Want to know the cool spots where you can eat, drink and be merry in London? Relax – we’ve got your back. Every week we’ll bring our tried-and-tested hot list of bars, restaurants, food trucks and generally fun places hang out.
There will be a big fat, fresh Bar Fox every Thursday – but if we discover anything awesome at any other time, you’ll get the emergency update.
This week, it’s the launch of the Viet/French restaurant Banh Banh’s second offering, plus a gin bar to round off summer.
Where to eat in London this week
Hot off the launch of their Peckham restaurant, Bánh Bánh Brixton brings a whole load of delicious, herb-laden, spicy goodness to Coldharbour Lane.
Run by the Nguyen siblings, inspired by their grandmother’s recipes when she worked as a chef in Saigon in the 1940s, this is 100% classic Viet/French food at its finest.
Just 2 minutes walk from Brixton Market, this is sure to bring in the local foodie Pop-Brixton loving crowd as well as Viet food lovers and the vegan tribes.
On our visit (Saturday brunch) we blew away our ‘just the one drink’ post-Friday night fog with a Bloody Mai – gin, tomato, Sriracha, Worcester sauce, fish sauce, fresh lemon, white pepper, perilla leaves, pickled cucumber with a red wine float.
It worked wonders – just the right amount of kick and an Asian, aromatic twist.
The Bloody Mai
Their brunch menu is sexy, loaded with ‘paddy-herb’ summer rolls, papaya and Bún noodle salads for the virtuous, great for vegan and those with gluten intolerances.
Our hunger was real so we opted for the Eggs Bò Né – a sizzling Vietnamese version of steak and eggs with beef steak, pate, grilled tomato and fried egg served with a warm baguette… carb and protein heaven.
Another stand out dish was the Bánh Xèo uber crispy crepe (try saying that after a ĐẮNG Negroni or two) a giant crispy pancake loaded with spring onions, coconut cream, beansprouts, onions and mung beans. Served either vegan with tofu and mushroom or surf/turf it with pork and prawn.
Vietnamese food is synonymous with the famous Pho and Bánh Bánh’s is up there with the best in town – flat rice noodles in a hot soup cooked for up to eight hours, served with a herb tray Smörgåsbord and choice of beef, chicken or tofu… it’s like diving into a paddy field of bead-inducing goodness.
For something sweet to finish, try the lychee, passionfruit sorbets or miso ice cream (yes this is a thing).
There’s also the ultimate rocket-fuel-caffeine-booster, aka Vietnamese-style drip coffee with condensed milk. This is a stunning monochrome cuppa that will have you bouncing round Electric Avenue till dawn.
The Vietnamese drip coffee with condensed milk
Barman Nick Stride is talented, giving a clever Viet-twist on classic cocktails, the đ10,000 Man comes with a Vietnamese Dong note attached to it and is a blend of pisco, apricot liqueur, aphrodite bitters pistachio, fresh lime juice, and egg white, with a pandan and rose mist…oh hello.
For the No or Low abv crowd there’s a delicious selection of freshly made Jackfruit Fizzes, Salted Pineappleades and Salted Lemonades, no fomo here.
Lagers are local from Brixton Brewery.
Bánh Bánh Brixton is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 6pm to 11pm with Fri/Sat/Sun brunches from 11am to 3.30pm.
Prices are very reasonable at around £60 for two for brunch with cocktails and coffee.
BÁNH BÁNH BRIXTON, 326 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8QH. Make a reservation at banhbanh.com or by telephone at 020 7737 5888.
Where to drink in London this weekend
An underground gin garden
The Botanist gin cocktails
Worship Street Whistling Shop have partnered with The Botanist gin to launch The Botanical Garden, a verdant underground oasis where Londoners can learn about the foraged botanicals that go into small-batch gin and taste experimental cocktails made with it.
The Botanist invited Jay Sebode, gin teacher and cocktail slinger at Worship Street Whistling Shop, to create the menu, inspired by local and seasonal plants following a visit to Islay in the Outer Hebrides, the home of The Botanist gin and native home to 22 of the 31 botanicals found in the gin.
Each cocktail focuses on one botanical, including nettle, sorrel and chamomile – and luckily you do not need to go all the way to the Outer Hebrides to find them: they can all be foraged in many London parks.
The Botanist takeover at Whistling Street Whistling Shop runs from now until mid October.
GOT YOUR OWN INSIDER TIPS?
