Rosie Llewellyn

If you want to spend a day watching some fun football games steeped in history and help raise money for The Moore Family Foundation and The ABF Soldier fund while you're at it, you need to head down to Upton Park this Monday. It's the home of West Ham FC's beloved Boleyn Ground - the legendary stadium which sadly, is set to be demolished after 112 years. West Ham fans and veteran ballers will come together for a free charity match and play as a reformed Upton Park FC and The Royal Engineers. The original teams played in the very first FA Cup and Upton Park FC went on to represent Great Britain at the Olympics in 1900, which they won. Gates open at 1pm with kick-off for the 'father and son' Generation Cup Final at 1.15pm, followed by the First Team Cup Final at 3pm. Half-time entertainment will allow you to get the chance to take a penalty on the pitch in a game Beat the Goalie. Boleyn Ground is at Green Street, E13 9AZ. For more details about the charity match, e-mail chairmansoffice@uptonparkfc.co.uk

The sun’s out! We’ve picked the best riverside pubs where you can pick up sunny pints and top-notch food. The Ship, Wandsworth Not only does The Ship in Wandsworth sit right on the river, it’s got one of the most epic pub gardens we’ve seen in London, which accommodates hundreds of people and has bookable private booths. Here, you can feast on the ethically and sustainably sourced seasonal British menu, or have a quick bite from pop-up residents Burger Shack. Oh, and some of their beer is brewed on-site, too. City Barge, Chiswick Further upstream in Chiswick is the City Barge. It's also right on the Thames and has a herb garden with lots more seating adjacent to the pub. There are tables in front of the pub on the towpath, but they do flood at high tide so prepare to move a little further back if it hits. Foodie favourites here include the soft-shell 'crabocado' burger with miso mayo, and pork cooked three ways. White Hart, Barnes For the perfect spot to watch the rowers go by, head to the White Hart in Barnes, where you can sit on the terrace outside the bar, or at the upstairs terrace for food, both of which overlook the Thames. It’s a peaceful part of the river but the pub’s lively enough. And when the sun comes out so does the barbecue, so make sure you order the swordfish to go with your pint. Canal 125, King's Cross If the Thames is all a bit much then check out Canal 125 on Regent’s Canal. It’s calmer than the river but just as beautiful in the sunshine, and ha

Barnes Farmers Market may be swarming with prams, toddlers, very cute dogs and the occasional goose that's wandered over from the pond, but there are also a whole load of goodies there that you won't find anywhere else. Head to the market on Saturdays between 10am and 2pm and you'll find treats including... andfeast.com     Rainbow salads and juices to banish even the worst hangover &Feast are event caterers who have a wine and food shop in Barnes and bring a selection of their ready-made, beautiful salads to the market on Saturday mornings. You can pick up bright and colourful salads made from the best seasonal ingredients, roasted veggies, spicy couscous mixes, as well as our favourite, their cold pressed juices. Flavours including apple, ginger, lemon and cayenne, or shots of turmeric, orange and ginger will put a spring in your step and set you right for the day. barnbacon.co.uk     Bacon baps all the way from Nottinghamshire Of course, you can get bacon baps at any farmers' market worth visiting. But when you get a bacon bap from The Barn Bacon Co, who come all the way from Nottinghamshire to Barnes every Saturday, you get something pretty special. Choose from white, granary or wholemeal bread and fill it with dry-cured bacon, free-range sausage and/or black pudding, free-range eggs fried to your preference, cheese, sweet confit onion chutney or chilli sauce. pieceofheaven.co.uk     Some of the best cakes in London Described by Michelin-starred chef Jean-Christophe

