Skye McApline
“A pleasure I’ve come to later in life is the joy of a really good salad: not so much the kind of chicken or niçoise salad-cum-meal that you might make yourself for lunch or order in a café, but the kind of fresh, light, crisp salad that you might serve to go with steak, with a roast, with pasta, with a nice big cheeseboard and some charcuterie odds and ends - with whatever really. Not out-of-the-box exciting, but quick to throw together, what everyone wants to eat and a beautiful pop of colour on the table: the culinary equivalent of the little black dress, it’s a classic for a reason. The secret of course is in the dressing: this is a recipe from my new cookbook A Table for Friends. It is ridiculously more-ish, has quasi-magical properties and will transform even the saddest bag of greens into something you can’t get enough of. I’ve been making it non stop this summer and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon: whisk 2 tsp English mustard with 2 tbsp white wine vinegar until smooth, then whisk in 4 tbsp olive oil and drizzle over your salad.”
EXHIBITION: Everyday Heroes
The Southbank Centre opens an outdoor exhibition this month called Everyday Heroes, celebrating the incredible key workers who have kept us all going throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The large scale displays are designed “for passersby to delight in the featured artists inventive approaches to image-making and poetry while reflecting on the everyday heroes who have helped to hold society together during this time.” Artists include Jeremy Deller, Ryan Mosley, Barbara Walker and Michael Armitage and some of the works depict those close to the artists including a daughter who works as a nurse or a brother train driver. Alongside these artworks, commissioned poetry including from Poet Laureate Simon Armitage will be presented to add another dimension to the exhibition. What an incredible way to enjoy some culture but through halo’ing the rock stars who worked so tirelessly throughout the passing months of the pandemic. A beautiful and inspiring result of a concerning and emotional time.
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EXERCISE: Barry’s
The Best Workout in the World is coming to Soho! Barry’s is set to open its largest London studio, Barry’s Soho, on Kingly Street this September. With 7 studios in London, Barry's is more convenient than ever.
It will be everything you know and love about the Red Room and more... Including a new class concept called LIFT. The flagship location will feature design elements expected to be the most Instagrammable Barry's in the UK, 2 studio spaces with nightclub sound systems, and five star changing rooms with luxury amenities and showers, and of course, the best instructors in the business. As part of Barry’s ongoing evolution, and exclusive to the Soho studio, LIFT will be a 50-minute, instructor-led, strength training class designed to complement the work done in the original Barry’s Red Room by improving body composition, building muscle mass and firing up your metabolism; all taking place in the new FLEX studio. All Barry's studios are currently operating at limited capacity, with extensive measures in place to stay COVID safe. Keep an eye on their Instagram to hear more about when the doors will open!
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FESTIVAL: London Design Festival
The London Design Festival team thought long and hard about the practicalities of holding the festival this year, in light of recent events, but thankfully for us, they felt it had to go ahead, promoting London’s best at a time when we perhaps need it more than we realise. From the 12th until the 20th September, London will turn into a huge art gallery with innovative projects popping up everywhere we look. Creative installations and contemporary design events mark the city's transformation showcasing the work of designers, architects, artists and retailers, as it has done since the first event in 2003. Brompton, Mayfair, Shoreditch and Kings Cross are the design districts and there are design routes in Peckham and Walthamstow. There is too much to tell you about in one short paragraph so visit the website for the full programme but our select highlights include a Victorian glasshouse style ‘Hothouse’ cultivating plants at the International Quarter London and a sculpture in Coal Drops Yard designed by French designer Marlène Huissoud to remind viewers of unity and teamwork- particularly poignant this year.
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BOOK: Untamed, Glennon Doyle
Ok, so caveat, this book was actually released in March but we’ve seen so many rave reviews on it, including from Adele, that we wanted to feature on the Hotlist. “Part inspiration, part memoir, Untamed explores the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet the expectations of the world and instead dare to listen to and trust in the voice deep inside us”. That one line alone is empowering enough to get us reading this tome from bestselling author, speaker and activist Glennon Doyle. Doyle’s book tells the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honour our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts. If you want to know what Adele herself thought then she said “this book will shake your brain and make your soul scream. I am so ready for myself after reading this book! It’s as if I just flew into my body for the very first time.” We’re sold, are you?
FOOD & DRINK: Forza Wine
Food, drink AND a view. Yep, that’s what you get at the fabulous rooftop bar, Forza Wine, in Peckham. Located opposite Peckham Rye station as part of the Bussey Building family of expanding enterprises, making this one more delectable reason to visit this social hotspot. The venue is a modern cube structure with floor to ceiling windows and an outdoor terrace for the wonderful London summer days we have been having this year. The silver lining to an otherwise bonkers 2020. The menu is Italian inspired and created by Michael Lavery from River Cafe fame so we can tuck in to flatbreads, braised rabbit, chicken milanese and Fontina toasties, all washed down with an array of spritz’s, bellini’s negroni’s, beers and of course, a chunky and sumptuous Italian wine list, which is also available for takeaway. The rooftop views will allow you to flood your Insta stories with cosmopolitan sunsets and rest assured that even if the British weather gets the better of us then the indoor seating with the never ending windows, will still allow an indulgent atmosphere up in the clouds, away from the bustle of Peckham High Street below.