‘Go to A Wong, on Wilton Street in Victoria. Honestly the best dim sum I have had in years, and I eat a LOT of dim sum.’ OW
‘Margaritas at Santo Remedio in London Bridge. The hibiscus margarita is amazing.’ Julie Foy
Why not give us your own suggestions and reviews, or just say hi. Hit us up at hello@barfox.co.uk. Include pics, details and your twitter/facebook/insta post of your discovery – or just your name – and we’ll give you a link up or just a namecheck.
Dear the absolute Instagram goddess my ex dumped me for:
It’s true. He swiftly split up with me to jump ship to you and he broke my heart.
But it’s also true that you are way more suited to him than I will ever be.
He was a gym bunny. I was a chocolate bunny.
He got annoyed at me for not being a ‘very good camper’. I found it funny when I couldn’t manage to even get into my sleeping bag.
I loved eating out, whereas he would tell me he couldn’t go because it wasn’t his cheat day.
He had a very controlled weekly routine, I liked being spontaneous.
He was about ‘positive vibes’, I never really knew what it meant when people said that.
I poked fun about the things he took uber seriously and the things I took seriously he was silly about.
I didn’t mind our differences, but he did.
I’d never usually be attracted to a Chris*. He was handsome in an intriguing old school boyband way. Super tall, muscly and just about got away with his narcissistic, vain ways because he could also be super thoughtful, generous and caring.
I couldn’t give a shit about his muscles or his ‘gains’ as he’d call them. It was his warmth, sense of humour and infectious enthusiasm that attracted me to him.
We’d laugh about how different we were to each other but the joke got old very quickly.
He said he’d been fighting to make it work with us but couldn’t. He said he didn’t want to try anymore and that we’d always end up breaking down at some point.
I disagreed. I said I thought the best was yet to come with us.
It was his turn to disagree then and I ugly cried in the front passenger seat in his car.
He knew I hated cliches and ‘inspiring quotes’ and yet, he used the laziest breakup cliche of all time, but jazzed it up a bit at the end.
“It’s not you… it’s me…and my capacity”.
Ultimately though, when someone tells you they don’t want to try to make it with you, you’re pretty much screwed whatever you say.
So, I made my peace.
You can bond over what Tupperware to use for your weekly meal prep and I will continue on the hunt to find someone who doesn’t mind that I don’t squat.
You are absolutely beautiful. You have a perfect tan, a killer figure and great hair.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but textbook talking, you’re a solid 10, easily. If I try really hard, I’m a hard seven, but generally, it can swing from a three to a six on a daily basis.
More importantly, no doubt you’re a nice person. To use a proper mumsy quote (Chris would be proud), a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet and I’m sure we could be pals in a different world.
I say this without any personal malice but I’ve never been a fan of bloggers and influencers.
Even the fact that those people could call themselves an ‘influencer’ without any hint of irony made me cringe.
Chris had to sit through one of my rants about Instagram influencers one time over dinner.
Unsurprisingly now, I don’t think he enjoyed it.
On Insta, he’d often ‘like’ girls’ pictures who posed in sexy underwear and bikini shots with tiny waists and voluptuous curves.
Where the girls have incredible perky bums and can get away with wearing thong bikinis and taking close-to-the-camera pouty boob shots.
He also ‘liked’ a lot of pictures of girls with tattoos painted across their whole bodies who were somewhat edgy.
I’m about as edgy as a satsuma.
Image was important to Chris. When he broke up with me, his parting line, said to me before I got out the car, was something along the lines of: ‘When you see me again next year I’ll be even more ripped than I am now.’
In that moment, I was stunned. I wasn’t thinking about what I was going to look like next year or even what tomorrow bloody looked like. All I was thinking was that I loved him. All I was thinking was how I just wanted to fix it. I wanted to work on it.
And I wasn’t saving face either. I think I managed to dehydrate myself from all the tears I cried the fortnight after. I also listened to Dolly Parton’s Jolene on repeat everyday.
I was so confused, hurt and full of regret. I beat myself up tirelessly about all the mistakes I made during the time together.
I asked myself ridiculously stupid questions like, ‘maybe if I went to the gym more, he would have stayed,’ and ‘maybe if I wore makeup when we went out, as opposed to my usual natural look, he would have fancied me more?’ ‘Maybe if I hadn’t worried so much about what I felt we were up against in our relationship, I wouldn’t have been as hard work?’
