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Every Thursday, our Money blog team interviews chefs from around the UK, hearing about their cheap food hacks and more. This week, we chat to Mike Reid, renowned TV chef and "".

Good food doesn't have to be expensive... tasty food is simply tasty food. Obviously, better ingredients and produce (which would usually mean higher costs) would lend to a better flavour. However, some of the best food I eat is street food, from local markets or vendors. When I was in Singapore last year, I tried one of the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, with a pork noodle dish at about the equivalent of 拢5 for a one star dish. It proves that good food doesn鈥檛 have to be expensive.

Michelin-starred food isn't always the tastiest, but... it is definitely a marker of consistency and talent. We are blessed in the UK with a thriving food scene, with so many great chefs, and not all of them are cooking within Michelin restaurants. What I would say with Michelin restaurants is that it is a very good marker for a place to eat where you should be getting great service and great food. It is a guide to help you. I love dining out at Michelin restaurants and have cooked at this level too, but I'm just as happy dining across the great spectrum of restaurants that we are blessed to have. 

The best chefs I've worked with are... legends such as Michel Roux Jr and Gordon Ramsay. I also had the pleasure of making "Five Star Chef" with Michel for Netflix, and that was such an incredible experience of working with him again. His professionalism and talent stand out every day, and I learned so much from him about being on set and the energy and expertise he brings with him. 

I handle a TV chef cooking me a bad meal by... styling it out - I would never want to publicly embarrass anyone. Food is so subjective, even though it may not be to my taste, the next person who tries it might love it. So I would try my best not to pass comment. Or my other tactic is to focus on a redeeming element, so for example: "Oh wow, the flavour of that beef is beautiful, or the colour of that sauce is so vibrant."

What annoys me the most about the industry is... how we have an expectation now of being able to eat most foods all year round - then we actually complain about how it doesn't taste as good. We need to get back to respecting our produce more and understanding the seasons. To enjoy strawberries in summer and not look for them in winter. To get back to eating tomatoes that have been grown and ripened on the vine in the sun, as opposed to in a greenhouse, grown and picked early. It will be so much better for the planet and better for us to enjoy things as nature intended. 

The biggest mistake I see chefs make is鈥� overcomplicating their dishes. We have such a desire when we are younger and starting out to showcase our skills, to show on each plate what we can do, and this often leads to dishes being overly complicated and too much going on. Sometimes you see 10 elements on a plate when only five are needed to make it really outstanding. Restraint is the mark of confidence and a true belief in the food that they are cooking. I remember so clearly when the penny dropped for me and my food went to another level after this. My chefs were happier, too. 

The most overrated single food item is鈥� Dubai chocolate. I do not understand why this has swept the world and taken over. It's invading menus in every area, breakfast is now littered with it, inspiring dishes, and dessert menus are overloaded with it too. I think it's overly rich and way too sweet. But that's just my humble opinion! 

What I think about food influencers is... that love them or hate them, they drive covers to your restaurants, so you need to embrace them. I have worked with and met many - most are lovely people and big foodies who feel fortunate to do what they do. The minority can be a little "needy", let's say, but I think when you have a genuine influencer that you know will drive business to your restaurant, you are happy to work with them. I think it's about being selective and choosing the right ones for your audience.

My controversial food/restaurant opinion is鈥� your meal should be paid for in advance. We are one of the few, if not the only, "entertainment" services where you pay after receiving your goods. Think if you go to the movies, theatre or a concert, you pay in advance. Paying after your meal gives some guests the impression that if it wasn't exactly as you wanted, you don't have to pay for anything. You don't get a refund if you don't like a movie? We have already paid for everything, the staff, the ingredients, the building and our costs have been laid out in advance, so I don't see why the experience is different to other industries. It shouldn鈥檛 be a choice.  Of course, if we don't meet your expectations, there needs to be a level of compensation, but at the moment, all the power lies with the guest.

The best city in the world to eat is... San Sebastian. From the Michelin-starred restaurants to the incredible pinchos bars - the quality of food is incredible. 

