The Capitalist: Lloyds teases wannabe buyers with ‘homebuying tasting menu’
Lloyds launches a dining special, private jets welcome puppies on board and City PM takes home gold; catch up on the latest City gossip in The Capitalist
TENANT TARTARE
Can’t afford a house? Fear not, says Lloyds, which this week launched an “exclusive homebuying tasting menu” to give wannabe homeowners a *taste* of the lifestyle. The bespoke tasting menu, which the bank needlessly assures us is a “UK first”, features six courses “inspired by the milestones of buying your first home” – from a baked celeriac Save course to a Move in Day chocolate cremeux. Lovely as it sounds, The Capitalist fears giving wannabe buyers a taste for fine dining may not be the most conducive to fostering good savings habits.
WHY WHOLE SELF DAY
Following International Women’s Day on Sunday, The Capitalist was looking forward to a week free of day-hooked think pieces. Alas, it was not to be. Turns out hot on the heels of IWD is new holiday ‘My Whole Self Day’ (10 March) – a day created by Mental Health First Aid England to “create safe, inclusive workplaces where people feel able to speak up, be themselves, and perform at their best”. The Capitalist is not sure which part to object to most – the celebration of invented days or the urging for employees to be their true selves at work. As one City exec once told us, “if I brought even 10 per cent of my whole self to work I’d be fired immediately”.
PETS ON JETS
As thousands of expats scramble to get home from Dubai, it’s the thousands of abandoned pets that have been dubbed the conflict’s “hidden victims” by the RSPCA. Too bad, thinks The Capitalist, their owners didn’t think to fly by Hansjet, a private jet operator that recently launched its ‘Pets on Jets’ programme – an initiative that means all its pilots now double as pet safety officers, with training to cover animal stress recognition, CPR and in-flight emergency care. The airline said the initiative followed the “controversial” EU court ruling which classified pets in commercial cargo holds as ‘baggage’ rather than ‘family members’.
BADGERS AND BODGERS
The Bank of England has declared that the next generation of banknotes will scrap historical figures and replace them with images of British wildlife. So, it’s goodbye to Winston Churchill, Jane Austen and Adam Smith and hello to badgers and hedgehogs. The move follows a consultation in which ‘nature’ won the top spot, beating landmarks and historical figures. Talk about currency debasement. At the risk of sounding like an old grouch, The Capitalist remains of the view that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
RING RING
A reader phones in: Lloyds of London ran a “give to gain” charity event but handed out no refreshments, not even water. “It’s a case of do as I say, not as I do,” attendee says
PARISH NEWS
Congrats are in order for our Life & Style editor Steve Dinneen, who was yesterday named Feature Writer of the Year by the Regional Press Awards. After notching 15 years of feature writing for City PM, we’d say it’s well deserved. You can read some of his newly award-winning work here.