Kate Lloyd

Corfu is a little different to the other beloved Greek islands (geography plays its part), but this slice of paradise is inundated with annual visitors for good reason. The landscape is luxurious and leafy, brimming with olive trees and fruit groves, giving Corfu a verdant feel that is easy to get lost in. The good kind of lost, obviously, although the ever-present shimmering cerulean of the Ionian Sea means you are never truly lost.What are the best things to do on Corfu? Well, be on Corfu for a start, but there is plenty to get your teeth into on this beautiful island. Gorgeous architecture, stunning walks, idyllic beaches and ornate palaces headline, but the beauty of Corfu arguably lies in the spaces. You’re going to love this place. Greece at its absolute finest.

Fancy feeling like a king or queen for the weekend? The UK is the castle capital of the world, and luckily for us, many are available to stay the night in. These beautiful historic mansions offer a rare chance to live out your fairytale dreams and escape the stresses of everyday life – whatever that fairy tale may be. Need to let your hair down? Check out the stunning Rapunzel-esque tower in County Down. Scheduling some bonding time with seven mates? Head to a cosy fourthteenth-century Snow White-style pad in Argyll and Bute. Feel like finally living out your Little Mermaid fantasies? Take a look at the glorious waterside castle in sunny Devon. Whether you stick to a single room or get the girls together for an opulent group getaway, you’re pretty much guaranteed a royally good night’s sleep. We can’t guarantee there’ll be no peas under your mattress, though... Book yourself a night (or two, or three) in one of the many UK castles that you can stay at. You know you deserve it. Or, if you fancy something a little closer to nature, here are 13 amazing UK treehouses you can actually stay in. RECOMMENDED:🏠 Great Airbnbs for large groups in the UK🤏 Tiny but perfectly formed UK hideaways🏡 Cabins and cottages to book now for autumn🌳 Amazing treehouses in the UK you can actually stay in⛰️ Outdoorsy UK getaways to help you reconnect with nature

Kent isn’t all about the coastal charms of Margate and Ramsgate. Canterbury serves up the ideal day trip from the capital – the high-speed train from St Pancras takes less than an hour to get here – and rewards those who come with superb food, great nightlife and, of course, a long history visible in its incredible architecture. The cathedral is the big draw, the seat of the Anglican church, not to mention one of England’s finest buildings. It was here that Thomas Becket, the city’s archbishop, was infamously murdered in 1170, the start of a cult of personality which lasts until this day. The cathedral was also the destination of the pilgrims in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The latter is impossible to escape as you walk these storied streets. It’s not all religious and bloody history, though. Whether you want weapons-grade coffee, the very best produce from the area or brunch to soothe a hangover after a night at one of Canterbury’s excellent pubs, you’ll be well catered for.

The Walkie Talkie. The Gherkin. The Shard. These striking structures (and their silly names) dominate our city’s skyline. But while they might have a bit of a height advantage, they’re not the only buildings worth shouting about. Our list of the city’s best buildings showcases the city’s unique mix – from the iconic to the unsung. We asked a group of experts to tell us about the London architecture that means most to them. London’s buildings aren’t just slabs of concrete or bricks and mortar – they tell the stories of our city’s history. Our top 50 list reflects that. There’s the Jewel Tower – one of the few remaining parts of the medieval Palace of Westminster, the Brutalist beauty of the Hayward Gallery and an NCP car park that’s surprisingly aesthetically pleasing. In fact, you’ll find plenty of under-the-radar stuff in our top 50: council estates, pubs, tube stations. Everyone knows that London is filled with amazing buildings, but not everyone knows where to look beyond the architectural icons. Use our list to get out there and explore the city. With thanks to: Sadiq Khan, Monica Ali, Camille Walala, Anna Eavis, Lucy Inglis, Olivia Laing, Zoe Timmers, Allan Hinton, Tamsie Thomson, Jane Duncan, Architects for Social Housing and Professor Alan Penn

Romantic relationships get all the love in movies, but it’s high time we give it up for the friendship flicks. After all, not everyone has been in love, but most of us have bro’d down and/or girl-crushed at some point in our lives – or at least, felt a fleeting connection with Colin from accounting while waiting for the microwave in the breakroom. Whatever the case, good friends are just as important as great lovers, in the real world and onscreen. So let’s high-five and celebrate our staff picks for cinema’s best BFFs.   Recommended: 🤣 The 100 best comedy movies💓 The 100 best romantic movies of all-time✍ The 100 best animated movies of all-time

