The demand for English teachers across the globe is continuously on the rise, making Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) an exciting and viable career option. From the bustling streets of Tokyo to the sun-soaked sands of Dubai, there are countless opportunities available for those looking to live abroad and earn money while broadening their mind and horizons through living in a new culture.
Firstly, What Qualifications & Certification Is Required For Brits To Teach English As A Foreign Language Abroad?
Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) abroad can be a rewarding endeavour. However, it’s important for prospective British teachers to understand the qualifications required for such a role, as they can vary by location and institution. Here’s a brief explainer:
Bachelor’s Degree
In most countries, a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline is a minimum requirement to secure a TEFL job. It’s not typically necessary for your degree to be in English, linguistics, or teaching, although these subjects could give you an advantage.
TEFL Certification
TEFL courses typically range from 100-120 hours and can be completed online or in-person. If you’d rather test the waters before committing to a move abroad, you can also learn how to teach English online first. These courses provide foundational teaching principles, such as lesson planning, classroom management, and language learning theories.
Generally speaking, the CELTA is perhaps considered the most prestigious type of TEFL qualification, though it’s generally more useful for those looking to teach adults.
Teaching Experience
While not always required, prior teaching or tutoring experience can significantly boost your employability. Often, TEFL certification courses feature practical teaching components which can help you gain valuable experience.
Native or Fluent English Proficiency
As you’ll teach the English language, you’re typically required to be a native English speaker or demonstrate fluent proficiency.
Clean Criminal Record
Most countries require a clean criminal background check for teaching, particularly if you’re working with children. This is typically known as a DBS check in the UK.
Other Certificates
Some countries require proof of vaccinations, medical examinations, or a health certificate when entering their country. Be sure you’re up-to-date on all of the required immunisations and have verifiable records. As antiquated as it may sound, you may also need your birth certificate, so it’s wise to get birth certificate translations made just in case.
On top of that, if you plan to drive abroad, some countries require an International Driving Permit in addition to your UK driving licence. Finally, some countries might require bank statements as proof of financial stability.
Remember, each country and educational institution may have specific requirements. Requirements can also differ depending on whether you’re teaching at a public school, a private language academy, or providing private tutoring. Always thoroughly research and check the requirements for your specific situation and desired destination.
Anyway, let’s get to the fun part! Here are 10 of the most popular cities worldwide to teach English overseas.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The high wages and tax-free income have long attracted TEFL teachers to Dubai. The city boasts a diverse, multicultural environment with a high demand for English language skills. Teachers may find opportunities in public schools, private language institutes, and universities.
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is one of the highest-paying cities for English teachers. The Japanese government-run JET Programme is particularly popular, placing native English speakers in schools across the country. Tokyo offers a fusion of ultra-modern living with rich, ancient traditions.
The Spanish capital is known for vibrant culture, history, and a high demand for English teachers. Numerous programmes like Auxiliares de Conversación offer placements in public schools. Madrid also offers private teaching opportunities.
Prague, Czech Republic
Prague offers a lower cost of living with a decent salary for English teachers. Its central location in Europe makes it perfect for those who wish to explore the continent. There are numerous language schools in the city, catering to both children and adults.
Seoul, South Korea
South Korea has an immense demand for English teachers, especially in its capital, Seoul. The government-run EPIK programme offers excellent benefits, including airfare reimbursement, free housing, and competitive salaries.
Bangkok, Thailand
Known for its wonderfully welcoming people and rich culture, Thailand offers a unique teaching experience. Bangkok, with its hustle, bustle and brilliant food, has a myriad of teaching opportunities in public and private schools. The cost of living is low, making your earnings go further.
Beijing, China
China, being the most populous country in the world, has an enormous demand for English teachers. In Beijing, you’ll find high-paying jobs and a chance to immerse yourself in the country’s rich history and culture.
Hanoi, Vietnam
The historic city of Hanoi is fast becoming a hotspot for TEFL teachers, thanks to the high demand for English education. There are opportunities in both public and private schools, and with a low cost of living and a vibrant expat community (the pizza restaurants here are incredible!), Hanoi presents a unique teaching experience.
Taipei, Taiwan
Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, offers a high standard of living with a robust demand for English teachers. There are opportunities in public schools and private language institutes. Taiwan also has a strong TEFL community offering support and guidance.
Santiago, Chile
If you’re looking for a South American TEFL experience, Santiago is a top choice. English teaching jobs are plentiful, and programmes like English Open Doors offer opportunities in public schools.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Vietnam’s southern hub has exploded in popularity among TEFL teachers in recent years, and it’s not hard to see why. Salaries here are among the highest in Southeast Asia relative to the cost of living, with plenty of positions available in international schools, language centres, and private tutoring.
Ho Chi Minh City moves at a faster, more frenetic pace than its northern counterpart, Hanoi, with a younger population and a sprawling street food and café culture that makes it easy to settle in. The city also has a large and sociable expat community, so you’ll never be short of people to explore the street food scene with.
The Bottom Line
Whether it’s the allure of living on the other side of the world or the relative familiarity of European cities, teaching English abroad can be an enriching experience. Just remember to get your TEFL certification and do your homework regarding visas and work permits. There’s a world of opportunities waiting for you.
The Cotswolds has been pulling in visitors for centuries, and it’s not hard to see why. An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that stretches across six counties, it’s the kind of place where a wrong turn down a lane still leads somewhere worth going. Honey-coloured villages, good pubs, big skies, and a sense that someone’s been quietly looking after the place for a very long time. It’s a UK staycation that earns its reputation year after year.
Why, Just Why?
No wonder, then, that this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is regularly named as one of the UK’s most popular staycations. We could leave it there, really, as the introduction explains everything, but then we wouldn’t meet our word count. For that reason, and with all that in mind, here are some key reasons that the Cotswolds remains such an enduringly popular staycation destination.
The Quintessential English Countryside
The Cotswolds looks the way most people imagine England should look. Its hills fold into one another across miles of open country, the stone walls and church spires doing exactly what you’d hope they would against a grey or blue sky. That distinctive limestone, warm and pale, almost glowing in the right light, ties the whole region together, from grand manor houses to the smallest garden wall. It’s the kind of scenery that has drawn artists and writers for centuries, and it doesn’t take long here to understand why.
Insider Tip: The Secret Gardens of Hidcote
The whole region qualifies as an AONB, but Hidcote Manor Garden deserves a special mention. This National Trust property, created by the horticulturist Major Lawrence Johnston, is arranged as a series of outdoor ‘rooms’, each with its own character, walled off from the next. It’s one of the most influential garden designs of the 20th century, and it’s surprisingly under-visited.
A Vast Canvas of Natural Beauty
At nearly 800 square miles, the Cotswolds is big enough to absorb a lot of visitors without feeling overrun. It spans several counties, from Oxfordshire’s church spires through to the deeper valleys of Gloucestershire, and the character shifts as you move between them. Even on a bank holiday weekend, you can find a stretch of countryside that feels like it belongs entirely to you.
Discover the Unexplored: Minchinhampton Common
Minchinhampton Common is a good example. This wide-open common land sits high above the Stroud valleys, offering long views in every direction. Cattle roam freely across it, and on a weekday you’re likely to have the place more or less to yourself. Bring a picnic.
Embrace The Great Outdoors
If you like walking, you’ll struggle to find a better region for it. Miles of well-maintained footpaths cut through the countryside, from gentle loops around a village to full-day hikes along exposed ridgelines. The terrain is forgiving enough for beginners but varied enough to keep serious walkers interested.
Walk This Way: The Cotswold Way Circular Walks
If you’re not ready to commit to the full 102-mile Cotswold Way, try one of the Cotswold Way Circular Walks instead. These shorter loops take in some of the long-distance trail’s best stretches without requiring you to arrange transport at the other end.
The Heart of British Country Pub Culture
The Cotswolds has more good pubs per square mile than just about anywhere in England. Flagstone floors, low beams, a fire going from October through April, local ales on the hand pumps. It’s the kind of pub culture that people travel from overseas to experience, and it’s still going strong here.
Must-Visit: The Ebrington Arms
The Ebrington Arms, a short drive from Chipping Campden, is a proper Cotswold pub that also happens to operate as a microbrewery. The food is excellent, the setting is hard to beat, and their Yubby Bitter is worth crossing a county for.
A Taste of The Cotswolds
The food scene here goes well beyond pub grub. Artisan cheeses, heritage-breed meats, and seasonal produce from the surrounding farms feed a network of restaurants, farm shops, and weekly markets. Food festivals pop up through the warmer months, and the quality of ingredients at even the smaller producers is reliably high.
Culinary Delight: The Kingham Plough
In the village of Kingham, The Kingham Plough has built its menu around what’s available locally, with foraged ingredients making regular appearances. It’s earned a strong reputation in the area, and the cooking is more ambitious than the country-pub setting might suggest.
A Diverse Range of Accommodation
The Cotswolds covers the full spectrum, from converted barns and thatched holiday cottages through to boutique hotels and country-house estates. Whatever your budget, you can find somewhere that feels right for the trip.
Country House Comfort: Burleigh Court Cotswolds
For something with a bit more grandeur, Burleigh Court Cotswolds is a handsome 18th-century manor house set in three acres of grounds near Minchinhampton. It has the feel of a private country estate without the stuffiness, and its position above the Golden Valley means the views from the terrace alone justify the booking.
Alternatively, there are some seriously luxury holiday cottages in the Cotswolds, which give you a proper feel for rural life in this part of England.
Stay In Style: The Wild Rabbit
The Wild Rabbit in Kingham gets the balance right between rural character and contemporary comfort. The rooms are well-designed without being fussy, and its restaurant has been recognised by the Michelin Guide. Sustainability runs through the operation, too, which is increasingly the expectation rather than the exception in this part of the world.
A Year-Round Destination
The Cotswolds doesn’t shut down after summer. Autumn turns the beech woods bronze and copper, winter brings frost to the stone walls and empty footpaths, and spring fills the meadows before the crowds return. Each season changes the mood of the place considerably, and there’s a strong argument that the quieter months are the best time to visit.
Seasonal Secret: The Lavender Fields
If you are here in summer, though, make a point of visiting The Lavender Fields. Row after row of purple stretching across the hillside, with the scent carrying on the breeze. It’s the sort of thing that looks almost unreal in person. Photographers love it, but it’s worth the visit even without a camera.
History & Culture Beyond The Countryside
There’s more to the Cotswolds than scenery. The region has been continuously settled since Roman times, and the evidence is everywhere: in the churches, the market squares, the ancient trackways that became modern footpaths. Contemporary galleries and studios have also taken root in recent years, drawn by the same light and space that attracted the Arts and Crafts movement a century ago.
Hidden Gem: The Corinium Museum
In Cirencester, the Corinium Museum houses one of the best collections of Roman artefacts in the country. Most visitors to the Cotswolds walk straight past it, which is their loss. The mosaics alone are worth an hour of your time.
Sustainable Travel In The Cotswolds
The Cotswolds has become increasingly serious about sustainable tourism. Local businesses are moving towards eco-friendly practices, and the infrastructure for car-free exploration is better than you might expect.
Eco-Friendly Exploration: Electric Bike Tours
An electric bike is one of the best ways to see the region without a car. Several local companies offer e-bike rentals and guided tours, and the rolling terrain is ideally suited to it. The hills keep things interesting, but nothing is so steep that you’ll regret the decision.
The Cotswolds’ Celebratory Spirit
The Cotswolds has a festival calendar that ranges from the distinguished to the genuinely eccentric, and the locals take both ends of that spectrum equally seriously.
Embrace Local Traditions: Cotswolds Festivals
The Cotswold Olimpicks in Chipping Campden features shin-kicking as a competitive sport, which tells you something about the region’s sense of humour. Then there’s the Cheese-Rolling at Cooper’s Hill, where competitors throw themselves down a near-vertical slope in pursuit of a wheel of Double Gloucester. It’s as dangerous and absurd as it sounds, and it draws thousands of spectators every year.
If your visit coincides with the annual Cotswold Olimpicks, it’s well worth an evening. The games have been running in some form since the early 17th century, and the atmosphere on the hill above Chipping Campden is unlike anything else in English country life.
At the more refined end of the scale, The Cheltenham Literature Festival is one of the oldest literary festivals in the world and draws major names every autumn. Longborough Festival Opera offers world-class performances in a small, rural setting that makes the big city venues feel impersonal by comparison. And throughout the year, food and drink festivals make the most of the region’s producers and the short distances between them.
The Bottom Line
The Cotswolds doesn’t need to try very hard. A good walk, a decent pub lunch, an afternoon spent wandering a village you’ve never heard of. These are small things, but they’re done exceptionally well here. It’s been a popular destination for a long time because the fundamentals are strong, and because the place itself hasn’t been loved to death the way some corners of England have.
Go in any season, stay as long as you can, and don’t over-plan it. The Cotswolds tends to reward the aimless.If you’re after a countryside break with good food at the centre of it, our round-up of the best gastropubs in Wiltshire should keep you busy on the drive home.
London’s South Bank is one of those stretches of the city that never gets old. Bookended by Westminster Bridge and Blackfriars, this pedestrianised ribbon of concrete and culture hugs the Thames like a favourite scarf, offering everything from Brutalist architecture to second-hand paperbacks, street food to skateboarding.
It wasn’t always this way. For centuries, the area was known as Lambeth Marsh, a waterlogged stretch of land that flooded with the tides. Drained in the 18th century, it became an industrial zone of tanneries, breweries, and factories.
The transformation came in 1951, when the Festival of Britain reimagined this bombed-out, run-down patch as a showcase for post-war optimism. The Royal Festival Hall is the lasting legacy of that moment, and the regeneration has continued ever since, with the Southbank Centre, National Theatre, and Tate Modern turning the riverbank into one of Europe’s great cultural districts.
With Waterloo Station spitting out commuters and day-trippers mere minutes from the action, it’s about as accessible as London gets. Here are ten ways to spend a brilliant day on this beloved stretch of riverbank.
Browse The South Bank Book Market
The South Bank Book Market has been drawing bibliophiles to its spot beneath Waterloo Bridge since 1983. Originally dreamt up by Leslie Hardcastle, then controller of the BFI, the market was conceived to liven up what was then a rather bleak patch of concrete.
Four decades later, it’s one of southern England’s only outdoor second-hand book markets, and its loyal stallholders have become as much a fixture as the brutalist architecture overhead. Expect everything from battered Penguins and vintage maps to antiquarian curiosities across eight permanent stalls. The traders know their stock inside out and are happy to chat.
Open daily from 10am to 7pm, though not all stalls operate every day and the market may close in bad weather, so weekends are your best bet for the full selection.
Catch A Film At BFI Southbank
BFI Southbank is a film lover’s paradise, nestled in the arches beneath Waterloo Bridge. This isn’t your multiplex experience: across four screens, the programming ranges from arthouse premieres and archive oddities to director Q&As and thematic retrospectives.
The flagship NFT1 screen, with its 450 seats and 9.2-metre screen, has been called one of the crown jewels of London cinema by Forbes. Even if you’re not catching a film, the BFI Reuben Library offers free access to an astonishing collection of film literature, while the Mediatheque lets you dive into the BFI National Archive.
The building is open daily from 11am to 11pm (11.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays), and the Riverfront Bar & Kitchen makes a fine spot for a post-screening debrief, with views across to the Book Market and the Thames beyond.