Generally, as women we always blame ourselves when a relationship breaks down. I had tons of regrets and what ifs when it came crashing down.
I was sorry for every single stupid thing I did and said that made it go pear-shaped.
He still remains one of my favourite people I’ve met.
Are you ready for the next trendy Instagram pose all the cool kids are doing?
According to WhoWhatWear, the next big thing is the bustie pose.
Now, before you panic, this doesn’t have anything to do with your bust. You don’t need to swap all your T-shirts for something with a super low neckline.
No, a bustie refers to taking a photo next to a bust. You know, one of those marble or stone statues?
It’s called a bustie because the pose requires you to pose with a bust as though it’s your bestie. Bust plus bestie equals bustie. Get it?
It’s a simple look the master, because you don’t have to tense your body into a strange position. All you need to do is find a statue and use it as a handy prop.
The bustie works for expert ‘grammers and uncomfortable selfie-takers alike, as it gives you a prop to play off and something to do with your hands – while also making you look all cultured and well-travelled.
Take a look through influencers’ Instagrams and you’ll spot busties all over the place. Enjoy some inspiration below then get snapping.
ICAIRUS of Canada performs during the Dark Horses qualifying round. (Picture: EPA/MAURI RATILAINEN)
It’s fulfilling to find something weird that you’re really, really good at.
We can only imagine how great it is to be so talented at the art of playing air guitar that you make it to the world championships.
Yep, that’s right, there are air guitar world championships. The competition takes place in Finland every year to find the most brilliant air guitarist.
The Air Guitar World Championships (AGWC) have been going since 1996, and show no sign of slowing down.
The Dark Horses’ qualifying round, in which contestants compete for spots in the world final, took place on 23 August. On 24 August, the finals will take place and a winner will be named.
Those who don’t win will still have a grand time, as after the competition everyone heads down to the basement to take part in Aireoke, just for fun.
AGWC is more than just a competition, it’s a way of life, an ideology of joy.
As the website explains: ‘wars would end, climate change stop, and all bad things disappear, if all the people in the world played the Air Guitar.’
Nice, right? Take a look at the pictures from the Dark Horses’ qualifying round below to fully immerse yourself in the Air Guitar way of being.
Mayers-Hawk Rachel, known as Stabitha Christie. (Picture: EPA/MAURI RATILAINEN)
His Airness of USA (Picture: EPA/MAURI RATILAINEN)
Spudboy of USA (Picture: EPA/MAURI RATILAINEN)
Chen Del-Kun, who goes by Neo G. Tso of Taiwan (Picture: EPA/MAURI RATILAINEN)
Hill Tom, AKA Sgt Wrecker of Australia (Picture: EPA/MAURI RATILAINEN)
French Kiss of France (Picture: EPA/MAURI RATILAINEN)
Sinclair Rachel, or Agnes Yuong of USA (Picture: EPA/MAURI RATILAINEN)
There are still countless celebs and influencers opting for fillers and making us consider the same (just look at the impact of Love Island‘s Megan Barton-Hanson), so our obsession with increasing the size of our pout doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
What might change, however, are the methods we use to attain the look.
Kylie Jenner’s transformation has reminded us all of a simple fact: fillers aren’t forever. They dissolve, they disappear, and they need regular top-ups.
That’s perfect for people who aren’t sure if they’ll always want plumped lips, or who eventually want to change their look as Kylie did, but for those who want a permanent fix might choose to go for a lip lift instead.
A lip lift is a less popular lip-focused procedure that promises to permanently change the shape of your lips and improve the appearance of fullness.
It used to be performed only as part of a face lift, but in the past few months has increased in popularity as a standalone treatment.
It involves removing skin from just below the nose to decrease the space between your nose and upper lip, making the lip appear plumper as a result.
By removing a flap of skin and shortening the philtrum, the lip is pulled upwards.
A surgeon can customise the area of skin they remove to tweak the shape of the lip, whether the client would like their lips to be more upturned or with a more prominent cupid’s bow.
The procedure is often combined with fillers or Botox to further shape the mouth area.
The benefits of a lip lift are that the procedure is permanent, and can cause a dramatic difference to the face. Someone who’s had a lip lift wouldn’t need to worry about topping up.
The downsides are a week’s worth of recovery time (after which the stitches are removed), soreness, and, as with all surgery, a risk of infection or an allergic reaction.
