Monday 25 November 2013

Walking and Watching, Box Hill and Electric Cinema : LOCAL LOVES

Now that we are only days away from December, that scandalous month of constant drinking, I decided to have an alcohol free weekend! Brave, I know!

So with a combination of fresh countryside air and luxurious relaxation on the schedule I practically skipped out of the office on Friday.

First stop was Box Hill in Surrey -  wrapped up in tweed and patterned knitwear I met up with lovely Catriona and jumped in the car. After a quick 40 minute drive and several goes around one particular roundabout we found the other girls in the Stepping Stones car park. But there was one fantastic new addition to the gang - everyone meet Griff! Isn't he brill?!



As you can tell from the name of the car park our walk started with a pretty hairy river crossing, Griff definitely didn't fancy it at all. The water was running high and quick due to all the rain we've been having recently so the little dog was gathered up into Emily's arms and we tackled the stepping stones.









It was round about now that I began to wish that I was a gym goer - Box Hill is flipping steep! Bear Grylls steep. And although the Hunter wellies looked the part they certainly didn't help with the climb. Boy I was pooped. So pooped in fact that none of us fancied the pink fizz I had hidden in my bag when we reached the top! This definitely isn't one for the faint hearted but it is certainly worth it for the view.

Although the day started in beautiful sunshine the clouds had unfortunately gathered by the time we were at the top so the photos aren't great but I hope you get the idea!





At the top is a visitors centre and cafe so you can stop for lunch. There were hundreds of cyclists up and I began to wish I was wearing lycra and not a pair of knee high Jack Wills socks!


The route we took down was much more relaxing and Griff had a lovely time. What a handsome chap. At the bottom of the hill is a lovely pub called the Running Horses (which recently featured in an episode of Made in Chelsea ha!) and we thought we had definitely earned a pub lunch so off down the leaf strewn road  in it's direction we went. Hilariously Griff decided he didn't like walking on leaves and turned into quite an efficient snowplow!





Leaving our muddy boots by the door we found a perfect spot by the fire and munched on humungous sandwiches and the chunkiest of chunky chips. Feeling completely full up and chuffed with ourselves we jumped into the cars before the food coma hit. I slept like a baby that night!


The following day (which I woke up on without a hangover hurrah!) I bounced out of bed and put on my new fox dress - perfect for a trip to Notting Hill. My destination - Electric Cinema on Portobello Road. Notting Hill is a really beautiful area of London with pastel coloured mews houses, tiny candlelit bistros and that famous market. 




It really is the most fantastic place and I can't go back to normal cinemas after experiencing this level of cinematic bliss! Gone are the fold down velvet chairs and popcorn strewn carpets...instead you enter the most luxurious hall full of leather sofas, armchairs, footstools and even beds on the front row! The bar serves cheeseboards, freshly made sausage rolls and, of course, gourmet hot dogs. And there isn't the normal balancing act of food on knees and drinks in cup holders - every seat has a beautiful little mirrored side-table and vintage lamp. Then, just as the lights went down I realised the foot stool had a lid and inside was a cashmere blanket! Flipping heck I was in heaven. 








Gosh, I haven't even told you what movie I was there to see!! It was called Sunshine on Leith and it was so good that I downloaded the soundtrack on the way home! It's similar to how Mamma Mia used the music of Abba - instead this film is made with the music of The Proclaimers. Now don't let a lack of knowledge of The Proclaimers back catalogue put you off - I walked into the cinema only knowing one song. Yep 'I would walk 500 miles.....do do do do!'

The film is so utterly heartwarming and the performances are fantastic. I am now head over heels in love with George Mackay the male lead and was so surprised when I found out he isn't Scottish in real life - such a great (and sexy) accent!

As you can imagine the tickets aren't cheap but they are only about £3 more than a normal cinema if you go on a Sunday - and could there be a more perfect Sunday activity?! Armchairs are £15.50, a sofa for two people is £40 and I think a bed at the front is £25. Upcoming shows are The Counsellor and Saving Mr Banks so head over to the website and book yourself in.  





And one more hidden gem about Electric is that there is a fantastic restaurant next door! Check out the menu here - it's a perfect winter warmer on a chilly dark evening.