Sake seems to be flavour of the month in London. No matter where you look, there's a new Japanese restaurant/bar/drinking den appearing with a cocktail list full of drinks you've never heard of, made from Japan's favourite fermented rice drink. But they're flipping tradition by adding a very modern twist and serving up some seriously sexy cocktails. Check out these bars to find the most imaginative and tasty tipples. Sosharu / 7 Tales, Farringdon Another year, another Jason Atherton restaurant. His latest venture, Sosharu, is something totally different to what he's brought us before – this one's an izakaya-style Japanese restaurant. But it’s downstairs at 7 Tales bar where you can sample the finest sake cocktails – a loud, exciting basement room, lit with neon lights and blaring old-school hip hop (it is the old Turnmills building after all). Try the Nikkei Martinez, made with aged sake, mosto verde pisco, black salt and flowers. It's punchy, irresistible and pretty-looking too. Sake no Hana, Mayfair For a true cherry blossom experience, check out Sake no Hana's Sakura event that's taking place until June. The bar's been transformed into a cherry blossom area, with falling petals by day, and lit up with thousands of lights by night. They've got two particularly special sake-based cocktails – Kiki Sakura, a mix of Shiroku yuzu sake, cherry liqueur, Elements 8 Platinum rum and apricot – and Kaori Arpege (that comes as part of their £34/head Sakura set menu) and is a blend of g

Your mates are on dry January and it’s all looking a bit bleak. But we’ve got the perfect way to beat the misery of January and warm your cockles with these Instagram-worthy rooftop bars serving seriously hot cocktails. Swan on a Hot Gin Roof Normally only accessible to guests of the hotel, Ham Yard Hotel is opening its stunning rooftop from January 27 to February 14 (Tuesday–Sunday evenings) to host a Sipsmith gin pop-up. For £14 you can book an early or late evening slot and join the Sipsmith team on the rooftop, overlooking the best bits of London, to enjoy hot gin cocktails, including The Original, made with gin and gingerbread. Forest on the Roof Selfridges' top floor restaurant has been home to various long term pop-ups, and now it’s the turn of Forest on the Roof. Snuggle in blankets in the rooftop cabin and get stuck into the hot chocolate-based cocktails such as a Cheeky Monkey Choctail – banana and cinnamon liqueur, hot chocolate and whipped cream. They also do mulled wine. Still.   Once Upon a Wigwam We're big fans of the Queen of Hoxton's massive wigwam on their rooftop, and they do great hot cocktails, inspired by the Grimm Brothers. Our favourites are Gardener’s Grog – hot blackcurrant, blackberry and rosemary gin punch – and The Big Bad Buttered Rum. The Churchill Bar & Terrace - Hyatt Regency London The Churchill Bar and Terrace If a posh hotel is more your thing, head over to the Narnia-themed Churchill Bar and Terrace at The Hyatt Regency in Mayfair. Fur

This little village down south is in a wonderful world of its own. What’s the vibe? Barnes is one of the most beautiful, countryside-like boroughs in the city. Expect to find lots of lovely independent shops, green spaces galore and a stretch of the river Thames. Brown Dog What if I'm feeling peckish? Where Heston eats must be good, so head to The Brown Dog pub for a hearty roast and real ales. Or, for something a little more refined, the Olympic Cinema’s Café and Dining Room offers steak tartare and poached cod with mussels and vermouth veloute. For something totally different, there’s Sakunthala’s, where you can get highly rated Thai main courses for under a tenner. Ye White Hart And some booze? Grab a drink and a quick game of ping pong or a bottle of wine cosied up next to the fire at The Sun Inn on the pond. To enjoy the river views, head to Ye White Hart, where there’s a wraparound terrace that’s perfect for watching the boats go by in the summer. How about those shops, then? Barnes is full of cute and quirky food shops. There’s a cheesemonger, greengrocer, two butchers (including The Ginger Pig), a fishmonger, a Saturday farmer’s market and a Londis, otherwise known as mini-Harrods, which is packed to the rafters with luxury goods. Pop in here if you’re after quail’s eggs or peach syrup. There’s also a lovely deli called Two Peas in a Pod, which sells fresh juices, healthy salads and ready-to-go food. If it’s non-edibles you’re after, the options are limited but do