My favourite restaurant chain is... Sticks and Sushi. Great concept, good quality fish, and I love the sticks too. My sort of chain.

My go-to cheap eat at home is...  wagyu skirt sandwich

• 150g Wagyu Thick Skirt
• 1 Hens Egg
• 陆 Tomato, Sliced
• Sprigs of fresh Watercress
• 陆 Onion, Sliced & Saut茅ed
• 陆 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tbsp Kewpie
• 3 Shallots
• 1 Tbsp Corn flour
• Oil for frying
• 2 Slices of White Sourdough 

For the gravy:

• 500ml Beef stock
• 2 Tsp Corn Flour

Method

1. Coat your shallots in the corn flour and then fry off in your oil at 160C;
2. Grill the wagyu from room temperature, seasoning generously with salt on your BBQ for about eight minutes, making sure your coals are not too hot, you want a nice medium heat. Then rest for at least six minutes in a warm place;
3. Start reducing your stock by half. Prepare your corn flour slurry by adding a touch of water to your corn flour and mix well;
4. Over a low heat, fry your eggs till the white is cooked but ensuring you have a beautiful runny yolk;
5. Once finished resting, take the roasting tray juices and add to your stock. Bring to the boil and then thicken with the cornflour slurry and season to taste;
6. Assemble your sandwich, basting the bread with your mustard, then adding the chutney, the beef cut in half and all your other bits, finishing with the watercress and the chips on the side. 

Claire's Accessories is exploring a potential sale of the business due to rising cost pressures, it has been reported. 

The retailer鈥檚 owners are said to have hired bankers to seek out potential buyers, Bloomberg has reported. 

A prospective bidder could acquire parts or all of the retailer's 2,750 stores worldwide, including its 281 locations in the UK, according to Bloomberg.

It comes amid the news that the business needs to address an almost 拢367.3m loan due by December 2026.

First-time buyers, people borrowing into retirement, and the self-employed could benefit from changes to mortgage rules, the Financial Conduct Authority says.

The regulator wants to hear feedback on what further changes are needed to support mortgage access for those who are self-employed or with volatile income.

It has launched a discussion paper on the potential benefits and risks that changing rules around the market could bring. 

The paper highlights parts of the market where changes could help support wider access to sustainable home ownership as well as economic growth, and where allowing more flexibility could make it easier for lenders to tailor their products to customers' needs. 

David Geale, executive director for payments and digital finance at the FCA, said: "We are particularly looking at some of the constraints we see around people who are self-employed, people with volatile or unpredictable incomes, people maybe in vulnerable circumstances, who may be a good mortgage risk from a lending perspective, but the rules may be too rigid to allow lenders to look at them a bit more holistically."

The FCA is looking at whether more can be done to help first-time buyers, people who are long-term renters with aspirations to get into the housing market, as well as people in later life who may have significant equity in their home but who "may be income-constrained".

"What we鈥檙e saying is we think there are perhaps better ways of assessing who is a good mortgage borrower," Geale said. 

"So, for example, if you鈥檝e been paying rent on a regular basis, had no problem paying your rent, and a mortgage would actually be cheaper, well, could we be more explicit about the ability to take that into account?"

Data shows 68% of first-time buyers borrowed for terms of 30 years or longer. 

The paper said: "Many people's patterns of employment in the UK are now very different to those of earlier generations. There is more use of short-term contracting, zero-hours contracts, and more people are self-employed."

High street retailer River Island has announced the locations of the 33 shops it is to shut.

It confirms Sky News reporting that the clothing chain, which trades from about 230 stores, is to close 33 shops in a restructuring plan which will be put to creditors in August.

Stores acrss the country are affected, from Dorset and Oxford, to Scotland Wales.

Click below to see the full list:

The prize fund rate for Premium Bonds will be cut from August, meaning fewer chances to win big sums of money.

The prize fund rate will reduce to 3.60% from the August draw, down from 3.80%.

The odds of winning will remain the same, at 22,000 to one.