Leake Street Arches is a 300-metre tunnel running beneath Waterloo Station, and London’s longest legal graffiti wall. Every inch of surface is covered in constantly evolving street art, from elaborate murals to quick tags that might last hours before someone sprays over them. Banksy put the spot on the map with his 2008 Cans Festival, and the tunnel has hummed with creative energy ever since.
But it’s not just about the walls: the arches now house a cluster of independent bars and restaurants. Mamuśka serves hearty Polish classics (pierogi, bigos, vodka boards), Draughts is a board game café with over 1,000 games on its shelves, and Passyunk Avenue channels the dive-bar energy of Philadelphia with cheesesteaks, buffalo wings, and ice-cold American beer.
The tunnel itself is open 24 hours; individual venue hours vary.
Watch The Skaters At The Undercroft
The Undercroft beneath the Southbank Centre has been home to skateboarders since 1973, making it the world’s longest continually used skate spot. What started as a happy accident (the architects simply left the space open when they built the Queen Elizabeth Hall) became the beating heart of British skateboard culture.
The spot was threatened with redevelopment in 2013, but a spirited campaign by Long Live Southbank saved it, and subsequent renovations have expanded the skateable area back towards its original footprint.
Even if you’ve never stood on a board, it’s mesmerising to watch riders navigate the banks, ledges, and staircases. On any given afternoon you’ll find everyone from wobbly beginners to visiting pros, all sharing the same stretch of concrete.
Eat & Drink At The National Theatre
The National Theatre is justly famous for its productions, but it’s also become a serious food and drink destination in its own right. The headline act is Forza Wine, the terrace bar that Time Out named London’s best rooftop bar for 2025.
Perched above the Lyttelton Lounge with views across the river, it serves sharing plates of “Italian-ish” food (the cauliflower fritti is legendary) alongside a smartly curated list of natural wines. Open daily from midday to midnight.
For something more substantial, Lasdun offers modern British brasserie cooking from the team behind Hackney’s celebrated Marksman pub: think whole Cornish pollack and chicken and girolle pie. Even if you’re just passing through, the Atrium Café does excellent coffee and light lunches, and the building’s brutalist foyers are worth a wander in their own right.
The Hayward Gallery, with its distinctive brutalist exterior, has been showcasing major contemporary art exhibitions since 1968. The gallery’s raw concrete spaces suit bold, large-scale work particularly well.
From 17 February to 3 May 2026, the gallery hosts a double bill of immersive installations: Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota’s Threads of Life, featuring her signature floor-to-ceiling woven structures, alongside Chinese artist Yin Xiuzhen’s Heart to Heart. Come summer, Anish Kapoor takes over from 16 June to 18 October.
Even when you’re not heading inside, the gallery’s outdoor sculpture terraces are free to explore and offer some of the best elevated views along this stretch of the river. Standard tickets are £19; Southbank Centre members go free.
Image via Southbank Centre
Graze The Street Food Markets
The South Bank has become one of London’s best spots for outdoor eating, with two street food markets within a few minutes’ walk of each other. The Southbank Centre Food Market sets up every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on Southbank Centre Square, tucked behind the Royal Festival Hall on the Belvedere Road side. Around 40 stalls offer a world tour of cuisines: Ethiopian injera platters, Punjabi biryanis, Venezuelan arepas, and New Orleans po’boys all within a few metres of each other. Horn OK Please does some of London’s best dosas, and four new stalls rotate in each month.
In summer, KERB sets up its own open-air market outside the National Theatre, with a rotating lineup of street food trucks and a 70-metre communal table overlooking the river. The vibe is more curated than the Southbank Centre market, with traders like El Pollote (Venezuelan fried chicken) and Harissa and Lemon (Moroccan street food) alongside craft beers from Gipsy Hill and cocktails from a pop-up bar. Grab your haul and head to Jubilee Gardens for a riverside picnic with views of the London Eye.
Come winter, the Southbank Centre Winter Market takes over, with Alpine-style wooden chalets stretching along the riverfront from November through early January. Mulled wine, Dutch pancakes, raclette, and churros fuel the browsing, while craft stalls sell handmade jewellery and seasonal gifts. It’s free to wander, and the fairy lights reflecting off the Thames make for one of London’s more atmospheric festive experiences.
Walk The Queen’s Walk
Sometimes the best thing to do is simply wander. The Queen’s Walk stretches along the riverbank, offering a constantly shifting parade of views: Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament to the west, St Paul’s Cathedral and the City’s glass towers to the east.
Street performers set up along the route, buskers fill the air with music, and the benches offer prime people-watching territory.
Grab a coffee for the stroll from Beany Green, a colourful shipping container tucked beneath Hungerford Bridge. Part of the Australian-inspired Daisy Green group, it serves excellent flat whites from its house-roasted Beany Blend, plus house-made banana bread that’s developed something of a cult following. In the evenings, the coffee gives way to craft beers and cocktails.
Walking east, stop off at the OXO Tower for a drink with a view. The eighth-floor bar sits at the top of the Art Deco landmark (the one with the cleverly disguised OXO lettering that got around a ban on riverside advertising), with floor-to-ceiling windows and an outdoor terrace looking across to St Paul’s. Cocktails aren’t cheap, but the setting is hard to beat.
Keep going and you’ll reach Tate Modern, the converted power station that helped kickstart the South Bank’s transformation when it opened in 2000. Entry to the permanent collection is free, and the cavernous Turbine Hall hosts large-scale installations that are worth seeing even if contemporary art isn’t usually your thing. The viewing platform on Level 10 offers panoramic views across the river to St Paul’s.
The South Bank is blessed with drinking spots that make the most of its riverside location. The BFI Riverfront is reliably good for a post-film pint with views across to the book stalls. Skylon, on Level 3 of the Royal Festival Hall, offers floor-to-ceiling windows and cocktails with a side of skyline.
For something less formal, The Understudy at the National Theatre pours local craft beers from Gipsy Hill and spirits from East London Liquor Company, with street food from a rotating cast of KERB traders. Open daily from midday.
In summer, the Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden is the move: a hidden green oasis above the Brutalist concrete, with deckchairs, cocktails, and views across the river. Time it right and you can sip something cold before heading downstairs to catch a show.
See A Production
The Queen Elizabeth Hall opened in 1967 with a concert conducted by Benjamin Britten, and its nearly 1,000-seat auditorium has welcomed an eclectic roster ever since. The programming veers from classical and contemporary music to dance, theatre, and spoken word. Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood has performed here; so has JK Rowling.
The hall reopened in 2018 after a three-year renovation that stripped things back to the original designs, with floors, walls, and ceilings restored to their 1960s glory. Sharing the building is the smaller Purcell Room, which hosts more intimate chamber music, jazz, and debates. The foyer itself sometimes comes alive with Concrete Lates, monthly club nights featuring electronic music and river views.
The venue opens 90 minutes before performances, and there are bars throughout the Southbank Centre complex for pre-show drinks.
For something scrappier, Waterloo East Theatre is a 100-seat fringe venue tucked into a railway arch near the station. Founded in 2010, it champions new writing and stages European premieres, revivals, and the occasional cult musical. The programming leans adventurous, the bar is well-stocked, and tickets rarely break the bank.
Further east along the riverbank, Shakespeare’s Globe is the open-air reconstruction of the Elizabethan playhouse where the Bard staged his greatest hits. Rebuilt in 1997 after a decades-long campaign by American actor Sam Wanamaker, the thatched ‘wooden O’ hosts productions from spring to autumn, with £5 standing tickets available for groundlings willing to brave the elements. The indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, lit entirely by candlelight, offers a more intimate (and weatherproof) alternative year-round.
The Bottom Line
The South Bank rewards a lack of planning. Turn up at Waterloo, point yourself towards the river, and let the day unfold. You might spend an hour lost in a second-hand bookstall, catch an obscure film from the BFI archive, watch a teenager nail a trick at the Undercroft, or simply sit with a coffee and watch the Thames slide past.
That mix of high culture and street-level energy, of world-class institutions and happily scrappy corners, is what makes this stretch of London so enduringly appealing. Pack comfortable shoes and an open mind.
And if all this culture leaves you craving something slower-paced, the Thames offers very different pleasures further upstream. Here’s our guide to London’s best places for coarse fishing. Rod licence required; patience optional.
The morning after Bruce Springsteen played San Sebastián, in a show that lasted well into today, we took the bus west along the Basque coast. Forty minutes of winding road, hungover, dehydrated from too many gildas back in Donostia, the Bay of Biscay glittering to my right through salt-smeared windows, taunting me. The night before had been The Boss. Today would be The King of the Sea.
An afternoon of excess fish isn’t always what you need after a big night on the Bruce and beers, with a lurching, sticky hot bus journey just to really shake the stomach up – the final indignity. But as we turned the corner into Getaria and the views of the bay opened up, things settled considerably.
Getaria is a medieval fishing village of perhaps 2,500 people, built on a tombolo connecting the mainland to Monte San Antón. The locals call that hump of land El Ratón – the Mouse – for its rodent-like silhouette. Surrounding it all are the steeply terraced vineyards of the Getariako Txakolina DO, the most prestigious appellation for txakoli, the region’s white wine.
The village also claims three famous sons: Juan Sebastián Elcano, the first man to circumnavigate the globe, completing the voyage after Magellan died in the Philippines in 1521; Cristóbal Balenciaga, the fashion designer Coco Chanel called the only true couturier; and Aitor Arregui, a former professional footballer who now runs one of the most celebrated seafood restaurants on the planet.
So, we arrived kitted out head to toe in Balenciaga, hungry for more than Elcano’s lucrative cargo of cloves and cinnamon. It’s fish we’re after, grilled by the son who stayed.
Elkano sits on Herrerieta Kalea, a few minutes’ walk uphill from the harbour, a minute down from the bus stop. The building’s curved white facade has the profile of a ship’s prow, facing out to sea – appropriate for a place whose whole philosophy rests on its proximity to the water. The restaurant takes its name from the explorer, opening in 1964 when Aitor’s father Pedro Arregui returned from two years working abroad and transformed his mother’s grocery store into a bar, installing a street-side grill beside it.
It felt like a natural thing to do. Fishermen here have long grilled their surplus on boat-mounted setups, and legend has it that Elcano himself left grills from his second circumnavigation as inheritance to his descendants. When Pedro opened the restaurant, the idea was simple, democratic, even: neighbours could come in after returning from the boats and cook their own catch over the coals.
Then he started experimenting, grilling hake heads, a cut traditionally used to bolster soup, and kokotxas, the gelatinous throat cheeks now prized across the Basque Country. And when a fisherman brought him a particularly large turbot, Pedro decided to grill it whole, skin on – a departure from local custom, where only the ‘noble’ loins were served as fillets and the rest consigned to the stock pot. Cooking it whole, skin intact, trapped the fish’s abundant gelatin, keeping the flesh rich and succulent. It also unlocked the inherent beauty of the fish’s lesser cuts: the cheeks, the collar, the sticky wings – parts that had previously been discarded.
This became the dish that would make Elkano famous: whole grilled turbot, cooked over holm oak charcoal and seasoned with nothing more than coarse salt and spritzes of a mixture of oil and vinegar that the family calls ‘Agua de Lourdes’. The recipe remains an almost mythical secret. When asked about it, Pedro would just smile and look at his wife.
The Arregui family philosophy rests on three principles: proximity, product knowledge, and restraint. Be near the fish, understand its life cycle, don’t ruin it. Pedro used to say you should look a fish in the eyes to check for brightness; if they still shine, it’s truly fresh. If it blinks, throw it back (he didn’t say that).
Today, fishermen and farmers bring their catch and produce directly to the restaurant, as they have for six decades. Some of the suppliers are the sons of men who sold fish to Pedro in the 1960s. Fishing in Getaria, like grilling, is generational. The grill is still available to locals. There is just one stipulation: the fish must be worthy.
Pedro died in February 2014, aged 73. That November, Elkano was awarded its first Michelin star. The timing was bittersweet, although one suspects this thing isn’t concerned with stars at all. By then, his son Aitor had long since returned to the kitchen. He’d “distracted himself” for a decade as a professional footballer – playing in La Liga for Alavés and Villarreal – but was back by 2002, Elkano’s gravitational pull stronger than the tides. Now he runs the place with the cool authority of someone who has inherited both a business and a way of seeing the world.
The Meal
We arrived early afternoon, the sun still high over the harbour. Outside, the grills were already loaded – whole turbots blistering in the open air for diners who hadn’t even ordered yet. Through the dining room, where a large family was mid-way through a long lunch – bones piled on platters, bread crumbs scattered across the tablecloth, the happy carnage of a long meal – we climbed the stairs to the first floor. No harbour views from up here, but you’re close enough to smell the salt.
Upstairs is another register entirely. Grey walls, wooden beams, white tablecloths. A doll on a shelf – some maternal figure, perhaps. A sprig of dried sea grass in a cork stand on our table, a QR code on a wooden block for the menu, nothing else. Whether this was in the name of sustainability – always good posture for a fish restaurant – or a stylistic choice to keep the table stark, we never found out.
The space is austere, almost monastic, but this isn’t a dining room of hushed tones and genuflection. Downstairs, the family were still at it, volume rising. Around us, chatter and the clatter of cutlery. In such a revered restaurant, noise is a relief.
The menu opens with a statement of intent: “We are in Getaria, the southernmost tip of the Bay of Biscay. Latitude 43°, 2′. Today, just like every day, the arrantzales went out to sea and brought us the best our coast has to offer… This menu is the best of today, here and now. Full speed ahead.”
Full speed ahead, indeed; I was hungry.
First came a light seafood broth, golden and delicate. So ethereal, in fact, that it dissolved in my memory the moment it’d been eaten, and I can’t remember a thing about it despite photo evidence.
Then two cubes of raw mackerel, cold, clean and bright, a single strand of pickled pink onion balanced across the skin’s silver sheen. Marinated lobster with its roe followed, the flesh taut and squeaky, pops of salinity punctuating naturally sweet, robust protein. A flood of acidity from the tiniest dose of fresh tomato cleansed the palate. The meal was escalating, each course shedding delicacy, gaining heft, preparing the ground for the grill.
Now things were moving. Kokotxas (hake throats) in a trio of different preparations, representing three generations of the family: grilled, fried, and pil-pil. Its plate was pure white, almost disappearing into the linen beneath it – exposing the nakedness of the dish, but the trio was fully-flavoured and tasted boldly of the sea. If the Cantabrian had been cut with gelatin and steeped in garlic, that is.
Then spring mushrooms, ceps and trompettes, meaty and kissed with the smoke of the holm oak coals, as though the kitchen sensed it was time to get substantial.
What strikes you, eating at Elkano, is the near-total absence of vegetables. There is no garnish, no side of greens, no roasted accompaniments – the mushrooms an exception that proves the rule. The effect is almost austere. But it also highlights something profound about the place: in a fishing village where boats return each morning loaded with the day’s catch, fish is the thing that can be served generously, without restraint. Vegetables are the import, the luxury. Here, a whole turbot for two is not extravagance. It’s simply what abundance looks like when the sea is your garden.
Baby squid (chipirón) next, charred in places, tender and mi-cuit in others, the mantle, fins, and tentacles dissected across a slick of squid ink, each with different tension and give. A quenelle of relish that looked bruising turned out mellow and sweet.
And then the grouper.