Europe’s most exciting city? Plenty of spots can make an argument, but few are as fully fleshed as Amsterdam. The Dutch capital is the continent’s ultimate eclectic rabbit hole, a bustling beauty of history, culture, entertainment and the rest. The best things to do in Amsterdam cover everything from genre-defining museums to a world-famous nightlife and party scene, with vibrant markets and beautiful cafes to boot. The Dutch capital is whatever you want it to be, and it is always awesome, whether you are wandering around in the morning or throwing some shapes in the night.  Recommended: The best Airbnbs in Amsterdam Recommended: The best hotels in Amsterdam

So you like ice cream, eh? You're not special. We're all big babies waiting for a little bit of sweet, cold milk to numb the pain of being alive. (Even if for some of us it does have to be dairy-free milk.) In fact, over the past few days half-out-of-lockdown-London has experienced massive queues for our cities best ices. Even bigger than the queues around our city for Gail's bakeries a few months ago. Want to make sure that the cone you're standing in line for is worth the 30-40 minute wait ahead of you? Look no further. We've asked ice cream experts from around our office for their favourite places to lick 99ers, chomp on ice cream sarnies, feast on sundaes and neck a scoop or two of premium gelato. The resulting list? Your ultimate guide to ice cream in the city, featuring Yolkin (best known for its ace ice-cream sandwiches), Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream (a  Filipino take on the subject) and much-loved Gelateria Danieli in Richmond. Then there’s Grom, which is the first London outpost of an Italian chain; family-run Cremoloso Gelato, which does the business for Earlsfield locals; and Hackney’s Black Milq, which flies the flag for vegan ice cream. Check out our sticky-fingered guide to the best cold stuff in the capital. If you'd rather tuck into another cold snack then why not check out our lists of best frozen treats, scoops, ice lollies and ice-cream sandwiches?

There are lots of world-class music festivals happening only a tube ride away from most Londoners. And that, people, is a real luxury. After a long day of sun and debauchery, there’s nothing better than a nice hot shower and your own bed. Haha, who are we kidding? With headliners from underground electronic DJs to massive international bands and rap stars, loads of 2022 London festivals are selling out. So if you’ve yet to book, get cracking.  RECOMMENDED: The best 2022 UK music festivals.

Finally, summer in the city is back to something like normal after two years of social distancing, lockdowns and cancellations. Queuing for Wimbledon tickets? It’s back. The London Pride parade? It’s making a return. Notting Hill Carnival? The sound systems are being prepped. Getting sweaty in a teeming crowd at a festival? You bet. Yep, all the great pillars of Great British Summertime are with us again.  But don’t be fooled into spending the sunny season going to a mediocre event just because all your mates are doing it. You aren’t a sheep, are you? You’re a glossy sheepdog, and a very handsome one at that. Instead, come here to us, Time Out. We’re your wisest, oldest friends and we’re here to guide you towards the best that London’s got going on over the next few months. And we’re starting with this list of all the good summer stuff that you really can’t miss. Recommended: You, outside, right now! It’s the very best of outdoor London. 

The foodie capital of Wales? This charmer makes a compelling argument, and it is no great surprise that many of the best things to do in Abergavenny revolve around eating. We aren’t complaining, grub here is delicious, and visitors routinely find themselves making excuses for extra servings. Don’t fight it, just loosen the belt and get to eating.Known as the Gateway to Wales, Abergavenny is perfect for hiking, cycling and climbing, brilliant ways to work off the calories. The market is tremendous, and the castle isn’t far behind, making Abergavenny the sort of town that showcases everything that makes wonderful Wales so, erm, wonderful. RECOMMENDED: The best of the best in Cardiff and around