Don’t you hate it when you’re out for dinner with mates, you’ve enjoyed some great food, then before you know it the restaurant’s closing and you’re trying to work out where to go for a round of drinks? Bars are packed, pubs are full and it all seems a bit bleak. But not so if you eat in one of these places. They’re restaurants, but they’ve got secret bars that stay open well past closing time.   Company Below at Balls & Company There’s a tiny little speakeasy style bar hiding underneath meatball restaurant Balls & Company on Greek Street. Open till 11pm and serving damn fine cocktails, this is an excellent place to end up after gorging on the meatball selection upstairs.  Below and Hidden at Bourne and Hollingsworth If you go downstairs in the Bourne and Hollingsworth Building in Clerkenwell you’ll think you’ve stumbled into someone’s living room and they’ve forgotten to turn the lights on. This secret drinking den is in fact the little sister venue to B&H where you can drink and dance the night away until 2am.   Barrio Central If you want to shake your booty after dinner in Soho then Barrio Central is the place to do it. Bright, colourful and serving up cocktails called Wonky Donkey and Ol Dirty Bastard by the glass or the jug, Barrio Soho is a good place for a night out. Just don’t forget to line your stomach with a plate of their ancho chicken nachos before you tuck into the cocktail jugs. Mimosa It only opened this week, but the new club underneath Chelsea’s Mimosa rest

If sitting in a restaurant, surrounded by drunk office workers wearing little paper hats and singing along to Christmas songs on repeat is your idea of hell, don't worry, there are much better alternatives for eating out during the festive season. Supperclubs and foodie pop-ups have come to your rescue this month with their quirky menus, weird and wonderful themes and bloody good food: Rococo Revels - A Christmas Feast Fancy your Christmas dinner with a Baroque twist? Theatrical furniture and ornament maker Oriel Harwood is opening the doors to her eighteenth-century home in SE5 for a celebratory evening on December 15. For £35, tuck into pomegranate-glazed duck and sour cherry chutney, ham hock, brussels, and gingerbread pudding while sipping on wine paired with the menu from the 161 Food+Drink shop in Sydenham. The 80s Office Christmas Party Pop-up masters The Art of Dining are not only marking the season with their next event, but they're going old school. Start your evening at The Pickle Factory in Bethnal Green with a glass of punch from the water cooler before being immersed in a whirlwind of shoulder pads, big hair and dinner including pickled cucumber and braised pork bao, and chocolate and orange bourbons with malted milk sorbet. You'll also get the chance to dance to those unforgettable hits. Running December 9-16, tickets are £55 for five courses, a welcome drink and entertainment. Patty & Bun’s one night with Pitt Cue Co   Oops. A photo posted by Tom Adams (@p

Pop-up restaurants can be great fun, serve excellent food and take place in a huge variety of locations – from rooftops to disused tube carriages, they really do spring up everywhere. But once upon a time, they started off in people’s homes and that’s where they continue to be at their best. Here’s why. Michelin standards Eat in a Michelin-trained chef’s house and pay a fraction of the price it would cost to eat in a Michelin restaurant? Yup. You can do that if you eat at a pop-up in someone’s home. Michelin-trained chefs who do pop-ups include Pratap Chapal, who's worked at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s, Chez Bruce, Cinnamon Club and Galvin Bistrot; and the Cuisson chefs, who've worked at Le Cinq, Galvin at Windows, La Gavroche,The Square and Le Trianon. Cheap drinks Often, pop-ups are BYOB – none of this paying three or four times the retail price for a shoddy bottle of wine. You can bring your own, so not only can you choose a wine that goes really well with the menu, you can pay, say, £15 for a really nice bottle, that would’ve cost £60 if you bought it in a restaurant. And if you prefer a locally brewed craft beer, or a fancy cocktail, then just take it with you and enjoy it with your meal. You can snoop Think 'Through the Keyhole' but without the annoying Lloyd Grossman. You get to have a little snoop around other people's homes – play music on their jukebox, take inspiration from their interior design, or pick up ideas for how to pimp your own home kitchen. One of the mo