Turbot gets the press at Elkano, the magazine features and chef pilgrimages. But the restaurant’s philosophy is about whatever is best that day, whatever the boats brought in. On a sunny day in late June, that was the grouper, one of the finest bits of fish I’ve eaten, a total contradiction. The flesh was impossibly sticky with collagen and actually adhered to the plate, each flake bound together, sturdy and meaty, but somehow also falling apart at the gentlest pressure. The skin wasn’t charred but golden from the grill. No sauce. No accompaniment. Just fire, salt, and the Gulf of Biscay. You got two thick cubes each, the idea of a ‘tasting’ menu seemingly falling away in favour of something more generous.
Smoke was becoming more apparent with each course now. Giddy from the grouper, we threw caution into the sea breeze and added a supplementary gratinated spider crab, served cracked open to reveal bronzed and blistered brown crab meat over a base of softened onions, the shell blackened at the edges from the grill, the innards custardy. You’re given just a dessert spoon, knowingly. It was head-spinningly good.
And then, the turbot. Half a fish for the two of us (we’re not beasts), carried to the table on a platter designed with a lip for collecting the juices. We’d hit the tail end of turbot’s peak window: it’s at its best in late spring and early summer, just before spawning, when the fish fatten on anchovies and oily fish. I’d love to say this was deliberate timing, but…
Aitor himself came to carve, the autopsy an education. If you’ve eaten at Brat in Shoreditch, you’ll recognise the ritual – Tomos Parry’s turbot is an open homage to Elkano. But this is the source. He has an aura, this man: composed, unhurried, deeply present. He wields a fork and spoon in an unusual, studied grip – the spoon turned bowl-upward – using them to anoint each plate with the flesh.
First, the fillets from the underside – the softer flesh that rests against the sand – then the firmer meat from the top, the side that faces the sun. The textures are distinct: one yielding and tender; the other with more resistance, more chew. Then the fins, the meat dragged from the bones with our teeth. The collar, eaten like ribs, collagen smearing our fingers. The neck, placed directly onto my fork, perhaps by my wife, perhaps by Aitor, I think he might have been feeding me, the edges had gone soft. The cheeks, spooned out. The gelatinous wings. Each cut a different proposition, a different ratio of fat to flesh to cartilage, and all of it dressed only with the Agua de Lourdes, which had emulsified with the fish’s own juices into a pil-pil-adjacent sauce. We ate not in reverence but celebration, debris accumulating. The table swinging between hush and clamour until only the bones remained.
Desserts followed: grilled cherries with a cheese ice cream, the freshness of the fruit a reset after relentless unadorned fish, the coals imbuing smoke but meaning too, connecting the course to what had preceded it. Then, a hot hazelnut fondant dusted with salt, pure decadence, a chocolate brownie and coffee ice cream number, more decadence, and cakes and truffles to close things out.
We drank txakoli throughout, Txomin Etxaniz from the surrounding hillsides where the vines climb in every direction, close enough to taste the salt spray. The sea air and Atlantic humidity give the wine its characteristic salinity and bright acidity. It’s poured in the traditional Basque style here, flamboyantly from a height, adding a gentle effervescence. Bone-dry, bracingly acidic, with a faint saline edge – it was the only wine that made sense, grown in the same microclimate as the fish were caught, the terroir of the sea meeting that of the hillside.
The bill was just shy of €500 for two, with the tasting menu at €200 per person plus the spider crab supplement and wine. It is not cheap. But consider what you are paying for: sixty years of accumulated knowledge, three generations of the same family working the same grill, fish that was swimming in the Cantabrian Sea that morning, and a level of restraint that borders on the philosophical.
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants currently ranks Elkano at number 24. It holds one Michelin star and three Soles Repsol. None of this quite captures what the place is. It is not a restaurant chasing modernity or spectacle. It is a family business that has spent six decades learning how to cook fish over fire without ruining it.
Elkano is not trying to show off or impress you, nor is it chasing a fleeting moment of fame. It is trying to show you something true.
There’s a particular thrill in booking a hotel where the restaurant is the main event. When the kitchen holds a Michelin star (or three), dinner becomes less about sustenance and more about theatre, and rolling straight from the dining room to a four-poster bed a few corridors away feels like the only civilised way to end the evening.
These six properties represent the best of British gourmet hospitality, from a 13th-century blacksmith’s forge in Cumbria to an Elizabethan manor in the Sussex countryside. Between them, they hold nine Michelin stars, and each offers something distinct: some grow almost everything they serve, others smoke lobster over whisky barrels or deliver desserts topped with tiny anvils. What unites them is that the food is never an afterthought, and staying the night means you can linger over the wine list without watching the clock.
With all that in mind, here are 6 of our favourite UK hotels with Michelin-starred restaurants.
Moor Hall, Lancashire
Mark Birchall knew he wanted to be a chef from the age of 14, growing up in Chorley watching Brian Turner and James Martin on the telly. In February 2025, his restaurant with rooms became the first outside London to win three Michelin stars since Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume achieved the feat in 2022. The journey there included winning the Roux Scholarship in 2011, a stage at El Celler de Can Roca in Girona (twice voted the world’s best restaurant), and eight years as executive chef at L’Enclume itself.
Moor Hall itself first appears in records in 1282, though its origins likely predate the Norman Conquest. Birchall partnered with local investors Andy and Tracey Bell, who acquired the Grade II-listed property in 2015 and undertook a multi-million pound restoration. Local ceramic artist Sarah Jerath created bespoke crockery from sandstone salvaged during the work.
The striking Scandic-style dining room looks out over the lawns and lake on one side and the open kitchen on the other. Snacks and aperitifs begin in the lounge of the historic main house before guests are led through for a tour of the kitchens, setting the stage for the meal to come.
The Provenance tasting menu (£145 at lunch, £265 at dinner) changes with the seasons, drawing heavily on the estate’s own kitchen gardens and micro-dairy. Birchall’s cooking favours precision over pyrotechnics: a dish of Paris Market carrots gets lifted by Doddington cheese, chrysanthemum and sea buckthorn, while Dorset sika deer arrives alongside beetroot, elderberry and hen of the woods. A course built around ragout with whey, liver and truffled honey shows his willingness to let offal and fermentation take centre stage. Humble beginnings, ancient techniques, hugely impressive results…
The kitchen gardens supply beetroots, turnips, and step-over apple trees, while the site also houses its own micro-dairy, charcuterie operation, and bakery. The Barn, a separate one-Michelin-starred restaurant on the grounds, offers a more relaxed à la carte alternative where duck liver parfait comes with pablo beetroot and blackberry, and Belted Galloway short rib is glazed with black garlic and finished with smoked bone marrow sauce, demonstrating Birchall’s understanding of how seemingly humble ingredients can achieve something extraordinary when handled with precision.
Fourteen bedrooms are spread between the historic main house, the original gatehouse overlooking the lake, and seven newer KOTO-designed garden rooms complete with private hot tubs.
L’Enclume, Cartmel
In 2002, Simon Rogan was living in Littlehampton, hoping to open a restaurant somewhere between Brighton and the New Forest. Then someone mentioned an 800-year-old former smithy in a Cumbrian village he’d never heard of. He made an offer on the way home. The name L’Enclume, French for ‘the anvil’, pays homage to the building’s history as a blacksmith’s workshop, which operated until the 1950s. Original features remain: a centuries-old anvil, brick water basins now used as wine coolers, and the final dessert arrives decorated with an anvil motif.
The restaurant earned its first Michelin star in 2005, its second in 2013, and a third in 2022 on its 20th anniversary. In 2024, L’Enclume took the top spot in La Liste’s global ranking of the world’s best 1,000 restaurants, the first British restaurant to achieve this. Rogan received an MBE for services to hospitality that same year.
The 20-course tasting menu (£265) is served in the intimate stone-walled dining room, where exposed ceiling beams and thick walls give way to views of the River Eea. The setting feels almost ascetic in its calm, the centuries-old building lending weight to what arrives on the plate. The menu celebrates Cumbrian terroir in all its glory. It might begin with a toasted seed, salted mackerel and fermented gooseberry tart accompanied by juices infused with woodruff. A fritter of Duroc pig and smoked eel with lovage and fermented sweetcorn may follow. You might see Orkney scallops arrive with boltardy beetroot cooked in pine vinegar, fresh curds and pickled roses; Red King Edward potatoes could well be cooked with Primor garlic and served alongside steamed crab and lemon verbena.
For mains, expect west coast monkfish with aged pork, autumn brassicas and cuttlefish, or Texel hogget from Gaisgill Row Farm with grilled alliums, nasturtium and anise hyssop. The signature anvil caramel mousse with house-made miso, apple and spruce provides a fitting finale.
Almost everything served comes from Our Farm in the Cartmel Valley, grown organically without pesticides. A dedicated forager ensures wild ingredients make it onto the menu.
The 16 bedrooms are scattered throughout the medieval village, and room reservations guarantee a table at L’Enclume plus breakfast at sister restaurant Rogan & Co. In short, dinner, bed and breakfast doesn’t get more prestigious than this.
Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Perthshire
Andrew Fairlie began his training at 15, polishing glasses at a hotel in Perth. At 20, he became the first winner of the Roux Scholarship, training under Michel Guérard in south-west France. He opened his own restaurant within Gleneagles in 2001, won a star within eight months, and added a second in 2006, making it Scotland’s only two-Michelin-starred restaurant.
The windowless dining room was deliberate: dark wood walls painted in textured Farrow & Ball create an intimate cocoon, while bespoke black crockery by ceramicist John Maguire and food-themed art on the walls add to the sense of luxurious seclusion.
It feels less like a hotel restaurant and more like a private members’ club where the outside world has been deliberately shut out. The signature dish, lobster smoked over Auchentoshan whisky barrel chips for up to 12 hours, has become one of Scotland’s most celebrated plates. The shells are smoked separately from the flesh, which is then returned to the shells and baked at high temperature with melted butter, lime juice and herbs. It arrives traditionally paired with Krug Grand Cuvée, the sweet smokiness of the lobster playing against the champagne’s toasty notes
The dégustation menu reads like a roll call of prime Scottish produce: crab and razor clams appear alongside crab sabayon; fillet of halibut arrives with refined accompaniments; black and blue beef tartare comes with salt-baked beetroot. Other highlights from the à la carte include grilled scallop and poached oyster salad with pimento purée, ravioli of summer truffle with white bean velouté, and veal loin served with shin and sweetbreads in an exquisitely balanced dish where the delicate flavours of the loin mesh with the richer, darker tones of the slow-cooked shin.
Fairlie died in January 2019 following a brain tumour diagnosis, but head chef Stephen McLaughlin, who worked alongside him since the restaurant opened, has maintained both the philosophy and the stars. Produce still comes from a two-acre Victorian walled kitchen garden. Gleneagles holds three MICHELIN Keys and offers 232 rooms alongside championship golf and falconry.
Hambleton Hall, Rutland
Hambleton Hall sits on a peninsula above Rutland Water and has held its Michelin star since 1982, making it the longest continuously held star in the UK. Chef Aaron Patterson has run the kitchen since 1992. Tim and Stefa Hart opened Hambleton in 1980 as one of England’s first country house hotels, inspired by Michel Guérard’s Les Prés d’Eugénie in France.
The Victorian hall was built in 1881 as a hunting box for Walter Marshall, who entertained lavishly and hunted with the Cottesmore, Quorn, Belvoir, and Fernie hounds. Noël Coward was among those who visited when Marshall’s sister Eva inherited the property, writing fondly in his autobiography about fires in the bedroom, brass cans of hot water, and following the hunt in a dog cart. The dining room retains that sense of well-heeled country living: large, well-spaced tables dressed in impeccable white linen, a real log fire in the lounge for coffee afterwards, and an attractive terrace overlooking the immaculate gardens where drinks and canapés can be taken when the weather permits.
Patterson’s à la carte menu (£135 for three courses) changes daily depending on what his suppliers deliver, but expect dishes that balance classical technique with modern touches. Among Patterson’s signature dishes is his cauliflower cheese with spiced lentils and cauliflower beignets, and the delicate beetroot terrine that has endured on the menu for years. The apricot soufflé makes a frequent appearance at dessert, alongside Patterson’s mille-feuille of apple and blackberry. He’s got a wicked way with the sweet stuff, this guy.
Today, 17 bedrooms are individually styled, and the bakery in a nearby village supplies bread to the restaurant and for guests to take home. There’s a staff-to-guest ratio of around 55 to 17 (or, you know, three to one if you don’t care about being pedantry), and views stretch across England’s largest artificial lake.
Gravetye Manor, West Sussex
Gravetye Manor was built in 1598 by ironmaster Richard Infield for his bride Katherine (their initials remain carved in stone above the entrance), but its fame comes from William Robinson, who purchased the property in 1885. Known as the ‘Father of the English Flower Garden’, Robinson spent 50 years rebelling against Victorian formality, championing native plants and the ‘wild garden’, ideas that influenced Gertrude Jekyll and the Arts & Crafts movement. He planted 100,000 narcissi along one of the lakes in a single year.
His two-acre walled kitchen garden, with its unique elliptical sandstone walls (thought to be the only one of its kind in the country), still supplies the one-Michelin-starred restaurant. The dining room was redesigned in 2018 with floor-to-ceiling glass walls that provide uninterrupted views of the glorious gardens, creating the sense that you’re eating within them rather than merely looking out at them. Noise levels are blissfully low, and the atmosphere manages to be both refined and unstufffy.
New executive chef Martin Carabott (a 2018 Roux Scholar who did time at Eleven Madison Park) took the helm in April 2025, and the kitchen garden remains the foundation of his menu planning. The luxury of being able to use fruit and vegetables that have fully ripened on the vine, sometimes picked just two hours before service, is rarely replicated elsewhere.
Head gardener Tom Coward manages the 35 acres of grounds, which featured on Planet Earth 3. The star has been held since 2015. The 18 bedrooms retain original features including stone windows and wooden beams. Despite being just 30 minutes from London and 12 miles from Gatwick, the setting within Ashdown Forest feels wonderfully remote.
Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, Lake District
Gilpin Hotel has been run by the Cunliffe family since 1987, growing from a modest country house into a two-property Lakeland empire with 38 bedrooms, two restaurants, and resident llamas. The flagship restaurant, SOURCE, holds one Michelin star under executive chef Ollie Bridgwater, who spent over five years as sous chef at Heston Blumenthal’s three-starred Fat Duck before arriving at Gilpin.
The ten-course tasting menu (£120) is served in the ground-floor dining room, which seats up to sixty but never feels crowded. The atmosphere strikes a balance between precision and playfulness that mirrors the food itself, with friendly, knowledgeable staff who seem genuinely enthusiastic about explaining each course.
The menu blends British ingredients with Japanese influences and Bridgwater’s Fat Duck-honed precision. Berry-red glazed orbs of smooth chicken liver parfait, rich with brandy, arrive circled by dots of blackcurrant gel and horseradish cream on a toasted base of spiced pain d’épice. A croustade of lobster comes with kombucha, pickled daikon, yuzu and ponzu, its piquant elements playing beautifully off the sweet lobster.
That Cornish lobster appears again later with red curry and braised lettuce, while turbot might be served with salsify, nashi pear, kombu and roast bone sauce. For mains, expect Lake District chicken with wild garlic foraged from the fells, morels and XO sauce. For those wanting a shorter experience, the three-course Origin menu (£90) offers the same creativity over fewer courses.
