The Wolseley
160 Piccadilly, London, W1 (020 7499 6996)
There was some dispute among the judges: should the Wolseley be in the newcomer category? Surely the two men behind London's most-talked about new restaurant, which opened last November, are old hands in the business? Chris Corbin and Jeremy King have an immaculate restaurant CV. They are the team responsible for making Le Caprice, the Ivy and J Sheekey celeb-filled and three of the most-talked about restaurants in Britain.

Food awards judge Ruth Rogers, co-owner of the River Café, who proposed the Wolseley in this category was adamant it should win. She argued the idea was original. What she meant was the Wolseley is open for breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and late supper. 'And it is such a great place,' says Rogers. 'I go three times a week. I thought it was brilliant of Chris and Jeremy to do something so obviously influenced by the Continent. I recently went there for my thirtieth wedding anniversary with my whole family, but it's also great for meetings.'

The Public and The Celebrities, agree. They agreed even before they had a chance to try it, probably because there was so much pre-opening hype (but no official PR). The Wolseley was fully booked before it opened, and it has remained fully booked since.

The building, a few yards from the Ritz, originally housed a Wolseley car showroom. The interior is modelled on the old Viennese grand cafés so there's opulence without too much glitz, great pastries, and a relaxed, sophisticated atmosphere. What sets the place apart from other smart restaurants is that it's open from 7am and last orders are at 11.30pm. So yes, you can just pop in for an espresso without feeling obliged to order an expensive meal.

In the mornings you can have a full English Breakfast or a bacon sandwich. On the main menu the slant is towards Mittel-European food - chicken soup and weiner schnitzel - but you can also get a decent burger.

'Lots of people can make restaurants work,' says Rogers, 'but I think Chris and Jeremy are special - they have a certain presence and they have vision.'

The farmer who swapped his cow for a buffalo
Nick Griffin might be a third-generation farmer, but in 1997 he became a first-generation buffalo owner, one of a handful across Britain. For the Griffin family it was love at first sight. 'When we got them, my 12-year-old boy found instant friends,' says Griffin. 'You can sit on their backs or cuddle them - they don't mind. They are much more gentle creatures than cattle.'

When you think of buffalo, your mind automatically scans across a great herd of American prairie buffalo. Griffin has 400 of a more slight variety, water buffalo, which originated in India, on his farm near Milton Keynes.

The switch from cows to buffalo was not a smooth one. 'People aren't used to the idea of buffalo milk so we were struggling,' Griffin admits. It is a gamble that has paid off. He is already selling a selection of buffalo products including his coveted milk (available from a few Waitrose stores). It tastes like really creamy cows' milk but the key is its low cholesterol properties. 'It's also suitable for people with allergies to cows' milk. We have also found that it's potentially good for eczema sufferers.'

Next up is mozzarella which will be 100 per cent buffalo milk (not a blend with cows' milk), followed by yoghurt and ice cream this spring - good news for those who have to watch their cholesterol levels.

· To order buffalo products go to www.buffalogold.com.