We’ve all been there. You sit down to tackle that important report, and suddenly you’re three hours deep into a Wikipedia rabbit hole about Victorian-era bread recipes. Or perhaps you’ve just spent 45 minutes rearranging your desk supplies whilst your to-do list glares at you reproachfully. Sound familiar? If you’re nodding along (or you’ve already clicked away to check your phone), then pull up a chair – this one’s for you.
The thing is, in our hyper-connected world of endless notifications, open-plan offices, and the constant pull of ‘just one more scroll’, staying focused in the face of distraction feels less like a skill and more like a superpower.
But here’s the good news: you don’t need to be superhuman to get things done. You just need the right strategies, a bit of self-compassion, and maybe a really good hiding spot for your phone. So, whether you’re trying to finish that presentation, study for an exam, or simply read a book without checking Instagram every three pages, we’ve got some surprisingly doable solutions coming your way.
First Things First: You’re Not Broken
Before we dive into the practical stuff, let’s get one thing straight: having the attention span of a caffeinated squirrel in 2025 doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. Our brains simply weren’t designed for the non-stop notification parade that is modern life.
Think about it – your ancestors needed to notice rustling bushes (potential lunch or potential danger), not resist the siren call of Instagram whilst trying to finish a spreadsheet. So, cut yourself some slack.
Sort Out Your Space (Yes, It Actually Matters)
You might think your messy desk is just a sign of your creative genius, but sorry to break it to you – it’s probably not helping your concentration. The physical environment you work in has a massive impact on your ability to focus, and the good news is that fixing it doesn’t require a complete home makeover.
The Art Of Strategic Tidying
Here’s the thing about clutter – it’s essentially visual noise, and your easily distracted brain absolutely loves noise. But before you go full Marie Kondo on your workspace, let’s be realistic. You don’t need a minimalist shrine to productivity; you just need to remove the obvious distractions.
The good news is that you don’t need to transform your entire living space into some minimalist monastery. Small changes can make a massive difference. Start with these simple but effective tweaks that take less than five minutes but can save you hours of distraction:
Chuck your phone in a drawer (or better yet, another room entirely)
Clear your desk of everything except what you need right now
Face away from the kitchen if you’re working from home – nobody needs to see the biscuit tin beckoning
Create Your Focus Cave
If you’re lucky enough to have options, designate specific spaces for specific activities. Your brain is surprisingly trainable – use this to your advantage. That corner of the sofa where you usually scroll TikTok? Not ideal for deep work. Find a spot that screams ‘serious business’ (even if it’s just a different chair at the dining table).
Time Management That Actually Works (For Scattered Minds)
Traditional time management advice tends to assume you have the focus of a monk and the discipline of a Navy SEAL. But what if you’re more like the rest of us – easily distracted, prone to procrastination, and allergic to rigid schedules? Fear not. There are time management strategies designed specifically for brains that would rather be doing literally anything else.
The Pomodoro Technique: But Make It Realistic
You’ve probably heard of the Pomodoro Technique – 25 minutes of focus, 5-minute break, rinse and repeat. Brilliant in theory, but if 25 minutes feels like an eternity, start smaller. Seriously.
Here’s a gentler approach that actually works for scattered minds. Think of it as training wheels for your concentration – there’s no shame in starting small when the payoff is finally finishing that project that’s been haunting you:
Set a timer for just 10 minutes (yes, really)
Tell yourself you only have to focus for those 10 minutes
When the timer goes off, you can stop if you want (spoiler: you often won’t want to)
Gradually increase the time as your focus muscle strengthens
And here’s the crucial bit – during your breaks, move your body. A quick walk around the block beats doom-scrolling every time.
Time Blocking For Real Humans
Forget those colour-coded, minute-by-minute schedules you see on Pinterest. They’re fantasy for most of us. Instead, try theme days.
The beauty of theming your days is that it removes decision fatigue – your brain already knows what mode to be in before you’ve even had your morning coffee. It’s like having a work uniform for your mind. Here’s how it might look:
Mondays for admin and emails
Tuesdays for creative work
Wednesdays for meetings
You get the idea
This way, your brain knows what mode to be in without the pressure of an impossible schedule.
The Two-Minute Rule (Your New Best Friend)
This one’s a game-changer: if something takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. Reply to that text, file that document, make that quick call. It stops your mental to-do list from becoming a monster that keeps you up at night.
Tech Tools That Help (Not Hinder)
Technology got us into this mess of constant distraction, so it’s only fair that it helps get us out. The trick is choosing tools that genuinely support your focus rather than becoming yet another source of procrastination. Yes, we see the irony in downloading apps to stop you from using apps, but stick with us here.
Apps Worth Your Time
The app store is flooded with productivity tools promising to transform your scattered brain into a laser-focused machine. Most are rubbish. But these four have actually proven their worth with the chronically distracted:
Forest: Grow virtual trees whilst you work – surprisingly addictive in a good way
Freedom: Blocks distracting websites so you can’t even cheat
Brain.fm: Science-y music that actually seems to help with focus
The Liven website: Brilliant for scatterbrains – combines focus soundscapes with bite-sized well-being tools to help you understand why your brain wanders in the first place
But here’s the thing – don’t go mad downloading every productivity app under the sun. Pick one or two and actually use them.
Sometimes Analogue Is The Answer
There’s something to be said for going old school. A physical planner, a kitchen timer, and a good old-fashioned notepad can be less distracting than their digital counterparts. Plus, there’s no notification to pull you away from your task.
Concentration Hacks For Wandering Minds
Even with the perfect workspace and a brilliant schedule, your mind will still wander off like a curious toddler in a toy shop. That’s just how brains work. But rather than fighting this natural tendency, these clever tricks work with your brain’s quirks to keep you (mostly) on track.
The ‘Brain Dump’ Method
Keep a notepad next to you whilst working (old school, we know, but it works). When random thoughts pop up – “Did I lock the car?” “Must buy milk” “Why do we say ‘pair of trousers’?” – jot them down quickly and get back to work.
This simple trick satisfies your brain’s need to remember things without completely derailing your focus. Plus, you might solve some of life’s mysteries during your break.
The Power Of The Pre-Game Ritual
Athletes have pre-game rituals, and so should you. Before starting any focused work, you need to signal to your brain that it’s time to switch gears. Think of it as a gentle warning system – “Oi, brain, we’re about to do something important here!”
This simple three-step ritual takes less than a minute but can make the difference between staring blankly at your screen and actually getting started:
Take three deep breaths (proper ones, not those shallow stress breaths)
Say out loud what you’re about to do: “I’m going to write this email to Sarah”
Visualise yourself actually finishing the task
Sounds a bit woo-woo? Maybe. But it works. Your brain appreciates the heads-up about what’s coming.
Embrace The Swiss Cheese Method
Got a massive project that makes you want to hide under the duvet? Don’t try to tackle it linearly. Instead, poke holes in it like Swiss cheese – do any small part that appeals to you right now.
Writing a report? Start with the bit you find interesting. Planning an event? Begin with the fun stuff like the playlist. Momentum is momentum, regardless of where it starts.
Working With Your Brain, Not Against It
Here’s a revolutionary thought: what if, instead of trying to force your brain into submission, you actually worked with its natural patterns and preferences? Turns out, understanding your own quirks and rhythms is far more effective than trying to squeeze yourself into someone else’s productivity mold.
Know Your Peak Hours
Are you a morning person who’s basically a genius before 10am? Or do you come alive after dark like some sort of productivity vampire? There’s no right answer – just work with what you’ve got.
Schedule your hardest tasks for your peak hours and save the mindless admin for when you’re running on fumes. Fighting your natural rhythm is like swimming upstream – exhausting and ultimately pointless.
The Art Of Productive Procrastination
If you’re going to procrastinate anyway (and let’s be honest, you are), at least make it useful. Create a ‘procrastination list’ of genuinely helpful but less urgent tasks.
The trick is to channel your avoidance energy into something that still moves you forward. When you’re desperately avoiding that big presentation, you could be:
Organising your email inbox
Updating your calendar
Learning keyboard shortcuts
Reading industry articles
At least when you’re avoiding that big presentation, you’re still moving forward somehow.
Get Yourself An Accountability Buddy
Working alone with your easily distracted brain can be torture. Try these tricks:
The beauty of external accountability is that it adds just enough pressure to keep you on track without sending you into panic mode. Whether you’re naturally competitive or just don’t want to let people down, these strategies tap into powerful motivators:
Body doubling: Work alongside someone else, even virtually
Fake deadlines: Tell someone you’ll send them something by 3pm (the panic is remarkably focusing)
Progress updates: A quick daily check-in with a colleague or friend works wonders
Your Quick-Fix Checklist
Here’s what nobody tells you about improving your focus: being horrible to yourself about it makes everything worse. Some days, your brain will feel like it’s been replaced with candy floss, and that’s okay.
Progress isn’t a straight line – it’s more like a toddler’s drawing of a straight line. Celebrate the small wins, learn from the scattered days, and remember that tomorrow is another chance to try again.
When your brain absolutely refuses to cooperate, run through this list:
Sometimes the solution to scattered focus is embarrassingly simple – you’re just hungry, thirsty, or need to move about a bit. Before you diagnose yourself with terminal distraction disorder, check these basics. It’s like IT support asking if you’ve tried turning it off and on again, except it actually works:
Eaten recently? (Hangry brains don’t focus well)
Had some water? (Dehydration is concentration kryptonite)
Phone out of sight? (Yes, even face down on the desk is too close)
Moved in the last hour? (Your body needs to wiggle)
Workspace sorted? (Clear desk, clearer mind)
Trying to multitask? (Stop it immediately)
Need a proper break? (Sometimes the answer is to stop trying)
The Bottom Line
Look, managing distraction isn’t about becoming some sort of productivity robot who never checks social media or daydreams about lunch. It’s about creating conditions that make focus a bit more likely and being kind to yourself when it doesn’t work out.
Start small, experiment with what works for your particular brand of scattered brain, and remember – even reading this far shows you’re capable of focus when something genuinely interests you.
Now, shall we address that browser tab collection you’ve got going?
In an age of endless selfies and video calls, your smile has never been more on display. Yet achieving that effortlessly radiant grin isn’t about expensive treatments or complicated routines – it’s about mastering the small, daily habits that make all the difference. From what’s on your plate to how you wield your toothbrush, here’s your guide to transforming your teeth into your best accessory.
The Morning Ritual That Sets The Tone
Your teeth have been under attack all night from bacteria that thrive whilst you sleep. Starting your day with the right approach can determine whether you’re fighting an uphill battle or setting yourself up for success.
Rather than reaching for your toothbrush immediately after waking, consider starting with a glass of water. This simple act helps neutralise the acidic environment in your mouth and kickstarts saliva production – your body’s natural defence against decay.
When you do brush, technique trumps duration. Dental professionals recommend the ‘modified Bass technique’: angle your brush at 45 degrees towards the gum line and use gentle, circular motions. Think massage, not scrub. Your enamel will thank you for the gentle approach.
The Diet Decisions That Show In Your Smile
What you eat doesn’t just affect your waistline – it’s written all over your teeth. The modern diet poses unique challenges, from hidden sugars in ‘healthy’ smoothies to the acid attack from your morning coffee ritual.
Understanding the impact of your food choices is the first step towards a diet that supports, rather than sabotages, your smile. The relationship between nutrition and oral health is more intricate than most people realise, with some supposedly healthy foods causing more damage than the occasional sweet treat.
Smile-Friendly Foods:
Crunchy vegetables like celery and carrots act as natural toothbrushes
Cheese neutralises acid and provides calcium
Green tea contains polyphenols that fight bacteria
Strawberries and apples contain malic acid, a natural whitener
The Hidden Villains:
Dried fruit clings to teeth like sweet glue
Sports drinks bathe teeth in sugar and acid
White wine is surprisingly more acidic than red
Ice chewing can cause microscopic cracks
The timing matters too. Grazing throughout the day means your teeth never get a break from acid attacks. Try to consolidate eating into meals, giving your saliva time to remineralise teeth between sessions.
Even the most diligent brushers often sabotage their efforts without realising it. We’ve been brushing our teeth since childhood, which means we’ve potentially been reinforcing bad habits for decades. The techniques that seemed logical when we were five – scrubbing harder for cleaner teeth, rinsing thoroughly after brushing – can actually work against us. Breaking these ingrained patterns requires conscious effort, but the payoff in terms of healthier teeth and gums is substantial. Here are the habits to break:
Brushing Too Soon After Eating: Wait at least 30 minutes after consuming anything acidic. Brushing immediately can actually brush away softened enamel.
The Harder-Is-Better Myth: Aggressive brushing doesn’t equal cleaner teeth. It leads to receding gums and enamel erosion. Choose a soft-bristled brush and let it do the work.
Ignoring The Tongue: Your tongue harbours bacteria that contribute to bad breath and tooth decay. A gentle brush or scrape should be part of your routine.
Rinsing After Brushing: This washes away the protective fluoride. Instead, spit out excess toothpaste and let the fluoride continue working.
Whether you’ve invested in professional whitening, orthodontics, or cosmetic enhancements, your daily habits determine how long those results last. Many people spend thousands on their smiles only to undermine their investment with poor maintenance.
If you’ve had cosmetic work done, certain habits become even more crucial. Avoiding staining foods and drinks in the first 48 hours after whitening, using a straw for beverages that might stain, and maintaining meticulous hygiene all contribute to longevity. Those seeking the best composite bonding results, for instance, should be particularly mindful of habits like nail-biting or using teeth as tools, as these can chip or damage the bonding material.
The good news? The same habits that protect cosmetic work also prevent the need for it in the first place. Prevention truly is the most cost-effective cosmetic treatment available.
The Weekend Sabotage Cycle
Weekends often spell disaster for dental routines. The structure that keeps us on track Monday through Friday disappears, replaced by late nights, leisurely mornings, and social events that revolve around food and drink. It’s remarkably easy to go from Friday evening to Sunday night having barely thought about your teeth, yet this is when they need attention most.
Late nights lead to skipped brushing, whilst leisurely brunches mean prolonged acid attacks from mimosas and multiple coffees. Social drinking adds another layer of challenge.
Creating weekend-specific strategies can help:
Keep travel-sized dental supplies in your bag for nights out
Alternate alcoholic drinks with water
Choose clear spirits over sugary cocktails
Never go to bed without brushing, no matter how tired
Remember, two days of neglect can undo a week of good habits. Your teeth don’t take weekends off from decay.
The Evening Wind-Down Your Teeth Deserve
Your nighttime routine is arguably more important than your morning one. During sleep, saliva production decreases dramatically, leaving your teeth vulnerable to bacterial attack for hours. This is your chance to remove the day’s accumulation and prepare your teeth for the overnight battle against bacteria. The effort you put in during these few minutes before bed can mean the difference between waking with fresh breath or that fuzzy-teeth feeling that signals bacterial overgrowth.
Consider adding an alcohol-free mouthwash to your routine. The alcohol-free aspect is crucial; alcohol dries out your mouth, reducing saliva production when you need it most.
The Lifestyle Factors You Haven’t Considered
Your oral health doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s intricately connected to your overall wellness, stress levels, and daily habits that seem unrelated to your teeth. Many people meticulously brush and floss yet still struggle with dental issues because they’re overlooking these broader lifestyle factors. Understanding these connections can be the key to finally achieving the healthy smile that’s eluded you despite your best efforts. These surprising factors all play a role:
Stress and Grinding: Night-time teeth grinding can undo years of good care. If you wake with jaw pain or headaches, consider a night guard.
Hydration Levels: A dry mouth is a breeding ground for bacteria. Keep water nearby, especially if you take medications that reduce saliva production.
Breathing Habits: Chronic mouth breathing dries out your oral cavity. If you snore or wake with a parched mouth, it might be time to investigate.
The Professional Partnership
While daily habits form the foundation, professional care provides the framework. Think of your dentist as your smile’s personal trainer – they can guide, advise and intervene when needed, but the real work happens between visits. Too many people view dental appointments as something to endure or avoid, missing the opportunity to build a collaborative relationship that enhances their home care efforts.Regular check-ups catch problems before they become painful (and expensive). Your dentist or hygienist can also provide personalised advice based on your specific needs and goals.
Professional cleanings remove tartar that home care can’t touch, whilst examinations can spot early signs of decay, gum disease, or oral cancer. Think of these visits as investments in your smile’s future.
The Bottom Line
A healthy smile isn’t built overnight, but the compound effect of good daily habits is remarkable. Within weeks, you might notice fresher breath and less bleeding when flossing. Within months, stains may fade and sensitivity decrease.
The real transformation isn’t just physical. There’s a particular confidence that comes from knowing your smile is genuinely healthy – not just Instagram-ready, but built on a foundation of excellent care. It’s the difference between hiding your teeth and sharing your joy freely.
Your camera-ready smile isn’t about perfection; it’s about health, vitality, and the small choices you make every day. Start with one new habit this week, and watch how it transforms not just your teeth, but your entire approach to self-care.
In an age of overtourism and Instagram hotspots, true hidden gems have become increasingly rare. Yet across Europe, there remain extraordinary places that have resisted the pull of mass tourism—partly because they refuse to accommodate the conventional traveller. These are destinations where the journey itself becomes part of the adventure, where the absence of motorways and railway stations keeps the crowds at bay, and where the reward for your efforts is an authenticity rarely found in today’s well-trodden tourist trails.
Kalsoy’s Kallur Lighthouse, Faroe Islands
At the northern tip of the slender island of Kalsoy sits the Kallur Lighthouse, perched dramatically atop vertiginous cliffs that plunge into the churning North Atlantic. The lighthouse overlooks some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in the Faroes.
It’s not just about the scenery – these cliffs are packed with seabirds during summer—thousands of puffins, storm petrels, and guillemots nest along the rocky ledges. Bring binoculars if you’ve got them!
There’s nothing quite like breathing in the briny North Atlantic air from this vantage point, shutting your eyes and hearing nothing but the calls of sea birds, the growling of the wind and the crashing of waves. However, don’t shut your eyes for too long as you’ll want to see that scenery and those birds.
The weather here changes by the minute. One moment you’re squinting against brilliant sunshine, the next you’re dodging rain squalls that seem to appear from nowhere. When the mist rolls in and the light breaks through, rainbows appear like magic across the landscape.
The island itself, nicknamed the flute for its long, narrow shape punctuated by tunnels like finger holes, has no hotels and just four tiny villages with a combined population of fewer than 100 residents. The whole island is less than 20 kilometres long but feels like its own separate world.
Getting there: Getting there isn’t exactly straightforward. First, take the small ferry from Klaksvík (which doesn’t run in bad weather, incidentally), then a local bus or taxi to the northernmost village of Trøllanes. From there, it’s a challenging hour-long hike across private farmland (permission required) and along precarious clifftops. There’s no proper path marked, just a rough track across the fields where sheep wander freely. The lighthouse keeper’s cottage isn’t open to visitors, but the panoramic views of neighbouring islands and the turbulent sea below make this journey worthwhile.
You won’t find La Graciosa (the Spanish for the graceful) in many guidebooks, which is exactly how the locals like it. This tiny volcanic island sits just off Lanzarote’s coast, officially joining the Canary Islands family only in 2018, though it’s been quietly doing its own thing for centuries. Indeed, while millions flock to Tenerife and Gran Canaria , this neighbouring island remains largely untouched. It’s one of the Canary Islands best kept secrets.
