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But foodies might want to jump on a plane to Copenhagen for the ultimate grub-filled pilgrimage TWO of London’s restaurants were recognised in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards this week, with Shoreditch’s The Clove Club and Ikoyi in St. James’s winning a place on the coveted list. Our highest entry at number 35, Two Michelin-starred The Clove Club serves up two options at its base in Shoreditch Town Hall - a short tasting menu (£155), consisting of native Cornish lobster, Hazlewood Grilled Mulllet and Charcoal Grilled Aubergine followed by two crazy-sounding sorbets; and a long tasting menu (£195), which adds scallops, sashimi and roast lamb into the mix. For an extra £125 and £175 respectively, you can pair each course with wine. Look, this is high-level stuff. You weren’t expecting a Happy Meal, were you? Newcomers to the list are Irè Hassan-Odukale and Jeremy Chan (right), whose Ikoyi restaurant offers a modern European take on ingredients from Nigeria, Ghana and the West African culinary scene. Just like The Clove Club, Ikoyi boasts two Michelin Stars and wouldn’t dream of letting you pick your own dinner - there’s a £200 tasting menu served Monday to Saturday and a £75 lunch menu for those looking for a quick bite on Thursday and Friday. It seems as though Michelin starred chefs and our mums have a lot in common: “You get what you’re given. Don’t like it? Don’t eat it.” St. James’s residents might want to get in there quick (though a two-month wait for reservations makes that rather difficult), as the restaurant’s landlord has the place up for sale. Rumours are abound that a bigger venue on The Strand could be the destination for Ikoyi’s fans in the near future. Copenhagen restaurant Geranium was crowned king of the grub-makers, following in the footsteps of fellow Danes NOMA, who picked up last year’s award. They serve up an all veggie menu, having dropped 'all land animals' from their offering at the start of the year, and you'll need to drop £366 on the table for their (yep, you guessed it) tasting menu. Bizarrely, it's situated on the eighth floor of the national football stadium, so if you time it right, you might bump into the world's most expensive soccer cyborg, Erling Haaland. Oh, and you're not doing it properly unless you choose the "Rare & Unique" wine pairing for a cool £2,000 per head. While Noma was out of the running this year (past winners such as Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck are moved into a Champions League of restaurants), Copenhagen still managed a hefty THREE entries in the list, with Alchemist (18) and Jordnær (38) also making the cut. Other cities managing three entires were Tokyo, Paris and Lima. But for those wanting to hit the road on a tastebud-tingling pilgrimage, a visit to Italy or Spain is in order. Both countries boast a whopping SIX restaurants on the top 50 list, including five of the top ten between them. Still no place for Morley’s on the list, but there’s always next year… Hungry? Enjoy 2 for 1 or 50% off food at 1000s of restaurants with a FREE 60 day trial Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol to hit the Big Smoke In these strange times, there are two joyful constants to illuminate the darkness with glitter and kitsch - Christmas and Dolly Parton. And these two jolly juggernauts are colliding for brand new, South Bank show, Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol at Queen Elizabeth Hall from 8 December 2022 until 8 January. The gloriously camp show is set in the 1930s and replaces Charles Dickens’ Big Smoke with Dolly’s giant, Smoky Mountains in country music’s home, East Tennessee and it is filled with Dolly’s hits. In this adaptation, the mean-spirited, Christmas-dissing Ebenezer Scrooge owns a mining company in the mountains, where people are working nine to five, what a way to make a living, barely getting by, it’s all taking and no giving… etc. He is visited by a trio of ghosts on Christmas Eve during a snowstorm, who teach him the error of his ways and transform him into and kind and gentle man, through the unstoppable power of Dolly hits. The production first opened in America in 2019 with small test runs and has been written by David H. Bell, Paul T. Couch and Curt Wollan, with songs by Dolly, but this will be the production’s first, full stage show. Dolly says: "My songs weave the music of my beautiful Smoky Mountains into this timeless Christmas story. Bringing our reimagined Charles Dickens' classic to London feels like a homecoming. “And I can’t wait for London audiences to hear them as we tell that story, set in a place that is truly special to me.” We'll be there with Christmas bells on to rejoice in Dolly's magnificent mountains. Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London. Tickets on sale now. Runs 8 December 2022 - 8 January 2023 Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

Because Christmas tradition dictates that you MUST enter the festive period with a bruised bum... It's not Christmas until you've strapped a pair of blades to your feet and made an absolute turkey of yourself by falling over in front of everybody on a makeshift ice rink. We're still reeling from the news that some of our favourite festive ice rinks - at the Tower of London and the Natural History Museum - won't be returning this year, but London has come up trumps with its selection of beautiful skating spots for 2022. So glug some Gluhwein, wrap yourself in tinsel and get your skates on at the BEST Christmas ice rinks of the year. Glide at Battersea Power Station Battersea Power Station’s resurgence wouldn’t be complete without becoming the backdrop for a thousand, Christmas Instagram posts and Glide is a perfect way to cement its position as a bona fide London landmark. The rink - pleasingly shaped like an odd, Christmas bow with a bar and restaurant at either end - comes with luxury options for those looking to push the boat out: Private igloos give shelter to groups of up to eight people and include a complimentary drink. There are few better settings for an ice rink this year - the power station and the twinkling