Globe Theatre – a great all-rounder

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London’s iconic open-air wooden ‘O’ shaped theatre has lots to enjoy over the summer…

With tickets to shows starting from £5, the Globe is a world-class and affordable way to experience the best the city has to offer. Spend a full day exploring the world of Shakespeare in the new exhibition, on a guided tour or in a family workshop, and enjoy a delicious meal at the Swan, before watching a show.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs until 12th August starring artistic director Michelle Terry as Puck, there’s a special Midsummer midnight matinee on 24th June.

The Comedy of Errors runs until 29th July, Macbeth 21st July to 28th October, and As You Like It 18th August to 29th October.

Midsummer Mechanicals, The Olivier Award nominated family show, based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, runs 22nd July – 26th August, following Peter Quince’s acting troupe – known as the Mechanicals – as they attempt to recapture the success of their first hit Pyramus and Thisbe, a show so bold, brilliant and chaotic that it went down in theatre history.

Running throughout the summer, Family Workshops and Storytellings are the perfect way to introduce younger audiences to Shakespeare and bring his plays to life. Guided Tours and Sword Fighting Demonstrations created for younger audiences are the perfect addition to a full family day out at the Globe.

Audiences can enjoy a pre-show drink with a stunning view across the Thames and overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral, or indulge in A Midsummer Night’s Dream themed afternoon tea at our on-site restaurant Swan at the Globe.

Visit Afternoon Tea – Swan London Bar & Restaurant and Shakespeare’s Globe | London.

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Jack & Beyond

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Send some sweetness & light to loved ones with Jack & Beyond’s Christmas cakes & goodies available for delivery across the UK

Is it ever too early for the first mince pie of the year? We have decided that this year, most certainly not! We love food here at Round & About, which we’re showcasing in our jam-packed November & December magazines. So we have been trying to take the repeated warnings about food shortages in the run-up to the festive season with a pinch of salt!

Luckily, thanks to all the dedicated food & hospitality stars out there, we have found that there is much to celebrate… and tuck into! The bakers & makers at creative cake shop Jack & Beyond have wowed us, as well as the Great Taste award judges with their handmade artisan mince pies, generously filled with an immediate aroma of Christmas, earning them a two-star billing. They can be sent as gifts with a personal message or just as a treat for yourself (hey, we’re not judging!). There are also gingerbread mince pies and chocolate mince pies for the non-purists looking to shake things up.

The London-based Jack & Beyond team have expanded their Christmas range for 2021 – all available to order from their online shop for delivery nationwide. In addition to their divine mince pies, they have Christmas macarons, gingerbread and moreish truffles which make tasty Christmas gifts or simply a luxurious way to entertain your guests this Christmas.

New for 2021 are Christmas Macarons hand-decorated with quirky festive designs with four flavours raspberry, salted caramel, chocolate and lemon & elderflower all presented in a beautiful gift box. The new Christmas Gingerbread Cookies are packed with flavour and the fun decorations make them popular with adults and children.

For chocolate fans, Jack & Beyond’s range of smooth gooey brownies are made with luxurious dark Callebaut chocolate and finished with beautiful patterns, they achieve the perfect balance of sweetness and intense chocolate. Choose from white chocolate and pistachio; red velvet; salted caramel; peanut butter; and vegan chocolate and raspberry brownies and new for this year Bailey’s chocolate brownies fans – a classic chocolate chip brownie topped with a generous layer of indulgent Bailey’s & chocolate ganache. Ideal for gifts for colleagues, clients or teachers, Jack & Beyond has attractive gift bags of brownies, shortbread, fudge and new for 2021 Chocolate Truffles  – Champagne, Dark Chocolate, Gin & Tonic, Raspberry & Champagne and  Salted Caramel Truffles

For cake lovers, Jack & Beyond’s Christmas Yule Log and Fruit Cake Loaf are perfect treats or gifts and can be delivered nationwide. The Yule Log is an indulgent chocolate sponge cake roll with a swirl of spiced chocolate ganache, while the Fruit Cake has a lovely soft texture and packed with flavours of mixed dried fruits, spices and ground almonds.

JACK & BEYOND 606 Fulham Road, London, SW6 5RP • Web: Jackandbeyond.com/ • Instagram: @jackandbeyond  • Facebook: /jackandbeyond

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Beeline to bliss

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Petersham Nurseries – Richmond’s visionary garden center and lifestyle mecca – is one of West London’s greatest treasures and creative success stories.

The family behind the business are celebrating their 15th birthday, looking back on their humble beginnings as a dilapidated local plant shop, and how much has changed. Now with a second branch in Covent Garden, the small empire includes a homeware shop, florist, café, two restaurants and a wine cellar, with visitors come from near and far to discover Richmond’s unique lifestyle destination.