So that's three suggestions from me today:

 - Stride up Boxhill and fill your lungs with that beautiful air... Then tumble down to the pub!


- Try and see Sunshine on Leith before it finishes in cinemas! It really is one of my new faves and I can't wait for the dvd to come out in January.

- Go to the Electric Cinema as soon as possible and experience the luxury. Even the walk from the tube is a treat, pottering down Portobello Road we bought chocolate waffles for supper. 





p.s. one little admission....I had a half pint of cider at the Running Horses and a little beer at the cinema...dammit!!

Friday 22 November 2013

All the world's a stage, What to see this month : LOCAL LOVES

MORROW'S MONTHLY MUSINGS.....

As you all know, I'm a bit of a theatre junkie and not only do I spend my entire working day doing theatre-y things but most of my evenings too. And because of this I am forever getting messages from pals asking what is good to see at the moment so shall I start doing monthly updates of what I think is brill?

I've got two corkers to get you started - Mojo and Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense.




Mojo, written by Jez Butterworth, is completely and utterly brilliant. It's got the killer combo of a cracking script and a stonkingly good cast - Rupert Grint of Harry Potter fame, Ben Wishaw who is the current Q in the Bond movies, Brendan Coyle aka Mr Bates from Downton, Colin Morgan from Merlin and Daniel Mays from Mrs Biggs.

Yep, read that list again - what an amazing cast! I'd been excited about this one for months and it didn't disappoint. Set in 50s Soho, slap bang in the rock n' roll era, the play takes place in a dingy club after hours. But the completely male cast aren't giving you a glimpse of lads in their heyday, instead we see lost boys in the big city battling to survive. Drugs, booze, murder and music. Oh, and truly great hair.



The funny thing about this one is that not a lot actually happens - the main action of the show occurs off stage and right at the start of the play. So instead what we see is the guys waiting for the fall out and it's Jez Butterworth's fantastic way with words that makes this show so exciting, funny, sexy and ultimately haunting. It really does stick with you for days, especially Colin Morgan's last scene. I honestly couldn't stop thinking about it - their performances, the brooding violence and the gymnastic articulation. Really just bloody good theatre.

If you're looking for something with star quality but don't want all-singing, all-dancing jazz hands and hollywood smiles then this is exactly what you need. My favourite review quote comes from the Time Out critic, "If you've ever fantasised about TV's Merlin, Ron Weasley and Q from James Bond going mental with knives, guns and amphetamines then this it the show for you." True dat.

Previews sold out extremely quickly and the rest of the tickets are heading that way fast...so get a wriggle on!

WHAT: Mojo 
WHERE: Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton Street
WHO: This if definitely not one for kids and even comes with a 'explicit language and adult themes' warning on it. Maybe not one for Granny either..
TUBE: Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus
TICKETS: http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/mojo/harold-pinter-theatre/ A limited number of day seats are available for £10 on the day of each performance - people tend to queue from very early in the morning to grab them though! 
DATES: Now until Saturday 25th January




Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense! is absolutely hilarious! Definitely one to watch with the parentals, it is about a very posh young man called Bertie Wooster and his butler Jeeves. Together they tell the audience the story of a ridiculous predicament that Wooster previously found himself in along with the help of another butler, Seppings. Jeeves and Seppings run around the stage creating all the scenes and playing every character under the sun....just as every other dutiful butler would do!

Chaos ensues and you find yourself laughing non-stop for the next two hours and twenty minutes. Stephen Mangan, who plays Wooster, was born with funny bones, he's just fantastic. His comic timing is spot on and, in the nicest way possible, you just can't look at that face without laughing! To you and me he's probably most well known for his turn as Dr Guy Secretan on Green Wing but you can see everything else he's been in here to jog your memory.



Jeeves is played by Matthew Macfadyen who is probably most well known as Mr Darcy in the Keira Knightly version of Pride & Prejudice. Take a look here to see what else you'll know him from. He's just perfect for the role - his straight laced, stiff upper lip-ness just makes you want to giggle even more. Like getting told off by the headmaster when his flies are undone. Or when the tube driver says 'Cockfosters' over the tannoy.

