Regulars UPFRONT

Editor’s letter, contributors, six dishes and news.

One of the things I missed most during lockdown was an afternoon at the pub. Long Sunday lunches spent solving the world’s problems and laughing away your own. The first time I went to Sydney’s Old Fitzroy Hotel was one of those afternoons. It came just two weeks after my husband and I had moved to Australia last year, when our friend Will arrived on our doorstep, ready to show us something special. His friend Nik Hill had taken over the kitchen earlier in the year and was reinventing the historic hotel as Sydney’s home of English pub classics. Knowing my husband’s love of a good pint and my exacting standards when it comes to a Scotch egg, Will was certain we would love The Fitz. He wasn’t wrong.

When it came time to plan this issue and celebrate modern classics, I immediately thought of Nik and

The Old Fitz. In my head, I was already planning a reunion lunch at the pub to celebrate the coming together of good friends and good ideas.

Crushingly, Will died the day Nik filed his recipes, following a short but devastating battle with cancer.

Will spent most of his life working in the wine and hospitality industry and was passionate about both. He loved to share good food and good wine with his friends and to support those who made it.

Returning to The Old Fitz to shoot our cover story was bittersweet – but I knew Will would be tickled to know we were there. He was enormously proud of his mate Nik and would be thrilled to know he had played such a central role in making this issue happen. So this one is for Will. Vale, my friend.