For September, they’re celebrating their birthday by paying homage to the gardener’s best friend, the honeybee, with a one-off masterclass in all things bee-related. In keeping with Petersham’s ethos, this will include a tasting session with Bermondsey Street Bees’ honey sommelier, a gardening session in planting bee-friendly flowers, a delicious lunch, and a ‘preserving with honey’ cookery class with Rachel de Thample.

Petersham's 15th Birthday

To sign up for this, on Thursday, 26th September

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Vino veritas

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Jessica Elphinstone learns a thing or two about wine at Vagabond,  Fulham’s most underrated date spot

If you detest wine snobbery, and the whole glass-swirling, Merlot-gargling pomp of it all, then I’m totally with you. I spent my entire three years of university drinking £4.99 Gallo rosé, and that sweet, sickly nectar has a special place in my heart. But the wonderful thing about Vagabond is that, despite being a bouji wine bar and boasting over a hundred carefully selected bottles from indie vineyards across the globe, it is somehow also unpretentious.

First of all, the way you order the booze appeals to my inner vending-machine-loving child: Pre-load money onto a credit card, swipe into the recently revamped wine fridges, before clicking on the bottle you’d like and watching with glee as your chosen amount of wine comes pouring out. Taster sizes of 25ml are mostly around a couple of pounds, allowing people to sample a whole range of different wines you wouldn’t normally risk getting a glass of. We taste a tangy Spanish Albarino, a buttery, Meursault-style Reserva Branco from a sustainable smallholding in Alentejano (yes – I stole that from the tasting notes), and a questionable Italian Pecorino from Abruzzo.

Each wine comes with an information slip, onto which you can jot notes like ‘beeswax and tangerine’ or ‘pomegranate and watermelon’ if you so wish. My friend Chloe is a picky soul, and finds GM Henry’s pick, a Condrieu from the Northern Rhône which is one of the most expensive wines, not to her taste. We play games, bringing each other wines with tasting notes of honey, straw and water chestnuts, and try unsuccessfully to guess them. Around us, we see couples (a lot of first dates, apparently) doing the same, laughing and chatting as they pair their Tempranillo with delicious cured meats, artisan cheeses and charred Padron peppers.

Finally, we strike gold, and both fall in love with an Australian Zibibbo from winemaker Brash Higgins. “English Pears and Freesia” writes Chloe dramatically, now slightly less than sober. I imagine that this balance of light-heartedness, mixed with some actual exploration into new realms of wine, is exactly what Vagabond’s founder Stephen Finch imagined when he opened to doors to his first Fulham wine shop in 2010.

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Vagabond

Visit Vagabond Fulham, 18-22 Vanston Place, SW6 1AX
Contact on 0207 381 1717 or visit

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Interiors: Decorex

Liz Nicholls

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Liz Nicholls looks forward to another Decorex International at Kensington’s Olympia London between 6th and 9th October…

Lush forest green tones, warm metal accents and a fresh, geometric take on more than 50 shades of grey….

These are just some of the home trends of note visitors can absorb at this year’s Decorex International. If you’ve never been, and love interiors, I recommend you visit – it’s like a giant, interactive Pinterest board, all abuzz with creative people and interiors ideas.

You can gain insight into the craft behind a piece of bespoke furniture or decoration as designers transform areas of the show floor into live workshops. In the Future Heritage zone, talented young names in British craft are given a platform to distill their aesthetic into a finished piece of fine craft.

Europe’s leading event for interior design professionals, Decorex has taken place in and around London every year since 1978.

One of the local creatives who exhibited last year (and provided the awesome inspo for my under-the-sea themed bathroom redseign!) is Chelsea-based contemporary fabric and home accessory designer Sarah Fortescue. Read Sarah’s blog and admire her gorgeous wares.

The leading designer and producer of Portuguese tapestry rugs in the UK, Putney-based Atlantico Rugs will return to show their new collection of elegant designs complementing current styles, trends and colours.

And Pooky, based in the kooky design quarter of Lots Road, is sure to bring a stand that will be another wonderland of colour & creative use of light.

Anyone who’s peeked inside the Fiona McDonald showroom in Fulham will be impressed by the custom-made bespoke furniture, lighting, mirrors and seating. Visit her stand for more inspiration on this stylish midcentury vibe!

Decorex

Follow @Decorex_Intl and visit Decorex for tickets, details and updates.

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Fox & Pheasant review

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I’m a country bumpkin at heart, and when I moved to Fulham nearly three years ago all my edgy East London pals rolled their eyes and said it was highly predictable, the obvious choice for a Gloucestershire gal like me.

