Schtop! City Inn is off to Amsterdam in its first overseas foray.

Whether or not the move turns out to be inspired or a gamble, one decision the bookies didn’t see coming was the awarding of the UK’s first supercasino licence to…. Manchester.

Manchester! Well they do say gambling’s a mug’s game.

With Burger King and Starbucks achieving record revenues, there’s certainly a few high rollers available out there to come and flash the cash.

But for every high-profile marketing initiative – Ireland in this case –  there is the abject mess that is the promotion of English tourism.

In fact there’s simply no getting away from the making and spending of money these days with even school meals coming under the accountant’s cold gaze.

Hull, which made the headlines in 2004 with its bold move to make school meals completely free, has now returned to the news after its newly installed Liberal Democrat council decided the £5m Labour launched initiative wasn’t delivering value for money, and should be scrapped.

In more upbeat news figures from Mitchells & Butlers today and Greene King earlier in the week suggest the advent of a UK-wide smoking ban later this year may not decimate the pub industry as once feared.

And award-winning chef Tom Aikens is on the road to Wembley, having signed up to design desserts for the Football Association’s hugely delayed home of English football.

Quote of the week:  “Do I really think has been good for the brand? I suppose in some sick way it has.” Itsu owner Julian Metcalfe on polonium-210 poisoning which hit the sushi restaurant

By Chris Druce