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Flavour Club Offers Sweet Sports-Free Pop-Up in Shepherd’s Bush  We’ve got the inside scoop on the sweet new Häagen-Dazs Flavour Club , offering free entertainment for those seeking an alternative to the summer of sport. They don’t like working on Sundaes ( boom-tish ) so this Friday and Saturday ( 12 and 13 July ) Häagen-Dazs bring a sports-free sanctuary to Westfield London,  featuring live comedians, DJS, a disco van, lawn games, chill out areas and all the ice cream. The Shepherd’s Bush pop-up is the London leg of the  Häagen-Dazs Flavour Club tour, with a gaggle of free entertainment, plus a Happy Hour from 3-4pm when they'll be handing out free Bites in Salted Caramel and Chocolate flavours, to enjoy during a special guest performance from Drag Race UK star, Vinegar Strokes  on Friday and Saturday. Team Ice Cream can then round off the evening with some sweet beats from DJ Sub Low on the rooftop of the pimped up ice cream van.  Mini cups will be on offer in flavours like Salted Caramel and Strawberry Cheesecake and official Häagen-Dazs Flavour Club merch will be on sale, including limited edition sports-style jerseys and scarves as a playful alternative to sports gear. It’s a cream come true for footie and tennis-avoiders, so don’t affogato put it in the dairy. Häagen-Dazs Flavour Club ,  Westfield London, Ariel Way, Shepherds Bush, W12 7GF. 12 and 13 July. 1pm - 6pm. Free entry. Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter

The Restaurateurs Have Moved Their Acclaimed Stark Destination to Mersea and Share Their Guide to the Essex Island's Best Restaurants and Cafes After making waves in Kent with their Michelin star restaurant  Stark , Chef Ben and Sophie Crittenden have relocated the unique dining experience to Mersea Island. Stark  broke the mould of traditional Michelin restaurants - there is loud music, dark walls, no white table clothes or frills and famously, Chef Ben works alone in the kitchen of the intimate venue, meticulously crafting the frequently changing, seasonal six-course tasting menus.   It started life as a tiny sandwich shop on an inconspicuous street in Broadstairs, which Ben and Sophie transformed into a destination dining spot. Ben won  The Good Food Guide ’s  Chef to Watch  award in  Stark 's second year, and it became the only Michelin star restaurant in Thanet by its third year, which they retained since 2019. Described as “dazzling” by  Good Food Guide  editor, Elizabeth Carter and “the real deal” in a glowing  Guardian  review by one of Britain’s most revered critics, Marina O’Loughlin,  Stark  has become a Mecca for foodies over the past eight years.   The husband and wife duo’s long-term dream has always been to settle in the idyllic, Essex coastal area where Sophie grew up, and the new Mersea restaurant offers nearly twice the covers of the previous, 12 seat restaurant.   Their motto is “good food, laid bare” and the new restaurant offers the same pared back decor and skilled flavour combinations using seasonal ingredients, as Ben says: “If it’s not in season, it has no flavour and no right to be on the plate.” Expect £90 set menus featuring two meat dishes, like the duck liver parfait, confit leg, ginger bread, hazelnut and apricot; two fish courses, like mackerel, cucumber dashi, lardo and borage, and two desserts, like the clean and fresh goat's curd, pistachio sorbet, lemon puree and grape.    Ben almost left the restaurant business in 2015 due to a bout of depression, which he discusses unflinchingly in his must-read book, Stark - an important insight into mental health and cheffing, with gorgeous recipes.    But the 2016 launch of the original Stark saved him, allowing Ben to continue his passion for food, while having a better work/life balance for him and Sophie with their three young children, which now continues in Mersea Island, the location for their delicious Insider Guide, below. Stark , East Road, East Mersea, Colchester, Essex CO5 8TQ _________________________ COFFEE Wild Ginger Wild Ginger serves good coffee and a fantastic honey cake, so we often pop in there for a quick pick-me-up. Wild Ginger, 4 Barfield Rd, West Mersea, Colchester CO5 8QT BREAKFAST MERSEA BARNS Mersea Barns is our next door neighbour and they serve a great menu of breakfast and brunch options. Staff are very friendly and helpful and you have the choice of inside and outside dining - there's even a lovely garden play area for children, which ours love when we pop in on our days off. Mersea Barns , East Rd, East Mersea, Colchester CO5 8TQ LUNCH THE DUKES SEAFOOD The Dukes Seafood is great for our family as it's al fresco dining and is very relaxed and informal, which we like. They're a family run restaurant and fishmonger, based right on the estuary. And they serve excellent hot and cold options, as well as lovely seafood platters. The Dukes Seafood, Coast Rd, West Mersea, Colchester CO5 8NA DINNER TITASH Titash is a lovely neighbourhood Indian restaurant. It's great for dinner, either for a group meal, a chilled date night, quick bite or even takeaway, depending on what you fancy . Titash Restaurant, 40B High St, West Mersea, Colchester CO5 8QA DRINKS The White Hart Inn The White Hart Inn is a lovely pub with rooms, near the coast. The drinks menu is excellent and there's a courtyard terrace to enjoy them, on sunny days. It' s also well worth making the trip for their food. White Hart Inn, 1 High St, West Mersea, Colchester CO5 8QD INSIDER TIP West Mersea Town Regatta Mersea Regatta has been running since 1838 and is a fantastic day out for the whole family, whether you're local or not. You don't have to be into sailing to enjoy the races and atmosphere. Parking can get pretty crazy during regatta though, so we'd definitely recommend comfortable shoes, as you may have a long walk down to the front where all the action is. West Mersea Town Regatta , Mersea Island, Essex Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter

THE HEAD CHEF OF THE LUXURY SEASIDE RESTAURANT GIVES HIS TIPS ON DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SOUTH EAST'S BUZZIEST TOWN Folkestone has had a remarkable transformation over the past decade, with a focus on arts, culture and food, turning it into Kent’s buzziest seaside village and crowned best place to live in SE England by The Times. Literally overseeing this coastal revolution since 2011 is Rocksalt , the cantilevered restaurant over Folkestone Harbour with panoramic floor-to-ceiling views over the English Channel. This is where Head Chef, Akos Mate started his career at just 16, as a Kitchen Assistant. Like Folkestone, his growth has been radical over the ensuing years. He became an integral part of the team that delivered Hide and Fox ’s first Michelin star, while working there as a sous chef, before returning to Rocksalt as Head Chef.  Since rejoining Rocksalt’s kitchen, his creativity and passion has helped it to be awarded its two recent AA Rosettes. Rocksalt serves seasonal dishes using local produce from nearby trawlers and surrounding farms in Kent’s rolling green countryside. It also boasts a wine bar with sun-drenched outdoor deck and rooftop gardens, overlooking the historic viaduct, as well as four, boutique rooms to stay. And Akos brings us the best places to eat and drink in the quirky and exciting new hotspot, from quirky cafes to coffees on the beach and a secret, courtyard garden with Bao Buns to die for. Rocksalt , 4-5 Fish Market, Folkestone CT19 6AA COFFEE The Pilot Beach Bar A busy day in the kitchen always starts on a bright note with an early visit across the harbour to the beachside. I love getting my coffee from The Pilot Beach Bar before walking across the viaduct into the bustling kitchen, ready for the day ahead. Picture the stunning pebble beach, with expansive sea views and palm trees, all set against a fairground backdrop complete with dodgems, waltzers, and deckchairs. I enjoy grabbing a fresh coffee and a cheeky Docker bakery cruffin to set me up for the busy day ahead. The Pilot Beach Bar , Harbour, Folkestone CT20 1QH BREAKFAST Brew One of the best breakfasts in Folkestone, in my opinion, is served at Brew , a small family-run business located near the town centre. If it's a weekend, then my favourite spot has to be Little Rock ; a dedicated seafood restaurant located right on the beachfront in Folkestone Harbour. They serve delicious seasonal brunch with a focus on fish and seafood dishes. My favourite from their brunch menu has to be the Seared Folkestone Scallops on Toasted Docker Sourdough with ‘Nduja, Gem Lettuce, and Gribiche Dressing. It's one not to miss and if it's a day off for me after a busy week then the weekend bottomless brunch is a great way to kick start the weekend with my family & friends. Brew , 83 Cheriton Rd, Folkestone CT20 1DG Little Rock (pictured above) , Beachside, The Harbour Arm, Folkestone CT20 1QN LUNCH Marleys There are so many great places to eat in Folkestone right now; we are truly lucky and spoilt for choice. It's hard to choose, but Marleys is currently offering a great range of light and healthy lunch options. This independent restaurant, run by local couple Mark and Charly, is located close to Rocksalt at the bottom of the Old High Street and certainly worth checking out. Marleys , Creative Quarter, 2-4 South Street, Folkestone CT20 1RW DINNER Radnor Arms The Radnor Arms has to be my favourite destination for my wife and I, as well as our family, for a delicious and relaxed lunch or dinner. The menu, created by the talented Head Chef Niel Talan, focuses on seasonal local produce. My personal favourite right now is his incredible overnight flatbreads, all handmade in-house. Specifically, I love the FILIPINO ‘BICALONA SISIG’ PORK BELLY flatbread, featuring Miso Tare Glaze, Onion Hash, Truffle Mayo, and Cured Yolk. These sourdough flatbreads are proved overnight and cooked in a wood-fired oven to give a fluffier, rounder finish. Absolutely divine! Radnor Arms , Christ Church Rd, Folkestone CT20 2SX DRINKS The Lighthouse Champagne Bar Another great spot to highlight on the Harbour Arm for evening drinks has to be The Lighthouse Champagne Bar or The Tasting Rooms . Both venues are owned by husband and wife duo Simon & Jess Robinson and are located on the harbour arm with fantastic views out to sea. Their venues offer a great relaxing atmosphere with live music, an excellent drink selection, and themed sunset evenings featuring local talented musicians. It's the perfect place to unwind and soak up the vibrant community spirit here in Folkestone. The Lighthouse Champagne Bar (pictured above) and The Lighthouse Tasting Rooms , Folkestone Harbour Arm, Harbour Approach Rd, Folkestone CT20 1QH INSIDER TIP The Radnor Arms Courtyard - and try the Steamed Bao Buns! A little hidden gem of mine, has to be The Radnor Arms courtyard garden. On my days off I enjoy spending my time here with my friends and family. Wondering why? Well, take a look at the pictures and their new brunch menu and you'll soon understand why. It's a real hidden gem located in the old Bouverie district of Folkestone away from the busy hustle and bustle of the harbour and is a real sun trap spot for the summer. The walled courtyard garden is like a little French haven with beautiful flowers, plants and of course divine food and drink. Head Chef Niel Talan has just launched his new summer brunch menu and the Steamed Bao Buns are to die for. With a choice of BrekkieBao, ChixBao or the Portebao, they're all so good i can't ever order just one so I tend to opt for all 3 and share them with my wife, (if she's lucky). Radnor Arms , Christ Church Rd, Folkestone CT20 2SX Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter

The UK’s Only Black Tie Music & Arts Festival Brings Explosive Entertainment, Fine Dining and Fireworks this July Henley Festival returns this month (10-14 July) with music - including Nicole Scherzinger, Sam Ryder and Gladys Knight’s last ever performance - comedy, art, fine dining, cabaret, spectacular fireworks over Thames riverside and a Family Day on 14 July for all ages. The UK’s only black tie music and arts festival is back, with its luxe antidote to wellies and wet wipes, set on the beautiful riverside in Henley-on-Thames. Over five days, Blighty’s most fancy festival will bring you music from stars like Nicole Scherzinger - fresh from her West End residency on Sunset Boulevard - Dave Stewart’s Eurthymics Songbook, and violin alchemist Nigel Kennedy. Big name comedy stars will also be bringing the LOLS, from Dara O’Briain and Sara Pascoe to Mark Watson and Angela Barnes. DJs including BBC R ’n’ B champion Trevor Nelson and Rylan will be keeping the party going, when the sun goes down. And there will be no sad, grey burgers at this well-heeled festival. From fine dining to street food, Henley has become the  foodies festival. Expect a gaggle of pop-up bars and restaurants studding the riverside, including the big return of Dish , offering five course fine dining, as well as the Moet Champagne Lawn , to toast the festival over the Thames. Guests can also enjoy innovative installations curated by some of the UK’s most celebrated artists, photographers and galleries. This year’s Festival Galleries Sculpture Garden and Thames banks will be brimming with fine art, ceramics, sculptures, photography, prints and paintings by artists including Haut de Gamme, The Barker Gallery, Panter & Hall and world-renowned artists Tommy Gurr and Nina Brooke. Playdate at Henley Festival will take over the riverside on Sunday with a fizzing line-up, including Shelva, the giant tortoise, a live Doodle Jam  spray painting session with Tommy Gurr; musical comedian Jonny Awsum’s award-winning kids show; and Marcel Loucont’s wild interactive game show, Les Enfants Terribles. There's also mind-boggling magic, roaming entertainers, Punch and Judy; crazy time-travelling magician Professor Strange  performing mind-blowing magic and circus tricks on his giant tricycle; balloon modelling with a difference;  the surreal Hocus Pocus Clowns ; juggling, dancing and entertaining duo Pemberton and Hague ; and a nostalgic food adventure with the 60’s and 70’s themed Kitsch Kafé . Founded as a charity more than 40 years ago, Henley Festival’ s mission is to support the next generation of talent. The Festival’s RISE line-up will once again give a platform for young musicians, comedians and visual artists to take their first steps on stage, as well offering opportunities for young people aspiring to work behind the scenes. Each evening the festival is closed in explosive style, with a fireworks display exclusively designed by pyrotechnic wizards at Titanium Fireworks - they’re the team behind some of the UK’s biggest firework shows in the last decade, from The Mayor of London New Year’s Eve celebrations, to the London 2012 Olympics, so expect all the oohs and aahs. Henley Festival, Leander Club, Henley-on-Thames RG9 2LP. 10-14 July 2024. Tickets from £80pp on Wed-Sunday. £45 for a family group ticket (max 4 adult/min 1 child 3-17 yrs) for Playdate at Henley Festival on 14 July from 10am - 1.30pm Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

London's BEST Family Events this June 2024 Put down the emergency ice lollies, because we’ve got more June kids’ events than you can shake a (lolly) stick at, and loads of them are FREE. With the reclusive sun promising to be a bit more sociable, London becomes an entirely new playground, with free festivals featuring robots, jousting and music; rooftop movies; free West End outdoor shows; plus Arctic expeditions, an extraordinary bird exhibition; the ultimate dolly event in an iconic building and the unmissable, immersive Paddington experience. There's something to entertain every age and flavour of child, so pack the Factor 50 and start planning your summer fun. _________________________ The Great Exhibition Road Festival South Kensington’s FREE , annual celebration of science and the arts returns on 15 - 16 June , with a gaggle of amazing events for all ages, from street art, to AI Silent Discos, hands-on workshops, and performances on the Main Stage. The Family Fun Zone features music, model and art making, working with scientists and engineers on experiments, shows on the Family Stage and fitness, dance and meditation sessions. There’s an explosive space show, ping pong comets to make and a Mars rover to code in the Science Zone. Meet every kind of robot in the RoboRoom and make your own MiniBots and SoftBots from robot kits. Play scientific games in the arcade, interact with a fully functioning model town, build clay spines and look inside your body in the Brilliant Bodies Zone and let chefs and scientists whip you up futuristic food. The event is led by cultural titans, Imperial College London. The Great Exhibition Road Festival . Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London, SW7 2AZ and in surrounding venues. 15 and 16 June. 12-6pm. FREE West End Live Take the family for a weekend of FREE performances from the West End’s top musicals. The live shows takes place in Trafalgar Square, with some of the Theatre Land's biggest stars performing hits from West End’s leading musicals and must-see, new shows. There will also be viewing areas just outside the square, for those not comfortable in crowds. The free, unticketed and popular annual event will release details of the 2024 line up soon. West End Live , Trafalgar Sq, London WC2N 5DS. 22-23 June 2024. FREE Lambeth Country Show’s 50th Anniversary It’s the golden anniversary of this Brixton stalwart, which welcomes families to its FREE festival, to watch sheep shearing and owl displays, horse jousting and stunt shows, with an on-site farm and diggerland. Visitors can also learn about the latest research and technologies in science, space travel and virtual reality, as well as getting involved in activities based around the environment and sustainability. There’s also an eclectic line up of music, from folk, soul, funk and pop, as well as steel orchestras, samba bands, school groups and choirs. The Main Stage will also host disco, ska, dub and reggae acts at the event, with a proudly urban, South London vibe. Lambeth Country Show , Brockwell Park, Brixton, London. 8-9 June. FREE Paddington Bear Immersive Experience Everybody’s favourite, Peruvian bear is getting the immersive treatment, with The Paddington Bear™ Experience. The marmalade-addled, interactive adventure across more than 26,000 square feet of Southbank’s London County Hall will invite guests into a series of themed rooms, inspired by iconic locations from the Paddington stories. Fittingly, it kicks off at Paddington Station, where guests will be greeted by a friendly Station Master and taken on a colourful train journey through London’s most famous landmarks, to the Browns’ charming, No. 32 Windsor Gardens home. Once inside the famous, tree-adorned hallway, guests will embark on a multi-sensory adventure to help the Brown family and Paddington prepare for the all-important Marmalade Day Festival. The Paddington Bear™ Experience , London County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7PB. From 31 May. Adult tickets £34pp. Children (2-15) £24. Under 2s go FREE Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre Natural History Museum ’s new show will be a real tweet for the whole family, inviting us to experience birds in a whole new way. Swirl around with a murmuration, chirp along with the dawn chorus and see if you have the stomach to sniff a stinky seabird egg. From feeling their heartbeats to seeing through their eyes, get to know our feathered friends better. Meet the wonderchicken - the world’s oldest bird - find out what a pigeon has in common with a ferocious T. Rex and discover how these winged wonders managed to survive the mass extinction that wiped out all the other dinosaurs. Today there’s more than 11,000 species. From pigeons to penguins, ostriches to ospreys, birds live on every single continent on Earth, so what’s the secret to their success? From sucking blood to bathing in acid, our winged wonders have found surprising, clever and downright freaky ways to survive. Natural History Museum, Waterhouse Gallery, Kensington, London. Adults £16.50pp. Children (4-16) £9.95pp Decora Girlz Doll Pop-Up at Oxo Tower From 14-16 June , little ones can head to the Southbank’s iconic Oxo Tower to for the ultimate dolly event. Children can customise and accessorize their own Decora Girlz, explore the vibrant, Japanese Decora Kei fashion with hands on art workshops, a chance to dress themselves up in the style to strut down the Decora Girlz catwalk, enjoy the free play area, photo opps, artwork, plus Japanese style Pick ’N’ Mix. On Saturday, TikTok toy infleuncer Rhia Official will also be there to meet little guests. Decora Girlz Pop-Up , gallery@oxo, Oxo Tower Wharf, Barge House St, London SE1 9PH. FREE entry. 14 June, 11-6pm. 15 June 2pm-6pm. 16 June 11-4pm  The Marylebone Summer Festival This annual, one-day family (and dog-friendly) festival marks its 20th anniversary on 9 June, featuring the ‘Bark in the Park’ dog zone, with pupuccino cart, doggy tarot card reading, pawtrait illustrations, a dog photo booth and trick training workshops. There will also be pop-up mini golf, Ferris wheel and rides, live music, farmer’s market, alfresco dining and street stalls, plus a wellness hub with free exercise classes. Marylebone Village , Marylebone High Street, London, W1U 5JZ. 9 June. 11am - 5.30pm Royal Windsor Flower Show For a turbo-wholesome and fragrant, family day out, join the Duchess of Edinburgh, Alan Titchmarsh and others at the Royal Windsor Flower Show on 8 June in the beautiful, historic grounds of Windsor Park. Expect stunning flowers, delicious food, crafting, Punch & Judy, circus training camp, Little Muddy Boots children’s area and fun ways to learn about flowers, bees, nature and sustainable living. Royal Windsor Flower Show,  Windsor Great Park, SL4 2BS. 8 June. 10am - 6pm. Adult tickets from £21 pp. Children (5-17) £6 pp. Under 5s go free Celebrate Canada Day in Trafalgar square Take the family on a FREE trip to Canada, without jumping on a plane, for the annual celebrations in Trafalgar Square on 30 June, brimming with live music, photo opps with members of the famous Royal Canadian Mounted Police, interactive, hockey themed activities, traditional food stalls, serving up poutine, and lobster rolls and Nanaimo bars. More than 80,000 Canadians call London home and last year’s event drew crowds of 30,000, so it’ll be a fizzy one, Trafalgar Square , London WC2N 5DS. 30 June. 12pm - 8pm. FREE Open Water Family Swimming at Canary Wharf Canary Wharf has reopened its swim hotspot at Middle Dock just in time to fling in children, over the Summer. Open throughout the week and welcome to all abilities over the age of 10, families can practise their strokes and cool off in the safe-to-swim and clean water course. A dip in the Thames with old crisp packets and fag ends hasn’t been the most appealing option before, even in these deodorant-defying times. But Canary Wharf’s 220-year-old Middle Dock has been cleaned up and lifeguarded for a pretty swanky swimming experience, against the backdrop of One Canada Square and Newfoundland, seven days a week, until the end of September. Since opening last summer, Canary Wharf has hosted thousands of swimmers as part of a growing trend for open water swimming. The activity continues to be a popular choice for those wanting to boost immunity, improve flexibility and relieve stress. Visit Love Open Water  for more info Science Museum Astronights Sleepover  Budding scientists (aged 7-11) can spend the night at The Science Museum, exploring the museum out-of-hours,  sleeping among space rockets, a Moon rock or in the world’s largest medical galleries. Young campers will experience the ultimate sleepover, with an evening full of activities, including science shows and interactive workshops.  