The main hotel sprawls across 21 acres and includes spa lodges with private saunas and outdoor hot tubs. Gilpin Lake House, a mile away, offers just eight bedrooms sharing 100 acres of private grounds with its own tarn. Both properties hold two MICHELIN Keys. Gilpin Spice, the two-AA-rosette pan-Asian restaurant, provides a more relaxed alternative with an open kitchen.
The Bottom Line
Tasting menus and long wine pairings don’t mix well with car keys or last trains. These six hotels solve that problem beautifully, letting you stumble from dining room to pillow without a care, then wake up to grounds worth exploring and a breakfast that doesn’t feel like an afterthought. What’s not to love?
Another Michelin key holding hotel we’ve really recently enjoyed is The Yard in Bath. You can check out our full review of it here, if you like.
If you grew up in Britain, chances are your earliest encounter with rice pudding was a dispiriting one, likely lacking in both taste and texture. Perhaps it arrived in the form of institutional cafeteria sludge, that gloopy school dinner stuff – its surface puckered with a telltale skin. Or maybe it emerged from a tin, reheated without ceremony or hope, a beige monument to culinary resignation.
But rice pudding, when treated with the reverence it deserves, transcends these humble origins and traumatic memories entirely. Neither precious nor exacting, never formulaic, a proper bowl of rice pudding is elegant, graceful and absurdly satisfying. The alchemy in that kind of rice pudding, the one that transforms stubborn grains into silk, is nothing short of remarkable.
For decades, rice pudding languished in the dusty annals of grandmother recipes – misunderstood, underappreciated, relegated to the disparaging talk. Now, it’s having a renaissance.
This awakening didn’t happen overnight. In around 2022, supermarkets started reporting surges in both sales and recipe searches for rice pudding. As a reaction (or, perhaps the cause?), in dining rooms across the city rice pudding has become a fixture on tasting menus and neighborhood bistro chalkboards, afforded the same care and respect as more outwardly ‘fancy’ desserts. Food forecasters predict the trend will only accelerate as 2026 really cranks into gear.
The world’s kitchens offer endless variations on this classic: rice pudding, arroz con leche, riz au lait, kheer, and more. It’s one of those rare dishes that feels universal and deeply personal at once.
How fitting, then, that London, one of the world’s most multicultural cities, should serve such a broad array of riffs on rice pudding. In this sprawling, gloriously diverse metropolis, you can taste the comfort foods of a dozen different childhoods, all within a single afternoon. With all that in mind, here’s where to find the capital’s best rice pudding.
*Side note: If we’re honest, we actually love rice pudding from a tin. We recently copied chef Max Rocha’s not so guilty pleasure of pairing Ambrosia rice pudding with cookies and cream, and let’s just say it’s something you should try too.*
Rice Pudding at St. JOHN, Smithfield
Ideal for the dish in its purest British form…
We begin, as we must, with St. JOHN. Fergus Henderson’s landmark of British cooking. It requires no preamble. But even after several rounds of roast bone marrow and parsley salad, a blushing bird or two, and some smoked cod’s roe with egg and cress, we can never decline the dessert menu. The pudding roster rivals the preceding courses for real estate, sprawling across the page with the same ambition and length, and trading heavily on a distinct line of school dinner nostalgia. Whether it’s their Eccles cake, apple trifle (they didn’t serve ours with calvados at school mind), or steamed sponge, we always reserve room.
Today, however, we’ve come for the rice pudding, which Henderson himself has declared ‘fundamental’. Whether he means to St. JOHN or to actual life itself, it’s not clear. Maybe it can be both…
Anyway, when St. JOHN first opened its doors in 1994, rice pudding stood alone on the dessert menu – the singular sweet offering. When the menu eventually expanded, the rice pudding wasn’t abandoned but rather elevated alongside its newfound companions. While no longer a permanent fixture, it appears regularly in rotation, and when it does, a pilgrimage here becomes imperative.
The version shifts with the seasons and the kitchen’s inclinations, as it should be. Sometimes it arrives crowned with crab apple jelly, other times blackberry jam or quince. It’s even been served cold with custard and brandy prunes. Cor, that last one sounds good.
At present, a bay and honey version holds court. Whatever the accompaniment, the pudding itself remains steadfastly, unapologetically comforting. As Henderson himself would counsel, you should order a glass of Madeira to cut through the richness, because we’re not at school anymore. On a gray, bone-cold afternoon, it’s precisely what the soul requires. Should the rice pudding not be on, console yourself with the madeleines, baked to order and still warm from the oven.
Ideal for Mexican rice pudding with a mezcal twist…
At Santiago Lastra’s restaurant Fonda, the follow-up to Michelin-starred KOL, the arroz con leche is a nod to the chef’s childhood in Mexico. But Lastra’s version has got a boozy, grown-up kick to it – if you’ve ever had an aversion to rice pudding, this Mexican version could well cure you of it.
The dish changes with the seasons, enriched with mezcal custard and dotted with whatever fruit is at its best: quince in autumn, figs in late summer, forced rhubarb right about now. Either way, a dusting of cinnamon ties everything back to tradition.
The pudding itself is extremely creamy, unctuous even, with that distinctive smoky undertone from the mezcal lending an adult sophistication to what might otherwise be a more homely affair. The seasonal fruit brings a necessary acidic contrast, whilst the spicing keeps one foot planted firmly in Mexican culinary heritage. What’s not to love?
Ideal for a Sri Lankan rendition with coconut and cinnamon…
At Kolamba East, the payasam is a sensational way to end your meal. This warm rice pudding hails from the north of Sri Lanka and combines fresh coconut with cinnamon and raisins, decorated with pistachios for colour and crunch.
It’s lighter than you might expect from a coconut-based dessert, the gentle spicing allowing the natural sweetness of the rice and coconut to shine through. Served piping hot, it’s particularly welcome on grey London evenings, a spoonful of somewhere sunnier seeing you through until tomorrow.
Pair it with an Arrack Old Fashioned for the full experience, or keep things simple with a pot of Ceylon tea.
You can check out our full review of Kolamba East here, by the way.
At Jason Atherton’s Sael – the name derives from Old English for ‘season’ – the dessert menu follows the changing calendar with religious devotion. And when temperatures plummet, a baked rice pudding materialises as a mainstay right through winter.
Rice pudding’s texture and presentation can confound even skilled cooks, but here it receives the Atherton treatment: silky, set, and baked until the surface achieves a soft bronze. Blood orange provides citrus relief against the richness, while whisky marmalade contributes depth, a pleasing bitterness, and subtle boozy warmth.
Come the colder months, this is exactly what you want while ensconced in one of Sael’s sage-green banquettes, watching the theatre of St James’s Market unfold through frosted floor-to-ceiling windows.
Cardamom & Basmati Rice Kheer at Gymkhana, Mayfair
Ideal for Michelin-starred Indian rice pudding, served with refinement…
Gymkhana’s reputation precedes it. The two-Michelin-starred institution just around the corner from Green Park has been serving some of London’s finest Indian cuisine since 2013, and its desserts hold their own against the celebrated tandoori lamb chops and wild muntjac biryani that precede them.
The cardamom and basmati rice kheer is served cold and impossibly silky, a departure from the warm British iterations elsewhere on this list. Basmati rice contributes an aromatic quality absent from short-grain pudding rice, and cardamom provides a distinctively Indian headiness that’s so perfect for pudding.
Depending on the season, you might find this one adorned with figs and pistachios, dates and chestnuts, or simply a scattering of pecans for textural intrigue; sometimes it’s served with fresh mango and sorbet. A honeycomb tuile on top adds a gorgeous piece of pastry work, and the silver filigree stand is a nice colonial-era touch that fits Gymkhana’s aesthetic. It pairs beautifully with a 2010 Château Filhot Sauternes.
The kheer achieves richness without heaviness — the sort of dessert that completes a meal rather than obliterates it. After navigating the tasting menu’s procession of biryanis and kebabs, it provides a cool, calming denouement.
Ever wondered how to make rice pudding a destination-worthy treat? Apply fire, naturally.
Rice puddings appear throughout the Barbary Coast in various guises: the Algerian roz bi haleeb scented with orange blossom, Moroccan versions perfumed with cinnamon and almonds, Tunisian bowls fragrant with rose water. What unites them is a fondness for aromatic spicing, particularly cardamom, and a much lighter hand with the sugar than their Northern European counterparts. Sometimes, a sprinkle of salt lifts things to the heavens.
It’s this tradition that informs The Barbary’s Notting Hill outpost, where head chef Ian Coogan has created a rice pudding brûlée which is as good as it sounds.
The base is classic: rice cooked slowly in milk and cream with cardamom until tender. But it’s what happens next that adds intrigue. Spooned into ramekins atop a layer of raspberry jam, the pudding is then blanketed with sugar and kissed with a blowtorch until it develops that signature crackle, leaving behind crunchy rice grains and a bitter caramel bite.
The moment the spoon breaks through: that satisfying shatter of caramelised sugar yielding to cool, soothing creaminess beneath, is something you’ll want to experience firsthand, even if just for the ASMR implications of the thing.
Ideal for a subcontinental take on the classics and another blowtorched affair…
Dishoom’s Basmati Kheer takes the traditional Indian rice pudding and gives it the kind of polish you’d expect from the Bombay-inspired institution.
Here, basmati rice is soaked, blitzed, and cooked down slowly in vanilla-infused coconut milk with cardamom and cashews until it reaches a velvety consistency. This is not your conventional rice pudding – those blended grains give off a remarkably smooth mouthfeel, for better or for worse.
Then, the twist (that we realise we’ve just spoiled); the top is torched and topped with blueberry compôte for a welcome tartness and lift. The combination of cardamom-scented creaminess and burnt-caramel flavour is darn delicious, though we’re going to go out on a limb here and say the Barbary version of this one-two punch is just a touch nicer.
What makes this version stand out is its texture: it’s thicker and more set than many kheers, with a complexity that comes from that careful caramelisation of the rice. It’s a fitting conclusion to a meal of black daal and bacon naan rolls – or indeed any meal at all.
Should you wish to recreate it at home, the recipe appears in their cookbook.
Address: Multiple locations across London including Battersea, Carnaby, Covent Garden and Kings Cross
Sütlaç at Gökyüzü, Green Lanes
Ideal for the Turkish baked version with a glass of çay…
In Turkey, milk-based desserts are so beloved that dedicated shops called muhallebici sell nothing else. Sütlaç, baked in clay pots until a burnished golden skin forms on top, is served everywhere from modest kebab shops to grand Ottoman-era restaurants, a dessert that transcends class and occasion.
On Harringay’s Green Lanes, often called London’s Little Turkey, the sütlaç flows freely. At the Green Lanes outpost of Gökyüzü, one of the strip’s most cherished establishments, the sütlaç, cold and creamy, boasts a silky, close-to-caramelised surface. Unlike the French crème brûlée it sometimes resembles, that top layer isn’t crunchy but rather delicately soft, with a milky sweetness that’s pure solace.
Order a glass of Turkish tea alongside and let the gentle rhythm of the restaurant wash over you. It’s the kind of dessert that makes you slow down, savour, and perhaps order another.
Ideal for rice pudding seasonal special in pastry form…
At Pophams, the cult bakery with outposts in Islington and London Fields, rice pudding takes an unexpected form. Their toasted rice pudding pastries, which appear frequently on the specials, transform the humble dessert into something you can eat with one hand, on the move.
A recent iteration featured coconut rice pudding with confit orange in the base, topped with a blood orange chocolate almond cake, finished with toasted-rice crème diplomat, puffed rice and toasted rice powder. The textures here are extraordinary: chewy, crispy, creamy and crunchy all at once, and quite surprisingly, not too confusing on the palate, everything making perfect sense and teeing off beautifully against each other. A version before paired a fig and earl grey compote with rice pudding and a slice of glazed fig.
It’s not always on the menu, though, so keep an eye on their Instagram for when these specials drop. They vanish quickly.
Various Locations: London Fields, Islington, Victoria Park
Coconut Payasam at Manthan, Mayfair
For upscale Indian rice pudding with soul intact…
At chef Rohit Ghai’s Manthan in Mayfair, the payasam arrives as part of a considered dessert menu that takes Indian sweets seriously. Soulful and delicately spiced, it’s the kind of rice pudding that reminds you why this dish has been beloved across the subcontinent for centuries.
Served in the elegant surrounds of Mayfair, the payasam here has a refinement that suits its setting, but none of the inherent soul of the dish has been polished away. It remains, fundamentally, a bowl of pure comfort: sweet, creamy and gently perfumed with coconut.
Broken rice lends this payasam its unique texture, while the jaggery offers a deep, caramel-like sweetness that keeps you digging in for more. Topped with coconut shavings and other gubbins for textural intrigue, an edible viola flower makes things pretty. It’s a refined presentation for a classic South Indian dessert.
There’s nothing a spoonful of Manthan’s payasam can’t fix, or so they say. Having tried it, we’re inclined to agree.
Ideal for a Thai take on the rice-and-cream formula…
Just when you thought you’d experienced everything this grain had to offer, you come across mango sticky rice, the national dessert of Thailand. Purists may bristle, but we’re including mango sticky rice in this roundup. Yes, it’s made with sticky rice. Yes, it’s steamed rather than simmered in milk. But at its heart, it follows the same familiar logic as every other entry on this list: rice enriched with something creamy and sweet, served as a balm for the soul.
At ImmAroy in Chinatown, this Thai staple is done with real care. The sticky rice is the right side of tender, soaked in coconut cream that’s been sweetened – and salted – just enough, and served alongside slices of ripe mango. A final drizzle of thicker coconut cream and a scattering of mung beans finishes the dish.
Where a British rice pudding warms you from the inside, this one cools and refreshes. It’s rice pudding’s sunnier, more tropical cousin, and on a balmy London evening, it might be exactly what you’re after. Though there are a few seats inside, this is more of a grab and go rice pudding. Not to worry; St. Anne’s Churchyard is just around the corner, and it’s a pleasant place to sprawl out.
Sage-Infused Burnt Rice Pudding at The Counter, Soho
Ideal for an Aegean spin on a comforting classic…
Kemal Demirasal’s second London restaurant sits on Kingly Street in the heart of Carnaby, a short stroll from the bustle of Oxford Circus. The Turkish chef, a six-time national windsurfing champion turned self-taught cook, made his name at the acclaimed Alancha in Istanbul before bringing his fire-led approach to Notting Hill, and now to Soho. Where the original Counter focused on south-eastern Anatolian traditions, this outpost draws inspiration from the broader Aegean, borrowing flavours from both the Turkish and Greek coasts.
The dessert menu here is short but considered, and the sage-infused burnt rice pudding has become a fixture. It arrives with a brûléed top, the sugar torched until it cracks under your spoon, giving way to a creamy, herbaceous pudding beneath. Hazelnuts add texture and a gentle nuttiness that nods to Turkish confectionery traditions. The sage is subtle rather than overpowering, lending the dish an aromatic quality that lifts it beyond the ordinary.
After working through plates of whipped tarama, lamb tartare and the signature white chocolate babaganoush (yes, you read that correctly), this is exactly the sort of finale you want. Finish your evening by heading downstairs to Under The Counter, the basement listening bar where vinyl spins and raki flows.
We started this search thinking we knew rice pudding. Turns out we’d barely scratched the surface. From the honey-scented British classic at St. John to the mezcal-spiked Mexican version at Fonda, the burnished Turkish sütlaç on Green Lanes to the coconut-rich Sri Lankan payasam in Spitalfields, London offers a world tour of this most humble but iconic dessert.
