Having been a restaurateur himself (he owned L'Escargot in Soho during the 1980s), Nicholas Lander (b. 1952) knows and appreciates the business. He has written 'The Restaurant Insider', the hugely popular restaurant column in the Financial Times, for the past 21 years, which has become a must-read for all restaurant-goers and professionals. He has met, become friends with, celebrated and commiserated with restaurateurs all over the world, and his website, www.nicklander.com, has a large international following.