No film genre ages worse than comedy. A great drama will resonate through the ages. A well-orchestrated action flick will make viewers’ eyes pop forever, and a truly horrifying movie will scare viewers until the sun explodes. But what’s funny in 1922 might land with a thud in 2022. That’s to say nothing of varying tastes in humour. One person’s laugh riot is another’s ‘I don’t get it?’. That makes coming up with the best comedy films of all time tricky. In considering the movies on this list, we had to ask ourselves: what makes a truly great comedy? There’s many criteria, but one of the most important is the question of: ‘Is this film still funny now, and will it still be funny five years, ten years… a century from now?’ With the help of comedians like Diane Morgan and Russell Howard, actors such as John Boyega and Jodie Whittaker and a small army of Time Out writers, we believe we’ve found the 100 finest, most durable and most broadly appreciable laughers in history. No matter your sense of humour - silly or sophisticated, light or dark, surreal or broad - you’ll find it represented here.  Recommended: 🔥 The 100 best movies of all-time🥰 The greatest romantic comedies of all time🤯 33 great disaster movies😬 The best thriller films of all-time🌏 The best foreign films of all-time

If you squint, it kind of looks like a Renaissance painting…  Bad Boy Chiller Crew’s Gareth Kelly (aka GK) is lying in the middle of a road on the edge of Covent Garden, belly out and mouth open, like an overindulging king. Looming over him is his bandmate Sam ‘Clive’ Robinson – his mullet poking out from beneath a novelty jester hat – pouring a stream of Stella over his mate’s face. A passing school trip looks shocked. Someone puts down their Pret to take a picture. It’s 2pm. If this was an ordinary magazine interview with an ordinary band, a moment like this would be a total coup. But for Bad Boy Chiller Crew, it’s just business as usual.  Photograph: Jess Hand Proper pop stars Over the last three years, the trio of Bradford twentysomethings have become an unlikely pop phenomenon. They’ve found their niche pumping out serotonin-inducing rave music, rapping over relentless bassline beats to make records that evoke sticky superclub carpets and £1 drink deals. Their lyrics are funny: ‘PC Plonker, drives like my grandad’. Their social-media channels are full of comedy skits and ‘Jackass’-style prank videos that might have popped up on LadBible back in the day. (GK’s heroes are ‘Little Britain’, Peter Kay and Keith Lemon.) Depending on who you ask, the tracksuit-clad gang are either 2022’s vom-flecked answer to parody group Goldie Lookin’ Chain or transgressive pioneers, bringing northern council estate culture to the mainstream. Whatever they’re doing, it’s working. Single ‘D

Caravel is a restaurant on a boat, but don’t expect any ahoying. It’s on a boat with a vibe so distinctly unboaty that you’ll forget you’re floating on Regent’s Canal until the moment you need to climb back on to dry land to pop to the loo. (The only ones are in its sister restaurant next door, whose jetty picnic tables make a great spot for a pre-dinner, Haribo-tasting, rum ’n’ coke old-fashioned, FYI.)  Until then, you’ll feel more like you’re at the kind of local bistro that might be used as the set of a classic London romcom. The walls are painted dark green and tilt inwards, cocooning each table. Service isn’t rushed. Tables aren’t crammed in. An open doorway at the back of the boat allows for nosy glimpses of the surprisingly chill kitchen. (When I visited, Eric Clapton blared out from there towards the end of the night.)  If you’re a fan of St John, Jolene or Rochelle Canteen then you’re probably going to love the menu here. Caravel is run by brothers Fin and Lorcan Spiteri, the sons of two of London’s most renowned restaurateurs (mum Melanie Arnold is the co-founder of Rochelle Canteen and dad Jon Spiteri is the co-founder of Session Arts Club). The brothers have racked up an impressive CV; they’ve worked at some of London’s biggest restaurants including Quo Vadis, Oldroyd and 69 Colebrooke Row. Overall? Caravel is, in my opinion, the best date restaurant I’ve ever been to Now, they’ve taken over a restored barge next door to Studio Kitchen. The food is a run of prop

Football, it’s good. If you’re a fan of the beautiful game then you’ll probably be interested to hear about this new exhibition in Hoxton. Football Crazy, Football Mad will run from Nov 18-21 at Hoxton Arches and is the work of creative agency Patterns of Play. The plan? A look at the intersections of football, art and design around the world. Thirty artists will be displaying pieces – so expect a good show. And, in case the whole thing leaves you gagging for a kick-about, the whole thing is reasonably near the astro at Haggerston Park

If any generation knew how to throw a party it was the lads and lasses in ‘70s New York. If they weren’t lounging about on a large white horse, they were roller-skating through the city in glittering gowns. Or you know… something like that?! Anyway, the team at the Jellied Eel are bringing the spirit of that tremendous era to Leyton for a Studio 54-inspired immersive dining experience. On the menu? Fondue, laced with Champagne. Cocktails, laced with Champagne. And also, you guessed it, Champagne, straight up. It’s all happening at new warehouse space Patchworks, which will be decked out like a Manhattan loft party for the whole of the festive season – think fur rugs, a vintage wood burner and a disco ball, with a massive retro campervan and director’s private room that serve as VIP spaces. Performances from musicians, singers and a world-class circus performer are promised too. 