You've gotta love a good high street. Somewhere with a butcher, a baker and maybe even a candlestick maker. A street that's lined with independent shops selling top quality goods, and is bustling with market stalls in between. Somewhere that's actually a pleasure to go and do your food shopping, rather than the freezing, trolley-filled aisles of the local supermarket. Luckily for west Londoners there are a few spots that offer this great alternative to the big brand shops, and Chiswick is one of those. Want freshly baked bread and pastries? They've got some of the top bakeries in London. Want game that's just come in season? You've got two butchers to choose from. Want a one-stop shop where you can get coffee, lunch AND your weekly groceries? Well, there's a farmers' market too, where you can do just that. Here are a few more reasons why food shopping in Chiswick is the way to go. 1. Quality fruit and veg Whether you want a pound of apples for a pound or one trombetta courgette, Chiswick's got it covered. There's at least three fruit and veg stalls along the high road, and if they don't have what you're looking for (edible flowers?!) then Natoora on Turnham Green Terrace certainly does. Just make sure you get what you can from the stalls, otherwise you'll walk out of Natoora and won't be able to afford your bus home. Or if you can't be bothered to even get the bus there, Natoora also does a weekly veg box delivery service.   2. Marvellous meat  <img id="7a5e507c-9e

If you're pining for the cosiness of home cooking this autumn, take a peek at these supper club events arriving in time for the last leg of September:  Malaysian Home Cooking Ex-restaurant owner Vi-vian's supper club is hosted in her home for 10-12 people a time. Her next meal is on September 25 and for around £30 (that's a recommended price as you can pay what you want) you will eat family-style sharing platters including dishes such as eight-hour slow cooked beef rendang, Malaysian style classic chicken curry and jackfruit crumble with vanilla ice. Booking are made directly via Vi Vian's website.   The Fabulous Adventures of 698b  There are two dates with tickets left this month for The Fabulous Adventures of 698b. Having won high praise for their supper clubs so far, chef and wannabe restaurateur Guillaume is back with more. Choose from a four course vegan feast on September 25 or The Surprising Adventure of the Plum Tart on Saturday September 26 where you'll feed on seasonal ingredients - including plums.  M&M Singles Supper Club You could you meet the love of your life in Stratford on September 26. That's where Magdalena and Martina host a supper club specifically for singles. Eat their Polish/Norwegian/Italian inspired food, indulge in some nerve-calming complimentary drinks and enjoy a night out for £30 which gets you three courses, a few drinks and possibly a new lover.  Dos Corazones Dos Corazones means two hearts, and you'll definitely fall in love with the hearty f

We’re launching a new Blog Network which involves getting a bunch of cool bloggers to write for us, such as Rosie Llewellyn from A Little Lusciousness. Here are Rosie's favourite secret places in London. 1. Smokehouse, Chiswick (pictured above) This is just behind the Porsche garage, off the A4 – not where you’d expect to find one of the best restaurants in West London, but that’s exactly where it’s hidden. The Smokehouse’s second branch (the first’s in Islington) opened earlier this year and brought a much needed ray of smoky, meaty sunshine to the area that’s otherwise known for its high street chains. It’s a 15-minute walk from the nearest tube (Chiswick Park) but well worth the hike. I've made the Smokehouse journey to get my fix of crispy smoked lamb shoulder, summer veg and clam stock in the spacious garden. You'll find me in the cosy, child-free whisky room, most Sundays, eating beautifully pink roast beef and huge yorkies.   <img id="07cda785-5b4b-ea50-a77d-662c1cfc7864" data-caption="" data-credit="" data-width-class="" type="image/jpeg" total="514770" loaded="514770" image_id="102836679" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102836679/image.jpg" alt="Supper tub" class="photo lazy inline">   2. Supper Tub There’s a bubbling secret by the canal in Hackney Wick. Supper Tub is a pop-up restaurant, where the food is served to you in your cossie/trunks while you lounge in a hot tub. Book a tub for you and your friends and service will come round, taking your drinks a