WHAT: Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense!
WHERE: Duke of York's Theatre, St Martin's Lane
WHO: The whole family, the oldies will know the original tv show starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, and the youngsters will love the silliness!
TUBE: Leicester Square
TICKETS: http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/jeeves-and-wooster/duke-of-yorks/  Day seats are available to this show too so pop along early for a bargain!
DATES: Now until Saturday 8th March



Let me know what you think of this little 'theatre you should totes see' blog - I'll keep doing them if you like them. But hey guys, what a perk of being a Londoner, these shows are on your doorstep!


Thursday 14 November 2013

Magical meanderings, Harry Potter Studio Tour : A STONE'S THROW AWAY

I am a secret (...um not so secret at all) Harry Potter mega fan and last weekend I finally pottered off to Watford Junction to do the Studio Tour! Pottered...y'get it?!

It was a bloody good day. Like super epic mega brillo awesome good. And to be honest, there were far more adults there than children! Although I did wear an extra special jumper which would have you questioning my age...

Jumper from Joy - www.joythestore.com
The girls and I gathered at Euston, well some of us gathered...Sophie decided to arrive on a broomstick galloping through the station forecourt and leaping for a homemade snitch that she promises she didn't use any 'work time' to make. I had a quick bit of quidditch practice on the platform.


 The Studio is so easy to get to, a fifteen minute train to Watford Junction, then a ten minute bus ride on the HP bus which plays the movie theme tune as you glide through the streets. When you arrive it really doesn't look like much, just a couple of huge warehouses painted a Brownies club yellow with a massive Harry Potter logo slapped on the front, but my oh my is it snazzy inside!



***Now, if you don't want to read any of the secrets stop here - SPOILER ALERT!! ***


I checked the Nimbus 2000 into the cloakroom after Sophie gifted it to me on the train and got myself a little Digital Guide - it's basically an iPhone with recordings, voiceovers, videos and pictures on that make your visit even more geekorific. Numbers are dotted around the tour that correspond to different sections in the guide. At £4.95 it's money very well spent and really does add to the day.


But first stop - The Great Hall! I don't want to brag too much about this but, because as it was my birthday, I got to open the door to The Great Hall!! I had to share a door handle with a six year old, but it was pretty cool all the same. 


As it was Halloween the hall was set up for an All Hallows Eve feast - pumpkins galore and ghoulish treats. Around the room you get your first glimpse of some of the most famous costumes from the films including Harry's first robes, Neville's cracking cardigan from the final movie, Dumbledore's famous get-up and Snape's billowing black gear.

Daniel's first set of Harry robes on the left, and Neville's cardigan second from the right


After this bit you're left to run wild! I couldn't help but stick to the audio guide route though, I didn't want to miss a thing. The pics are all rather self explanatory so I'll leave you to peruse the photographic tour of my fave bits!


The Griffindor boy's dorm - the beds were made when Daniel and Rupert were 11 so they were far too small for them by the end of filming hence why they're always snuggled up in the later movies!
The Griffindor common room - everything was so much smaller than I had imagined. It's hard to think they had any space for the cameras.

Lovely Lauren having a listen to the audio guide on the potions room - the detail in the stone work was incredible.
Hagrid's hut. All the furniture is super sized so that when the actors were on the set they seemed dwarfed. Oh filmatic trickery, you naughty little thing!
 


The tour ends with the most breathtaking surprise - you turn the corner to find yourself in front of the most fantastic model of Howarts! It's so realistic that all the doors are actually on hinges and the plants are real. The model was used to film all of the beautiful sweeping shots of the castle and there's some more lovely facts about this cracking bit of set here.


Then, one last brilliant bit... just before you exit the tour and are thrust into the madness of the gift shop you find yourself surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of wand box, each of which are adorned with the name of every single person involved in the making of the films. Such a lovely touch.


The Harry Potter Studio Tour really is fantastic and I'd recommend it to any fan, big or small. Not big or small as in Hagrid or Dobby, I'm talking more about your level of interest.

So, as I very chuffed Harry Potter fan Londoner I would suggest....