lights of a Christmas funfair to one side and the River Thames to the other - and there’s plenty of places to warm up and grab some food afterwards, too. Price from £11.50 for a 50-minute skate session The Queen’s House Ice Rink, Greenwich Skating in a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you say? Don’t mind if we do! The views around Greenwich Park are amongst our favourite in London, with the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf framed by the beautiful old architecture of the Royal Naval College, Queen’s House and National Maritime Museum. The Queens House was built in the early 1600s for Queen Anne of Denmark when she shacked up with King James VI and I. It’s unknown whether the architect planned for it to be an exquisite backdrop for an outdoor skating rink, but good design always finds a way and we reckon the Scandinavian Queen would welcome an icy reminder of home on the front lawn. Price from £10 for an hour-long skate session Hampton Court Palace Ice Rink Strap on your boots and hit the ice in King Henry VIII’s front garden, on the banks of the River Thames. There can’t be many more impressive backdrops for a skate this year - especially now the Natural History Museum has dropped out of the festive ice game - so it’s well worth a journey out to Hampton Court Palace this month. The rink is open from 10am - 8:45pm every day except Christmas Day and children from 3 up are welcome if accompanied by an adult. We’re already eyeing up a starlit skate on Christmas Eve, followed by a few beers in the brilliant pubs that line the river in Hampton. Price from £13 for a 45 minute skate session Skate at Somerset House The courtyard at Somerset House has become a stalwart on the festive skating scene and they’re back once again this year with backing from champagne house, Moët & Chandon. If the clues weren’t already there, we can tell you that champers will be on the menu, served up in the super posh Skate Lounge and the alpine-themed Chalet Suisse restaurant will offer gourmet dining by Jimmy Garcia. If you’re a newcomer, skating lessons will be available, and we recommend learning how to stay upright if you’re planning on sinking a few drinks and skate-dancing around the rink at one of UNIQLO’s Skate Lates, where DJs spin tunes as you do your finest Torvill and Dean impression. Price from £10 for 45 minute skate session Skylight at Tobacco Dock As you’ll probably know by now, we’re quite partial to a rooftop bar. There’s something about being up amongst the twinkling lights of London’s skyline with a cocktail in hand. But if you fancy taking your festive treat up a notch, why not combine a rooftop drink with skating, at Europe’s only rooftop ice rink? Yep, Skylight at Tobacco Dock is home to an impressive rink where you can skate beneath the stars this month. And if you want an extra impressive celebration, there are igloos and alpine huts available to hire, where waiting staff will bring you food and drinks from the alpine-themed street food menu. Price from £15 for a 45-minute skate session Enjoy a special package for two including skating, 1 main course each and 1 bottle of house wine for just £54 Canary Wharf Ice Rink Hey, even investment bankers like to lace up their boots every now and again to live out their dreams of being in Mighty Ducks. Thankfully, in the shadow of One Canada Place sits an ice rink where they can do just that - and it’s undercover, which means there’s no danger of rain stopping play. There’s food and drink on offer at the Off-Piste Bar, which is a fancy enough place to while away the evening whether you’re skating or not. And if the festive feels linger long in your life, fear not - the Canary Wharf rink will be open until the end of February, by which time you should be sliding across the ice like Gordon Bombay. Price from £13.50 for a 50-minute skate session Lidl on Ice @ Hyde Park Winter Wonderland It’s not Christmas until absolutely every single person within a 100 mile radius of London has crammed into Hyde Park to glug Gluhwein and chomp down on a monster German sausage. But Winter Wonderland isn’t all about the food and drink - It’s also got the UK’s biggest outdoor ice rink, which encircles the Victorian bandstand near Queen Elizabeth’s Gate entrance to the park. Someone in Winter Wonderland's head office has a sense of humour - they managed to secure a sponsorship deal from Lidl for the UK's biggest rink - but we're not complaining as it means the supermarket will be serving their award-winning pigs in blankets, and your skate will be accompanied by the sounds of singer-songwriters performing on the bandstand. Price from £7.50 for a 50-minute skate session JW3 Ice Rink West Hampstead The festivities here are more Chanukah than Christmas - JW3 is a brilliant, Jewish charity helping the local community - but everyone’s welcome on the ice at this rink in West Hampstead. There’ll be lights and music as you skate, but this is very much a family affair and penguin stabilisers and banana toboggans can be pre-booked for youngsters who aren’t as steady on their feet. Thoughout thhe month, there’ll also be screenings of festive movies including Matilda, Frozen and It’s a Wonderful Life. Price from £8 for a 50-minute skate session Like what you've read? 