The conversation around AI and employment tends to fixate on what’s being lost. Scroll through any industry forum and you’ll find no shortage of doom, and much of it is warranted. Musicians are right to feel uneasy when platforms designed to support emerging talent end up platforming AI-generated tracks instead, and the ongoing battle over copyright and training data is far from resolved. A recent BPI and AudienceNet survey found that 82.7% of UK listeners believe human creativity is essential to music.
Still, as AI reshapes things in ways both welcome and uncomfortable, new roles are beginning to appear. Whether they represent genuine opportunity or simply new ways to service a machine that threatens the very people it claims to help remains to be seen. Here are some of the careers that are emerging.
AI Vocal Licensing Specialist
Companies like ElevenLabs now offer voice modelling services that allow artists to license their vocal likeness for use in AI-generated content. Someone needs to manage that process: negotiating terms, ensuring quality control, and protecting artists from unauthorised usage.
It’s part talent management, part contract law, and part tech literacy. The role barely existed two years ago, and the legal waters around vocal rights remain murky. The UK Government’s consultation on copyright and AI, which closed in early 2025, acknowledged that the existing framework fails to meet the needs of either creative industries or AI developers. Until clearer legislation arrives, someone has to hold the line for artists in the meantime.
AI A&R Analyst
The traditional A&R role, once built on gut instinct, industry connections and long nights in small venues, is being augmented by data in ways that would have seemed absurd a decade ago. Platforms offering music analytics now provide cross-channel data spanning Spotify, TikTok, radio airplay and beyond, giving labels the ability to track an artist’s growth trajectory, audience demographics and playlist performance in granular detail.
The humans interpreting that data are becoming increasingly valuable. Reading a graph is one thing. Knowing whether the artist behind it has staying power, whether they can fill a room, hold an audience, or survive a bad review, is quite another. The risk, of course, is that labels start trusting the numbers more than the music. A&R has always been as much about instinct as information, and there’s a reasonable concern that over-reliance on analytics could flatten the kind of left-field signings that have historically defined great labels.
AI Ethics & Content Moderation Officer
Deezer has been transparent about a startling trend: by the end of 2025, the platform was receiving around 50,000 fully AI-generated song uploads daily, up from 10,000 at the start of the year. That’s an extraordinary volume of content, and streaming services need people who can develop and enforce policies around it.
What gets recommended? What gets labelled? What gets removed entirely? These are editorial, ethical and commercial decisions rolled into one, and they require staff who understand both the technology producing the music and the cultural weight of what it means to listeners. UK Music has been vocal about the need for stronger protections, and the moderation challenge is only growing. Whether platforms will invest sufficiently in these roles, or simply automate the moderation too, is another question entirely.
AI Music Licensing & Rights Navigator
The legal settlements between major labels and AI companies like Suno and Udio in late 2025 signalled a new phase: the industry is moving from confrontation to collaboration, albeit cautiously. Udio has pivoted to becoming a fully licensed remixing and fan engagement platform after striking deals with Universal and Warner Music Group.
But licensing AI-generated or AI-assisted music is enormously complex. Who owns a track that was co-created with an algorithm trained on thousands of existing songs? How do you calculate royalties when the creative input is split between human and machine? A new class of specialist is needed to work through these questions, combining legal expertise with a genuine understanding of how AI music tools function.
It’s worth noting that 88% of respondents to the UK Government’s AI copyright consultation supported requiring licences in all cases. The appetite for robust legal frameworks is there. The careers that service those frameworks will follow.
Fan Engagement & AI Experience Designer
Artists are beginning to experiment with AI tools that let fans remix tracks, create personalised versions of songs, or interact with music in ways that go beyond simply pressing play. Designing those experiences, making them feel meaningful rather than gimmicky, requires a blend of creative direction, UX thinking and an understanding of fan psychology.
It’s a role that borrows from gaming, social media and event production, and it’s emerging fastest among independent artists and forward-thinking labels looking to deepen their relationship with audiences. Whether fans actually want this level of involvement, or whether it risks diluting the very thing that makes an artist’s work distinctive, is a tension the role will need to navigate carefully. Not every listener wants to be a collaborator.
AI Production Consultant
This isn’t about replacing producers. It’s about helping them work faster and more experimentally. AI production tools can now generate demo arrangements, suggest harmonic progressions, isolate stems from existing recordings and handle tasks that once required hours of studio time.
But integrating these tools into an artist’s existing workflow without flattening their sound requires someone who understands both the technology and the creative process. The concern from many working producers is that clients will start expecting AI-assisted speed as the baseline, compressing budgets and timelines in ways that ultimately degrade the quality of the work. The consultant role only makes sense if it serves the artist’s vision rather than the label’s spreadsheet.
Music Data Journalist & Industry Analyst
As AI reshapes the music business, there’s growing demand for people who can explain what’s actually happening, cutting through both the hype and the panic. Data journalism focused on the music industry is becoming its own niche, with outlets and consultancies seeking writers and analysts who can interrogate streaming figures, licensing trends and the commercial impact of AI-generated content.
It’s the kind of role that suits someone with a background in both music and research, someone comfortable reading a Government progress statement on AI and translating it into language that artists and managers can act on. With the final report on the UK’s AI and copyright consultation due in March 2026, the need for clear-headed analysis has never been more pressing.
The Bottom Line
The music industry has always created new roles in response to technological change. Radio birthed the DJ, streaming created the playlist curator, and social media spawned an entire ecosystem of digital marketing specialists. AI is following the same pattern, only faster, and with considerably more at stake for the people whose work it feeds on.
None of this should be read as uncritical enthusiasm. The careers listed here exist in large part because AI has created problems that need solving: content floods that need moderating, rights disputes that need navigating, and a growing unease among artists that their livelihoods are being undermined. That these problems generate employment doesn’t necessarily make them welcome.
For anyone considering where the opportunities in an AI-disrupted job market might lie, though, the music industry is worth watching. Just go in with your eyes open. The machines might be writing the songs, but someone still needs to read the fine print.
This just in; the modern day Brit drinks an astonishing amount of coffee, averaging approximately 95 million cups a day of the stuff. Indeed, an estimated 3 billion cups of coffee are enjoyed around the world daily, and it’s not just flat whites which global citizens are knocking back.
In fact, there are so many different ways to brew and drink coffee, each an insight into a country’s culture and disposition. While there’s nothing wrong with an instant cup or enjoying the drip, drip, drip kind, exploring the planet’s diversity through its coffee sounds like a lot of fun right now, when we’re all stuck indoors. So, here are 8 ways to brew perfect cups of coffee from around the world.
Turkish Cezve
We’ll start off with this one because it’s an ancient method of coffee brewing that still exists today. Indeed, before the Italians had espresso, they prepared their brews the Turkish way. There are even Turkish traditions that involve coffee brewing and weddings, testament to its deep roots in Turkish society. To say it’s ingrained in the culture, then, is something of an understatement.
‘Cezve’ is a Turkish term for a small pot with a pouring lip and fitted with a long handle. It’s specifically designed to brew Turkish coffee, with the original ones made of brass or copper. Today, you’ll find them in stainless steel or aluminium.
While it’s pretty straightforward to brew coffee with a cezve, be aware that you’ll need to boil your brew twice.
First, you boil some water in the pot, after which you remove it from the heat and add a teaspoon of coffee per cup. Boil it once more, take it off the heat, stir the liquid, and boil it a final time. Be sure to let the grounds settle at the bottom of the pot first before pouring the liquid into drinking cups, otherwise you’re going to endure a textured drinking experience.
This two-part boiling allows for better extraction of the ground coffee. That’s why Turkish coffee can seem quite dark, especially to those who aren’t used to black java. If you like your coffee on the sweeter, tamer side, you can add sugar to the water before the first boil.
Vietnamese Phin
The traditional Vietnamese ‘phin’ is a metal filter that makes an exquisite cup of java. It looks like a tin can with a perforated bottom, on top of which is another screen. You place the coffee grounds inside the canister, which you then affix over a heatproof glass.
The first splash of hot water allows the ground coffee to bloom. Once the coffee extract starts dripping into the glass, you can add the rest of the hot water. The entire process takes about ten minutes from start to finish.
That may seem like a long time, but it’s worth it. If you want to enjoy your coffee as the Vietnamese locals do, try Ca Phe Nau Da. It’s Vietnamese for ‘brown coffee with ice’ but it’s so much more than that; a rich brew made even more luxurious with sweet condensed milk. Ngon qua!
Rwandan ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’ Coffee
Known as the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’, Rwanda produces some of Africa’s most celebrated speciality beans, grown on the volcanic slopes surrounding Lake Kivu at elevations between 1,200 and 1,800 metres. Coffee was first planted here during colonial times, introduced by German missionaries in 1904, and the dominant Bourbon variety has become synonymous with the country’s output.
What sets Rwandan coffee apart is its cultural weight. In traditional ceremonies, brides and grooms exchange cups of coffee as a symbol of their union, elevating the drink beyond mere beverage into something approaching sacred. The country’s coffee industry also played a crucial role in post-genocide reconstruction, offering economic stability and hope to farming communities.
The flavour profile is distinctive: bright acidity, concentrated sweetness, and a full-bodied mouthfeel with notes of caramelised cane sugar, clove, cinnamon and rose florals. The buttery creaminess carries through to the finish.
Since single-origin Rwandan beans can be difficult to source outside of specialist roasters, Crosby Coffee’s coffee subscription specialising in rare and international beans could be the perfect way to experience this unique brewing tradition at home.
Italian Espresso
Italy may not be the discoverers of the coffee bean (that credit goes to Ethiopia), but Italians would argue that they invented the best way to brew coffee. Up for debate of course, but ‘Bel paese’ is the home of espresso, a delicious form of the good stuff if ever there was one. Yep, that’s the same espresso used in many other coffee-based beverages, including the watered down Americano of many a high street chain.
Espresso’s intense but delightful flavour and aroma come from its ‘pressurized’ brewing process. This pressure, in turn, comes from the water that heats up inside a sealed chamber of an espresso machine. As the pressure builds up, it forces the water through the ground coffee beans.
The seal helps keep the taste and scent of the coffee from escaping, locking in those vital aromatic compounds. That’s how espresso can taste so rich, making it a great way to start the morning or finish off a massive meal, equally.
Espresso With A Moka Pot
Though you can now get a smaller version of a barista espresso machine for your home, these often cost several hundred dollars.
It’s for the same reason that the first-ever Moka pot came into existence. As with the espresso machine and percolator, the Moka pot also brews coffee through pressure, creating a coffee store quality from the comfort of home. It is, however, known as the ‘stove-top espresso maker’, as you simply brew the coffee over an open fire or a heated plate and wait for fireworks. Metaphorical, flavour ones, that is.
Standard Moka pots come in three pieces. They’re super easy to disassemble, assemble, and clean and well worth having in your kitchen cupboard. The bottom part is the water chamber, the middle section a smaller perforated container for the coffee grounds and the top part contains the tube where the liquid coffee – your freshly made, perfect espresso – pushes out from.
The average brewing time depends on the size of your pot, but in general, it should take around five minutes. You do need to watch the pot though, as you don’t want overheated water to spill out of it.
Did you know that in the 1930s, the use of percolators was so common that about 50% to 70% of US households had one? They’re still popular today, especially in the homes of those who love rich, robust, and dark coffee.
Traditional percolators use heat to produce condensation. The water droplets that form then drip into a chamber where the coffee grounds are housed. The water extracts the coffee essence, drips down to the bottom, and then goes through the same cycle. The coffee percolator works in a similar manner, but it speeds things up by using boiling water. First, the boiling water from the bottom rises through the coffee grounds chamber. As the water falls, it passes through the coffee grounds again.
It’s in this way that percolators produce strong and aromatic coffee. If this is how you like your coffee, be sure to give a percolator a try.
Hainanese Coffee
Hainanese coffee, or ‘kopi’ in Malaysia and Singapore, uses very different brewing equipment to Western coffee making; a bag. Coffee grounds are added to this long bag, which is then soaked in hot water. The coffee is then filtered multiple times to achieve a thick, luscious consistency, which is sometimes particularly prevalent if the coffee beans were roasted with butter, a popular process in South East Asia.
If you like it black and unadulterated, it’s a ‘Kopi o kosong’, or if you want your coffee just a little sweet, order a ‘Kopi o’. Add ‘peng’ to have it iced. But our favourite way to enjoy this famous coffee is to ramp up the indulgence levels by adding condensed milk and removing any other words from the order; that’s a ‘Kopi’ then please!
Impress With A French Press
The French press (often referred to as a cafetiere in Europe and the UK) is the name given to the glass beaker used to brew coffee grounds just prior to drinking. As with the use of the Turkish cezve, this brewer also involves immersion brewing. However, you don’t need to boil water with the grounds in; you pour the hot water straight into the beaker containing those coffee grounds.
Be sure to stir the mixture vigorously, as this helps the grounds rise and bloom. From here, you just need to steep the coffee grounds for no more than four minutes. Set your timer; you don’t want to go beyond four minutes as it can result in over-extraction.
After steeping, press the handle protruding from the lid of the mesh filter all the way down. This filter separates the ground coffee beans from the liquid coffee that you can now enjoy.
There’s no need for an extra filter as the mesh is fine enough to ensure that no grit remains in the liquid. The mesh also allows the coffee’s essential oils to pass through and mix with the hot water. This allows French Pressed-coffee to have a thick-bodied, aromatic flavour.
As we step into the new year, the world of interior design continues to evolve, bringing forward innovative trends that redefine the way we perceive and interact with our personal spaces. The bathroom, once a purely functional area, has transformed into a sanctuary of relaxation and style.
The upcoming year promises to elevate this transformation to new heights, blending the essence of nature with cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices. With all that in mind, here are 2026’s biggest bathroom trends.
Biophilic Design
Biophilia, a term popularised by American psychologist Edward O. Wilson in the 1980s, describes the innate human instinct to connect with nature. This concept has become increasingly influential in interior design, advocating for spaces that promote wellbeing through the incorporation of natural elements. In the context of bathrooms, biophilic design translates to the integration of plants, natural light, and materials that evoke the textures and colours of the natural world.
Already a key bathroom trend of 2025, this year looks to be no different. In 2026, expect plants to take centre stage, with their (potentially) air purifying qualities bringing a sense of serenity and life to typically sterile bathroom environments. The addition of skylights or larger windows also allows for more natural light, which can improve mood and provide a more accurate representation of skin tones when grooming. Furthermore, the use of natural materials such as stone, wood, and ceramics can create a tactile connection with nature, reinforcing the biophilic experience.
Blonde Wood
In tandem with biophilic principles, the choice of materials is crucial, and this is where blonde wood comes into play. Blonde wood refers to light-coloured timber varieties such as ash, beech, and light oak. These woods have gained popularity for their ability to brighten spaces, reflecting light and creating an illusion of spaciousness. In bathrooms, where space is often at a premium, blonde wood can be used for cabinetry, shelving, and even wall panelling to foster a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Oak gallery wall frames offer another way to introduce these lighter timbers, allowing homeowners to display artwork or photography while maintaining a cohesive natural palette – a subtle shift away from the clinical, purely functional bathroom of decades past.
The rise of blonde wood also aligns with the increasing demand for sustainability. Lighter woods are often more rapidly renewable than darker species and can be sourced from sustainably managed forests. Their use within the bathroom not only contributes to a modern and minimalist aesthetic but also embodies an eco-conscious mindset.