This year’s Astronights programme is supported by official sponsor TEMPUR®, who will gift all campers a travel pillow to help budding scientists get some rest during this exciting night.The following morning, campers can refuel at breakfast, before exploring Wonderlab , their interactive gallery, with hands-on exhibits and immersive experiences, and catch a 3D documentary on their giant IMAX screen. Science Museum,  Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2DD. Dates vary, £70pp standard, £100 VIP Rooftop Film Club Head to the Bussey Building for some family-friendly, daytime rooftop cinema screenings of kiddie classics, from  Wonka to Elemental , plus gorgeous views across London’s skyline. Everybody gets comfy headphones and deckchairs and you can order pizza, snacks and drinks to your seats. Dogs are also welcome, so the whole family can enjoy the Big Screen in the sunshine together. Rooftop Film Club , Roof A, Bussey Building, 133 Rye Ln, London SE15 4ST. Children welcome to family film showings before 5pm.  Navrtar VR Arctic Expedition Take the family on an Arctic expedition, without leaving London. They’ll learn about global warming in a whole, new way during the 60-minute experience, exploring the abyss of the Arctic; its icy tundras, hidden caverns and unique wildlife hidden in an extraordinary, underwater world. Guests in teams of six can teleport 100 years into the future to compare the effects of global warming. The sessions begin with a range of multi-player mini games to enhance the senses and test skills, before embarking on the Arctic expedition, exploring marine life and shipwrecks. Navrtar , Dickens Yard, Longfield Ave W5 2UQ. Prices from £32pp. The Enormous Crocodile at Regents Open Air Theatre The Enormous Crocodile is weaving his way through the jungle in search of delicious little fingers and squidgy, podgy knees at this gorgeous, outdoor theatre. Only the other jungle creatures can foil his secret plans with clever tricks. This new musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s picture book has tunes by Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab and features a menagerie of mischievous puppets by co-director and puppetry designer, Toby Olié.  Regents Park Open Air Theatre ,  The Regent's Park, Inner Cir, London NW1 4NU.  18 May - 8 June 2024. Tickets from £17.85 pp Kids Go For £10 this June at Howletts Wild Animal Park  Read our review here Howletts, Kent’s original wildlife park, is just one hour from London and is home to some of the world’s most endangered and rare animals. With more than 390 animals, including Kent’s only giant anteaters, the largest herd of African elephants in the UK, more gorillas than any other zoo in the country, and the recent introduction of the lion cubs, Zemo and Zala. This May half term and throughout June, kids can experience all of this for a tenner. You can even book a close encounter with your favourite animal, from elephant feeding, going behind the scenes with gorillas, meeting black rhinos, red river hogs or even hand-feeding anteaters - animal encounter prices start from £15.  Howlett's Wild Animal Park , Bekesbourne Ln, Bekesbourne, Littlebourne, Canterbury CT4 5EL. Tickets can be booked in advance online and cost £25 for an adult, £10 for children aged 0-15 from 8 May - 30 June Chelsea Physic Garden Kids' Workshops This glorious botanical garden never disappoints, and this month, their childrens’ workshops include meet and greets with friendly insects in different micro-habitats and making dyes, paints and pigments from plants to use in your own, artistic masterpieces. Chelsea Physic Gardens ,  66 Royal Hospital Rd, London SW3 4HS Japan: Myths to Manga at Young V&A Take a trip through Japan and explore how landscape and folklore have influenced Japanese art, technology and design, featuring a seal shaped robotic comforter, Hello Kitty paraphrenalia, draw your own Manga characters and learn nifty facts about Sylvanian Families toys being born out of hundreds-of-years old netsuke animal sculptures. Young V&A Museum, Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets, Cambridge Heath Rd, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PA. General Museum access, free. The Princess and the Pea Unicorn Theatre has teamed up with New Vic Theatre and leading contemporary circus company Upswing for a show which bulges with b reathtaking acrobatics, clowning, and fairytale adventure. This funny and playful remix of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tells the story of a  pampered Princess who has everything her heart desires. But one dark and stormy night, she ventures beyond her palace walls and everything changes. Unicorn Theatre,  147 Tooley St, London SE1 2HZ.  17 May - 16 June.  Under 18s £7 - £18.50 / Adults £10.50 - £26.50 Suitcase Circus at Puppet Barge Theatre Little Venice’s magical, floating theatre brings this glorious tale about Wobulous Discombobulous, the anarchic sock, who presents a line up of extraordinarily talented performing objects, all with their own unique and captivating storylines.   Suitcase Circus features the most unlikely of performers, including the world's only acrobatic potato sack, a daredevil ski glove, an incredible dancing milkshake straw, the hypnotic tie snake Windsor Knot, and the lovable yet bizarre magical Mexican hat, Timrek. Puppet Barge Theatre ,  opposite, 35 Blomfield Rd, London W9 2PF. 4 May-3 June 2024. Adults £14. Children £10.  Ages 5+. Immersive Lego Exhibition Aptly on Brick Lane, The Art of Brick brings its Lego masterpieces to London, following tours of more than 100 cities in 24 countries. The exhibition features artist Nathan Sawaya's Lego recreations of some of the world’s most famous artworks, from Michelangelo’s David to Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Among the wonders, visitors will also find a 6-metre-long reproduction of a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton Kids (and big kids) can also make their own masterpieces at the play and build area. The Boiler House, 152 Brick Lane, London, E1 6RU. Until 14 July The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks Lightroom leapt inside David Hockney’s art for his jugggernaut of retrospective and now turns its immersive technology to space, with added Tom Hanks. The Apollo 13 star narrates the audio-visual experience, which offers a unique new perspective on humankind’s past and future voyages to the moon. Telling the stories of the Apollo missions in intimate detail, The Moonwalkers also provides an insight into the impending return of crewed surface missions by going behind-the-scenes of the Artemis programme, including interviews between Hanks and Artemis astronauts. If your own trip to the moon is unlikely, the immersive gallery promises the next big thing, with its tech-wizardy taking visitors on a voyage to our closest celestial neighbour. Lightroom , 12, Lewis Cubitt Square, London N1C 4DY. Until 13 October 2024. Tickets from £25 Dinosaur rEvolution South East London’s hidden gem, The Horniman Museum  launches its roarsome new dinosaur exhibition for February half-term. The show invites us to rethink everything we thought we knew about dinosaurs, exploring the relationship between dinosaurs and birds. It includes five large, animatronic models, a gaggle of fossil skeletons and skull casts, as well as touchable, detailed graphics by the acclaimed artist Luis V Rey, dress up, games, and more. It will also be your last chance to see its beloved, overstuffed, taxidermy walrus until 2026, when the Natural History Gallery  will reopen after a two-year refurbishment. Horniman Museum and Gardens , 100 London Road, Forest Hill, London SE23 3PQ. until 3 November. Tickets from £9 per adult and £7 per child. iFly Childrens’ Skydive Read our review here Anybody from the age of 3 to 103 can experience the superpower of flight at iFly , as long as they can comfortably wear a helmet. The instructors allow children to safely feel the sensation of an  exhilarating, 12,000 ft free-fall and flight,  without  jumping out of a plane. Along with watching the instructor perform a mesmerising  dance on air inside the vertical wind tunnel, your family can enjoy the extraordinary sensation of weightlessness, soaring around the glass tube and unlocking a core memory of their newfound super powers. iFLY London at The O2, Peninsula Square, London SE10 0DX. Tickets and vouchers to fly can be purchased by clicking here  and are available from £69.99 per person Wizard Exploratorium Check out our review here.   Soho's magic-themed Wizard Exploratorium is a five-storey, geek wonderland, offering a 4D wand-making workshop, immersive trick shop and suitably magical afternoon tea encompassing tea brewing, molecular gastronomy, and technology. Wizard Exploratorium , 26 Greek St, London W1D 5DE Slimy Gootopia Sessions Slime is a gloopy rite of passage for every child - parents quickly learn the art of removing it from hair and unwitting pets and it’s up there with ice cream in the kiddie delight department. Enter stage left: Gootopia , which brings its gloopy joy to Brixton and Lewisham. The venues have shelves of ready-made slime, slime ingredients, activator, and their ‘goo-to-go’ slime vending machine. They also offer a range of activities and experiences for kids of all ages, including slime workshops, birthday parties, school science workshops, drop-in slime-making sessions and live slime-making demonstrations by goo alchemists Gootopia . Brixton and Lewisham locations. Pampering for all the family at Pan Pacific London Family activities that involve lying down and being pampered? Count us massively IN. Pan Pacific London  has partnered with luxury children’s brand Bonpoint , to create a unique offering for the hotel’s dedicated Wellbeing Floor. The first partnership of its kind in the UK, the duo have created a range of unisex skincare treatments and packages for children aged 6 – 16 years old, that provide an opportunity for parents to spend quality time with their children and teens and enjoy a spot of pampering. Pan Pacific Family Pampering , 80 Houndsditch, London, EC3A 7AB. Treatments start from £100. Power Up at the Science Museum Following five successful runs, Power Up will make its permanent home at the Science Museum from July, allowing visitors to try over 160 consoles and hundreds of the very best video games, all year long. With the new Power Up annual passes, visitors can return whenever they fancy, to journey through the world of gaming. Experience the evolution of gaming – from classics such as Pong and Street Fighter to the latest PlayStation and Xbox – while discovering the science and history behind gaming’s most iconic developments. Power Up  Ticketed, daily passes: £10, annual passes: £15   . Age: 5+. Science Museum, Exhibition Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 2DD The Young V&A The former Museum of Childhood  has had a three-year transformation - the biggest in its 150-year history - into the UK’s first museum designed by and for 0-14 year olds. The Bethnal Green cultural destination is FREE  (woo) and packed with interactive and hands-on activities for kids and families. Highlights of the £13m revamp will include colourful, sensory playscapes, including a finger skateboard park, an ‘Imagination Playground’ construction zone, a performance and storytelling stage and sandpit. The museum has been shaped around childrens' interests to encourage playful learning and spark their imaginations. Three galleries, Play, Imagine and Design, will help children build the skills and creative confidence they need to thrive. Young V&A.  Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets, Cambridge Heath Rd, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PA. General Museum Access: FREE Get the Kids Climbing the Walls Get the kids climbing the walls at London’s Parthian Climbing centre in Wandsworth. The 25,000 square foot beast combines climbing with lifestyle, thanks to its café, bar, gym, retail and co-working space. And it is the first indoor climbing facility in the UK to feature an exact replica of  The Titan  Olympic bouldering wall, which will be used at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. They offer a range of kids’ sessions and courses for ages 3 and up. There are instructors for little ones taking on their first climbing experience, as well as the National Indoor Climbing Award Scheme (NICAS) for a progressive syllabus. They also host kids’ parties, for 1.5 hours of climbing activities and games which are the perfect antidote to ‘Fun Freddie’ wrestling a balloon into a drooping sausage dog. Parthian Climbing Centre , 52 - 58 Garratt Ln, Wandsworth, London SW18 4TF Avora Family Experience Read our review Up an unassuming, Shoreditch street is a secret portal to another planet. And on school holidays and Sundays, you can take your kids for a well-deserved break from Earth, on planet Avora. Head here for our full review   of this worthy and otherworldly adventure, encountering scientists, mocktails, aliens, army villains and closing with a child-pleasing, farty finale. Avora: Family Immersive Adventure  5C, 127 Hackney Road, London, E2 8GY. Sundays, 12pm – 3:30pm. School Holiday weekdays. £24.50 per child (6-13) £29.50 per adult. The Gunpowder Plot at Tower of London Vaults Older children (12+) will be catapulted into the most exciting history lesson of their lives, in this explosive new, immersive experience, starring Harry Potter’s Tom Felton. Your mission is to go undercover and unmask the mysterious figures behind history’s most infamous plot. But when you’re surrounded by traitors, who can you trust? With surprises around every turn, descend into the vaults and experience a combination of live and digital actors, virtual reality and fancy pants technology like motion simulators and special effects, transporting you back to London 1605 in the heart of the Gunpowder plot. The Gunpowder Plot , 8-12 Tower Hill Vaults, London, EC3N 4EE Play Captain on a GoBoat River Picnic If you’re looking for somewhere to spend a genuinely relaxing few hours for parents and  children (plus dogs, if you have one) we recommend a GoBoat  trip. You can enjoy a picnic as captain of your own, electric boat through Canary Wharf, Paddington, Kingston, Thames Ditton or Birmingham. Check out our review of the GoBoat Canary Wharf experience HERE GoBoat UK , Open 7 days a week from 9am - dusk. Prices start from  £85 for 1 hour and  £125 for two hours on the  8-person boats. GoBoat Canary Wharf, 22 Churchill Place, London, E14 5RE Paddington Afternoon Tea Bus Tour Read our review Brigit's Bakery  launched the first, official Paddington Bear afternoon tea bus tour , celebrating the capital.The double-decker has built-in screens, so that Paddington and Mrs Bird can provide an animated guide to the tour, which includes some of Paddington's favourite landmarks, like Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, Nelson’s Column, Downing Street, St. Paul's Cathedral, Borough Market, Green Park and Piccadilly Circus. The tour takes just under two hours, while you scoff treats including glittering shortbreads, designed to look like nibbled marmalade sandwiches, mini pizzas, smoked salmon and cucumber pretzels, turkey ham and cheddar or cream cheese and cucumber finger sandwiches and naturally, marmalade sandwiches. And for those who share the bear’s sweet tooth, the homemade sweet treats included a rice pudding studded with chocolate honeycomb, chocolate cupcakes crowned with Paddington’s chocolate paws, lemon meringue tarts, chocolate macarons and freshly baked scones with cream and jam. Brigit’s Bakery also provide vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal afternoon teas. Paddington Afternoon Tea Bus tour  Departs from Trafalgar Square, Wednesdays to Sundays. Prices from £45 adult, £35 child. Discover Children’s Story Centre Stratford's immersive, sprog-storytelling Mecca is brimming with entertainment across three floors, plus a wonderfully imaginative Story Garden. Creep through caves, find fairy worlds within magical trees, explore hidden ships, perform in a puppet castle, leap over alligators and man your own spaceships and rockets across two floors, which also host art and craft stations, beautiful reading corners, storytelling sessions, immersive events and installations. Or head outside to the magical new play area to discover Baba Yaga’s hut held up by chicken legs, climb Hootah’s castle and slide out of the Stratford Sputnik. Check out our review here Discover Children's Story Centre  383-387 High St, London E15 4QZ Whizz Down The ArcelorMittal Orbit How about hurling your children down the world’s tallest slide? The 178m long ArcelorMittal Orbit  was the iconic landmark of the 2012 London Olympics and is now an attraction with three adventure experiences. Families can speed down the winding slide, abseil, or walk around the glass orbit at the top. You can also pretend it's a high-brow, cultural experience, because the orbit is also a sculpture by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond. And it beats the usual views of grubby swings and bins, because here you can check out the stunning views of Queen Elizabeth Park. To ride the slide, children must be at least eight years old and over 1.3m. ArcelorMittal Orbit , Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 5 Thornton St, London E20 2AD. From £10.75. Cutty Sark Rig Climb Experience Originally climbed when the ship first arrived to Greenwich in 1954, visitors can now recreate this, by clambering up the famous masts of the Cutty Sark.The Rig Climb Experience invites kids and brave parents to step up from the main deck onto the ship’s ratlines and climb up its top mast, as hundreds of sailors did during the Cutty Sark’s heyday. Once at the top, climbers will experience a controlled descent from the rigging. Participants will be rewarded with some of the best views in London, overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral, The Shard and Tower Bridge. Cutty Sark King William Walk, London SE10 9H Snot, Sick and Scabs at the Centre of the Cell Deliciously disgusting and sneakily educational centre in a futuristic, light-studded pod suspended above the laboratories of the Blizard Institute in Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Children can learn about the heart, teeth or senses, see scientists at work and enjoy their delightfully vile ‘Snot, Sick and Scabs’ session. Centre of the Cell,  4 Newark St, London E1 2AT Out-of-Hours at the British Museum Your little ones can walk in the footsteps of the ancient Greeks, Pharoahs or journey through the cultures of China at The British Museum's family-friendly, out-of-hours tours. Taking place between 8.50 – 10am, before the galleries are open to the public, you can beat the unsavoury crowds. And from 4 - 25 March, children can explore Roman history through Minecraft, create a Japan-themed family photo (11 March) and make mosaic masks inspired by the Aztec gods on 18 March. The British Museum , Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG. Under fives go free.  £16.50 for 5-15 year olds. £33 Adults Monopoly Lifesized Go big or go home… or straight to jail at Monopoly Lifesized,  an immersive, on-your-feet version of the classic, family game, played on a 15m x 15m lifesized Monopoly board. Enter the 4D experience and compete in challenges for your chance to buy properties. Stage a heist in Mayfair, compete against a clock to build some of London’s iconic buildings, solve a baffling murder mystery or step into the world of codebreakers. The 80-minute experience is suitable for kids from 9 and older and is open every day except Mondays. Monopoly Lifesized , 213-215 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7PS. Tickets £49 pp Crystal Maze LIVE Experience Older children (from 8 onwards) can take on this immersive adventure, which brings the hit 90s TV show to life.Run around like mentalists, yell, complete a host of difficult challenges and end the game in a fetching, satin bomber jacket. Crystal Maze Live Experience , 22 - 32 Shaftesbury Avenue W1D 7EU Holiday to Space at Royal Observatory Greenwich Join Ted and Plant as they explore the Solar System in search of the best place to take a holiday in an intergalactic morning adventure, including a planetarium show and interactive workshop. Recommended Age: 3 - 6 yrs. Open 10am-5pm daily Royal Observator y Greenwich Park, Blackheath Avenue SE10 8XJ Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

The Capital's Unmissable Art Shows this June 2024 June brings us a blockbuster Tate Modern show from the Godfather of immersive exhibitions, as well as the Glastonbury of the art world - The RA's Summer Exhibition - and Naomi Campbell's big V&A show. There are also powerful and provocative photography exhibitions, from a big Princess Diana retrospective, to Sir Elton John and David Furnish's photography collection, and a moving show about the journeys of displaced Ukrainian refugees. Naturally, there are also some wonderfully playful and immersive experiences, including a trippy journey through spiritual worlds, a celebration of art and sound, cartoonish hospitals, LEGO art, trips to the moon with Tom Hanks and a journey through Japanese art and design. So point your eyes at our top 20 London exhibitions this June and then take them there. __________________________ Anthony McCall - Solid Light at Tate Modern The Godfather of immersive exhibitions, Anthony McCall brings his extraordinary, Solid Light show to Tate Modern on 27 June, inviting visitors to bring artworks to life through movements and interactions. Beams of light projected through a thin mist create large, three-dimensional forms in space, which slowly shift and change. As you move through these translucent light sculptures, you’ll create new, airy sculptures. Occupying a space between sculpture, cinema, drawing, and performance, McCall is known for his innovative installations of light. In 1973, his seminal work Line Describing a Cone redefined the possibilities of sculpture and this show is set to be the Tate’s next big blockbuster. Anthony McCall: Solid Light. Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG From 27 June to 27 April. Tickets £10 pp. Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy It’s the Glastonbury of the art world, with works by art titans and emerging artists in every conceivable medium and style, so there is something for everybody. This year, more than 1,200 artworks will spill out onto their courtyard and Piccadilly, coordinated by sculptor Ann Christopher RA and her committee of leading British artists and architects. Most of the paintings, prints and sculptures will be available to buy, with a number of works available for less than £250. Sales from the Summer Exhibition support the exhibiting artists and RA's charitable work in the arts. RA Summer Exhibition , Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD. 18 June - 18 August Suspended States at Serpentine Galleries For more than 30 years, Yinka Shonibare CBE has used Western culture to explore national identities. Suspended States is his first London solo exhibition in more than 20 years. It showcases new works, exploring how power affects sites of refuge, debates on public statues, the ecological impact of colonialisation and the legacy of imperialism on conflict. It includes two new major installations, like Sanctuary City, comprised of miniature buildings representing places of refuge, and The War Library, which is constructed from 5,000 books bound in Dutch wax print, representing conflicts and peace treaties. Suspended States. Serpentine South Gallery, London W2 3XA. Until 1 September. FREE. Entheon at Illusionaries  Illusionaries , Canary Wharf's new multi-sensory art space, invites us on a journey through three immersive rooms and installations, designed to engage the senses through soundscapes, animation, projection and colour. The UK premiere of the Entheon show sees international artists Alex and Allyson Grey explore the human condition, with kaleidoscopic pieces, showing the interconnectedness of the physical and spiritual worlds. Alex and Allyson are also the co-founders of Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM), a non-profit organisation dedicated to fostering creativity, spirituality and contemplation through art.  Entheon . Illusionaries, Crossrail Pl, London E14 5AR. From 14 June. NAOMI in Fashion at V&A The V&A will transform into the ultimate catwalk for a celebration of supermodel Naomi Campbell’s 40 year career, from 22 June. The show features more than 100 stunning outfits as well as iconic shots by some of the world’s biggest photographers, telling her extraordinary story and celebrating her creative collaborations, activism and far-reaching cultural impact. Victoria & Albert Museum , Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL. 22 June - 6 April 2025 Princess Diana: Accredited Access Exhibition The nation’s fascination with Princess Diana isn’t going away any time soon. And a new exhibition promises to give a behind-the-scenes journey through her life, via art installations and 75 life-sized photographs by her official photographers. They include the famous image of her sitting alone outside the Taj Mahal and the 'revenge dress' she wore the night King Charles admitted adultery. Her story is told through the lenses of Anwar Hussein and his two sons, Samir and Zak, her longest standing photographers, who share what they heard and witnessed during these iconic moments, in the accompanying audio guide. Princess Diana: Accredited Access Exhibition . Dockside Vaults, Ivory House, London E1W 1AT. 25 May - 2 September. Tickets: £17/adult, £15/child. Fragile Beauty  Sir Elton John and David Furnish are sharing their extraordinary private collection of more than 300 rare prints from over 140 photographers, for V&A’s new, summer blockbuster. The show features photographers including Cindy Sherman, Ai Weiwei and Robert Mapplethorpe and includes portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Miles Davis. It spans from the Fifties to the present day, covering the civil rights movement and AIDS activism to 9/11 and has eight themes, from the male body to fashion and celebrity. The show will be the gallery’s largest temporary exhibition of photography to date. Fragile Beauty : Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection in partnership with Gucci. Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL.  from 18 May to 5 January 2025. Tickets £20 pp. The Vinyl Factory: REVERB The Vinyl Factory explores the intersection of art and sound with a major new multimedia exhibition at 180 Studios. Bringing together more than 100 artists and musicians working across visual arts, music, film and live performance, the show features 18 installations, including audio visual pieces and sonic experiences. There will also be a chill out space to listen to vinyl, plus live performances, talks and UK premieres of many ambitious new artworks. The Vinyl Factory , 180 Studios, 180 Strand, Temple, London WC2R 1EA. 23 May - 28 September.  Like a Melody: Myths, Memories, and Fantasy The art world’s rising star, Charlotte Mei has transformed Now Gallery into an fairytale world, presided over by a giant, furry cat with silver wings. The artist and illustrator draws on her lifelong obsession with fantasy, mythology and anime for the mixed media show, which features ‘artefacts’ like chainmail underwear, otherworldly cuddly cats, action figures and her trademark pastel, dream landscapes. She explains: "I wanted to create a fantasy world because I want to live in one. I want to find an enchanted sword and lie in a meadow of sparkling flowers surrounded by magical creatures.” Mei’s celebration of the magic of fantasy is part of the gallery’s tenth anniversary programme, championing emerging talent in the arts. Now Gallery, Soames Walk, London SE10 0SQ. FREE. Showing until 2 June Jason and the Adventure of 254 Artist Jason Wilsher-Mills presents his major (and FREE) solo exhibition, which transforms the gallery into a cartoonish hospital ward, full of surreal humour and kaleidoscopic colour, exploring his experience of becoming disabled as a child. The joyful show is perfect for all ages - you are invited to touch everything. Highlights include a giant installation of a figure in a hospital bed, Seb Coe with a TV for a head, huge calliper boots and penny arcade inspired dioramas. Wellcome Collection ,  183 Euston Rd, London NW1 2BE.  FREE. 21 March - 12 January 2025 Polly Braden: Leaving Ukraine Polly Braden has used her camera to document the lives of women, children and babies scattered across Europe since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. And this deeply moving exhibition uses photography and film to share their extraordinary journeys, from job interviews, first days at school, trips to buy wedding dresses and poignant family reunions. Following four central stories, we see teenagers grow into young adults and babies into toddlers.  Foundling Museum , Brunswick Square, London.  £12.75. 21 and under go free. 15 March - 1 September Angelica Kauffman Angelica Kauffman paved the way for generations of women artists after her and was one of the most celebrated artists of the 18th century. She painted some of the most influential figures of her day – queens, countesses, actors and socialites – and reinvented the genre of history painting by focusing largely on female protagonists from classical history and mythology. This exhibition traces her trajectory from child prodigy, her rise to fame in London to becoming one of Europe's most sought-after painters and a founding member of the Royal Academy. Royal Academy of Arts,   Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD.  Until 30 June.Tickets £17 pp Japan: Myths to Manga at Young V&A Take a trip through Japan and explore how landscape and folklore have influenced Japanese art, technology and design, featuring a seal shaped robotic comforter, Hello Kitty paraphrenalia, draw your own Manga characters and learn nifty facts about Sylvanian Families toys being born out of hundreds-of-years old netsuke animal sculptures. Young V&A Museum,  Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets, Cambridge Heath Rd, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PA. General Museum access, free. Until 8 September Yoko Ono: Music for the Mind Spanning more than seven decades and featuring over 200 artworks, this is the UK’s largest exhibition celebrating Ono’s groundbreaking, multidisciplinary career, from the mid-1950s to now – including her years in London where she met her future husband and longtime collaborator John Lennon. It includes her Instruction Pieces, which you can interact with - shaking hands with a stranger through a hole; making a peace wish and tying it to a tree; drawing on a boat installation; completing tasks inside a black bag and playing chess with all-white pieces as well as her most famous pieces, like the banned Bottoms film and Cut Piece , where people were invited to cut off her clothing. Tate Modern , Bankside, London SE1 9TG.  Until 1 September. £20 per adult. Free for under 12s. Immersive Lego Exhibition Aptly opening on Brick Lane, The Art of Brick brings its Lego masterpieces to London, following tours of more than 100 cities in 24 countries. The exhibition features artist Nathan Sawaya's Lego recreations of some of the world’s most famous artworks, from Michelangelo’s David to Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Among the wonders, visitors will also find a 6-metre-long reproduction of a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton Kids (and big kids) can also make their own masterpieces at the play and build area. The Boiler House , 152 Brick Lane, London, E1 6RU. Until 9 June The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks Lightroom leapt inside David Hockney’s brain for his juggernaut retrospective and now turns its immersive technology to space, with added Tom Hanks. The Apollo 13 star narrates the audio-visual experience, which offers a unique new perspective on humankind’s past and future voyages to the moon. Telling the stories of the Apollo missions in intimate detail, The Moonwalkers also provides an insight into the impending return of crewed surface missions by going behind-the-scenes of the Artemis programme, including interviews between Hanks and Artemis astronauts. If your own trip to the moon is looking unlikely, the immersive gallery promises the next best thing, with its tech-wizardry taking visitors on a voyage to our closest celestial neighbour. Lightroom , 12, Lewis Cubitt Square, London N1C 4DY. Until 13 October 2024. Tickets from £25 Direct from Graceland: Elvis Elvis is in the building - not Graceland, but Arches London Bridge. This retrospective of the King of Rock is bulging with 400 artefacts from his Memphis home, charting his humble beginnings and meteoric rise to fame. It includes  his prized Ferrari Dino, gold-plated telephone, jazzy, Vegas era jumpsuits, Aviators and iconic gold lamé suit. Super-fans can even opt for the White Glove Experience, to hold the gold microphone used in his 1969 Vegas shows, and his Gold International Belt. It’s easier than a trip to Memphis and has been such a hit, they’ve extended it until 14 April. Arches London Bridge ,  8 Bermondsey St, London SE1 2ER.   