La Graciosa was only connected to electricity in the 1970s and remains free of paved roads. Its stark volcanic landscapes, pristine beaches, and crystalline waters represent the Canaries as they once were, before mass tourism transformed the archipelago.
With less than 750 inhabitants, the island is home to two small picturesque villages, Pedro Barba and Caleta del Sebo, nearly all of them reside in the latter. Here you’ll find a handful of small guesthouses and apartments to rent, a few cafés serving fresh fish, plus the essentials: a supermarket, a church, and even a discoteca for weekend nights. Pedro Barba is mostly made up of summer homes, with only a handful of permanent residents.
If you’re a cycling enthusiast, a visit to the island could be the ideal getaway. It’s been attracting a handful of cyclists and triathletes for a while now, drawn to its dirt roads, flat terrain and other-worldly scenery.
Getting there: Fly to Lanzarote, then travel to Órzola in the north. From there, take the small ferry (30 minutes) to Caleta del Sebo, Graciosa’s only town. Once on the island, transport options are limited to bicycles, walking, or hiring one of the few 4×4 taxis that navigate the sandy tracks. The island’s remoteness is preserved by a strict limit on visitor numbers.
Svaneti Towers, Ushguli, Georgia
Tucked away in Georgia’s remote Svaneti region, Ushguli clings to the mountainside at over 2,000 metres above sea level. It’s one of Europe’s highest year-round communities, and walking through its narrow lanes feels like stepping back centuries.
The village’s most striking feature is its collection of medieval watchtowers, known as the Svaneti Towers. Around 30 of them dot the landscape like stone sentries. The towers come in all shapes and sizes – some squat and sturdy, others reaching skyward like stone fingers. As the sun sets, their honey-coloured stonework glows against the pristine mountain backdrop.
Local families built these between the 9th and 12th centuries as refuges during the constant raids that plagued the region. When enemies approached, whole families would grab their valuables and climb to the tower tops, waiting out the danger in relative safety.
Today, Ushguli has found a gentler way to make a living. Many villagers rent out spare rooms in their homes for just a few pounds a night, while others let visitors pitch tents in their gardens. The Georgian hospitality is unrivalled and locals will feed you hearty Georgian fare—think cheese-stuffed khachapuri bread, rich stews, and local wine to wash it all down.
Despite being designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, the village hasn’t lost its authentic feel. Families dig for potatoes at the foot of towers, a couple of tiny museums offer glimpses into traditional Svan life, with the ethnographic collection showing how families once lived in these stone houses. The setting, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and ancient towers, feels almost mythical—like something from a medieval legend that somehow survived into the modern world.
Getting there: The Greater Caucasus Mountains are a hiker’s dream and many hike the Transcaucasian Trail which spans 932 miles across Georgia, Armenia and some of Azerbaijan. This medieval defence tower is one of the stops offs on this trek
If you’re going by car, the drive from Tbilisi up to the Upper Svaneti region is a bone-rattling journey along rutted mountain roads. The journey requires a sturdy 4×4 vehicle and a local driver familiar with the treacherous unpaved track, which becomes impassable in winter. Alternatively, multi-day horse treks through the mountains offer an authentic experience of this extraordinary region.
The Blue Cave, Kastellorizo, Greece
Kastellorizo sits alone in the far eastern Aegean, closer to Turkey than to anywhere else Greek. It barely registers on most maps, which is precisely why it’s remained unspoilt. Indeed, Kastellorizo feels worlds away from the popular Greek islands and lying just 2km from the Turkish coast, you’d think you could swim there if the currents weren’t lethal.
What was once a thriving sponge-diving community of 10,000 is now home to just 500 residents. Sailing into the harbour feels like discovering a secret. The tiny port town—also called Kastellorizo, or simply ‘Chora’ — unfolds like a perfectly preserved postcard. Pastel-coloured houses crowd the waterfront, while the crumbling remains of a Venetian fortress watch over an old Ottoman mosque from the hillside above.
There’s not much to do here in the conventional sense, which is precisely the point. You can wander the empty plateau above town, catching glimpses of Turkey’s coastline just across the water. Its star attraction is the Blue Cave, larger than Capri’s famous grotto and illuminated by an otherworldly blue light created when sunlight refracts through the crystal-clear water. Locals call it ‘phokiali’ (Greek for seal’s refuge).
Aside from a trip to the Blue Cave, the food alone justifies the journey. Harbourside tavernas serve whatever the fishermen brought in that morning—grouper, sea bass, sometimes lobster—along with local delicacies like bright orange sea urchin roe.
Getting there: There are infrequent flights to Kastellorizo from Rhodes or a long ferry journey from the mainland. The Blue Cave is accessible only by small boat, and only when sea conditions permit.
Foula, Shetland Islands, Scotland
Rising from the tempestuous waters of the North Atlantic like some ancient fortress, Foula stands as one of Britain’s last bastions of true isolation. This wind-scoured island, whose Old Norse name translates to ‘bird island’, sits in splendid solitude thirty kilometres west of Shetland’s mainland, closer to Norway than to London and feeling every bit as remote as its coordinates suggest.
Home to just thirty hardy souls who’ve chosen to make their lives on this 13-square-kilometre chunk of rock and peat, Foula operates according to its own rhythms and rules. The island still follows the old Julian calendar, celebrating Christmas on January 6th—a quaint tradition that speaks to Foula’s stubborn resistance to outside influence.
The landscape here is nothing short of spectacular. Five dramatic hills dominate the terrain, their peaks often shrouded in mist that rolls in from the Atlantic without warning. But it’s the Kame of Foula that truly takes your breath away—a sheer cliff face that plunges 376 metres straight into the churning sea below, making it one of Britain’s highest sea cliffs and a sight that humbles even the most seasoned traveller.
Great skuas (locals call them bonxies) nest here in massive numbers and have zero fear of humans. They’ll dive-bomb your head if you get too close, whilst puffins provide comic relief as they tumble about in the fierce winds. June through August is prime time for seabirds, though the weather is temperamental to say the least.
Getting there: Reaching Foula requires patience, flexibility, and a strong stomach. The ferry “Good Shepherd IV” operates three times weekly from Walls on Shetland’s west mainland, but rough seas frequently force cancellations. The crossing takes two and a half hours in good conditions.
Alternatively, a twice-weekly eight-seat plane from Tingwall Airport offers spectacular views but is equally at the mercy of Foula’s notoriously changeable weather. Visitors should be prepared for the possibility of extended stays if transport links are disrupted.
Seceda Ridgeline, Dolomites, Italy
In the heart of South Tyrol, where Austrian sensibilities blend seamlessly with Italian passion, the Seceda ridgeline presents some of the most otherworldly mountain scenery in all of Europe. This razor-sharp chain of pale limestone peaks, sculpted by millions of years of geological drama, creates a skyline so surreal it appears almost computer-generated against the endless blue Alpine sky.
Seceda’s serrated ridgeline stretches for kilometres, each peak more dramatic than the last. The famous knife-edge formations—known locally as the Teeth of Seceda—create a horizon that looks like the spine of some sleeping dragon.
Local Alpine huts, or rifugi, dot the landscape like tiny refuges from another era. These mountain shelters serve hearty South Tyrolean fare—think speck and cheese plates, warming goulash, and strong Alpine schnapps—whilst offering basic accommodation for those brave enough to spend a night amongst the peaks. Sunrise from Seceda’s ridgeline, watched from the warmth of a rifugio with a steaming cup of coffee in hand, ranks among Europe’s most spectacular natural shows.
Getting there: While cable cars operate in summer and winter seasons from Ortisei, the most rewarding approach is on foot. Hiking from the villages of the Val Gardena requires substantial effort and proper equipment but offers constantly changing perspectives of these magnificent mountains. For the truly committed, booking a night at one of the mountain rifugi (huts) allows you to experience dawn breaking over the ridgeline—a moment of transcendent beauty shared with just a handful of other adventurers.
Saint Kilda Archipelago, Scotland
The most remote part of the British Isles, the St Kilda archipelago lies 64km west of the already isolated Outer Hebrides. It’s Britain’s loneliest place, abandoned in 1930 when the last 36 residents finally gave up battling the Atlantic. The statistics alone speak to Saint Kilda’s otherworldly remoteness: further from civilisation than anywhere else in the British Isles, it’s closer to Iceland than to London.
Today, Saint Kilda serves as a living museum and research station. The National Trust for Scotland maintains the village ruins and operates a small research facility studying everything from climate change to seabird behaviour. Military personnel from the nearby radar station provide the only year-round human presence, maintaining equipment that tracks objects in the North Atlantic skies.
The human story here is extraordinary—archaeologists have found evidence of 4,000 years of continuous habitation. Islanders developed unique skills, scaling impossible cliffs to harvest seabirds and eggs. They even had a postal service: messages tied to wooden boats and launched into the Atlantic currents.
Getting there: Day trips run from Harris and Lewis during summer months, but these are frequently cancelled due to Atlantic storms. For those with deeper pockets, you can charter a private jet to Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides and arrange a private boat transfer from there, weather permitting.
For a more immersive experience, volunteer work parties with the National Trust for Scotland offer the chance to stay on Hirta for one or two weeks, assisting with conservation work while experiencing the wild beauty of this extraordinary place firsthand. Be warned: the crossing is notoriously rough, with seasickness virtually guaranteed.
The Bottom Line
These destinations offer something increasingly precious in our hyperconnected world—genuine remoteness and the deep satisfaction that comes from reaching places that demand effort and commitment. They remind us that sometimes the most memorable travel experiences are those that can’t be reached by simply stepping off a tour bus or following the crowd. In an age of overtourism, these hidden corners of Europe protect their secrets by remaining gloriously, determinedly difficult to reach.
We’ve all been there, we’ve all endured it, but that experience never seems to make the next time any easier. Practice here certainly doesn’t make perfect. Because trying to negotiate London and its underground with luggage certainly isn’t easy, especially at rush hour and if you’ve just arrived bleary eyed and jetlagged from the plane. There’s always a new hurdle to jump, a different obstacle to avoid, but with a little planning and foresight, you can ease that travel stress. Here’s how; our 7 tips for travelling with luggage in London.
Travel Outside The Busiest Times (& Know Which Days to Avoid)
London would simply not be able to function without the tube. It’s the quickest and most useful method of transport in the capital. Yet it’s also the most infuriating. Most meetings in the city begin with a complaint about the tube and the nightmare journey that just befell the commuter. And if you’re travelling with luggage in London, that nightmare could become your worst.
The traditional advice says avoid 7:30-9:30am and 5-7pm on weekdays, but there’s more nuance to it than that. According to recent data, Thursdays and Tuesdays are now the absolute worst days for tube travel, as hybrid working patterns mean fewer people brave the commute on Mondays and Fridays. Thursday evenings between 5-6pm have become the single busiest hour on the entire network – imagine sardines, but with less personal space and more tutting.
Here’s something that might save your sanity: TfL data shows that 20% fewer people travel between 7:30-8:00am compared to the 8:00-8:30am peak. Similarly, 16% fewer travel between 8:30-9:00am. That half-hour shift could mean the difference between standing room only and actually getting a seat. After 6:30pm, passenger numbers drop significantly, and the quietest weekday periods are between 8:45am and 5pm.
Just remember that if you’re carrying a rucksack on your back, remove it when you board and place it by your feet; it’s the Londoner’s biggest pet peeve if you don’t. Trust us, the death stares aren’t worth it.
Download TfL Go & Actually Use Its Hidden Features
While there are dozens of London transport apps clamouring for your attention, TfL Go has quietly become the Swiss Army knife of tube travel. Yes, it shows you routes and train times, but if that’s all you’re using it for, you’re missing out on features that could transform your luggage-laden journey.
The app’s step-free mode is a game-changer. Toggle it on and watch as stations without lift access simply vanish from the map, leaving only those you can actually navigate with your suitcase. But here’s the clever bit – it shows real-time lift status. Covent Garden’s lift broken again? (Spoiler: it probably is.) You’ll know before you waste 20 minutes getting there.
The live crowding data is another underused gem. Each station displays current busyness levels in real-time. You might discover that while Green Park is having its usual evening meltdown, Bond Street, just one stop away, is relatively civilised. The app even tells you which carriage to board for the quickest exit at your destination – at King’s Cross, boarding at the front can save you a 200-metre tunnel trudge.
Pro tip: If you’re using contactless payment (and you should be), the app shows your last seven days of journey history without needing to create an account. Perfect for checking you haven’t been overcharged after that confusing zone 2/3 boundary journey.
Embrace The Luggage Storage Revolution
Gone are the days of hunting for increasingly rare station lockers or queuing at expensive left luggage offices. London’s luggage storage has been quietly revolutionised by app-based services that are both cheaper and more convenient than traditional options.
Bounce luggage storage in London leads the pack with 467 locations across London at £3.90 per day, including $10,000 (around £7,500) baggage protection. Here’s what they don’t advertise prominently: many of their locations are in proper hotels. Their King’s Cross spot? It’s in the Premier Inn, meaning your bags are in an actual hotel luggage room with CCTV and professional staff, not stashed behind someone’s shop counter.
Do be aware that the luggage storage at hotels near airports often stays open later than station facilities. The London City Airport Hotel, for instance, accepts bags until 11pm for just £5 per day – perfect if you’re catching an early flight and want to enjoy your last evening in London unburdened.
If you’re still planning to buy an Oyster card, we need to talk. Unless you’re visiting from a country without contactless banking (or you’re deeply nostalgic for 2003), there’s simply no reason to bother with Oyster anymore.
Just tap your contactless debit or credit card, phone, or smartwatch on the yellow readers. The system automatically calculates the best fare and caps your spending at £8.90 daily or £44.70 weekly for zones 1-2. That weekly cap runs Monday to Sunday, so after about five days of travel, you’re essentially riding for free.
For international visitors, yes, your bank might charge foreign transaction fees. But consider this: no £7 deposit to reclaim, no queuing at machines to top up, no leftover credit to worry about, and no extra card to lose. Cards like Revolut, Wise, or Monzo avoid foreign transaction charges entirely and are worth setting up before you travel.
Here’s a clever workaround if you’re travelling as a couple with one card: add it to your phone’s wallet (Apple Pay or Google Pay). One person uses the physical card, the other uses the phone – the system treats them as separate payment methods. Register your card at contactless.tfl.gov.uk to check your journey history without creating an account, useful for verifying you’ve been charged correctly.
Master The Step-Free Network (It’s Better Than You Think)
London now boasts 93 step-free tube stations – a significant improvement from even a few years ago. But ‘step-free’ isn’t always as straightforward as it sounds, and knowing the nuances can save you from nasty surprises.
The blue wheelchair symbol means full step-free access from street to train with minimal gaps. You’ll find this on all 41 Elizabeth line stations and the newer Jubilee line stations from Westminster to Stratford. These are your gold-standard, luggage-friendly options.
The white wheelchair symbol indicates step-free access only to the platform – you’ll still face a significant gap or step when boarding. Stations like Victoria and Brixton fall into this category. It’s manageable with a small suitcase but challenging with multiple bags or a heavy case.
Some parts of the network remain luggage nightmares. The Northern line south of Elephant & Castle is particularly problematic – only Morden at the very end has step-free access. Most Zone 1 Central line stations involve significant stairs or ancient lifts. The Piccadilly line between Hyde Park Corner and Arnos Grove is another desert of accessibility.
Your best bet for cross-London journeys with luggage? The Elizabeth line for east-west travel (Paddington to Liverpool Street in just 10 minutes), the Victoria line for north-south routes (it has the most central step-free stations), or even Thameslink trains from St Pancras and Blackfriars as an alternative to the Northern line.
Veterans of the London Underground know that where you stand on the platform can make or break your journey. This becomes even more crucial when you’re managing luggage. Most passengers naturally cluster around platform entrances, creating scrums when trains arrive. The savvy traveller heads to the ends of the platform, where carriages are noticeably less crowded.
At major interchanges, specific positioning can save you considerable hassle. At Bank, using the last two carriages for the Central line interchange helps you avoid the station’s notorious curved corridors. At King’s Cross, front carriages position you perfectly for Eurostar connections, while rear carriages give direct access to the Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines. Victoria’s rear carriages have direct lift access to the mainline station, bypassing the main concourse chaos entirely.
Look for ‘Board here’ signs on platform walls at step-free stations. These indicate raised sections where the platform has been built up to minimise the gap to the train – invaluable when you’re wrestling with heavy bags.
Here’s perhaps the most useful advice for busy stations: if the first train is absolutely rammed, wait. Seriously. During peak times, trains run every 2-3 minutes on most lines. That first packed train clears the platform backlog, meaning the second one often has actual breathing room. Your blood pressure will thank you.
Know When To Abandon Ship
Sometimes the smartest move with luggage is to avoid the tube entirely. The Elizabeth line has transformed airport connections – Heathrow to Paddington in 27 minutes with air conditioning, spacious luggage areas, and trains every 5 minutes. Compare that to the Piccadilly line’s hour-long sweatbox experience and the choice is obvious.
London’s bus network has also upped its game. The new Superloop express routes circle outer London with limited stops, while traditional routes offer step-free boarding and drivers who’ll actually wait while you wrestle your suitcase aboard. The 38 from Victoria to Angel takes 35 minutes but you’ll see London from the top deck – try doing that underground.
For riverside destinations, Thames Clippers welcome bikes and large luggage, have bars on board, and offer spectacular views. Westminster to Greenwich takes 40 minutes and costs the same as the tube with your daily cap. During summer, it’s infinitely more pleasant than the Central line.
Here’s our 15-minute rule for luggage travel: if your tube journey would take less than 15 minutes, a taxi or Uber often makes more sense. By the time you’ve wrestled your bags down stairs or waited for lifts, navigated platforms, and hauled everything back up, you could be at your destination. Victoria to Pimlico? That’s a £7-10 cab ride versus struggling through Victoria’s crowds. Covent Garden to Leicester Square? The taxi will cost about the same as two tube fares and save you navigating Covent Garden’s 193 steps (yes, we counted) or queueing for its perpetually broken lift.
The Bottom Line
The London Underground remains an engineering marvel, but let’s be honest – it was designed in the Victorian era when luggage meant a gentleman’s walking stick and perhaps a small valise. Modern travel, with its wheelie cases, laptop bags, and duty-free hauls, requires modern solutions.
Book your luggage storage through apps, travel on Mondays or Fridays rather than Thursdays, use the Elizabeth line whenever humanly possible, and always have a Plan B. Check lift status before you travel, position yourself strategically on platforms, and remember that sometimes the best route isn’t underground at all.
And if all else fails? Black cabs have spacious boots, drivers who know every shortcut in London, and doors wide enough for the largest suitcase. Yes, they cost more than the tube, but can you really put a price on arriving at your destination with both your luggage and your sanity intact?
Safe travels, and mind the gap (especially with those bags)!
We’ve all been there: opening the fridge to find wilted lettuce, discovering potatoes sprouting in the cupboard, or realising that expensive piece of cheese has developed an unwelcome fuzzy coating. Despite our best intentions, home kitchens often feel like battlegrounds against spoilage, where fresh ingredients seem to deteriorate faster than we can use them.