Crystal Palace Park is becoming home to a load of dogs in their finest Christmas gear in November. If that won't get you feeling festive, we don't know what will. This year's Dog-Fest will feature Santa Paws Dog Walks, a Christmas-themed dog show, a so-called Dogstacle Course and a Santa Dash, where London's most competitive pups will test their speed, racing over hay bales. There'll be mulled wine and hot chocolate on offer as well as a chance to get a Christmas card portrait with your pooch.   

You know those NOW! CDs you had as a kid? Well, the Southbank Centre is taking that concept and turning it into an event for Christmas this year. Except, rather than the music being played out of a tinny '00s CD player, it's going to get performed in the Royal Festival Hall by an orchestra and a choir. Capital Voices will be running through contents of 'NOW that's what I call Christmas' on December 10. Think: 'Fairytale of New York'; 'Last Christmas'; 'All I want for Christmas' and more.

Before I tell you any more about my trip to Brutto, I need to get The Giant Mural out of the way. A frenzied painting of a blue, three-eyed man, a gorilla with a port glass, Keith Lemon (?!) and many other surreal things getting sucked into a black hole. I sat facing it for three hours and hated it. No work of restaurant art has ever left me feeling so unsettled, which is a shame because everything else about my visit to the big Tuscan-inspired trattoria was so relaxed it was almost meditative. So, I’m going to pretend the mural doesn’t exist and won’t mention it again.  Brutto is the latest opening from Russell Norman, who founded Polpo (that Soho Italian small-plates spot known for really good spritzes). It’s on one of those streets near Smithfield that looks like the set of ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’, but the vibe inside is much more ‘a restaurant that the love interests from an ’80s New York romcom would go to’ than ‘a hangout for Scrooge and Tiny Tim’. It’s wood-panelled and moodily lit – even at lunch time. The tablecloths are gingham, light fittings have napkins flopped over them and walls are pastel green and dotted with art that Norman collected while researching the space. Meanwhile, a soundtrack of soul and Neil Young made sure things stayed very, very chilled while I was there. (At one point I spotted one of the bar staff dancing and whistling along to ‘Harvest Moon’ between orders.) My pal and I kicked off our lunch with three lots of St John bread. Like every

Last year, Crafty Fox’s Christmas markets went online only. Now they’re back in business. You’ll be able to make small talk over scented candles once more! Expect to find bespoke homeware, art, cards and other lovingly made stocking fillers at the events coming up at the The Department Store in Brixton, The Crossing and Mercato Metropolitano. Or you can buy all the felt pieces and beads you need to make them yourself. If 2021 isn’t the year of your handmade Christmas presents, it’s never going to happen.

If you’re looking for just a classic, massive Halloween knees-up, this party at the Troxy should definitely be on your hit list. It’s a fancy dress fiesta promising an immersive experience filled with ghouls, ghosts and zombies. There’ll be loads of special drinks and there’s also a cash prize for the best dressed. And you can expect proper house party vibes – it’s all being pulled together by a promoter called Matt’s BBQ who started out running literally BBQs for his mates and has since put on massive raves in Jamaica and Ibiza.     

  Since last year’s Halloween was an extremely tame seated affair for us all, why not go all out for 2021 with a trip to Europe’s biggest touring Halloween show. The Festival of the Dead is pulling up at the Troxy on Oct 23 and it's bringing a boat load of party vibes with it. Think: circus performances, clubbing and carnival all mixed up into one extremelty high-octane witch's brew. And the music? Rock, metal and the dark side of dnb and electronic.  

When most Londoners get decked out in Halloween fancy dress, it’s usually because they’re heading out to a party, going out trick-or-treating or because they work at The London Dungeon. Not the models at this October 31 life-drawing sesh. They’re donning neon body paint and costumes – think: creepy clown and zombie outfits – for a special sketching class this spooky season. You’ll have a couple of hours to capture their deathly appearances before the venue, bar The Jago, switches from artist’s studio back to booze central. You can buy tickets to just the sketching class or to both that and the subsequent Halloween knees-up. It goes on until 3am.   