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How to eat festive all month without needing to go cold turkey from turkey before the big day arrives We all look forward to Christmas dinner, right? A table crammed with roast potatoes, turkey, piles of stuffing and enough wine to knock Santa off his sleigh. But once you’ve battled through three of the gargantuan feasts at various work get togethers, two Christmas parties with friends (one of which inexplicably happened in November) and four festive meals with clients, there’s definitely such a thing as too much turkey. So, why not try Christmas with a difference? Here are some of the most exciting festive feasts available in London this season, without a full Christmas dinner in sight… A SLICE OF ITALY! Pizza Pilgrims Various locations We’re of the belief that there isn’t a single savoury food that CAN’T be improved by whacking it on top of a pizza. But don’t take our word for it. Pizza Pilgrims has created a menu of Christmas pizzas that’ll knock the stuffing right out of your turkey. Go for the Mortadella & Pistachio with Buffalo Mozzarella if you’re feeling fancy, or Cauliflower and Cheese and Crispy Onion if you’re leaning more towards filthy decadence. You’ll need to leave some room for the festive cocktails, which include Mulled Wine Spritz and the gluttonous glory that is the Ferrero Rocher Espresso Martini - yep, you heard that right. They ARE really spoiling you. If you’ve still got space in the tank (and quite frankly, if you’ve room left after all that we need to have a chat…) then grab yourself a Ski Sundae or Nutellamisu, either of which guarantee to send you spiralling happily into the warm embrace of a food coma. Pizza Pilgrims Christmas menu is available to order now in Selfridges London and from 28th November onwards in all other pizzerias. CURRY ON CHRISTMAS! Colonel Saab Holborn Town Hall, 193 - 197, High Holborn The award-winning Colonel Saab is a restaurant built by owner, Roop Partap Choudhary to celebrate traditional, Indian food and also his parents, one of whom is the aforementioned Colonel Saab. As such, every menu is like wandering into Roop’s childhood to discover old, family recipes and dishes that are eaten in the towns and villages of his youth. So expect dishes straight from Indian Christmas tables: Mutton seekh kebab; Confit duck with cafreal sauce, nasala sago papad and butter naan; stuffed Zucchini and broccoli Musallam and even Sticky Toffee pudding and ice cream. Set menus come in at the bizarrely precise £56.95 for three courses, which is incredibly reasonable for a restaurant named as one of Forbes’ magazines top 8 Indian restaurants and the recent recipient of the Asian Curry Awards’ Best New Fine Dining Restaurant. And if you’re on the hunt for a Christmas Day feast, check out Colonel Saab’s special menu here. VIVA LA REVOLUCION! Revolution and Revolucion de Cuba Various locations Revolucion de Cuba likes to do things the Latin way, and that means adding a good dash of party to just about everything. So, you won't be surprised to hear their festive cocktail is a feisty little number that's guaranteed to get you onto the dance floor. The Mistletoe Martini packs Havana Club 3 Year Old rum, Malibu, pineapple juice, raspberry puree, grenadine and lime juice. Also on the menu are the Festive Cuban Sandwich - a latin take on your bog-standard turkey and cranberry affair;, Festive Quesadillas and Mince Pie Empanadas, which are a sure-fire upgrade on our Christmas grub options. If you’re getting the gang together for a celebration, wrap it all up in one of their three package offers - 2 and 3-course Christmas Dining from £24.95pp, Tapas Feasting from £24.95 or Festive Brunch from £30pp. A MEXICAN FEAST FIESTA! Wahaca Various locations Arriba! If you’re in the mood for switching out your Santa hat for a Sombrero, Wahaca has launched a Mexican Christmas menu packed full of shareable street food feasts and Latin twists on traditional English flavours. The Mexican chain's festive fiesta includes Turkey Taquitos (£7.50), which pairs turkey with smoky bacon, chestnut, sage and cranberry stuffing in a crisp corn tortilla; Mince pie empanadas (£6.50), which supercharge mincemeat with a mezcal soaking and wrap it all up in sugar-coated parcels beneath brandy butter ice-cream; and two Festive Feasts (vegan and non-vegan, both £25) which dish up enough festive Mexican street food to feed a family. SWITCH TO STEAK! Steak and Company Various locations We know it. You know it. It’s the unspoken truth about Christmas dinner: That turkey just hasn’t earned its place on the plate. If your co-worker added so little while still being handed a central role in the team, you’d begin to wonder if they were related to the boss. But over at Steak and Company, they’re putting their foot down and replacing that dry old bird with the the finest cuts of meat. You can still have the trimmings - pigs in blankets, Brussels sprouts with chestnut and pomegranate, honey-roast carrots and parsnips - but sitting alongside them will be chunky chips and either Côte De Boeuf, Black Angus Fillet, Uruguayan Sirloin or Duck Confit or, if you opt for the premium menu, Pork Tomahawk Chop or Chocolate-Fed Ayrshire Fillet. At £55pp for the regular menu and £75 for the prime cuts, the only question is whether you’ll ever go back to turkey again. UP YOUR MARU-GAME! Marugame Udon Various locations Ever thought of serving up Christmas dinner in a bowl of noodles? No! Neither have we. But the team over at Marugame Udon has dreamt up a whole host of Japanese twists on our festive cuisine. The Brussels Sprout Tempura (£2.25) is back for a second year and will be joined by the Festive Udon (from £10.45), which sees those delicious noodles wrapping themselves around marinated chicken thigh, stuffing balls, pickled red cabbage, Brussels sprout leaves and cranberry. Vegan options are also available if you want to kick out the chicken and go for a plant-based festive treat. But we’re here for the desert - namely, the unlimited Gingerbread Vegan ice cream (£3.45). Just promise you’ll roll us home on Christmas Eve! TRY A LATIN AMERICAN SPROUT PARCEL! De Nada 61 Golborne Rd, London W10 The Empanada seems to have become the snack of choice this Christmas, but Argentinian maestros De Nada haven’t just opted for a mincemeat filling like their rivals. Well, they are London’s first ever specialist empanaderia, after all, so they’ve got a reputation to uphold. This year, they’ve created the Brussselnada (£3.50) in veggie and non-veggie form. The veggie package will feature slow-roasted Brussels sprouts, melted goats cheese and caramelised onions, and for those who need a bit of meat in their lives, slap a generous helping of crispy bacon inside. You can grab a Brusselnada from De Nada on Portobello's Goldborne Road and either eat in or take-away. Plus, if you pull a group of 10 mates together you can enjoy a wine, Vermouth and empanada tasting session in the shop\s Vinyl Wine Room. BE MORE PACIFIC The Pan Pacific London 80 Houndsditch, London EC3 The Pan Pacific London has