Melinda Stevens
“I’m drawn to the Azores, which feels like a pretty good place to be right now – not just for its warm winter weather but for its sustainability credentials, being the first archipelago to be assessed for EarthCheck certification. Climbing its volcanic peaks is apparently like scaling the flanks of some enormous, ancient beast. No crowds, lots of lava, fresh air and high winds to whip hair about and clear the cobwebs. Perfect.
Meanwhile in Thailand, the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok is about to reveal its big redesign. It’s the grandest dame in the country and has the stories to prove it – the reason my house is full of pink towels is because of the pink towels I fell in love with at this hotel 20 years ago. On home turf our team keeps a close eye on the city’s ever-evolving, menu-flicking food scene. Too many to mention, but I’m most keen to visit Silo, which was the world’s first zero-waste restaurant when it opened in Brighton, and is now bringing its upcycling, closed-loop attitude to Hackney.”
Melinda Stevens
RESTAURANT: Sussex
Sussex is the latest restaurant from The Gladwin brothers, the trio of genius restaurateurs behind Halpern faves, Rabbit, Nutbourne and The Shed. Open now in the heart of Soho on Frith Street, Sussex follows the ambition and appeal of the others in that the ingredients are straight from the family farm...in Sussex. ‘Chef Director, Oliver Gladwin creates seasonal menus that demonstrate his flair for inspired and creative cooking. Following the philosophy of “what grows together, goes together,” Oliver’s food is a celebration of local and wild British ingredients. Sussex is a tribute to the Gladwin brothers’ country roots and a culmination of a decade of passionate farm to fork cookery.’. The daily changing menu includes dishes such as Chopped raw Sussex beef, bone marrow, fig, quail’s egg, cheddar and umami relish; Pumpkin gnocchi, quince, Tunworth foam, buckwheat and sage; or a Hare & Rainbow Chard Wellington. If you don’t fancy a la carte then they offer a theatre menu as well as special Sunday roasts which look to die for. All this is served up in an oak panelled dining room full of flavours but if you really want to make the most of your experience then we would recommend booking the chef’s table with a bunch of mates- 10 seats pretty much in the middle of the kitchen with a wine pairing option for all of their best hits. The Gladwin brothers have smashed it out the park, yet again.
DRINK: Ignition Brewery
Our bar of the month is South London brewery Ignition, an incredible social enterprise which employs and trains people with learning disabilities to brew and serve great beer. “More beer. More Jobs” is their message and we hear it loud and clear. The brewery in Sydenham serves up their homemade ales in their taproom, literally in the heart of its creation, “Seven metres from source to seat!” and the taproom space is wonderfully large meaning they can host various events throughout the year from yoga classes to art exhibitions and team away days. The team at Ignition have worked incredibly hard to build a welcoming, relaxing and fun space for people to visit, have a drink and declutter the debris of daily life and they are a team who with the right support and care, make a beer that competes on the open market and satisfies the thirst of any customer. They give all their profits away and are humbly proud to support their local community and simply put, we think they’re brilliant! So fly south (of the river) for the winter and pick up a pint or two.
Christmas: Zero Waste Christmas Market
Christmas leads to presents and presents leads to wrapping and wrapping leads to an excess of plastic waste which leads to a sad planet. To ease this we recommend you pop down to the Zero Waste Christmas Market at The Boiler House on Shoreditch High Street on December 7th to pick up some environmentally friendly gifts for all your friends and family. Zero Waste Goods is a curated marketplace that makes it easier for people to support progressive, planet-friendly brands, find responsible products, and transition to a zero waste lifestyle! Huzzah! You’ll be able to find some unique gifts across home, luxury, fashion, children, accessories, food and drink, festive and much more, and know that you are doing good by the environment at the same time. Buy your tickets here and know that for every ten tickets sold the team will be planting a tree :) There are various talks and workshops on offer throughout the day too plus face painting for little ones and of course, some food and mulled wine. If you miss the London one then take a day trip to glorious Brighton on the 15th where they will be hosting another market day.
Installation: Chromotherapy Christmas
Londoners and light installations are like moths and flames- utterly drawn to one another. So it’s good to know that the ancient healing art of Chromotherapy uses the power of light and colour to balance energy in the body and mind meaning we should continue to indulge our fascination with illuminations. Eccleston Yards have just opened Chromotherapy Christmas, which is an installation of 500 individually suspended orbs, each with a unique voice. Visitors will find themselves entranced as they walk through the installation, listening to evolving hypnotic harmonies created by the orbs. The vibrations projected by the different orbs will energise the body (orange), stimulate happiness (yellow) and calm the heart rate (blue). After invigorating each of these you can tingle your taste buds with some festive drinks and snacks at the pop-up bar. Chromotherapy Christmas is open daily from 4pm to 10pm until the 11th January and is free to attend so wrap up warm and check out this alternative Christmas lights experience.