Looking ahead to 2026, these trends suggest a continuation of the movement towards spaces that encourage relaxation and a return to simplicity. The emphasis on natural materials and light palettes serves both an aesthetic and functional purpose, enhancing the sensory experience while championing environmental stewardship.
To maximise the impact of these trends, designers may pair biophilic elements and blonde wood with complementary colours and textures. Earthy tones, soft greens, and pastel blues can harmonise with the natural wood hues, while the incorporation of terracotta tiles or pebble mosaics can add depth and interest to the design.
Water Conservation Technologies
As environmental concerns become increasingly paramount, water conservation is becoming a critical aspect of bathroom design. In 2026, we are seeing a surge in the adoption of advanced fixtures such as low-flow toilets, faucets with aerators, and smart showers that can monitor water usage. These technologies not only reduce the overall consumption of water but also help homeowners save on utility bills.
Designers are integrating these fixtures in ways that complement the bathroom’s aesthetic, ensuring that functionality and style go hand-in-hand. For instance, sleek, modern designs in taps and showerheads that incorporate LED temperature indicators or touchless operation are becoming more prevalent.
Integrated Smart Home Features
The proliferation of smart home technology has extended into the bathroom space, with a focus on enhancing comfort and convenience. It’s only January, but we’re already observing an uptick in bathrooms equipped with voice-controlled lighting, automated blinds, and mirrors with built-in displays that can show news, weather, or even allow for digital interaction with skincare apps.
These smart bathroom features are being designed to blend seamlessly with the room’s decor, often hidden until activated, to maintain the tranquil and uncluttered ambiance that is characteristic of contemporary bathroom design.
Personalised Wellness Centres
Bathrooms are increasingly being viewed as personal wellness sanctuaries where one can retreat for relaxation and rejuvenation. This trend sees the incorporation of spa-like features such as steam rooms, sauna spaces, and therapeutic bathtubs with hydro-massage capabilities. Chromotherapy, the use of coloured lights to improve mood and health, is also being integrated into shower systems and mirrors.
Materials are chosen for their ability to create a spa-like atmosphere, with natural stone tiles and teak accents complementing those biophilic and blonde wood elements previously mentioned. The design is moving towards creating a holistic experience that engages all senses, with an emphasis on tactile and visual comfort, as well as aromatherapy diffusers to infuse the space with calming scents.
The Bottom Line
Bathroom trends for 2026 reflect a deeper connection with the environment and a commitment to creating calming, sustainable spaces. Biophilic design principles and the use of blonde wood are at the forefront of this movement, offering a serene retreat from the fast pace of modern life.
he convergence of technology, eco-friendly practices, and personalised wellness features further illustrates a future where the bathroom plays a central role in the daily ritual of self-care and sustainability.
As we look to the future, these trends provide a blueprint for bathrooms that not only look beautiful but also contribute positively to our wellbeing and the health of the planet.
London Bridge may be falling down, but its options for dining are well and truly on the up. Formerly a busy commercial centre dedicated to the production of leather, felt, pottery and soap (as well as a few more illicit activities), the area around London Bridge is now arguably most well known for its restaurants and food markets.
But with such wealth of options comes the paradox of choice, which can grip you so hard in this neck of the woods that you suffocate.
We’re here to ease the pain. We’ve slurped every strand of spaghetti, put away several tons of pilaf and got through our weight in guac, to bring you this; our guide on where to eat in London Bridge, and the best restaurants in the London Bridge area.
Legare, Tower Bridge
Ideal for ingredient-led Italian cooking in an intimate space by the Thames…
Just a stone’s throw from Tower Bridge or a pretty 15 minute stroll along Queen’s Walk from London Bridge, Legare (meaning ‘to bind’ or ‘connect’ in Italian) lives up to its name, bringing people together over thoughtfully crafted Italian cuisine. Founded by ex-Trullo chef Matt Beardmore and Jay Patel, formerly of Barrafina and Koya, this intimate neighbourhood restaurant opened in late 2019 and has quickly established itself as one of the area’s most compelling dining destinations, earning recognition from Michelin with a Bib Gourmand in its first year.
The 35-cover restaurant occupies a minimalist space in the Cardamom Building, with white-washed walls and an open kitchen that allows diners to witness the daily pasta-making ritual. This transparency isn’t just for show – all pasta is made fresh each morning, with shapes and fillings changing based on what’s best at the markets that day.
The menu here changes frequently, dancing to the rhythm of the seasons, but certain gems remain constant. Their chicken liver crostini with plum and Madeira jam is a masterclass in balance – rich, sweet and utterly moreish. The kitchen naturally shows particular prowess with pasta (we’d be fucking worried if they didn’t); their fazzoletti – those delicate ‘handkerchiefs’ of pasta – might come dressed with Cornish mackerel and pangrattato, whilst their Sicily-adjacent gnocchi with sausage and saffron ragù demonstrates that sometimes the simplest combinations yield the most satisfaction. Both were priced in the early-twenties on a recent-ish visit.
Beyond pasta, the secondi show equal confidence. Pork cheek with mashed potato, Dijon mustard and watercress is comfort food done properly, while Dorset monkfish with agretti and bottarga nods to the Italian coast without ever feeling like pastiche. The burrata, naturally, comes from Puglia, and the Piemontese roasted peppers with anchovies are a thing of briny, sweet beauty.
The wine list is a love letter to Italian viticulture, with particular attention paid to small producers and indigenous varieties. There’s plenty to explore by the glass from £7, from crisp Sicilian Catarratto to structured Piemontese Barbera, making it all too easy to while away an afternoon sampling different regions. Bottles start at £38, and natural wine enthusiasts will find a dedicated skin contact section featuring the likes of COS from Sicily. The broader list spans everything from everyday drinking to aged Barolo for when the occasion demands it. Hey, it’s cheaper than a flight there, maybe…
In 2025, Patel and team opened Luna, a neighbourhood wine bar, bottle shop and restaurant on Shad Thames, directly opposite Legare.
Ideal for a theatrical, two-Michelin-starred journey through contemporary British cuisine…
In the decade since Tom Sellers first opened Restaurant Story in 2013, this sophisticated spot just 300 metres from London Bridge Station has evolved into one of city’s most compelling gastronomic narratives. Sellers, who started his culinary journey at just 16 and honed his craft under culinary giants including René Redzepi at Noma and Thomas Keller at Per Se, opened Story at the age of 26 – earning his first Michelin star within just five months of opening, one of the fastest achievements of this accolade in British restaurant history.
Now boasting two Michelin stars (the second awarded in 2021) and fresh from a £2.5 million refurbishment to mark its 10th anniversary in 2023, Story continues to push the boundaries of modern British cuisine while maintaining an unwavering commitment to precision and creativity. The renovation included the addition of an upstairs dining area with outdoor seating, offering new perspectives on both the restaurant’s culinary theatre and its Tower Bridge location (from some tables, The Shard is visible, if you care)..
The restaurant’s philosophy is embedded in its name – each dish tells a story, crafted with theatrical flair and technical mastery. The experience begins the moment you’re seated; there’s no menu presented, just a carefully orchestrated progression of dishes that unfold like chapters in a compelling narrative. The eight-course tasting menu (£275 per person) runs for both lunch and dinner service, though a shorter five-course lunch (£175) is also available. There’s an excellent vegetarian version of the menu, too.
Recent highlights from the kitchen have included an English pea custard with charred spring onion that captures the essence of early summer, and a technically accomplished dish of Jersey Royals with morels and chervil velouté. The kitchen shows particular skill with vegetables – a dish of celeriac with barley ragù and garlic panade demonstrates how humble ingredients can be elevated to star status.
Those ordering from the main (as in, meat and fish) tasting menu won’t be disappointed, either; there’s a pleasing heft to each plate here – nothing too dainty, and you’ll certainly leave full. In fact, it’s surprisingly refreshing to eat in a two-star and ‘only’ have nine courses. It allows for proper platefuls rather than a 20-plus string of canapes. The squab pigeon dish with watercress and Madagascan pepper is the absolute highlight of the recent menu – a beautifully composed, alluring plate that we’d go back for in a heartbeat.
Story’s commitment to innovation extends to dessert, with the end of the meal here currently a take on a rum baba. It’s as pretty as a picture, the cake soaked in champagne and topped with a delicate. It demonstrates Seller’s ability to offer something that’s technically impressive, sure, but also massively satisfying.
Wine pairings are taken as seriously as the food, with options ranging from a classic selection (£125) to a fine wine pairing (£175). For those avoiding alcohol, the non-alcoholic pairing (£90) shows the same creativity as the cuisine. The wine list itself is extensive and impressive, with by-the-glass options starting from £9 for the Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie and bottles beginning at £40. While the list spans an impressive range of prestige bottles, including various vintages of Château d’Yquem and rare finds like the 1969 Colares Reserva Viuva Gomes from Lisboa, there’s still value to be found in their selection of regional French wines. The restaurant maintains a particularly strong selection of Burgundies and Bordeaux, with notable depth in vintages from prestigious producers.
The dining room, following its 2023 renovation, has nurtured a more elegant space than its predecessor (which was a bit like a cross between a sauna and public toilet, let’s face it) blending natural materials with subtle references to Mediterranean, Japanese and Nordic design – a reflection of Sellers’ culinary influences. The interior strikes a balance between elegance and understatement, creating a canvas where the bits on the plate can take centre stage.
Ideal for modern Mexican street food in a relaxed and eclectic atmosphere…
There’s been plenty of discourse in recent months about the state of Mexican food in the UK, made all the more fervent by a poorly-pitched episode of Great British Bake Off ‘celebrating’ the country’s cuisine.
But to be dismissive of the standard of Mexican restaurants here would be to do a disservice to Santo Remedio, a boisterous, beautiful place to enjoy some of the best food in the vicinity of London Bridge Station.
The first thing that hits you when you walk through the door is the noise, in the best possible way, of course. This is a restaurant where big groups congregate, converse animatedly and put away quite a few margaritas; if you ever want to witness the restorative nature of a busy, buzzing restaurant, you should head here, make no mistake.
The food certainly isn’t an afterthought to the atmosphere. The signatures here – a grasshopper topped guacamole, with the insect bringing both crunch and a distinctive, floral citrus hit, and a tempura soft shell crab taco, which is a textural delight – are just that for a reason. But don’t miss the sharing seabass a la Talla (a traditional dish from Acapulco) either, which comes adorned in both red and green salsas, and is delicious as it is eye-catching.
At the weekend between 12:30pm and 16:30pm, Santo Remedio does a popular bottomless brunch, which sees margaritas, wine, beer and cava freely flowing for two hours, for £58 a person. This includes two courses and a dessert from a broad-ranging menu of the SM classics. Go on then, you’ve twisted our arm…
Ideal for Portuguese plates and wine set inside an azulejos-tiled dining room…
It feels like London Bridge and Portuguese food have a natural affinity, with the beloved peri-peri chicken joint Casa do Frango (more of that later) and superlative (though now sadly closed) Londrino both finding their feet here. That should come as no surprise, with London’s very own Little Portugal just a 15 minute tube ride south to Stockwell.
London Bridge, Little Portugal or Leytonstone, our favourite Portuguese place in the whole of the city is Bar Douro, the superb small plates restaurant nestled under a railway arch in London’s vibrant Flat Iron Square.
This charming eatery boasts a stunning blue-and-white azulejos-tiled dining room, transporting you to the heart of Lisbon or Porto and those instantly recognisable streets. Pull up a pew at the counter here and enjoy the show; Executive Chef Neuza leads his meticulously drilled team in a kitchen that throbs with almost as much energy as the plates. Almost…
Of those plates, we’re enamoured with the grilled ox tongue, served with a piquant salsa verde positively humming with garlic (insert joke about ‘not eating this one a first date’ here). Even better is the luxurious arroz de pato malandrinho – a brooding little number of rice cooked in both duck stock and fat, served with slices of duck breast and a funky chouriço that’s closer to Toulouse sausage than a Spanish chorizo. It’s comfort food at its finest. Oh, and the salt cod fritters – let’s just say you’d be a fool not to order them. One of the best things to eat in all of London Bridge? We certainly so.
Following a 2025 refurbishment, Bar Douro now hosts an annual Portuguese street festival on its terrace each June. Put it in the calendar; this one is a fabulous time!
Address: 35B, Arch, 85B Southwark Bridge Rd, London SE1 0NQ, United Kingdom
Ideal for contemporary Thai cuisine and creative cocktails inspired by the bars of Bangkok…
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, making it one of the very best choices for great food in London Bridge, Thai or otherwise.
When it comes to the ‘deum’ side of the menu, you’ll find Thai Tea’s and terrific tonics like the their beautifully blue butterfly pea drink. If you’re after creative cocktails, then this is the place to come. The menu is inspired by the owners’ favourite cocktails found in Bangkok’s buzzing bar scene, and their coconut lychee mojito is excellent.
Speaking of Bangkok’s bars, we’re hoping that the owners will read this and try the ‘Go Nuts’ cocktail at BBK Social Club, which draws on the uniquely fragrant aromas of pandan infused whiskey, lemongrass and nutty hazelnuts – it’s worth flying to BKK for, but we’d rather hop on the train and try a version at Kin + Deum… Just sayin’!
Address: 2 Crucifix Ln, London SE1 3JW, United Kingdom
Ideal for a subtle, seasonal and sophisticated tasting menu with influences from Korea…
One of London’s most interesting restaurant openings of recent years, Sollip is a subtle place in every way. From its unassuming location on Melior Street – a street that London Bridge estate agents will tell you is one of the most sought after in the area – all the way to the refined dining room and sophisticated cooking coming out of the husband-and-wife led kitchen, this is a place that oozes class.
Here, it’s a no-choice, tasting menu affair which blends ingredients and influences from the the owners’ homeland South Korea with French cooking sensibilities, with dishes regularly changing to reflect the seasons.
At £152 a head, it’s certainly not cheap, and though that price-point certainly falls into the ‘premium’ category, there are some seriously top-notch ingredients on that menu, with a pairing of wagyu beef – on our last visit, served Tteokgalbi-style, minced and in a patty – and Orkney scallop treated with real deftness.
A savoury daikon tarte tatin remains something of a menu mainstay, and for good reason; the pastry is delicate as you like and the daikon texturally alluring.
Awarded a Michelin star in 2022 – which it has retained each year since – Sollip is a special occasion kind of place, for sure, but what a place it is.
Address: Unit 1, 8 Melior St, London SE1 3QP, United Kingdom
Ideal for some of the best tapas you’ll find this side of Punta de Estaca de Bares…
There’s a heap of tapas options in and around London Bridge and Borough, but for us, Jose, in Bermondsey, takes the galleta. Jose Pizarro is something of a London celebrity, a chef of great geniality and generosity, and this translates itself into the warm welcome at any of his London joints.
Jose has the feel of a San Sebastian pinxtos bar, with plenty of standing and bar stools, and chalkboard menu to match. You wouldn’t feel out of place dropping in here for a glass of wine and one plate. Equally, you can have a feast of tapas classics and a few larger, ingredients-led plates, all detailed on the restaurant’s blackboard.
If there are clams on the menu, order them. Here, they’re often done in the ‘marinera’ style; that is, in light, acidic sauce made from white wine, chopped tomatoes, smoked paprika and plenty of garlic. Perhaps even better are when it’s served as those from the Basque country do, with salsa verde. Either way, it’s a reliably fantastic order at Jose, one of London Bridge’s best places to eat.