Until 1 September 2024 Tickets from £19.90 pp Wildlife Photographer of the Year The 59th Wildlife Photographer of the Year tells the story of a planet under pressure. The show harnesses the power of photography to help the Natural History Museum advance scientific knowledge, spread awareness of important issues and nurture a global love for nature, via donations to the exhibition. It features astonishing photographs selected from more than 50,000 entries, including a golden, tri-spine horseshoe crab (pictured above) snow leopards hunting in China and seals in Greece. Natural History Museum , Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD. Until 30 June The World’s Biggest Disney Exhibition It all began with a mouse and now, nearly 101 years later, a major exhibition returns in London, inviting fans to experience the iconic characters, stories and experiences that touched the lives of audiences around the world. Disney100: The Exhibition features 10 themed galleries bulging with more than 250 iconic props, costumes and treasures including the actual carousel horse that Dick Van Dyke rode in Mary Poppins, the glass slipper from Cinderella (2015), the Iron Man helmet from Avengers: Infinity War, original artwork from One Hundred and One Dalmatians and the red dress from the 2021 Cruella film. The 20,000 sq ft beast of a show has 14 interactive installations and themed galleries allowing you to dive into classics like Snow White and Encanto as well as the new additions to the Disney family, like Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel movies. Disney100: The Exhibition.  ExCeL London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London E16 1XL. Tickets on sale now, starting from £16.50 off-peak for children. Until 23 June Frameless Immersive art experiences are beckoning us to leap into paintings all over the world, but Frameless is art immersion on steroids. Situated in Marble Arch, it is the largest, permanent multi-sensory experience in the UK. Boasting four, themed galleries - Beyond Reality, Colour In Motion, The World Around Us and The Art Of Abstraction - with some of the world’s greatest works of art exploding across the walls, floors and ceilings of a 30,000 sq ft space. You can step inside more than 43 masterpieces by 28 artists, including Kandinsky, Monet, Van Gogh, Klimt, Munch, Monet, Rembrandt, Dali and Cezanne with musical scores accompanying each brushstroke. Frameless , Marble Arch, London W1H 7FD, UK Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

The Man Behind Two of Newcastle's Most Celebrated Restaurants Shares His Definitive Guide to the City's Best Restaurants and Cafes Chef Nick Grieves’ restaurant journey has been remarkable - from being a self taught chef, devouring recipe books and Youtube tutorials to launching two Newcastle restaurants championed by Good Food Guide, Michelin Guide and top critics. He quit his construction career when he was 27 to take over a Durham pub, working the stoves seven days a week. After teaching himself for several years, he honed his skills by joining Michelin starred chef Simon Rogan’s team at Fera , Claridges followed by a job at acclaimed Michelin star restaurant, The River Cafe , cooking the freshest possible ingredients. With a desire to be his own boss once more, Nick opened The Patricia (named after his grandma) in Newcastle’s Jesmond, which quickly earned significant acclaim from the likes of critics including Marina O’Loughlin as well as mentions in Good Food Guide and Michelin Guide. And last year, Nick opened his latest Newcastle restaurant, Ophelia in Gosforth. It’s an elegant, French-style brasserie, which features an open kitchen. It has already been included in the Michelin Guide and the Good Food Guide, the latter recognising Ophelia as one of the UK’s top 100 best local restaurants. So he is perfectly placed to bring us this Newcastle Insider Guide, exploring its best places to eat and drink, from an extraordinary modern Mexican taqueria, a hidden Chinese gem to a pink, punk bagel maestro. Ophelia , 6-10 Bowsden Terrace, South Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 1RX _________________________ COFFEE North Shore Coffee I’ve always been a big fan of North Shore Coffee; they have a little van just off Little Moor. The coffee there is always class, and I think all of their staff are big fans of my dog Vinny - he always seems to get a little treat when we go by. North Shore Coffee, 3 Moorfield, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 3NL BREAKFAST BURDS Definitely has to be Burds - it’s a great little breakfast spot in a beautiful building in the heart of Jesmond. BURDS , The Gatehouse, Fleming Business Centre, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 3AE LUNCH KING BABY BAGELS I think what the lads at King Baby Bagels are doing is great. There are some really great spots in the Grainger Market for a quick lunch, but I do keep finding myself going back for bagels. My personal favourite would have to be their Deli Dynasty Deluxe. I believe they’ve just opened a spot in Fenwick’s Food Hall too. King Baby Bagels , Unit 5-6, Grainger Market, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 5QQ DINNER Barrio Comida If I ever have a day or evening off I’ll most likely be at modern neighbourhood Mexican taqueria, Barrio Comida in Durham - I’d actually say it’s my favourite spot in the Northeast.    Barrio Comida , 34 Church St, Durham DH1 3DG DRINKS Jesmond Dene House The best spot, especially in the summer, would have to be at Jesmond Dene House in their garden. It’s just a really lovely, calm setting for a nice drink. Jesmond Dene House , Jesmond Dene Rd, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 2EY INSIDER TIP Sky Restaurant Take a trip to Sky restaurant. It’s a little hidden away and accessed by an elevator found on Stowell Street. I went again recently and had a brilliant selection of dim sum - just brilliant, authentic Chinese food. Sky Restaurant , 20 Stowell St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4XQ Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter

THE CHEF PATRON OF WOODBRIDGE'S AWARD-WINNING UNRULY PIG GASTROPUB TAKES US THROUGH THE HOTSPOTS OF WOODBRIDGE, IPSWICH AND (SLIGHTLY) BEYOND Dave Wall is Head Chef and Chef Patron at The Unruly Pig , a gastropub in the beautiful Suffolk village of Woodbridge. Serving up fresh, local and seasonal British food with an Italian influence, it’s been showered with awards over the years, from picking up the top spot in the Estrella Damm UK Top 50 Gastropubs Awards 2024 to Best Pub in the GQ Magazine Food and Drinks Award, and even awarded Best Sunday Roast by the Sunday Times. Tasting Thursdays offer the chance to grab a five course Be Unruly tasting menu for just £49 per head and there’s even a 10% discount for the hospitality sector every Monday - big respect to Dave for helping out his fellow hospitality heroes! If all that isn’t enough to entice you to Suffolk (boy, you really are hard to please…), then Dave has kindly put together an Insider Guide featuring the finest places in Woodbridge, Ipswich and a little detour into Cambridge, to make a weekend of it. The Unruly Pig ,Orford Road, Bromeswell, Nr Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 2PU COFFEE Applaud There is a glorious boutique coffee shop in Ipswich called Applaud, which has deservedly won many awards and accolades. It’s in the old part of the town and has a lovely, dinky garden for when the weather is fine. The coffee is consistently great and their home-baked cakes are even better. Relaxed and cool, it is a great workspace and has a lovely vibe. Applaud Coffee , 19 St Peter's St, Ipswich IP1 1XF BREAKFAST The Wild Strawberry Cafe The Wild Strawberry Cafe in Woodbridge. Located in this beautiful medieval town’s market square, it serves a mean sausage sarnie with a fried egg. What’s there not to like about this small but smart cafe as you munch away looking onto the well-known, Dutch-gabled Shire Hall in the very heart of the town?  The Wild Strawberry Cafe , 19a Market Hill, Woodbridge IP12 4LX LUNCH Honey & Harvey Honey & Harvey, Woodbridge has two branches in Woodbridge, the local town to The Unruly Pig as well as a branch in Ipswich. Honey & Harvey are all that you could want from a deli-type coffee shop. They also serve a great breakfast but they really excel at lunch where Ottolenghi-type salads jostle nicely with their freshly baked (and delicious) sausage rolls and a multitude of yummy, freshly made and cooked-to-order dishes.  Honey and Harvey , 56 Thoroughfare, Woodbridge IP12 1AL DINNER Restaurant Twenty-Two Years ago, I could never work out why Head Chef Sam Carter’s lovely restaurant - which is located in a terraced house on the city’s outskirts - never used to have a Michelin star. My mother used to say “Good things come to those who wait” and lo and behold, the much overdue star was awarded in 2023 and has been justly retained in 2024. Sam is a lovely chap and he and his hard-working wife deserve all the plaudits they have received for his small restaurant that deservedly punches well above its weight. This is a solid Michelin-starred restaurant.  Restaurant Twenty-Two , 22 Chesterton Rd, Cambridge CB4 3AX DRINKS The Anchor Anyone getting off the train in Woodbridge should grab a pint in this quaint pub, located just over from the beautiful River Deben estuary. It’s a proper local that always feels so welcoming and friendly. There are warming open fires in the winter and outside tables that let you watch the world go by bang in the centre of town. And the landlord, Vernon Blackmore, serves the best massaman curry. Everyone who knows this hostelry loves it. As do I.  The Anchor , 19 Quay St, Woodbridge IP12 1BX INSIDER TIP Ramsholt Church and Ramsholt Arms Anybody who has seen Ralph Fiennes in the film The Dig , will know the stunning Ramsholt church (which is featured in the film), located just 15 minutes up the road from The Unruly Pig. The views down the Deben estuary are simply stunning. There is a glorious circular walk from the church that ends up at the Ramsholt Arms, which is located right on the river estuary. This is a pub that must surely rank as one of the best pub locations in the whole country. There is little better in life than the view towards Felixstowe coupled with a pint and my guilty pleasure (a packet of crisps). Ramsholt Church, Woodbridge IP12 3AE Ramsholt Arms , Dock Rd, Woodbridge IP12 3AB Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter

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Mind-blowing Wonders of Science and Space Combine with the Thrill of a Sleepover at this Iconic Museum Astronights brings to life the mind-blowing wonders of science and space for children (and adults) combined with the thrill of a sleepover at the iconic Science Museum, for an extraordinary family adventure. I head to Kensington's Science Museum with my seven-year-old daughter for a night of memories - and facts about pooing and weeing in space - that neither of us will ever forget. The nights are held on key dates each month and unsurprisingly, they are popular and a queue of excited campers snakes around the building - it feels like we’re at the gates to Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, as we wait for the doors to open at 6.45pm. Arrival The staff move the queues along quickly - our VIP tickets fast-track us through, and mean that we have airbeds and reserved spaces in the sleeping gallery; free Tempur pillows - a source of great excitement for my daughter - a dedicated VIP usher, special breakfast options - plus very welcome hot drink options for sleepy adults - as well as gifts, like astronaut food and Astronights iron-on badges. We're arranged into our groups and provided corresponding pin badges - we are Purple Inventors. We’re asked to eat dinner before and bring a bag of snacks for later, which are dropped off and we’re led to our sleeping gallery. Sleeping areas are set up throughout the sprawling museum. Some doze beneath giant moons and rockets and we sleep in the world’s largest collection of medical galleries, presided over by Marc Quinn's 3.5 metre tall sculpture of Zombie Boy, and surrounded by objects including a rare iron lung, the first stethoscope and first MRI scanner. “Just getting comfy in my bedroom” my daughter announces, as she cheerfully kicks off her shoes and skips past dissected bums and skeletons to perform an endoscopy down a simulated upper digestive tract - one of many interactive exhibits in our gallery/bedroom. We find our designated airbeds awaiting us beside an interactive X-Ray simulation, and my daughter’s excitement verges on hysteria, as she leaps from our bed to the hands-on activities in our room. Astronights Activities Once we’ve dropped off our bags and set up our beds, we’re taken downstairs to the Making the Modern World Gallery, for our group safety briefing, beneath spitfires, hot air balloons and helicopters. The crowd is separated into our different groups and dispatched to various activities. Our Purple Inventors remain, for a child-thrillingly disgusting and engaging workshop about how astronauts wee and poo in space. My daughter’s face is like Christmas morning when our brilliant “explainer" reveals that astronauts drink their own sweat and wee - no water is wasted in space. She is thrilled when he demonstrates this, by turning a jug of his own wee into water, before glugging it down. With the help of children from our group, he transforms a bowl of food into poo, using bottles of saliva and enzymes. During the experiment, we are taken on a tour of the digestive process on screen. A highlight for my daughter is being asked to loudly chant “rectum!” before he gives us a graphic rectum tour. And her belly laughs are unbridled when he samples some “poo", and then dramatically reaches for water to clean his mouth, but "accidentally” drinks the jug of pure wee. All of these facts are forever etched in her brain, from the fizzy drinks ban in space to prevent “bomits” - delightul, wet space burps - to zero gravity poos. After a pit stop at the cafe for the snacks we dropped off earlier, we’re led to our next activity inside Wonderlab’s futuristic, red spacecaft, containing a 120 seat theatre. Here, another brilliant and pleasingly eccentric presenter gives an entertaining show about UV, complete with explosive, neon experiments. We’re dispatched for the children to make their own UV torches to keep, along with pens to write secret messages - my daughter cannot get over the magic of personally creating something capable of such secret wonders, and immediately scrawls UV tattoos all over her body. Our final activity takes place before a glass-panelled operating theatre, just outside our sleeping gallery. Big Bang Bingo sees the children crossing off pictures of various Science Museum exhibits which pop up on screen, alongside fun facts, to win prizes. Bedtime Then we prepare for bed. Handily, each of the toilet cubicles has its own sink, so you can wash your gnashers and face in privacy and then get into your night gear. Walking through a museum in pyjamas feels a lot like that dream, where you’re naked from the waist down in Tesco. I’ve never seen my daughter so excited to get into bed. And I overlook the fact that she’s swapped my adult pillow for her tiny, child’s pillow, when she cuddles up to me and excitedly whispers: “This is so cool. I love this... I love you.” The crunching sound of assorted bodies getting comfy on air beds sounds like rain crashing against windows and is strangely therapeutic, white noise - my daughter falls asleep as soon as the lights go out at 11.40pm. The galleries are supervised overnight by male and female, Enhanced DBS-checked staff and my daughter is chuffed to note that her wee-drinking hero is sleeping opposite us. I don’t anticipate any sleep, so am surprised that I manage five hours, before the lights go back on at 6.15am and the the staff merrily announce: “Morning Campers, breakfast will be at 7.30am, before our next activities!” It takes immense patience, prodding and the occasional hurling of soft toys to rouse my daughter in the morning for school, so it is a scientific miracle when she cheerily leaps out of bed to get ready. Morning Wonderlab Experience We head to the cafe, where staff serve us croissants, fruit and cereal bars and my daughter becomes starstruck by the rectum tour guide, who is now serving us hot drinks and fruit juices. Then we’re off to the Wonderlab, a mind-blowing playground of scientific wonders. The children excitedly leap between the 50 brilliantly interactive exhibits like caffeinated fleas, across seven curriculum-themed zones, exploring Maths, Electricity, Forces, Space, Light, Matter and Sound. There are slides to test friction; pulley chairs, kids can float up on; the famous Infinity Boxes - used on the Wonderlab posters - where my daughter delights in creating an army of herselves, cackling in each other’s faces. She plays God, controlling her own lightning storm; riding with the Earth and Moon around the Sun; watching water freeze; making spiky creatures from magnetic liquid, and creating misty waterfalls and giant smoke rings. You can see the wonder on her face, as each exhibit inspires her to see the world in new and exciting ways. The Wonderlab experience closes with a loud and eye-popping live demo of a giant Tesla coil discharging beautiful bolts of lightning at one million volts, with explosive, crackling and buzzing noises waking any adults still bleary-eyed from the sleepover. IMAX 3D Show We mount so many stairs, that I am quite sure we will finally emerge on the moon. Instead, we arrive at the Science Museum’s extraordinary IMAX theatre for a 60-minute, 3D screening of A Beautiful Planet, on one of the UK’s biggest screens. We don our 3D glasses and my daughter’s jaw drops, as we are fully immersed in a gravity-defying trip to space, with the International Space Station crew. Narrated by Jennifer Lawrence and made in partnership with NASA, it uses breathtaking footage of space and the Earth’s wonders. We see the fascinating day-to-day life of eight months in space - from leaving floating cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve, to gravity-defying workouts and death-defying space station repairs, floating above Planet Earth. It’s an impressive and engrossing spectacle, which allows you to taste the experience of zero-gravity life beyond our planet, with a Space Station-view of phenomena like thunderstorms and the extraordinary sight of our planet at night, lit by ribbons of electrical light. Crucially - for adults and children - we get an entirely new, and worrying view of the damage we are doing to the planet, from rising tides swallowing the land, to places where water is running out, shifting ice shelves and disappearing rainforests. We’re left with a feeling of agency to make a change and a desire to do it, while also feeling like grains of sand among the vastness of space. It ends with a fascinating hint of life elsewhere, on the recently discovered planet, Kepler-186f, 500 light-years away from Earth in another solar system. Suffice to say that any parts of my daughter’s mind yet to be blown, have now exploded. There’s a huge difference between reading about the world and experiencing it. And that’s what the Science Museum and its Astronights do so powerfully - big and little guests can see, smell, hear and touch these wonders, leaving the museum to head back into a world that feels bigger, more extraordinary and worth caring for. Science Museum, Exhibition Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 2DD. Astronights dates vary. VIP tickets £115pp. Standard tickers £75pp. Designed for children aged 7-11. Arrival at 6.45pm and the experience concludes at 10am the following morning. Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter

Boats, Boggles, Treetop Houses, Slippery Slopes & Crocklebogs in a Magical Forest Adventure Author Tom Blofeld has created the ultimate, immersive storytelling with BeWILDerwood, an award-winning forest adventure brimming with Crocklebogs, Twiggles, Boggles, magical boat rides, treehouses, wobbly wires and slippery slopes. We head to the Norfolk attraction, which encourages families to leap into nature, with a different woodland adventure around every corner. There are wonky treehouses, mazes, a woodland theatre, den building, arts and crafts and face-painting, and our children delight in the creatures we meet along the way, from Snazzlefang the BeWILDerbat to The Thornyclod Spider. The magical tone is set on arrival, as we walk the winding "Treacherous Trail" past wonderfully detailed Twiggle and Boggle houses in the trees and marsh, with oversized books giving tasters of the BeWILDerwood story we’ve entered. We arrive at a waterside platform, where our tour guide beckons us onto a pleasingly cartoonish, pink and purple BeWILDerboat, for a boat tour past the Boggle village to the Scaaaaary Lake, where we learn about Swampy the Marsh Boggle and meet Mildred the Crocklebog. A series of Wonderland-esque signs point in various directions, heralding the beginning of our forest adventure. We let our increasingly excited children take the lead, breathlessly following them around this sprawling forest, brimming with otherworldy wooden treehouses, mazes and pixie huts. The attention to detail is gorgeous and incredibly thoughtful - there’s a Nursing Nook hut, with wooden rocking chairs and changing tables. They ensure families with mixed age children are kept happy, by putting smaller and medium length zipwires for younger kids beside the bigger ones for older children. Separate walkways are placed beside tiny, child-sized parts in the warren of treetop worlds, to encourage adults to comfortably clamber around with kids. And they insist everybody wears a provided foot sack when taking on the slides, to protect skin - some are very steep - and save slides (and trousers) from muddy feet. There are no noisy rides and no technology - everything is in keeping with its natural surroundings and all activities are included in the ticket price. The only thing you have to pay for is the food, and the Munch huts are thoughtfully placed at both ends of the forest, so the climbing and leaping sprogs are crucially, never far from a snack. Visitors are also welcome to bring picnics. Our children make a beeline for the arts and crafts Big Hat - a giant tarpaulin wizard hat, glowing with festoon lights and filled with colourful crafting goodies, where our children make colourful "Parasquawk" birds. Another highlight is the brilliantly inventive Storytelling Stage, where the children delight in seeing BeWILDerwood stories brought to life, with puppets, clever props, music and lots of screeching audience interaction - performances of different stories run throughout the day, and our kids could have happily watched them all. But the biggest triumphs of this destination, are the woodland adventure worlds. The three Slippery Slopes are a huge hit with our six-year old, who was far braver than I, whizzing down the three slides, which range in height and steepness and all sliders must be at least 92cm tall. There are long, wobbly wooden bridges between treehouses with deliberately “broken” (transparent) slats; a warren of colourful Boggle or Twiggle village treehouses to explore; an insane Muddled Maze, and brilliantly inventive Tricky Tunnels; a whimsical assault course, with wobbly boards, tunnels, chimneys and rope walls. And the literal pinnacle of the experience for our six and three-year-old is the Sky Maze. They leap around it to solve a riddle by finding letters on colourful Parasquawk eggs, hidden around the never-ending treetop maze, to win special badges. At the top, we are rewarded with fabulous views across the enchanted woods and the families building Boggle dens beneath us. Author and creator, Tom Blofeld opened the attraction on the grounds of his family’s country estate in 2007 and it has been such a success, a second BeWILDerwood opened in Cheshire in 2021. Thoughtfully, you don’t have to exit via the gift shop, but we choose to rummage around the Bizarre Bazaar, which is bulging with BeWILDerwood books, cuddly characters and assorted fairy and witch goodies. We are there for a packed five hours, which isn't nearly enough time to explore the whole forest. Our muddy Boggles eventually have to be bribed out with ice cream - my son immediately falls asleep mid-mouthful in the car, with the wooden spoon still wedged between his lips. After animatedly filling us in with her newfound knowledge of BeWILDerwood’s creatures, our daughter is not far behind him. Happy, worn-out kids and a peaceful drive home - BeWILDerwood really does think of everything. BeWILDerwood, Horning Rd, Hoveton, Norwich NR12 8JW. Ticket prices are based on height. Under 92cm - free. 92-105cm - £20.50. Over 105cm - £22.50. 65 years or over - £14.50 Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter

When nothing but flame-grilled grub will do, these are the spots for you Sometimes you just need barbecue. We get it. Succulent meat that tumbles away at the touch of a knife; vegetables kissed with smoke for that perfect flavour; filthy sides like mac 'n' cheese. It's the perfect gluttonous treat. But if the British weather (or your own laziness...) is putting you off firing up the garden grill, why not let someone else do the cooking for you? Check out our list of London's best barbecue restaurants below. BIG EASY Various locations Big Easy needs no introduction. Sure, it loses a bit of its charm as soon as it starts popping up in shopping centres next to Pizza Express and McDonald’s, but we’ll still remember the first time we visited the original, Kings Road restaurant back when it was a truly one-of-a-kind eatery. It launched way back in 1991 and existed as a standalone, Southern-States inspired BBQ and lobster shack for 23 years before a rapid expansion brought Big Easy to Bluewater, Westfield Stratford, Covent Garden and Canary Wharf. The premise is simple - rock music, exposed brickwork, dark woods and brass fittings, and a bar bulging with the finest whiskey collection in town. Oh, and we should probably mention the food: Sweet, tender meats cooked low and slow over flame; ‘slaw, voodoo shrimp, chicken wings, rib tips and loaded potato skins on the side and for the pescatarians amongst you, lobster served by the truckload. Big Easy Our favourite location: 12 Maiden Lane, London, WC2E 7NA SMOKESTAK Shoreditch In restaurant terms, Smokestak is already a stalwart on the London scene having launched back in 2016, but the Shoreditch barbecue joint still feels like it sprung from nowhere to become the meat-lover’s paradise in London. The premise is simple: Good quality meat, smoked low and slow over fire and served with fresh, colourful sides like watermelon, mint and feta salads or charred greens with tahini, pomegranate and roasted peanuts. But Smokestak achieves flavours we could only dream of managing. Is it witchcraft? Maybe. All we know is that once you’ve tasted Smokestak, there’s no going back. Smokestak 35 Sclater Street, London, E1 6LB BODEAN’S Various locations Trays. Grease paper. Bucketloads of meat. This is barbecue the REAL American way - and it’s the reason Bodean’s has been serving up the smoked stuff since 2002. There are no airs and graces at any of Bodean’s restaurants, which currently sit in Soho (where the brand was launched), Covent Garden and Tower Hill - and it’s their homely feel that sits at the centre of their appeal. Stepping into the restaurants is like finding yourself in the **LADS AREA* of a Midwest-American garage. Wood-slatted walls are covered in televisions blaring out sports games, hunting trophies and artwork, and the leather-clad booths are straight out of Mad Men. The intoxicating smell of a smokehouse has been lost at Bodean’s of late - since they moved their cooking to a central kitchen to ensure consistency throughout their venues - but there’s still plenty of fumes to be huffed whenever a Pit Boss Platter (consisting of Baby back ribs, Spare ribs, Pulled Pork, Beef Burnt Ends, Texas Smoked Sausage, Brisket and Chicken Thighs) is carried through the restaurant. Prices are incredibly reasonable (the aforementioned platter comes in at £28pp) and there are events throughout the year, with SuperBowl Sunday being a popular time to visit. Bodean's Our favourite location: 16 Byward St, London EC3R 5BA TEXAS JOE’S Bermondsey Tucked away behind the ever-popular Vinegar Yard, in the shadow of London Bridge Station, sits the wooden facade of Texas Joe’s Low Smoked Meats. The sign is a pretty good indication of what you’ll find inside - juicy, tender smoked meat served up with slaw, pickles and sauce. It wouldn’t be Texas without a Mexican influence, so tacos also find their way onto the menu, alongside a long list of bourbons, Mezcals and sides including our personal favourite , Jalapeño cornbread. As should always be the case with restaurants of this kind, the owner - yep, he’s actually called Texas Joe - is a proper character and even appeared on Dragon’s Den, hawking his Texas Beef Jerky long before the idea of a restaurant had taken shape. It’s not a big place - and nabbing an outdoor table during the summer months is as difficult as  taming a bucking bronco - but this hidden charm is a must-visit for lovers of smoked meat. Yee-haww! Texas Joe's 8-9 Snowfields, London, SE1 3SU ACME FIRE CULT Dalston Barbecue means MEAT, right? Well, not always. Acme Fire Cult has all the hallmarks of a ‘traditional’ American smokehouse: Tattooed, bearded chefs; black decor with wood and copper accents; loud rock music… but meat takes a back seat here in favour of fire-grilled vegetables. You needn’t worry, barbecue fans, because the flavours and textures are just as (dare we say, even more) exciting as you’d get from a brisket or pork butt. Guests take their seat in the courtyard of the 40FT Brewery taproom in Dalston and tuck into smoke-kissed dishes while the sound of Metallica fills the air. Expect Charred Broccoli, Gnocchi Parisienne and Smoke Beetroot as vegetables make up at least 50% of the menu. There’s still meat on offer (it’s not a vegetarian restaurant, just ‘veg-first’) and the Smoked Tamworth Pork Belly is a thing of beauty. Read our in-depth review of Acme Fire Cult here Acme Fire Cult Abbot St, London E8 3DP PRAIRIE FIRE Shepherd’s Bush Pit-master Michael Gratz missed the smoked slabs of his Kansas City hometown, so set up Prairie Fire to bring the flavours to us - and our city is all the better for it. Certified USDA black Angus beef is flown over the Atlantic before being welcomed with a slathering of Prairie Fire’s signature tomato-based sauce and molasses and laid in a smoke-filled chamber for 16 hours. The result is meat that tumbles apart at the touch of a fork and sides including Jalapeño Rangoons - fried cream cheese, jalapeño and mushroom filled wonton pillows. This ain’t Kansas any more, Toto, but it’s the closest you’ll get without needing a passport. Prairie Fire Arches 88-89, Wood Lane Archways, London W12 7LH TEMPER Various locations If upmarket barbecue is more your thing, Temper is the smokehouse it’s acceptable to book for a first date. Eschewing all of the usual ‘BBQ joint’ cliches, this highly-styled eatery looks like a modern brasserie, save for the huge fire-pit that takes centre stage. The menu is full of left field choices, too. Heritage prawns, Drunken goat’s cheese (served with a shot of Cazcabel Honey Tequila), Sweet and sour pork rib and Chicken-dukkah carnitas are the kind of dishes on offer. Temper Our favourite location: 25 Broadwick Street, London, W1F 0DF SOPHIE’S Soho & Chelsea Technically a steakhouse, Sophie’s sneaks into our barbecue roundup by way of its custom-built fire pit, which not only takes centre stage in the restaurant, but also sends the scent of flame-cooked meat through the full-length bi-fold windows and onto the breeze along Soho’s  Windmill Street. That’s a better investment than an A-board any day of the week. As you make your way past the opulent, horseshoe shaped bar to your seat, you’ll catch sight of the fire, where large cuts of meat dangle from a metal frame and fresh cuts sizzle over the coals. The menu includes native breed beef by Philip Warren, which is dry aged and butchered in house - expect Chateaubriand, Axehandle Ribeye and Porterhouse cuts to share or single cut steaks for those who want their own dish. The Smoked Brisket Croquettes are a winning small plate here, as is the Grilled Red Prawn Skewer, and for mains there’s also plenty of fish and barbecue classics including Ribs and Chicken. Sophie's Our favourite location: 42-44 Great Windmill Street, Soho, W1D 7NB CUE POINT There’s no escaping one fact about barbecue restaurants: They have a certain, testosterone-fuelled vibe. It’s all pig-meat and beef and rock music and dark, woody tones. Cards on the table, we love all of those things, but it’s not exactly inclusive. Step forward Cue Point, an Afghan-British smokehouse run by Mursal Saiq, a Kabul-born woman who’s not your average BBQ honcho. Cue Point serves Halal meat, plenty of vegan-friendly dishes and a healthy side-portion of ‘nacos’ - somewhere between tacos and naan breads - with everything. As you’d expect from a place with former Smokestak and Shotgun chefs on the team, everything oozes with rich flavours and makes you want to over-eat in the way that only a barbecue can. Cue Point 225 & 228 Fielding St, London SE17 3HD BERBER AND Q GRILLHOUSE Haggerston If you say Berber & Q enough times, you start to sound like someone who’s slipping into a meat coma, which is exactly how you’ll feel after a visit to their Haggerston restaurant. Housed in an old taxi repair shop under the railway arches in East London, Berber & Q take inspiration from American barbecue and mix it with the ingredients of North Africa and the Mediterranean. The result is a menu full of delicious meats cooked over fire and paired with seasonal mezze. Try the Smoked Roasted Bone Marrow and thank us later. Berber & Q Arch 338 Acton Mews, Haggerston, London, E8 4EA HOTBOX Market Hall Oxford Street & Market Hall Victoria Hotbox make the bold claim that they serve the best brisket in London, which means it’s your duty to go along to one of their two Market Hall venues and test it out for yourself. Sure enough, it’s succulent, flavoursome and soft, with a deliciously crunchy outer layer. Is it the best? Who knows, but you’ll not regret giving it a go. Hotbox has travelled our great city over the years, popping up at Dalston Yard, Street Feast, Battersea Powerstation, Model Market and Hawker House and the smell of Hickory and Oak will hit you long before you catch sight of their low-and-slow cooked meat. It’s not all brisket, by the way - St. Louis Pork Ribs, Korean Pork Belly and a variety of burgers will all fight for your attention and you’ll want to pair your main up with breadcrumb topped Mac & cheese. Hotbox Our favourite location: Market Hall Victoria, 191 Victoria St, London SW1E 5NE Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter