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Where To Eat The Best New York Style Pizza In London

Joseph Gann
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Where To Eat The Best New York Style Pizza In London
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore…

Across London over the previous decade, there was a tendency for the authenticity obsessed, produce-pedants of the Big Smoke to look down their 00 flour-tipped noses at the ‘New York’ style pizza.

Sure, we were content with a 330ml IPA, some deep Derrick May cuts, and a sturdy slice of the good stuff once the clock passed midnight and standards slipped. But if superlatives were getting dished out towards pizzas in London, it was usually in a Neopolitan direction. Whether that was aimed at Pellone, Salvo, Chionchio or Condurro largely depended on which pizzeria was closest, but the praise followed a similar script – of San Marzano tomatoes, 58-65% hydration, and 13.8 inches.

Fortunately, London’s pizza scene feels like it’s loosened up in recent years. The pie purists have begun experimenting and have found that, sometimes, in a city this big, there’s room for a more diverse set of marriages between dough, tomato and cheese. 

Though our two favourite neo-Neapolitan and New York by-the-slice joints have now sadly closed, (RIP ASAP Pizza and Paradise Slice), there’s still plenty of joy to be found in London’s crisper, thinner based brethren. 

With that in mind, today we’re exploring London’s best New York style pizzas, pie-by-pie and slice-by-slice.

*Yes, we realise some of the below aren’t strictly New York pizzas, and may even bring a touch of the ol’ New Haven across the dough, but these guys are closer to the New York style than the Neapolitan, the two key totems of the genre. Soz.*

Alley Cats Pizza, Marylebone & Chelsea

Ideal for a taste of London’s most hype new New York pizza…

If you’re on the hunt for a slice of New York in London, look no further than Alley Cats Pizza in Marylebone. This bustling pizzeria only opened its doors in January of this year, but has quickly become one of the city’s go-to spots for authentic New York-style pizza. And that’s why you’re here right?

The mastermind behind the 14 inches here is Francesco Macri, a Sicilian-born pizza specialist whose impressive resume includes stints at Pizza Pilgrims and Santa Maria. At Alley Cats Pizza, you’ll find a menu that boasts plenty of west-leaning pizzas, including the signature vodka pizza, a creamy concoction of buffalo mozzarella and tomato sauce enriched with vodka, inspired by the iconic pasta dish penne alla vodka. 

With design details like wipe-clean gingham tablecloths and church-pew style seating, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a classic New York pizzeria here. The open kitchen extends into the bar area, allowing diners to witness the magic of pizza-making firsthand. And while traditional New York pizzerias might serve their pizzas by the slice, Alley Cats opts for a whole-pie approach, with prices ranging from £17 to £21. This one, then, is for sharing.

And this fairly recently in; Alley Cats have now opened a second branch on Chelsea’s King’s Road. Perhaps it might be a little easier to actually snag a table now!

Address: 22 Paddington St, London W1U 5QY

Address: 342 King’s Rd, London SW3 5UR

Instagram: @alleycatspizzalondon

Website: alleycatspizza.co.uk

Spring Street Pizza, Borough

Ideal for Michelin-honed 18 inchers…

When a former Michelin-starred chef decides to sling New York-style pizza from a Southwark railway arch, London pays attention. Tom Kemble (ex-Bonhams and The Pass) opened Spring Street in April after his lockdown pizza project became an all-consuming obsession, and now he’s serving 18-inch monsters that you can buy by-the-slice like a true East Coaster.

The 72-hour fermented dough using an Italian biga method (the dough is pre-fermented for a good 18 hours before a longer ferment in the fridge for a couple of days) sounds like a lot, but it delivers a base with fantastic structural integrity – crispy underneath yet still foldable enough to do that whole one-handed-fold-while-walking thing.

Pizzas are all served as full sharers, but you can go for a half-and-half option toppings wise, which is a nice touch. True to form, we’re particularly enamoured with the New Yorker, which takes the now totally ubiquitous hot honey and pepperoni combo up several notches with soothing fior di latte, jalapeños and drifts of good quality pecorino. Sure, it’s £32, but the quality of the ingredients and size of the damn thing make it acceptable value.

Tucked into Arch 32 next to Omeara bar, it’s five minutes from both London Bridge and Borough stations, with outdoor seating where you can demolish pizza while trains rumble overhead every few minutes, safe in the knowledge that the structural integrity of these pies won’t be disturbed by your rattling table. They’ve even got gildas to start and Estate Dairy soft serve with olive oil drizzle for afters, again setting out their stall as a pizzeria that takes their ingredients very seriously.

Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 10pm.

Address: Arch 32, Southwark Quarter, Southwark St, London SE1 1TE

Instagram: @springstpizza

Website: springstpizza.com

Dough Hands at The Spurstowe Arms, Hackney

Ideal for a fleeting flavour of New York pizza perfection…

Even more evanescent than a canotto crust pre-exhale, the team at Dough Hands have made a big name for themselves in the London pizza game with periodic pop-ups across the city in recent years, from their inaugural spot at Brixton Market in the pre-COVID blessed times, all the way to, confusingly, a spell at the Three Colts at the tail end of last year, where 75 Slices have since pitched up. 

Dough Hands has now settled in for a (hopefully) long term residency at the Spurstowe Arms in Hackney. We couldn’t be more excited to be trying chef Hannah Drye’s signature ‘Jode’ again, a spicy little number with nduja, hot honey and buffalo mozzarella. Open 7 beautiful days a week, it’s walk-in only.

And an exciting update for 2025; Dough Hands have opened a second permanent kitchen, this time south of the river in The Old Nun’s Head in Nunhead. The Spurstowe outpost is now billed as ‘East’, Nunhead as ‘South’. Makes sense.

Address: 68 Greenwood Rd, London E8 1AB

Address: 15 Nunhead Grn, London SE15 3QQ

Instagram: @doughhandspizza

All Kaps Pizza, London Fields

Ideal for affordable, delicious slices of the good stuff…

Another pizza pop-up with claims at the crown of best NY-style pizza in London, All Kaps Pizza at Papo’s Bagels in Dalston was one (or two, or three…impossible to resist as they are) stunning slice of pizza. 

Available by the slice or as a whole 16 inch take home pizza, All Kaps was an inclusive, democratic affair; those slices start clocking in at just £2 which, in today’s economy, is basically giving them away. Though the Pepp Pie – a rich red sauce, mozzarella, provolone, and properly spicy pepperoni – is a crowd pleaser and surely the best seller (it’s often sold out come late afternoon), we’re even more enamoured with the garlic cream-based slices. A recent green sauce and shiso topped affair was a real ripper.

We’re speaking in the past tense here because, for the best part of a year, All Kaps has been on hiatus. But, whisper it, the esteemed pizza slingers are back! After a period on hiatus, All Kaps Pizza is back and better than ever, though they’ve evolved their operation significantly. No longer the slice-slinging setup at Papo’s Bagels, All Kaps has shifted to a preorder-only model focused on whole pies.

The acclaimed pizza makers now operate from a new kitchen space that isn’t accessible to the public, meaning their famous £2 slices are no longer available. Instead, they’re focusing on whole pie preorders that open every Tuesday afternoon for Sunday collection. You can order up to three pies per time slot, with pickup at their new location near London Fields.

The quality that made All Kaps a crowd favourite remains unchanged. Their signature Pepp Pie – featuring rich red sauce, mozzarella, provolone, and properly spicy pepperoni – is still available, alongside their beloved garlic cream-based options that previously wowed slice enthusiasts. Preorders open Tuesday at noon for the following Sunday. Choose your pickup time slot (your pizzas will be hot and ready then), order up to three pies, and collect at the designated time with your order code. It’s all a little mysterious (a masked man arrives wielding your pizza boxes and doesn’t speak a single word), but it’s still the tip top pizza we’ve come to love All Kaps for.

The team is working on delivery options, but for now, it’s pickup only at their new East London location – about a 10-minute walk from London Fields or 3 minutes from Cambridge Heath station.

Address: 22-27 The Oval, E2 9DT

Website: allkaps.pizza

Instagram: @1900allkaps

Vincenzo’s, Bushey 

Ideal for a spicy, satiating slice where Harrow meets Hertfordshire…

Bang on the border with the London borough of Harrow, Vincenzo’s in Bushey, Hertfordshire, does such a good pizza that we’re stretching the very limits of what the “best New York style pizza in London” can be. 

Available in 12 inch and 18 inch pies, to eat in or to take out (that is the question), the base here is thin and with just the right level of resilience, the crust gently puffed yet pliable. 

We’re here, time and time again, for Vincenzo’s Raging Hog (sounds like a fucking weird innuendo), which is a carefully-composed, assertive though not aggressive balancing act of aged mozzarella, tomato sauce, and heat brought by pepperoni, hot and sweet roquito peppers and chilli honey. It’s that sweetness from the bee piss that tempers the more fiery notes here. Fresh basil, sniped and scattered, rounds it all off. Magic.

If we’re stretching the definition of ‘London’ pizzas further still, then do check out Gracey’s Pizza over in St. Albans, too. A phenomenal Neopolitan/New York hybrid, it’s well worth leaving the big city for.

Address: 42 High St, Bushey WD23 3HL

Website: vincenzospizzas.com

Instagram: @original_vincenzos_pizza

Crisp Pizza, Hammersmith *as of October 2025, temporarily closed*

Ideal for trying London’s hottest pizza, New Yorker, Neapolitan or otherwise…

Quite possibly London’s hottest pizza (not temperature wise – that would be Fatisa in Wood Green, of course) right now, the queues for this humble Hammersmith pub-cum-pizza purveyor tells a story. A story of Londoners keen to delve deeper than the Neopotlian culinary diktat, of discerning diners seeking a slice that won’t fold so dramatically that their starched white shirts get splattered in marinara sauce.

Enter the prosaically, aptly named Crisp Pizza, a pub-based pop-up inside the Chancellors that has been dubbed London’s best pizza by just about everyone from GQ to the Evening Standard’s Jimi Famurewa. 

Boasting a base that simply won’t budge under the weight of its admirably restrained toppings, a good covering of Roni Cup pepperoni and wefts of grated parmesan are all you need to let you know you’re eating a New York adjacent pie. That, and the gravity-defying nature of the slice. Oh, and the literal name of the place – these are certainly crispy boys, and damn delicious, too. 

A quick heads up – or rather, several heads up; though you can usually buy full pizzas here, on Saturdays when Fulham are at home, Crisp Pizza becomes a slice-only slinger. It’s also highly recommended that you book a table or pre-order your pizzas for pick-up in advance via phone call, text, or on the Store Kit app (all of which are on their Instagram). Should a table not be for the taking, then you’ll see plenty of folk pitched up on the kerb outside, pizza box in hand and a look of wild anticipation in their eyes…

…the wait will be worth it.

Friday lunchtime walk-ins (start queuing at about 11:30am for a midday opening) are the best times to get in quickly and easily, we’ve found.

*Major announcement: Crisp Pizza is making its highly anticipated move to Mayfair, taking over The Marlborough on North Audley Street. The expansion comes with backing from The Devonshire’s powerhouse trio – Charlie Carroll, Ashley Palmer-Watts and Oisín Rogers – who are helping create a downstairs speakeasy for pizza alongside an upstairs traditional pub experience, featuring their signature perfectly-poured Guinness. Set to launch in early October, this partnership between two of London’s hottest culinary spots is shaping up to be the most significant restaurant opening of the year.

For the time being, the Hammersmith location is closed, but this isn’t believed to be permanent*

Address: 25 Crisp Rd, London W6 9RL

Instagram: @crisppizzaw6

Website: Crisp W6 at The Chancellors | Menu

Gracey’s Pizza at Arcade Battersea

Well, perhaps you don’t need to leave London after all, as Gracey’s Pizza has finally brought their celebrated pies back to the capital with an extended pop-up at Arcade Battersea running throughout 2025.

This is the culmination of years of graft that began during the COVID years – 12 months of slinging pizzas outdoors in sideways rain and arctic temperatures from a mobile setup, before establishing their acclaimed bricks-and-mortar base in Chiswell Green. The team’s dedication to perfecting their East Coast-inspired style, informed by trips to New York and New Haven plus collaboration with like-minded pizza makers across the UK and US, has clearly paid off.

At Arcade Battersea, you’ll find some of Gracey’s signature offerings including the Plain Tom and Smokey Ron, alongside the Sweet Vera – an exclusive collaboration special topped with house sausage, sweet Italian peppers, and shallots that’s only available at this location. The New Haven influences shine through in their approach to crust and char, while the New York DNA is evident in the structural integrity and generous proportions.

What makes this particularly exciting is that it marks Gracey’s first return to London’s Zone 1 in years, bringing their much-lauded pizza expertise to one of the city’s buzziest food destinations. The fact that the original pop-up proved so popular it’s been extended into 2025 speaks volumes about the quality on offer.

Pair your pizza with selections from the Arcade bar – beers, wines, and cocktails all complement these East Coast-inspired beauties perfectly.

Address: 1st Floor, 330, Battersea Power Station, Circus Rd S, Nine Elms, SW11 8DD

Website: graceyspizza.com

Instagram: @graceyspizza

Voodoo Ray’s, Dalston & Peckham

Ideal for late night slices…

Such is the scarcity of London’s New York-style scene that Dalston’s Voodoo Ray’s feels like a proper veteran of the landscape. Now entering their second decade of slice slinging, the self-proclaimed OGs of NYC pizzas must be doing something right; they now have a second branch in Peckham and another in Manchester. 

Here, the main draw is their obscenely sized single slices, with two the equivalent of a whole 11 inch pizza. Though they do sell whole 22 inch pies for taking away and sharing, you’ll more likely find us leant against a weeping wall in the corridor-like space of the Dalston branch in the early hours (open ‘till 2am on the weekends, these guys), clutching a slice of their gorgeous Queen Vegan – no fake cheese here, just heaps of vegetables – and pontificating about life’s larger questions. Like, ‘’shall we order another slice?’’. 

Address: 95 Kingsland High St, London E8 2PB

Instagram: @voodoorays

Website: voodoorays.com

Yard Sale Pizza, Various Locations

Ideal for award-winning, enormous pies…

A synthesis style of New York and ‘London’ Neapolitan pizzas, Yard Sale is one of the city’s most ubiquitous pizza brands. But their omnipresence hasn’t dampened the quality of their pizzas, with the restaurant group winning a slew of awards recently, including being voted Best Value Eats in the Observer Food Monthly awards in 2022 and London’s favourite pizza in Time Out’s inaugural Clash of the Slices in 2022.

Whilst not perhaps quite as thin and flexible as you came seeking in this article, and cooked in a brick static oven rather than a deck, the by-the-slice nature of Yard Sale definitely renders them worthy of a mention. That, and they’re damn delicious.

Address: Various. Find your nearest branch here

Website: yardsalepizza.com

Instagram:@yardsalepizza

Bad Boys Pizza Society, Seven Dials Market

Ideal for carefully composed, beautifully balanced pizzas…

Though you’ll find the good guys from Bad Boys Pizza Society at London Bridge’s Vinegar Society, as well as in Tulse Hill, it’s at Covent Garden’s Seven Dials Market that the pizza group has turned their attention to New York style slices. 

It’s a tight menu of just four pies here, the generosity reserved instead for the 22 inch pies, which boast a raft of finely balanced toppings. Ours is the rather unappealing sounding Crusty Old Goat, a goat’s cheese and caramelised onion number that’s brought to life with a sticky balsamic glaze and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper. Yours for £5.50, or grab three slices for £13.

For those living south of the river, these boys have recently popped up at The Railway in Tulse Hill, and will be slinging for the foreseeable. Rejoice!

Address: Seven Dials Market, 35 Earlham St, London WC2H 9LD

Instagram:@badboypizzasoc

Website: badboypizzasoc.com

Read: The best restaurants in London’s West End

World Famous Gordos at Brick Brewery, Peckham

Ideal for superb slices centred around nostalgia…

A New York-adjacent pizza operation baking thin, structurally sound pies from the humble confines of a neighbourhood pub kitchen? Someone seems to have their script stuck on repeat here, but that’s not to say that the concept feels tired yet (okay; we’re getting close to feeling a little sleepy here). 

And so it is to Peckham Rye and into the warm embrace of the Brick Brewery, where from Tuesdays to Sundays, World Famous Gordos are slinging single slices of real poise and precision, with a few inventive twists on traditional toppings keeping things interesting.

A recent slice of buffalo chicken and mozzarella, with both buffalo and blue cheese sauce spaffed across its surface, was ace; a crisp, digestible dough marking it out as a genuinely delicious thing rather than the product of a late night fridge raid. Even better on the same visit, a tribute to Coney Island hot dog culture saw a slice of the standard mozzarella and fior di latte base given lift off with chopped hot dogs, chilli beef, chopped raw white onions and a zigzag of mustard.

Sure, there’s a lot of ‘spesh’ and ‘boi’ in the Insta vernacular, and Eating with Tod might praise these pies for being ‘dirty’, but they’re genuinely gold-standard in their delivery, with the more experimental, nostalgic American toppings a welcome change from a pie culture that’s become homogenised and samey surprisingly fast in the city.

You’ll also find World Famous Gordos doing their thing out of Netil Market, selling slices from 11am every day until they sell out.

Address: 209 Blenheim Grove, London SE15 4QL

Instagram: @worldfamousgordos

Website: worldfamousgordos.com

The Best Thai Restaurants In London

Joseph Gann
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The Best Thai Restaurants In London
Ideal for your som tum and curry cravings…

We all know the drill by now; there’s much, much more to Thai food than fluorescent green curries, teeth-achingly sweet phad Thai, and heaps of chilli.

It’s become something of a tired old refrain to repeat and reframe this fact, usually followed by a riff on the diverse regionality of the country’s cuisine, the breadth of its flavour profile beyond that much-trotted ‘spicy, sour, sweet, salty’ metric, and something about David Thompson’s influence on Thai restaurants and British chefs in the city.

Instead, let’s just get into it, and take a look at our favourite Thai food in the city, whether you’re looking for faithfully recreated, note-perfect food from the Kingdom or British takes on Thai cuisine using seasonal ingredients. Either way, it’s here, in our guide on where to find the best Thai food in London, and the best Thai restaurants in the city.

Singburi, Shoreditch 

Ideal for London’s most sought-after booking and the purest Thai flavours in the capital…

So much has been written about the original Singburi in recent weeks that it feels almost trite at this stage to head on over to Leytonstone once again to relive the moo krob. 

It’s clear that Singburi 2.0 is a different beast with different intentions. Only the original signage and a couple of prints from the old days remain. What you’ll find instead, in this seemingly tacked-on, glass-fronted space in Montacute Yards, is something that feels both fresh and familiar – the same brilliant mind behind the stoves, a more focused menu, perhaps, and occasional hints at the experimentation to come once everyone has bedded in here and got settled.

Chef Sirichai Kularbwong has joined forces with Nick Molyviatis (formerly of Kiln) and Alexander Gkikas (Catalyst Cafe), and, unsurprisingly for a trio of that calibre, the results are steady, satisfying and sometimes scintillating.

The custom-built live fire grill dominates the open kitchen, and a busy team of five or so all work around it, shimmying past chef Sirichai, who is in his own zone, smoking, charring and coaxing flavours that, at their best, feel charged with electricity. 

The menu changes daily, sometimes twice, but riffs on themes remain. The aubergine pad phet has become something of a signature already – double-fried so the flesh is fudgy, then tossed with wild ginger and chilli until it becomes vital. It’s impossible to imagine anything so humble could taste so extraordinary. 

The lamb riblets, though not perhaps so traditional, showcase the kitchen’s ability to apply Thai techniques to British ingredients with enjoyable results. The meat arrives fatty and funky, its tamarind glaze pitched perfectly somewhere between sweet and sour. A sprinkle of khao khua gives everything a pleasing nuttiness.

Indeed, it’s the dishes that are less dogmatic, less faithful to their original recipes, that are the most successful. A slab of grilled seabream fillet sits swimming in a soup of nahm jim seafood, the beloved Thai green dipping sauce here served in generous quantities rather than the usual dinky bowls you constantly need to re-up.

The khua kling – the fiery Southern Thai dry curry most commonly made with pork – was, on our visit, made with coarsely minced haddock. It arrived as an intensely spicy, wonderfully fragrant homogeneous mass, as close to a Thai relish in make-up as it was a dry curry. It was superb with plenty of soothing jasmine rice.

The monkfish cheek green curry, meanwhile, demonstrated a more delicate touch, the delicate orbs of just-poached fish swimming in a sweet, coconut-forward curry sauce that vibrated with energy.

The transformation from cash-only BYOB chaos to this slick operation is of course noteworthy. There’s now a proper wine list (natural, low-intervention bottles that rub along nicely with the spicing), and cocktails that wouldn’t look out of place in Shoreditch’s hipper cocktail bars. You can, in theory, book online, though the sheer demand for seats means that’s proving difficult. 

The space itself is industrial chic delivered aptly: terrazzo floors, clay-pink tiles, and towering windows that flood everything with light. The counter seats around the open kitchen are the place to be, lent on your elbows ordering another round of whiskey sodas in lieu of dessert, and admiring Kularbwong’s myopic focus on flavour.

Yes, the new Singburi is pricier than the Leytonstone days, but dishes start at £6.50 and don’t top £20, meaning it’s still good value for this city.

Website: singburi.london

Address: Unit 7, Montacute Yards, 185‑186 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6HU

Plaza Khao Gaeng, Tottenham Court

Ideal for curry, rice and all things spice…

It’s been pretty impossible to miss the buzz surrounding the JKS-backed Arcade Food Hall since its opening in April of 2022.

Housed in the Centre Point building on New Oxford Street, and just a few second’s stroll from Tottenham Court Road station, Arcade Food Hall offers a veritable feast of global cuisines, with 8 restaurant concepts currently operating here, and a fully-fledged Southern Thai joint on the mezzanine above the communal dining area.

That Southern Thai restaurant is Plaza Khao Gaeng, which, despite only being a couple of years old, is already doing some of the most faithfully composed, fiery food from The Kingdom anywhere in London.

Though much has been written about the fearsome chilli levels on display here, it’s the vivacity of the ingredients that really shine through. The coconut cream in the massaman and chicken curries tastes freshly pressed (a labour intensive process that’s rare to find in the capital), the sour curry sparkles with garcinia fruit as opposed to just lime and tamarind, the khua kling’s green peppercorns bring rasping heat alongside the undulating presence of various fresh and dried chillies. It’s magic.

Our only complaint? More elbow room on the tables, please; because it’s impossible not to order every dish on the menu.

Speaking of finding room, if you’ve somehow managed to save stomach space for seconds, then on the floor below there’s sushi, smash burgers, shawarma and more.

Website: plazakhaogaeng.com

Address: 103-105 New Oxford St, London WC1A 1DB

Supawan, King’s Cross

Ideal for a taste of Phuket without the 14 hour flight…

Thai cooking in the capital doesn’t always have to be enjoyed through the prism of ‘nu’ or ‘hip’. It needn’t always be Tik-Tok touting small plates and interiors designed more for the stories of Instagram than for the comfort of the diner. And so we find ourselves in Kings Cross, at Supawan, an elegant, understated spot whose flavours are very much not (the latter).

Here, chef and owner Wichet Khongphoon brings the food of his native Phuket to the table in a space so florally-appointed that it might have you sneezing even before the chilli and white pepper does. Not to worry; it looks beautiful and seems to chime with the fruity, flowery cocktail descriptions of which you’ll soon be sipping (mine’s a hibiscus infused, guava spiked number called Love Don’t Be Shy, I’m Super Shy, naturally).

Start with the miang Phuket, the definitive Thai hor d’oeuvre. Bringing the whole sweet-salty-spicy-sour thing together into a single bite, Supawan’s version sees grilled prawns, a galangal caramel and intricate dice of ginger, lime, peanuts and more, all perched atop a wild piper leaf. Wrap, fold, scrunch… Whatever you want to do, this guy goes down in one. The intricacies develop on the tongue long after it’s gone.

Though chef Khongboon has called London home for more than two decades, we’re so glad that the food memories of his southern Thai upbringing still linger with such clarity. It’s an absolute joy that you can order pla thu yud sai here. A Phuket seafood dish rarely found in the rest of Thailand let alone in the UK, this one is a complex preparation of deboned, hollowed out mackerel that’s then stuffed with a mixture of its minced flesh and red curry paste before being grilled. The kids might praise the ‘tekkers’ – we’ll just call it bloody delicious. Similarly, the stuffed chicken wings show off the same dexterity.

If it’s on the menu, do not miss out on the signature ‘Dad’s beef curry’, which has thankfully been conceived by Khongboon’s father, not by yours or ours. A thick and fragrant, coconut-defined red curry, it’s a soulful bowl that reveals the flavours of fresh galangal and toasted coconut in the curry paste once it’s cooled to Phuket room temperature. Best enjoyed with a side of stir fried morning glory that feels like it could cure whatever ails you and plenty of rice, this is one to luxuriate over. So, sit back, order another Singha, and give the chef his flowers. You won’t have to go far to find some.

Supawan’s recent inclusion in the Michelin Guide only cements their position as one of London’s best Thai restaurants. But we didn’t need the little red book to tell us that, now did we?

Website: supawan.co.uk

Address: 38 Caledonian Rd, London N1 9DT 

AngloThai, Seymour Place

Ideal for a poetic meeting of British soil and Thai soul…

There’s something rather poetic about AngloThai’s location on a quiet Marylebone backstreet, where Georgian townhouses whisper of British heritage while the restaurant’s frontage, rendered in Royal Thai purple, hints at something more glamorous within. After years of pop-ups that had London’s food cognoscenti practically vibrating with anticipation, John and Desiree Chantarasak have finally given their vision a permanent home. And just six months in, it’s safe to say that AngloThai is a roaring success, with positive reviews and a Michelin star announced in February of this year. That makes it the only Thai restaurant in the capital (and one of just a handful in Europe) to hold a star.

Inside, Thai-American designer May Redding has created something that seems to pay lipservice to both heritage and modernity – think whitewashed pannelling that could be either colonial Bangkok or contemporary Notting Hill, handcrafted Chamchuri wood tables that tell stories of Thai craftsmanship, and lighting that makes everyone look like they’ve been kissed by the Andaman sunshine. The open kitchen ricochets with the whoosh of proper turbo wok burners and the pok-pok of the pestle and mortar; a soundtrack that also speaks to the kitchen’s commitment to doing things right.

The mission statement here is to to take Thai cooking and reimagine it through a purely British lens – pearled naked oats stand in for jasmine rice, Suffolk-grown holy basil replaces its Thai cousin, and native-breed meats and line-caught fish take centre stage. There’s not a single imported tiger prawn in sight. Highlights from the a la carte (there’s also a tasting menu, priced keenly at £75) include a snack of tempura banana pepper that’s been filled with a riff on Thai sai ua sausage, and a perfectly balanced massaman curry of Launceston hogget and quince that boasts the warming complexity of the finest versions in Bangkok.

The drinks offering is equally considered, with the sea-buckthorn margarita a real showstopper – bracing, puckering and knock-your-block-off potent. The wine list, curated by Desiree, leans heavily on Austrian and European biodynamic producers, including their own label made in partnership with Nibiru – wines chosen specifically to dance with rather than dominate the complex spicing.

What’s most impressive about AngloThai is how it creates something genuinely new without feeling forced. Yes, the prices reflect the prime Marylebone location and premium British ingredients, but there’s serious skill and thought behind every dish. This isn’t fusion for fusion’s sake – it’s a carefully considered exploration of what happens when Thai cuisine is viewed through a purely British lens.

Website: anglothai.co.uk

Address: 22-24 Seymour Pl, London W1H 7NL

Read: Where to eat in Marylebone

Kin + Deum, London Bridge

Ideal for hip, wholesome Thai food close to London Bridge…

Meaning ‘eat and drink’ in Thai, the restaurant’s name is a gentle, straightforward invitation that seems to translate to the wholesome plates, plant tonics and general easy-going vibe at Kin + Deum.

It’s a family-run affair. Led by three stylish Thai siblings from the Inngern family, there’s a real focus on nutrition and balance here; the restaurant doesn’t use refined sugars or MSG (for better or worse) and it’s a 100% gluten-free affair to boot. The paired back but gorgeous interiors of the restaurant further reflect this.

The recipes here are nominally based on dishes heralding from Bangkok, though really the menu spans the whole country, with laap salad from the North East, khao soi curry noodle soup from the North, and panang from the deep south of Thailand. Hey, there’s even a katsu curry, Kin + Deum style, if you’re hankering for it.

Regardless of origin, the cooking here is fantastic; though there’s a lightness of touch in the dishes, that isn’t in the name of sacrificing chilli heat or punchy acidity. Nope, it’s all here, and it’s all very delicious, indeed.

Website: kindeum.com

Address: 2 Crucifix Ln, London SE1 3JW

Read: Where to eat near London Bridge

Kolae, Borough Market

Ideal for coconut curry skewers of perfection…

The opening of Kolae in Borough Market was one of the most hyped in recent years, with every other reel on the ‘gram seemingly a walkthrough of a room in various shades of cameo and a breathy description of a pickled mango dirty martini. Flame and chili emojis naturally followed.

Even if you have been sheltering under a half coconut husk for the last year, we’ll spare you the usual spiel about Kolae being from the same team as critically acclaimed Som Saa. We’ll only briefly mention this time the cooking method that gives the restaurant its name – that is, a style of grilling popular in Southern Thailand that sees skewers marinated in a thick coconut cream curry before meeting the coals. At Kolae, this is most often used on mussels, chicken and squash, that marinade catching and caramelising to a gorgeous, irregular rust. Squeeze on some calamansi and get messy.

But really, it’s not just the eponymous, headlining dish you should be focusing your order on. More than anything, Kolae is a celebration of coconut milk. Not the UHT, uncrackable stuff, mind. Rather, the freshly pressed variety, which Kolae do each and every day, its luscious sweetness unmatched. Luxuriate in that coconut cream in a fragrant, turmeric heavy curry of prawns and cumin leaf, pungent from shrimp paste and fruity-sharp from heaps of pounded mouse shit chillies in the paste. 

Images via @kolae_london

Of course, a complete Thai table is also a balanced one, so temper those richer notes with something piquant and perky, the sour curry of grey mullet being just the guy for the job. It’s acidic not only in its use of both lime and tamarind as souring agents, but also in that it’s spicy to the point of hallucinations, just as it should be. Freshly steamed jasmine rice should be flowing by now.

You’ll want to be doing all this tripping with a view of the action; Kolae’s open kitchen throbs with activity, with pestles pounding and wok flames licking the ceiling. Pull up a pew on stools that look so much like Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Buttons (you might want to see a doctor about that) that it’s distracting, and relish the onslaught of deeply nuanced, deeply delicious flavour that’s to come.

Testament to the class (and value) on display here, Kolae was this week awarded by Michelin with a Bib Gourmand award.

Website: kolae.com

Address: 6 Park St, London SE1 9AB 

Som Saa, Shoreditch *temporarily closed – due to reopen on 11th November*

Ideal for that crispy sea bass…

It’s a well-trodden path to restaurant success – earn fans through supper clubs and pop-ups before crowd-funding your way into permanent premises, but Som Saa did this well-trodden path in some style. £700’000 was pledged by friends, fans and financers and a place on a busy, East London street secured, all on the back of some superbly grilled chicken, pounded-to-order som tam salads, vibrant laap and other assertive dishes largely (but not exclusively) from Thailand’s north.

It’s no wonder this place is so confident in their delivery; the two chef/founders were schooled by Thai food deity David Thompson, and it shows. Flavours are bold but balanced, ingredients well-sourced, and spice levels prevalent and assertive.

Arrive early and enjoy a drink at the bar with some of Som Saa’s excellent snacks; we’re absolute suckers for their naem (grilled fermented pork served with ginger and peanuts) and would happily come here only for a few plates of it. 

That said, to do so would be to miss out on the restaurant’s iconic deep fried seabass with herbs and roasted rice powder, which has never left the menu due to its enduring popularity. It’s easy to see why; it’s delicious.

*Unfortunately, after a fire at the restaurant in early May, Som Saa is currently (but temporarily) closed. It has just been announced that they are due to reopen 11th November – excellent news!*

Website: somsaa.com

Address: 43A Commercial St, London E1 6BD

Smoking Goat, Shoreditch

Ideal for raucous, ramshackle Thai drinking food…

We’ve been huge fans of Smoking Goat since its raucous, ramshackle days on Brewer Street, Soho. Rest assured; since the Thai barbeque restaurant’s move to Shoreditch, the vibe remains rowdy, the chill levels still Scoville baiting, and the aroma of smoke even more pervasive, in the best possible way of course.

This is food designed to reinvigorate. Though the fish sauce chicken wings have gained deserved cult status, and their Tamworth pork chop with spicy jaew dipping sauce is a real crowd pleaser, it’s the restaurant’s work with the offal which keeps us coming back.

With liver, heart and kidney featuring heavily in various laap, you could go to the Goat and dine very well on these intoxicating Laotian/Thai salads alone. With several rounds of sticky rice, a som tam salad and a couple of cold ones, it’s the ideal meal, any time of day in the city.

The food here is ultimately excellent Thai drinking food. As such, the drinks and cocktail list at Smoking Goat is thoughtfully curated to complement. Order a ‘Tray of Joy’ which features globetrotting, esoteric liquors including a a Coco Leaf Liqueur from Amsterdam, a watermelon Liqueur from Serra Di Conti and, of course, Mekhong from Bangkok.

Website: smokinggoatbar.com

Address: 64 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JJ

Read: Where to eat near Shoreditch High Street Station

Kiln, Soho

Ideal for a celebration of the best of British ingredients, told through a Thai lens…

The second restaurant from the aforementioned Ben Chapman, Kiln is quite the spectacle, with bar seating overlooking flames, coals and clay pots. The vibe transports you right out of central London and to somewhere altogether hotter and more rustic. 

The restaurant works proudly with a close clutch of suppliers, with fish sourced directly, daily, from fishing boats in Cornwall and heritage vegetables earning equal billing on the menu to protein. During game season, that menu comes alive with jungle curries of wood pigeon or wild mallard and minced laab salads of raw venison (whose season begins in April through October, incidentally).

But even better, and on more consistently throughout the year, is cull yaw, a type of mutton from retired female ewes that has been fattened with high degrees of welfare in mind. The meat has an incredible depth of flavour, and has been making appearances on the menu of several acclaimed London restaurants in recent years. At Kiln, it’s often served as a collar chop accompanied by a spicy dipping sauce, or in grilled skewers with a little sprinkle of cumin. Just so damn delicious.

Website: kilnsoho.com

Address: 58 Brewer St, London W1F 9TL

Speedboat Bar, Chinatown

Ideal for a taste of one of Bangkok’s most iconic dishes…

This neon-lit gem, which opened its doors in September 2022, is the brainchild of talented, Thai-food obsessed British chef Luke Farrell, who has been exploring the cuisine of the Kingdom for years while bouncing between Dorset, London and Thailand.

His first restaurant, Plaza Khao Gaeng (you’ll recognise that one from a few paragraphs prior) which opened in collaboration with the increasingly omnipresent JKS, was an instant smash, garnering rave reviews from basically all the national newspaper critics soon after its opening in spring of 2022. 

Farrell’s second, Speedboat Bar, followed later in the year, and it’s safe to say that his ode to Bangkok’s Chinatown has hit the ground running. Or, rather, hit the river speeding…

Speedboat Bar takes its inspiration from the flashing lights of Bangkok’s Chinatown and the thrilling sport of speedboat racing along the canals (klongs) of the city. The two-story restaurant’s main dining areas features a utilitarian, stainless steel design reminiscent of a Thai-Chinese shophouse, while the upstairs clubhouse bar is adorned with signed portraits of speed boat racers and blasts of Thai pop, turbo folk, and molam music through the speakers. It’s almost impossible not to neck a few jelly bias while you’re up there – be warned.

With many of the native Thai ingredients and herbs used in the dishes cultivated and grown at Farrell’s Dorset nursery, Ryewater, there’s an veracity to the flavours here, whether that’s in the chicken matchsticks (essentially chicken wings halved lengthways) with a pert tangle of shredded green mango salad, or the clams stir fried in nahm prik pao, a staple dish of Bangkok Chinatown institutions like the imitable TK Seafood.

The signature here is a tribute to the iconic Jeh O Chula, which sits on the outskirts of Yarowat, and, more specifically, her legendary Tom Yam Mama Noodles. Having eaten the original more times than we’d care to confess in print, we can honestly say that Speedboat’s version is up there, on a par.

Save space for the pineapple filled pie which is a nod to the Ezy Bake pies that you can get from 7/11s across Thailand. Be warned; these flaky babies sell out, so get your order in at the beginning of the meal if you’ve got a sweeth tooth.

Basically, if you don’t have the time to take a plane to Thailand in the coming months, Speedboat Bar is arguably the next best thing this side of the Chao Phraya. 

Website: speedboatbar.co.uk

Address: 30 Rupert St, London W1D 6DL, United Kingdom

101 Thai Kitchen, Hammersmith

Sitting pretty behind a vivid pink façade in Hammersmith, 101 Thai Kitchen stands out as one of London’s most faithful purveyors of regional Thai cuisine. Specialising in dishes from Isaan, the northeastern region known for its bold use of spice and fermentation, and Southern Thailand, famed for its coconut cream and seafood numbers, this King Street stalwart offers an experience that’s notably different from the capital’s more mainstream Thai establishments.

The dining room, though modest, creates an immersive atmosphere with portraits of Thai nobility adorning the walls, a small television quietly broadcasting Thai cookery programmes, and Thai aunties gossiping on the table closest to the kitchen every time we’ve visited. It’s lovely, and a setting that puts the focus squarely where it belongs: on the food.

The menu is extensive and uncompromising in its authenticity. Their Isaan sausage (£8), fermented onsite so the chefs can monitor when the pork reaches a perfect tang, delivers a a lip smacking sour-saltiness that exemplifies the region’s distinctive flavour profile. 

The tom sab, a hot and sour tamarind-based broth with pork ribs (£12), demonstrates the kitchen’s masterful handling of bruising but somehow still balanced spicing. It’s a dish we’ve eaten many times in actual Isaan, and is a great version of a classic here. Sending diners to the other end of the country, 101’s interpretation of Hat Yai fried chicken (playfully dubbed ‘HFC’) comes garnished with crispy fried shallots and plenty of crunch, and is excellent with a few bottles of imported Chang.

The som tum (papaya salad) section alone offers seven variations, including the traditional som tum Thai with dried shrimp and peanuts, and the more pungent – and infinitely more delicious! – tum pu plaa raa with salted crab (all £12). Some more esoteric Southern Thai specialities are also present and most welcome on the dinner table spread – the gaeng tai plaa, a spicy, herbacious curry made with fermented fish guts, is a highlight.

101’s drinks menu is thoughtfully curated, featuring a solid wine list with bottles ranging from £22 to £40, including options like the Shucker’s Shack Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand (£9 for 175ml, £35 bottle). Traditional Thai refreshments include iced tea, pink milk, and various herbal drinks. The restaurant also sports an impressive gin selection, and there’s Chang beer too, for those seeking something more casual. Which, in this spot, you probably should be.

Beyond the à la carte offerings, a blackboard of daily specials; though not at the Singburi level of intrigue, it rewards return visits. Despite its relatively peripheral location, 101 Thai Kitchen has established itself as an essential destination for anyone serious about exploring the true breadth and depth of Thai cuisine in London.

Website: 101thaikitchen.uk

Address: 352 King St, London W6 0RX

Farang, Highbury

Ideal for comforting, invigorating Thai food in North London…

Thai food in the capital is now so popular that the usual explanatory diatribe seems unnecessary; you probably know farang means foreigner, dishes are designed to be shared, everything revolves around rice, the food of the country is hugely different from region to region……

But just because we’re all now so well versed in the vernacular, it shouldn’t overshadow just how splendid the cooking is at Farang. Their gai prik – deep fried chicken wings with a sweet fish sauce glaze – are simply divine, and the larger, sharing curries, cooked low and slow, consistently pack a huge punch of depth and verve, whilst remaining resolutely comforting.

Just make sure you order a side of turmeric and roasted garlic butter roti to mop up all the sauce! Bliss.

Website: faranglondon.co.uk

Address: 72 Highbury Park, London N5 2XE

Begging Bowl, Peckham

Ideal for gorgeous plates of zest and fire…

Located on Peckham’s foodie strip Bellenden Road, the Begging Bowl uses Thai street food to form gorgeous small plates of zest and fire. The building is beautiful and airy, adding to the buzz this place generates even on a weeknight.

On the menu, dishes boast real clarity and punch, with excellent sourcing evident in the precision of flavour. The jasmine rice, so fragrant and nourishing, is limitless. A real treat.

Website: thebeggingbowl.co.uk

Address: 168 Bellenden Rd, London SE15 4BW

Next up, with the chilli heat still dancing on our tongues, here’s where to eat the spiciest food in London.

How To Host Your Own Traitors Party

Editorial Team
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How To Host Your Own Traitors Party

The Traitors has become appointment television for millions, and it’s no surprise that fans are clamouring to recreate the show’s gothic atmosphere and nail-biting tension for themselves. Whether you’re planning a celebration with friends or organising a memorable corporate event, hosting your own Traitors-themed party delivers drama, laughter, and unforgettable moments of betrayal. Here’s how to pull it off.

Set The Scene

Atmosphere is everything when it comes to The Traitors. Transform your space with moody lighting – think candles, dimmed lamps, and strategic spotlights to create shadows. A dark colour palette of deep reds, blacks, and golds will evoke the show’s Scottish castle aesthetic. 

If you’re going all-out, consider hiring period furniture or draping fabrics to create that Gothic grandeur. Background music should be suitably ominous – think classical strings with a sinister edge.

Dress Code: Cloaks & Formality

Encourage party guests to embrace the drama with formal attire. Long dresses, sharp suits, and – crucially – cloaks for the Traitors themselves will help everyone get into character. You might even create custom name badges or place cards to assign roles before guests arrive, building anticipation from the moment they receive their invitation.

The Game Mechanics

The heart of any Traitors party is the game itself. You’ll need to secretly assign roles (Traitors and Faithfuls) at the start. Traitors should meet privately to coordinate their ‘murders’, whilst Faithfuls must work together to identify the traitors amongst them. 

Structure your evening around rounds: missions or challenges where players can earn immunity or advantages, followed by dramatic roundtable discussions where accusations fly and banishments are decided by group vote.

For those seeking a polished experience, professional murder mystery hosts can elevate your party significantly. These experienced facilitators manage the game flow, maintain tension, and ensure everyone stays engaged – particularly valuable for larger groups or corporate events where you want guaranteed entertainment value.

Food & Drink: Keep It Atmospheric

Lean into the show’s Scottish setting with your catering. A whisky bar, Scottish cheeses, smoked salmon, and shortbread make thematic sense whilst remaining crowd-pleasers. For a dramatic touch, serve drinks in vintage glassware and present food on slate or wooden boards. 

Consider naming cocktails after the show – ‘The Faithful’, ‘The Murder’, or ‘The Banishment’ all work brilliantly.

Read: 15 incredible (and surprising) whisky and food pairings

The Roundtable Moment

If there’s one element worth investing time in, it’s your roundtable setup. A large circular or oval table is ideal, allowing everyone to see each other during those crucial accusation moments. Elevated seating, dramatic lighting focused on the centre, and a bell or gavel for ceremonial moments will amplify the tension. This is where your party transforms from a gathering into genuine theatre.

Consider Professional Help

Whilst ambitious hosts can certainly DIY their Traitors experience, many are turning to professional party planning platforms to handle the logistics. Services like Poptop UK offer fully immersive Traitors-themed experiences complete with actors, props, and structured gameplay – particularly appealing for corporate events or milestone celebrations where you want to be a participant rather than the organiser.

The Corporate Angle

Traitors parties have proven especially popular in corporate settings, where companies are seeking engaging alternatives to traditional team-building. The game naturally encourages communication, strategic thinking, and collaboration – whilst remaining thoroughly entertaining.

 For dispersed teams working remotely, a Traitors-themed event provides a genuine reason to gather in person and forge stronger connections through shared experience.

The Bottom Line

Hosting a Traitors party requires commitment to atmosphere and careful game management, but the payoff is worth it. 

Whether you’re orchestrating everything yourself or bringing in professional help, the combination of strategy, social deduction, and theatrical drama creates an event your guests will talk about long after the final banishment. In a world of forgettable gatherings, a well-executed Traitors party offers something genuinely memorable – and deliciously treacherous.

The Best Restaurants In Camberwell

THE IDEAL FOOD TEAM
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The Best Restaurants In Camberwell

Camberwell has never been the easiest place to get to. No tube station, buses that seem to take the scenic route, and a general sense of being just off the beaten track. But that’s part of its charm, and today this corner of south London has become one of the capital’s most exciting places to eat. Time Out recently named it one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world, and once you’ve experienced the Camberwell Church Street dining scene (affectionately dubbed the ‘Camberwell Riviera’ by the same magazine), you’ll understand why.

The presence of Camberwell College of Arts means there’s a creative energy here that’s reflected in the food: bold, experimental yet (at its best, anyway) decidedly unpretentious. From hand-pulled Xinjiang noodles to British gastropub classics, Kurdish kebabs to Ethiopian feasts, Camberwell’s restaurant landscape is refreshingly diverse. Here are the best restaurants in Camberwell.

Zeret Kitchen

Ideal for sharing enormous platters of Ethiopian food with friends…

Zeret Kitchen serves Ethiopian food the way it’s meant to be eaten: in large groups, from shared platters, using torn pieces of injera – floppy and featherweight – to scoop up various stews, relishes and sauces. The spongy sourdough flatbread has the right texture and that distinctive sour tang from fermentation, thin enough to be pliable but with enough structure to hold the food. The food here is beautifully traditional, bright, and distinct, and it’s all carried forward in handfuls of that wonderful injera.

The stews themselves are beautifully balanced. The misir wot, a red lentil dish with berbere spice, brings warmth without overwhelming heat. The doro wot features chicken that’s been simmered in a rich, complex sauce built with layers of flavour. Everyone’s hands get messy, everyone reaches across the table, and the shared format creates an instant sense of both occasion and connection.

Ideal Tip: Order the Zeret surprise – a sharing platter for two which features a good array of must-try dishes.

Website: zeretkitchen.co.uk

Address: 216-218 Camberwell Road, London SE5 0ED

The Camberwell Arms

Ideal for reminding yourself why British gastropubs are having such a moment…

The Camberwell Arms is a gastropub in the best sense of the increasingly over-used term: serious cooking happens here, but the atmosphere stays relaxed and the pretension stays at zero. The menu shifts with the seasons, though certain dishes have become fixtures because locals won’t let them go.

The scotch bonnet pork fat on toast is both Insta and, you know, dining room-famous, delivering exactly what it promises: rich, porky, spicy, and completely satisfying on a thick slice of good bread. It makes you wonder why more places don’t serve food this direct and objectively delicious.

Everything here is cooked with care and confidence. Fish gets treated with respect (a recent barbecued whole brill with Bearnaise was a showstopper), meat gets cooked to the right temperature (the Sunday lunch beef and bone marrow sharing pie is as good as it gets), and vegetables actually taste of themselves, the ground, and their careful seasoning.

The room buzzes with conversation, the wine list offers plenty by the glass, and the beer’s kept well. Don’t overlook the cocktail menu here – on a previous visit, a horseradish gibson delivered a real kick, which was just what we needed on a particularly grim Sunday hangover, quite frankly. They do a mean martini too. What more could you want?

Book ahead, especially for weekends when the whole of London seems to descend. It’s one of the finest meals you’ll get in the whole of London, let alone just in Camberwell.

Website: thecamberwellarms.co.uk

Address: 65 Camberwell Church Street, London SE5 8TR

FM Mangal

Ideal for outstanding Turkish grilling…

FM Mangal sits directly across from the Camberwell Arms and has built its reputation on quality Turkish cooking with a focus on the charcoal grill – just as it should be. Unsurprisingly, then, the grilled meats are excellent, as you’d expect from a mangal, but there’s one item that’s become even more legendary among regulars.

That is the FM special onion dip. Here, complimentary flatbread is painted with spices and MSG, and comes to the table warm with a bowl of charred onions swimming in pomegranate molasses. It’s an incredible combination of sweet, savoury, smoky and umami that sets the tone for everything that follows. If you only order one starter, make it this.

The lamb dishes showcase meat that’s been marinated and grilled with real skill. Everything has that charcoal char and the kind of dusty, gently rasping seasoning that makes you immediately reach for another bite. The Adana kebab – fatty minced lamb that’s been hit with what initially feels like too much salt but quickly becomes addictive – is our go-to here.

Service has that inimitable Turkish hospitality where you’re made to feel looked after from the moment you walk in. It gets busy on weekends, so advance booking is sensible.

Website: fmmangal.co.uk

Address: 54 Camberwell Church Street, London SE5 8QZ

Cafe Mondo

Ideal for sandwiches during the day and something more interesting at night…

An absolute stalwart of TikTok, you’d think that Cafe Mondo only existed in reel form. But it’s here, it’s genuine, and it’s actually damn good.

The place shifts identity as the day progresses. During daylight hours, it’s all about the sandwich operation: quality ingredients between bread, coffee that’s been made with care, and a steady stream of locals popping in for lunch. The fish finger sandwich has rightly earned its reputation. It’s not trying to be clever or deconstructed; it’s just a very good version of exactly what it claims to be. Sadly, it was recently, unceremoniously culled from the menu, but we’ve got our fishfingers crossed for its return.

Come evening on Thursday to Saturday, the place becomes something more like a neighbourhood bar that happens to serve excellent food. The patty melt is outstanding: two thin beef patties, melted cheese, caramelised onions, all pressed between buttered, griddled bread until everything melds together. The MSG martini is exactly as described and unsurprisingly delicious. There are mini martinis for the indecisive, Murphy’s on tap, and Bailey’s slushies for those feeling bold or simply hot.

The whole operation has a relaxed confidence that comes from knowing what they’re doing, and it actually lives up to the hype, which is a mean feat in and of itself.

Instagram: @cafe_mondo_se5

Address: 42 Peckham Road, London SE5 8PX

Silk Road

Ideal for experiencing fine Xinjiang cooking from one of London’s most cult restaurants…

When Silk Road closed briefly in 2023, Camberwell’s denizens were worried. That worry was assuaged in early 2024, when it finally reopened just down the road on the same ol’ Church Street, with a refreshed space but the same commitment to Xinjiang cuisine that’s made it a south London favourite for years.

The hand-pulled noodles are mesmerising to watch being made: the dough gets stretched, folded, stretched again, slapped against the work surface, then suddenly you’ve got dozens of strands ready for the pot. Once cooked, they have a bouncy, substantial texture that cheap machine-made noodles can’t touch. There’s something about that slapping sound that turns us into Pavlov’s dog, to be quite honest…

But the real signature dishes here are the dapanji (big plate chicken) and the lamb ribs. The dapanji features tender chicken pieces in a sauce rich with Sichuan peppercorns and dried chillies, served over thick belt noodles or potatoes. The lamb ribs come heavily spiced with cumin and chilli, fatty in the best way, and charred from the grill.

The lamb shish skewers off the charcoal grill are equally essential, well-seasoned and generous. Order a mix of dishes, get some noodles, maybe add some dumplings, and you’ve got a feast that’ll cost much less than you were braced for, helped, of course, by the fact it’s BYOB.

Address: 47 Camberwell Church Street, London SE5 8TR

Nandine

Ideal for Kurdish home cooking that feels warm and welcoming…

Pary Baban runs two Kurdish restaurants in Camberwell, with the Church Street Nandine site offering the full evening experience (the Vestry Road, coffee-focused outpost is temporarily closed). The cooking draws on Pary’s experiences travelling through Kurdistan after being displaced in the 1990s, and the food has the confidence that comes from deep knowledge of a cuisine.

The Kurdish dumplings are unlike any dumpling experience you’ve likely had elsewhere. Kubba feature a crispy rice exterior wrapped around spiced mutton, whilst tirshak sit in a spinach, tomato and split chickpea broth, topped with fried leek and garlic aioli. Both demonstrate real technical skill and deliver comfort in different ways. We could eat the tirshak every day, ad infinitum and never get bored.

For larger plates, the chicken shish at £21 is generously portioned: charcoal-grilled, seven-spiced chicken skewers, served over flatbread with blackened vegetables alongside. It’s a whole meal, and is strikingly good value when you see the size.

Staff are helpful in explaining dishes; they tend to recommend you order either one kebab and one small plate per person, or go for two to three small plates. There are cocktails with Kurdish influences, some interesting wines from Lebanon, Turkey and beyond, and plenty for vegetarians and vegans to savour.

Website: nandine.co.uk

Address: 45 Camberwell Church Street, London SE5 8TR (also at Vestry Road)

Theo’s Pizzeria

Ideal for Neapolitan pizza done right…

Theo’s Pizzeria is run by Theo Lewis, who previously honed his skills at Pizza East, the popular Shoreditch pizzeria whose cornicione game is unmatched in the capital. 

The pizzas at Theo’s demonstrate exactly the kind of skill and attention you’d hope for, with all the classic Neapolitan markers: blistered, leopard-spotted crusts with a dinghy for a crust, high-quality toppings that don’t overwhelm, and that balance between chew and crispness that only comes from good dough handling and a very hot oven.

But here’s the move: come at lunchtime and order a panuozzo. These filled pizza dough sandwiches cost just £6.50 and are incredibly satisfying, basically giving you all the pleasure of pizza in a handheld format. They’re stuffed with quality Italian ingredients and grilled until everything’s molten and unified. There’s no better lunch in the immediate orbit of Theo’s, which is actually saying something when you consider just how stacked Camberwell’s restaurant scene is.

If you’re settling in for the evening, don’t sleep on the burrata and mortadella sharing plate, which comes with crescentine, those little fried dough pieces that seem designed only for scooping up creamy burrata. A couple of beers facilitated by charming Danny out front seal the deal.

Website: theospizzeria.com

Address: 2 Grove Lane, London SE5 8SY

Read: The best pizzas in London for 2025

Falafel & Shawarma

Ideal for when you need good, cheap food quickly…

Every neighbourhood deemed one of the world’s 39 coolest needs a reliable spot for inexpensive, ultra-gratifying food, and in Camberwell it’s Falafel & Shawarma. The operation is straightforward: falafel and shawarma, a little mezze and a few fruit juices, done well, without fuss.

