The five-star, 266-bedroom Le Meridien Piccadilly hotel, London, has been bought by Host Hotels & Resorts for £64m.

The purchase price includes the assumption of a £33m mortgage. Previously owned by Starman Hotels, the hotel has recently undergone a £6m refurbishment and includes a health club featuring one of the largest indoor hotel swimming pools in London.

Starwood Hotels will continue to operate the hotel under the Le Meridien brand.

Felicity Black Roberts, property director for Starman Hotels, said: “In keeping with our divestment strategy, we are delighted with the sale of this property. We chose Host as our preferred purchaser owing to their track record and they have secured an excellent addition to their portfolio.”

Host, a US-based company, is one of the largest owners of luxury hotels, which are operated under a variety of different brands. It currently owns 110 properties with a total of 61,000 rooms.

Once upon a time the Royal Navy was issued beer, wine and spirits in the place of tea, coffee, cocoa and even water. But when the British fleet captured the island of Jamaica in 1655, half a pint of rum a day became the ration of choice.

This was later mixed with a quart of water (becoming grog) at the behest of Admiral Edward Vernon – sailors didn’t get accused of being blind drunk for nothing! The mixing took place daily in the presence of the Lieutenant who ensured that no man was done out of his fair share.

The issue was further reduced to a two and a half ounce tot in the nineteenth century but the 300 year old tradition finally came to an end on 31 July 1970 at precisely six bells in the forenoon watch – a health and safety measure no doubt!

Forget Black Monday, that day has been forever enshrined in naval history as ‘Black Tot Day’.

Imperial gallon stone flagons were filled and sealed under HM Customs & Excise supervision, sitting silently for nearly 40 years save for State occasions and Royal weddings.

Now, to coincide with the 40th anniversary of this memorable day in British Royal Navy history, the very same rum is being introduced as a limited release called Black Tot Last Consignment.

The brew comes in a traditional glass rum bottle sealed with black wax and presented in a black walnut box along with a certificate of authenticity. It also comes with a replica silver lined copper tot cup which is a good job because at £600 a bottle you certainly don’t want to be drinking it all at once.

www.thewhiskyexchange.com

The Fridge nightclub in Brixton is back up for sale again after the firm that bought it out of administration decided to sell. Kingdom Entertainment Group bought the iconic nightclub, which was at the heart of the early 1980s New Romantic movement, in April.

But the firm has now decided to place it back on the market “in order to concentrate on another business opportunity that has unexpectedly arisen in a separate sector”, according to selling agent Christie & Co.

Christie & Co is looking for offers over £300,000 for the leasehold interest of the Fridge, which is available at nil premium.

Founded by Andrew Czezowski and Susan Carrington, the Fridge first opened in 1981 in a small club at 390 Brixton Lane. In 1985, as a result of increased popularity, it moved to its current location: a converted 1913 cinema (the Palladium Picture House) on the Town Hall Parade. The nightclub, has a capacity for 1,700 people split across two main rooms.

Barry Fitzgerald from Christie & Co’s London bars and restaurants team, said: “The unexpected return of the Fridge to the market offers a fantastic opportunity for a high-quality operator to acquire this well-known venue, which has the potential to become the leading late-night venue in south London.”

World Food Day falls on 16 October and from 1 September to 31 October, hundreds of Michelin starred and independent restaurants, chains and gastropubs are inviting food lovers to fight world hunger simply by eating out.

Over 500 restaurants will be involved including big guns: The River Café, Locanda Locatelli, Theo Randall, Zuma, The Cinnamon Club, Benares, Launceston Place, St John, Le Gavroche, Hawksmoor, Coq d’Argent, Roka, The Greenhouse, Konstam, The Modern Pantry, Café Spice Namaste and Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

Last year over £450,000 was raised for the charity – mainly through discretionary donations of between just 50p and £1 being added to customers’ bills – though restaurants also donated similar amounts from designated bestselling dishes plus overall percentages of food sales over a certain day, week or month.

“This is a great opportunity to be part of a premier fundraising campaign for restaurants that is simple, rewarding and raising money to prevent children dying from malnutrition. Just a little of your time and effort can make a positive difference to peoples’ lives!” says Raymond Blanc, Action Against Hunger Ambassador.

Action Against Hunger wants to make 2010 even more successful. Restaurants can now sign up online to receive a fundraising pack and pledge to collect customer donations during this year’s Fight Hunger Eat Out campaign.

All participants will feature on the website and also on e-newsletters that go out to 4,000 subscribers.

Action Against Hunger is an international humanitarian organisation committed to saving the lives of malnourished children by providing families with the tools they need to build a sustainable future.

www.actionagainsthunger.org.uk/restaurants-against-hunger

Pringle was once a British fashion great, pleasing royalty and Middle England alike with its natty argyle prints. In recent years the factories located at Hawick in Scotland have suffered the wrath of recession like the rest, but this August the brand will be making a steadfast effort to remind the British public of Pringle’s finest days – and inspire confidence in its future.

The brand is appealing to all to bring forward any scraps of Pringle history to launch the Day of Record, taking place on August 12 at the Hawick factory. From sweaters and twinsets to random memorabilia, Pringle are hoping to document a deeper history of the brand, and will be helped along by the stylish young things at Central St Martins in their attempt. The students will also be designing Pringle sweaters as part of their degree collections next February.

The brand’s CEO Mary-Adair Macaire said of the project, “It’s all about rejuvenating and refreshing the brand and students see Pringle in a very different way to us. We want to take our past and apply it to the future”.

Very valid aims from a remaining beacon of British fashion.

For more information on the Day of Record, email dayofrecord@pringlescotland.com or call 020 7259 1691