gone all out this year, with each of its bars and restaurants transformed into a different scene from The Nutcracker. Specialist rum bar, Ginger Lily has become a wintry, white landscape, inspired by the ballet’s snow scene and there’s nowhere more festive to enjoy a Hot Negroni, Caribbean Coffee or tequila, honey and ginger syrup concoction, Doctor Lemon. But it’s next door in Straits Kitchen that really caught our eye. Every Sunday in December, they’re offering a Festive Champagne Sunday Roast with an Asian Twist. The set menu includes a half bottle of champagne per person and offers a choice of starters including shrimp tempura and clear chestnut broth with rice noodles. The main event is a selection of succulent Asian roasting meats served in front of guests at carving stations. Choose from salmon en croute, a stuffed whole turkey, roast Peking duck, crisp pork belly, or a vegan nut roast, alongside sides of glutinous rice with oriental sausage, Pak Choi, or red cabbage. Rounding off the celebrations is a generous dessert buffet showcasing an extensive selection including panettone pudding, Christmas log, spicy clementine and chocolate shortbread and more. And even better is that you’ll enjoy the whole thing surrounded by The Nutcracker’s famous party scene. Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

The Götheburg of Sweden is so tall, Tower Bridge will open to let it pass through on August 8 Seafarers, ship-lovers and people of a Pirate persuasion will flock to the Thames on Monday [Aug 8] to witness the majestic Götheborg of Sweden sail through Tower Bridge en route to Canary Wharf. OK, it wasn't actually a pirate ship, but the replica of an 18th century East Indiaman certainly has a whiff of The Black Pearl about it, and even comes complete with ten cannons, in case the Thames Clippers get too close. The original Götheborg of Sweden sank in 1745, but not before it had made voyages to Cadiz in Spain, where Swedish goods were traded for silver and Jakarta in Indonesia, where they waited for the northern winds to power them on to Guangzhou in China on behalf of the Swedish East India Shipping Company. It wasn't until 1984 when a marine excavation of the wreck was carried out in the waters outside Gothenburg and an eight-year build of the replica began. Since 2003, the huge, wooden vessel has sailed the globe, retracing the historical route to Asia and back and making several excursions around Europe in a bid to promote trade relations in the two continents. For those wanting to catch a glimpse of the iconic Tower Bridge opening, the Götheborg will pass through at 8:30am and again at 9am before arriving at Canary Wharf at 10am, where it will be moored against the backdrop of towering skyscrapers for four days. Guests will then be able to step aboard the spectacular ship, visiting the weather deck with its helm, capstan and ship's bell. On the sundeck, visitors will enjoy incredible views of the ship and towering masts and downstairs on the gun deck they can get up close to the cannons used to keep pirates at bay. Also on display downstairs will be artefacts recovered from the original Götheborg, including a cupboard with porcelain and chalk pipes. You'll also be able to learn about the Swedish East India Company, hear from the crew who sail the huge ship and learn about the painstaking process to create an 18th Century vessel of this size. From London, the Götheborg will travel to the Mediterranean, where it will stay for the winter before heading to Asia in March and on to its final destination, Shanghai in September 2023. The Götheborg will moor in London from August 8 - 11 and tickets cost £15. Tickets £15 Opening hours: 8 August: Open 2:00 pm – 8:00 pm 9 August: Open 10:00 am – 2:30 pm 10 August: Open 10:00 am – 5:00 pm 11 August: Open 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Buy tickets now Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

There's a real buzz around the former power plant, which opens on October 14 Bar a brief but iconic stint as a cover star for Pink Floyd, Battersea Power Station is a building that has always just been there, hugging the banks of the Thames like a giant, decaying limpet. Having not pumped out electricity for nearly 40 years, the old building occupied a strange place in Londoners' hearts; a huge, derelict waste of 38 acres of prime, riverside real estate, but one that locals would fight tooth and nail to keep as part of South London's skyline. Plans for the site have come and gone. Some, like the Parkview shopping mall, were cast aside for being too mundane and out of touch with the local community. Other more bizarre suggestions - notably a theme park and a new stadium for Chelsea Football Club - showed how desperate people were for the structure to be put to use. But this month, Battersea Power Station finally opens as a fully public space for the first time, and you'll want to check out everything it has to offer. Shop Retaining the grand, industrial pillars and exposed, metal beams, the new power station hosts a pedestrian 'High Street', called Electric Avenue. It's a high-end offering, so don't expect to find a Poundland here - we're talking. designer clothing brands, luxury watchmakers and pricey make-up. There's also a new branch of one of London's oldest florists, Moyses Stevens, a Boom Cycle for those who want to get their sweat on, and the Battersea General Store, which sells food and veg from artisan brands and international producers. Eat and drink You might have already visited the Power Station for its f&b offering, as a slow roll-out of new openings means that some restaurants and bars have been welcoming guests for a while. Battersea Brewery, Black Sheep Coffee and the imaginatively-named No. 29 Power Station West are our picks of the early openers. But there's plenty more to come. Arcade will take inspiration from food markets around the world, while Clean Kitchen offers only the finest and healthiest vegan dishes. There'll be French baked goods at the Paris Baguette Bakery Cafe; sweet and savoury belly fillers from Where The Pancakes Are and modern takes on kebabs at Le Bab. The real show-stopper is Control Room B, a new all-day cocktail bar brought to you by Inception Group, the geniuses behind Mr Fogg's, Cahoots, Bunga Bunga and plenty more of London's most popular theme bars. Control Room B retains the original controls from the power station, so you can drink surrounded by the nobs, dials and screens that kept this mammoth plant ticking over back in the day. Inception Group don't do things by halves. Expect staff members with brilliant costumes and complex back stories, themed cocktails and plenty of hidden surprises that'll keep you coming back again and again. Get fit This old building is still in the business of giving you power, and TV's favourite insect nibbler, Bear Grylls has brought his Be Military Fit (BMF) franchise to Battersea. If planking, battle ropes and kettlebells aren't your thing, Boom Cycle plonks you atop a bike and pumps music into your ears for a high intensity spin session. It's like cycling, except you won't get sworn at by a taxi driver. And perhaps angry road users will be able to vent their pent up aggression at BXR London, which is scheduled to open in 2023. BXR takes boxing, places it in a venue that could feasibly be a private members club and packs the room full of state of the art equipment. It's posh boxing, essentially, because rich people like to punch things, too. If you prefer to be pampered (we also prefer to be pampered than punched, if we're brutally honest), then Third Space is the place for you. If their other London venues are anything to go by, expect swish swimming pools, spa-areas, fancy gym spaces with low lighting and a vibe that'll make you feel like you're working out in your favourite nightclub. It opens in 2023. Experience Do you know what London needs more of? Instagrammable activity bars! OK, we jest - London has MANY instagrammable activity bars - but that's not to say Birdies isn't worth a visit. Nine holes of crazy golf come packaged with street food from Cheeky Burger and cocktails galore. High-octane ping pong purveyors, Bounce are adding to their Old Street and Farringdon venues with a new outlet in Battersea Power Station in 2023 - expect migraine-inducing neon colours, loud music and plenty of booze, all of which make for a very enjoyable evening but probably a sub-par table tennis performance. For something truly otherworldly, head over to the arches in Circus West Village at DNA VR, where 50 VR experiences promise to take you out of Battersea for a few hours. Choose from VR Escape Rooms, multiplayer games and even a complete, free-roaming experience. But we're fairly confident that the experience that'll attract tourists and Londoners alike, is Lift 109 which is, as the name suggests, just a lift. But it's all about location, darling, and THIS lift scoots right up inside Battersea Power Station's iconic chimney and pops you right out of the top like a modern day Charlie Bucket. The views will be incredible and you'll be in the perfect spot if that flying pig ever floats past again. Watch The power station will host no less than TWO cinemas, and we can only begin to imagine the number of hours spent sitting around large conference tables as marketing teams pitched naming ideas for both locations. The Cinema in the Arches is located in the arches at Circus West. There are three screening rooms in total - the smaller holding just 38 people and the larger two accommodating 58 - and each offers plush, comfy seating - this is more Everyman than Odeon, and all the better for it. Opening soon, The Cinema in the Power Station will be located in... the power station. You see? Genius. It'll be part cinema, part members club and although information has been scant about its launch this month, we'll be heading down to check it out as soon as possible. Confusingly, The Turbine Theatre isn't actually in the turbine hall, but outside the main BPS building on the cultural strip of Circuit West. But don't let that naming struggle put you off! It's a hub of fresh new ideas and exciting, contemporary shows. Previous shows such as My Son's a Queer, But What Can You Do? and Emojiland have had spells Off-Broadway and moved on to the West End after showing in Battersea, so you can be sure you're seeing the next big thing here. Battersea Power Station, Circus Rd W, Nine Elms, London SW8 5BN. www.batterseapowerstation.co.uk Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

Naked Soho gives new meaning to ‘eating out’ Naked Soho’s recent launch was delayed for being a little too naked. After the local council asked its owners to cover the genitals, proudly displayed through the windows, the "erotic-themed restaurant" has reopened and gives a whole new meaning to eating out. Italian cousins, Stefano Vaccaro and Claudia Mangano opened the Moore Street sextaurant to celebrate the human body, sexuality and art. On entry, diners are greeted with walls festooned with arty vulvas, penises and breasts in many forms, as well as X-Rated reinterpretations of masterpieces including The Scream and Girl with a Pearl Earring. Naturally, there is dildo crockery with which to eat the five, saucy courses, which include A Bit of Foreplay - penis-shaped charcuterie platters. You can follow that up with the NSFW Tapas - different toppings on (you guessed it) penis-shaped bread. If you want cock without the carbs, you can opt for a Tossing Salad, like their Cockprese. The Climax mains are a series of Italian comfort foods, including carbonara, bolognese and lasagne. And the Happy Endings include their Eat a Dick (waffles in the shape of, yep more willies) or the Drunk Cocks, a rum-soaked pastry, shaped like... well, you get the gist. If you’re hungry for more penis-shaped treats, the Cock-tail menu has you covered - at times, literally. Perhaps you’d like to wrap your lips around the Slippery Blowjob - Tequila Rose in a glass penis, topped with whipped cream, which you have to eat without your hands, because you're handcuffed while drinking it. Or maybe the Nipple Clamps or Goddess of Sex are more your style? There are no sides of nuance with these dishes, but if you want to see whether you’ll be screaming “yes, yes, YES” you can pop your Naked Soho cherry at 10 Moor St, London W1D 5NE.