The falafel has a pitch-perfect crust-to-interior ratio, staying crisp on the outside whilst remaining light and fluffy inside. It comes in flatbread with plenty of salad, pickles, and tahini. You can add extras like spicy potato or aubergine to bulk things up. Standard wraps start under a fiver, with larger options and mezze platters reaching the lofty heights of £7.50.

The shawarma is equally good; well-seasoned grilled chicken packed into a wrap with generous accompaniments. Nothing here is trying to reinvent the wheel – it’s just executing the fundamentals with clarity, consistency and a deft touch with the spices. Sometimes – quite often, in fact – it’s all you need.

If you want to sit and eat rather than grab and go, the mezze plate option gives you a spread of dips, falafel, salad, pickles and bread for not much more money. The space itself is basic, but that’s fine. Sometimes the best restaurants are the ones that know exactly what they are. Because who needs some gold-plate cutlery, brass plates and ornate glassware to enjoy a gold-standard falafel wrap and some mint lemonade, anyway?

Website: falafel-shawarma-london.res-menu.com

Address: 27 Camberwell Church Street, London SE5 8TR

Gladwell’s Deli & Grocery

Ideal for coffee, lunch, and then a pleasant time admiring the fresh produce…

Gladwell’s is technically a greengrocer, deli, butcher and bakery rather than a restaurant, but you can eat exceptionally well here so it deserves inclusion. The morning sees laptop workers and book readers settling in with excellent coffee and pastries. By lunchtime, the focaccia sandwiches and daily soups draw a different crowd.

The produce on display is genuinely beautiful. You find yourself genuinely admiring vegetables, thinking about seasonal cooking, and building elaborate fantasy dinner party menus that may never materialise. The focaccia sandwiches use those ingredients from the deli counter and are substantially filled. Soups change based on what’s in season and are consistently hearty and well-made. The big wooden tables create a communal dining area that has a lovely continental feel, and the flat whites are taken seriously. It all feels so right.

But the real pleasure of Gladwell’s is the browsing. The shelves hold interesting bottles, unusual ingredients, and the kind of deli staples that make you want to cook something ambitious. It’s a place that encourages you to think more carefully about what you’re eating and where it comes from.

Website: gladwells.co.uk

Address: 2 Camberwell Church Street, London SE5 8QU

Lao Dao

Ideal for Xinjiang food as good as you’ll find anywhere in London…

Lao Dao opened in 2024, run by Tim who spent years working at Silk Road. He’s brought that same approach to Xinjiang cuisine but with his own perspective sprinkled over things for good measure. The restaurant has been getting steadily busier as word spreads, but it hasn’t yet reached the point where booking far in advance is mandatory.

The cooking is bold and intensely flavoured, showcasing the distinctive spice profiles of the region. Lamb ribs come coated in a spice mix that makes you immediately reach for cold beer, specifically Tsingtao, which is kept ice-cold and pairs brilliantly with the rich, spiced meat. The hand-made noodle dishes show the same expertise you’d expect from someone trained at Silk Road, with excellent texture and generous portions.

Nothing here is precious or over-refined. Regional cooking executed with skill and integrity, the kind of food that satisfies deeply without needing to be fancy about it. The place won’t stay under the radar forever, so get there whilst booking is still relatively easy.

Website: lao-dao.com

Address: 305 Walworth Road, London SE17 2TG

We’re heading north east now, to a neighbourhood we think is even cooler. Check out our guide to the best restaurants in Clapton next.

8 Of The Best Things To Do In The Blue Mountains, Australia

Editorial Team
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8 Of The Best Things To Do In The Blue Mountains, Australia

One hour west of Sydney, the temperature drops, the air clears, and that distinctive blue haze begins to settle over sandstone cliffs and endless eucalypt forests. The Blue Mountains – named for the ethereal azure mist created by eucalyptus oil dispersing in sunlight – pack genuine wilderness into a remarkably accessible package just 90 minutes from the city.

With over a million hectares of UNESCO World Heritage-listed national park, 140 kilometres of marked trails, and landscapes carved over 250 million years, the region caters brilliantly to adventure seekers and nature lovers alike. The area is home to 96 eucalypt species – representing 13 per cent of all eucalypt species worldwide – alongside rare evolutionary relicts like the Wollemi pine, a ‘living fossil’ discovered in 1994 that dates back to the age of dinosaurs. Whether you fancy a day trip or week-long exploration, here are 8 of the best things to do in the Blue Mountains.

Marvel At The Three Sisters From Echo Point

Let’s address the elephant – or rather, the rock formation – in the room first. The Three Sisters at Echo Point is the most recognisable sight in the entire region, and whilst it can get crowded (especially on sunny weekends), the views genuinely justify the hype.

These towering sandstone pillars hold deep significance for the local Aboriginal community, with a Dreamtime story telling how three sisters were turned to stone to protect them from danger. The lookout offers spectacular views across both the Jamison Valley and this unique rock structure, particularly stunning at sunrise and sunset when the changing light paints the cliffs in golds and purples.

From Echo Point, you can tackle the Giant Stairway – a challenging descent of 998 steps carved into the cliff face that takes you right to the base of the Three Sisters and into the valley below. Fair warning: what goes down must come back up, and those steps feel considerably steeper on the return journey.

Photo by Stephen Tafra on Unsplash

Explore Scenic World’s Unique Attractions

For those seeking a different perspective without the hard yakka, Scenic World offers various ways to experience the landscape that even hiking purists might appreciate. The Scenic Railway, billed as the steepest passenger railway in the world, descends 310 metres through a cliff-side tunnel into the ancient rainforest. It’s genuinely thrilling.

The Scenic Skyway glides 270 metres above the valley floor, offering panoramic views of the Three Sisters, Katoomba Falls, and Mount Solitary. For those who fancy combining perspectives, the Scenic Walkway provides an elevated boardwalk experience through the rainforest canopy before you ascend via the Cableway. Whilst these attractions require paid entry, they make the Blue Mountains accessible to visitors of all abilities and provide perspectives you simply can’t get from ground level.

Hike The Grand Canyon Track

Near Blackheath, the Grand Canyon Track delivers one of the Blue Mountains’ most spectacular walks. This 6.3-kilometre loop takes you deep into a narrow canyon where massive sandstone walls tower overhead, creating a cathedral-like atmosphere enhanced by lush ferns, golden wattles, and trickling creeks.

The track features numerous semi-ledges and rocky sections, but it’s one of the few canyon walks that doesn’t require specialist equipment or technical skills. Starting from Evans Lookout, you’ll descend into cool, moist rainforest where the temperature drops noticeably and the soundscape shifts to bird calls and running water. The recently renovated sections make navigation straightforward, though the steep portions at the beginning and end remind you this is proper bushwalking territory.

Allow around four hours for the full circuit, and consider the walk more magical after rain when waterfalls are flowing and the ferns glisten.

Photo by Addisen King on Unsplash

Discover Wentworth Falls

Wentworth Falls village might be quieter than Katoomba, but it punches well above its weight for natural spectacle. The eponymous waterfall plunges 300 metres in stages, and several excellent walks let you experience it from multiple angles.

The Wentworth Pass Loop is particularly rewarding, taking you via a series of lookouts to Fletcher’s Lookout where the full majesty of the falls becomes apparent. You can descend further to the Valley of the Waters, where a series of smaller cascades and swimming holes await (the water is bracingly cold year-round). The track passes beneath the falls themselves – bring a jacket, as the spray can be substantial.

For those wanting to combine walks, the National Pass historically offered an incredible cliff-edge route carved into the rock face. 

wentworth falls
Photo by Dalal on Unsplash

Experience Aboriginal Culture At Red Hands Cave

The Blue Mountains hold profound significance for Aboriginal peoples, with six groups having connection to this Country. Near Glenbrook, Red Hands Cave features one of the finest displays of Aboriginal hand stencils anywhere in the region – some dating back up to 1,600 years.

The two-hour return walk from the car park takes you through open forest before arriving at a rock overhang where dozens of ochre handprints cover the walls. These aren’t just historical curiosities; they represent a living connection to tens of thousands of years of Aboriginal occupation. The gallery includes both adult and children’s hands, offering a poignant reminder of the families who sheltered here.

Please don’t touch the artwork or use flash photography, as both can damage these irreplaceable cultural treasures. If you fancy a swim after your cultural immersion, the Blue Pool and Jellybean Pool are both accessible via short detours from the main track, offering refreshing spots to cool off after exploring this fascinating outdoor discovery.

Venture Into Jenolan Caves

Approximately 90 minutes drive from Katoomba (and worth every minute), the Jenolan Caves represent one of the world’s oldest and most impressive limestone cave systems – around 340 million years old, in fact.

The honeycomb network of caverns features spectacular stalactites, stalagmites, underground rivers, and unique rock formations created over eons. Guided tours range from gentle walks through lit passages to more adventurous cave climbing in lesser-known sections. The Temple of Baal cave tour is particularly impressive, whilst the Orient Cave offers stunning crystalline formations.

Above ground, don’t miss the Jenolan River Walk – a pleasant family-friendly trail through the forest with small waterfalls and a suspension bridge. The bright turquoise waters of the Blue Lake are worth the short detour, and Carlotta Arch at the walk’s end provides excellent photo opportunities. 

For those wanting expert guidance on experiencing both the caves and the broader region’s geological wonders, nature-inspired Blue Mountains exploration tours can provide comprehensive itineraries with insider knowledge about the area’s natural and Aboriginal history.

Jenolan Caves
Photo by Dean McQuade on Unsplash

Take The Six Foot Track

For those seeking a proper multi-day adventure, the Six Foot Track is one of Australia’s classic bushwalks. This 42-kilometre route follows an 1884 horse track (built wide enough for horse-drawn vehicles – hence the name) from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves.

The three-day journey descends into Megalong Valley, passes through eucalypt forests and open farmland, crosses rivers, and climbs through varied terrain that showcases the Blue Mountains’ diversity. You’ll need to arrange camping equipment and transport (unless you fancy walking back), but the sense of genuine wilderness immersion is unmatched.

Several companies offer supported walks with gear transport and meals if you prefer a guided experience. The track attracts a steady stream of walkers year-round, though spring and autumn offer the most pleasant temperatures for sustained hiking.

Explore Blackheath & Govetts Leap

Often overlooked in favour of Katoomba and Leura, Blackheath deserves serious attention. The town sits higher and cooler than its neighbours, with excellent access to some of the most dramatic lookouts and walks in the entire region.

Govetts Leap lookout offers sweeping views over Grose Valley and the 180-metre Bridal Veil Falls. The Blue Mountains Heritage Centre nearby provides excellent exhibitions on the area’s World Heritage status, geology, and Aboriginal significance – well worth a visit before you hit the trails.

From Govetts Leap, both the Cliff Top Trail and Pulpit Rock Walking Track showcase the valley’s grandeur with relatively gentle gradients. For something more challenging, the descent into the Grose Valley via Rodriguez Pass takes you into genuine wilderness where you might not see another soul all day – the kind of free outdoor experience in spectacular natural settings that makes travel genuinely rewarding.

Blackheath’s dining scene has developed a reputation that rivals anywhere in the mountains. After a long day’s walking, settling into one of the town’s quality restaurants feels genuinely earned.

The Bottom Line

The Blue Mountains deliver that rare combination of spectacular natural beauty and genuine accessibility. Whether you’re scrambling down the Giant Stairway, contemplating ancient Aboriginal art, marvelling at 340-million-year-old caves, or simply soaking in panoramic views from a clifftop lookout, this UNESCO World Heritage Area offers experiences that linger long after you’ve returned to sea level.

The eucalyptus-scented air, that distinctive blue haze, the sense of ancient geological time – it all combines to create something genuinely special just 90 minutes from Australia’s largest city. 

With proper preparation, respect for the environment, and perhaps some expert local guidance, the Blue Mountains offer an escape into wilderness that feels almost impossibly close to Sydney. Pack your walking boots, charge your camera, and discover why this corner of New South Wales has captured imaginations for generations with its natural wonders.

11 Ways To Save Money On Wedding Catering

Editorial Team
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11 Ways To Save Money On Wedding Catering

Weddings seem to exist in a parallel economy where normal rules don’t apply. A cake that would cost £30 in a bakery suddenly costs £600 because you’ve added the word “wedding” to it. 

Wedding catering can devour nearly half your entire budget if you’re not careful. But feeding your guests matters. Nobody wants their wedding to be remembered as “that one where we left to get chips on the way home.” The trick is serving something memorable without remortgaging your future.

The wedding industry knows ceremonies command premium pricing. However, you’ve got more negotiating power than you realise. So here, with the weary authority of an editorial team who’s attended seventeen weddings in the last two years between us, and who have strong opinions about vol-au-vents, are ten ways to keep your catering costs sane.

Limit Your Menu Choices

The more options you offer, the more it costs. Not just in ingredients, but in preparation time, staff coordination, and logistical complexity for the caterer. When you request three starter options, three main courses, and four desserts, you’re asking them to run multiple kitchens simultaneously. That complexity gets passed straight to your invoice.

The sweet spot is one starter (two at most), one main with a vegetarian alternative, and one dessert. Your guests won’t feel shortchanged. Nobody has ever left a wedding thinking ‘if only there’d been another starter option’. They’re there for the celebration, the atmosphere, and the company.

Limiting choices also means less food waste. When guests pick from five mains, the caterer must prepare a bit of everything. Half often ends up binned. A streamlined menu lets your caterer focus on quality over quantity. One brilliant dish beats five mediocre ones every time.

wedding menu

Go Seasonal With Your Ingredients

Asparagus in December costs triple the price. Strawberries in February require both deep pockets and a willingness to overlook their disappointing flavour. Seasonal ingredients aren’t just cheaper – they actually taste like themselves as they haven’t been flown halfway round the world or stored in warehouses for months to ripen. 

Spring weddings should feature lamb, new potatoes, and fresh greens. Summer means berries, salads, and lighter fare. Autumn brings game, root vegetables, and rich flavours. Winter calls for roasted meats and comfort food.

Most caterers will light up if you ask what’s in season. It simplifies their job and the food genuinely shines. You’re working with nature rather than fighting it. There’s something quietly satisfying about a menu that reflects its moment – a winter wedding serving an eton mess feels like someone didn’t think things through.

Consider Buffet-Style Service

Plated service looks elegant, certainly. But it requires more waitstaff, more precise timing, and more complexity. Buffets slash labour costs dramatically. You might need three servers instead of eight. That’s five people’s wages saved, which – let’s be honest – is quite a lot of prosecco.

The concern is understandable – buffets can feel a bit kids’ birthday party. However, done properly with beautiful warming stations, clear signage and proper presentation, they can look spectacular. According to the Bridebook.com the average cost of a buffet is usually around £20-30 per head, which is considerably less than the price for a three course meal.

For the best of both worlds, you can incorporate buffet elements into formal meals too. Instead of individually passed canapés during the reception (at £3 to £5 each, which somehow seems reasonable until you multiply it by 100 guests), create a canapé station where guests serve themselves. Think a whole serrano ham with good bread and lots of cheeses. It feels abundant and generous whilst costing significantly less.

At the meal’s end, consider a dessert bar instead of plated individual desserts. Display various cakes, doughnuts, tarts, and treats on an attractive table where guests can serve themselves. This approach costs substantially less than individual plating. Also, guests enjoy choosing their own portions and trying multiple options. Moreover, guests can control their own portion sizes – your uncle who eats like a sparrow and your mate who’s perpetually ravenous both leave satisfied.

Read: 15 Ideal food station ideas for your wedding

Embrace Sharing Feasts

Sharing feasts have become fashionable, which is convenient because they also make financial sense. Large platters placed centrally on each table – whole roasted chickens, generous bowls of sides, bread baskets, seasonal salads. It looks lavish and feels celebratory whilst requiring fewer servers than individual plating.

There’s something lovely about the communal aspect too. People pass dishes, make recommendations, bond over food in a way that doesn’t happen when you’re staring at your own individual plate wondering if you should’ve ordered the fish. It feels less like a formal dinner and more like a very good dinner party where someone else did the washing up.

It also reduces waste. Guests take only what they’ll eat, and leftovers stay on the table for second helpings rather than being scraped into bins. From a catering perspective, preparing 15 large platters is simpler than plating 150 individual portions. Those savings get passed to you, which you can spend on better wine or therapy after dealing with your future mother-in-law’s opinions about table runners.

Choose a Flexible Caterer

Some caterers offer rigid packages: Bronze, Silver, Gold. Take it or leave it – a bit like choosing a mortgage product. Others actually collaborate with you to create something bespoke that fits your budget and preferences. These are the good ones.

The best wedding caterers ask questions. What matters most to you? Where can you compromise? Would you rather have spectacular mains and simple starters, or vice versa? Do you care more about the wedding breakfast or the evening food? These aren’t trick questions – they’re genuinely trying to help you spend money wisely.

A flexible caterer scales service to your exact guest count. If you’ve got 73 guests, you pay for 73 guests. Not 75, not 80, not “packages of 50 with a supplement for extras.” They’ll suggest alternatives when you mention something expensive. “Lobster? What about crab – it’s £20 per head cheaper and equally special.” That collaborative spirit saves serious money.

Don’t book the first caterer you meet. Interview at least three. Ask about flexibility, dietary requirements, customisation. Their answers reveal everything about whether they see you as a person or a profit margin.

Rethink Your Drinks Strategy

Alcohol is where costs spiral out of control faster than your ability to track them. An open bar all night with premium spirits can cost £3,000+ for 100 guests. That’s more than most people’s monthly salary, spent on getting your cousin drunk enough to request “Mr Brightside” for the fourth time.

Try a limited bar instead. Beer, wine, perhaps one signature cocktail. No spirits, or spirits for the first hour only then beer and wine. Your guests will survive. Nobody has ever left a wedding thinking “it was lovely but the lack of vodka variety really diminished the experience.”

House wine instead of premium labels saves £5 to £8 per bottle. Over 50 bottles, that’s £250 to £400. Nobody can tell the difference after the second glass anyway, and anyone claiming they can is lying. Some venues let you supply your own alcohol. If yours does, buy from a supermarket and return unopened bottles. The savings are enormous. 