Yet professional kitchens across Britain operate with military precision, making ingredients stretch for days or even weeks. Head chefs inspect deliveries, sous chefs rotate stock, and commis chefs prep ingredients that must stay fresh for service hours later. Behind the theatrical flames and knife skills that make cooking shows compelling lies a less glamorous but equally crucial skill: making ingredients last.
While restaurants operate with razor-thin margins and minimal food waste, many home kitchens struggle with ingredients that seem to spoil faster than they can be used. The difference isn’t just about quantity—it’s about technique. Professional chefs have developed time-tested methods that can dramatically extend the life of your weekly shop. Here are ten time-tested techniques that top chefs swear by—and how you can adapt them for your own kitchen.
Master The Art Of Proper Storage Temperatures
Professional kitchens don’t just chuck everything in the fridge and hope for the best. Different ingredients have different optimal storage temperatures, and chefs know them by heart. Your fridge should be set to 3-5°C, but within that space, create microzones: store dairy on the middle shelves where temperature is most consistent, keep herbs and delicate greens in the crisper drawers with high humidity, and reserve the door (the warmest spot) for condiments and preserves only.
Potatoes, onions, and garlic belong in cool, dark cupboards—never the fridge, where their starches convert to sugars and textures turn unpleasantly mealy.
Embrace The FIFO Philosophy
‘First In, First Out’ isn’t just restaurant jargon—it’s a way of life. Professional kitchens label everything with dates and systematically use older stock first. At home, this means resisting the urge to grab the milk from the front of the fridge or the pasta from the top of the cupboard. Rotate your stock like a pro: new purchases go to the back, older items move forward. It sounds tedious, but it becomes second nature quickly and dramatically reduces waste.
Invest In Quality Storage Containers
Whilst restaurants rely on industrial cambro containers, you don’t need commercial equipment to think like a professional. Airtight containers are your best friends—they prevent moisture loss, protect from contamination, and stack efficiently. Glass containers with tight-fitting lids work beautifully for leftovers and prepped ingredients. For pantry staples like flour, rice, and cereals, transfer them from their original packaging into airtight containers immediately after purchase.
Perfect Your Blanching & Shocking Technique
Here’s where home cooks can truly level up. Professional kitchens blanch vegetables not just for immediate service, but for storage. The process—briefly boiling vegetables then plunging them into ice water—partially cooks them whilst preserving colour, texture, and nutritional value. Blanched vegetables can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days and finish cooking in minutes.
Try this with green beans, broccoli, asparagus, or Brussels sprouts. Blanch until just tender-crisp, shock in ice water, drain thoroughly, then store in airtight containers for up to 3-4 days. You’ll have restaurant-quality vegetables ready in moments.
Understand The Science Of Ethylene Gas
Professional kitchens separate their produce storage for good reason. Some fruits and vegetables produce ethylene gas as they ripen, which accelerates the aging process in other produce. Bananas, apples, avocados, and tomatoes are major ethylene producers, whilst leafy greens, herbs, and root vegetables are particularly sensitive to it.
Store ethylene producers separately, ideally in perforated bags that allow gas to escape whilst maintaining humidity. Keep sensitive items well away from these natural aging accelerants.
Plan Your Chilled Transport Strategy
The journey from shop to home is where many ingredients begin their decline. Professional kitchens understand that the chilled transport of ingredients is crucial—deliveries arrive in refrigerated lorries, and items move quickly into proper storage. You can apply this principle by bringing insulated bags or a cool box for grocery shopping, especially during warmer months or longer trips.
Plan your shopping route to collect chilled and frozen items last, and get them home and properly stored as quickly as possible. Those extra twenty minutes in a warm car boot can cost you days of freshness.
Prep Smart, Store Smarter
Professional kitchens prep ingredients in advance, but they’re strategic about what gets prepped when. Some ingredients actually last longer when prepped (washed salad leaves, for instance), whilst others deteriorate quickly once cut (mushrooms and potatoes turn brown rapidly).
Wash and thoroughly dry lettuce and herbs when you get home, then store them wrapped in kitchen paper inside airtight containers. Conversely, only cut mushrooms, avocados, and apples just before use, or treat cut surfaces with lemon juice to prevent oxidation.
Consider quick pickling vegetables that are approaching their peak—professional kitchens often transform aging vegetables into pickled garnishes that last weeks rather than days. A simple brine of equal parts water and vinegar with a tablespoon of salt and sugar can breathe new life into cucumbers, radishes, carrots, or even slightly soft onions. These quick pickles are ready within hours and keep in the fridge for up to a month.
Another professional technique is confiting vegetables in oil—slowly cooking garlic cloves, cherry tomatoes, or root vegetables in olive oil at low temperatures creates intensely flavoured ingredients that keep for weeks in the fridge, submerged in their cooking oil. These oil-preserved vegetables add instant depth to pasta dishes, salads, and grain bowls.
Similarly, transform wilting herbs and leafy greens like rocket into pestos—blending them with oil, nuts, and cheese creates vibrant sauces that preserve the essence of these delicate ingredients for weeks. Professional kitchens regularly turn aging basil, parsley, or even carrot tops into versatile pestos that can elevate simple dishes long after the original leaves would have spoiled.
Control Humidity Like A Professional
Restaurant walk-in coolers maintain precise humidity levels, and you can create similar conditions at home. Most modern fridges have humidity-controlled crisper drawers—use the high humidity setting for leafy greens and herbs, low humidity for fruits. If your fridge lacks these controls, create your own: store leafy vegetables in perforated bags with damp kitchen paper, and keep fruits in ventilated containers.
For herbs, treat them like flowers: trim the stems and store upright in glasses of water, covering the leaves with plastic bags secured with rubber bands.
Professional kitchens freeze ingredients at their peak quality, not as a last resort when they’re about to turn. Freeze herbs in ice cube trays with olive oil or butter, portion meat and fish into meal-sized quantities before freezing, and blanch vegetables before freezing to maintain quality.
Label everything clearly with contents and dates—frozen food doesn’t last forever, and mystery packages lead to waste. Most vegetables maintain quality for 8-12 months frozen, whilst meat and fish are best used within 3-6 months.
Learn To Read The Signs
Perhaps most importantly, professional chefs know how to assess ingredient quality beyond sell-by dates. They look, smell, and sometimes (with safety in mind first, of course) taste to determine freshness. Sell-by dates are conservative estimates—many ingredients remain perfectly good well beyond these dates if properly stored.
Learn to trust your senses: fresh fish should smell like the ocean and not ‘fishy’, vegetables should feel firm with vibrant colours; dairy products should smell clean and sweet. When in doubt, remember that most spoiled food makes itself quite obvious through smell, texture, or appearance
The Bottom Line
The real secret behind a professional kitchens’ success with ingredient longevity isn’t any single technique—it’s the mindset. Every ingredient represents an investment, and waste is simply unacceptable. They plan purchases carefully, store everything optimally, and use ingredients systematically.
You don’t need a commercial kitchen to adopt this approach. Start with one or two techniques that appeal to you, then gradually incorporate others. Soon, you’ll find yourself thinking like a chef: seeing potential in every ingredient, planning ahead, and treating your kitchen stores with the respect they deserve.
Perhaps no city on the planet has more often been named the street food capital of the world than Bangkok. Indeed, it feels as if the Thai capital would exist in a kind of liminal space between meals, were it not for the incredible range of sticks, skewers and sweet treats aimed at distracting appetites until dinner.
This is a city that’s always eating, and though it boasts an ever growing roster of groundbreaking, gravity defying high end restaurants, the main focus of the culinary culture in Bangkok is of course found on the street.
One for the pedants before we begin; defining exactly what ‘street food’ is in Bangkok has become an increasingly difficult endeavour, particularly as some vendors have been moved off the streets and indoors, often to the basement or top floor level of enormous, glitzy shopping malls that are just about as far from the street as is physically possible.
Street food, in the case of this roundup, is about the dishes and the cooks, rather than whether or not there’s a roof over your head or you can see blue sky as you eat. Often, the distinction between street food and shophouse is sometimes blurred only by a shutter.
What connects them is harder to define. Often, but certainly not always, people are thinking of one bowl wonders when they talk about street food. Generally considered ‘cheap eats’, these are family recipes, dishes, a sense of hospitality and a system of serving (and often queuing!) that has been refined over generations.
Anyway, you’re here for Bangkok’s most iconic, legendary, downright delicious street food dishes rather than a discussion in semantics, right? With that here, here’s a selection of the best places to eat street food in Bangkok.
Khao Gaeng Jek Pui, Yaorowat (Chinatown)
Ideal for homestyle Thai curry and a game of musical chairs…
Sure, some of the best curries in Bangkok are found in the city’s fancier restaurants, all perfectly balanced flavour profiles, chunks of meat braised until tender and near surrender, and an adornment of makrut lime leaf julienne so fine it passes for green baby hair.
And then, there is Jek Pui. A traditional Bangkok-style raan khao gaeng (rice and curry) restaurant, the whole orchestra is conducted on the street, with several huge pots of enticing curries lined up out the front of a Chinatown shophouse, their surfaces dappled with separated coconut milk, all cooled down to Bangkok room temperature – the perfect ambience for curry in the capital.
Pull up a red plastic stool in the chaotic but calm street level dining space (nicknamed ‘music chairs curry’ for the procession of diners it receives and quick turnaround it delivers), and order a yellow curry of pork, the Jek Pui signature, with some deep fried slivers of Chinese sausage as an extra garnish. It’s sweet, it’s salty and it’s pure perfection.
When is Jek Pui Curry open? Jek Pui is open daily, from 2pm to 7:30pm.
How long should I expect to queue? You’ll be able to find a stool fairly quickly, even at peak times (it’s usually busiest straight after opening).
How much should I expect to pay? The yellow curry with a couple of sides and a bottle of water won’t be more than 100 THB (just over £2).
Closest BTS/MRT: Wat Mangkon MRT (a 5 minute walk from there)
Ideal for arguably the world’s most iconic street food destination…
We couldn’t really go much further into an article about the best streetfood in Bangkok without mentioning the universally acknowledged queen of the scene; Jay Fai.
What is there left to be said that hasn’t already been covered? Yes, you’ll have to wait for several hours to eat the begoggled septuagenarian’s wok work. Sure, you might have to share a table with other hungry food tourists. Nope, these aren’t ‘normal’ streetfood prices, with most dishes in the 1000 THB region (around £25), but you’re paying for some seriously premium ingredients here.
Get over those hurdles and the massive wait, and get ready for a crab omlette the size of a newborn baby, properly filled with huge chunks of white meat. Chase it down with an expertly seasoned tom yum soup, replete with huge river prawns, properly spicy and tangy af, and forget that you waited so long.
Simply put your name down and note your number – it’s your call if you hang around with a beer in the adjacent cafe or risk losing your place in the queue by heading off for a couple of hours. You’ll see the last number on a sign out front – if it’s beyond your number, you’ve missed your slot and these guys do not make exceptions and allow for retrospective queue jumping. Your loss.
Bangkok’s Chinatown and, more precisely, its defining thoroughfare Yaowarat Road, is full of eye-catching, attention-grabbing seafood spots, with tanks of live fish and shellfish in their skimpiest swimsuits bobbing about in fish tanks for all to see, and huge clusters of plastic stools at motorbike exhaust fume level competing for passing custom.
To our mind, the best of the bunch is T&K Seafood, where the catch is plump and the nahm jim seafood deliciously piquant and punchy. Here, some of the dishes beyond the basic boiled or grilled seafood really hit the spot, too. We’re big fans of clams stir fried in chilli jam, the bivalves here big, briny beauties and the drifts of fresh Thai basil a welcome note of complexity. Even better, is the squid in a viscous, rich salted duck egg yolk sauce, which is punctuated by Chinese celery to lighten everything up.
Order a couple of big sharing beers and a pitcher of ice, get chatting to a neighbouring table, and you’ve got yourself a wonderful night out.
When is T&K Seafood open? From 4pm to midnight, daily.
How long should I expect to queue? You can usually find a table pretty swiftly, though at peak times (around 7pm), you may have to wait ten minutes or so. Turnaround here is fast, though, so don’t worry.
How much should I expect to pay? A generous spread of fresh seafood and a couple of cold ones is going to cost around 1000 THB (£22) for two.
Closest BTS/MRT: Wat Mangkon MRT (a 3 minute walk from there)
Ideal for peaceful, familial Chinatown shophouse style dining…
Still in Chinatown, though off the main artery and into the tangle of side streets, Tai Heng is essentially a couple of massive marble tables in the ground floor garage of a family home where they have pretty much perfected two dishes you don’t often see sharing a menu let alone a table; khao man gai (poached chicken over rice seasoned with chicken fat) and Thai suki hang.
The latter is a stir-fried noodle dish that, at its best, forms a kind of homogenous tangle of sticky, charred noodles, egg and seafood that sings with wok hei. Its distinctive, shocking pink (from red bean curd) dipping sauce – sharp, rich and energetic – seals the deal.
And so it is here, where both dishes have pretty much been perfected, the khao man gai’s chicken an off-pink tender that would be in danger of scaring off the tourists if only they could find the place, but is expertly poached and just so good. The sukiyaki stir fry (do order it ‘hang’, as in dry) is equally as exemplary.
Chase both down with an iced tea, breathe in the surprising serenity of Yaorowat’s backstreets, and get ready to launch yourself back into one of Bangkok’s busiest, buzziest areas.
Ideal for charred noodles and grilled seafood on the road…
For arguably Bangkok’s best version of sukiyaki, head next to Elvis Suki (the one on Soi Yotse, rather than the pretenders across the city piggybacking on the name), who have mastered the dish so comprehensively that the restaurant is now named after it. And, of course, named after Elvis Presley – the owner is a big fan and they are the self-proclaimed ‘king’ of the dish. It’s a damn good version, with a seriously smoky kiss from the coal stove over which it’s stir fried.
That said, it’s not the only thing you want to order here. The scallops – plump and fresh – grilled in their shell with a dressing of minced pork fried in sweet garlic butter are a revelation, blessed with that same charcoal smokiness as the sukiyaki, and bubbling and spitting on arrival to the table. In the best possible way of course…
Open until 9:30pm nightly, and popular with the after-work crowd, there’s both air conditioning seating across the road and sociable, street side seating infront of the woks. The beers flow here, naturally.
When is Elvis Suki open? From midday until 9:30pm, daily.
How long should I expect to queue? You should usually get a seat pretty swiftly after arriving.
How much should I expect to pay? Single dishes, including the famous sukiyaki, are priced at around 100 THB each (£2.20).
Closest BTS/MRT: Wat Mangkon MRT (a 15 minute walk – best to get a taxi).
Ideal for the city’s most historic mango sticky rice…
Time for a sweet treat, we think, and it has to be Thailand’s most iconic, beloved dessert; mango sticky rice. In a city where you’ll see Nam Dok Mai mangoes being peeled, sliced and served over rice on just about every street corner, it’s wise to seek out the best, to separate the coconut milk’s head from the tail, as it were.
Doing the good stuff for almost a century, Kor Panich is one of Bangkok’s most revered purveyors of mango sticky rice, their historic shophouse a mecca for lovers of this truly gorgeous dessert.
What more is there to say? The mangoes are only picked and peeled when at their most honey-sweet. The coconut cream is hand pressed daily – none of that UHT, soapy stuff here. It’s seasoned just right – salty, sweet but not overpowering, allowing the inherent coconut flavour to still sparkle. Even the toasted mung beans have been taken to just the right shade of dark brown and crispy.
Where once there was only a modest amount of seating within the shop, and most choose to takeaway from Kor Panich, owing to its success and Michelin recognition, there’s now ample seating in the cafe opposite. They do a refreshing mango smoothie for you to enjoy while you wait. The shophouse is open from 7am to 6pm daily, though be warned; they often sell out by mid afternoon.
When is Kor Panich open? Kor Panich is open daily, from 7am to 6pm.
How long should I expect to queue? Primarily a takeaway operation, you should be served swiftly here.
How much should I expect to pay? The classic dessert is on the more expensive side here, at around 130 THB (£3). You’re paying for some serious quality, though.
Closest BTS/MRT: Sam Yot MRT (a 15 minute walk – best to get a taxi).
Ideal for bowls and bowls of exemplary boat noodles…
The streets and canals surrounding Victory Monument BTS Station are famous for their boat noodles, a popular street food in Thailand that originated from the canals (or ‘khlongs’) of Central Thailand. The dish is named after the vendors who traditionally sold these noodles from boats that navigated the country’s vast network of waterways.
Boat noodles are a flavorful and aromatic noodle soup dish characterised by its rich, dark broth, which is commonly made from a mixture of pork and beef, as well as spices and herbs. The broth is often thickened with pig’s or cow’s blood, which gives it a distinctive taste and a deep colour. However, some places may serve it without blood for those who prefer it.
Though you could alight at Victory Monument and head straight for ‘boat noodle alley’, where a stretch of shophouses serve up the good stuff, you’ll find an even better bowl if you exit the station at the opposite side to that alley. Around a ten minute walk away, the guys at Doy Kuay Teow Reau are doing some truly ‘best in Bangkok’ bowls of boat noodles, rich and thick from blood and with a peppery back kick. We say bowls in the plural, as it’s expected you knock back several at any and all boat noodle shops. Well, it would be rude not to…
When is Doy Kuay Teow Reua open? Daily, from 8am to 6pm.
How long should I expect to queue? A sprawling, alfresco dining room, you’ll always find a table.
How much should I expect to pay? A bowl of boat noodles here is around 20 THB (50p), but expect to eat several, as is tradition.
Closest BTS/MRT: Victory Monument BTS (a ten minute walk from there).
Ideal for premium pork purveyors in Bangkok’s buzziest neighbourhood…
Just one BTS stop further along, in Ari, you’ll find one of Bangkok’s most cherished – legendary, even – pork purveyors. Thanee Khao Moo Daeng are famous for two things; their moo krob (crispy pork) and their moo daeng (stewed red pork), and both are superb, the latter in particular boasting a fluorescent, viscous gravy whose sheen needs to be seen to be believed. It tastes bloody wonderful.
The shop, as with so many on a lunchtime in bustling, residential Ari, is popular with office workers during their break. Ideally arrive a little before, at 11am or so, or after lunch, from 2pm onwards.
Another Bangkok institution that’s always packed with office workers during the lunchtime slot, is Som Tam Jay So, the so-called ‘Queen of Som Tam’.
She has well and truly earned her culinary crown, with intensely spicy, funky, fiery som tams made out front in a huge pestle and mortar by the cheeky, safety glasses-wearing host. Sure, she might chastise you for your less than perfect Thai when ordering, and tease you for the weight you’ve put on since your last visit, but it comes from a place of love.
And boy has love gone into the salads here, the ‘jungle’ version of papaya salad here (tam pa) an absolutely doozy of fermented fish sauce and heaps of both dried and fresh chillis. It will wake you up from even the darkest of hangovers. Hell, it could bring someone back from the dead, we think.
Pair it with some grilled pork neck – fatty as you like, its sugary marinade having caught on the grill to an inviting char – and some fresh sticky rice, and luxuriate in one of Bangkok’s finest street food experiences.
Oh, those safety glasses are for protection against errant chillies when pounding the salads, by the way…
When is Som Tam Jay So open? Closed on Sundays, Som Tam Jay So is open every other day from 11am to 5:30pm.