Immersive world will double in size to become Hallowed Peak, where spooky Lunar Festival brings unrest to the undead. THE town of Phantom Peak might exist in a parallel, steampunk-inspired universe that’s simultaneously futuristic and stuck in the historic times of the Wild West, but it’s comforting to know they're still partial to a Halloween party. In fact, the whole town is gearing up for the Phantom Peak Lunar Festival, when carnival acts will roam the Old Town, live music fills the air and locals line up to scare the Bejesus out of guests with their tales of ghouls, ghosts and monsters. But as anyone who’s visited London’s most exciting new immersive event will tell you, all’s not exactly as it seems in Phantom Peak. The locals are plagued by visions from the past and the future and they’re particularly keen on sharing those visions with you. If you're the untrusting type - and let's face it, us Londoners aren't known for striking up conversations with strangers in the street - then maybe seeing is believing. Phantom Peak will expand to TWICE its size this Halloween, as the Old Town rises from the dead and invites you to take a walk around. The new experience comes with a new name - Hallowed Peak - and boasts 13 completely new trails, plus terrifying horror experiences at Madam Mechanica’s and Paranormal Investigators roaming the town with information that guides you towards new experiences, fresh discoveries and hair-raising subplots. The beautifully designed sets, from the Gilded Lake and Phantom Springs through to the busy thoroughfare of Canal Street will be given a spooky makeover, and there'll be games galore. Tickets go on sale at 11am on September 27 and if you’re early, there’s a waiting list to make sure you’re in the queue. Tickets from £45 Fridays - Sundays Canada St, Surrey Quays Rd, SE16 7PJ (Behind Southwark Construction Skills Centre) Buy tickets now Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

A freakish graduation, terrifying twins' 21st birthday celebrations and the Creek Freak Massacre all play a part in this year's most gruesome theme park event FRIGHT NIGHTS have returned to Thorpe Park and are celebrating a birthday milestone in the only way they know how - with an unhealthy amount of blood, guts and horror. The annual event - recently named the Best Halloween Event by Theme Parks UK and Attraction Tickets - turns 21 this year and will come of age with a host of new scare attractions that'll make a rollercoaster look tame. In fact, they claim to have left "no fear untouched," which presumably means there'll be heights, spiders, tight spaces and ten more years of Tory rule. If you've not yet been to Thorpe Park's Fright Nights, let us explain. The entire park gets a terrifying makeover after hours, with regular rides and attractions supplemented by a long list of terrifying mazes and specially built rooms and venues that host games and interactive experiences. This isn't your average Halloween pumpkin-fest - we're talking 'serial killers with chainsaws chasing you through a deserted, blood-covered house' levels of scary. As if the fear of getting stuck in a maze for eternity isn't enough, Thorpe Park's Scare Mazes like to up the ante by adding a few people who'd rather like to kill you, given half a chance. This year sees the return of two favourites: Trailers, which sees guests transported inside the trailers of a series of horror movies, and a last chance to experience Creek Freak Massacre, which takes you inside a sawmill (top tip: if you're in a horror movie, avoid the building with all the sharp blades) where the Buckwheat family are a bit miffed about the potential demolition of their building and would like to take out their anger on you. This year also sees the introduction of the brand new Survival Games, which borrows from Netflix hit, Squid Games to create a game where the production crew seem to be as keen on killing you as your fellow contestants. It's the biggest and most expensive indoor maze Thorpe Park has ever created and every journey through this maze will be different - expect to get grabbed, pulled and terrified. Death's Doors is also brand new foe this year and invites guests to open as many doors as they wish - or as many as they dare, as behind each door is a scene more terrifying and gruesome than the last. Elsewhere in the Scare Zones, The Crows of Mawkin Meadows invites you into the world of The Crows, where creatures of the undead silently creep out of the straw as you make your way to the site where a witch was once burned at the stake. Terminal takes guests on a dystopian journey, which begins inside an ominous looking shipping container and bombards the senses using soundscaping and audio effects to create a truly terrifying experience. Even the mention of a Flash Mob should be enough to terrify anybody who lived through the noughties, but Thorpe Park's version takes a nostalgic trip through the 80s to bring you a dance show somewhere between High School Musical and Michael Jackson's Thriller. But it's not all about the Fright Night-specific attractions, because there's also the chance to ride Thorpe Park's rollercoasters in the dark, which gives them a whole new dimension. From the world's first horror movie-themed SAW to the death defying drop of Stealth or the world's first TEN loops of Colossus, there's something about riding a corkscrew into the dark night sky that makes it all the more terrifying. Age 13+ 10am - 9pm until October 31 (some dates excluded) Tickets from £39 (online) Thorpe Park Resort, Staines Rd, Chertsey KT16 8PN Buy Tickets Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