You can also offer miniature bottles of spirits as wedding favours – small “drink me” style bottles of limoncello, damson vodka, or vermouth. Make them yourself or buy in bulk, add personalised tags, and suddenly you’ve created a sense of abundance without maintaining a fully stocked bar all evening. Guests can drink them at the reception or take them home, and you’ve essentially given them another free drink whilst controlling costs.

Think Outside Traditional Meal Times

A full three-course wedding breakfast is expensive. Afternoon tea is cheaper. So is brunch.

An 11am ceremony followed by champagne brunch reception can cost half what an evening dinner costs. You’re serving breakfast foods – which are inherently cheaper – and people don’t expect as much. Pastries, smoked salmon, fruit, perhaps some hot options. Nobody feels shortchanged. They feel virtuous for having accomplished something before noon.

Afternoon tea is another brilliant option. Sandwiches, scones, cakes, tea and coffee. It looks gorgeous on tiered stands, photographs beautifully, and costs perhaps £15 to £25 per person instead of £50 to £70. Plus it suits the kind of wedding where your grandmother wears a hat and everyone remains reasonably sober.

Evening receptions with just canapés or street food eliminate the sit-down meal entirely. Guests graze, mingle, dance. The atmosphere becomes more party than formal dinner, which some people prefer and others find horrifying. Know your audience.

These options don’t suit everyone. Some couples want the traditional wedding breakfast, and that’s completely valid. But if you’re flexible about structure, the financial benefits are substantial.

Negotiate on Service Staff

Caterers bundle food costs with service staff costs, but these are negotiable separately. How many staff are they providing? What’s each person’s role? Sometimes you’ll discover you’re paying for six servers when four would suffice. That’s potentially £400 to £600 saved, which is a week’s groceries or several months of therapy to process the wedding planning experience.

Service length matters too. Do staff need to stay until midnight or can they finish at 10pm once meal service concludes? Every hour costs money. Some couples recruit family members to help with simple tasks like cutting and serving cake.  If you’ve got willing volunteers, it’s an option—though you want your family enjoying themselves rather than working.

Rethink Your Wedding Cake

Traditional tiered wedding cakes look spectacular and cost more that £400, which seems excessive for something that gets eaten in approximately four minutes. Consider an alternative: a tiered “cake” made from wheels of cheese.

Stacked cheese wheels create a stunning centrepiece for photos and cutting ceremonies. Later in the evening, they become a proper cheeseboard served with crackers, chutneys, and grapes. This transforms into substantial late-night food when guests get peckish after dancing, which they absolutely will.

Cheese and crackers go much further than cake slices. They’re more filling, and guests can return for seconds throughout the evening. A good selection of cheddar, brie, and stilton costs significantly less than an elaborate cake, particularly if you buy from wholesalers or supermarkets rather than specialist wedding cake makers who’ve correctly identified that people getting married have temporarily lost their sense of financial reality.

You can still have a small traditional cake for those who prefer something sweet – perhaps a single-tier cutting cake displayed alongside the cheese. But the cheese wheels provide far better value and practical sustenance –  that is unless you make the cake yourself of course. 

Consider a Food Truck

Food trucks have become increasingly popular at weddings, which is fortunate because they’re also significantly cheaper. Pizza trucks, taco trucks, fish and chip vans – these offer substantial, crowd-pleasing food at a fraction of traditional catering prices.

A food truck typically charges £8 to £15 per person compared to £40 to £70 for traditional sit-down catering. The informal atmosphere suits relaxed, outdoor, or evening weddings particularly well. Guests enjoy the novelty and the food arrives hot and fresh throughout service.

Pizza trucks work brilliantly. Everyone loves pizza, dietary requirements are easily accommodated, and the visual spectacle of a wood-fired oven adds entertainment value. Taco trucks offer similar benefits with endless customisation options.

Fish and chip vans bring a quintessentially British touch, especially for seaside or summer weddings. Served in proper paper with wooden forks, it’s comforting, filling, and nostalgic. Setup and cleanup are entirely handled by the truck operator, saving you hassle and the existential dread of coordinating logistics.

The main consideration is venue access and space. You’ll need adequate room for the truck to park and serve, plus electrical hookups if required. Some venues restrict external caterers because they have exclusive arrangements or simply enjoy making things difficult. But if your venue allows it, a food truck delivers fantastic value without compromising guest satisfaction.

Scale Back The Extras 

Wedding catering often includes extras that sound lovely but aren’t essential. That late-night burrito? Lovely, but £500 you might not need to spend. The artisan bread selection? Standard bread works fine. The elaborate garnishes nobody eats? Save your money.

Canapés during drinks reception can be scaled back. Six varieties aren’t necessary when three well-chosen options will do. Each additional canapé type adds labour and ingredient costs that accumulate faster than you’d expect. Dessert is another area where couples overspend. If you’re having a wedding cake, do you really need individual plated desserts too? The cake can be your dessert. Or offer a simple option like ice cream or sorbet alongside the cake.

Coffee service doesn’t need to be elaborate. Standard filter coffee with milk and sugar is perfectly acceptable. You don’t need a barista station with six types of milk and flavoured syrups.

Be creative with optional extras too. One wedding trend that took TikTok by storm involved offering £1 Pot Noodles as late-night snacks for guests. Simply set up a station with instant noodles, a hot water dispenser, and chopsticks – guests can prepare their own midnight snack after dancing. It’s quirky, nostalgic, and costs a fraction of traditional late-night catering. Plus, it actually serves a practical purpose: soaking up alcohol and giving hungry dancers a warm, filling snack. You could even customise the pots with your wedding details for a personal touch.

The Bottom Line

Saving money on wedding catering doesn’t mean serving inferior food or leaving guests hungry. It means being smart, strategic, and willing to question the “standard” way of doing things that the wedding industry insists is mandatory.

The wedding industry loves to tell you that everything must be premium, elaborate, and expensive. But some of the best weddings feature simple, well-executed food that doesn’t try too hard. Great ingredients, seasonal flavours, generous portions. That’s what people remember, along with whether the speeches were too long and if anyone embarrassing got drunk.

Your wedding should feel like you, not like every other wedding. If that means afternoon tea instead of a five-course dinner, or a gorgeous autumn menu instead of imported delicacies, then embrace it. Your bank account will thank you and your guests will have a brilliant time regardless.

8 Kitchen Renovations To Add Value To Your Home In 2026

Editorial Team
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8 Kitchen Renovations To Add Value To Your Home In 2026

Today’s modern kitchen does so much more than simply serve as a place to prepare meals. Functionality plays a part, sure, but so does fun and family.

As the heart of your home, it wears many hats and is vital to the smooth running of a busy household. We congregate here to communicate, entertain and socialise. The breakfast bar can function as a pop-up home office and the little ones use it as an activity space to play, bake and paint. And of course, we all sit down for dinner here, to swap stories and cement bonds.

There’s no denying the room’s importance, and here’s an interesting thing if you’re looking to sell your home; a new kitchen can add a 4 – 7% value increase to the average property. So, if you’re going to tackle a specific area of your house, this is the room to renovate.

With that in mind, here are 7 kitchen renovations to add value to your home in 2025.

Colour Scheme

Your kitchen sets the tone for the entire house, and colour tends to set the tone for a single room, so it’s important to get this bit right. When a potential buyer first claps eyes on the kitchen, that first impression can make or break a sale, so it’s worth thinking about the colour scheme carefully.

If done well, the colours you choose can completely alter the mood of your kitchen, as well as make it look and feel bigger and brighter. There are a few different avenues to travel down here, depending on your taste and what look you’re trying to achieve. It’s fairly common knowledge, however, that the most prominent colour should be a light shade rather than dark, so the kitchen does not feel like a gloomy or enclosed space.

It is also best to avoid too many colours in the kitchen. You don’t want your kitchen to be too busy and overbearing on the eyes, distracting from that Masterchef worthy meal you made. A simple two-tone kitchen is the safest and most stylish option.

A light, reflective colour opens the kitchen up, making it feel spacious while a secondary supporting colour will add class and character. Consider a bright but still muted pastel shade, which makes the perfect backdrop for some natural features like wood or marble. The patinas found in these natural textures will stand out against the more modest but bright surroundings, combining modern design with a beautiful authentic natural touch.

A Change In Countertop Material

One of the most impactful changes you can make in your kitchen is updating the countertop material. Countertops are not only functional surfaces for meal preparation but also significant design elements that can elevate the entire look of your kitchen. When considering a renovation, the choice of countertop material should be at the forefront of your planning.

Marble countertops, in particular, are an excellent choice for those looking to add a touch of luxury and timeless elegance to their kitchen. Marble is renowned for its stunning natural veining and unique patterns, which can make each countertop a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. This natural stone is not only beautiful but also highly durable, making it a practical option for busy kitchens.

Marble surfaces are heat-resistant, which is ideal for avid cooks who frequently use hot pots and pans. Additionally, marble is relatively easy to clean and maintain, provided it is sealed properly to prevent staining. The cool surface of marble is also perfect for baking enthusiasts, as it helps in rolling out dough and other pastry tasks.

Do watch out for fluctuating prices according to local markets, though; a marble slab in Lahore today won’t cost the same as one in London tomorrow, for instance. That said, and while marble can be a more expensive option compared to other materials like laminate or wood, its ability to add significant value to your home makes it a worthwhile investment. Of course, if budget is a concern and your existing countertops are in reasonable condition, professional worktop repairs can breathe new life into tired surfaces. However, potential buyers often appreciate the high-end look and feel of marble, which can make your kitchen stand out in the property market.

Kitchen Island

In this day and age, kitchen islands are almost essential parts of the kitchen, if the space grants such a feature, of course. They create absolute comfort when working from home or when simply working on a meal, freeing up other spaces and surfaces in the process. 

The three key ever-presents of the kitchen are the sink, refrigerator and stove. With one of these located on a kitchen island, the kitchen working triangle layout is created  — the optimal layout advised by kitchen designers. What’s more, kitchen islands are easily customisable. Whether you want to add a wine rack, open bookshelves, a hanging utensil rack or simply extra storage space, an island opens up the room to a wealth of new opportunities. 

What’s most important, however, is the impact the kitchen island has on the overall space as a whole, whether you’re investing in complete kitchen units or simply a couple of more micro upgrades, as well as how the island functions as a room. It turns a four-walled kitchen into a dynamic space with multiple surfaces allowing you to interact with guests or keep an eye on kids doing homework, all while preparing meals. The kitchen island becomes a focal point being the where people can easily and comfortably gather, and we all want a bit of that, don’t we?

Backsplash

An undervalued kitchen feature in modern design is the kitchen backsplash. Bright walls are advisable, as we already mentioned, but they can be detrimental to the appearance of your kitchen if food marks are left behind stoves and sinks. And if you’re trying that cheffy toss in the frying pan, or your family have a particular propensity for tomato-based sauces, then stains are inevitable.

The backsplash is a multi-functional design piece that assists with hygiene, practicality and character. Used for years, it’s kinda surprising that any kitchen out there attempts to make do without one. Usually, this features comes as a layer of tiles positioned behind worktops, stoves and sinks to protect walls from splashes created while cooking or washing. The durable and smooth surfaces of the tiles make them easy to clean and care for. 

Backsplashes also have a decorative purpose and can, when best deployed, add that special touch to a kitchen’s appearance, becoming a feature potential buyers will remember. 

Lighting

Quality overall lighting is a game-changer when it comes to kitchen value. A well-designed kitchen is pointless if not effectively lit; becoming a place avoided rather one to luxuriate in. 

With the proper lighting installation, every room in your home will have just the right mood and atmosphere, creating a unique experience in every space.

You’ll likely need to enlist the help of professionals to dramatically change the lighting set-up in your kitchen, as the wiring involved is usually complex and setting about it as a novice can end in injury and structural damage to your property. And you don’t want either of those things. Accordingly, it’s wise to defer to the experts on this one.

But it is not just the electrical lighting that needs to be perfect — natural light has an enormous impact on property value in today’s market, too. Fancy kitchen features and state-of-the-art kitchen appliances usually draw the most fawning praise initially, but for those in the know, it is the amount of natural light exposure that truly sells a kitchen space.

Sometimes improving natural light takes the most simple of jobs. Restoring windows and bringing them back up to their full potential with a thorough clean and refurb will achieve a surprising amount. And make sure you remove any obstacles either side of your windows and let as much natural light as possible flood the kitchen.

But if your kitchen lacks natural light exposure and those interventions aren’t possible, having windows inserted might be just what your kitchen (and your property’s value) needs.

Smart Kitchen Technology

Incorporating smart technology into your kitchen is another way to add value and modernise the space. As homes become increasingly connected, having a smart kitchen can be a major selling point for tech-savvy buyers.

Smart appliances, such as refrigerators with touch screens, ovens that can be controlled via smartphone apps, and voice-activated assistants, can make everyday tasks more convenient and efficient. These appliances often come with energy-saving features, which can reduce utility bills and appeal to environmentally conscious buyers.

Smart lighting systems can also enhance the functionality and ambience of your kitchen. With the ability to adjust lighting levels and colours through a mobile app or voice command, you can create the perfect atmosphere for cooking, dining, or entertaining.

Another innovative addition is the smart faucet, which can be activated by touch or motion sensors, reducing the spread of germs and making it easier to wash hands or fill pots when your hands are full.

By integrating smart technology into your kitchen, you not only improve its functionality but also future-proof your home, making it more attractive to potential buyers who are looking for modern, tech-enabled living spaces.

Open Shelving

Open shelving has become a sought-after feature in contemporary kitchen design, offering both practical storage solutions and an opportunity to showcase personality. Unlike traditional closed cabinets, open shelves create an airy, spacious feel that can make even modest kitchens appear larger and more inviting.

From a practical standpoint, open shelving makes frequently used items easily accessible – no more rummaging through deep cupboards for your everyday dishes or favourite coffee mug. This accessibility encourages organisation and efficiency in the kitchen workflow, as everything is visible at a glance.

Aesthetically, open shelving provides the perfect stage to display beautiful crockery, glassware, and carefully curated kitchen accessories. This can add warmth and character to the space, allowing you to inject personal style whilst maintaining that clean, modern look buyers appreciate. Consider displaying items in coordinating colours or arranging them by height to create visual harmony.

However, it’s worth noting that open shelving does require a commitment to keeping things tidy – what’s on display is always on display. But when done well, with thoughtfully arranged items and perhaps a few decorative touches like potted herbs or vintage cookbooks, open shelving can transform your kitchen from purely functional to genuinely stylish, adding that coveted ‘lived-in luxury’ appeal that resonates with today’s property market.

Quality Appliances

Last but by no means least are those valuable appliances that keep the kitchen ticking – and looking – on trend, we might add. Colour schemes, layouts, backsplashes and lighting are all essential parts of the kitchen and are the cornerstones of kitchen design.

But the appliances will always catch a buyer’s eye, allowing them to visualise living in the house, which is integral to harnessing early, solid interest. Should you have any, display them proudly (but effortlessly) for best results.

For more of the same, do check out these 7 contemporary features to include in your next kitchen installation. Now, when are we coming round for tea?

7 Purchases To Bring Both Functionality & Flair To Your Driveway

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7 Purchases To Bring Both Functionality & Flair To Your Driveway

Roll out the red carpet, form a guard of honour, turn your theme music all the way up… Who wouldn’t want to arrive home every night to great fanfare and festivity?

Whilst we’re not able to organise such a celebratory ‘welcome home’ for you, we can offer some ideas on how to make the lead-up to your door feel as welcoming as possible. With that in mind, here are 7 purchases to bring both functionality and flair to your driveway.

Provide Protection & Privacy With A Carport

A carport provides the same benefits as a garage – of giving a shaded area for your vehicle and protecting it from the elements, such as the sun’s UV rays and frost – but without the high installation costs and need for a large amount of real estate involved.

At the same time, your car will be parked more privately than if it was simply out in the open. When considering that the average cost to build a canopy here in the UK is £3’000, whilst a garage will set you back, on average, somewhere in the region of £22’000 to £30’000, installing the former certainly makes a lot of sense. 

You can even reduce the costs further by investing in a carport canopy, which is a little more lightweight and temporary, with all the added perks of both flexibility and reduced costs that entails.

You’ll also not need planning permission for a carport (as you would a garage) providing the structure isn’t over 4 metres high, the eaves don’t exceed 2.5 metres, and the carport isn’t at least 2 metres from your property’s boundary.

Not only can you use a carport for your car, but you it creates a covered area for your bicycle, too. It has many other uses as well, including providing shade for patios, children’s play areas, a garden seating area, and even a porch. If you are looking to create a space in your home that is more private and offers protection from the sun, a canopy can provide you with a flexible and affordable way of doing so. 

Accentuate Your Driveway With Hedge Or Stone Columns

We spoke earlier of channelling that sense of the red carpet being rolled out each and every time you approach your property. The best way to do it? By accentuating your driveway and the path to your front door with a border.

For larger properties, well-maintained hedges or matching trees either side of the walkway can look super glamorous. In smaller homes, brick or stone columns can accentuate the entrance of your driveway perfectly. There’s a huge variety of different columns to choose from out there from stacked to stone and beyond. When choosing your columns, you want to draw a connection between them and the materials used in the rest of your property. 

Illuminate The Route To Your Door

Speaking of that route to your front door, another way to define your driveway is via a few carefully placed lights. While you don’t have to go for the full runway effect, the addition of a lighted border, powered on by motion sensors ideally, can also add an extra later of security to your home, scaring off potential cat burglars (and regular cats) from walking up the drive and opportunistically surveying who’s home. 

Choose something subtle that won’t disturb the neighbours, unless you want a lawsuit on your hands!

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind With A Bin Shed

You’ve gone to all that effort to illuminate your driveway… But what if the lights are shining on the more unsightly areas of your home’s exterior, such as your bins?

Something as simple as keeping your bins out of sight can do wonders for sharpening up that walk up to your front door. No one wants to arrive at their house after a long day at the coalface to find bins overflowing with rubbish. Not only does it not look appealing, but there may also be all kinds of foul odours that won’t set the right tone for a relaxing evening ahead.

If you can, it’s wise to place your bins at the side of your home. If you don’t have any space to do this, buying a bin shed is a wise move. Other ideas you can look into to hide your bins include using slatted style fence panels, or even buying a more glamorous looking bin. Yep, they do exist!

