Happy 150th Birthday to the Underground!

It's not often that a National Treasure reaches its 150th birthday.  With bleary eyed morning rush hours, sweaty armpits and downright grumpy commuters, it is easy to forget how much we actually love the tube.

It may have been called every name under the sun by irate travellers but this wondrous network of underground warrens, not only survived World War II itself, but also helped hoards of Londoners escape from danger too.  Through bombings both past and recent, the tube has connected the districts of London in a way that no other city has properly achieved.  We may curse, we may seeth, we may even think that sometimes we hate it, but without the tube we'd be screwed.

In celebration of our wonderful city and underground, I thought I would share an amazing food tube map of London created by Cheese and Biscuits (an extremely handy restaurant reviews blog.)  Simply use it like a normal tube map and hunt down your next grub.

How have I managed to get from the tube to food...

Hark! The Herald

I've eaten my body weight in mince pies, drunk enough mulled wine to flood Cornwall and have battled my way through the Christmas shopping hoards.  But something is still missing...my vocal chords have been given a work-out while I warble away to 'Last Christmas' and 'Baby it's cold outside' but there has been a distinct lack of caroling to my Christmas build up this year.

Luckily, St. Paul's is here to answer my festive prayers and is hosting a free carol service with unticketed entry on Sunday 23rd December from 4pm.  Expect all the golden oldies, 'Once in Royal', 'It Came Upon a Midnight Clear' and, my personal fave, 'Hark! the Herald'.  Get there early and come ready to belt those beauties!

Festive Ice Skating!

Christmas, a time for growing bellies and shrinking budgets, has just got better.  Kill two birds with one stone at Hoxton Square's ice rink - don those skates, bust those moves and burn those calories - and the best bit?  It's all for FREE!

As part of Destination Hackney's Christmas project to 'make Hackney sparkle', visitors can enjoy a light display and take to the ice without paying a penny.  It's only on until Saturday 22nd December, so make the most of it while it lasts! If, like me, you’ve been given the label of ‘Bambi on Ice’ a few too many times for it to be funny and the thought of donning skates has you running for the hills, don't worry. Half the fun is laughing at yourself (and other people). Grab some friends, drink a mulled wine or five (probably best to do this after) and ‘chill out’! 

Cinema in the Snow!

At last! Christmas is here and what better way to celebrate than with a glass of mulled wine, a cheeky mincey P and a Narnia-esque journey through a magical wardrobe into a snow-filled cinematic festive extravaganza? 

Following the rip-roaring success of their summer programme, Pop-Up Screens is bringing Christmas to Brick Lane by hosting a series of festive films including my personal faves: Home Alone, Elf, Edward Scissorhands and the Nightmare before Christmas to name a few. With three screenings a day from 18th December until 23rd December, tipples including mulled wine and regular (or ‘pimped’) hot chocolate and festive decorations adorning every inch of The Dray Walk Gallery, The Cinema in the Snow is sure to get every child (both inner and outer) in the mood for festive cheer.

Tickets are available here, and although they're a bit steep at £14, it's only Christmas once a year!

Happy Advent!

Dominoes Everywhere for the holidays from Jared Lyon on Vimeo.

UK Chilli Stand Off!

Don’t let the name alarm you.  Instead of a horrendous ‘who can eat the hottest chilli’ contest, which would have a Nando’s ‘plain for kidz’ girl like me running for the hills, the UK Chilli Stand Off refers to a sort of X-Factor type contest…except instead of talentless singers, we have eight talented chefs…and instead of singing, we have steaming pots of chilli con carne.   With a 12pm and a 4pm sitting on 17th November, ‘cooking doesn’t get tougher than this’ with eight chefs battling it out to win the title.  And the best bit? We get to play the role of a chilli guzzling Gregg Wallace, as we critique the chef’s efforts alongside guest judge, John Torode.   

Competitors include Dishoom, our national street food treasure, The Ribman and Tim Anderson (the 2011 Japan fanatic Masterchef winner) to name a few.  Wash it all down with 2 Texan beers and a tequila cocktail (included in the £40 ticket) while enjoying live music.  Who said the proof is in the pudding?

If Daniel Craig can do it, so can we.

We've all practiced the gun pose with a water pistol, used our scientific calculators as walkie talkies and tried to sound cool by introducing ourselves with the surname, first name, surname lingo - but this is really the closest us mere muggles are going to get to tasting the mission filled life of James Bond. 

With the Skyfall premier last night, Coke Zero challenged unsuspecting train passengers to unlock the 007 in them by completing a challenge in 70 seconds in order to win tickets to the film.  Check.it.out.