Marina O'Loughlin

British journalist, writer and restaurant critic

Marina O'Loughlin is a British journalist, writer and restaurant critic.

She was the regular weekly restaurant reviewer in the London Metro from 2006 to 2012, before moving to The Guardian, where she took over from John Lanchester. In 2017, O'Loughlin succeeded the late A. A. Gill as restaurant critic for The Sunday Times, remaining until the end of October 2022.[1][2]

She had a monthly travel column in the BBC Olive magazine detailing her food trips to locations including Macau and Glasgow, before moving on to BBC Good Food.[3]

O'Loughlin has also worked on a freelance basis for The Independent[4] and London Evening Standard [5] newspapers and Noble Rot magazine.[6]

She is one of the most decorated restaurant critics working today, having been awarded the Guild of Food Writers' Restaurant Reviewer of the Year twice; once in 2011[7] and again in 2015 [8] as well as Fortnum and Mason awards for Restaurant Writing in 2014[9] and 2015[10] and the prestigious 2015 Press Award for Criticism.[11]

O'Loughlin is thought to be Glaswegian by birth,[12] but now lives with her husband and two children between London and the Isle of Thanet on the Kent Coast.

She was said to be one of the most influential Londoners in the annual Evening Standard "1,000 Most Influential People in London" supplement in 2008,[13] and again in 2010 [14] and 2012.[15] O'Loughlin has also made The Sunday Times' "Britain's 500 Most Influential" list three years running, from 2014 to 2016.[16][17]

References

  1. ^ "The Caterer". Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Big Hospitality". Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Marina O'Loughlin profile at BBC Good Food". Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Marina O'Loughlin author profile at The Independent". The Independent Website. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Marina O'Loughlin author profile at London Evening Standard". Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  6. ^ "Noble Rot". noblerot.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  7. ^ Ehrlich, Richard (2 June 2011). "Stop Press! Awards 2011 – Winners". The Guild of Food Writers. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  8. ^ "The Guild Of Food Writers - Guild of Food Writers Awards 2015". www.gfw.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  9. ^ "Fortnum & Mason Food & Drink Awards". www.fortnumandmasonawards.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  10. ^ "Fortnum & Mason Food & Drink Awards". www.fortnumandmasonawards.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Press Awards Winners 2015". www.pressawards.org.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  12. ^ Pidd, Helen. "The unknown food critic", The Guardian, 27 February 2006.
  13. ^ "1000 most influential people in London" Archived 9 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Evening Standard, 9 October 2008.
  14. ^ "1000 most influential people in London", Evening Standard, 15 November 2010.
  15. ^ "1000 most influential people in London", Evening Standard, 8 November 2012.
  16. ^ "Britain's 500 most influential". The Times. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  17. ^ "The real powers in the land". The Times. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2022.

External links

  • Guardian interview with O'Loughlin
  • Metro review of Shaka Zulu restaurant
  • Defence of 'Come Dine With Me' on Observer 'Word of Mouth' blog


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