How long should I expect to queue? You will likely have to wait for a table (though there has recently been some spillover seating set up in the parking lot next door) unless you arrive after around 2pm.
How much should I expect to pay? Som tam salads here start at around 70 THB (£1.50), as does the grilled pork.
Closest BTS/MRT: Sala Daeng BTS (a 7 minute walk from there)
Ideal for steamed ‘claypot’ crab made by a legend…
Now in its third decade of steamed crab slinging, Somsak Pu Ob is one of Bangkok’s true streetfood institutions, a culinary tour-de-force that’s busy from the moment the woks are fired up at 5pm every night (except Mondays, when they’re closed) until Mr. Somsak downs tools for the evening just four hours later.
It’s no surprise that service hours are short and exclusive here; the owner – and only the owner – works the four stoves for the entirety of that service, exacting precision timings on some seriously high quality seafood.
The pu ob woonsen is the must order, no doubt, a dish of crab and glass noodles simultaneously fried and steamed in pork fat in a dedicated skillet, simply seasoned with plenty of black pepper, the sliced greens of spring onion, and both soy sauce and oyster sauce. Those noodles are sticky and giving, and have caught a little on the bottom of the pan, creating a caramelised crust that’s just beautiful. Roll up your sleeves and crack open the crab claws, here having taken on the sweet richness of the pork fat, and have yourself a merry old time. The small accompanying bowl of nahm jim seafood may feel superfluous (you can’t improve on perfection, and all that), but the bright, tart sauce lightens and lifts the whole thing.
There are now several branches of Somsak Pu Ob across the city, but if you want the main man to cook your dinner (you do), then it’s to the original, across the Chao Phraya and into Thonburi district, that you should head.
When is Somsak Pu Ob open? Open daily from 5pm to 9pm, except on Mondays, when it’s closed.
How long should I expect to queue? Arrive at opening time and you may get lucky and nab a table. Otherwise, expect a wait. Fortunately, there’s a ticketing system.
How much should I expect to pay? The signature dish is 310 THB (£.6.75).
Closest BTS/MRT: Wongwin Yai (a 7 minute walk from there)
Though the fortifying rice noodle broth of guay jub is the headlining dish in this famous Charoenkrung shophouse, pretty much everyone is here for one thing; Mr Joe’s famous crispy pork.
You won’t want to miss the guay jub, though, which boasts a pork broth spiked with inordinate amounts of pepper, that familiar rasping heat the perfect foil to all kinds of offal bobbing about in the bowl. It’s gorgeous, but really is a warm-up for what has to be some of the best (see: crispiest) pork in the city.Hitting the table already sliced into bite sized pieces, its fatty layers clearly distinguishable, its skin puffed and bubbled and gloriously golden, it’s impossible not to order a second round of the stuff. And a third. And a fourth…
So tender it only requires a little ketchup manis for dipping, Mr Joe is open from 7:30am to 4:30pm, though often closes earlier if they sell out.
When is Guay Jub Mr. Joe open? Open daily from 7:30am to 4:30pm.
How long should I expect to queue? A large, multiroom shophouse, you won’t have to wait for a table, even at peak times.
How much should I expect to pay? The noodle soup is 75 THB (£1.60), a plate of the crispy pork is also 75 THB.
Closest BTS/MRT: Saphan Taksin BTS (a 20 minute walk – taxi recommended!)
You can’t come to Bangkok and not eat the classic chicken and green papaya salad combo. Soi Polo Chicken is reputedly one of the city’s finest at this dream team, which, when paired with sticky rice, is known affectionately as ‘the holy trinity’.
Their birds are fried to a crispy skinned finish, seasoned generously and served with three dipping (another holy trinity) sauces to complement. The best of their papaya salads comes with salted, dried baby shrimps and crabs given a similar treatment. The meal-deal is completed with a much needed ice-cold lager. It’s a cracking option if you’re on budget, and a place we’ve been back to more times than we’re proud to mention.
When is Soi Polo Fried Chicken open? Open daily from 7am to 8:30pm.
How long should I expect to queue? You’ll likely endure a short wait for a table. Beers are served to those milling around, though.
How much should I expect to pay? The holy trinity for sharing plus a couple of beers will set you back a little over 500 THB (£11).
Closest BTS/MRT: Lumphini MRT (a pleasant 20 minute walk through Lumphini Park).
An absolute Bangkok institution beloved of chefs, strays, late night workers and early morning risers (and Dua Lipa), Issan alfresco operation Laab Ubon is open from until 4am nightly, and only really gets going post midnight.
Serving a decent som tam, properly juicy salt-crusted tilapia and a never ending supply of grilled chicken, strangely for the eponymous nature of things, the laab exactly isn’t our favourite version here. Not to worry; really, you’re at Laab Ubon for the cold, icey beer, the live footy being shown in the middle of the night (coinciding with British and European kickoff times perfectly) and the everpresent good natured vibes of the place.
When is Laab Ubon open? Laab Ubon is open daily from 5pm to 4am.
How long should I expect to queue? The dining space is expansive – you won’t have to wait.
How much should I expect to pay? This one really depends on how many beers you end up sinking, but prices are reasonable.
Closest BTS/MRT: SurasakBTS (a 2 minute walk, though do remember that the BTS shuts at midnight!).
Ideal for the most generous of crab fried rice dishes…
Here Hai simply wouldn’t survive a day in the UK, owing to the food costs involved in serving plates of crab fried rice with this much white crab meat. What, in this economy? Huge, mighty chunks of the stuff literally spill off the sides of your plate in this tightly packed dining room, the woks working overtime to service the never-ending stream of orders for the famous fried rice, only made more in demand by the restaurant’s recent floating on GrabFood.
It’s worth the massive wait, with the crab sourced directly from seafood-mecca Surat Thani daily. You’d be foolish to only order the crab fried rice. The fried mantis, showered in buttery sweet fried garlic, is superb, too, as are the giant river prawns, splayed open to reveal gooey, egg-yolk colour head juices. Perhaps best of all though is a riff on everyone’s favourite Thai go-to lunch; pad grapao. Here, it’s done with genuinely a dozen or more queen scallops, smoky but tender, and showered in rafts of holy basil. Yep, not content with their seafood generosity, these guys aren’t shy with the fresh herbs either!
When is Here Hai open? Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, Here Hai is open from 10am to 5:30pm on Wednesdays to Sundays, closing for an hour between 3pm and 4pm.
How long should I expect to queue? Anytime of day, expect to queue for at least an hour, even prior to Here Hai opening. You can put your name down and risk going for a wander, though.
How much should I expect to pay? The signature crab fried rice comes in a variety of sizes with different price points, from 440 THB (£9.60) to 1550 THB (£33.75) for a portion that will feed 4 to 6.
Closest BTS/MRT: Ekkamai BTS (a 15 minute walk in a straight line)
Ideal for every Bangkokian’s favourite comfort food…
No list of Bangkok’s best street food would be complete without mentioning a dedicated pad grapao peddler, such is the popularity of this most comforting of Thai dishes in the city and beyond.
Our favourite in the city (whilst we certainly haven’t eaten all of them, we’re making a pretty good go of it!) is found at Ung Jia Huad, just a five minute walk from the infamous red light district Soi Cowboy. Here, the minced pork arrives freshly stirfried, crisp but tender (the version with larger slices of pork is actually even better, we think). The fried egg boasts frilly edges and a richly coloured, runny yolk. The holy basil is scattered generously and wilted just right. The rice is freshly steamed and on point.
Opposite the restaurant, there’s one of those beer pubs which is blessing drinkers with a fresh, constant application of mist, if you’re up for a cold one after your lunch.
Really, what more could you ask for?
When is Ung Jia Huad open? From 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
How long should I expect to queue? You can usually cruise straight on in.
How much should I expect to pay? A classic pad grapao of pork is around 60 THB (£1.30).
Closest BTS/MRT: Sukhumvit MRT or Asok BTS (a 10 minute walk).
Without wishing to repeat ourselves, no list of Bangkok’s best street food would be complete without mentioning a dedicated pad Thai seller, either, and the best we’ve tried in the city is at Pad Thai Narok Taek, nicknamed ‘Mad Man Pad Thai’ for the owner’s idiosyncratic, occasionally chaotic stir frying style.
It’s an amazing version of this sometimes maligned dish – charred and grungy, and a little tart rather than cloyingly sweet, all to be enjoyed on the street right next to Plurksawet’s cart. Get the fully loaded version with all of the sweet and crunchy gubbins for the ultimate hellfire experience. With no version of pad Thai here clocking in at more than 100 THB, it’s also an absolute bargain.
When is Pad Thai Narok Saek open? Open every day except Mondays, from 4pm to 10pm.
How long should I expect to queue? You may have to wait a few minutes for a seat, but turnaround is fast here.
How much should I expect to pay? No version of the dish exceeds 100 THB (£2.20).
Closest BTS/MRT: Wongwian Yai BTS or Khlong San BTS (a 15 minute walk from either)
Ideal for comforting, nourishing five-spice braised pork knuckle…
With a prime spot just off the intersection where Charoen Krung Road and Silom Road meet, the recipe for Charoen Saeng Silom’s delectable stewed pork leg has been in the family for several generations, and you can taste that deep sense of history in every bite.
Located down a nondescript alley away from the traffic, and with street level seating that catches the sun just right during lunchtime, Charoen Saeng Silom draws the crowds, make no mistake, and often sells out long before closing time. They’re all here for the same dish; that pork leg that’s been braised in warming, medicinal Chinese spices until its liquor is gelatinous and sweet. Served over rice and with a homemade spicy sauce that’s heavy on the raw garlic, it’s seriously good value at around 150 THB (£3) a portion.
And this is one huge portion. Fortunately, the grandma here will be more than happy to (or, perhaps judging you that you weren’t able to finish a portion) bag it up for you.
When is Charoen Saeng Silom open? Open from 7am to 1pm, daily.
How long should I expect to queue? From around 11am onwards, expect to wait for 10 minutes or so for a seat.
How much should I expect to pay? Expect to pay around 150 THB (£3.30) for a serving of whole pork leg, but this could easily feed two.
Closest BTS/MRT: Saphan Taksin BTS (a 10 minute walk from there).
Though tourists and guidebooks eulogise Jay Jia Yentafo as the city’s best version of yen ta fo noodle soup, we’re even more enamoured with a peaceful shophouse found just off Sukhumvit Road, somewhere between Asok and Phrom Phong BTS stops.
At Soong Chai Yentafo, the noodles are slippery and sticky, the fish balls just the right side of fragrant, and the broth refreshing. Like, really refreshing. We’d argue that no Bangkok bowl is as refreshing as this.
Yen ta fo is a popular Thai noodle soup known for its distinctive pink broth, which gets its colour from fermented soybean paste. The dish typically includes a variety of ingredients such as fish balls, squid, morning glory, and sometimes pork or seafood. It is often garnished with fried garlic and served with a side of chilli sauce and vinegar to enhance its flavour.
When is Soong Chai Yentafo open? Open daily from 6am to 6pm.
How long should I expect to queue? Due to its location away from the main tourist areas of Sukhumvit, you won’t have to wait for a table here.
How much should I expect to pay? Expect to pay around 50 THB (£1) a bowl, though you might want to order two.
Closest BTS/MRT: Phrom Phong BTS (a 10 minute walk from there).
Ideal for Bangkok’s most Instagrammable street food dish, and so much more besides…
Alongside Jay Fai, Jay Oh might be the Bangkok street food scene’s most recognisable aunty. At Jay Oh Chula, you’ll also find one of the city’s most iconic dishes, one with such a cult following that it’s been given homage in one of London’s most exciting recent restaurant openings.
Yep, we’re talking about the tom yum mama noodles, of course, an absurdly stacked bowl of instant ramen noodles, tom yam seasoned broth that’s been thickened with evaporated milk, and all manner of other treats, including crispy pork, curls of braised squid, shell-on prawns and so much more. It’s all finished with an egg yolk because, well, why not?
It’s an indulgent, delicious sharing dish, but it’s certainly not the only thing Jay Oh excels at. In fact, the more simply adorned tom yum here is one of our favourite versions in the city, its broth rust dappled from chilli jam and clinging to the sides of the bowl as it tends to in the best renditions. The squid stir-fried in chilli jam and Thai basil are wonderfully fragrant, too. You’ll also see an almost comical number of crisp pork bellies hanging to the right hand side of the dining room, a near constant procession of plates moving across the floor. Flag a waiter down and have yourself a plate of that crispy pork before it’s gone.
Though Jay Oh gets properly rowdy later in the evening (it closes around midnight), the only way to avoid the huge queues that accumulate out front here each and every night is to arrive bang on the restaurant opens, at 5:30pm. We’ve managed to swan in at this time without a wait. By the time we’d finished eating around an hour later, queues were already snaking around the block.
When is Jay Oh open? Jay Oh is open every day, from 5:30pm to midnight.
How long should I expect to queue? Expect to queue for ages.
How much should I expect to pay? The full tom yum mama with all the fixings is currently 300 THB (£6.50). It’s built for sharing.
Closest BTS/MRT: Hua Lamphong MRT or National Stadium BTS (a hot and sweaty 15 minute walk from either.)
Ideal for a seriously luxurious curry over rice experience…
Hiso Curry Rice isn’t your standard raan khao gaeng stall. Here, there’s an emphasis on serious luxury in their curry dishes, whether it’s in the fist-sized lumps of white crab meat used in their curry powder spiked stir fry, or the huge river prawns deployed in a sweet and sticky glaze. In fact, the whole restaurant, run by chef/owner Auntie Aew, prides itself on that sense of luxury – the phrase ‘hiso’ is Thai slang for ‘high society’.
Though there’s not really any streetside seating to speak of at Hiso Curry Rice, you’re only a minute’s walk from Rommaninat Park, making this the most luxurious takeaway/picnic you’ll ever have. Do be aware that not much English is spoken here, but the enticing curries are all laid out in a row on the street, making pointing, nodding and smiling just about acceptable. Or, you know, you could just learn how to order in Thai.
When is Hiso Curry Rice open? Hiso Curry Rice is closed on Sundays and Mondays, and open from 11:30am to 5:30pm for the remaining days of the week.
How long should I expect to queue? As Hiso Curry Rice is a takeaway joint, you won’t have to wait long to make your order.
How much should I expect to pay? For a substantial feast of curry and rice for two, expect to pay no more than 200 THB (£4.35).
Closest BTS/MRT: Sam Yot MRT (a 5 minute walk from there)
At Rung Rueang Pork Noodle, just seconds from Phrom Phong BTS, you’ll find a straightforwardly satisfying bowl of clear, tom yum flavoured soup with minced pork and your choice of noodle (go for the egg) for less than a couple of quid. Also in the bowl, thick slices of liver, fish balls and thinly sliced fish cake make this a generous affair. Order, too, a side of crispy fish skin.
It’s a relentless lunchtime operation here, with a fast-moving queue on the street expected during peak hours. Arrive a little after that rush, at around 3pm, and you’ll be seated quickly.
When is Rung Rueang Pork Noodle open? Rung Rueang Pork Noodle is open every day, from 8am to 5pm.
How long should I expect to queue? Expect to queue for at least 15 minutes during the lunch rush.
How much should I expect to pay? A small bowl is 60 THB (£1.30), a medium 70 THB (£1.50) and a large 80 THB (£1.75).
Closest BTS/MRT: Phrom Phong BTS (a 5 minute walk from there).
Ideal for satisfying your sweet tooth one last time…
We end once again satisfying our sweet tooth, at a temple to all things mango; Mae Varee Mango Sticky Rice. You’ll see the sunflower-yellow piles of perfectly ripe mangos lined up outside the shop, and you’ll notice the throngs of hungry dessert lovers curled around the corner and onto Sukhumvit Road proper, and you’ll know you’ve reached sweet-tooth nirvana.
Portions are only takeaway, and are enormous. There are other sweet treats and classic Thai confection sold here, too. Result!
When is Mae Varee Mango Sticky Rice open? 6am to 10pm.
How long should I expect to queue? A takeaway only operation, the wait for your dose will only be brief during mid-morning and mid-afternoon. During the lunch and post-work rushes, expect to wait significantly longer.
How much should I expect to pay? A premium price for a premium product, this one is 150 THB (£3.25), but portions are massive.
Closest BTS/MRT: Thonglor BTS (a 2 minute walk from there)
*A word of warning! Be aware that many of the restaurants on this list close intermittently for holidays, both personal and national. The majority also don’t start serving immediately after opening. Many also sell out well in advance of their listed closing time. Always have a back up (or two).*
We’re heading north next, to Chiang Mai, in search of the city’s best khao soi. Care to join us?
The Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. At once chaotic and cerebral, sophisticated and elemental, ribald and refined, urbane and innocent, has got to be one of the most beguiling cities on the planet, whichever adjectives and dichotomies you wish to throw at it.
Eating here often presents a similar sense of contrast. Sure, there are fancy, five star (and now Michelin-starred) restaurants, refining and reimagining dishes that have remained resolutely the same for generations. And yes, some of these restaurants are interesting, thought-provoking places to dine.
But the truly elite level food in the Vietnamese capital is of course found at street level, hunched on a plastic blue stool over some steaming noodles, or leaning against a precariously parked xe om, manipulating a spoon and chopsticks with grace, your bowl teetering precariously on the saddle.
This is where the magic happens, where family recipes have seen their own kind of refinement throughout the years, where outside influences and external forces have made their mark on the food before being resoundingly, resolutely defeated, with only the best bits left over and assimilated.
Please note that prices for street food in Hanoi fluctuate, owing to supply and demand, availability of ingredients and the whim of the owner. That said, you’ll eat very well here for very little. Even the more ‘premium’ meals on our list – a full spread of dishes plus beers – won’t cost more than £10 each.
Here’s a brief rundown of our pricing key…
đ – under 33’000đ (£1) a portion
đđ – under 66’000đ (£2) a portion
đđđ – under 99’000đ (£3) a portion
đđđđ – over 100’000đ (£3) a portion
Opening & Closing Times
The vast majority of the places on our list open early for breakfast and close once they’ve sold out, usually sometime in the mid-afternoon, but often with a meandering presence throughout the day.
Several places on the IDEAL 22 are more popular for dinner or for late night eats – we’ll say explicitly when that’s the case – otherwise, assume that the opening hours are from around 7am to 4pm. All that said, you’ll still sometimes find a stall or shophouse sporadically shut for no broadcast reason. Fortunately, plenty of these restaurants are within walking distance of one another, so if you find one closed, it’s on to the next one!
None of the places on our list take reservations or can be booked in advance, or even have a website, for that matter. If it’s likely you’ll queue, again, we’ll mention it explicitly.
Most of the places on our list operate on a pull-up-a-stool system, where you’ll be perched at a low-slung table or something just a little more upright, but without a backrest. Only Cha Ca Thang Long, Pho Ly Quoc Su and Quan An Ngon are more fully-fledged restaurants; they have proper dining chairs with a backrest, larger tables, and table service. You can take a little more time at these three, as you can at Chim Quay Bit Tet and Bit Tet Ngoc Hieu, where it’s expected that you’ll settle in for a few beers and a bit of a session.
Anyway, you get the picture; things are a little unpredictable price and timing wise, but you are pretty much guaranteed an amazing meal if you stick around with us. So, once again, here are our IDEAL 22 places to eat the best street food in Hanoi.