Nick Milojevic, Harley Street aesthetic doctor and owner of Milo Clinic, doesn’t believe the lip lift will overtake standard lip fillers.
‘The lip lift is a surgical procedure to lift the lip, and even though it is being performed it is still a very old school procedure,’ Nick tells Metro.co.uk. ‘To be honest is quite outdated in comparison with having filler which is much safer and actually gives better results.
‘With lip lifts, it’s using a knife to add volume to the lip, meaning scars inside and outside the mouth which also increases the risk involved with this procedure.
‘It is also a permanent procedure.
‘It won’t become more popular than filler which can be obtained gradually, you can really design your own pout and if you don’t like it, you only have to wait a few months for it to dissolve.
‘With the hyaluronic acid filler, its safe, and within 5 minutes we get a lovely finish, we can choose the size of lip and design the lip much better than we ever could by doing the surgery. We can give you a designer lip.’
Nick raises a valid point: Yes, lip fillers need top-ups, but those can be a handy way to adjust your lips as your tastes and looks change. If you didn’t like how your lips looked with the first set of fillers, you can adjust placement and volume to get a different effect.
‘The lip ages over time and it changes,’ adds Nick. ‘If you do something permanent with the lip then over time it’s going to start looking unnatural.’
A lip lift also feels pricey compared to fillers (prices typically start at around £1,000), even if it is a one-off procedure.
‘Lips using filler are definitely here to stay, it might not last as long but it is cheaper and much safer,’ says Nick.
‘Surgery is expensive, it’s full of risk and once it’s done it’s done; you can’t take it back.
‘The lip lift using surgical procedure will be a fad, however increasing the lip nicely and safely with filler is definitely here to stay.’
As if folks didn’t already know that battered burgers and pizzas weren’t vitamin supplements, and as if the crunchy box was to be consumed by one person on a daily basis, the bleating continued on.
I want to direct their ire elsewhere. Hit me with your best shot.
The hoagie wrap is a treat native to Central Scotland, seemingly flourishing in towns where the local Indian takeaway is the only food outlet and people just need something more from life.
It’s got doner meat, sometimes chicken tikka, chips, cheese, and hoagie sauce, all wrapped up in a chapati.
It’s the size of a small child and cures every hangover ever (even future ones).
Many of my early paychecks from waitressing at 15 were spent on hoagies; fat and sauce dripping down my chin as the beige delights in the wrap merged together to create a wrong-but-right finished product.
Rachel, 24, calls it a ‘Scottish burrito’ and says it ‘solves every drunken dilemma of picking between chips and cheese or a kebab.’
Cameron, 25, says:
Speaking as a fat man and expat of Central Scotland, I think the hoagie wrap is an example of phenomenal fast food. Along with its sister option the munchie box it is something I have to explain to people in the North East as there is nothing like it here.
It is unique and I hold it in high regard. It takes so many things that are bad for you and somehow makes them feel good. There is nothing better than having a few cans and a hoagie.
That’s where the people criticising the crunchy box get it wrong. I’ve written about food being a class issue before, and it remains true that many people like to ascribe morality to what we choose to put in our bodies without actually thinking about why and how we eat day-to-day.
These foods aren’t designed to go with watching wellness videos on YouTube or taking multivitamins and going for solo runs. They’re social foods. They fill a gap. They’re cheap and they’re tasty.
The hoagie (sometimes spelled hoggie) amalgamates all those foods with fond memories, and all for about a fiver.
Sam, 24, who also used to live in Central Scotland but now lives in Devon, tells Metro.co.uk: ‘The nights that entertained a can or two and a hoagie were some of the best nights! Feels like a part of me is missing. I didn’t realise until now. Friendships are fuelled by fast food!‘
25 year-old Liam calls it, ‘Scottish innovation and taste at its finest,’ and – although we’re still known as the sick man of Europe – he’s not wrong.
The Sun got a nutritionist to analyse the dish, saying that you could just eat a bowl of All Bran instead. How joyless. How sad. How very ridiculous to suggest Scottish people don’t understand that a hoagie isn’t the same thing as a head of lettuce.
I’m getting a bit romantic over a chapati filled with processed lamb and fried potatoes, but long live treats after a hard week.
Forget demonising carbs and fat and claiming one single item is the cause of childhood obesity and diabetes (if you don’t understand that these are far more complex issues, well there’s not much else I can do).