Pantomime: Goldilocks and the Three Bears
If you’re going to see a panto this Christmas then make it the best one out there- Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the iconic London Palladium. From the 7th December until mid January, giants of the panto scene will take to the stage for a performance of ‘riotous comedy routines, extraordinary special effects, hair-raising stunts and international circus acts’. The all-star cast includes Paul O’Grady, Julian Clary, Nigel Havers, Paul Zerdin, Matt Baker and Sophie Isaacs and they will tell you the story of Dame Betty Barnum and her daughter Goldilocks’ whose circus is under threat from an evil rival circus owner. With the help of their madcap circus friends, they’re battling to rescue their Big Top from ruin. Will they succeed? All seems lost, until three brilliant bears join the gang…You can be sure to expect all the usual antics expected from any decent panto with audience chanting, sides splitting and heart warming festive fun.
New Year’s Eve: Southbank Centre, New Year’s Eve Spectacular
It feels odd to be suggesting New Year’s activities when we still have all the festive fun to come but this is the last Hotlist of the year so we would be doing you a disservice to not recommend somewhere to party away the last hours of 2019 and ring in the first of 2020. It may come as no surprise that we are suggesting London’s Southbank as THE place to be for the celebrations. Located on the watery artery of our capital city, it’s the front seat for the fireworks and will ensure you are at the heart of our wonderful London. The Southbank Centre is putting on an unforgettable night across five floors and music from every decade from 15 DJ’s. Those are some good numbers. The outdoor spaces mean you won’t miss the fireworks bonanza as the clock strikes midnight and the live orchestra’s, photo studios, dance lessons and incredible company will see the year off with a bang, in every sense. Book your tickets through the website here.
Podcast : The House Guest podcast
House Guest is the weekly Country & Town House Interiors podcast where interiors editor Carole Annett chats with some of the biggest names in the interior design and decoration world, and other celebrities who just love design. House Guests so far include Nina Campbell, Sophie Ashby, Katharine Pooley, Pandora Sykes and Lord Spencer. The chat is relaxed and insightful, offering lots of tips to anyone in the middle of their own decorating project. With over 72k downloads since launching in December 2018, it has a 5* rating and can be found on BA’s in-flight entertainment. It’s the perfect podcast for aspiring design demons and you can have a listen here; it is also available on iTunes, Spotify and Entale.
Games: Draughts Dalston
We LOVE a boardgame so we’ve been sneaking off to Draughts for a round of Monopoly and a game of Guess Who? as often as we can. However, their original venue had to move and we are thrilled to say their new site is now open! Located just 10 minutes from the old Draughts location in Haggerston, and one minute from Dalston Kingsland Station, the new venue will be able to accommodate over 180 gamers and is set up to host private and semi-private functions as well as all the daily gamers. For those looking for a more intimate experience, they will be turning the old office on the top floor into a retro inspired private dining room, complete with several hidden features making it perfect for a party, meeting, or themed event such as a murder mystery dinner. Absolute competitive heaven. With over 1,000 games in its library, including classic favourites and hard to find games plus a seasonally changing food menu and rotating drinks, you can see why we spend so much time here! Lastly, don’t forget there is still a Draughts in Waterloo for anyone who doesn’t want to head North!
Charity initiative of the month: Help Brighten A Million Christmases
Sainsbury’s have just launched a Christmas initiative in partnership with Argos as part of their wider campaign ‘Help to Brighten A Million Christmases’. 1400 branches of the supermarket giant will label items desperately needed by food banks so that consumers are inspired to pick up some products and donate to local food banks in the donation area in store at Sainsbury’s. Priority items such as cans of fish, meat or vegetables and non-perishable juices are all needed by local food banks to help those in need over the festive season. The nationwide campaign was launched after a successful trial of the labels saw an increase in donations and the expansion is part of the supermarket’s effort to increase food donations during the Christmas period as well as after - with the labels expected to remain in stores indefinitely.
During the holiday period, Sainsbury’s sister-store Argos will be accepting donating toys until December 16. The goal is to encourage one million food and toy donations in stores across the UK and this is something we cannot encourage everyone to do enough so keep an eye out in your local store and even if there isn’t a donation point in your local one, don’t let that stop you from donating anyway. A list of local food banks can be found here on the Trussell Trust website.
‘App’ of the month: Any Tour
Discover a city through bespoke neighbourhood stories and narrated walking tours! If you enjoy travelling, exploring new destinations, learning about different cultures and getting the best recommendations then you have to download the AnyTour app. The problem with private guides, bus tours or group tours is that they are either over-priced, polluting the environment or impersonal and inflexible. AnyTour solves these problems by offering an affordable, eco-friendly, flexible and independent way to explore a destination by providing you with walking routes and narrated stories curated by local experts. AnyTour also recommends bars, restaurants, shops, theatres and more, so it really is like having your own local guide at your fingertips. Download now using the following links: iOS & Android