Map Of The Best Street Food Spots In Hanoi
Banh Mi Pate, 11 Hang Ca, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for a textbook version of Vietnam’s world famous filled baguette…
If you’re looking for one of the best banh mi spots in Hanoi, then head to Hang Ca street and look for the throng of tourists collected under a neon ‘A LOAF OF SMILES’ sign, clutching their branded Banh Mi 25 sarnies.
Then, ignore that bricks and mortar operation, and head down the road and turn right, to a more randomly cobbled together collection of street side stools, a floor fan and a tarpaulin roof, and look for the words Banh My Pate. You have found the place.
Indeed, Banh Mi Pate at 11 Hang Ca, just yards from the supremely popular but ultimately disappointing Banh Mi 25 (sweet, weirdly ‘Western’ in flavour), actually serves a much better banh mi. The baguette here boasts just the right level of crisp exterior and giving centre, and has been hollowed out just a little rather than being completely gutted ‘till it’s a shell of its former self.
All of this bread chat is in the name of letting the eponymous pate (number 4 on the menu) do the proper talking. To us, this particular order – we repeat; number 4 – filled generously with lots of that pate, some salty af pork floss, some pickles, coriander and hot sauce, is the city’s best sandwich. And we’ve eaten a lot of them.
Best enjoyed in the mid-morning when the baguettes are crisp and fresh and the pre-work motorbike rush hour has dissipated, this is one to savour in the coffee shop opposite, on a low slung stool, with a thick, sweet iced coffee. Heaven.
Bun Bo Nam Bo, 47 Tran Quoc Toan, Hai Ba Trung District
Ideal for crispy pork over sweet, spicy noodles, all served with a mountain of interesting herbs…
There are few prettier streets in Hanoi than Tran Quoc Toan, a little sidestreet that peels off the always jammed Ba Trieu thoroughfare to reveal a leafy promenade with plenty of cute coffee shops, banh mi stalls and noodle joints.
We’ve come to this attractive corner of the so-called French Quarter for the latter, to Bun Bo Nam Bo at 47 Tran Quoc Toan. Weirdly, we’ve not come for the headlining dish – the admittedly excellent South Vietnamese noodle stir-fry/salad bun bo nam bo. Instead, we’re pitching up for the restaurant’s other speciality; hu tieu, which is utterly superb here.
A semi-dry noodle dish in a sweet, salty, peanut-heavy broth, the hu tieu here is topped with the crispiest of deep-fried pork and a good handful of crispy shallots. Alongside, a bowl of herbs – some bitter, some refreshing, with nettles, green and purple perilla leaf, lettuce and more – is all there to be mixed through the bowl and to cradle some of that dressing.
God, it’s good, and lifted to even dizzier heights still by a spritz of calamansi lime. Gratis, never-ending iced jasmine tea is the perfect accompaniment, but they do serve beer if you’ve come to be uncouth.
This place is wildly popular with the lunch break crowd, with office workers piling in between midday and 1pm. During this hour, you might have to wait for ten minutes or so to get seated. Fortunately, there are two floors and plenty more hours in the day that this shophouse is open. The particularly stern hostess at number 47, taking payments and dishing out a few insults, is all part of the fun.
Cha Ca Thang Long, 6B Duong Thanh, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for turmeric marinated fish, fried at the table…
Within Hanoi’s tangle of old streets lays a place so revered that it has attained an almost mystical status. Cha Ca La Vong, on Cha Ca street – named after the famous dish – has been serving the same dish, and only that dish, for hundreds of years.
Catfish marinated in turmeric arrives at your table in a frying pan, sizzling away. You tend to it lovingly until it’s cooked before assembling yourself a bowl of cold, sour noodles, loads of fresh herbs and a pokey, dangerous looking fish sauce. Pop a piece of fish in there and prepare for ambrosia. Flavours are elegant and sophisticated, and just the right side of unusual. The home of the dish, Cha Ca La Vong often full to the rafters and obviously booking is not an option in a place of such heritage, but if you can get a seat, you must.
But – even though it is good – we’re not eating at Cha Ca La Vong in our rundown of Hanoi’s best places to eat street food. Instead, we’re heading round the corner, to Cha Ca Thang Long, which we think does an even better version, the catfish just that little bit plumper, the dill fresher and grassier, the dish just a touch more captivating, and the space more welcoming.
Cha ca, wherever you’re having it, is usually accompanied by a simple dipping sauce of fish sauce, sugar, lime and sliced red chilli, but for those who enjoy the funky flavours of fermented fish, make sure to request a side of mam tom, a traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce made from fermented shrimp paste. It is known for its strong, pungent aroma and distinctive, salty flavour. Not obligatorily served to foreigners, you’ll need to request this one especially, but the good folk at Cha Ca Thang Long will be impressed that you did.
This one is best for dinner, with a few friends and a few bottles of Bia Hanoi (really, Saigon tastes a little nicer to us, but when in Rome) accompanying the spread. That spread costs around 200’000đ for two people. For that, the equivalent of £6, you get the fish and all its re-upable accouterments, and a real sense of a special occasion when the sizzling pan hits the table.
Be warned (or, perhaps, be spoiled); Duong Thanh street has three different outposts of this restaurant, all with the same name and run by the same family. 6B just feels like the most convivial and spacious of the three to us.
Xoi Yen, 35B Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for the ultimate Vietnamese comfort food of sticky rice and toppings…
Located just a minute or two from Hoan Kiem lake, Xoi Yen is a culinary institution in the city, renowned for its variety of sticky rice dishes (xoi), which are topped with a range of savoury ingredients such as shredded chicken, braised pork belly pieces, pork floss, peanuts, Chinese sausage, hard boiled eggs, and pate. A grated ball of cooked, compressed mung bean seeds tops every bowl.
Xoi Yen is the city’s most popular spot for xoi, and is packed out from breakfast to late-night, offering a taste of traditional Vietnamese comfort food that fills you up for breakfast or soaks up the liquor late at night. Or both; we’ve been known to bookend a day with the dish.
The sticky rice here is cooked to perfection, with a slightly chewy texture that makes it easy to eat with your hands – as it should be – and forms the anchor for the array of customisable treats. Though you could order your sticky rice ‘tat ca’ (with everything), we prefer a more carefully curated collection, usually of pate, Chinese sausage and egg. A zigzag of the ubiquitous Vietnamese chilli sauce condiment Chin Su, viscous, sweet and spicy, sends everything on its way.
Do be aware that this corner of Nguyen Huu Huan street happens to have not one but two of the best purveyors in town; right next to each other. Rumour has it that one family run shop fractured into two following an affair between husband and sister in law. Whichever one you choose to side with, it’s guaranteed to be delicious, but we prefer the one at 35B. Look for a big black and yellow sign; ‘Xoi Yen’.
Quan Mien Luon Phuc, 152 Lac Trung, Hai Ba Trung District
Ideal for crispy eel noodles…
Mien Luon is a traditional Hanoian dish that combines humble ingredients to glorious effect. Here mien – slightly chewy, sticky glass noodles made from mung bean starch – sit beneath a tangle of luon (river eels), all crunchy and alluring from a deep, hard fry. Also in the bowl, positioned off to one side in case you’d prefer not to go green, is a heap of baby perilla leaves, which bring their unique fuzzy bitterness to the party, and some gently picked cucumbers.
The dish is often served with a clear, light broth (this one is called mien luon nuoc, which means water) made from eel bones, or in a dry version (mien luon tron), where the noodles and eel are to be mixed with a rich, spicy dressing.
For us, going dry results in the best version of this texturally invigorating dish. At Quan Mien Luon Phuc on the outskirts of the Hai Ba Trung district, you’ll find one of the city’s most exemplary versions. Sure, you’ll have to travel into more residential Hanoi for a taste, but it’s well worth the effort. Pile on a good scoop of the restaurant’s homemade chilli sauce; it lifts and lightens the whole thing. Now, it’s time to get crunching.
Pho Ly Quoc Su, 10 Ly Quoc Su, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for the best beef noodle soup in the city (and, therefore, by rights, the world)…
Congratulations! You got this far through our rundown of the best street food in Hanoi without questioning when we were going to get to the headliner. Well, that time has arrived; it’s time to eat Hanoi-style beef pho.
You might have to wait a while or – heaven forbid – share your fourtop with some other tourists at Pho Ly Quoc Su for a bowl of the good stuff, but the service is brusque and efficient, and the chefs (visible through a glass partition constantly ladelling bowls of the good stuff) work quickly.
Once you’ve settled in, ordering is easy, with menus boasting English translations placed under the glass surface of every table, visible to all. Order the tai gau version – the move for those in the know – which sees fatty, long-braised brisket and slices of raw beef sharing the bowl.
Here, the brisket is thinly sliced and tender, with its mellow, yellow fat gently melting into the broth, causing those all-important globules to dapple the soup’s service. An unctuous mouthfeel awaits. The hot broth half cooks the raw slices, leaving them beautifully tender.
That broth itself is on the lighter side, just a little cloudy (as it should be), and refreshing, savoury and obscenely moreish. The rice noodles are slippery and have the right bite, as in, not much bite at all. Indeed, many a pho in the UK has been ruined by al dente noodles, but not so here.
Add a little of Pho LQS’s homemade chilli sauce and a dash of the liquid from their pickled garlic, and luxuriate in an absolutely exemplary version of the national dish. Phwoar.
Do be warned (this time, really be warned); Pho Ly Quoc Su has many branches in Hanoi, of which all but three are imitators, rather than sanctioned franchises. Don’t be fooled by the bright orange frontage you’ll occasionally see across the city; it’s at number 10 on actual, genuine Ly Quoc Su street in the Old Quarter that you’ll find the legit Pho Ly Quoc Su restaurant.
During busier hours (between around 11am and 2pm) you might have to wait for ten minutes or so to get seated.
Pho Gia Truyen Bat Dan, 49 Bat Dan, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for – hang on – an even better beef noodle soup (why not have both?)…
All of those superlatives aside, Pho Ly Quoc Su might not even be the finest beef noodle soup in Ha Noi. That honour – and this is something of a rare consensus, it should be said – is found on Bat Dan street, at number 49.
You won’t miss it, as the snaking queue of hungry locals stands testament to the quality of the bowls within this little family run shop. Service is cursory on a good day, and you’ll need to juggle a boiling hot bowl of soup while you jostle for a stool, but genuinely, honestly and with truth, it is worth it.
You’ll see the beef briskets hanging in the doorframe (there is no window here – the shophouse opens fully out onto the street), their hulking frames swaying enticingly on their hooks, their fat shimmering enticingly. There are only three options; tai, tai nam or chin, which is rare beef, rare beef and braised flank, and braised brisket, respectively.
Our heart lies in the latter camp with the pho bo chin, all to get a taste of those swinging briskets. It’s a deeper, richer broth than Pho LQS, perhaps better suited to Hanoi’s surprisingly chilly winters, whilst the one at Ly Quoc Su is more of a summery affair. You could, of course, have both in a single sitting – Bat Dan is only just round the corner from Ly Quoc Su.
Enjoy with quay – the only accompaniment to proper pho – which is, in taste, akin to a savoury donut, and in appearance a dog bone. It takes on the flavour of the soup perfectly.
Expect to queue here, though you shouldn’t be waiting more than around 20 minutes, even during busy times.
Banh Tom Ho Tay, Dang Thai Mai, Tay Ho (West Lake)
Ideal for pillowy, sweet shrimp cakes with lakeside views…
Banh Tom is a traditional Vietnamese seafood dish that originates in Hanoi. It’s a simple thing; fresh, pink, pert shell-on prawns are suspended in a sweet potato batter before the whole thing is deep fried. Served alongside is the obligatory dipping sauce and plate of fresh herbs, of course, the latter in this instance designed for wrapping up the sweet, delicious cakes for a one-bite-wonder situation.
The home of these shrimp cakes – fritters, really – is West Lake, Hanoi’s largest with a whopping 17km circumference. On bright, clear days when the lake’s waters lap, taking up position on one of the many, many cafe deckchairs that line the lake can feel very much like a day out at the seaside. And what better snack to enjoy in such environs than banh tom?
On route to Dang Thai Mai street, where you’ll find those lakeside deck chairs, you’ll see banh tom purveyors with elaborate displays of their shrimp cakes piled high pyramidically. Order a few to takeaway for a sunset dinner with a view, because this is one hell of a view across the water, the twinkling lights of Hanoi city reflecting on West Lake’s shimmering waters.
Pho Ga Nguyet, 5B Phu Doan, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for chicken pho in salad form…
Light, herbaceous, restorative chicken pho in Hanoi is its own thing, a world away from the beef version’s assertive savouriness and rich mouthfeel. In fact, as a broad rule, if a shophouse or stall serves both chicken and beef pho, it’s fair to assume that neither is the greatest rendition, the two disciplines not interchangeable by any means.
Just outside of the Old Quarter proper, on Phu Doan, a stretch of road defined by garages and motorbike repairs, you’ll find one of Hanoi’s best versions of chicken pho at Pho Ga Nguyet.
Two key moves with your order here; request the dark chicken meat, which is so much more flavourful (the white breast meat is automatically allocated to non-Viets) and order the dish ‘tron’ – or dry. That’s where Pho Ga Nguyet really excels, the standard noodle soup turned into a gorgeous noodle salad, with a chicken fat and soy sauce spiked dressing that coats every damn noodle strand.
The main man here, wielding the cleaver all evening in the shophouse’s entrance, speaks a little English, and is a charming presence. Owing to the shophouse’s daytime operations fixing motorbikes and revving engines, Pho Ga Nguyet is an evening only affair.
During the dinner rush (between 6pm and around 7:30pm), you might have to wait five minutes to get a seat.
Bun Rieu Cua, 11 Hang Bac, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for a seriously refreshing bowl of crab and tomato noodle soup…
Bun rieu cua is something of a hidden gem in the Vietnamese culinary repertoire, at least in the UK. This noodle soup, again hailing from Hanoi, features a rust-coloured, tomato-based broth that hums with the savoury essence of freshwater crab roe, creating a unique, umami-heavy aromatic foundation.
The soup is typically garnished with a variety of fresh herbs, such as perilla and coriander, twists of shredded banana blossom, and deep-fried tofu. Cubes of congealed pig’s blood and snails also sometimes feature – both a welcome added treat, for sure.
The noodles used are thin rice vermicelli, which absorb the broth beautifully. The usual customisation is encouraged, with lime wedges, chilli sauce and shrimp paste all available for the diner to get busy with.
It’s such a refreshing bowl, cleansing and rehydrating on the most humid of Hanoi days. In the corridor-like space of 11 Hang Bac in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, arguably the best bowl in the city is served.
Chim Quay Bit Tet, 20 Hang Giay, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for bronzed and burnished whole barbecued pigeon and lots and lots of fresh beer…
Just yards from Hanoi’s famous Bia Hoi Corner, where you can enjoy an aperitif and digestiv, Chim Quay Bit Tet serves glazed, barbecued whole pigeons, hacked into bite size pieces and served in a mound, head, tail and all, with a spicy salt and calamansi lime dip. This is one to attack with your hands, on a low slung stool, with several icy beers and plenty of cheersing your neighbours. There really isn’t much more to say than that.
Oh, except the deep-fried frog’s legs are excellent, too; you’ll want to order a plate of those, as well as some stir fried morning glory and a bowl of steamed rice, for a full, complementary table. The whole thing shouldn’t cost you and a friend much more than a fiver.
Ideal for Hanoi’s ultimate lunchtime dish, given a subtle twist…
You’ll smell Bun Cha 34 even before you see the commotion of diners jostling for stools on the pavement outside the premises. It’s one of Hanoi’s most singular and inviting aromas; the smell of marinated pork gently catching and caramelising on a tiny makeshift barbecue, a portable fan blowing on it, fanning the flames and spreading the enticing aroma far and wide. Catching a smell of it has been known to stop passing motorbikes in their tracks; a risky business in a city of risky road related businesses, make no mistake.
Bun cha is perhaps the quintessential Hanoi dish, a porky paradise of grilled patties and slices of marinated belly, which are charred to perfection over an open flame. The meat is then piled – always generously – in a bowl of lightly sweetened, slightly vinegary fish sauce-based broth, accompanied by a generous portion of fresh herbs and pickled squares of papaya and carrot.
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Thin rice vermicelli noodles are served alongside, allowing diners to dip them into the broth and combine with the grilled pork, which is, admittedly, pretty hard to pull off owing to bun noodles’ inherent stickiness. Fortunately, an aunty is always on hand with a pair of scissors, ready to make the whole dance easier.
The bun cha at Bun Cha 34 is distinctive in that the usual pork patties have been wrapped in wild piper leaf before being grilled, imparting a complex smokey bitterness to both the meat and the broth it rests in. The deep-fried spring rolls are awesome here too; not one bit greasy and served in a pleasing stack that you’ll demolish without a second glance.
Bun Cha 34, as is the rule for this beloved Hanoi dish, is only open for lunch. In fact, it’s incredibly rare that you’ll find bun cha served outside of lunchtime hours anywhere in the city.
Though at first glance Bun Cha 34 might look full, there’s always a corner, side table or extra stool to squeeze into.
Bun Cha Dac Kim, 1 Hang Manh, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for arguably Hanoi’s premier bun cha spot…
Another of Hanoi’s most iconic bun cha spots – arguably its most lauded and popular – isn’t far from 34, over on Hang Manh in the Old Quarter.
Here, the pork patties are comically large – almost burger size – and the plates of herbs are piled even higher than usual. Yep, though bun cha always feels like a super generous affair, everything at Bun Cha Dac Kim feels a little extra. That said, who’s complaining about massive portions when the dish is this good?
By Infel2nOz via Canva
Though Bun Cha Dac Kim might initially look full, there are a couple of floors out of view where there’s a little more dining space. Some of the adjacent coffee shops have also been known to let you pitch up with your bun cha, providing you buy a coffee or juice.
Known locally as ‘Chicken Street’ – on the map it’s Ly Van Phuc – Hanoi has a whole street dedicated to serving barbecued poultry. What could be better? On a weekend, if you have a large group, it’s one of the best places in the city to come, get loose and make merry. While it’s kinda out of the way – take a taxi to the National Stadium and work from there if you’re not on a scooter – and a little hard to find, the smell of ‘ga’ on the grill is unmissable.
You can choose between different parts of the chicken – a little thigh and a little liver is our usual vibe – and be sure to order a side of the grilled banh mi bread brushed with honey. The refreshing pickled cucumbers brought to every table are the perfect accompaniment – don’t be afraid to ask for more.
Though the temptation will of course be to head to the bottom of Chicken Street, next to the car park where everyone seems to be having the best time, we’ve found the grilled chicken served right at the entrance to Ly Van Phuc to be the best. And, to be honest, the most thoroughly cooked; it’s dark down at the end of Chicken Street and sometimes the chicken comes up looking pretty pink.
Though we realise we said ‘street food’ in the title, we’d be remiss to offer a rundown of the best places to eat street food in Hanoi without mentioning Quan An Ngon, a restaurant with air conditioning, proper upright seats with back support, and a whole host of different street food purveyors all surrounding the central dining room.
