#WeekInPictures: the Queen visits Plumpton as craft beer and rum move into new territory
Her Majesty The Queen marked Plumpton College’s centenary during a visit to its Sussex campus, where she met students across wine, animal care and bakery programmes. Elsewhere, Vapoura Rum turned The Mandrake into music, American craft breweries gathered in Soho and judging began for the World Beer Awards 2026.
The Queen marks Plumpton College centenary
Her Majesty The Queen visited Plumpton College on 7 July as part of its centenary celebrations. A patron of both the Plumpton College Charitable Foundation and WineGB, she toured the college’s 800-hectare estate and met students working across animal care, veterinary studies, wine and bakery.
The visit included the college’s new lemur enclosure, canine hydrotherapy facilities and its Digital Centenary Vineyard. Her Majesty also explored the recently rebranded Plumpton Estate wine range before unveiling a plaque commemorating 100 years of land and environmental education at the South Downs campus.
Vapoura Rum turns The Mandrake into vinyl
Vapoura Rum launched The After Stories, a six-track vinyl EP inspired by the spaces of The Mandrake hotel in Fitzrovia. Producers CARALUS and Daniel Sehnawi translated rooms including Waeska, YOPO and the Masha Hari Theatre into music, with each track intended to capture the atmosphere of a particular corner of the hotel.
A companion cocktail menu ran across The Mandrake’s bars, using Vapoura Chapter One and Chapter Two in serves including Angel Sage, Velvet Cocoon and Sacred Bean. One copy of the record was framed permanently at the hotel, with a limited number released to the public.
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American craft beer meets Japanese cooking in Soho
The Brewers Association brought six US craft breweries to Moi in Soho for a dinner pairing beer with the restaurant’s Japanese-inspired menu.
Sierra Nevada Summerfest Pilsner was served with Porthilly oysters, while Embolden Beer Co’s Midnight in Tokyo Matcha Hazy IPA met steamed fried buns with bluefin tuna. Deschutes Black Butte Porter accompanied wagyu nigiri, ColdFire’s wine barrel aged The Sparrow & The Crow was poured with dry-aged sirloin and The Virginia Beer Co’s Ideas of Order closed the meal beside raspberry whey sorbet.
World Beer Awards judging gets underway
db beer and features editor Jessica Mason joined brewers, writers and educators to judge entries for the World Beer Awards 2026.
Beers from around the world were assessed across roughly 40 styles ahead of the final stage next month. Mason judged alongside Adrian Tierney Jones, Bill Simmons and Pete Brown.
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