Your life is there to be enjoyed, and if going down to the Indian tipsy and eating something the size of your head is wrong, I don’t want to be right.
In the words of David, 25, ‘There is no greater fast food. Why get wined and dined when you can get boabied and hoagied.’
While we’ll quickly ignore any claim of a new ‘superfood’ (there is no magical food that ‘detoxes’ your body and makes you instantly healthy, pals), magical ingredients in the world of skincare are always pretty exciting.
That’s especially true if said ingredient is already in our cupboards.
An extract from maple leaves could prevent wrinkles and smooth the skin, says new research.
No, that doesn’t mean that we should be slathering ourselves in the super-sweet syrup we put on our pancakes, but it could mean that in the coming months we’ll see more skincare brands launching maple syrup themed products – think serums with a sugary maple scent, maple masks, and night creams infused with the stuff.
Scientists found that extracts from the leaves of red maple trees could slow the breakdown of elastin in the skin by blocking the activity of elastase. When elastin breaks down, wrinkles occur, so if you can prevent that process you’ll battle the ageing process.
(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)
This adds to previous findings that declared that this same extract may be able to protect skin from inflammation and lighten dark spots.
‘You could imagine that these extracts might tighten up human skin like a plant-based Botox, though they would be a topical application, not an injected toxin,’ said Navindra P Seeram, the project’s principal investigator.
‘And the fact that the extracts are derived from trees would be appreciated by consumers who are looking for natural, plant-based ingredients in their skincare products.
‘Native Americans used leaves from red maple trees in their traditional system of medicine, so why should we ignore the leaves?’
The researchers have not created a formulation containing this extract, called GCG, sourced from summer and fall maple leaves and maple sap. They now plan to find a market for that material to be used in the world of cosmetics.
So, as we said, you could be seeing maple leaf and syrup packed products in the coming months. We smell a skincare trend, and it smells sweet.
Yes, it’s fun to fantasise about fictional people who hold you in hot tubs and say things like ‘there’s no one like you, [insert last name here]’.
But I’m afraid we must interrupt your daydreaming to urge you to fantasise about your real-life partner instead.
Fantasising about your current partner can make your relationship stronger, suggests new research published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
Researchers looked at four different students (a tiny sample size) to look at how fantasies about a partner and fantasies about someone else affect relationships.
In the first two studies, people in relationships were asked to fantasise about their partner or about someone else they thought was hot. They were then asked to rate their interest in relationship-building activities. Those who fantasised about their partner were more keen on doing things with their partner that were beneficial to their relationship than those who fantasised about other people.
Next researchers asked the participants to track their fantasies and their relationship over the course of six weeks, asking them to note down any positive or negative feelings about the relationship.
As you might expect, when people fantasised more about their partner they also found their partner more appealing, and had fewer negative perceptions of the relationship.
So, the researchers suggest, fantasising about your partner may make you more attracted to them, like them more, and be more interested in spending time with them. Sounds good.
It’s worth noting, however, that the sample size, as we mentioned, is teeny-tiny, and more research will need to be done before the findings can be applied to every relationship.
Fantasies are a personal thing, and if part of enjoying your sexuality is thinking about someone other than your partner, you don’t need to panic. Explore your sexuality in a way that makes you feel comfortable.
If you’re worried about intimacy and attraction with your partner, involve them in the conversation. That’ll likely soothe you more than dreaming about all the things you wish your significant other would do.
Fashion retailer PrettyLittleThing is selling a hi-vis jacket, because everyone truly stylish secretly wants to look like they’re off to put up some scaffolding.
The jacket, priced at £45, has been met with derision on social media, with one person concluding that the brand must be ‘having a laugh’.
To be fair, you could wear it to a festival and pretend to be one of the stewards (until you get found out and probably ejected from the event).
PrettyLittleThing describe the coat as ‘seriously cool’ on their website, and the garment description reads: ‘We LOVE this statement jacket for festival season teamed over grey cycling shorts and add reflective boots to complete this eccentric look.
hahaha imagine bumping into a bricky on site like omg nice jacket mate where’d you get that from?, oh this? pretty little thing geezer https://t.co/3KcSUu6agA
Less than impressed comments online include ‘£45 to look like a builder? @OfficialPLT no thanks hun’ and ‘what were they thinking, this is not a look’.
Some are trolling the brand by sharing photos of themselves in functional hi-vis garments and asking ‘who wore it better?’ and whether PrettyLittleThing would consider them as brand ambassadors.