Since so many great Hanoi restaurants and shophouses specialise in a single dish, Quan An Ngon is a wonderful place to try various regional Vietnamese specialities all in one sitting. It’s an attractive, convivial space with a large central alfresco dining area illuminated by lanterns, fairy lights and an always buzzy atmosphere. The menu has English translations and the staff speak a little, too, making the restaurant a chilled out place for a decent feed. The salads here are particularly good, as is the banh xeo, a type of crispy rice pancake filled with minced pork and prawns.
Quan An Ngon is open for lunch through to dinner and beyond, closing at around 10pm. There are a couple of other branches in the French Quarter, too, which are equally as good.
Banh Goi Ly Quoc Su is the kind of place you dream about long after you’ve left Hanoi. A low slung, chilled out spot slap bang in the bustling streets of the Old Quarter, this place serves up some of the best banh goi in Hanoi. Imagine a crispy, golden pastry shell stuffed with a savoury mix of minced pork, mushrooms, vermicelli and quail eggs that’s somewhere between a samosa and a Cornish pasty. If you’re in Hanoi, missing this would be a culinary crime.
Banh Cuon Gia Truyen, 14 Hang Ga, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for the most elegant expression of Vietnamese cuisine, on the street…
Vietnamese food is well known for its lightness and sophistication, and no dish better encapsulates this than banh cuon, the supremely delicate steamed rice rolls that you’ll see aunties meticulously making across the city.
On a circular surface, a silky batter of rice flour is spread into a thin layer and steamed until translucent, before being filled with a mixture of minced pork and wood ear mushrooms and rolled. It’s a mesmerising spectacle, and one whose dexterity would be impressive in a well-appointed fine dining kitchen, let alone on a street corner.
Once these rolls have been skilfully shifted onto a small plate, deep-fried shallots and fresh herbs are scattered on top. The usual nuoc cham dipping sauce seals the deal.
Interestingly, at Banh Cuon Gia Truyen, one of Hanoi’s most famous banh cuon restaurants, you can order a small spritz of water bug essence (ca cuong) in your dipping sauce, which tastes a little like bubblegum. Order a slice or two of Vietnamese pork sausage (cha lua) to go alongside.
We’d been regulars of that particular spot, Bun Cha Huong Lien, for years prior to the show, but following its broadcast and name change to ‘Obama Bun Cha’, standards – perhaps unsurprisingly – slipped.
Not to worry. Give the tour coaches unloading onto Le Van Huu a swerve and instead head directly next door for one of the best chicken noodle soups in the city, at Pho Ga Mai Anh.
This is one clean broth, totally clear and boasting a crystalline flavour not unlike a chicken consomme. Aside from tender poached chicken meat, a couple of bouncy chicken balls (snigger) and soft rice noodles, only a few slices of the green of spring onions bother the bowl. Seemingly, a judgement has been made that any other herbs would only muddy the broth. We think it’s a good shout, as Mai Anh’s chicken pho really is a celebration of that replenishing broth.
Sometimes for fun, we order a side of poached chicken to eat with our chicken pho at Pho Ga Mai Anh. It’s served with bouncy yellow skin still intact, its flesh tender and silky. A few finely julienned makrut lime leaves and a side of chilli salt and calamansi lime (to be combined) complete this feast of chicken. A tall glass of iced jasmine tea is all you need now.
Bit Tet Ngoc Hieu, 52 Le Ngoc Han, Hai Ba Trung District
Ideal for steak and chips, Vietnamese-style…
Bit tet, like banh mi, is a reflection of Vietnam’s ability to take on international influences and seamlessly assimilate them into the cuisine.
The dish is centred around a thin, semi-tender beef steak, which is marinated with a blend of soy sauce, garlic, and black pepper before being cooked in a laughably, violently hot, cow-shaped cast iron pan that doubles up as a serving dish. A silver bow-cum-hat tops the pan as it arrives at the table before the big reveal. Inside that pan, you’ll also find a sunny side up egg, a few soggy chips and perhaps a tomato, flavours mingling happily.
At Bit Tet Ngoc Hieu, alongside the classic hammered steak and spongy chips, you’ll find a ball of offaly, peppery goodness akin to a faggot in flavour. It’s what marks out this bit tet restaurant as the best in Hanoi. Mop up all of the intermingling egg yolk, meat juices and chilli sauce run-off with plenty of crisp, banh mi bread. Mop that up with icy beers. Leave happy and on foot – don’t drink and drive guys.
Though Ngoc Hieu is a little out of the city centre, there’s also a whole street (Hoe Nhai) dedicated to bit tet within walking distance of the Old Quarter. Result!
Banh Mi Pho Hue, 118 Pho Hue, Hai Ba Trung District
Ideal for prosaic, proper banh mi that’s always got a queue of motorbikes…
For us, the most simple banh mi is the best banh mi, allowing the quality of the bread, pate and cold cuts to shine. The ludicrously stacked affairs with a mixed grill’s worth of meat inside, plus mayo, three types of hot sauce, a random papaya salad and erroneous Thai basil that you’ll find in the UK? Those guys are not for us.
For a prosaic, proper banh mi whose popularity is clear from its constant queue of motorbikes, you’ll want to venture away from the Old Quarter, heading north from Hoan Kiem lake and the Old Quarter, and into one of Hai Ba Trung’s main thoroughfares, Pho Hue.
At Banh Mi Pho Hue, it’s a celebration of the simple things. The aunty’s mise en place is as follows… Stacks of warm baguettes. A massive brick of homemade pate. A few slices of Vietnamese pork loaf (essentially spam). A bowl of pork floss. Cucumber pickle. Butter. Dairylea. Chilli sauce. There’s also a pan set-up should you want to add an omelette to your banh mi.
Assemble your desired sandwich from that selection, and eat outside the shophouse leaning against a tree, because the dining area is full of parked motorbikes. Everything feels right in the world.
Ghe Hap Xuan Xuan, 37 Hang Giay, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for premium grilled seafood on stools…
On the periphery of the backpacker part of Hanoi’s Old Quarter (Bia Hoi Corner, Ta Hien, Luong Ngoc Quyen), you’ll find a few totally alfresco set-ups serving up fresh, delicious seafood late into the night.
At Ghe Hap Xuan Xuan on Hang Giay, but also all along nearby Cau Go street, you’ll see crabs, oysters, blood cockles and huge prawns all piled high on a table. Simply point at what you want, take a seat and get ready for a feast because here is where you’ll find fresh seafood being grilled over hot coals. Served simply, with a calamansi lime, MSG and chilli dipping sauce, this is fresh, cheap and oh so fun.
Make sure you order some grilled oysters topped with crispy shallots – the smokey, moody taste of the barbecue certainly does no harm to the saline richness of oysters. In fact, it’s a divine marriage. Then someone, from somewhere, will produce a cold beer as soon as you realise you’re thirsty, and it’s then that you realise you’re in heaven.
Pho Cuon Huong Mai, 25 Ngu Xa, Truc Bach, Ba Dinh District
Ideal for a final expression of pho, in Hanoi’s cutest quarter…
Pho cuon offers a unique twist on the traditional pho. Instead of the usual noodle soup, this dish features wide, uncut sheets of rice noodles that are used to wrap a variety of fresh ingredients. The rolls are typically filled with slices of stir-fried beef and fresh herbs, along with crisp lettuce and sometimes julienned vegetables such as carrots and cucumbers. These ingredients are tightly rolled into the rice noodle sheets, creating a neat and portable package ideal for being dipped in a sauce of fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, sugar, and chilli
Ngu Xa, sitting just off Hanoi’s picturesque, idyllic Truc Bach lake, is sometimes referred to as Pho Cuon street, owing to its row of restaurants specialising in the stuff. Bouncing from restaurant to restaurant, drinking beer and ordering plates of this light-as-you-like local delicacy, is one of Hanoi’s greatest nights out. We think we might just part ways here, you know, and take in the scene a while…
Ngo Dong Xuan, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter): Known locally as ‘Street Food Alley’, Ngo Dong Xuan is as close as you’ll get to the hawker centres of Malaysia and Singapore in Hanoi, with rows of street food vendors doing their thing here, all in tropical storm-proof surrounds. The aforementioned bun cha, banh tom and banh mi are all found here, as well as a good version of bun oc – snail noodles.
For something a little different, why not check out our rundown of the best pizza in Hanoi next?
Where once upon a time a simple jog around the neighbourhood in your Bermudas and a vest would have sufficed, nowadays if you’re not stepping out the house for exercise in all manner of wearable tech, then it doesn’t feel like you’re doing it right.
Indeed, in the world of health and fitness, wearable technology really has become a game-changer. From smartwatches to fitness trackers and everything in between, these devices offer real-time insights into our physical activity, providing data on steps, heart rate, calories burned and a whole host of other metrics. Whether you choose to totally ignore all that data, like so many of us do, or use it to your advantage, is often the difference between a satisfying fitness journey and one mired in inconsistency.
That’s because the best wearable tech allows the health driven folk among us to monitor their progress, stay motivated, and make informed decisions about their fitness stats along the way.
As technology continues to evolve, the role of these devices in personal fitness is expanding at a really impressive rate, transforming how we approach workouts and overall wellness. Fitness has never been so accessible or data-driven.
Firstly, What Are The Main Forms Of Fitness Wearable Currently Available?
Fitness wearables come in various forms, each designed to cater to different aspects of physical activity and health monitoring. The main types include:
Smartwatches: These multifunctional devices not only tell time but also track a wide range of fitness metrics, from steps and heart rate to sleep patterns and stress levels. Popular models include the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch.
Fitness Trackers: More streamlined than smartwatches, fitness trackers like the Fitbit Charge and Garmin Vivosmart focus primarily on health and fitness metrics, offering detailed insights into daily activity levels.
Heart Rate Monitors: Often worn around the chest, these devices provide precise heart rate data, making them ideal for athletes and those engaged in high-intensity workouts.
Smart Clothing: Embedded with sensors, smart clothing such as shirts, shorts, and even socks can monitor muscle activity, heart rate, and other vital signs, providing a comprehensive overview of physical performance.
GPS Watches: Specifically designed for outdoor activities like running, cycling, and hiking, these watches offer accurate tracking of distance, pace, and route, helping users navigate and improve their performance.
Smart Rings: Compact and stylish, smart rings like the Oura Ring track sleep, activity, and readiness, providing a holistic view of health in a discreet form factor.
Smart Glasses: Devices like the Vuzix Blade offer augmented reality features, allowing users to access fitness data and navigation without looking at their wrist, enhancing the workout experience.
And, What Are The Most Common Features?
Fitness wearables are packed with features that cater to a wide range of fitness needs. Some of the most common features include:
Heart Rate Monitoring: Provides real-time data on heart rate, helping users stay within their target zones for optimal performance and health benefits.
Calorie Tracking: Estimates the number of calories burned during various activities, aiding in weight management and fitness planning.
Sleep Tracking: Monitors sleep patterns and sleep quality, offering insights into how well users are resting and recovering.
GPS Tracking: Records routes, distance, and pace for outdoor activities, helping users track their progress and set new goals.
Notifications and Alerts: Syncs with smartphones to deliver notifications for calls, messages, and reminders, ensuring users stay connected even during workouts.
Morden fitness wearables are no longer limited to tracking basic metrics; they now offer advanced metrics that were once only accessible to elite athletes in sports performance labs.
Devices equipped with functions such as VO2 Max measurement help users understand their cardiovascular endurance, while stress monitoring has also become a key feature, providing insights into how external factors impact physical performance.
On top of that, some wearables now include SpO2 sensors to measure blood oxygen levels, giving users a more comprehensive view of their respiratory health. For those wanting a closer look at their heart health, services like ECG at Home make it easy to get checked without needing a referral. It’s a simple way to back up your fitness tracker data with something more clinical.
These advanced tools allow the everyday fitness enthusiast to tap into professional-level data, leveraging this to enhance their training thanks to a deeper understanding of their body’s responses and needs.
Fitness Wearables As Lifestyle Statement
Fitness wearables have evolved from mere tracking tools to stylish lifestyle statements, blending technology with personal flair. No longer just for monitoring steps and heart rates, these devices now offer extensive customisation options, allowing users to express their individuality while staying fit.
Interchangeable watch straps are a popular feature, with options ranging from sleek leather to durable silicone and sophisticated metal. This versatility means your fitness tracker can transition seamlessly from a workout to a formal event, making it an essential accessory for any occasion.
Customisable watch faces and widgets further enhance personalisation, offering designs from minimalist to vibrant displays. This ensures your wearable is not just a fitness tool but a true reflection of your personality.
The fusion of fashion and functionality has made fitness wearables a staple in both the gym and everyday life. Collaborations with renowned designers have led to limited-edition models featuring premium materials and unique designs, turning fitness trackers into coveted fashion items.
In essence, fitness wearables are now essential lifestyle accessories, offering both style and substance. Whether at the gym, in a meeting, or on a night out, your wearable tech keeps you connected, motivated, and looking your best.
Further Integration With Apps & Virtual Coaching
Recently fitness wearables have become even more powerful with seamless integration into apps and virtual coaching platforms offered by the devices themselves and third party providers. By syncing up with popular fitness apps, these devices offer a deeper, more personalised experience for each user. This in turn assists in helping users track progress, set goals, and participate in virtual classes or challenges.
Virtual coaching adds another layer of engagement, providing real-time guidance based on live metrics from the wearable device. This state of the art interconnectedness keeps users motivated, accountable, and fully engaged in their fitness journey, offering an added layer of motivation that would previously not have been within reach.
Wearable Tech That Is Specialised In Specific Workouts
Fitness Watches are becoming essential tools for specialised workouts, offering tailored tracking for each user’s specific fitness regimes such as HIIT, yoga, and running.
During high-intensity interval training (HIIT), wearables monitor heart rate zones and calorie burn, helping users optimise their performance and recovery. In contrast, when tracking yoga, devices monitor flexibility, balance, and even breathing patterns, enhancing mindfulness and posture alignment.
For runners, fitness tech can provide real-time data on pace, distance, and cadence, allowing athletes to fine-tune their technique and improve endurance levels. This specialisation ensures that modern day smartwatch users are now able to get the very most out of their chosen workouts.
Recovery Tracking & Injury Prevention
Modern fitness wearables have evolved beyond simply tracking workouts to become crucial tools for recovery and injury prevention. These devices now monitor recovery metrics such as heart rate variability (HRV), which indicates how well your body is adapting to training stress and when you might need additional rest.
Many wearables provide recovery scores and readiness assessments, analysing sleep quality, resting heart rate trends, and overall activity levels to recommend whether you should push hard or take it easy on any given day. Some advanced models even detect unusual movement patterns or muscle imbalances that could lead to injury, alerting users to potential issues before they become problematic.
Temperature monitoring has also emerged as a valuable feature, with devices tracking skin temperature variations that can indicate early signs of illness or overtraining. This proactive approach to health monitoring helps fitness enthusiasts maintain consistency in their routines whilst minimising the risk of burnout or injury-related setbacks.
By prioritising recovery alongside performance, these smart devices ensure users can sustain their fitness journeys long-term, making progress without compromising their overall health and wellbeing.
Wearable Tech & Social Fitness
In addition to this, wearable tech has now also taken on a new social dimension, connecting users with broader fitness communities and fostering healthy competition within them.
Many smartwatches now include features that allow users to join challenges, share workout data, and compare progress with their friends or other members of online fitness groups. This social engagement boosts motivation, encouraging people to stay consistent with their fitness routines. Fitness apps and wearables also create leader boards and reward systems, turning exercise into a fun, competitive activity.
By building a sense of community, wearable tech makes fitness more engaging and rewarding for users everywhere.
Improved sensors are expected to provide even more precise health data, offering deeper insights into physical performance and overall well-being. Integration with other health technologies, such as telemedicine platforms and AI-powered diagnostics, will create a seamless ecosystem where wearables play a key role in managing both fitness and long-term health.
However, there are challenges that we need to consider, including the cost of high-end devices and concerns around data privacy. As wearables evolve, balancing the advantages with these concerns will be key to their long-term success and user adoption in the fitness industry.
If you’re a night owl, a restless sleeper or you suffer from occasional or chronic insomnia, waking up in the morning is probably one of the toughest parts of your day. And let’s face it; no one wants to set the tone like that, time and time again. It’s just not good for the soul.
You’re probably cranky and grumpy, not really in the mood to deal with the day ahead. Unfortunately, such a morning can hardly be a prelude to a successful and productive day – we’re sure we don’t need to tell you twice that you need to feel energised and pepped up to make the most out of your day.
For those of you who are struggling to drag yourself out of bed each morning, and are looking for simple hacks for waking up better each and every day, here’s how to feel more energised in the morning.
Forget About The Snooze Button
Even though nothing seems more valuable than those 10 minutes of extra zzz’s in the morning that you add to your lie-in when you hit the snooze button, science suggests that it will only make it harder for you to wake up in the long run.
Set your alarm clock for the exact time you need to be up and stick to it. As most of us hit the button impulsively, place your cell phone or your alarm clock away from your bed, so that you have to stand up when it goes off. When you’re up on your feet, it will be easier for you to keep on moving. Ride that wave of forward momentum, and all that!
Sipping hot coffee the moment we open our eyes is a ritual we usually associate with waking up. However, to begin your day feeling refreshed and energised, pour yourself a big glass of water instead. And glug that guy merrily.
After a long rest, your body will appreciate the hydration. Water will increase the speed which new cells are produced and promote a healthy flow of oxygen, keeping you alert.
For the extra benefit, add a little bit of lemon to your water. This way you will introduce some precious nutrients like vitamin C, calcium, and potassium, and you will have a natural detox, as lemon-infused water will help you flush away toxins and aid your digestive system.
Let The Daylight In
No wonder you can’t wake up energised in the morning if you’re sleeping in a cave-like environment, with no hope of seeing any sunshine or feeling nature’s refreshing breeze. It’s called rise and shine for a reason, guys.
Yep, getting some sun on your face as you wake up sends signals to your body that it’s time to get going. If you want to wake up quickly and feel fresh, you need to tune into your circadian rhythm and allow natural light to wake you. There’s something rather poignant about doing so, don’t you think?
Our internal circadian clocks are deeply affected by the light. Just as you should seek out sunlight in the morning, you need to avoid exposure to bright light before your bedtime, too, as it may harm your sleep by suppressing the production of melatonin.
Prep The Night Before
If you’re constantly rushing around in a morning panic trying to find your keys, your favourite shirt, or that important document you need for work, you’re setting yourself up for a stressful start. The solution? A bit of evening organisation can work wonders for your morning energy levels.
Before you hit the hay, lay out your clothes for the next day, prep your breakfast (overnight oats, anyone?), and pack your work bag. Put your contact lenses in the bathroom cabinet for easy access, charge your devices, and have your travel mug ready by the coffee machine. This way, you can move through your morning routine on autopilot whilst your brain slowly comes online.
Not only will this save you precious time in the morning, but it’ll also reduce decision fatigue when you’re at your groggiest. Plus, knowing everything’s sorted will help you sleep better, as you won’t be mentally running through your to-do list at 3am. It’s a win-win situation that your future self will definitely thank you for.
The best way to beat the morning blues is by doing what seems totally unappealing when you first open your eyes on a new day – exercise! But don’t dismiss the idea straight off the bat, in favour of more time in the bed; any morning workout will boost your endorphins and energy and put you in a better mood for the rest of the day.
