London Cooks Embrace the ‘Custard, Good; Jam, Good; Meat, Good’ Lifestyle

Welcome back to Insta Stories, a column examining the London restaurant scene through the often-problematic medium of Instagram. This week’s filter is spicy.

News of the week

Lool, it’s been a year. A whole bunch of social norms have been upended — people who started 2020 rocking up to work in pristine jeans and dry-cleaned shirts are now kicking back on their sofas, unshaven, in a month-old pair of tracksuit bottoms and a Huel t-shirt. Is it really so surprising that the food on the ‘gram should have reached the same level of DGAF? After last week’s raft of #hot #pie content, it seems the floodgates have opened and / or the nation’s resolve has finally cracked: it’s time for comfort food, but taken to another level of homely cosiness — the sort of thing people wouldn’t dream of serving to guests, even if it’s probably the sort of thing that the guests would most like to eat too. Even Nigella is getting in on the act, so don’t fight it. Take a bowlful and head back to the sofa. The Crown is on. Yes, Gillian is probably doing a little too much with that accent, but who cares? It’s nursery food TV for a time in our lives where nursery food should be the only thing on the menu.

Pies of the week

Pie Instagram in November: unlike pi, certainly not irrational; like pi, infinite.

Icon of the week

The patron saint of the 27th of December.

Final destination of the week

Hillhock, no!

Future trend of the week

Calling it: 2021 is the year Monsù goes massive.

Definitely a candle of the week

Available via the Bao convenience store (and at Coco de Mer).

Cheesy pun of the week

No notes; this is perfect.

Dish of the week

Poetry.

Shot of the week

OK this is adorable and wholesome but the year is 2020. What’s the catch?