A standard hi-vis jacket usually costs around £20, so the price tag for Pretty Little Thing’s garment is raising some eyebrows.
Although some customers are adamant that the £45 hi-vis jacket is taking the festival fluorescents trend too far, not everyone’s making fun of the coat.
It’s already sold out in sizes small and medium on Pretty Little Thing’s website, and at least 10 hi-vis jackets have been bought in the past 48 hours.
Why are all the locals beefing that @OfficialPLT hi vis jacket? It’s cool I’m gonna buy it
This isn’t the first time that shoppers have been treated to weird and wonderful offerings from PrettyLittleThing.
The brand isn’t averse to taking risks, with their risqué ‘extreme nude’ mini-dress that features a thigh split that shows half the wearer’s bum, a camouflage and fishnet unitard, vinyl bikinis and all manner of sequin-heavy festival staples.
Whether you’re a fan of PrettyLittleThing’s hi-vis jacket or you think it’s more appropriate for a building site, it’s definitely divided opinion and got people talking about the brand online.
In news that will make many of us feel more than a little queasy, new research suggests baby poo could be used to prevent and treat diseases.
Yes, baby poo. The faeces produced by tiny humans.
Here’s the deal. The bacteria in baby poop could produce a probiotic cocktail that could be used to prevent and treat illnesses such as obesity and cancer, says a new study published in Scientific Reports.
Researchers took samples from the nappies of 34 healthy babies. They isolated 10 bacterial strains, which they found were effective in helping the body maintain a healthy gut.
That’s because those bacterial strains were found to help the body produce short-chain fatty acids, which play a key role in maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. Lovely.
Dr Hariom Yadav, the author of the study, said: ‘Babies are usually pretty healthy and clearly do not suffer from age-related diseases, such as diabetes and cancer.
‘And, of course, their poop is readily available.’
Good point.
So, where do we go from here? Should we swap our daily kombucha for baby poo?
We’re going to say no.
Loads more research will be needed before scientists can definitively state that there are probiotic benefits to baby poo, but even if they could, getting these benefits likely wouldn’t be as simple as waiting for a nappy change.
It’s not the entirety of baby faeces that’s effective, but the bacterial strains found in the poo.
Should researchers have further backing to prove baby poo’s gut-related effects, it’s more likely that they would use the bacteria in a probiotic supplement rather than recommending taking baby poo straight from the source.
We all know that too much alcohol is bad for us (especially when we’re nursing a hangoever).
However, often the information given to us about how much alcohol is recommended per week can vary.
The recommended unit amount for an adult is up to 14 per week.
But what does this mean in terms of actual drinks?
Wine
14 units equals out to about six 175ml glasses of 13% wine.
This is a medium glass size in pubs, so if you’re asking for larges at the bar you’ll need to be aware that these are 250ml.
If you’re pouring yourself it’s easy to get carried away.
(Picture: Mmuffin for Metro.co.uk)
Beer
Per week, you can fit six pints into your allowance if you make sure to stick to a brand of lager or ale that’s 4%.
You could stretch this out by opting for an even lower percentage option.
Cider
For cider with 4.5%, 14 units is equal to five pints.
Very easily done on a standard night out, but that’s your whole week’s recommended intake.
Spirits
40% spirits are 1 unit per 25ml measure, so you can have 14 in a week.
Remember, though, that double measures will change this allowance, as they tend to be 35ml.
And that’s not where the guidelines end. DrinkAware also state that even if you do stay within the 14 unit per week limit, it’s best to spread your drinking evenly over three or more days.
They also say that you should have at least three drink-free days per week to mitigate the risk of health complications caused by alcohol.
Across 80 different pairs of blue jeans, women’s front pockets were found to be an average of 48% smaller and 6.5% narrower than those in equivalent trousers for men.
(Picture: The Pudding/Jan Diehm/ Amber Thomas)
Anyone thinking ‘but men are generally bigger than women so of course their pockets are bigger’, please note that all the jeans tested had a 32 inch waistband, so would fit roughly the same size of person.
Most of the jeans studied, from major brands including Calvin Klein, Guess, H&M, J. Crew, Lee, Levi’s, Wrangler, Uniqlo and Ralph Lauren, had insufficiently small pockets for women, preventing even small items from fitting inside.