If you’re too foggy to hit the gym or go for a run, find an activity that you like and make room for it in your morning schedule. Even some basic stretches will do the job and energise you; a few yoga poses or simple sequences such as the Sun Salutation or Five Tibetans will kick your day off just right.
Play That Funky Music
Playing some upbeat music is a great way to lift you up in the morning and help you get ready for the day ahead. Music and singing are known to improve the functionality of your brain, while also reducing cortisol levels and boosting your creativity.
Once you’re in the habit of listening to music in the morning, waking up will become a pleasure. Instead of usual dings on your cell phone, set your alarm tone to your favourite tune, and start your day singing. Perhaps warn your partner first, though?
Have A Proper Breakfast
We know, we know – you’ve heard it a million times before. But there’s a reason breakfast is called the most important meal of the day, and it’s not just something your mum made up to get you to eat your porridge.
After fasting all night, your body needs fuel to kickstart your metabolism and give you the energy to tackle whatever the day throws at you. Skip it, and you’ll likely find yourself flagging by mid-morning, reaching for sugary snacks that’ll only lead to an energy crash later.
You don’t need to whip up a full English every morning (though if you’ve got the time, sometimes, then why not?). Even something simple like Greek yoghurt with berries and a drizzle of honey, or wholemeal toast with avocado and a poached egg, will do the trick. The key is to include some protein and complex carbs to keep you satisfied and energised. And please, step away from the sugary cereals – they might taste like childhood, but they won’t do your energy levels any favours.
Well, duh. It may seem obvious, but you can’t expect to jump out of bed readily if you haven’t slept a decent amount of time.
Not getting enough sleep for a night will make you feel tired and fuzzy in the morning. But if sleep deprivation lasts a bit longer, it will drain your mental abilities and put your physical health in hazard. Aim for getting 7 to 9 hours of undisturbed shut-eye each night and develop a steady bedtime routine.
You can thank us tomorrow morning for these tips. Although, perhaps don’t reach for your phone to message us as soon as you wake. Instead, drink in the new day and give us a shout a little later!
Ideal for those looking to bring their domestic situation into the 21st century.
We’d all love a household which runs like clockwork, with succulents never thirsty, dishes never dirty, and a washing machine which actually rids stains on thirty.
While so many home improvements have the potential to increase your property’s value and give your home a competitive advantage in the property market, in 2025, it’s the high-tech upgrades which represent the very smartest investments.
Having the latest tech or energy-savvy instalments is sure to impress buyers and can help to secure a quicker sale. That, or they’ll simply make your home a well-drilled, precision-run place to be. And we all want that, right?
From state-of-the-art security system to multi-room sound systems, smart thermostats and solar panels, here are 7 modern and smart upgrades to improve your home, IDEAL for those looking to bring their domestic situation into the 21st century.
Deck It Out With Tech
The automation of the home is one of the biggest technological developments of the past few years and progress only looks set to grow further as that technology advances and becomes more affordable.
Often referred to as ‘smart’ homes, such tech allows easy home automation and lifestyle management, making things feel very futuristic indeed. Your home’s smart devices can dim your lights, monitor your security systems, and play your music, to name but a few of the great features available at your fingertips.
Here are some smart tech upgrades you should consider:
Smart thermostats to control home temperatures automatically and responsively. We’ve written another article on reasons you should switch to a smart thermostat here, by the way.
Smart refrigerators that monitor the freshness of your food.
Smart washing machines and dishwashers which you can operate remotely via your phone.
A smart smoke alarm that’s synced with other devices around the home.
Install Home Security Features
Statistics show that there were more than 250,000 burglaries in the UK in the year 2023-24. A home burglary can result in significant financial losses and put you and your family at risk of harm. What’s more, having your home broken into represents a massive invasion of your privacy, and many people suffer from emotional trauma following a break-in.
With that in mind, home security should be a top priority for every homeowner. Luckily, protecting your home and valuables has also been given the smart, modern tech treatment in recent years:
Invest in a high-end home alarm system. Research shows that a home alarm is one of the most effective deterrents to would-be burglars. Having a top-range home alarm system may also lower the cost of your home insurance.
Make sure that you have security features, e.g., burglar alarms, professionally maintained to ensure that they are functioning correctly.
Install CCTV security cameras on your property. You can also have a doorbell camera installed so that you can monitor who enters and exits your home.
Have quality locks installed on your doors and windows, preferably using fingerprint scanning or biometric smart lock technology for enabling secure, unique access.
Add motion-sensor lights to the exterior of your property. These are eco-friendly, cost-effective, and can deter potential criminals from targeting your home.
Install a smart parcel box on the exterior of your property. This will keep your parcels and packages safe and are a great option if you have frequent home deliveries, e.g., you regularly order items off Amazon. Don’t we all, hey?
Consider cloud based security cameras that allow homeowners to monitor live footage remotely, receive alerts, and store high-definition video securely in the cloud. This not only reduces physical clutter but also ensures footage is safe even if the device is damaged or stolen.
Broken Plan Living
Open plan living has been an on-trend, popular feature in modern home design for so long now that we wonder if we can even call it ‘on-trend’. From spending more time in the kitchen to hosting dinner parties, this kind of style promotes a live-work-dine space that helps you make the most of your home.
Us Brits have been embracing multi-functional rooms for a while now. However, just like having a selection of small and cramped rooms, open-plan living has its downsides and isn’t for everyone. Now that we’re spending more time at home than ever before, specific areas for dining, cooking and relaxing are becoming increasingly popular, and a new, ultra-modern concept has emerged which draws a clear dividing line between ‘home’ and ‘work’ in an open plan space. It’s called ‘broken-plan living’,
Broken-plan living has emerged as domestic design compromise due to the potential pitfalls that could be realised from pursuing an open-plan living project while everyone is working and studying (as well as, of course, living) from home. The idea is to retain all the things you love about open-plan – particularly the light and openness – while at the same time zoning the space to allow for more privacy should you need it.
This zoning occurs via modern dividing features, such as a two-tiered kitchen island, semi-permanent partitions, half walls and sliding doors. Lovely stuff, indeed.
Switch To Sustainable Energy
Creating more renewable energy is a priority for many of us. And here’s the thing; you don’t have to wait to go green and enjoy sustainable energy; you can do it right now by producing your own energy.
While solar panelling might seem like super-advanced, high-profile tech, it is becoming increasingly accessible and anyone can install panels on their property.
While initial costs are high, solar panels not only reduce your environmental impact, but can also save you hundreds on your utility bills. With a lifespan of 25 years or more, they’ll help you save the planet and save on bills, too. Or, you could simply consider switching to a renewable energy supplier. Yes, it will probably cost more than those burning fossil fuels for your electricity and gas, but the reductions in your carbon footprint will be considerable.
Automated Window Dressings
Take effortless control of natural light and privacy with smart blinds or curtains. These systems can be programmed to open and close at specific times of day – imagine waking gently to natural sunlight, or your blinds automatically closing as dusk falls, even when you’re not home. Controlled via an app, remote, or even voice commands, automated window dressings not only add a touch of sophisticated convenience but can also enhance energy efficiency by helping to regulate indoor temperatures.
In summer, they can close during the hottest part of the day to keep your home cooler, and in winter, they can provide an extra layer of insulation. This smart addition can also boost your home’s security by giving the impression someone is always in.
Intelligent Air Quality Management
In an age where wellness within the home is paramount, a smart air quality monitoring and purification system is a truly 21st-century upgrade. These devices continuously analyse the indoor air for pollutants such as dust, pollen, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), and other allergens. When poor air quality is detected, smart purifiers automatically adjust their settings to filter and cleanse the air, ensuring your home environment remains fresh and healthy.
Many systems can be linked to your smartphone, providing real-time data and allowing remote control, so you can ensure you’re always returning to a breath of fresh air. This is particularly beneficial for households with allergy sufferers, pets, or those situated in urban areas.
Sign Of The Times
The definition of modern means relating to, or characteristic of, the present or the immediate past. The start of this decade saw incredible disruption to our daily lives and with repeated lockdowns, it meant people spent more time in their own four walls than ever before.
Suddenly we’re all conversant in Zoom, the best antibacterial wipes on the market and how to microwave our letters to sanitise them, and frankly, even though the world is very much ‘open for business’ again, there’s still much to be said for the sanctuary of domesticity.
Familiarity and comfort has been found, however, in the home. The role that design has to play in being an instigator of physical, physiological and psychological wellbeing has become more clear than ever. As such, the design and layout of your home can transform your outlook, cultivating calmness and comfort when done right.
Whether this comforting domestic space is achieved via modern touches or age-old, tried and tested techniques is up to you, but what is clear is that our relationships with our homes have never been more important. Perhaps the biggest upgrade you can make right now is to make your home more tranquil and serene.
The coffee table might just be the hardest-working piece of furniture in your home. It’s where morning cuppas rest, feet find comfort after long days, and countless memories unfold over board games and conversations. Yet choosing the right one can feel overwhelming when faced with endless options.
But here’s the thing about coffee tables—they’re not just about looks or even function. The right coffee table can completely transform how you use your living room. Too high, and you’ll never put your feet up. Too precious, and you’ll hover with coasters, turning relaxation into anxiety. Too small, and you’ll forever be reaching for somewhere to put your cup. Getting it right means understanding not just your room’s style, but how you actually live in it.
Fear not—we’ve matched the perfect coffee table to every living room personality, ensuring your choice will be both practical and stylish.
For The Compact City Flat: Glass & Acrylic Accents
Picture a living room where you can touch opposite walls without fully extending your arms, where the sofa doubles as a room divider, and where every square metre counts. In these bijou spaces, glass-topped coffee tables with different legs create an illusion of spaciousness, allowing light to flow freely through your room. Acrylic options take this concept even further—they’re practically invisible, making your compact living room feel twice its actual size.
Top pick: A round glass table with a lower shelf for storage. The circular shape eliminates sharp corners in tight spaces, whilst the shelf provides essential storage without visual bulk.
For The Open-Plan Space: Nest Of Coffee Tables
In those vast kitchen-dining-living areas where you can’t quite tell where one room ends and another begins, flexibility becomes essential. You might need coffee table space by the sofa for Sunday papers, then want to clear the area completely for yoga or when the grandchildren visit. A nest of coffee tables offers the perfect solution—multiple tables that tuck together when you need floor space and spread out when entertaining.
In the 18th century, Thomas Sheraton, a renowned English furniture designer, created the first known nesting tables with the intention of blending both form and function, and this intention still largely rings true today.
Top pick: A set of three tables in graduating sizes with mixed materials—perhaps wood tops with metal frames—that can be arranged and rearranged as your mood dictates.
For The Busy Family Living Room: Ottoman Coffee Tables
You know the scene: toys scattered across the carpet, children’s artwork proudly displayed on every wall, and a sofa that’s seen better days but holds too many memories to replace. This is the living room where life happens—where homework gets done whilst dinner cooks, where movie nights mean five people sharing three cushions. Ottoman coffee tables offer the ultimate in versatility—sturdy enough for family game nights, soft enough for tiny feet, and many feature hidden storage for toys, blankets, and remote controls.
Top pick: A large, upholstered ottoman with a removable tray top. It transforms from footrest to serving station in seconds, and the washable fabric cover handles inevitable spills with grace.
For The Pared-Back Scandinavian Space: Simple Wood Tables
Whilst not quite ‘sad beige’, we’re thinking white walls, a grey linen sofa, perhaps one carefully chosen piece of art, and absolutely nothing on surfaces except maybe a single ceramic vase. These are the living rooms where every item has earned its place through both beauty and function. Look for coffee tables in light woods like ash or birch, with simple geometric shapes and perhaps a single drawer for tucking away life’s necessities. The key is finding pieces that feel intentional rather than sparse.
Top pick: A rectangular table with tapered legs and a single drawer. Choose one with subtle grain patterns that add warmth without overwhelming your carefully curated space.
For The Treasure-Filled Eclectic Space: Vintage Finds & Statement Pieces
Walk into this living room and your eyes don’t know where to land first—the Victorian taxidermy? The collection of mid-century ceramics? The kilim rug layered over sisal? If your living room tells a story through collected treasures and bold choices, your coffee table should join the narrative. Hunt for unique vintage pieces—perhaps a restored trunk, a repurposed industrial cart, or a mid-century marvel with unusual details.
Top pick: A vintage campaign chest or a reclaimed wood table with metal accents. These pieces bring history and character whilst providing practical surface space.
For The Traditional Drawing Room: Classic Wood Statements
If you’re lucky enough to live in a period property here in the UK, then you’ll no doubt be familiar with the concept of a drawing room. Often featuring cornicing, a working fireplace, and windows dressed in proper curtains (not blinds), these are elegant rooms where everything feels carefully chosen. The sofa and armchairs likely match, bought as a suite, and there’s probably a drinks cabinet somewhere.
In these traditionally styled spaces, a substantial wooden coffee table anchors the room with appropriate formality. Look for rich woods like mahogany or walnut, with turned legs and perhaps carved details that echo other furniture pieces in your room.
Top pick: A rectangular table with a lower shelf and drawer storage, featuring classic details like turned legs or subtle inlay work. The investment in quality craftsmanship pays dividends in longevity.
For The Sleek Modern Living Room: Sculptural Designs
These are the living rooms you see in architecture magazines—concrete floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, a modular sofa in charcoal, and lighting that looks more like installation art than lamps.
When your living room features clean architectural lines and a monochrome palette, your coffee table can provide the visual interest. Think beyond function to pieces that challenge expectations—asymmetrical bases, mixed materials like marble and brass, or tables that seem to defy gravity.
Top pick: A table with a marble or stone top supported by an unexpected base—perhaps intersecting metal planes or a sculptural wooden form that draws the eye from every angle.
For The Laid-Back Bohemian Living Room: Natural & Textured Tables
This is the living room with a Moroccan rug thrown over another rug, plants in macramé hangers trailing from the ceiling, and cushions—so many cushions—scattered on the floor for impromptu gathering spots.
The walls might feature tapestries or collections of woven baskets, and there’s probably incense burning somewhere. For these relaxed, layered spaces, coffee tables in natural materials work brilliantly—think carved wood with visible grain, woven rattan, or even a large wooden drum that doubles as storage.
Top pick: A low, carved wooden table from India or Morocco, or a round woven rattan piece with a glass top. These tables can handle the books, crystals, and tea cups that accumulate in bohemian spaces whilst adding to the room’s organic, collected-over-time feeling.
The Bottom Line
Whatever your living room’s personality, remember that the best coffee table is one that serves your lifestyle whilst complementing your aesthetic. Consider your daily routines: Do you eat meals whilst watching television? Do children use the space for homework? Do you entertain frequently?
Measure carefully—the ideal coffee table sits 14-18 inches from your sofa, allowing comfortable reach whilst maintaining clear pathways. In terms of height, aim for a table that’s level with or slightly lower than your sofa cushions.
Most importantly, choose a piece that makes you smile each time you enter the room. After all, your coffee table will witness countless moments of your life—it deserves to be something you truly love.
Predictions of drizzle be damned; the second May bank holiday weekend calls for one thing and one thing only in the UK, and that’s the first proper barbecue of the party season.
This year, the annual lighting of coals and burning of burgers feels particularly special. After what seems like an eternity of unpredictable weather and cancelled garden parties, the nation is ready to tap-tap those grill tongs and embrace the great British tradition of often inept outdoor cooking, come rain or shine.
From unintentionally perfectly charred corn on the cob to those slightly-too-crispy-on-the-outside sausages we all secretly love, there’s something wonderfully nostalgic – or, you know, chaotic – about gathering round the barbecue with friends and family.
Whether your BBQ enthusiast is a weekend warrior who fires up the grill at the first hint of sunshine, or a serious pitmaster who debates the merits of lump charcoal versus briquettes, finding the perfect gift to fuel their passion can be a delightful challenge. The world of outdoor cooking has evolved far beyond basic burgers and bangers, with today’s grillers experimenting with everything from Korean-style marinades to reverse-seared ribeyes.
Should you have a loved one in your life who is particularly enthusiastic about all things smoke, fire, fat and flavour, and you’re looking for a small gift to display your affection as grill season warms up, then you’ve come to the right place; here are 7 IDEAL gifts for the BBQ lover in your life.
A Grill Basket Or Fish Clamp
As any well-seasoned griller will tell you, there’s an art to producing a barbie full of flavour and finesse, as opposed to one with cremated sausages and raw chicken sharing a plate. One of the best ways for those holding the tongs to grill with measured precision is with a grill basket; ideal for getting those grill marks and smoky finish on fish, meat and veggies without turning them into ash in the process.
Particularly useful are fish clamps, which allow you more control of turning the fish over on the barbeque, and prevents it from sticking. This also allows you to grill at a lower heat without fear of leaving half the fish on the grill when you turn it.
You can find sturdy, capable grill baskets and fish clamps on Amazon for between £10 and £20.
A great barbeque is about so much more than the food. There’s the vibe to consider, too, and that’s influenced hugely by the drinks on offer. Though grilling and chilling are natural companions and making a fuss over the liquid refreshments seems to go against the ethos of a laid back barbeque session, we think that if you get your drinks pairing on point, you can elevate the occasion that much higher.
For your BBQ obsessed loved one, there are several wine and food pairing books which place a focus on barbeque currently available in all good book stores. Some of our favourites include:
Fire & Wine: 75 Smoke-Infused Recipes from the Grill with Perfect Wine Pairings by Mary Cressler – a marvellous, grill-specific cookbook.
Natural Wine for the People by Alice Feiring – we think the biodynamic stuff goes particularly well with that essence of the grill.
The Food & Wine Guide to Perfect Pairings by the editors of Food & Wine – plenty of the recipes here focus on grilled food.
What is a great barbecue without a selection of hot sauces? Sure, the worst only call for a fire extinguisher, but the best? They transform grilled meats, with acidity cutting through the fat, chill heat bringing out the smoky notes, and the complexity of the finest hot sauces adding depth and intrigue to the spread, lifting the veggie dishes up, too.
For grilled meats, we particularly love:
Encona Hot Pepper Sauce – An elite hot sauce brand if ever there was one.
Chin Su– The thinking man’s Sriracha, Vietnamese chilli sauce Chin Su is bright, sharp, garlicky and with a credible kick. Smothered on banh mi in Vietnam, you’ll also find chin su accompanying all manner of grilled seafood in the country’s beach resorts.
Cholula Chipotle Hot Sauce – Ubiquitous, sure, but it does a job nonetheless. Smoky, spicy, fruity…we could enjoy Cholula chipotle hot sauce on pretty much anything, desserts included. This one is 100% vegetarian and vegan, but loses none of its swagger for being plant based.
A Restaurant Voucher To A Top London Grill Restaurant
Perhaps your grill loving companion prefers to eat barbecued food, rather than cooking it. As a generous gift, have you considered giving them a restaurant voucher to a top London grill restaurant?
In recent years, the grill scene in the capital has exploded, with foodies tired of plates which have been put together using tweezers. It seems that right now, diners are craving something more elemental. As a result, the popularity of food cooked over flames has risen exponentially.
Some of our favourite places to eat top ingredients kissed by fire, coal, wood and smoke are:
Brat – Chef Tomos Parry’s ode to his native Wales and the fish-over-flames cooking of the Basque country has resulted in one of the standout London restaurant openings of the last decade. Bring a couple of friends, and order the whole turbot.