Keep Things Spick & Span With A Pressure Cleaner

You can add all the flair and flourish you like to your driveway, but if the driveway itself isn’t sparkling clean then there’s little point in all the dressing and garnish. Fortunately, we’re here to help with that, too. Enter the pressure cleaner.

There are few cleaning projects more satisfying than blasting away dirt off anything and everything in your driveway. Indeed, dislodging years of dust and grime is a very gratifying feeling, with pressure washing perfectly suited at cleaning the drive, fences and even smelly wheelie bins.

Make sure it’s not your money being washed away this summer before you fork out on one, with this guide on the pros and cons of soft and pressure washing when cleaning your home’s exterior.

Add Character With House Numbers & Signage

First impressions count, and there’s no simpler way to elevate your driveway’s kerb appeal than with stylish house numbers or a bespoke address sign. Whether you opt for sleek modern metal numerals, traditional cast iron plaques, or contemporary LED-lit displays, the right signage transforms your entrance from functional to sophisticated.

Beyond aesthetics, clear house numbers serve a practical purpose too – they make your home easier to find for guests, delivery drivers, and emergency services. Choose materials that complement your property’s existing features, whether that’s weathered brass for period homes or minimalist stainless steel for modern builds. From budget-friendly basic numerals to custom-designed statement plaques, this is one of the most cost-effective upgrades you can make to your property’s exterior.

Define Your Space With Driveway Edging

Nothing says ‘well-maintained property’ quite like crisp, defined borders between your driveway and garden. Driveway edging not only looks smart, but it also prevents gravel from scattering onto lawns, stops grass encroaching onto paved areas, and provides a neat framework for your outdoor space.

Options abound depending on your budget and style preferences. Brick edging offers a classic, timeless look, whilst metal edging strips provide a sleek, contemporary finish. Natural stone creates an upmarket feel for those willing to invest a bit more. The installation is straightforward enough for a keen DIYer to tackle over a weekend, or you can hire a landscaper if you’d rather leave it to the professionals.

The Bottom Line

That stroll up your drive in anticipation of an evening in with the family should be a pleasurable experience, not one that fills you with dread and shame. With a a few simple additions and adjustments, your driveway can be both fun and functional. We can’t wait to see your driveway in person at your massive house party next week…. Oh, your wife didn’t tell you?

Unique Team Building Exercises to Boost Morale & Collaboration

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Unique Team Building Exercises to Boost Morale & Collaboration

Building a high-performing team requires more than just assigning tasks; it demands fostering genuine connections, nurturing trust, and enhancing collaborative skills. While traditional trust falls and icebreaker quizzes have their place, modern businesses thrive when team-building activities are fresh, engaging, and directly address the nuanced dynamics of modern work.

With all that in mind, here are 7 unique team-building exercises that go beyond the mundane to inject energy, boost morale, and significantly sharpen collaboration within your organisation.

The Escape Room With A Twist: The ‘Escape The Office’ Challenge

Escape rooms are popular with companies looking to enhance collaboration, but their standard format can sometimes feel disconnected from daily work challenges. To make it unique, tailor the puzzles to your company’s history, recent projects, or industry jargon.

The Concept

Instead of a generic theme, design an ‘Escape the Office’ scenario. The premise could be that a critical project file has been encrypted by a fictional rival company, and the only way to unlock it before a major deadline is by solving a series of five interconnected puzzles hidden around the actual office space.

Collaboration Focus

This exercise forces real-time problem-solving under pressure. Team members must delegate roles based on their perceived strengths (e.g., the detail-oriented person handles the cryptic text puzzle, the logical thinker tackles the sequence puzzle). Success hinges on clear communication – no single person can see all the clues simultaneously.

Morale Boost

The shared sense of accomplishment upon ‘saving the day’ (i.e., solving the final puzzle) releases significant positive energy. It reframes challenging work situations as solvable if the team pools its collective knowledge.

The ‘Blind Build’ Challenge: Marshmallow Tower Reimagined

The classic Marshmallow and Spaghetti Tower exercise tests basic planning, but the ‘Blind Build’ adds a crucial layer of communication reliance.

The Concept

Divide the group into pairs or small teams. One person is the ‘Architect’ and is shown a model structure (perhaps built from LEGO or simple blocks) they must replicate. The Architect is blindfolded. The other team members are the ‘Communicators’ and can see the model and the materials, but cannot touch the materials or the structure being built. They can only verbally instruct the blindfolded Architect on how to assemble the pieces.

Collaboration Focus

This is a pure test of verbal precision and active listening. The Communicators must translate a visual concept into actionable, unambiguous steps, while the Architect must trust their input implicitly and provide feedback on what they feel/hear. It powerfully demonstrates the friction caused by vague instructions and highlights the importance of clear feedback loops.

Morale Boost

It is often hilarious, especially when the inevitable structural collapse occurs. The low-stakes environment encourages laughter and resilience, turning initial frustration into shared amusement.

The Corporate Cookbook: Sharing Culinary Legacies

This exercise taps into personal history, which is excellent for building deeper interpersonal bonds beyond job titles.

cooking class

The Concept

Ask every team member to contribute one favourite recipe that holds personal significance – perhaps a dish their grandmother taught them, a meal they cook to de-stress, or a recipe linked to a major life event. Compile these into a beautifully designed digital or printed ‘Team Cookbook’. Host a dedicated session where two or three volunteers cook their recipe (or a simplified version) in the office kitchen (if available) or simply present the story behind the dish.

Collaboration Focus

While not directly about project collaboration, this fosters empathy and psychological safety. Understanding colleagues’ personal stories and traditions breaks down professional barriers, leading to more open and trusting collaboration on work tasks later on.

Morale Boost

It showcases the diversity and humanity within the team. Receiving a tangible (and tasty!) keepsake like the cookbook boosts the feeling that the company values the whole person, not just their output.

High-Octane Synergy: The Grand Prix Experience

Sometimes, the best way to foster intense, focused collaboration is through an adrenaline-pumping, shared, competitive experience that requires immediate strategic thinking. This is where F1 driving simulator hire comes into its own.

driving simulator

The Concept

Organise an afternoon where teams compete in a series of races using professional-grade F1 driving simulators. Teams aren’t judged just on the fastest single lap, but on their Pit Stop Strategy Score. 

Before the race, teams must strategise: which driver runs which stint, when do they make their mandatory ‘pit stop’ (where team members must quickly swap drivers and maybe complete a small, unrelated, quick task like solving a two-piece jigsaw puzzle before the next driver can go), and who handles communication.

Collaboration Focus

This requires rapid cross-functional planning and delegation under extreme time pressure, mimicking high-stakes project management. The team must agree on a unified strategy, commit to it, and then adapt instantly when a competitor overtakes or a simulation penalty is applied.

Morale Boost

The competitive spirit, coupled with the sheer fun and novelty of operating a racing simulator, creates massive spikes in engagement and provides fantastic, shared bragging rights afterwards.

The ‘What If…?’ Scenario Workshop

This exercise shifts focus from what is to what if, leveraging creativity to build robust contingency planning skills.

The Concept

Present the team with a series of extreme, yet plausible, hypothetical work disasters. Examples: ‘Our main server crashes five minutes before the biggest client presentation,’ or ‘The lead developer suddenly resigns mid-sprint,’ or ‘All external communication channels (email/Slack) are down for 24 hours.’ Teams must map out a step-by-step recovery and communication plan within a tight timeframe (e.g., 45 minutes).

Collaboration Focus

This activity demands structured consensus-building and risk assessment. It forces quieter team members to voice potential pitfalls they might otherwise keep to themselves, ensuring all angles of a potential crisis are covered collaboratively, rather than being siloed in one department’s response.

Morale Boost

Facing abstract fears in a safe environment reduces anxiety about real-life crises. The team leaves feeling prepared and confident in their collective ability to navigate chaos, which is a huge morale booster.

The Human Knot: Advanced Intricacy

The standard ‘Human Knot’ involves standing in a circle and grasping two different hands. The ‘Advanced Intricacy’ version adds layers of complexity.

The Concept

Form groups of 8-12 people. When they form the knot, introduce a secondary constraint. For example, only people wearing blue shirts can speak, or the team must solve the knot while only moving their legs (no lifting feet), or they must communicate only through humming tunes.

Collaboration Focus

This tests adaptability and non-verbal communication. The initial knot is a spatial problem; the constraint is a communication problem. It forces the team to quickly innovate new ways to convey direction and intent when their primary methods are restricted, mirroring times when tools fail or priorities clash.

Morale Boost

The sheer physical comedy of a complex knot combined with the strange communication rule fosters deep bonding through shared, slightly awkward, physical effort.

The Reverse Mentoring Session: Skill Swap Day

Reverse mentoring flips the traditional hierarchy, allowing junior or newer staff to teach senior leaders a skill.

The Concept

Identify a skill where junior staff often excel or are more current than senior staff – this is usually technology-based (e.g., mastering a new social media platform, advanced spreadsheet functions, using a new AI tool) or a cultural insight. Pair senior leaders with junior colleagues as their personal ‘tutor’ for one hour. The junior person leads the session entirely.

Collaboration Focus

This exercise builds mutual respect and breaks down perceived status barriers. Senior leaders must adopt a posture of humble learning, which builds trust with their direct reports. Junior members gain confidence by realising their expertise is valued at the highest levels.

Morale Boost

It is an immense confidence boost for the junior staff and a refreshing learning opportunity for the veterans, resulting in a more egalitarian and appreciative team atmosphere.

The Bottom Line

True team building isn’t just about having fun; it is about creating shared, memorable experiences that forge stronger relational pathways. By integrating novel, targeted exercises – from the focused adrenaline of the racing simulator to the personal sharing of a cookbook – you move beyond obligation and foster a company culture where collaboration feels natural, morale remains high, and every team member feels valued and understood.

How To Create A Zen Office Space To Improve Workplace Wellbeing

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How To Create A Zen Office Space To Improve Workplace Wellbeing
Ideal for upping productivity and peacefulness, equally…

A busy entrepreneur is constantly juggling tasks and deadlines, but for many, this doesn’t actually represent the most productive way to work. Indeed, in many cases, a distraction demanding work atmosphere diverts our attention, not only from getting the job done but also from focusing on your wellbeing and workplace contentment.

This is where creating a zen office space comes in.

Creating a zen office space that promotes calm and focus can have significant benefits for a company, encouraging better mental health in the workplace and at home, and ensuring employees are content and productive. 

Indeed, according to the Fellowes Workplace Wellness Trend Report, via Forbes, ‘’93% of workers in the tech industry said they would stay longer at a company who would offer healthier workspace benefits with options ranging from wellness rooms, company fitness benefits, sit-stands, healthy lunch options and ergonomic seating’’ and it seems like other industries possess a similar perspective.

Since we spend the majority of our time (when not sleeping, obvs) in the office, our work-life imbalance and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle needs to be addressed, and such changes as those identified in the above report can go a long way to helping with that. 

With that in mind, here are some ways to create a zen office space to improve workplace wellbeing.

Firstly, What Exactly Is ‘Zen’?

“Zen is not a state of ecstasy, but rather a focus on our daily lives.“ ~ Shunryu Suzuki (Sōtō Zen monk)

Indeed, though the term has been co-opted by the wellness industry, ‘zen’ is a Buddhist ideology that emphasises meditation, tranquility, and life insights.

Zen Buddhist philosophy emphasises living in the now rather than the past, though that shouldn’t be an excuse to delete all of yesterday’s emails without reading them! Zen practice motivates its devotees to live a lifestyle that relies on instinct and intuition harnessed by meditative practice.

Of course, in today’s terms, zen means something altogether different to many; a form of peace and tranquillity achieved through calming surroundings. And that’s where these useful tips come in… 

Soundtrack Your Office Sanctuary

A pleasant workplace is a productive workplace. In fact, in 2019, the University of Oxford published a study that found happy workers were 13% more productive. It makes sense, then, to ensure that your office space is peaceful and encouraging of contentment.

One way of doing this is through noise. Or rather, controlled, meditative ‘noise’, which is particularly important to manage if your desk (whether that’s at home or in a central office space) is in a high-traffic location. Natural sounds, such as gentle birdsong or even the sound of raindrops or the trickle of a fountain can all help, but even better is deliberate ‘white’ noise (or pink, or brown…).

Initially cited as a soothing balm for babies, the power of white noise to aid focus and concentration now cuts across all age groups, and it’s recently been suggested that background white noise helps children with ADHD succeed academically, as well as boosting memory. You’ll find the low hum of brown noise playing at the IDEAL offices constantly. Or is our fridge on the blink again?

Create Dedicated Spaces For Reflection & Focus

In an increasingly open-plan office world, the importance of providing employees with dedicated spaces for retreat cannot be overstated. Breakout rooms, mindfulness areas, prayer spaces, and acoustic pods all serve a crucial function in the modern workplace: they offer respite from the constant hum of activity and provide employees with the opportunity to reset, refocus, or simply take a moment for themselves.

Breakout rooms offer a change of scenery and can be particularly useful for informal meetings, brainstorming sessions, or simply stepping away from your usual desk to tackle a problem from a fresh perspective. When designed with comfort and tranquility in mind, these spaces can significantly enhance creativity and problem-solving abilities.

Similarly, designated mindfulness and prayer spaces demonstrate a commitment to respecting employees’ diverse needs and beliefs. These quiet sanctuaries allow for meditation, prayer, or simple reflection, providing a vital outlet for stress relief during the working day. By acknowledging that wellbeing encompasses spiritual and mental health alongside physical comfort, companies send a powerful message about their values.

Acoustic pods, meanwhile, address one of the most common complaints in modern offices: noise pollution. These soundproofed, enclosed spaces provide a haven for concentration-intensive tasks or confidential phone calls, shielding workers from the distractions of a busy office environment. Research has shown that even low-level background noise can significantly impair cognitive performance, so providing these quiet zones isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s essential for maintaining productivity.

The key to all these spaces is ensuring they’re genuinely accessible and that employees feel comfortable using them without judgment. After all, taking time for mindfulness or seeking quiet isn’t shirking work; it’s investing in the mental clarity needed to perform at your best.

Select A Soothing Colour Scheme

The effect of colour on your mood shouldn’t be overlooked. Imagine completing your emails and deadlines in a room rendered in black for a moment…it makes us feel a little unsettled just thinking about it. 

But give your office space a lick of paint in a soothing shade, and greater concentration and output will surely follow. This thing isn’t speculative; numerous reports have pointed to the profound impact that colour can have on productivity, with blue said to possess calming qualities, green able to encourage creativity, red having energising properties and yellow able to lift the overall mood of the office.

Whilst we’re on the subject of the aesthetics of your office, the power of natural light shouldn’t be overlooked. Check out these tips on how to boost the natural light in your home office for more on that.

Go Green

Indoor plants are not only beautiful to look at, but they also give a touch of nature to the office, and we all know how essential nature is in lifting mood and boosting workplace wellbeing. 

Certain house plants can also assist in enhancing interior air quality, which may help in the alleviation of the symptoms of sick building syndrome.

An office setting with air-purifying plants, such as spider plants and chrysanthemum, can improve the atmosphere in more ways than one. And even if the science behind the air purifying qualities of plants sometimes grows out of shaky ground, the aesthetic lift they bring can’t be denied. For something simple to care for and attractive, too, you can’t go wrong with succulents.

Make An Encouraging Wall

A little creative motivation may go a long way, regardless of the size of your workspace. Hang or display inspirational words on a particular wall or in a particular section of the office to give you a lift on those dreaded Mondays where the weekend has been a little on the heavy side and you’re in need of a pick-me-up and a productivity boost.

Choose objects that radiate serenity and reverence, as well as those that have particular significance to you. Design your inspiration wall in a way that makes you happy. Framed art, printed mantras, or even a vision board can be some awesome alternatives.

Set Up Tranquil Office Decor

“This is the real secret of life – to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play” – Alan Watts.

Sometimes, something as simple as reading the right motivational wellness quote can make all the difference to your working day. Consider framing some inspiring zen sayings and hanging them in your home office. Observing visual zen quotes can help promote calmness and bring positivity to your working space.

Instead of buying zen artwork for your walls, consider printing out different Zen proverbs and framing them yourself each week to keep you motivated. Just be sure to use recycled paper, which produces lower carbon emissions than the manufacturing of non-recycled paper and also reduces the amount of waste you’re producing and helps your business strive for greater sustainability.

To ensure your office is a tranquil space, whenever you start decorating your desk, make sure it’s free of clutter. Remove anything that isn’t required and add a couple of features that bring you joy. 

Rather than keep you from your work any longer by wittering on, we’ll redirect you to these 5 tips for the IDEAL home office desk setup. Bookmark it for later, and prove those doubters wrong regarding your productivity!

The Bottom Line

Everyone has a distinct concept of what it means to be zen, ranging from traditional interpretations to the broader, looser definition that seems to prevail today. Regardless, creating a workplace environment that channels a zen ethos can encourage contentment and creativity, and we all know how important that is.

9 Of The Best Storage Solutions For Small Houses

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9 Of The Best Storage Solutions For Small Houses

‘Storage solutions’, hey? It’s a phrase that the youthful and innocent are totally unaware of, its ubiquity in later life a vague concept at best.

But if there are three things guaranteed in life, it’s death, taxes, and the necessity for more storage, particularly as properties get increasingly more expensive in the UK, and smaller homes become the norm.

According to recent studies, the median floor space of a flat in England or Wales is just below 43 sqm, which is barely the size of four car parking spaces. For those with even a reasonable amount of ‘stuff’, things are going to get cramped, fast, in such confines.

The solution? Well, aside from a complete reappraisal of the housing market, the answer might well be found, tucked away neatly and cleanly, in the clever use of storage.

Let’s unpack further; here are 9 of the best storage solutions for small houses.

Fitted Wardrobes

The primary problem with freestanding wardrobes that you get from the store is that they’re simply not economical with space, whichever way you look at them. There’s all too often unused, unusable space around the wardrobe’s peripheries, and in bedrooms not blessed with lots of capacity, this can feel pretty wasteful. Fitted wardrobes, on the other hand, are an oh-so-simple way to boost your storage space, as they make use of every available centimetre.

Use The Walls

When it comes to saving and managing space, the golden rule is to always go vertical. One way you can do this, and increase storage space in your home in the process, is to use the walls.

You can make the most out of walls by installing shelves or building cupboard space where you can stack your stuff such as books, magazines, trinkets, and even plant pots.