In 2024, José Pizarro celebrated his 25th anniversary in London and received the Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic from King Felipe of Spain. He also opened Lolo, his third restaurant on Bermondsey Street, an all-day spot serving sandwiches and Spanish classics.
Address: 104 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3UB, United Kingdom
Ideal for Portuguese plates and a true taste of the Algarve in a light, bright room…
You’ll find a Nandos just a five minute walk away from London Bridge Station on Clink Street, sure, but even closer (and quite possibly, better) is Caso Do Frango, whose grilled chicken qualifies as truly top notch. Considering half a chicken is only a couple of quid more here than the cost of a ‘cheeky’ one, Caso Do Frango feels like a fairly thrifty treat, too.
At the restaurant, chickens are grilled over wood-charcoal, ensuring a smoky finish and blistered skin, with their secret Piri-Piri blend providing a satisfying kick of chilli.
It’s not all about the chicken, though; the supporting acts and side dishes are fantastic, too, particularly the rice with crispy chicken skin and chorizo, rounded off with plantain, which is an inspired touch. We’re also big fans of their charred cauliflower, which is marinated in honey, lemon and piri-piri, and served smothered in coriander yoghurt and topped with pistachios.
Housed in a converted 19th-century industrial warehouse, the dining room at Casa do Frango is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. Vaulted ceilings, arched windows, and exposed brickwork create a warm and breezy atmosphere, while greenery draped skylights add a touch of whimsy to the space.
That said, it’s a dining room where you can often feel a little exposed. For a more intimate experience, venture into The Green Room, a speakeasy-style bar hidden behind an unmarked door. Here, you can indulge in creative cocktails infused with Portuguese spirit; the properly pert Piri-Piri Margarita is excellent.
Casa do Frango’s commitment to authenticity extends beyond their food, with an entirely Portuguese wine list featuring rich reds from the Douro Valley and effervescent Vinho Verde from Monção. For those with a sweet tooth, the dessert menu celebrates national culinary icons like Pastéis de Nata, made fresh on-site daily and wonderfully wobbly in all the right places.
A second (in Victoria) and third (just opened off Oxford Circus) Caso do Frango offer the same superb value grilled chicken, though arguably, in a less striking venue.
Address: 32 Southwark St, London SE1 1TU, United Kingdom
Ideal for gourmet pizzas made with premium ingredients…
Would you like some seawater with your pizza, sir? Rather than being poured by the glass by a very confused sommelier, ‘O Ver’s USP is that they are the first restaurant in the UK to use 100% seawater in their dough, with the stuff imported from the Bay of Naples to hammer home those authenticity chops.
That seawater is said to lead to a light, digestible dough, and whilst we can’t speak with authority on why that might be the case scientifically, from a diner’s perspective it’s hard to argue with the claim. These are wonderfully airy – and yes, digestible – pizzas, hitting the table with a canotto that seemingly inhales and exhales whilst the requisite photos are taken (why have people started saying “the phone eats first” quite so much, by the way?).
Pizza is meant to be eaten fresh and hot, so fuck the phones. Ours has come from the ‘gourmet pizzas’ section of the menu, which is a joy. Rather than experimental affairs, it’s simply a roll call of some of the finest ingredients that could be imported from Italy, with the spaccanapoli pizza brimming with the sweet, bitter minerality of only the best Vesuvio tomatoes and the milkiest burrata straight from Puglia. What a joy this pizza is, and so it should be for £20.
Though there are two branches of ‘O Ver, one in London Bridge and one in St James’s, it’s the former that’s the original, and the outpost that was recently named in the top 30 pizzerias in Europe. It’s easy to see why.
Valentine’s Day, the quintessence of romance, often conjures images of candlelit dinners, bouquets of roses, and, of course, the timeless destinations of Paris, Venice, the Maldives and beyond.
To say that these destinations get a little crowded would be an understatement, with Paris’s Love Lock Bridge collapsing under the weight of so much undying love, and Venice’s canals log jammed with couples hoping to steal a kiss under the Ponte dei sospiri.
12 Of The World’s Most Romantic (& Unique!) Destinations
For those yearning to celebrate their love with a touch of the extraordinary, renewing your vows in a seriously creative locale can transform a simple gesture into an unforgettable adventure. With that in mind, and just in time for Valentine’s Day, here are 12 of the world’s most romantic destinations to renew your vows.
Under The Northern Lights – Kakslauttanen, Finland
Imagine the two of you, cocooned in a glass igloo, as the celestial dance of the Aurora Borealis unfolds above. Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort offers this magical experience deep within the Finnish Lapland. Renew your vows under the emerald glow of the northern lights – a spectacle that promises to be as unique as your love story.
Atop A Volcano – Pico do Arieiro, Madeira
For the adventurous couple, the third-highest peak in Madeira, Pico do Arieiro, offers a dramatic backdrop for a vow renewal. At sunrise, the sky bursts into hues of pink and orange, setting the scene for a truly awe-inspiring ceremony. The raw beauty of this volcanic wonder will echo the passionate and resilient nature of your union.
Amongst Ancient Ruins – Hampi, India
The ruins of Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage site, are steeped in history and mystique. Once the epicentre of the Vijayanagara Empire, today it offers a serene and powerful setting for couples. Surrounded by the remains of ancient temples and the whisper of bygone eras, renewing your vows here is a testament to the timeless nature of love.
In A Hidden Cave – The Blue Grotto, Capri
The Blue Grotto in Capri is not your typical romantic setting. This sea cave, illuminated by an ethereal blue light, creates an otherworldly atmosphere for a vow renewal. Accessible only by boat, the journey to this secluded spot is as enchanting as the destination itself.
Amidst The Giants – Redwood National Park, USA
Stand together amongst the towering redwoods of California’s Redwood National Park. These ancient trees, some of the tallest on earth, have witnessed centuries of history. Renewing your vows in their majestic presence is a humbling experience that symbolises the strength and endurance of your relationship.
Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock, offers a breathtaking platform over The Lysefjord below. Couples can take the exhilarating hike to the top and pledge their love anew, surrounded by some of the most dramatic scenery Norway has to offer. It’s a vow renewal that’s literally on top of the world.
On A Clifftop Terrace – Ravello, Amalfi Coast
Perched high above the Mediterranean, the tiny hilltop town of Ravello has drawn lovers for centuries with its vertiginous views, fragrant lemon groves, and timeless elegance.
The gardens of Villa Cimbrone offer one of Italy’s most spectacular settings for a vow renewal – follow the wisteria-draped pathways to the Terrace of Infinity, where marble busts line a balcony suspended between sky and sea. Among the many Amalfi Coast tours available, Ravello provides a serene counterpoint to the bustle of the coastal towns below.
In The Heart Of The Desert – Sossusvlei, Namibia
The stark beauty of Sossusvlei, with its towering dunes and stark white salt pans, is a testament to nature’s artistry. A vow renewal here, perhaps at dawn when the light paints the sands in a palette of oranges and reds, is a moment of profound tranquillity and romance.
Amongst Fairy Chimneys – Cappadocia, Turkey
Renewing your vows in Cappadocia, can be a deeply romantic and memorable experience. Cappadocia is renowned for its otherworldly landscape, with fairy chimneys, ancient cave churches, and beautiful rock formations. The stunning backdrop is perfect for couples looking for a magical and picturesque setting to reaffirm their commitment to each other.
In A Blossoming Garden – The Gardens Of Ninfa, Italy
The Gardens of Ninfa, located southeast of Rome, are often described as the most romantic garden in the world. This lush landscape, with its medieval ruins overgrown with roses, ivy, and jasmine, offers a fairy-tale setting for couples to reaffirm their love amidst the sweet fragrances of nature.
Aboard A Sunset Sail – Key West, Florida
For those who find romance on the open sea, a sunset sail off the coast of Key West offers an idyllic setting for renewing your vows. The Southernmost Point of the United States is renowned for its breathtaking sunsets, where the sky becomes a canvas of vibrant colours reflecting off the calm waters. Aboard a classic schooner or modern yacht, you and your partner can bask in the golden glow as the sun dips below the Gulf of Mexico.
Floating Above The Savannah – Masai Mara, Kenya
A truly unique experience to end our list on, take to the skies in a hot air balloon over the Masai Mara. As you float above the sprawling savannah, with the wildlife roaming below, exchange your vows in the quiet splendour of the African sky. It’s a serene and majestic start to the next chapter of your life together.
The Bottom Line
Renewing your vows on Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to follow the well-trodden path of romantic clichés. Each of these destinations offers a unique and memorable setting that speaks to the adventurous spirit of love. Whether it’s under the shimmering northern lights or on the edge of a fjord, these destinations promise a renewal of vows that is as extraordinary as the bond you share.
The great British clearout is a rite of passage that most of us undergo at least once a year, usually prompted by a change of season, a house move, or that creeping realisation that the spare bedroom has become less guest room and more dumping ground. We’ve all been there: standing in a doorway, surveying towers of boxes, bin bags, and that exercise bike you swore you’d use. The intention is always there, but the execution? That’s where things tend to fall apart.
For Londoners, the challenge hits differently. The average one-bed flat in the capital offers roughly 46 square metres of living space, which means clutter doesn’t just accumulate; it takes over. Add in limited council bulky waste collection slots that vary wildly from borough to borough, narrow Victorian hallways that weren’t designed for shifting furniture, and the reality that most of us don’t have a car, let alone a van, and a proper clearout starts to feel less like a weekend task and more like a military operation. If you’ve ever felt frustrated by clutter and a lack of space at home, you’re far from alone.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. With the right approach, clearing out your London home can be surprisingly satisfying and, dare we say, even a little therapeutic. Here are 7 smart ways to tackle it without losing your mind.
Room By Room, Not All At Once
The biggest mistake people make when attempting a clearout is trying to do the entire flat in a single weekend. In a London terrace or mansion block conversion, where rooms tend to be compact and storage is at a premium, that ambition quickly turns into chaos: half-sorted piles migrating from bedroom to hallway to kitchen, with nowhere left to actually sit down.
A far better approach is to commit to one room, or even one section of a room, at a time. The kitchen junk drawer. The bathroom cabinet full of half-empty bottles. That wardrobe rail you haven’t seen the back of since 2022. Tackling these smaller, contained spaces gives you a sense of completion that builds momentum for the next area. The Cleveland Clinic has noted that the satisfaction of finishing a cleaning task triggers a tangible boost in mood, so those small wins really do add up.
Get Honest About What You Actually Use
Sentimentality is the enemy of a good clearout. We all hold on to things because of what they represent rather than what they do. That bread maker from 2019? The stack of magazines you’ll get round to reading? If an item hasn’t been used in twelve months, its time in your home has passed.
Try this: for anything you’re unsure about, put it in a box and store it out of sight for a month. In a London flat where every square foot counts, you’ll notice the freed-up space immediately, and if you don’t go looking for the box’s contents in that time, you have your answer. This two-step approach removes the pressure of making instant decisions and lets you part with belongings on your own terms, without that gut-punch of regret that comes from a hasty cull.
If you need more convincing on the link between a tidy home and a tidy mind, our deep dive into how decluttering can improve your wider life makes a compelling case.
Know Your Borough’s Collection Options
Before you start piling things up by the front door, it’s worth checking what your local council actually offers. Bulky waste collection services vary enormously across London’s 32 boroughs: some, like Lambeth, offer free collections of reusable items through charity partnerships, while others charge per item or have lengthy waiting lists. Many boroughs also run reuse and recycling centres, though getting to one without a car can be a challenge in itself.
Knowing what’s available in your area before you begin means you can plan your clearout around realistic disposal options rather than ending up with a mountain of bags and nowhere to take them. It also helps you avoid the temptation of fly-tipping, which remains a serious problem: government statistics recorded over 1.15 million incidents in England in 2023/24, with 60% involving household waste. The fines are steep, and rightly so.
Think Circular, Not Landfill
The days of simply filling black bags and hauling everything to the tip are, thankfully, fading. London, for all its faults, is well set up for giving unwanted items a second life.
Charity shops on practically every high street from Stoke Newington to Streatham are always looking for donations, and platforms like Vinted, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace make it easy to sell items on. The capital’s various free stuff groups on social media, many organised by neighbourhood or postcode, are brilliant for shifting bulky items quickly to someone local who actually wants them.
For textiles specifically, most London boroughs provide clothing banks, and organisations like the Salvation Army run extensive textile recycling programmes across the capital. Not only does all of this keep usable goods out of landfill, but it puts a little money back in your pocket or brings genuine value to someone else’s life.
For more on building sustainable habits into your daily routine, we’ve got a whole guide on being greener that goes well beyond the clearout.
Call In The Professionals For Bigger Jobs
There comes a point in every clearout where the scale of the task outgrows your patience and your ability to lug a sofa down three flights of stairs. Perhaps you’re clearing a deceased relative’s home in Lewisham, preparing a property for sale in Hackney, or dealing with years of accumulated furniture and appliances in a flat with no lift access. In these situations, trying to do everything yourself is a false economy.
A professional rubbish removal in London service can take the heavy lifting, literally and figuratively, off your hands. Licensed waste carriers will sort, remove, and responsibly dispose of large volumes of items, and critically, they know how to navigate the particular challenges of London properties: tight staircases, CPZ parking restrictions, and the logistics of clearing a fourth-floor flat in a Victorian conversion with no service entrance.
For substantial clearout projects, particularly during major life transitions like downsizing or bereavement, the time saved and stress avoided make it a worthwhile investment.
Set A Timer & Stick To It
Decluttering isn’t fun. Let’s not pretend otherwise. But it’s considerably less painful when you know there’s an end point. Setting a timer for 30 or 45 minutes per session keeps you focused and prevents that listless drift where you end up sitting on the floor reading old birthday cards for an hour.
Work in short, sharp bursts with a clear objective for each session. One cupboard. One shelf. One corner. When the timer goes off, stop. Walk away. Make a cup of tea. Come back to it later or the next day.
This approach prevents decision fatigue, that creeping mental exhaustion that sets in after too many keep-or-bin choices, and means you’ll actually finish what you started rather than abandoning the whole enterprise halfway through. Research from Princeton’s Neuroscience Institute found that visual clutter competes for your attention and reduces your ability to focus, so even those small, timed bursts of clearing are doing your brain a favour.
Create A System That Prevents The Cycle Repeating
The real trick to a clutter-free home isn’t the clearout itself; it’s what happens afterwards. Without a system in place, you’ll find yourself back at square one within six months, surrounded by a fresh crop of impulse buys and just-in-case items. In London, where space is at its most expensive per square foot, every item you own is effectively paying rent: if it’s not earning its keep, it’s costing you.
The one-in-one-out rule is brilliantly effective in its simplicity: every time something new enters the house, something similar leaves. New coat? Donate the one you never wear. New kitchen gadget? Retire the one gathering dust. This principle forces you to be intentional about every purchase, and over time, you’ll find yourself buying less because the mental arithmetic of what you’d need to sacrifice becomes part of the decision.
Pair this with designated spots for everything you own, keys by the door, post in the tray, chargers in the drawer, and tidying becomes almost automatic rather than a negotiation with chaos.
The Bottom Line
A good clearout can be genuinely transformative for both your living space and your headspace, and that goes double in a city where square footage is precious. If you’re tackling a bigger upheaval, our tips for clearing out the clutter before you move house are well worth a read. Your future self, and your spare bedroom, will thank you.