Berber & Q – With two acclaimed restaurants, the Grill House and the Shawarma Bar, these guys specialise in the grilled foods of the Middle East and North Africa, with bold, zesty flavours taking centre stage. Incidentally, the Berber & Q Cookbook would make an excellent gift!
Cue Point – Billed as British Afghan fusion, the restaurant also does nationwide delivery of their meal kits, should attending the bricks and mortar London restaurant not be possible.
SMOKESTAK – Check out our review of the restaurant here
A Luxury BBQ Hamper For Couples
The couple who grills together, stays together, and a bespoke BBQ hamper makes for an utterly indulgent gift. Think beyond your standard supermarket offerings and seek out artisanal producers who specialise in premium barbecue fare.
Look for exclusive luxury hampers for couples gifts that feature dry-aged steaks from heritage breeds, handmade sausages infused with exotic spices, and perhaps some beautifully marbled wagyu burgers. The finest examples might include house-made rubs and marinades, charcoal-smoked sea salt, and a selection of wood chips for smoking. Many top-tier hampers also feature accompaniments like sourdough burger buns, fermented pickles, and small-batch BBQ sauces.
Perfect for couples who take their al fresco dining seriously, some even arrive in reusable wicker baskets that can be repurposed for summer picnics.
A Selection Of Premium Smoking Woods
The true BBQ aficionado knows that the choice of wood can make or break a grilled dish. A curated selection of smoking woods makes for a thoughtful gift that shows you understand the nuances of their craft.
Consider assembling a collection featuring apple wood for poultry, hickory for pork, oak for beef, and perhaps some more adventurous options like cherry wood for duck or alder for fish. Many specialist suppliers now offer sampler packs with wood chunks from sustainable sources, complete with tasting notes and pairing suggestions.
For around £30-50, you can put together a respectable selection that will have them experimenting with flavour profiles all summer long. Include a guide to wood and food pairings, and you’ve got yourself a gift that keeps on giving.
Sometimes the best gifts aren’t things at all, but experiences that create lasting memories. A professional BBQ masterclass offers the grill enthusiast in your life the chance to refine their techniques whilst picking up new skills from the experts.
Look for classes that cover everything from low-and-slow smoking techniques to high-heat searing, with plenty of hands-on practice. The best courses include topics like making your own rubs, understanding different cuts of meat, and mastering temperature control. Many also conclude with a feast where participants enjoy the fruits of their labour.
In London, venues like the London Barbecue School and Weber Grill Academy offer brilliant half-day and full-day courses ranging from £125 to £350 per person. Some even offer couples’ classes, making it a perfect date activity for BBQ-loving pairs. The knowledge gained will elevate their grilling game for years to come.
Summer holidays are on the horizon, and as we Brits prepare for our annual escape to sunnier climes, our empty homes become tempting targets for opportunistic intruders.
With break-ins typically increasing during the holiday season, ensuring your property remains secure while you’re away should be as essential to your pre-holiday checklist as remembering your passport.
The excitement of planning your getaway can easily overshadow the importance of home security, but returning to find unwelcome visitors have helped themselves to your belongings is guaranteed to shatter that post-holiday glow. Fortunately, with some thoughtful preparation and a few clever tricks, you can significantly reduce the risk of becoming a target.
Whether you’re heading to the Mediterranean for a fortnight or escaping to the countryside for a long weekend, these practical tips will help keep your home and possessions safe while you’re enjoying that well-deserved break.
Give The Impression That Someone’s Home
The old ‘leave a light on for a fortnight’ tip doesn’t work so well when the sun remains steadfastly up late into the evening, but there are still measures you can take to imply someone is home even when you’re on holiday.
Try to do so in a way which doesn’t use excessive electricity – we have an environment to think of, after all. The most common way for a burglar to evaluate your home prior to attempting a break-in is through ground floor windows or glass panelled doors. Firstly, make sure they’re locked tightly and securely prior to going on holiday. After that, it’s all a matter of leaving your home looking a little ‘lived in’ while you’re away.
Though no one wants to return from holiday to an untidy house, a big giveaway that the home is unoccupied is that it’s been left spotless for days. Instead, consider leaving the remnants of breakfast out (the mugs and cereal bowls – not the half finished croissant) to suggest people are around. Perhaps enhance the impression of activity by leaving the newspaper opened on the kitchen table – though it might be wise to obscure any obvious signs that it’s last week’s news!
A totally modern, totally nifty trick is to remotely play the sound of a dog barking through your smart stereo from time to time, controlled from afar via your smartphone.
You can also avoid the visual impression that the house is unoccupied in other ways…
Avoid Doorstep Pileups
Once upon a time, holidaying homeowners were most concerned by a collection of full milk bottles on the doorstep revealing that they were out. Of course, this advice could easily be modernised by applying the same logic to Amazon deliveries, – a build-up of stuff on your doorstep indicates either an extremely lazy resident lives here, a decomposing body lies inside, or more likely, no one is present.
As such, don’t order items from Amazon to arrive while you’re away – several sitting on the doorstep or piled up in the postbox will be an immediate giveaway that you’re elsewhere. You should also give directions for packages arriving from the Royal Mail, ASOS et al, to be placed in a secure, hidden location for the same reason.
Don’t Share Your Location Publicly
We understand that you’re keen to share snaps of your staycation to all your followers, but unless you’re scrupulous about your privacy settings, some of your social media accounts will likely be accessible to every burglar and his dog.
As such, you should be cautious about revealing (or even tagging) your exact location in photos you publish online, as you’ll be alerting the world to the fact that your house is unoccupied if you do so. Just as you can harness the power of tech to keep your house safer, so would-be burglars can use it to their advantage, too. Remember that.
Install Smart CCTV
Once the preserve of mafia bosses on the run from the law, domestic CCTV has gone mainstream, and recently, it’s also turned rather intelligent.
Installing cameras inside and out which can be monitored through your smartphone acts as both a deterrent and a way to keep your home safer. The best smart CCTV systems will send you alerts when there’s been a potential intruder, which doesn’t sound like much of a holiday for you, but may bring peace of mind, nonetheless.
Some smart CCTV systems can be aligned with motion sensor activated lights, enabling lights to come on around the home whenever a person is captured approaching the house. Or, of course, you could row back on the paranoia. Everything will be ok.
Everybody Needs Good Neighbourhood Watch
Enlisting the help of friendly neighbours to keep their peepers on proceedings in your absence is a good way of achieving a certain serenity while you’re away, as they can keep you posted on goings on.
Within reason, of course; ‘house still not burgled’ isn’t a necessary daily update while you’re tanning by the pool. Their presence though, for instance in your garden doing a bit of watering, can act as a deterrent to would-be burglars, as well as a source of supervision. Remember to give your neighbour a spare set of keys just in case they need access to the house.
If you’d rather not hand out a spare, consider upgrading your home security system with a smart lock door. These clever locks allow you to unlock the door remotely, using your smartphone from the comfort of your sun lounger. You can grant temporary access to your neighbours with expiring codes or set access codes for specific days and times.
Manage Your Garden & External Areas
Your garden can provide either cover for potential burglars or act as an additional deterrent. Ensure hedges and shrubs near windows and doors are trimmed back to eliminate hiding spots. Store away ladders, garden tools, and heavy objects that could be used to break windows or force entry.
Consider installing motion-activated garden lighting and keep pathways visible from the street – burglars prefer to work unseen, so good visibility from neighbouring properties and the road can be a powerful deterrent. If you have a garden gate, ensure it has a secure lock and consider adding a visible bell or alarm to deter casual intruders.
Don’t Neglect Your Outbuildings
I don’t know about you, but ‘don’t neglect your outbuildings’ sounds strangely obscene. You know what? So did ‘manage your garden and external areas’. But even more obscene is the lack of security afforded to these often valuable parts of the home…
Great segue, we think. Indeed, while securing your main home is essential, don’t forget those vulnerable outbuildings dotted around your garden. Sheds, garden rooms, and garages often house valuable tools, bikes, and garden equipment that are just as appealing to thieves as your indoor possessions.
These structures typically have less robust security than your house, making them easy targets for opportunistic burglars. Ensure all outbuildings have proper locks and consider installing battery-powered alarms that trigger when doors are opened. Motion-sensitive security lighting around these areas can also be an effective deterrent.
With Keyed Alike Padlocks, one key opens all your locks. Whether it’s your side gate, garage, storage unit, or shed, you’ll only need a single key. This practical system not only simplifies your life by reducing key clutter but also increases the likelihood that you’ll actually secure everything properly before departing.
Remember that tools stored in unsecured outbuildings could potentially be used to gain access to your main property, so securing these spaces isn’t just about protecting their contents – it’s an essential part of your overall home security strategy.
Secure Your Windows & Doors
We end with perhaps the most pertinent point of all, just so it’s fresh in your mind: Windows and doors are the primary entry points for burglars, with many break-ins occurring through unsecured openings. Before departing, double-check that all windows have functioning locks and are properly secured. Consider installing additional window locks, particularly on ground floor windows which are most vulnerable to opportunistic thieves.
For doors, ensure deadbolts are engaged and consider installing a door brace for added security on your main entrance. If you have a conservatory or garden doors, these typically have weaker security features and may benefit from additional reinforcement. Remember that even small bathroom windows can provide access to determined intruders, so don’t overlook these when securing your property.
The Bottom Line
Holiday security doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. A combination of common sense, a few smart gadgets, and some help from trusted neighbours can make all the difference. Taking a few hours to secure your property before departure is a small price to pay for the peace of mind that comes with knowing your home is protected. After all, the only surprise you want upon your return is how quickly your holiday tan starts to fade.
Most people have been brushing their teeth since they were old enough to stand on a step stool and reach the bathroom sink. It’s such a fundamental part of daily routine that many do it on autopilot – morning and night, without much thought to technique. Yet dental professionals across the UK continue to notice the same brushing mistakes cropping up time and time again. These seemingly minor slip-ups could be affecting dental health more than many realise.
Standing Not So Firm
Take the common misconception about toothbrush firmness. That firm-bristled toothbrush that seems like it would give teeth a proper clean? It might actually be doing more harm than good. Hard bristles can cause microscopic damage to both enamel and gums. The solution is to opt for soft, flexible bristles that can gently sweep away plaque while protecting dental health.
Pressure Drop
Pressure is another crucial factor to consider. Gripping the toothbrush like it’s a tool for scrubbing burnt lasagne off a casserole dish isn’t doing any favours. Plaque is surprisingly easy to remove; it’s thoroughness, not force, that gets the job done. A simple technique adjustment can help: holding the brush with just a thumb and two fingers naturally prevents applying too much pressure.
Take Your Two Minute Time
Time is another factor where improvement is often needed. Rushing through dental routines, especially on busy mornings, is a common habit. But cutting brush time from two minutes to one means potentially missing thousands of bacteria. Setting a timer or playing a favourite song while brushing can help ensure adequate cleaning time.
Three Months Is The Magic Number
The condition of the toothbrush itself is often overlooked. Even with perfect technique, a worn-out brush won’t do its job properly. The British Dental Association recommends replacing brushes every three months, or sooner if the bristles start looking frayed. A practical approach is to purchase replacement brushes in advance and mark the “start using” date on each one, taking the guesswork out of timing replacements.
Acid Trip
Counter-intuitively, it’s important to resist the urge to brush immediately after enjoying acidic foods or drinks. That glass of orange juice or evening wine temporarily softens tooth enamel, and brushing straight away can actually wear it down. The better approach is to rinse with water and wait half an hour before picking up the toothbrush. Sugar-free gum can help neutralise the acid while waiting.
Tooth Brushing Tekkers
As MaryleboneSmileClinic tell us so succinctly, “technique matters as much as timing.” Rather than keeping the brush parallel to the teeth (as most people do), positioning it at a 45-degree angle to the gumline makes a significant difference. It’s similar to sweeping under a rug – getting underneath that edge is essential for proper cleaning. This simple adjustment helps remove plaque from one of its favourite hiding spots: just beneath the gums.
Both Sides Now
When brushing does occur, it’s essential to give equal attention to all surfaces of the teeth – including the often-neglected tongue side. While it’s natural to focus on the visible surfaces, plaque doesn’t discriminate. Those hidden surfaces need just as much attention as the ones on display.
Rinse & Repeat? Think Again
One of the most counterproductive habits happens right after the brushing is done: immediately rinsing with water. While it feels natural to want a fresh, clean mouth, that post-brush rinse actually washes away the protective fluoride that’s just been applied to the teeth. Fluoride needs time to work its magic, forming a protective barrier against decay-causing bacteria.
Instead of rinsing straight away, simply spit out the excess toothpaste and leave it at that. For those who find the lingering taste uncomfortable, a small amount of fluoride mouthwash can be used as a final step – but even then, nothing should follow for at least 30 minutes. This small change in routine allows the fluoride to do what it does best: strengthen enamel and provide ongoing protection between brushing sessions.
The Bottom Line
These might seem like small adjustments to a daily routine, but their effects compound over time. Teeth are meant to last a lifetime, and a few mindful minutes each day is a small investment in long-term dental health. Different people have different dental needs, so consulting with a dental professional about personalised recommendations can help identify missed areas or necessary technique adjustments. Not ‘can’; it is, in fact, a must.
As every employer knows, a business is only as good as its team. And the more content, well rounded and educated that team is, the more productive they are too; what small business owner doesn’t want that?
Indeed, it seems there is no better way to encourage a sense of team unity and increased productivity than by being the most inspiring and responsible boss you can be. Here’s how; our 8 tips on becoming an employer that people want to work for.
Communication Is Key
No matter how big a company is, communication between an employer and employee should always be a priority. People need to feel included and being left in the dark when it comes to business creates dissatisfaction on a high level.
Keep your workforce up to date with company performance and goals. Let them know how important their role is, and that they’re not just a faceless cog in the machine. Value their opinion and their perspective, which is, needless to say, unique and should therefore be taken into consideration in order to improve the overall business strategy.
Practice assertive communication and try to have a personal approach with your employees. Showing you care about their wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of your firm creates a positive environment people will be happy to find themselves in.
Motivate & Manage
Leading a team is not an easy task, make no mistake. It’s imperative, then, that you learn how to effectively manage people; in doing so you’ll undoubtedly boost your business. Operational planning, finance, meetings, and travel arrangements are just some of the aspects of your business which require exceptional leadership skills.
Bonuses, perks and financial compensation are always welcome when it comes to motivation, but once your employees see that you are more than capable of running a solid, smooth operation, their loyalty will be earned.
Encourage Professional Development & Continuous Learning
In an ever-evolving business landscape, fostering an environment that prioritises professional development and continuous learning is paramount. As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure that your team does not stagnate in their current roles but rather, has ample opportunity to enhance their skill set and knowledge base.
Offering structured training programmes, sponsoring relevant courses, and encouraging attendance at industry conferences can all contribute to an employee’s professional growth. Moreover, by implementing mentorship schemes within your organisation, you can facilitate the sharing of expertise and experience, further enriching your team’s capabilities.
Remember, when your employees grow, they don’t just bring new skills to your business; they bring renewed enthusiasm and a fresh perspective that can invigorate your entire operation. By investing in their development, you’re not only bolstering their individual career prospects but also fortifying the future of your company.
In essence, when you champion the professional advancement of your employees, you create a win-win scenario: your team members feel valued and empowered, and your business reaps the benefits of a highly skilled and motivated workforce.
Be Flexible, Grant Freedom & Allow For Privacy
Setting down rules is one thing, but refusing to adjust them to your employees’ needs is quite another, and won’t get you anywhere when it comes to improving the efficiency of your workers. For members of your team, having that balance between work and family life is essential to job satisfaction, and if you don’t show signs of flexibility, the workforce will follow suit.
Instead, be open to alternative arrangements – working from home, flexible hours or working part-time. Not only will you show that you value their struggle to obtain a good work-life balance, but you will also demonstrate that you trust them to do quality work on their own terms.
Privacy, too, plays a crucial role in the workplace. It’s essential to create spaces where employees can work undisturbed when they need to focus, as well as ensuring that their personal data is handled with the utmost confidentiality. This respect for their private lives and personal information fosters trust and shows that you value them as individuals, not just as workers.
To truly embrace this ethos, consider implementing ‘quiet zones’ in the office where employees can work without interruption. Encourage the use of privacy screens and noise-cancelling headphones to help create personal space in open-plan offices. Moreover, be transparent about data policies, DBS and personnel checks, and any performance monitoring, and be diligent in protecting sensitive information to reassure your team that their privacy is a priority.
By granting freedom and ensuring privacy, you’re not only accommodating your employees’ needs but also empowering them to manage their own time and workload more effectively. This level of autonomy can lead to a more engaged and responsible workforce, as employees feel trusted to deliver results without micromanagement.
Support Financial Wellbeing & Security
In today’s tempestuous economic climate, supporting your employees’ financial wellbeing goes beyond simply paying a competitive salary. Progressive employers recognise that financial stress can significantly impact productivity, mental health, and overall job satisfaction. By implementing comprehensive financial wellness programmes, you demonstrate a genuine commitment to your team’s long-term security and peace of mind.
Consider offering a range of financial benefits that help employees make the most of their earnings. Salary saving schemes, for instance, can help staff build emergency funds or save for specific goals through automatic payroll deductions, often with preferential rates or employer contributions. Additionally, providing access to financial advisors, pension planning workshops, or even simple budgeting tools can empower your workforce to make informed decisions about their financial future.
When employees feel financially secure and supported, they’re more likely to remain loyal to your organisation and focus their energy on contributing to its success. By taking a holistic approach to compensation that includes both immediate rewards and long-term financial planning support, you position yourself as an employer who truly cares about the complete wellbeing of your team – not just their performance during working hours.
Listen, Listen, Listen
Great employers are great listeners. Do we need to repeat that? Good. The best are aware of the fact that they don’t have the answers to everything, and that all suggestions and insights are welcome and worth considering. Empathy plays a key role here.
When you really listen to your employees’ complaints or suggestions, you’ll be able to offer satisfactory and well thought out feedback; beneficial for everybody, we think. Furthermore, the mere fact that you show an interest in the opinion of your colleagues sends a message that you truly care about them. They’ll show a similar attitude in return.
Create A Positive Company Culture
Company culture is, to boil it down, the company’s personality. It represents a combination of the work environment, mission, ethics, expectations, and goals. Creating a positive company culture will make people want to be a part of your business. They’ll be proud to represent it and proud to help create and promote its products and services. Once the employees feel a positive attitude, they’ll feed it back and that’s how the positive company culture is both created and maintained. A symbiotic relationship, for sure.
As well as creating a positive company culture, encouraging cultural diversity, awareness, and sensitivity is absolutely essential in the modern, progressive workplace. This can be achieved through training.
The aim of cultural awareness training is to help people start the journey towards cultural intelligence (CQ). Cultural intelligence is the ability to interact effectively with people from other cultures. It involves understanding the customs and values of other cultures and being able to adjust your own behaviours accordingly.
Always Allow Room For Growth
Employees need to feel that they’re making progress. Growth in a business environment is immensely important if you want your workers to feel like they matter. The work they do adds to their experience and qualifications, and rewarding their dedication will motivate them to be better, work harder, and thus add to the company’s health and employee wellbeing. Because let’s face it; moving up the career ladder is always a good incentive, making the employee feel valued and appreciated. And that’s what it’s all about, right?