From classic horror all-nighters to Rocky Horror parties, these Halloween events will have you shaking with delight Whether you're up for a Rocky Horror show singalong, quoting every iconic line from Bill Murray and his Ghostbusters or cowering behind your fingers as Carrie's prom night turns into a bloodbath, Halloween movies have something for everyone. So round up your friends, chuck on a fancy dress outfit and get yourselves along to some of London's best horror movie nights this October. Clapham Grand The Rocky Horror Picture Show Clapham's Victorian theatre will transform into a riot of leather, lipstick and fishnets as it hosts a screening of the campest horror flick of all time: The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Guests are encouraged to get dressed up, sing along to the movie's iconic soundtrack and throw down their finest dance moves, all fuelled by Cauldron Cocktails, Frank N Furter hotdogs and nachos. There'll be a Damn It Janet Dance Off, plus a prize for the 'Sweetest Transvestite Costume,' so don't expect to be able to sit back and watch the film in peace - this screening will be as raucous, camp and in-your-face as the movie itself. And if you want to carry on the party into the early hours, your ticket also includes entry to the Grand's Halloween Party, which will see you through to 3am. Tickets from £15 Doors 5:30pm (Movie begins 6:30pm) on October 29 Clapham Grand, 21-25 St John's Hill, London SW11 1TT Age 18+ Buy Tickets Adventure Cinema @ Osterley Park The Lost Boys, Hocus Pocus, The Shining Osterley Park's 16th Century Manor House is a fine backdrop for a trio of horror movies, and Adventure Cinema has lined up a suitably spooky line up of films for Halloween. They'll be kicking off with the vampires as Kiefer Sutherland and Corey Feldman star in 80s classic, The Lost Boys (Oct 29). They'll move swiftly on to witches for a more family-friendly affair, when Bette Midler and her Salem pals awaken in Hocus Pocus (Oct 30). And finishing up on Halloween itself, Stanley Kubrik's masterful interpretation of Stephen King's novel, The Shining (Oct 31). It's all served up al fresco, so wrap up warm and let the Halloween movies leave leave you shivering with fear. Tickets from £15 Doors 6:30pm (Sat 29 + Mon 31), 5pm (Sun 30) Osterley Park and House, Jersey Rd, Isleworth TW7 4RB Buy Tickets Prince Charles Cinema Classic Horror Marathon: The Exorcist, The Thing, The Shining, Suspiria, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Thanks to its seasonal programming, themed nights and movie deep-dives, the Prince Charles Cinema has a well-earned reputation as a venue for movie buffs. And true to form, they've pulled out all the stops for anyone wanting extra bragging rights come Halloween. Been to see a movie? Pah! Oh, you watched a couple of movies in a single night? Pathetic! This is a Movie Marathon: An endurance event with popcorn. The cinema will welcome guests inside at 9:30pm (Oct 22) and 11:30pm (Oct 29), where they'll stay, immersed in the finest Hollywood horror movies from yesteryear, for the next TEN hours. Yup, you heard that right. It'll be back-to-back guts, gore and spine tingling suspense as some of the world's most terrifying flicks battle it out to scare an ever-tiring crowd of movie lovers into submission. If movie marathons are your thing, Prince Charles Cinema's 'HorrOctober' season also serves up a 635 minute long Scream Marathon and a comparatively short 300-minute Nightmare on Elm Street (both Oct 1), a mystery evening of five 80s horror movies back-to-back (Oct 22) and the whole Evil Dead Trilogy on Oct 28. Tickets £25 (£20 for members) Prince Charles Theatre, 7 Leicester Pl, London, WC2H 7BY Age 18+ Buy Tickets The Rivoli Ballroom Beetlejuice, Carrie, Ghostbusters, The Shining, Hocus Pocus, The Rocky Horror Picture Show The gorgeous Rivoli Ballroom plays host to six Halloween movies across three nights, offering up a family-friendly early screening, followed by one for the adults later in the evening. Kicking off at 5pm on October 26, Beetlejuice gets an airing - a film which we maintain is criminally underrepresented in London's Halloween screenings - and is followed up by Stephen King's terrifying thriller, Carrie. On October 27, Bill Murray and his Ghostbusters are the lighthearted face of Halloween, before Jack Nicholson sticks an axe right through all that family fun and pokes his head through the Rivoli door with The Shining. And Friday night is all about the camp side of Halloween as Hocus Pocus shares a billing with The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Tickets from £8 Check website for doors as times vary. October 26 - 28 Buy Tickets Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

Tom Kerridge's restaurant offers top-notch food, but is its laid-back vibe a little too ordinary? When is a gastropub not a gastropub? It’s a question that leaves us slightly baffled as we make our way through the dining room of chef Tom Kerridge’s celebrated offering, The Hand and Flowers. Opened in 2005, this was Kerridge’s restaurant debut, which had bagged its first Michelin star in its first year. By 2012, the Hand and Flowers won its second and proudly became known as the UK’s first two Michelin-star gastropub. It certainly looks a bit like a pub, with its quaint, chocolate-box exterior on a semi-rural lane. It feels like a pub, with its leather banquettes, exposed brick walls and wooden beams. But this ain’t a pub, Toto. It’s a luxury restaurant, and we’ve got the bill to prove it. The beautiful town of Marlow, nestled along the banks of the River Thames in Buckinghamshire, is deluged with old drinking establishments, cocktail bars and late-night party venues. Not for a second do we ever suspect that The Hand and Flowers is a fixture on the locals’ pub-crawl circuit. In fact, given that the ‘bar’ area seats perhaps ten people, most of whom are waiting to be called to their table in the restaurant, we’re not really sure Kerridge and co. truly believe this is a gastropub, either. Perhaps it’s a slice of marketing genius. The first in the UK! A trailblazing, two-Michelin star idea by a young and exciting chef. Or maybe it’s a subtle hint to future customers not to expect white table cloths and an over-polished, stuffy atmosphere often associated with posh restaurants. Whichever it is, it works. At just past 2pm on a Saturday, the restaurant is full. And, having tried at length to find a date for our booking, we can say with confidence that the Hand and Flowers spends a lot of its time at capacity. Undoubtedly, the restaurant is as homely and unassuming as a family-run pub. A bronze cast of Kerridge’s trainers hangs on the wall; his old chef whites - signed by his team to celebrate his 40th birthday - are framed in the corridor by the toilets and the sign on the kitchen door reads, “Danger! Do not enter - Pirates with knifes and fire.” The Michelin star awards sit, cheekily in the beams above our heads. In the image of its larger-than-life owner, the Hand and Flowers is warm, inviting and relaxed. But as you’d expect from one of the UK’s most celebrated chefs, it’s the food that does the talking around here - and Kerridge’s upmarket take on ‘pub grub’ is a galaxy away from your local boozer. We’re brought a basket of freshly baked sourdough bread with pickle butter, alongside a mini sausage roll amuse bouche served with mustard mayonnaise. It’s a pleasant enough way to begin the meal, although my partner and I both whispered that it wasn’t