It’s true, there’s something about the leafy streets, parks and plentiful dog owners in SW6 that felt like home. But what I always missed was a cozy country pub, with roaring fires and stuffed foxes, the sort you’d turn up to in wellies after a long walk. That is until my little brother moved up to London a couple of months ago, and sniffed out the Fox and Pheasant. Hidden in a charming little mews called The Billings, a short walk from Fulham Broadway and Stamford Bridge, I’m embarrassed to say I’d walked past the faded Victorian exterior, with its green tiles and hanging baskets, a hundred times without a second glance.

This is probably exactly what James Blunt and wife Sofia Wellesley wanted, when they decided to buy their local boozer and save it from being turned into apartments back. It’s understated, and no expense has been spared in retaining the original charm of the 17th century pub. When I walked in, I was transported with a jolt to my favourite Cotswold pubs, and half expected to recognise the faces at the bar.

We plonk ourselves at the bar for a pint of the Fox and Fez, their house lager, and chat to charming manager Toby. The decor is so quintessentially British it feels a bit like a film set, with vintage wallpaper and original 1930’s oak panels and locals playing darts. The walled garden is divine, with ivy and jasmine and pot-plants galore, and a Wimbledon-style glass roof ready to pull over in case of rain. We sit here for supper, which blows us away with its quality and freshness and attention to detail. You can have your usual pub classics – scotch eggs; burger and chips; honey & mustard chipolatas; a killer roast with all the trimmings on Sundays.

Alternatively you can go off-piste and order soft shell crab tacos with sriracha mayo, or an Ottolenghi-esque roast cauliflower with rocket and dates, sprinkled with dukka grains and toasted almonds. For pudding, don’t miss the sticky toffee pudding soufflé, served with ice cream of the same flavour, which was mind-bogglingly delicious. The Fox and Pheasant is the perfect country escape, while barely having to leave SW6.

Find them

The Fox and Pheasant, 1 Billing Road, Chelsea, SW10 9UJ.

Call 0207 352 2943 or email [email protected]

Fox & Pheasant site

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Zip Now

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Whizz over the city with Zip Now London this summer

Calling all thrill seekers – if the idea of being 35m up in the air in central London, whizzing at speeds of up to 50kph over a distance of 225m appeals then read on…

Zip Now London returns to the Southbank for its third summer season today (12th) until 15th September.

This year it’s set to be bigger and better with a fourth line offering even more highflyers the chance to enjoy the views and the exhileration.

After launching from a 35-metre high tower you’ll whizz past the London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the Gherkin, Lambeth Palace and The Shard.

Real adrenalin junkies will be able to add on the option of a free-fall mega drop if they think they’re up to it!

Zip Now CEO Barry Shaverin said: “Zip Now London is back and better than ever offering a huge rush of adrenaline without needing to leave zone one. This year we’ve added a fourth line to meet the huge customer demand for people to fly in groups with their families, friends and colleagues.”

Zip over London Monday to Friday 11.30am to 7.30pm; Saturday 9am to 7.30pm and Sunday 9am to 5pm.

To book and for more information visit Zip Now

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Chelsea Blues Festival

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Under the Bridge: a great night of live music is on the bill at Chelsea Blues, Rhythm & Rock Festival.

Enjoy a night of bluesy rock action Under the Bridge at this Fulham Road festival with leading musicians, many of whom have learned their craft from the best.

Brought to you by one of the leading blues and rock organisers in the country, Solid Entertainment, Chelsea Blues Festival is packed full of blues, as you might expect, rhythm and rock – pretty much as it says on the tin.

Among the acts on stage will be Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre and his band.

Martin has been the guitarist of Jethro Tull for 43 years. His sound and playing have been a major factor in their success with album sales exceeding 60 million; the band are a key part of rock history.

As well as several Jethro Tull albums, Martin has worked with legends of the music industry such as Paul McCartney, Phil Collins and Gary Moore and shared a stage with Jimi Hendrix and Fleetwood Mac.

Martin has put together a band to play music from Tull’s catalogue which includes musicians from a similar background.

Also on the bill are the Stevie Nimmo Trio; Stevie is one half of Scotland’s Nimmo Brothers with his roots firmly in the blues and er, roots world.

JFK Blue are a stylish blues/rock band and have been described as having a Southern rock feel, and you’d imagine that’s the kind of vibe Bourbon Street Revival are channelling too mixing contemporary with rare and well-loved classics.

The line-up is completed by Deep Sea Blue who pride themselves on being a “new wave of indie blues”.

More acts are set to be announced but whoever else joins the bill it sounds as if it’s a night not to be missed on Saturday, 30th March, at Under the Bridge, SW6 1HS. Tickets £29.

To book go to www.chelseabluesfestival.co.uk

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