What’s spookier than chowing down on a two-course brunch to some sexy garage classics? Some might say... quite a lot?! But if your idea of celebrating spooky season is less ‘dressing up as a swamp monster and watching every “Saw” movie b2b’ and more ‘popping on some cat ears and dancing to some very good music’ you're in luck. House and Garage Brunch promises games, DJ sets, dancing and bottomless rum punch plus a burger, fries and a chocolate brownie for every guest. Vegan options available.   

Claiming to be the world's only ‘vampire pizza bar’, Lost Boys Pizza is hosting a whole weekend of halloweeny stuff. Expect four costume balls held over the course of October’s spookiest weekend. Tickets cost £40 and includes shots, pizza and three cocktails per person. You can book tables for two, four and six people and the grand prise for best fancy-dressed? Tickets to a movie screening with pizza and prosecco for you and up to 12 friends. It's unclear when the vampires will show up.    

Sick of everyone else’s lockdown pasta looking better than yours? It’s time to step away from the easy gnocchi recipe you found on BBC Good Food and delete all your Bon Appétit tabs (although this chickpea and tomato brothy pasta is very delicious. Strongly recommend).  The main player of the pasta game has unleashed a recipe for a beige meal so flavourful it’s been a Time Out hype dish. Yes, Padella has revealed the secret to its iconic pici cacio e pepe. You can read the full recipe below, but here are some tips our writer Bobby Palmer found out when he chatted to chef-owner Tim Siadatan about how to make the big dog of Italian noodle bowls:  ‘The key to any unctuous sauce is pasta water. If you combined the cooked pici, cheese and butter without it, it would split and be nasty. The water helps the fat melt properly. Traditional cacio e pepe uses only pecorino, but we use a Neal’s Yard Dairy aged parmesan too. They use it for cheese plates and think we’re mad for putting it in a sauce.’  Pici cacio e pepe Serves 4 For the pici Ingredients 375g white bread flour180ml water1 tablespoon olive oilPinch fine sea salt Process Add the flour to a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Mix together the water, olive oil and salt and pour into the well. Start incorporating the flour into the water-olive oil-salt mixture until a dough starts to form. Once it forms, take the dough out, transfer to a clean table and start kneading it until it becomes smooth. With a rolling pin, sha

This week sees one year since the WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic. To mark the anniversary, Time Out is looking back at the past year in cities around the world, and ahead to what the future could hold. We could be wrong here, but we’re pretty certain that London’s chefs and restaurateurs never signed up to become contestants on ‘The Apprentice (But It’s Actually Your Whole Life for a Year)’. Although that’s probably what the past 12 months have felt like for them. Since the pandemic kicked off last March, each month has brought new and impossible challenges for these knife-wielding saints. It’s like Lord Sugar (appropriately) has been stood behind them all year yelling ‘Launch a food charity FROM SCRATCH!’, ‘Start making impossibly fiddly desserts as TAKEAWAYS!’, ‘Become a SHOPKEEPER!’, ‘Invent a thing called DIY MEAL KITS!’. The prize for the restaurants that succeeded? Simply keeping their business alive. This feature is a tribute to all those cooks and business owners who have had to fight so hard over the past year. We asked some of London’s restaurant top dogs – from Yotam Ottolenghi to Angela Hartnett – to share one personal photo that sums up the past 12 months for them. The results are a touching insider glimpse at their creativity, struggle and community spirit.   Photograph: Time Out   1. Yotam Ottolenghi, NOPI ‘A bunch of our chefs from Ottolenghi and the NOPI kitchens are pictured here after a busy afternoon cooking for kids at Manorfields Primary school. Who

