarma — published a series of (kind of) paella recipes in the New York Times this week. José Andrés — Asturian native, humanitarian chef, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee — was less than impressed by his pan of choice. [Twitter]

• Speaking of Ottolenghi, here’s an interview with hip hop star Loyle Carner about why he wrote a song about the former’s book, Jerusalem — and much more besides. [Eater London]
• Chuku’s, the self-styled Nigerian tapas restaurant that has popped up all over the city, including in Hackney, will crowdfund for a permanent site. [The Caterer]
• One time Masterchef winner Natalie Coleman will open an “immersive, theatrical”, restaurant in Waterloo as ‘resident chef.’ It is not, however, a permanent pop-up. [Hot Dinners]
• A radio programme looks into the underrepresented, essential role of the kitchen porter. [BBC]
• Answers on a postcard. [The Times]