Are you considering a change of pace or yearning for a fresh start? Do you think your passion for cooking could be translated into a career? How does the idea of permanent backache, leg pain, burns and blisters sound? You could have it all, by working as a professional chef.
Though the hours are notoriously long and the stress levels sometimes high, there is much satisfaction and fulfilment to be found in a professional kitchen. After all, what other job allows you to work with your hands, play with fire and sharp knives (don’t actually play), handle stunning ingredients each and every day, and taste plenty of great food in the process?
No one day is the same, but if you’re looking to succeed as a professional chef, there are a few tools of the trade that you should carry with you at all times, to help keep the chopping finer, the slicing thinner and the ‘can I borrow your….?’ to an absolute minimum.
It should be noted a restaurant will generally expect you to bring your own chef’s whites (short sleeved is fine unless otherwise stated), chef’s trousers (black is best), chef’s shoes and a set of knives and sharpener. The restaurant will provide you with an apron and any other specialist kitchen equipment required for your role that day.
Today, we’re taking a look inside a prof chef’s knife roll, whose contents will likely define your day’s cooking and your career; here are 7 essential knives and tools that every cook carries.
A Chef’s Knife
The first tool you’ll need, with question or compromise, is a chef’s knife. A chef’s knife is a versatile tool that can be used for a variety of tasks, such as chopping vegetables, slicing meat, and so much more. In short, it is the essential tool of the trade (clue’s in the title, huh?), and without one, you’ll be sent packing from a professional kitchen before the first starter has even left the pass.
A chef’s knife has a blade of around 20 centimetres (8 inches) in length and 4 centimetres (1.5 inches) in width, with a heavy, sturdy handle well suited for being held for long periods without causing too much discomfort.
It is important to choose a chef’s knife that feels comfortable in your hand, or you’ll be risking blisters or repetitive strain injury from something as simple as slicing onions. In addition, you should make sure that the blade is made of high-quality stainless steel. This will help ensure the quality and longevity of the knives you use.
While Japanese knives have their devoted fans, plenty of professional chefs swear by sturdy European workhorses instead. Wüsthof and Victorinox offer heavier, more forgiving blades that can take a battering during a busy service without chipping.
Japanese knives demand a lighter touch and more careful maintenance, which isn’t always practical when you’re smashing through 30 kilos of onions before noon. For newer chefs especially, a robust European blade is often the smarter investment: even the best Victorinox chef’s knives rarely top £40, while a Wüsthof Classic will set you back £120 or more.
A Paring Knife
Of course, there are some daily, dainty jobs in a professional kitchen which require a smaller knife to complete with precision. These include peeling, hulling and cleaning delicate fruits and vegetables, scoring pretty patterns onto pastry, and deveining shrimp, amongst many other tasks which require intricacy.
For these tasks, a paring knife (with a blade of around 3 cm in length) is ideal. With a chef’s knife and paring knife in your roll, you’ll be able to tackle the majority of everyday kitchen tasks, though there are a couple of other knives that may come in handy, too.
A Serrated Bread Knife
Speaking of other knives that may well come in handy, the majority of chefs also carry a serrated bread knife in their rolls. Not only for slicing crusty sourdough without crushing it, serrated bread knives can also be used for cutting into fruits and vegetables with particularly tough skins, such as squashes and melons, as well as being ideally suited for slicing cooked meat with crispy skin (pork belly, we’re looking at you).
Generally speaking, a serrated bread knife will be a little longer than your chef’s knife.
Task Specific Knives
Other useful additions to your block or roll would be a filleting knife for precision fish prep and a boning knife for making light work of butchery. A cleaver also comes in handy for chopping through bones with a direct, focused whack.
That said, it’s unlikely chefs who are just starting out (usually in a commis chef role) will be allowed near the meat and fish, so treat these knives as a luxury. Instead, it’s more sensible to invest more money in your chef’s knife than buying lots of blades you don’t really need.
Sitting comfortably between your chef’s knife and paring knife in terms of size, the utility knife is a brilliant all-rounder that proves invaluable during prep. With a blade typically measuring 12-15 centimetres (5-6 inches), it’s perfect for those middling tasks where a chef’s knife feels unwieldy, yet a paring knife seems too delicate. Whether you’re trimming mushrooms, portioning citrus segments, or slicing soft herbs, the utility knife offers exceptional control without sacrificing efficiency.
Many chefs find themselves reaching for their utility knife when faced with detailed garnish work or when preparing ingredients for canapés. Its manageable size makes it particularly suitable for extended periods of precise cutting, helping to reduce hand fatigue during those long mise en place sessions.
A Santoku Knife
Though traditionalists might raise an eyebrow, the Santoku knife has earned its place in many a professional chef’s roll. This Japanese-style blade, typically 16-18 centimetres (6-7 inches) in length, features a straighter edge and less pointed tip than a classic chef’s knife. The name ‘santoku’ translates to ‘three virtues’, referring to its excellence at slicing, dicing, and mincing.
What sets the Santoku apart is its shorter length and lighter weight, making it particularly suited to those with smaller hands or anyone seeking more precise control. The blade’s characteristic hollowed-out dimples (known as a Granton edge) help prevent food from sticking to the knife during repetitive cutting tasks. Whether you’re finely julienning vegetables or creating paper-thin slices of raw fish for sashimi, a Santoku offers exceptional versatility whilst reducing arm fatigue during long prep sessions.
Almost as essential is a proper implement for sharpening those knives of yours. At the end of each service, chefs tend to favour re-sharpening their knives with a wet stone, but during the cut and thrust of the day in a professional kitchen, there’s not really time to get yours out and start thrusting, stroking and gliding.
For occasions when time is tight, a honing steel is ideal, helping you sharpen up your knife for a busy service or a high-intensity slicing job in no time.
A few other tools that you should carry in your knife roll include:
A cranked spatula, for effortlessly lifting ingredients onto the plate without excessively fingering them. Not using a spatula risks changing an ingredient’s temperature, or damaging its pristine appearance.
Sure, chefs carrying tweezers in their front pocket elicit plenty of teasing, but for delicate items, such as edible flowers, tweezers can help you plate up in a graceful, nimble way.
A thermometer or cake skewer, ideal for testing the core temperature of cooked ingredients, precisely or rather more imprecisely.
A peeler, which is one of the professional kitchen’s most coveted (and misplaced) essential tools!
Professional kitchens rely on a detailed system of labelling and dating, and if you’re not carrying a sharpie at all times, you’re going to annoy your colleagues constantly by asking to borrow theirs.
The Bottom Line
With these items in your knife roll, Michelin stardom awaits! We can’t wait to see the plates you produce.
As couples search for a honeymoon destination that delivers on those impossible-looking Instagram photos – before settling into a lifetime of predictable Sunday roasts and arguments over the thermostat – the Maldives offers a destination of ultimate romantic indulgence that deserves serious consideration.
This scattered constellation of 1,190 coral islands, strewn across the Indian Ocean like pearls spilled from a jewellery box, offers couples an intoxicating cocktail of barefoot luxury, underwater wonder, and that peculiar brand of privacy that comes from having an entire island (or at least a villa on stilts) to yourselves. What could be more romantic than that?
With its year-round tropical climate, impossible shades of turquoise, and a resort scene that treats romance as a competitive sport, the Maldives promises a honeymoon that’s as unique as your love story. Or at least, we sincerely hope it is…
Why The Maldives For Your Honeymoon In 2026?
The Maldives isn’t just another beach destination; it’s an archipelago nation where each resort occupies its own private island, where overwater villas have become an art form, and where you can dine beneath the waves while sharks cruise past your lobster thermidor. Here’s what makes the Maldives worth your 2026 honeymoon.
Overwater Villas & Private Seclusion
Forget fighting for sun loungers – in the Maldives, your accommodation floats above a private lagoon, with glass floors revealing reef sharks gliding beneath your bedroom. These aren’t merely rooms with a view; they’re architectural marvels perched on stilts above waters so clear they barely seem to exist, complete with private infinity pools that appear to spill directly into the Indian Ocean.
The overwater villa has become the Maldives’ signature offering, and resorts compete fiercely to outdo one another. Expect features like retractable roofs for stargazing from your bed, in-villa spa treatment rooms, and nets suspended over the lagoon for sunset champagne sessions. Several properties have even introduced underwater bedrooms, where you can fall asleep watching parrotfish nibble at the coral.
Insider Tip: Request a sunset-facing villa on the western side of your resort. The Maldivian sunset is a daily masterpiece, and watching it from your private deck with a cocktail in hand is worth the premium.
Diving With Whale Sharks & Manta Rays
The nation’s 26 atolls are home to some of the world’s most spectacular coral reefs, and the marine life reads like a David Attenborough casting call: whale sharks, manta rays, reef sharks, sea turtles, and fish in colours that seem invented by a particularly imaginative child with a box of crayons.
The warm, clear waters mean visibility often exceeds 30 metres, and many resorts boast ‘house reefs’ just steps from your villa. For the more adventurous, diving with whale sharks in LUX*’s South Ari Atoll or witnessing the legendary manta ray gatherings at Hanifaru Bay will provide memories that outlast any wedding album.
Insider Tip:Hanifaru Bay, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, sees up to 200 manta rays feeding simultaneously between May and November. It’s strictly snorkelling only (no diving permitted), with visitor numbers limited. Book through a Baa Atoll resort for guaranteed access.
Underwater Restaurants
The Maldives has turned dining into theatre, with underwater restaurants offering the surreal experience of enjoying fine cuisine surrounded by marine life. Imagine savouring Hokkaido scallop tartare while a hawksbill turtle drifts past, or clinking champagne glasses as a reef shark investigates your table from the other side of the glass.
SEA at Anantara Kihavah Villas is perhaps the most celebrated, featuring the world’s first underwater wine cellar. The five-course tasting menu unfolds six metres below the surface, matched only by the ever-changing show of nocturnal predators drawn to the restaurant’s lights after dark. Hurawalhi’s 5.8 Undersea Restaurant offers the largest all-glass underwater dining space, while OBLU SELECT Lobigili’s Only Blu descends 6.8 metres for an intimate culinary journey.
Insider Tip: Book lunch rather than dinner – the clarity of light through the water is superior during daytime. Dinner has its own magic with illuminated waters attracting nocturnal species, so if budget allows, do both.
Known as the ‘Sea of Stars’, the Maldives offers one of nature’s most romantic light shows. On certain nights between June and October, bioluminescent phytoplankton illuminate the shoreline with an ethereal blue glow, making the waves appear to sparkle with captured starlight. Vaadhoo Island is particularly famous for this phenomenon, though several resorts offer excursions to witness it.
Above the waves, the Maldives’ position near the equator and absence of light pollution make it exceptional for stargazing. Anantara Kihavah operates SKY – the Maldives’ only overwater observatory – where couples can explore the cosmos through the Indian Ocean’s most powerful telescope, guided by a resident astronomer.
Insider Tip: Time your visit during a new moon for optimal stargazing, and ask about bioluminescence night kayak excursions.
Where To Stay
Accommodation ranges from intimate boutique hideaways with just 15 villas to larger resort islands offering multiple restaurants. What unites them is a commitment to romance that borders on obsessive: expect flower petal baths at sunset, candlelit dinners on private sandbanks, and butler service that anticipates your wishes before you’ve articulated them.
For ultimate privacy, Kudadoo Maldives Private Island offers just 15 overwater residences with an ‘Anything. Anytime. Anywhere’ all-inclusive concept. The Nautilus, with only 26 villas, eschews fixed meal times entirely. For more accessible luxury, Atmosphere Kanifushi delivers exceptional five-star all-inclusive value, while Amilla Maldives adds unique touches like bubble tent glamping under the stars.
Insider Tip: Honeymoon packages often include complimentary upgrades and spa credits, so always enquire when booking.
Year-Round Tropical Weather
With temperatures rarely dropping below 25°C or climbing above 31°C, you can honeymoon here any month. The dry season from November to April offers the most reliable sunshine and calmest seas. The wet season (May to October) brings occasional showers – typically brief afternoon bursts – but also significantly lower prices, fewer tourists, and the best conditions for witnessing manta ray and whale shark aggregations.
Insider Tip: December to February offers the driest conditions; June to November delivers dramatic skies and arguably the most spectacular marine life.
Sunset dolphin cruises see spinner dolphins performing acrobatics in your wake, while traditional Maldivian fishing expeditions offer a glimpse into local life. The world’s first underwater spa at Huvafen Fushi offers couple’s treatments in glass-walled rooms where marine life swims past during your massage. Coral planting programmes at several resorts allow couples to contribute to reef conservation, creating a living legacy of their honeymoon.
Insider Tip: Book a private sandbank picnic – your resort transports you to an uninhabited island, sets up a gourmet lunch, and leaves you completely alone. It’s Robinson Crusoe romance without the survival anxiety, and someone else does the washing up.
Getting To The Maldives From The UK
Flights from the UK to Velana International Airport take around 10-12 hours including a stopover, typically in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, or Colombo. Return flights range from approximately £600-1,500 depending on season and class.
Depending on your resort’s location, you’ll transfer by speedboat (20 minutes to 4 hours) or seaplane (20-60 minutes). Seaplane transfers cost around $500-700 per person return but offer extraordinary aerial views of the atolls. Most resorts include or discount transfers as part of honeymoon packages.
Sort connectivity before you fly: the best eSIM for the Maldives will run on either the Ooredoo or Dhiraagu networks, offering reliable coverage in an area that’s otherwise remote and often WiFi-dependent. Download and install before departure so you’re online the moment you land.
Insider Tip: Seaplanes operate only during daylight (6am-3:30pm), so late afternoon arrivals require an overnight in Malé. Many resorts arrange lounges with complimentary food for guests awaiting transfers.
The Bottom Line
The Maldives in 2026 offers the definitive honeymoon experience for couples who want their first adventure as newlyweds to involve more than choosing between the beach bar and the pool bar (though there will be plenty of that, too). Whether you’re toasting your future with champagne in an underwater restaurant, swimming alongside whale sharks, or watching the sunset from your private overwater deck, these islands ensure your honeymoon will be as extraordinary as your love. Well, one hopes.
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.
It’s been pretty impossible to miss the buzz surrounding the JKS-backed Arcade Food Hall since it opened 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 does 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.
Plaza Khao Gaeng opened a second site at Borough Yards at the tail end of last year, and early reviews are strong. Set beneath the Victorian railway arches on Stoney Street, the 80-seater brings an expanded menu focusing on lesser-known southern Thai provinces, with new dishes including kha muu paloh (slow-cooked pork hock), gaeng gati puu bai cha plu (whole Dorset hen crab in coconut curry with wild betel leaves), and pad phet pla tord (whole sea bass in red jungle curry). Much of the produce continues to come from Luke Farrell’s Ryewater Nursery in Dorset.
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.
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 over a year in, it’s safe to say that AngloThai is a roaring success, with positive reviews and a Michelin star announced in February of last 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 a recent tasting menu, priced keenly at £125, included 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
*Following a fire at the restaurant in early May, Som Saa is now up and running once again. Rejoice!*
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.
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.
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.
Following the success of the Soho original, Speedboat Bar opened a second location in late 2025 at The Electric on Portobello Road. The Notting Hill outpost brings the same neon-lit, Bangkok Chinatown energy to West London, with the signature Tom Yam Mama Noodles and pineapple pies present and correct.
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.
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.
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.