Saiphin Moore, founder of Rosa’s Thai, first cooked a massaman curry for a dinner party when she was living in Hong Kong. ‘Because I was from the north of Thailand,’ she says, ‘I didn’t grow up with this dish as it’s more popular in the south. Over the years, I've perfected the recipe and I have been using it ever since.’ Now the dish is one of the most popular on the menu at the East End restaurant. This is how you make it at home.  Beef massaman curry What you need to buy 1⁄2 teaspoon cumin.Five cardamom pods.Five cloves.One small cinnamon stick (or 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon).Two tablespoons vegetable oil.Two generous tablespoons massaman curry paste.Three bay leaves.One medium onion, roughly chopped.400ml coconut milk, plus extra to serve.One teaspoon caster sugar.Two tablespoons Thai fish sauce (use two teaspoons of salt instead for a vegetarian version).Two tablespoons tamarind paste.One potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces.200g beef sirloin, cut into bite-sized pieces. (You can swap the beef for a firm tofu, and cut into one-inch chunks for a veggie-friendly version.)Two tablespoons of beef or vegetable stock (optional).Two tablespoons roasted cashew nuts.Five pieces of chopped pineapple.Sea salt.Steamed rice, to serve. What you need to do 1. Roast the cumin, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in a dry frying pan set over a medium heat, stirring continuously for a few minutes, until their aroma fills the air. Crush the spices using a pestle and mortar and set asi

Londoners. Nice people, aren’t we? That was proven this weekend when hundreds of us queued outside the White Eagle Club in Balham to donate supplies to Ukrainian refugees arriving in Poland. The donations were offered up in response to a request on social media, and piles of supplies built up at the London Polish venue, including pillows and duvets, clothes, toys and sanitary products. ‘The response is great,’ Magda Harvey, the club’s owner, told PA. ‘People are really helping. And it’s not just Polish people that are coming and bringing stuff. It’s amazing,’ she said. ‘People that are crossing the border have just got a small backpack and maybe a small suitcase and what they are wearing. They’ve got nothing.’ The club is still collecting donations for the people of Ukraine, with drop-off times from 9am to 7pm, Tuesday to Thursday and 10am to 5pm on Sundays. The address is 211 Balham High Road, SW17 7BQ. Right now, wanted items include helmets, torches, batteries, plasters, black bin bags, drones, bulletproof vests, binoculars, knee protectors, portable generators, walkie-talkies, wound dressings, army clothes and first aid kits. You can find a full list here.    At the White Eagle Polish Club in Balham to drop off some things for Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Looks like half of London got there before me ❤️🇺🇦🇵🇱🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/D9A4ZyCKKd — Darren Hague (@dhague) February 27, 2022 At the White Eagle Club in Balham. People are being so generous & donating loads.BUT

The winner of Time Out’s Clash of the Slices has been revealed. Yard Sale beat Pizza Pilgrims in the final of the knockout tournament, which finished on Time Out’s Instagram Stories this morning. The vote came after nine days of competition between some of London’s most popular pizzerias. Sixteen venues – Franco Manca, Pizza Union, Mike’s, Firezza, Voodoo Ray’s, Santa Maria, Pizza Pilgrims, Theo’s, Yard Sale, Zia Lucia, Gordo’s, Rudy’s, Four Hundred Rabbits, ICCO, Homeslice and L’Antica Pizzeria de Michele – all took part. Readers voted for their favourites through group stages, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Yard Sale Pizza (@yardsalepizza) There were many close rounds throughout the tournament (Santa Maria, for example, mobilised its cult-like following to beat pizzerias with much bigger operations in London). The final was the closest head-to-head of all though. Pizza Pilgrims created videos, sent newsletters and enlisted the support of stars like Andi Peters to try and secure a win. Meanwhile Ed Gamble backed Yard Sale, whose bosses sent a text out to all its fans encouraging them to vote. The result? The sourdough slingers beat the Neapolitan boys by just four votes: 4,566 to 4,562. A trophy’s in the post to our Clash of the Slices champion. In the meantime we want to express our gratitude to all the brilliant pizzerias that took part. It was so much fun and we hope to bring it back, bigger and

First up, we should point out that this is a safe space for pancake orderers. Sure, not making your own on Pancake Day is a pretty lazy move. They require roughly three ingredients and about 10 minutes of your time to make. But we’re not here to judge. We’re here to enable. If you want to spend your hard-earned cash on perfect takeaway pancakes or a bougie pancake meal kit then we say go for it. You deserve it. These are unprecedented times after all. But if you are going to order pancakes on March 1, at least get yourself some good ones.  Where The Pancakes Are You’d have to be pretty obsessed with pancakes to open a restaurant dedicated to them. And the good folk at Where The Pancakes Are certainly are. They’ve launched a series of £45 Pancake Day meal kits for half-arsed (and cash-rich) pancake makers around the city. They come with everything you need to make fancy buttermilk pancakes, plus your choice of toppings from blueberries or bacon and Canadian maple syrup. A good (if expensive) treat.  Polo Bar This legendary Liverpool Street caff is doing a special series of pannies to celebrate this year’s PD. They’re opening up their pancake hatch and will be available from February 23-March 1 on Deliveroo and Uber Eats and cost around £11. Expect super-decadent toppings like sticky toffee pudding, banoffee and Lotus biscuit and cookies and cream. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Breakfast Club Cafs (@thebrekkyclub) The Breakfast Club You