PODCAST: Unpretty
Are you looking for a new beauty podcast to listen to on daily walks or when chilling at home? Look no further than Unpretty. The Unpretty Podcast, hosted by Basma Khalifa and Chi Ufodiama and produced by Ayo Sule and Kaydine Biscette, explores the perception of beauty through the lens of black and non-black people of colour. Unpacking perceptions of beauty so deeply ingrained in society, mutual struggles and challenges - be it discrimination, appropriation, or simply lack of options. Each episode focuses on one or two topics and themes, with the help of experts and people of lived experience. Past episodes have covered topics like inclusivity in the media, tanning and SPF, workplace beauty standard, tattoos & henna with a range of guests (all people of colour and white allies) including beauty influencer Jayde Pierce, musician Joy Crookes, actor and musician Bluey Robinson, presenters and broadcasters Yasmin Evans and Jasmine Müller and award winning black hairstylists Charlotte Mensah and Slider Cuts.The most recent episode is an Unpretty and Unfiltered conversation with viral Instagram and YouTube comedian Munya Chawawa who rose to fame over lockdown for his witty comedic videos, tacking political issues such as racism, immigration and Covid-19. The connection between the hosts and the topics they cover make it a must listen!
YOGA: Yoga on the Beach
For many of us who haven’t escaped London to a faraway holiday destination or even the heaving UK coastline, the beach possibly seems but a distant memory. So it's just as well we are here to remind you there’s a beach in Fulham, obvs. And what's better, if you aren't sure on returning to the gym just yet or are bored of pounding the same residential streets or your local park during your daily exercise, then Neverland London are offering outdoor yoga...on the beach. Every Saturday, Cassie Clements of the Pop Up Yoga Club is hosting a 75 minute energising class with ‘beachside beats and some palm trees’. Not only are the surroundings a treat as the Thames flows past just over the wall but yoga on sand is proven to be beneficial as a sandy beach strengthens the muscles of feet, hips, knees and shoulder joints. An unstable surface forces the body to micro-adjust in order to maintain the posture. This means using more muscles that we don't normally use. Hurrah for that. Classes are £20 and perhaps after you’ve saluted the sun and tackled the downward dog, you can stay behind for brunch at Neverland to reward your hard work.
CHARITY OF THE MONTH: The Lady Garden Foundation
Have you seen The Lady Garden Foundation KoronaGadget yet? Custom designed for the charity, the KoronaGadget allows you to be more “Touch Free” when out and about in public. It eliminates the risk from touching contaminated surfaces like push entry buttons, door handles and card machines as you continue with your daily routine. Each gadget comes with a keyring on an extendable cord and costs £15. 40% of each KoronaGadget sold goes to The Lady Garden Foundation who drive awareness and raise funds for the five gynecological cancers. So far, The Lady Garden Foundation have raised over £1.6m which has gone to funding gynaecological research at The Royal Marsden Hospital, supporting a personalised therapies research programme. Watch a video of the KoronaGadget in use and purchase at the link here. September also marks Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month. The global pandemic has disrupted all our lives and cancer referrals are down so we urge you to learn the signs and symptoms of these cancers so that there are more early diagnoses which can ultimately save lives. The Lady Garden Foundation website lists information on the 5 cancers as well as the symptoms to look out for. Share this information with your friends and family and help increase the dialogue around these cancers. Lastly, stay tuned to the website and social media for news on the Lady Garden 5k/10k Run which the Foundation hope will be taking place in October, pending government guidelines and restrictions.
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APP OF THE MONTH: Planta
When the pandemic hit and we were all restricted to staying at home we baked banana bread, painted rainbows, dyed our hair pink and ticked off all the activities that trended across the internet. This included adding a little green tinge to our fingers with the introduction of more household plants. If, like many of us, you need a hand to help keep these plants looking their best then download Planta. It’s a plant-care app which will help us all look after our lush new housemates meaning those who perhaps aren't as green fingered as the initial excitement may have suggested, can continue to care for and flourish their plants! No more bye byes to the orchids that flowered and surrendered or the ferns that look a little dull and sad, hello vibrant happy plants once more. Planta’s database will help you care for each individual plant's needs, track a watering schedule and if you aren’t sure what your plant actually is, their ‘Plant Identifier’ will show you the way. Go forth and bloom (that goes to you and your petalled, leafy friends).