Walls undoubtedly offer householders plenty of inspiration for various artistic flourishes and splashes of colour. But did you know that walls are also excellent places for floating shelves?

You can have some floating shelves installed in virtually any room of your home, and they’re great for storing things from books and photographs in frames to small trinkets and pretty much anything within the weight limit of the shelves!

Read: 5 open shelving ideas for your home

Ottoman & Storage Benches

Furniture that does double duty is worth its weight in gold when you’re short on space. Storage ottomans and benches offer seating whilst hiding away anything from spare blankets and cushions to board games and children’s toys.

Pop one at the foot of your bed, in your hallway, or even in your living room. They’re particularly useful in small flats where every piece of furniture needs to earn its keep. Look for designs with lift-up lids for easy access, and you’ll wonder how you ever managed without one.

Install Adhesive Hooks & Shelving Inside Doors & Cabinets

From open shelving to the very much hidden, installing shelving inside doors and kitchen cabinets is a wonderful way to keep things neat, tidy, and compact. You could, for instance, reorganise your spice rack so your turmeric, five spice, and garam masala jars now sit on shelving inside a kitchen cabinet. Or, why not introduce a shoe shelf to the interior of a wardrobe, thus freeing up much needed floorspace where a rack once sat?

Hooks can be used similarly, hanging coats, jackets, shirts and the rest out of sight. The most common type of hook, which is also the most stable, is the screw-in hook. If you don’t want to puncture holes in your walls, you can use adhesive hooks instead. Adhesive hooks are also commonly used on smooth surfaces like the walls in the kitchen or the bathroom.

Make Use Of The Space Under Your Stairs (If You Have Them)

One creative storage idea common among UK households is creating storage areas under the stairs. Regardless of the area’s size, you can always find a way to make the most out of this otherwise unused area of the home.

You can add clips and hooks where you can hide your cleaning tools. You can also put your shoe racks here if you want to hide them from plain sight.

If you have the means, you can also add a door to ensure that your cleaning materials are kept away when they are not in use. Consider also adding trolleys or shelves to maximise the storage space in the area.

If you’re a keen DIYer, it’s a project you could undertake yourself; alternatively, you could hire a carpenter to create a suitable under-stairs storage solution for your needs.

Vacuum Storage Bags For Seasonal Items

Bulky winter coats, duvets, and seasonal clothing can devour wardrobe space faster than you can say ‘where did I put my summer dress?’ Vacuum storage bags compress these items down to a fraction of their original size, freeing up serious room in your cupboards.

They’re particularly brilliant for storing away winter woolies during the summer months, or tucking away extra bedding you only need when guests visit. Most bags work with a standard vacuum cleaner, and the best part? Your items stay protected from dust, damp, and moths whilst taking up minimal space.

Underbed Storage

Another way you can discreetly store random items in your bedroom is underneath your bed. Such a place allows you to store anything from birthday and Christmas gifts to valuables like jewellery that you’d rather not have out on display in your bedroom, helping you transform your bedroom into a more tranquil space.

Some divan beds, for instance, offer pull-out storage. For other types of beds, you could simply use plastic storage boxes to keep your items out of the way and protected from dust and dirt. Under-bed storage is also extremely useful for people with small bedrooms.

If your bed doesn’t have this feature, the solution is simple: raise your bed. Raising your bed will add significant extra storage underneath. You can take this method to the next level by adding pull-out drawers or bookcases under your bed.

Aside from the increased storage space, this trick will also allow you to hide items you don’t want to display inside your room. If your bed has a headboard, you can try to squeeze in some extra storage above or behind it.

That said, as Store Local, who run a storage facility in Berrinba, recommend, if under-stairs storage still isn’t enough for your needs, self-storage units can be a practical solution for seasonal items, sports equipment, or belongings you don’t need regular access to. Climate-controlled units are particularly worth considering for protecting items from temperature fluctuations.

Over-The-Door Organisers

Doors are criminally underused when it comes to storage. Over-the-door organisers (the kind that hook over the top of the door) can transform the back of any door into valuable storage space without requiring a single screw or nail.

In the bathroom, use them for toiletries, cleaning supplies, or towels. In the bedroom, they’re perfect for accessories, scarves, or even shoes. Kitchen and pantry doors can host spice jars, sandwich bags, or cleaning cloths. These organisers come in everything from clear pockets to wire baskets, so you can find one that suits both your storage needs and your aesthetic.

Recessed Wall Hidden Storage

One final idea to modernise your home with extra storage is to have some hidden storage created for you on one or more walls in your home.

You could, for example, have a ‘false’ wall that has a door opening up a hidden cabinet or room and can provide the ultimate in home storage solutions for you and your family.

Such an idea is suitable for a safe, but it can also be useful for non-valuable items you want to keep out of sight without resorting to an add-on solution like those floating shelves we mentioned earlier!

The Bottom Line

Living in a small house doesn’t mean living with clutter spilling out of every corner. With a bit of creativity and the right storage solutions, even the most compact of homes can feel spacious and organised.Whether you’re installing fitted wardrobes, making use of dead space under the stairs, or investing in multi-functional furniture, the key is to think vertically, use every available inch, and choose solutions that work for your lifestyle. Your home (and your sanity) will thank you for it. Who can argue with that?

How To Breathe New Life Into Your Garden Patio

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How To Breathe New Life Into Your Garden Patio

If you love to spend time in your garden, then you’ll know that there is nothing worse than looking at all your hard work finally coming together only to turn around and see that your garden patio is looking forlorn and forgotten. 

Let’s face it; this is an area that can be easily left behind. Your garden takes up so much time and most prefer to work on the area that gives you the most dramatic aesthetic change – think bright flower arrangements, neatly-coiffed hedges and elaborate garden seating, to name but a few. 

But if the rest of your garden is looking on point, it can be brought down by a shabby patio. Here are a few ideas on how to change that and make your patio look brand new. 

Cleaning It

Your patio picks up so much dirt, wear and tear throughout the year. Seeing as it’s subject to all of the elements and is likely the most used area of the garden as people stand and sit on it, your patio can quickly become the dirtiest and least attractive part of your garden. 

As such, you need to clean it regularly. The best way to clean patio slabs is with a pressure washer combined with a cleaner. The force of the wash should shove that dirt straight off and bring back that sparkling patio you bought all of those years ago. 

At which point, you can start to show your patio some love…

Decking Flooring

For those looking for a wholesale change to the aesthetic of their patio, laying decking in its place is a viable optional. Doing so isn’t as complicated as it may originally seem; there are various ways to build a low level deck over a concrete slab patio. 

If you’re looking for a more eco friendly option, take a look at composite decking. Composite flooring is long lasting decking that is made up with recycled materials. It has all of the benefits of wood with few of the downsides.One of the key advantages of decking over a concrete patio is that the former is much easier to keep clean than the latter. This will not only decorate your garden and make it look tidier but also it can warm up your outdoor space depending on the type of flooring that you are going to use. Wood is much warmer to the touch and the eyes than cold concrete, after all.

Create A Variety Of Seating Groups

It should go without saying that when sociability is concerned, seating should be the focus of every outdoor patio space.

However tempting it is to simply add as many seats as possible to accommodate family and friends, we recommend that you take a more considered approach. Instead, focus on creating a few different seating areas that serve to draw the focus to different areas of the garden, channelling the ‘chill out zones’ of Ibiza, perhaps.

To achieve this, the first thing you need to do is select a contact point. When it comes to outdoor spaces, the contact point is usually an outdoor dining table or garden coffee table, a water feature or that wood fired pizza oven we mentioned. That said, if you don’t want to occupy that amount of square footage, use an outdoor rug to provide that focal point and balance the space.

Once you have your contact point in place, all you need to do is arrange the furniture around it so that each piece meets the central point. You also want to make sure that no furniture leaves anyone sitting with their back to the rest of the patio, which would run the risk of discouraging sociability. 

Add Curving To Your Patio

In their standard form, patio slabs tend to come as a square. This is common and many people leave their patios like this. However, a square or rectangle isn’t your only option when it comes to the shade of your patio. You can also add borders and curves to your concrete patio using pavers. 

You, for example, could add a half-circle to create a fire pit or pond area or even use a paver to border a garden area at the side of your patio. It makes your garden space that little bit more unique and decorative, and opens up the space to the potential of zoning. 

While you might think of a fire pit as being an expensive addition to your space, it’s an investment if you’re going to be spending a lot of time in the garden this year. What’s more, they’re not actually all that expensive, with mini pits selling for as little as £25.

Aside from the functional provision of heat, they’re also a great party focal point and conversation starter, helping shape your garden into a place of both rest and leisure. Alternatively, you could simply dig a hole in the ground, line it with bricks or patio slabs, and voila!

Or, should you be a dab hand in the kitchen, why not install a pizza oven in your back garden, potentially deploying some of the same brick or slab used to make your patio. Doing so brings together the sociable elements of food and fire succinctly, whilst complementing your patio visually, too. Check out our tips on how to build your own pizza oven in your garden for more on that.

Read: Interesting zoning ideas for your garden

Visual Intrigue Surrounding Your Patio

Another great way to imbue your garden patio area with some character is to accessorise the surrounding area – think wind chimes and ornamental rain catchers, garden gnomes and avant-garde sculpture. 

A cursory search through your local garden centre may reveal garden ornaments to suit your taste, with many perfectly suited to being hidden in flower beds or hung from your trees and shrubs that line your patio. You could, of course, add sculptural elements to the patio itself, if you have the space.

Elevate Your Space With Plant Hangers

Adding vertical interest to your patio doesn’t have to stop at ground level. Plant hangers offer a creative way to introduce greenery at varying heights, transforming your outdoor space into a lush, layered retreat. From macramé designs that evoke bohemian charm to sleek metal frameworks with a contemporary edge, there’s a plant hanger to suit every aesthetic.

Consider mixing materials and styles for visual depth. A classic jute rope hanger can sit alongside geometric wire designs, whilst ceramic pot holders add artisanal flair. For those with limited floor space, wall-mounted hangers are particularly practical, allowing you to cultivate herbs, trailing plants or vibrant flowers without sacrificing precious square footage.

Don’t be afraid to play with heights, either. Suspend hangers at different levels to create a cascading effect that draws the eye upward and makes your patio feel more expansive. Trailing plants like ivy, string of pearls or petunias work beautifully in this arrangement, adding movement and softness to harder patio surfaces. The result? A three-dimensional garden that feels both considered and effortlessly natural.

Incorporate Lighting For Ambience

As the sun sets on your beautifully revamped garden patio, the right lighting can truly transform the atmosphere, extending the usability of your outdoor space well into the evening. Consider the addition of strategic lighting to enhance the mood and functionality of your patio. Solar-powered lights are an eco-friendly option that can line pathways or be interspersed among plants and shrubs for a twinkling effect. 

For a more dramatic impact, festoon lights can be strung overhead, creating a canopy of warmth and light that invites long, leisurely conversations under the stars. Lanterns with candles can add a traditional touch, while modern LED solutions can illuminate specific features such as a water fountain or sculpture. Remember to choose lighting that complements the style of your garden and adds to the overall ambience you wish to create.

The Bottom Line

Revitalising your garden patio for the summer isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about crafting a space that resonates with comfort, functionality, and personal style. After all, you’re not just renovating a space – you’re setting the stage for memories to be made. Whether it’s a quiet morning with a book and a cup of tea, or a bustling evening with friends and family, your garden patio is now equipped to be the heart of your outdoor living. So, as the warmer months roll in, take pride in your newly rejuvenated patio, knowing it’s ready to complement the life and laughter that summer brings.

7 Great Christmas Gift Ideas For The Baking Lover In Your Life

Editorial Team
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7 Great Christmas Gift Ideas For The Baking Lover In Your Life

Though it is, admittedly, still October, the festive season has well and truly arrived in the country’s shops and cafes, bringing with it the irresistible pull of tat, and the tantalising aroma of cinnamon, clove, and freshly baked treats.

For those folk in your life who consider baking more than just a hobby, Christmas offers the perfect opportunity to indulge their passion with thoughtful, practical gifts that’ll keep them creating throughout the year. You may well even benefit, of course, from a steady stream of freshly baked treats!

Whether they’re a seasoned baker who can whip up a show-stopping Christmas cake in their sleep or a novice just discovering the magic of homemade biscuits, choosing the right gift can be surprisingly tricky. After all, keen bakers often have specific preferences about their tools and ingredients. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you find presents that’ll genuinely delight rather than disappoint. 

From classic kitchenware to edible inspiration, these are our top picks for Christmas gifts that any baking enthusiast will treasure.

A Professional-Quality Stand Mixer

For the baker who’s still using a hand mixer or, heaven forbid, mixing by hand, a stand mixer represents a genuine game-changer. This is the sort of investment piece that transforms ambitious baking projects from exhausting marathons into manageable tasks. Modern stand mixers come with multiple attachments, allowing bakers to knead dough, whip cream, and mix batters with minimal effort and maximum consistency.

The beauty of a stand mixer lies in its versatility. Beyond the obvious cake and cookie applications, it can handle everything from pizza dough to homemade pasta, making it a worthy addition to any serious baker’s arsenal. 

Look for models with planetary mixing action, ensuring every bit of mixture is incorporated properly. Whilst premium brands can be pricey, they’re built to last decades rather than years, making them a genuine heirloom gift.

Speciality Baking Tins & Moulds

There’s something deeply satisfying about turning out a perfectly shaped cake or tray of uniform biscuits, and that’s where speciality tins come into their own. From Nordic Ware’s stunning Bundt pans to traditional loaf tins with decorative patterns, these pieces add visual interest whilst remaining supremely functional.

Consider the baker’s interests when selecting tins. Do they love making brownies? A professional brownie pan with individual compartments ensures every piece gets those coveted crispy edges. Are they partial to bread? A set of proper loaf tins in various sizes opens up endless possibilities. Seasonal moulds, like Christmas tree or snowflake shapes, add festive flair to their creations whilst remaining useful year after year.

A Premium Baking Ingredients Set

Whilst everyday flour and sugar are kitchen staples, premium ingredients can elevate baking from good to extraordinary. Consider gifting a curated selection of high-quality baking essentials: real vanilla rather than artificial flavouring or extract, French cocoa powder, artisan chocolate, or speciality flours like Italian tipo 00 for pasta and pizza.

A curated gift biscuit box is ideal for inspiring new flavour combinations and techniques. Look for selections that include traditional shortbread alongside more adventurous flavours, offering both comfort and inspiration. These edible gifts serve double duty, providing immediate enjoyment whilst sparking ideas for the baker’s own creations.

Digital Kitchen Scales

Precision matters enormously in baking, where a few grams can mean the difference between success and disaster. Modern digital scales offer accuracy to the nearest gram, with many featuring tare functions that allow bakers to measure ingredients directly into their mixing bowl, reducing washing up considerably.

The best scales are robust enough to handle everyday use whilst remaining sensitive enough for delicate measurements like yeast or baking powder. Look for models with a large, easy-to-read display and a flat platform that accommodates various bowl sizes. Waterproof versions are particularly practical, as they can be wiped clean without worry after inevitable flour explosions.

A Recipe Book From A Renowned Baker

There’s something magical about a beautifully photographed baking book that makes you want to drop everything and start baking immediately. Choose books by established bakers whose style matches your recipient’s interests, whether that’s rustic sourdough, elaborate celebration cakes, or classic British bakes.

The best recipe books offer more than just instructions; they explain the science behind techniques, helping bakers understand why certain methods work. This knowledge transforms someone from a recipe follower into a confident baker who can troubleshoot problems and even improvise. Look for books with clear photography showing each stage of the process, making even complex recipes feel achievable.

Here are five we’ve been loving this year:

  • Baking for Pleasure by Ravneet Gill (2023) – Junior Bake Off judge, 80+ recipes for simple, joyful home baking
  • Celebrate: Joyful Baking All Year Round by Paul Hollywood (2025) – Great British Bake Off judge, showstopping bakes for every occasion
  • Sift: The Elements of Great Baking by Nicola Lamb (2024) – 115 pages of baking science before the recipes, absolute standout book
  • Jane’s Patisserie Classic by Jane Dunn (2025) – UK food blogger, mastering classics like Battenberg, Jammie Dodgers, Victoria Sponges
  • Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan (2016) – James Beard Award winner, 300+ cookie recipes including the viral World Peace Cookies

Silicone Baking Mats & Utensils

Reusable silicone baking mats have revolutionised home baking, eliminating the need for disposable parchment paper whilst providing a non-stick surface that’s genuinely non-stick. These mats are heat-resistant, dishwasher-safe, and last for years, making them both practical and (by some measures) environmentally friendly.

Beyond mats, silicone spatulas, whisks, and pastry brushes offer heat resistance and flexibility that traditional tools can’t match. They’re gentle on non-stick surfaces, easy to clean, and come in cheerful colours that brighten up any kitchen. A set of these tools makes a thoughtful gift that’ll get daily use long after Christmas has passed.

A Personalised Apron & Kitchen Textiles

Every baker needs a good apron, but a personalised one adds a special touch that transforms a practical item into something treasured. Look for heavy-duty cotton or linen aprons with adjustable neck straps and generous pockets for holding recipe cards or thermometers.

Don’t overlook kitchen textiles like tea towels, oven gloves, and pot holders. Choose ones made from natural materials that can withstand high temperatures and frequent washing. Patterns featuring baking motifs, retro designs, or personalised messages add personality whilst remaining functional. These items might seem mundane, but quality versions make a genuine difference to the baking experience.

The Bottom Line

Finding the perfect gift for a home baking enthusiast doesn’t require breaking the bank or hunting down obscure specialist equipment. The best presents combine practicality with thoughtfulness, showing you’ve paid attention to their passion whilst giving them something they’ll genuinely use. 

Whether you opt for professional-grade equipment, premium ingredients, or simply a beautiful book filled with inspiration, the key is choosing something that’ll encourage them to keep creating those delicious treats we all love to receive.

Remember, the most meaningful gifts often aren’t the flashiest ones but rather those that show you understand what makes the recipient tick. A carefully chosen baking gift demonstrates you’ve noticed their dedication to their craft and want to support their culinary adventures. 

So this Christmas, skip the generic gift sets and choose something that’ll genuinely delight the baker in your life whilst filling your own home with the irresistible aroma of their latest creations.

