Baroness Carole Bamford OBE
“This month I watched Irresistible: Why We Can’t Stop Eating – a fascinating and shocking documentary by Dr Chris van Tulleken. It explores the world of ultra-processed foods, revealing the lengths food companies go to to make them truly addictive and the adverse effects they are having on the health of the nation. Our philosophy at Daylesford has always been to work in harmony with nature - replenishing the soil, providing healthy, real and nutritious whole foods and inspiring others to make more mindful choices. It is so important for both people and planet.”
Baroness Carole Bamford OBE
Food: THE BRAVE
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Everyone seems to be talking about James Cochran’s much anticipated return after 12:51 closed recently, in the form of The Brave - a soon to open (5th December) brand new pub venture on Essex Road in Islington. This time he's teaming up with pub folk the Seven-Eighths Group, who run The Hemingway in Victoria Park and Hunter S in nearby De Beauvoir. Food will be inspired by both Cochran’s Scottish roots and some of the dishes will be a nod to those who loved the food at 12:51 like the Jerk spiced chicken Scotch egg with Scotch bonnet jam. Additional delicious sounding dishes include Scottish razor clam ceviche, quince, bacon, pine nut; Whitstable rock oyster, smoked bone marrow vinaigrette, dill; Coal-roasted Harrietsham leeks, confit onion, truffle hollandaise and Potato dumplings, slow braised shin of beef, hay emulsion, Montgomery cheddar, beef gravy. Plus, there's a sharing dish using venison from The Ledbury's Brett Graham's farm which features roast haunch of Aynhoe venison, venison sausage, slow braised venison pie, neep & tattie hash browns, xo sauce, grilled hispi cabbage, roast onions and chicory salad. Wow!
Drinks: DRAM BAR
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Located on Soho’s famed Denmark Street, Dram is set over three floors within a 17th century Grade II Listed building. Two bars, a whisky shop, outdoor terrace and a private pool room with ready-to-drink cocktail vending machine with cocktails mixed and sealed on site. The entrance opens up to its modern ground-floor bar and whisky shop then the day-to-night space offers coffee and snacks in the morning before transitioning into the bar in the early evening. It is a dream of a venue from a stellar team that you may well recognise if you're big into whisk(e)y - The three bartender-owners’ have decades of experience running some of London’s best-loved and most-respected bars, including Milroy’s and Silverleaf. It’s an effortlessly cool vibe in there and you’ll never want to leave.
EVENT: PETER PAN CUP
It all started in 1864... The Serpentine Swimming Club's Christmas morning handicap is swum over a 100 yard course for the Peter Pan Cup. Author J M Barrie became associated with the Christmas Day race in 1903 when he first donated a Peter Pan Cup which is where this historical and quirky cornerstone London event got its name. Like the fictional boy who never grew up, the race has taken on a legendary appeal. J.M. Barrie continued to present a cup for the winner each year up to 1932. The honour then fell to Albert Greenbury, a dedicated member since 1909 who served as club president from 1935 to 1955. To this day the Greenbury family continue the tradition. Albert's granddaughter, Lucy Harris, is a current member and races all through the year. The Serpentine Christmas Day race for the Peter Pan Cup starts promptly at 9am and is probably the oldest continuously swam race in the world having been raced every year since 1864, with only the 2020 race being cancelled due to UK Government Covid regulations. Next to an Olympic 100 meter freestyle race, it is almost the only swimming race reported on throughout the world, with the winner's name appearing in media from the USA to Malaysia. So if you are in town on Christmas Day we implore you to head down and watch a little history in the making.
Music: Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto @ St Mary Le Strand
Is there a more beautiful way to end the year than by sitting back and listening to an exceptional concert in the beautiful candlelit setting of St Mary le Strand, the church that John Betjeman called, 'A baroque paradise at the heart of the Strand. The outstanding musicians of The Piccadilly Sinfonietta, along with renowned concert pianist Caroline Tyler, will perform Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto, one of his greatest masterpieces on the 30th December at 6pm and again at 8pm. With tickets from £27, also included in the programme are much loved works by Dvořák and Barber. This is guaranteed to be a musical evening to remember! The programme features The Piccadilly Sinfonietta who since its formation in 2017, has become a regular feature on the UK concert scene, giving over 200 performances a year in some of the country’s most beautiful and prestigious venues. The ensemble comprises some of the most prodigious musical talent and performs exclusively with leading virtuoso soloists.
Theatre: Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Arriving in the glittering opulent world of Moscow High Society, the impulsive and romantic Natasha Rostova awaits the return of her fiancé from the front lines. But when she falls under the spell of an intoxicating aristocrat, it is up to the unlikely hero, Pierre, to pick up the pieces of her shattered reputation. Inspired by a scandalous slice of Tolstoy’s War and Peace, multi-award-winning Dave Malloy’s dazzling, genre-defying musical is a ravishing party from start to finish and one that has somehow escaped a London production, until now. Nominated for 12 Tony Awards on Broadway, this brand new Donmar Warehouse production is directed by Artistic Director Tim Sheader in its UK premiere. His international Olivier Award-winning musical productions include Jesus Christ Superstar and Into the Woods. Running from the 9th December until the 8th February next year, tickets are currently sold out…but….a second wave of tickets are being released on the 5th December at midday so set an alarm and make sure to be online!!!
Experience: Floating Igloo’s
Skuna Boats have launched (excuse the pun) new floating beauties for us this winter- in the form of igloos! So p-p-p-p-pick up a pal or two and make like a penguin to the waters at West India Quay at Canary Wharf, where diners will take to the vessel for 90 minutes of floating and eating with seasonal drinks and snacks along the way. Once your igloo floats into the dock you get to enjoy a fondue feast, savoury or sweet (or both) as you take in the views across the city. Thankfully, due to the inevitable popular demand, Skuna boats are running this well beyond Christmas and into spring 2025. With a capacity of up to 9 guests this could be a quirky way to catch up with friends in the new year too. It’s £45 per person which when you consider the food, really is a good deal. How do you sell ice to an eskimo? Float it on the water with some yummy meat and cheese apparently!
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Art: Joan Snyder. Body & Soul
Marking Joan Snyder’s first solo exhibition, Gallerie Thaddaeus Ropac on Dover Street, will stage the most comprehensive presentation of the American artist’s work outside of the United States to date. Over her career of six decades, Snyder has reimagined the narrative potential of abstraction, infusing her art with autobiography in a way that was distinct from the male-dominated conventions of Minimalism, Abstract Expressionism and Colour Field painting, which were prevalent in the New York art scene into which she emerged. ‘I wanted… to do something else, something much more intense, personal and complex,’ she has explained. The result is a pioneering body of work that breaks down social, aesthetic and material hierarchies to assert the place of feeling and female subjectivity within contemporary abstraction. As art historian Hayden Herrera writes, ‘It is this absolute congruence of formal and autobiographical discovery that distinguishes Snyder.’
Charity of the Month: Illumination Street
Illumination Street is a UK campaign that runs across the first week of December and celebrates the passion, flair, and effort that people around Britain invest in lighting up their homes for Christmas. They aim to inspire both adults and children to use their imagination with their front gardens and homes during the festive holidays, bringing a smile to everyone. The idea is to help combat those shorter days and cloudy skies and mark a celebration to help build relationships and create memories with neighbours and communities to cherish for years to come. From Christmas wreaths on your front door to flamboyant bold ideas, we are called upon to light up our streets and homes for all to enjoy! The website includes free resources such as colouring in pics for the kids, window stencils to copy for inspiration, festive tipple recipes and more.