In the era of the posh takeaway, status subs, chunky ciabattas and whopping focaccia are the new kings. In fact, our city is awash with tasty sarnies right now. Here are some of the best for your discerning tastebuds. And if you're in the market for a bit of imaginary globe-trotting, do check out The Big Site's list of the best sandwiches in the whole entire world.  1. Cold Cuts from Dom's Subs What’s on it? Bresaola, gabagool, salami, mortadella, provolone, vinegar peppers, lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise on a semolina sub roll. Your eyes are not deceiving you: This Cold Cuts sub (£10) from Dom's Subs deploys a quartet of meat – from ruby red bresaola and nut-studded mortadella to Tony Soprano-approved gabagool and peppery salami. The veg accessories add much-needed crunch and acidity, while the chewy semolina roll ensures no ingredient goes rogue. It’s the kind of sub that requires some mouth stretches before you dive in. London is very much a sandwich city, and Dom’s is now our leader. 2. Dusty Knuckle's Veggie Option What’s on it? Pumpkin seed tahini, coriander and lime chutney - salad of mixed soft herbs and pickled red onions. At some point in Lockdown 1 (don’t ask us when, time is blurry) Time Out’s art director posted a picture of a takeaway sandwich on the office Slack that caused uproar. It was giant. It was crusty. It looked so, so delicious. And it was from the Dusty Knuckle bakery of ginormous crusty potato sourdough fame. The socially conscious spot (in Dalsto

‘Emily in Paris’ star Lily Collins announced on her Instagram yesterday that the show has been renewed for two more seasons. You might wonder why that is news that we, Time Out London, would cover, considering the show follows an American marketing exec who moves to Paris, France, not London, England. Well, it’s because Season 2 ended with lots hanging in the balance. Emily was choosing between staying in Paris and returning to Chicago, while her British crush Alfie had just moved back to London. It left viewers asking: what if she followed him back to Blighty for Season 3? Well, we’ve imagined just that…  Scene 1 [EXT: THE MALL, DAY]  ‘Get out of the bleedin’ way!’ Emily has just stepped out of Heathrow Airport. It’s commuter time and The Mall is chockablock with red buses and black cabs as gloomy Londoners try to make their way to work. It’s pouring with rain. She’s here for business – pitching a campaign to important British tea brand PG Tips – but also pleasure: will she be able to make it to The City to track down former banker beau Alfie before she flies back to Paris, France?  Scene 2 [INT: BLACK CAB, DAY]  Emily’s driver takes a shortcut to her meeting via Wimbledon tennis club, Tower Bridge, trendy Dalston, the Houses of Parliament and Snaresbrook.  Scene 3 [INT: CAFÉ, DAY]  Emily arrives at a caff in Leicester Square, orders a pot of tea and Instagrams it with the caption ‘exciting things brewing!’.  Scene 4 [INT: CAFÉ, DAY] God, Emily feels stupid. Here she is, dre

Reports of sexual assault in London clubs, bars, pubs and music venues reached their highest levels since 2016 last year. That’s despite venues being closed or under strict social-distancing guidelines for six months of 2021. Information requested by Time Out’s staff writer Chiara Wilkinson from the Metropolitan Police revealed that there were 207 reports of sexual assault between January 1 and October 31 last year and a further 29 reports of rape in London nightlife venues. Overall, reports of rape and sexual assault in London venues have increased by almost one fifth since 2016. It’s unclear whether this is due to a rise in reporting or prevalence. These statistics reflect a national rise in reported rapes. The Office for National Statistics found that the number of rape offences in the year ending June 2021 was the highest ever recorded, with a spike between April and June. Nick Stripe, the head of crime statistics at the ONS, told the Guardian that this might be because high-profile cases and campaigns encouraged victims to come forward. He said: ‘Prior to the pandemic, the number of police-recorded sexual offences was well below the number of victims estimated by the Crime Survey for England & Wales, with fewer than one in six victims of rape or assault by penetration reporting the crime to the police.’ Bryony Beynon, co-founder of Good Night Out, a campaign to improve responses to sexual assault in venues through staff training, told Time Out: ‘There’s going to be a mi

