London food

London food

Public institutions, from hospitals to museums, are the most international communities, both in the workforce and in those who visit. It's something that became obvious to us when we were cooking our globally inspired meals for frontline workers at Kings College Hospital, London, during the pandemic.

The shutdown will affect both London Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations from Sunday 26th July to Sunday 16th August 2026, along with some additional weekend closures either side of the main works. During the closure, no trains will serve either station while engineers replace almost two kilometres of 36-year-old track, rebuild sections of platform at Charing Cross, upgrade drainage systems and carry out structural repairs to both the Waterloo East pedestrian bridge and the Hungerford railway bridge over the Thames.

110 Queen's Walk was London's City Hall until 2021, but for the last five years it has sat empty, and its famous glass windows have been removed, leaving behind a metal shell.

The brand is taking over vegan tattoo studio Flamin' Eight in Kentish Town for one-day only to create A Delicious Misteak Tattoo Parlour, where you can get a free cowboy-themed flash tattoo and a free plant-based steak sandwich in the same visit.

Magnolia Bakery is popping up at Café Ciel at The OWO. Found in The Grand Courtyard of Raffles London, it's heading here for three weeks to celebrate RHS Chelsea Flower Show. From May 19, an outdoor kiosk will be offering a takeaway menu for the sweet-toothed among us. The pop-up officially launches on Tuesday May 19 with the kiosk open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-7pm.

For the MV Hondius passengers quarantined at Arrowe Park hospital on the Wirral, it is likely to be a period of some anxiety. But there will be some consolations as they await the all-clear to return to their normal lives, says a veteran of the Covid-19 quarantine at the same site such as jigsaws, gourmet ready-meals, and even a concierge service.

“Any dishes coming out from the [Sadaf] kitchen with rice, there is layer of saffron on the top of it,” said Mahmoud. He explained that before the Middle East war he was buying saffron at about 1,200 per kilo, but now his supplier told him the cost has risen to about 2,000 to 2,100 per kilo. “It's quite a lot,” he said.

About 6.7 million people flew through the airport in April, a 5% drop compared with the same period last year. The fall reflected the impact from the Iran conflict and short-term adjustments to travel plans, the airport said. However, the number of transfer passengers transiting for onward flights rose 10% in April year-on-year, as travellers rerouting to Asia and Oceania switched to the Heathrow instead of using rival hubs in the Gulf such as Dubai and Doha.

A crab stick and taramasalata baguette I was young and carefree, living in Barons Court, west London, in the mid-90s. Chains weren't a thing, and delis all had sandwich fillings laid out in silver dishes of a uniform, surgical shape, inviting adventure. Russian salad and ham? Sure, why not. The price structure was weird: sometimes everything was the same, and other times you'd accidentally hit a premium ingredient and your sandwich would be 3.50. That's how I hit on the crab stick and taramasalata baguette, after a financial catastrophe involving actual crab. Crab sticks taste nothing like crab. They are, in fact, more delicious. So much better. And everything so pink. My life was like a fairytale.

From Sunday, traffic will be able to use Straight Road and Main Road in both directions at Gallows Corner in Havering, Transport for London (TfL) confirmed. The flyover will also reopen for eastbound journeys from the A12 Eastern Avenue to the A127 Southend Arterial Road. The flyover will remain closed westbound, and the southbound A12 will continue as a bus-only route.

We are at a corner table in a breakfast place in Chelsea, Joseph Fiennes opposite me on the banquette with his jack russell, Noa. Dog duty, he says, apologetic. Noa looks at me, brown eyes also apologetic. They've been in Hyde Park, he says, he lost track, didn't have time to take her home. Nature is where he's at his best, where he feels cleansed, connected, observant his sentences are decorative like this. It's when I'm at my happiest, on hours-long, rain-drenched walks. Hot cheeks, freezing hands.

South Western Railway (SWR) has launched a sale on train tickets for travel later this month. In total, 40,000 discounted tickets are available for travel between Saturday 23rd and Sunday 31st May, priced from just £6 each way. The train tickets are being offered in simple fare zones: £6 for short-distance to and from London, £9 for mid-distance to and from London, £12 for long-distance to and from London.

What is known as The Garden at 120 sits atop the Fen Court office building at, drum roll... 120 Fenchurch Street, and is dramatic in both size and the views available. It opened in 2019 and was quite spartan at the time as the plants needed to grow - and they really are doing it now.

So it was a testament to the frantic efforts of the grounds team that, albeit more than an hour late, the remaining six races on the card eventually went into the form book. Marquand also revised his earlier decision and rode in the final two races. An abandonment on Thursday would have been a huge blow, both financially and reputationally, to a venue that is still building back having lost its May festival to Covid in 2020 before running behind closed doors a year later.

On Saturday May 9 and Sunday May 10 (including Friday and Saturday night tube), no trains between Cockfosters and Heathrow. There will only be a service between Acton Town and Uxbridge.

Seldom, there comes along a restaurant on point for its time and place. It's not rocket science to think people right now might be in the mood for a casual restaurant offering a bit of fun and serving simple, delicious, tasty, big-flavoured food for prices which don't make you feel as if you are being ripped off ... but so few places do.

Celia is in many ways the closest anyone can get to chartering their own train. As such, this is one of the most exciting additions to The British Pullman in a generation.

The corner site has the perfect layout for a split venue - there's the pub part for drinkers and snackers up front and a restaurant, complete with lots of natural light from the skylights, tablecloths, a lick of dark green paint and some fun artwork and tablecloths, at the back.

Oyatte is designed to evoke the earthy, rustic feel of a farmhouse, creating an experience akin to dining at a chef's home, with a focus on fresh, local ingredients.

Wales packs a lot into its relatively small size, featuring an undulating landscape that rises to the peaks of Mount Snowdon and descends to the ruggedly beautiful beaches of Pembrokeshire.

Cavistons Seafood Restaurant in Glasthule is a renowned spot for fresh seafood and a vibrant atmosphere, attracting notable patrons like Bono.

WatchHouse's latest site in St John's Wood offers a range of rare brews, with prices reaching as high as £25, catering to coffee enthusiasts seeking luxury.

The menu of creative cocktails sets the upscale tone for the night-try the boozy, buttery Gurgaon Border old fashioned, finished with a caramel corn, or the basil-forward Fresh Sip cocktail, which tastes like summer in a glass.