- Get yourself up to Watford. Adult tickets for the tour are £29 and can be bought here.  There are lots of concessions for kids, children under a certain age, family tickets, group ticket etc. so take a look. I've left a lot of bits out of this blog so really do believe me when I say this is just a tiny fraction of the brilliant things you'll see.

- Go before 6th January and it's Christmas themed! A sprinkling of snow and dash of carols. Lovely.

Tuesday 5 November 2013

Perks of getting older? Birthday times : LOCAL LOVES

It was my birthday at the weekend and celebrations started on Thursday with a gorgeous dinner with my dad at the Oxo Tower - what a treat. He has taken my mum and sister there already so he was saving the best 'til last, obviously.

We rolled up in our taxi, zipped up to the 8th floor in the lift and took in that cracking view...



London, you total babe. Just look at it! We were lucky enough to get a table by the window so I spent the entire night perving on St Pauls and oggling The Shard. If you ever go there I'd really recommend pushing for a window table - it really is breathtaking. And if you don't manage to get one you can always ask to be moved once you spy a table becoming available. A hilarious couple did just that when we were there and all I heard from him once they sat down was "Well, if I was going to propose you've ruined it now! Stop asking!" - brilliant stuff!

We swooped down on the cocktail menu as soon as our bums hit the seats. I went for a 'Brief Encounter' which was... Absolut Vanilia vodka & rhubarb liqueur shaken with fresh lemon juice & Harvey Nichols lavender honey. Topped with OXO Brut Champagne. Yum. Dad went for the one that was most like a pudding, he's such a chocoholic. It was called 'A Room with a View' and it was... A decadent mix of Sipsmith London Dry gin, Kirsch eau de vie, Chocolate bitters & cherry sugar syrup. Charged with OXO Brut Champagne. House brandied cherry. Both were absolutely gorgeous.



The food was equally brilliant - the portions are just right, making sure that you have room for pud perfectly! I went for a roasted artichoke bruschetta to start and Dad had venison ragu. Mine had these scrummy peppers that only one in twenty five of are spicy. Wellll guess who got a spicy one?! It blew my socks off.



On to mains, Pops had sea bass and I went for chicken with spinach gnocci that had goats cheese in the centre. Like a present on your plate! The sea bass had some of that fancy foam on it that is so popular in smart restaurants at the mo. I'm more off a gravy girl myself so I was chuffed when my chicken arrived swimming in the stuff.


Then came the best course of all - pud! Dad and I really struggled to pick this one, the options were so brilliant! After much deliberation I went for caramelised pear with a filo and mascarpone tower and Dad opted for a vanilla panna cotta with spiced pear and madeleines. Some how the lovely Oxo team found out that we were celebrating my birthday so my pudding was extra specially presented!



During the meal dad gave me one little early (expertly wrapped...) pressie - a Juice Cube! I found out about these from one of FleurdeForce's lovely videos - take a look here - skip to four minutes. It's basically a portable battery for your phone that you pop into your handbag and pull out whenever you're low on juice and miles from a plug socket. I'm a secret gadget geek at heart and really love this. They're £24.95 and you can get them here and yes, they do more manly colours than the bright pink that I have!


Sorry - enough pressie chat, we were talking about fancy food and this cracking restaurant weren't we? The atmosphere there is brilliant, just as incredible as The Harwood Arms of last week but so different. It's very funky and the ambiance is really jazzed up by the live music. This was provided by two gorgeous guys, one on an acoustic guitar and one on the bongos. My lovely friend Sophie was at the Oxo the night before and they had an electric guitar and a double bass! Everything is lit in cool blue and purple light which is kept nice and low so that you can really suck in that view.



I absolutely loved my dinner at the Oxo Tower and it should definitely go on your list of special places to visit - it's ready made for a celebration!

So what does this particularly well fed Londoner suggest this time?

- Get yourself along to the Oxo! The food is divine and the view is even better. It's a real London gem.

- Go to one of the other sky high restaurants in the city to get a proper peek at the big smoke in all it's glory. There is...
     - Oblix at The Shard - 32nd floor, blimey.
     - Duck and Waffle at The Heron Tower - a whopping forty floors up!
     - Sushisamba at The Heron Tower - sitting snugly one floor below.
     - Paramount at Centre Point - this bad boy offers a 360-degree view. Wow wee.