Forget the politicians, we all know that it’s the city’s animals that are really in charge in London. But which 2021 critter was the most powerful? This is our very scientific and indisputable list: Image: Time Out 6. This cat We’re not saying this is Sam from ‘Postman Pat’ IRL, but it is black and white and it did sneak into a postman’s van. Can’t argue with evidence. Image: Time Out 5. Beavers The biggest comeback of 2021? Not Adele’s. London’s beavers’. They were reintroduced in Tottenham after being extinct there for 400 years. Good one, lads. Image: Time Out 4. This baby sloth Born at London Zoo, this weird-looking dude was named Terry, after a long-serving zookeeper. He’ll be literally hanging around there for a while. Go say hi. Image: Time Out 3. Sharks Tope, starry smooth hound and spurdog: not the members of London’s newest TikTok skate crew, the shark species that have found home in the Thames. Image: Time Out 2. Ravens All hail our goth bird rulers! In 2021, the ravens of the Tower of London ensured their reign would long to continue with the birth of two baby ravens. Image: Time Out 1. This huge crab Wouldn’t want to get into an arm wrestling match with this boss. 12 inches wide, the large-pincered big boi was found in Teddington’s Bushy Park. No-one knows why. Go in search of more powerful creatures at London’s best city farms.

We're closing off 2021 re-sharing some of our favourite pieces of the year. In March, we ranked London's restaurant mascots. It was a very serious endeavour.  The other day I was walking down Hackney Road and a thought crossed my mind that I just couldn’t shake. It was one of those moments that some people might describe as ‘the catalyst of genius’ or ‘typical of a highly intellectual and serious journalist’. But please don’t, I’m too shy for that kind of praise. Anyway, the thought: ‘Who would win in a fight: the Dom’s Subs sub mascot or the Yard Sale pizza-box dog?’ Would the sub’s superior reach be a difference-maker? Can the dog hold a pizza cutter in its paw, to use as a deadly weapon? Or would the dog just grab the sub by the bun and chuck him to a fiery death in the oven? Then I started to think about how a whole wave of new London restaurants have mascots. (It’s a thing now, to have a little dude or dudette who appears on your merch and on your delivery packaging.) And then I thought some more about which ones looked hard and which ones didn’t. And that’s how we ended up here, with our new annual power ranking of London’s restaurant mascots. It’s like the Forbes Power List but much tougher to get on, in that you have to be a cartoon connected to an eating establishment. Some notes before we get started. Our decisions about ranking placements were made fairly via criteria including Mascot Vibe, Mascot Body Build and Mascot Weapons. Decisions were made by a respected pa

It’s all got a bit bad again, hasn’t it? With Covid cases rising rapidly in London and lots of us starting to isolate so that we don’t get sick over Christmas, our city’s venues are looking decidedly empty. Some have even closed. Forza Wine, for example, shut on December 15 to protect its customers and staff. Its owner Bash Redford, revealed to Time Out that doing so has lost the wine bar more than 1,000 bookings between now and the end of the year. ‘We had two more positive cases this morning, which we could have gotten through on a skeleton staff, but we would’ve been broken, it’s just not worth it. We had to make the call to protect staff and our customers. If we don’t, no one’s going to be able to get home for Christmas.’ Redford said. If you’re feeling worried about the future for your faves but are nervous to head out for food or booze right now, you’ve come to the right place: we’re spending the next few days rounding up all the stuff you can buy to support London’s restaurants and bars. From brilliant merch and foodie bits to vouchers and meal kits, all these things make excellent last-minute Christmas presents for friends (and treats for yourself).  Foodstuff Today Bread sourdough starter, £3 Made from 200 percent hydration wholemeal rye. Dishoom house chai, £16 The same Masala Chai you get given in the queue for the Indian mini chain but in a tin to make at home.  Lina Stores pasta hamper, £65 Rigatoni, bucatini, trofie and some very good olive oil and passata.  Thr