Getting Stirred And Shaken In London's Best Cocktail Bars

London / Go Night
en av JHE /  Jean Hannah Edelstein, 12. mar 2010


Photo: Istolethetv

No trip to London is complete without experiencing the classic pints-and-carpet pub culture, but there’s also something to be said for putting on your gladrags and trying out some of the city’s most chic cocktails, so that when you wake up in the morning still wearing those gladrags and nursing a hell of a hangover, you’ll know that you’ve done it in style. Here are five places that I go to for yummy drinks and remarkable (if not always entirely salubrious) atmosphere.

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London's Top Five for Book Lovers

London / Go Shop
en av JHE /  Jean Hannah Edelstein, 14. dec 2009


Photo: Paolo Márgari

London is a most literary of cities, and this is reflected by the diverse range of bookshops that stud the city. While the dominant chain, Waterstones, tends to have the most comprehensive selection (and carry lots of copies of my book, which is reason enough to go) I always find that it’s the smaller, independent shops that are the most fun in which to lose an afternoon to browsing for additions to my library. Every bookish Londoner has his or her favourite bookshops: here are five of mine.

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A Culinary Wonderland: Foodie Central At Borough Market

London / Go Shop
en av JHE /  Jean Hannah Edelstein, 11. nov 2009

Throwing dinner parties are one of my favourite things: I like to think that I make up for what I lack in presentation (none of my plates match; there are never enough chairs) with enthusiasm for trying new recipes and baking cakes. But last Friday night’s soiree had to be extra-special, as it was serving a dual purpose: welcoming my friend Laura, who was in town visiting from New York, and thanking my pals Hetty and Ben for lending me their acting skills (and dignity) in a short film that we made earlier this month.



In other words? This was a job for Borough Market. Depending on who you ask, Borough Market is either extremely old, dating back to the thirteenth century, or very extremely old, dating back to Roman times. In either case, this sprawling market, just south of London Bridge, is the undisputed heart of London’s foodie culture. Wholesalers are there every weekday morning from 2 a.m to 8 a.m. (celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey are often spotted making their selections), but amateur cooks like me shop at the retail market on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.



If you do like cooking, it’s truly a food wonderland – the fresh game, fish, produce and other ingredients are like no other and will surely inspire you to push your established culinary boundaries. But even if you can’t tell the difference between a frying pan and a crème brulee torch, the market will delight you. There are plenty of exotic prepared foods, and free samples on offer at almost every stall, offered up by friendly workers who are passionate about their products and who won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Indeed, there’s so much to try that you can enjoy what amounts to a free lunch, although I’ve never known anyone to be able to hold back from purchasing at least a few tempting tidbits.



Our browsing done – I was now supplied with a giant piece of salmon, a couple of bunches of organic asparagus and a very inexpensive kilogram of baby new potatoes - Laura and I bought wraps full of delicious roast and settled in to enjoy our lunch in the sunny grounds of the Southwark Cathedral, where almost every inch of grass was already occupied by other diners who were sighing blissfully as they chewed their way through their own lunches.

And dinner? Thanks to Borough Market, my guests left at 3:30 in the morning, they left not a scrap of food behind, and they left all of my mismatched plates stacked in the dishwasher. I think that can be chalked up as a success.

BOROUGH MARKET; 8 Southwark Street, London

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Against The Elements: Dining Out In London

London / Go Eat
en av JHE /  Jean Hannah Edelstein, 19. okt 2009


Photo: Richard Holden

Like all newcomers to London, I was astonished on the first sunny spring day when I arrived way back in 2004 to see that my local park (Clapham Common) had be overrun with people who were dressed as if they thought they were the beach. "What’s going on?" I said to my flatmates. "Don’t these people know that it is only 15 degrees? Where are their shirts?"

After five years of this, however, I understand: sunshine is at a premium even in the most summery months in this grey city, and thus at the first sight of a beam through the clouds Londoners will do whatever they can to soak it up. And this is particularly reflected in the city’s approach to al fresco dining: on days when any self-respecting continental (and Southern) European would be indoors, possibly by an open fire, Londoners will brave low temperature and even the occasional burst of raindrops in order to enjoy a drink or a meal in the fresh air.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in my part of East London, a place that was not designed with outdoor dining in mind but which, with gentrification, is now dotted with tables planted wherever possible.

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My Favourite Autumn Events In London

London / Go See
en av JHE /  Jean Hannah Edelstein, 16. sep 2009


Photo: Adam Tinworth

In many respects, London comes in to its own in the autumn: no one expects it to be warm anymore, but with plenty of layered dressing and a sturdy umbrella at the ready, there’s a lot to be said for the joys that the city has to offer during the crisper months. Here are three events in London that I won’t be missing this season; be sure to check them out if you’re in town.

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