8 Things To Do In Val Thorens Beyond The Slopes

Editorial Team
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8 Things To Do In Val Thorens Beyond The Slopes

Perched at 2,300 metres, Val Thorens holds the distinguished title of Europe’s highest ski resort. But whilst the powder hounds and piste enthusiasts flock here for its legendary slopes, there’s a whole world of alpine adventure waiting beyond the skis and boards. 

A ski holiday in Val Thorens offers far more than you might expect. Much like exploring the French Alps’ neighbouring resort villages, this high-altitude haven offers experiences that extend far beyond traditional winter sports.

Whether you’re a non-skier travelling with friends, taking a well-earned rest day, or simply seeking to explore the resort’s more unexpected offerings, Val Thorens delivers experiences that go far beyond downhill runs. Here are eight fantastic things to do when you’re ready to give the slopes a miss.

Embrace The Thrill Of France’s Longest Toboggan Run

The CosmoJet toboggan run represents one of Val Thorens’s most popular non-skiing attractions, and with good reason. This 6-kilometre course starts from the top of the Funitel Péclet at 3,000 metres and winds its way down 700 vertical metres to the resort below. The journey takes approximately 45 minutes of pure sliding joy, featuring banked turns, straightaways, and the occasional tunnel to add an extra element of surprise.

What sets this toboggan experience apart is its accessibility. Children as young as five can participate when riding tandem with an adult, whilst those aged nine and above with a height exceeding 1.25 metres can tackle the run independently. 

The resort provides both the toboggan and helmet, and evening descents on Wednesday to Friday evenings come with the added bonus of mulled wine or hot chocolate and Beaufort cheese at the finish. 

Tickets start from £20 per run, representing excellent value for three-quarters of an hour of entertainment. Just remember to dress warmly, as temperatures can plummet on the descent, particularly during evening sessions.

Longest Toboggan Run
Longest Toboggan Run

Soar Through The Sky On Europe’s Highest Ziplines

For those seeking an adrenaline rush without strapping on skis, Val Thorens offers two spectacular zipline experiences that’ll have your heart racing. 

The Bee double zipline starts from the top of the Moutière chairlift, suspending thrill-seekers 65 metres above the snow as they hurtle down 1,800 metres of cable at speeds that’ll make your eyes water. What makes this experience particularly special is the tandem setup, allowing you to share the stomach-dropping excitement with a friend or family member as you fly through the crisp mountain air.

For the truly intrepid, however, the Bouchet Zipline takes things to another level entirely. Launching from a dizzying altitude of 3,230 metres at the top of the Bouchet-Orelle chairlift, this solo zipline sends riders screaming across the Glacier du Bouchet at speeds reaching 100 kilometres per hour. The 1,300-metre descent lasts approximately 90 seconds of pure, unadulterated exhilaration, with panoramic views of the Three Valleys spread out beneath you. 

Both ziplines operate in winter and summer, making them accessible year-round attractions for those brave enough to take the plunge.

Discover Serenity On Snowshoe Excursions

For those seeking a more contemplative mountain experience, snowshoeing offers the perfect antidote to Val Thorens’s more frenetic activities. The tourist office provides maps for several planned itineraries ranging from 2 to 6 kilometres, allowing you to explore at your own pace whilst soaking up the pristine alpine environment. The beauty of snowshoeing lies in its simplicity – with minimal equipment required, you’re free to disappear into nature, following trails that take you to vantage points most skiers will never see.

For a more immersive experience, consider booking a guided snowshoe excursion with one of Val Thorens’s activity companies. These range from half-day adventures to full-day expeditions, with some even offering night-time outings under the stars. 

The evening snowshoe to the Village Igloo is particularly popular, combining the tranquillity of a twilight mountain walk with the novelty of arriving at one of the resort’s most unique destinations. All equipment and transport are typically included in guided tours, and the pace is deliberately gentle, making this an ideal activity for families or those simply seeking some peace away from the busier parts of the resort.

Snowshoe
woman snow
snow shoe

Indulge In World-Class Wellness & Spa Facilities

After days filled with mountain activities, Val Thorens’s wellness facilities provide the perfect space for recovery and relaxation. The resort offers comprehensive spa experiences, with the centrepiece being Le Board Sports Centre, a 7,500 square metre facility that underwent a complete rebuild and reopened in December 2022.

The centre features swimming pools, including a heated indoor fun pool and two 20-metre swimming lanes, alongside a dedicated wellness area reserved for those aged 16 and over. The wellness area itself is a sanctuary of relaxation, featuring two balneotherapy pools, three saunas, a hammam, and a cold water well for those brave enough to embrace the invigorating benefits of temperature contrast therapy. 

Treatments and massages are available for guests aged 18 and over, whilst the centre also offers aqua gym, aqua bike, and swimming lessons for those wanting to stay active. Many of Val Thorens’s hotels also boast their own luxury spa facilities, often open to non-guests, providing further options for those seeking pampering and relaxation amidst the alpine splendour.

Experience An Unforgettable Night In An Igloo Village

Perhaps Val Thorens’s most distinctive offering is its Igloo Village, a 180 square metre ice structure located on the Combe de Thorens green slope. This remarkable construction takes ten days to build each season and features hand-carved ice sculptures created by professional artisans. During the day, the igloo is open from 10am to 5pm, allowing visitors to explore the ice caves and marvel at the year’s thematic sculptures whilst enjoying refreshments at the ice bar.

However, the real magic happens after dark. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings (plus Fridays during school holidays), the igloo transforms into a restaurant serving traditional Savoyard fondue. Guests embark on a guided snowshoe walk from the resort to reach the igloo, where they’re greeted with aperitifs before settling down to a convivial meal surrounded by walls of ice and snow. 

Three fondue dinner options are available: the basic option at €25 includes Savoyard fondue and water; the premium option at €39 adds charcuterie and wine or soft drinks; whilst the prestige option at €59 (approximately £50) includes prosecco or a cocktail, charcuterie, dessert, wine, hot drinks, and a digestif. Children’s meals are available for €19, though prices are subject to seasonal variation. 

For the truly adventurous, overnight stays are available in private igloos accommodating two to four guests, equipped with expedition-grade sleeping bags to ensure a comfortable night despite the sub-zero surroundings.

Savour Exceptional Dining In The Mountains

Exploring Val Thorens’s culinary scene deserves its own mention. The resort has evolved considerably from its utilitarian beginnings, now offering sophisticated dining options that rival the best mountain restaurants across the Alps. Le Diamant Noir is featured in the Michelin Guide and showcases innovative cuisine using locally sourced ingredients, whilst La Maison Val Thorens serves hearty Savoyard specialities in a cosy alpine atmosphere.

For those interested in French gastronomy beyond the mountains, Val Thorens provides an excellent introduction to regional Alpine cuisine. The resort’s altitude and position mean many restaurants offer spectacular panoramic views to accompany your meal, transforming dinner into a multi-sensory experience. Several establishments also feature sun-soaked terraces perfect for lunch, allowing you to bask in that exceptional high-altitude sunshine whilst enjoying everything from traditional tartiflette to contemporary French cuisine.

Hit The Ice At Val Thorens’s Rink & Bowling Alley

When weather turns inclement or you simply fancy some indoor entertainment, Val Thorens offers several options to keep boredom at bay. The ice rink at Place Péclet provides over 400 square metres of skating space on completely natural ice, creating a magical atmosphere enhanced by carefully orchestrated sound and light displays. Open throughout the winter season, it’s an ideal activity for families seeking a break from the more demanding mountain pursuits.

Just a stone’s throw from the ice rink, you’ll find Val Thorens’s bowling alley, housed in what feels like a traditional mountain chalet. Open daily from 2pm until 2am, this eight-lane facility also features billiards tables and screens showing sports matches, making it a popular après-ski destination. The bowling alley is suitable for children as young as four or five, with automatic barriers ensuring even the youngest visitors can enjoy knocking down pins without embarrassment.

Take Flight With Paragliding Adventures

For an entirely different perspective on the Three Valleys, paragliding offers the chance to soar like a bird above this spectacular landscape. Several companies operate tandem paragliding flights from Val Thorens, allowing even complete novices to experience the thrill of free flight with an experienced instructor handling the technical aspects. Launches typically take place from various points around the resort, with flights lasting anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour depending on thermal conditions and the package you select.

The sensation of running off a mountain and suddenly finding yourself airborne is genuinely extraordinary, and the views across the valley, with skiers looking like tiny ants on the slopes below, provide memories that’ll last a lifetime. 

Val Thorens’s dramatic terrain and exceptional altitude make it one of the most technically impressive mountain venues in the Alps. Microlight flights are also available for those seeking powered flight, offering a more stable platform from which to take photographs whilst still enjoying that incredible sense of freedom that only comes from flying.

paragliding

The Bottom Line

Val Thorens has successfully evolved from a simple ski resort into a comprehensive mountain destination offering experiences for every taste and energy level. Whether you’re seeking the adrenaline rush of hurtling down a zipline at 100 kilometres per hour, the contemplative tranquillity of a snowshoe expedition at sunset, or the unique novelty of sleeping in an igloo at 2,400 metres, this alpine wonderland delivers. 

The resort’s commitment to providing world-class facilities for non-skiers means that mixed-ability groups and families can all find their own mountain magic, even when interests diverge dramatically.

The beauty of Val Thorens beyond the slopes lies in its ability to combine adventure with comfort, offering everything from extreme sports to luxurious spa treatments within a compact, easily navigable resort. 

As Europe’s highest ski resort continues to innovate and expand its off-slope offerings, it’s becoming increasingly clear that you don’t need to strap on skis to fall completely in love with this remarkable corner of the French Alps. 

Whether you’re a committed non-skier or simply seeking variety during a longer stay, Val Thorens demonstrates that the mountains offer far more than just downhill thrills.

Your Guide To Mastering Sleep When The Clocks Change

Editorial Team
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Your Guide To Mastering Sleep When The Clocks Change

As the clocks prepare to go back on Sunday, that extra hour in bed might sound appealing, but for many of us, even this seemingly generous adjustment can wreak havoc on our sleep patterns. The twice-yearly clock change, whilst only shifting time by 60 minutes, can disrupt our finely-tuned internal body clocks in ways that leave us feeling groggy, irritable, and out of sorts for days or even weeks.

Understanding how to navigate these transitions smoothly can make all the difference to your wellbeing. Much like adjusting to new sleep patterns when travelling, the clock change requires thoughtful preparation. Here’s how to keep your sleep on track when the clocks change.

Understanding Your Circadian Rhythm

Your body operates on a 24-hour internal clock called the circadian rhythm, which regulates everything from your sleep-wake cycle to hormone production, body temperature, and even digestion. This sophisticated system is primarily controlled by a ‘master clock’ in your brain that responds to environmental cues, most importantly, light and darkness.

When we suddenly shift our clocks, even by just an hour, we’re asking our bodies to override millions of years of evolutionary programming. The result? Symptoms remarkably similar to jet lag: difficulty falling asleep, trouble waking up, daytime fatigue, reduced concentration, and even digestive issues.

The autumn clock change, when we ‘fall back’ and gain an hour, is generally considered easier to adjust to than the spring change. However, the darker evenings that follow can still disrupt your natural rhythms, particularly if you’re sensitive to light changes or already struggle with seasonal effective patterns.

Start Adjusting Gradually

Rather than expecting your body to adapt overnight, sleep experts recommend a gradual transition. In the week leading up to the clock change, shift your bedtime and wake time by 15 minutes every few days. This incremental approach gives your circadian rhythm time to recalibrate without shocking your system.

For the October clock change, this means going to bed slightly later each night and waking up slightly later each morning. By the time Sunday arrives, your body will already be partially adjusted to the new schedule, making the transition far less jarring.

Consistency is key here. Try to maintain your adjusted schedule even on weekends, as irregular sleep patterns can make adaptation more difficult.

Harness The Power Of Light

Light exposure is perhaps the most powerful tool you have for resetting your internal clock. When the clocks go back and evenings become darker earlier, it’s crucial to get plenty of bright light exposure during the day, particularly in the morning.

Natural sunlight is ideal. Try to spend at least 15-20 minutes outside in the morning, even if it’s cloudy. This helps suppress melatonin production and signals to your brain that it’s time to be alert. If getting outside isn’t practical, sitting near a window or using a light therapy box can provide similar benefits.

Equally important is managing your light exposure in the evening. As darkness falls earlier after the clock change, you might find yourself exposed to artificial lighting for longer periods. Dim your lights in the hours before bed, and consider using warm-toned bulbs rather than harsh white lighting. This helps trigger your body’s natural melatonin production, preparing you for sleep.

Mind Your Evening Screen Time

The blue light emitted by smartphones, tablets, and computers is particularly disruptive to your circadian rhythm. It mimics daylight and can suppress melatonin production, making it significantly harder to fall asleep.

In the weeks around the clock change, when your body is already working to adjust, it’s especially important to minimise screen exposure in the two hours before bed. If you absolutely must use devices, enable night mode settings or wear blue-light-blocking glasses.

Instead of scrolling through social media, consider establishing a screen-free wind-down routine. This might include reading a physical book, gentle stretching, meditation, or listening to calming audio content through a pillow speaker that uses bone conduction technology, allowing you to enjoy audiobooks or sleep sounds without disturbing a partner or wearing uncomfortable earbuds.

Rethink Your Meal Times

Your digestive system has its own internal clock that’s closely linked to your sleep-wake cycle. Research suggests that adjusting your meal times in tandem with your sleep schedule can significantly ease the transition during clock changes.

Start shifting your breakfast, lunch, and dinner times by 15-minute increments alongside your sleep adjustments. This helps synchronise all of your body’s internal clocks, rather than just addressing sleep in isolation.

Avoid eating large meals close to bedtime, as this can interfere with sleep quality regardless of the clock change. If you need an evening snack, opt for something light and easily digestible. Also be mindful of your caffeine intake, that afternoon coffee might need to be consumed earlier than usual during the adjustment period.

Exercise At The Right Time

Physical activity is a powerful regulator of circadian rhythms and can significantly improve sleep quality. However, timing matters enormously when you’re trying to adjust to a new schedule.

Morning or early afternoon exercise can help shift your body clock earlier and increase alertness during the day. The natural increase in body temperature and cortisol that comes with exercise helps reinforce wakefulness at the appropriate times.

Conversely, intense exercise close to bedtime can make falling asleep more difficult, as it raises your core temperature and stimulates your nervous system. If you prefer evening workouts, try to finish at least three hours before you plan to sleep, and consider gentler activities like yoga or walking closer to bedtime.

Create The Ideal Sleep Environment

Your bedroom environment plays a crucial role in sleep quality, and this becomes even more important during periods of adjustment. The ideal sleeping space is cool (around 16-18°C), completely dark, and quiet.

Invest in blackout curtains or a sleep mask to block out light pollution, particularly important as darker mornings might tempt you to sleep later than intended. Keep your room well-ventilated and consider using a fan for both cooling and white noise benefits.

If you share a bed with a partner who has different sleep needs or schedules during the adjustment period, consider personal sleep aids that won’t disturb them, such as individual reading lights, separate bedding for temperature control, or personal audio devices for relaxation content.

Photo by Tracey Hocking on Unsplash

Avoid Sleep Aids & Alcohol

When struggling with the clock change, it might be tempting to reach for sleep aids or alcohol to help you drift off. However, both can actually worsen sleep quality and make adjustment more difficult.

Alcohol might make you feel drowsy initially, but it disrupts your sleep architecture, reducing time spent in restorative deep sleep and REM sleep. This leaves you feeling unrefreshed even after a full night in bed.

Over-the-counter sleep medications can create dependency and often leave you feeling groggy the next day. If you’re considering melatonin supplements, consult with your GP first, as timing and dosage are crucial for effectiveness, and they’re not suitable for everyone.

Establish A Consistent Bedtime Routine

A predictable pre-sleep routine signals to your body that it’s time to wind down, making the transition to sleep easier. This becomes particularly valuable during periods when your internal clock is recalibrating.

Your routine might include a warm bath or shower (the subsequent drop in body temperature promotes sleepiness), gentle stretching, reading, journaling, or listening to calming music or guided meditations. The key is consistency, performing the same activities in the same order each night trains your body to recognise these as sleep cues.

Keep your routine to 30-60 minutes and avoid anything too stimulating. This isn’t the time for checking work emails, watching action films, or having difficult conversations.

Don’t Fight Your Chronotype

Some people are naturally morning larks, whilst others are night owls, this is your chronotype, and it’s largely determined by genetics. Trying to force yourself into a sleep schedule that doesn’t align with your natural tendencies makes adaptation to clock changes even more challenging.

If you’re a natural night owl, the autumn clock change might actually suit you better, allowing you to wake later without feeling guilty. Morning people, conversely, might find it easier to maintain their preferred early schedule. Work with your natural preferences rather than against them when planning your adjustment strategy.

Consider The Longer-Term Effects

Whilst the immediate effects of the clock change typically resolve within a few days to a week, the associated shift in daylight patterns can have longer-lasting impacts on sleep and mood. The darker evenings following the October clock change can trigger or worsen seasonal affective symptoms in some people.

Continue prioritising morning light exposure even after you’ve adjusted to the new time. Consider vitamin D supplementation if you’re spending less time outdoors, and maintain your sleep hygiene practices throughout the winter months.

If you find that sleep problems persist beyond two weeks, or if you’re experiencing significant daytime impairment, it’s worth consulting with your GP or a sleep specialist. Chronic sleep issues can have serious impacts on physical and mental health and deserve professional attention.

The Bottom Line

The seasonal clock changes, whilst seemingly minor, can significantly disrupt our sleep patterns and overall wellbeing. However, with thoughtful preparation and the right strategies, you can minimise their impact and maintain healthy sleep throughout the transition.

Start adjusting gradually in the week before the change, leverage the power of light exposure, maintain consistent meal and exercise times, and create an optimal sleep environment. Perhaps most importantly, be patient with yourself, your body needs time to adapt, and that’s perfectly normal.

Remember that quality sleep isn’t just about the hours you spend in bed, it’s about synchronising your body’s internal rhythms with your external environment. By respecting your circadian rhythm and supporting it through these biannual transitions, you’ll not only sleep better but feel better too. For more ways to achieve uninterrupted sleep, explore our comprehensive sleep guides.

Sweet dreams, and may this October’s clock change be your smoothest one yet.

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