The estimated number of 拢50,000 prizes will reduce to 151 in August, from 159 in June.

And the estimated number of 拢25,000 prizes will fall to 302 in August, from 317 in June.

There will be an estimated 754 prizes at 拢10,000 in August, down from 792 in June.

This means there will be 61 fewer prizes worth more than 拢10,000 available. 

The estimated number of 拢1m prizes will remain the same, at two.

How do Premium Bonds work

Premium Bonds are a savings product offered by NS&I but instead of earning interest, you have a chance to win tax-free cash prizes each month.

Each bond (拢1) is entered into a monthly draw, and prizes range from 拢25 to 拢1m. You can deposit up to 拢50,000, and the more bonds you hold, the greater your chance of winning is.

They are billed as an alternative to savings accounts and are backed by the Treasury.

Inspired by the viral Japanese fruit sando, M&S has launched a limited edition strawberries and creme sandwich just in time for Wimbledon.

The 拢2.80 lunchtime snack is filled with fruit and lightly whipped cream cheese on sweetened bread. 

M&S said: "Inspired by the Japanese sweet sandos, recently spotted popping up in London's trendiest Japanese patisseries, our product developers have long dreamed of creating a dessert sandwich."

M&S Food first sold freshly made sandwiches in the 1920s, and expanded sales with pre-packed sandwiches in the 1980s.

The retailer鈥檚 food halls have sold four billion sandwiches to date.

Three UK is suffering outages, the mobile network provider has confirmed.

While data services are "working normally", the firm has said there are issues affecting calls.

Network monitoring site Downdetector indicates a surge of reports over the past few hours, since 8am.

For its part, Three first flagged issues at around 9.30am this morning on social media.

Issues are still being reported.

In the meantime, it says calls can be made through third-party apps (such as WhatsApp, for example).

"We're really sorry for any inconvenience caused," the company said online.

In a statement to Sky News, Three added: "We are aware of an issue affecting voice services and are working hard to fix it."

 Thousands of Eurostar passengers face severe delays and last-minute cancellations due to cable theft in northern France (see our previous post).

If you are affected, or fear you may be, we've got your options covered here:

Train delay

If your train is delayed after you've already set off, you may claim compensation as long as you apply within three months.

The amount you can claw back depends on the length of delay, and will only apply to the affected leg of the trip.

Here's a quick breakdown:

• 60-119 minutes - 25% of the cost in cash, or 30% as e-voucher;
• 120-179 minutes - 50% of the cost in cash or 60% as e-voucher;
• 180+ minutes - 50% of the cost in cash or 75% as e-voucher.

Cancellation

But if your train is cancelled or delayed by more than 60 minutes before departure - and you choose not to go ahead - you may opt for the following options:

• exchange your unused ticket for free to any other time (subject to availability);
• claim an e-voucher for your unused ticket, valid for 12 months;
• request a refund for the unused ticket (minus any booking fees).

If you cannot continue

If the impact is so bad that you cannot continue on the day of travel, Eurostar will have to consider reimbursing you for the following:

• overnight accommodation;
• food;
• transport between the station and your accommodation;
• the cost of calling anyone who was waiting for you at your destination.

One thing to be careful of - Eurostar will not cover you if you arrange alternative transport (say, by rail, coach or ferry, for example) if they told you your options within 100 minutes of your scheduled departure and you didn't wait for the next available train.

A developing news story to bring you now, which is scuppering lots of summer getaway plans today.

Eurostar is advising its customers to abandon or put off their planned trips, after a double whammy of delays.

The alert comes after 600 metres of copper cables were stolen overnight in the city of Lille in northern France, according to reports in the country.

Eurostar said this was forcing it to run services on alternative routes, causing extended journey times.

Its services were already disrupted because many trains and staff members were out of position after two fatalities on rail lines in France on Tuesday.

In a post on X, Eurostar said the cable theft meant trains were likely to be "subject to severe delays and last-minute cancellations", adding: "We advise you to cancel or postpone your trip."