a patch on the Ginger Pig offering served up in the Wheatsheaf in Borough Market. But onwards we go, to a three-course menu. While technically à la carte, it feels a whisper away from a set menu with just four dishes available for each course. For starters, we order the Duck Liver Parfait with Orange Chutney and Toasted Brioche and the Pork and Mushroom Terrine with Dill Pickles, Poultry Glaze and Toasted Sourdough. The Parfait is beautifully smooth, creamy and rich - so rich, in fact, that half remains on the plate for fear of overindulging too early - but the flavours are exquisite and the orange chutney adds a welcome zing to the dish. The Terrine arrives with three dill pickles that unexpectedly become the star of the course, providing a perfect partner for the earthy, mushroom jelly that covers the slab of mushroom and pork. We’re comfortably settled in to a bottle of Gran Cerdo Rioja by the time the mains arrive, and it proves to be a perfect accompaniment for our Malt Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Cheek and 30 Day Dry Aged Fillet of Beef. The beef is as tender as you’d expect from a chef of Kerridge’s standing, tumbling apart at the drop of a fork. It sits atop a Potato Buttermilk Waffle which, by the time we find it, has been drenched in the delicious Sauce Bordelaise with chunks of bone marrow and shallots. The roasted pork is crowned with a huge pork cracker, which retained the deep, rich flavour of a pork scratching without the risk of a stray hair or piece of gristle - a winning combination midway through a meal. The Smoked Butter Sauce was delicious, though the Cod’s Roe was overpowering and a step too far for me, although it was a highlight for my partner. With two, rich courses already tackled, we’re forced away from the Chocolate and Ale Cake and into the open arms of two, lighter options for dessert: English Apple & Cinnamon Soufflé and Vanilla Crème Brûlée. It’s no bad thing, as both are sensational. The Crème Brûlée has been on the menu since the restaurant opened. Its thick, heavy caramelised lid was pleasingly challenging to crack with the perfect, nutty and bittersweet flavours. Kerridge’s secret is using minimal sugar and whole eggs, which means the vanilla, egg and caramel flavours harmonise together beautifully, without being too sickly. The soufflé succumbed instantly to a pouring of hot, Calvados Caramel and took the Custard Ice Cream and Stem Ginger deep into its mushy centre, where it became an almighty stew of quintessentially English flavours. And so, as we crawled, happy and perhaps uncomfortably full, back to the bar area to unwind, we received the bill for £421, which is where we lay our cards on the table both literally AND metaphorically. The food at the Hand and Flowers is wonderful. The atmosphere is relaxing and enjoyable. The staff manage to the perfect balance between fantastic service and intrusive, over-fussiness. But as we walk back towards the bustling Marlow High Street, we begin to wonder whether it was a truly, top-tier experience. Of course, ‘experience’ is a hard word to define. I’ve eaten at Cornelius Seafood Restaurant in Bergen, where my food was plucked from the floor of the Fjord by a diver and brought straight to my plate. I’ve picked at a cheese board and glugged wine under the twinkling lights of Bacchanal in New Orleans. I’ve stuffed my face with pulled pork at an unnamed barbecue joint in a Nashville alleyway on the recommendation of a man in a Honky Tonk piano bar and I’ve eaten lobster tossed straight from the boat to the pot on a beautiful island in Maine. Those are all experiences that will last long in the memory. But will the Hand and Flowers stick with me long after the credit card has been paid off? I’m not sure it will, despite the truly fantastic food on offer. In the world of Michelin-starred dining, the idea of a gastropub seems quaint and idiosyncratic. But even with plenty of warning, it feels strange to walk away from a restaurant like this with a £400 bill in your back pocket. And as we chatted to a local barmaid later in the evening, she hit the nail on the head. “I heard it’s nice. Have I ever been there? No. Too expensive for me. I don’t think people from Marlow go there - it’s just for tourists, really.” A pub without locals isn’t a pub. But it’s a first-class destination restaurant if you’re feeling flush. The Hand and Flowers, 126 West St, Marlow SL7 2BP www.thehandandflowers.co.uk Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

Luxury restaurant invites guests to join Indian birthday tradition It’s out with the old and in with the aloo (literally) at posh Indian restaurant, Colonel Saab. The grand, Holborn dining spot will celebrate its first anniversary this October, with an intriguing twist on the Indian birthday tradition of wearing new clothes and donating old garments to charity. For the first week of October, every diner who brings an old piece of clothing for them to donate to their charity partner Shelter will receive a new, Colonel Saab t-shirt plus 10% discount from the bill. Diners will also receive a complimentary amuse-bouche dessert on 1 and 2 October. Colonel Saab will also mark the occasion by launching the ambitious, new Memsaab's Tasting Menu, in honour of Choudhary's mother. The £75 progressive tasting menu will give diners the opportunity to choose a wine, Champagne, vodka, whisky or gin for carefully curated cocktails, which Chef Sohan Bhandari will pair with each of the six courses, which include Chilli Mogo - crispy-fried cassava in tangy, soy tamarind - Sarsoi Ajwaini Fish Tikka - mustard and carom marinated fillet - lotus stem koftas and Malpua Waffles laced with rabri and sprinkled in rose petals. The unique dining concept was launched in the heart of London by Roop Partap Choudhary, who meticulously crafted the menu and art-festooned destination as a “love letter” to his family and India. And despite being launched in a period which has been blighted by the pandemic, Brexit and cost of living crisis, it has not only survived, but thrived to be named one of the top Indian restaurants by Forbes, winning Best Restaurant in Feed the Lion awards and welcoming regulars from Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai - who says “it is the only place which serves the authentic flavours from home” to pop icons, TV stars and presidents. Definitely cause for celebration. We’ll be there with an old cardi and some balloons, knee-deep in Butter Chicken. Colonel Saab 193-197 High Holborn, London WC1V 7BD Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?