(Picture: The Pudding/Jan Diehm/ Amber Thomas)
Only 40% of the women’s brands surveyed could fit an iPhoneX in the front pocket, 20% a Samsung Galaxy, and 5% a Google Pixel.
For men, every single pair of jeans could hold an iPhoneX, 95% could fit a Samsung Galaxy, and 85% a Google Pixel.
For Google phone users, there was a massive 80% discrepancy between male and female pocket sizes.
Other than phones, pens, cosmetics, wallets, spare change, cardholders, bunched up earbuds, crumbs and crumpled bus tickets, pockets are most useful for holding your hands when you’re cold, don’t know what to do with them or simply want to slouch at a louche angle with your hands pocketed.
(Picture: The Pudding/Jan Diehm/ Amber Thomas)
However, if you’re wearing women’s jeans, you can kiss that goodbye.
A pathetic 10% of women’s jeans could fit a female hand inside and 5% could fit a male hand.
Every single pair of men’s jeans could fit a male or female hand inside the pockets.
The pocket size gap
Women’s skinny jean pockets: 3.5 inches (48%) shorter and 0.3 inches (6%) narrower.
Women’s straight jean pockets: 3.4 inches (46%) shorter and 0.6 inches (10%) narrower.
The back pockets of the jeans surveyed fared a little better in terms of gender equality, being only 5% shorter and 2% narrower than men’s on average.
However, back pockets are not convenient for storing anything that you might break by sitting down on it, and walking around with your nice shiny smartphone sticking out of your back pocket is a pretty effective way of getting it stolen.
Women need pockets. We like pockets.
My favourite dress is one with deep pockets. Ditto my favourite skirt and favourite pair of trousers.
80 pairs of jeans compared by size. (Picture: The Pudding/Jan Diehm/ Amber Thomas)
When you find an item of women’s clothing that actually has pockets for human sized hands, you cling on to it like it’s the floating door that definitely had room for both Rose AND Jack.
Real pockets for women are rare, beautiful unicorns, but they absolutely shouldn’t be.
Give us proper pockets, please.
If we’re going to spend £85 on a pair of Levi’s skinny jeans, we want them to hold our stuff.
Well here’s a novel twist on the old ‘bag for life’ dilemma.
As of next month, the supermarket chain Booths will be offering reusable cotton netted bags, rather than those little plastic ones, for customers picking up their fruit and veg. And that’s not all.
They’re also set to offer recycled coffee grinds repurposed to make ‘logs’ for fires and wood burners.
The new bags are set to be premiered at their Carnforth store in Lancaster, while the logs (made from bonafide in-house coffee waste) will be introduced later on in the autumn. If they prove a success then both could be rolled out to all 28 stores of the upmarket chain, the company told HuffPost UK.
This will follow a period of Booth culling all the plastic bags from stores and putting 10p ‘bags for life’ in their place.
(Picture: Booths UK)
It’s by no means the only supermarket it to slash its volume of of plastic packaging, amidst deep concerns over the environmental impact. Iceland, Morrisons, Asda, and Tesco have all stripped plastic from their shelves in recent months, with fast food behemoths McDonald’s also announcing plans to get rid of plastic straws.
Chris Stoves, from Booths, said: ‘The reduction of plastics is a priority for all our teams, informing buying and packaging choices at all levels of the business.
‘Reducing plastics in Booths isn’t a one off initiative; it’s a continuous range of changes we’re making to help reduce the reliance on plastic.’
The cliché goes that when sex appears to be on the table, it’s the man who reaches for the condom from his wallet or back pocket. He always has one handy, just in case.
The condom in the wallet may be out of date, as it was first placed there in a teenage moment of optimism. But it’s there. A man will never be without a rubber, so the story goes.
But the thing is, you really shouldn’t stick a condom in your pocket or wallet, no matter how much of a cliché it may be.
Your wallet and pocket (the literal ones, not euphemisms) are terrible places for condoms to be stored.
That’s because of the friction and temperature involved in both these storage options.
‘Heat, moisture, friction and light can affect the quality of condoms and make them less effective,’ Karin O’Sullivan, clinical lead at sexual health charity FPA, tells Metro.co.uk.
Both wallets and pockets tend to be too warm for condoms, as they’re nestled right up next to your body and its heat. When condoms experience heat, the latex becomes weaker, putting them at greater risk of breakage.
Then you add in friction, and your condoms become even weaker.
A back pocket will deal with a lot of friction, when you walk, sit down, or store anything else in there. A wallet, with regular opening, will have the same issue, especially when your condom is smushed up against cards and cash.
(Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
You also run the risk of putting your condoms in contact with something sharp, such as your keys, which could create a hole small enough that you wouldn’t notice it. A holey condom is not a safe condom.
The wallet and pocket aren’t the only rubbish places to store condoms.
You should also avoid keeping condoms in your bathroom cupboard (the moisture can cause damage), on the window sill or anywhere else in direct sunlight, in shoes and socks, or in the car glove compartment (again, heat).
‘Condoms should be kept where they cannot be damaged by strong heat, sharp objects, light or damp,’ says Karin. ‘Ideally, a bedside table, but it would also be OK to carry condoms somewhere safe in a handbag like an old sweet tin or small silk bag – not lying around at the bottom of it
‘A separate compartment in your wallet could also work but take care not to leave them there for ages – past the expiry date.
‘Some condoms are also designed and packaged to be stored in a wallet e.g. more robust containers or packaged like a credit card.’
If you’re heading out planning to have sex, it’s okay to pop a condom in your pocket on the walk over, but don’t keep a spare one there for prolonged periods of time. It won’t be immediately clear that the latex has been weakened, but you could end up with a torn condom midway through sex, putting you at risk of STIs and pregnancy.
Keep your condoms in a shady spot in room temperature when home, and if you’re on the go, replace condoms for each trip so you can be sure you aren’t carrying around a worn out bit of faulty protection.
That’s a good habit to get into regardless of where you store your condoms, as it’s wise to check the expiration date of condoms before use. Yes, they go off, at which point they’re no longer safe.
‘If you’re worried they might not have been kept in the best condition or the packaging is damaged, throw them away and use newer condoms instead,’ advises Karin. Better safe than sorry.
This summer’s hot weather hasn’t just given pasty Brits a few patches of highly unpleasant-looking sun burn and encouraged men to walk around without their tops on.
It’s also caused an increase in the number of bedbug infestations in Britain, which is particularly a problem in densely populated cities like London.
The hot weather means that the reproductive cycle of bedbugs is shortened from 18 to 21 days to a mere eight or nine days, meaning that they can lay more eggs in a shorter space of time.
Bedbugs are parasites. They’re tiny insects that like to live in the cracks and folds in and around your bed (hence the name).
At night, they crawl out of where they’ve been hiding to bite you and suck your delicious blood.
Populations used to be kept under control with pesticides like DDT, but as Dr. Ian Malcolm says: ‘Life finds a way’.
This gives you an idea of the size of a bedbug. (Picture: Ben de la Cruz/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Bedbugs have developed defences to many of these chemicals, and are no longer affected by them.
Horrifyingly, you can pick bedbugs up in lots of ways, including from seats on public transport.
Tube seats, bus seats and train seats can all carry these pesky bloodsuckers, allowing you to unknowingly bring them home with you.
Bedbugs can be picked up from your workplace and they’re definitely a risk if you’re staying in a hotel.
Bedbug bites on the skin. (Picture: Joel Carillet)
Contrary to popular thought, bedbugs don’t thrive in dirt. Having a clean home doesn’t mean you’re at an advantage here, and bedbugs don’t mean your house is dirty.
Similarly, bedbugs are just as likely to appear in manky hostels as they are in five star hotels.
A certain social stigma exists around bedbug infestations, perhaps because it conjures up images of Victorian workhouses, but not everyone with bedbugs in their home even knows they’ve got them.
Do you have bedbugs?
Signs you may have bedbugs:
According to the NHS, signs of a bedbug infestation include:
Itchy, red bites on your skin, although not everyone will get these. In severe cases, they might become fluid-filled blisters or cause a rash to appear.
Bites anywhere that’s exposed while you sleep, but particularly on your arms and shoulders because fleas and mites tend to bite your feet.
Tiny specks of black on your mattress. We hate to break this to you, but that’s bedbug poop.
The mottled shells of bedbugs that have been shed as the insect grows.
Tiny bugs or white eggs in the crevices and joints of your mattress, upholstered furniture or carpet. You can use your phone torch to check.
A musty, unpleasant smell in your bedroom.
Spots of blood on your sheets – this could be from crushing bedbugs as you move around in bed.
Bedbugs aren’t particularly fussy creatures, but they do prefer fabric or wood to plastic and metal.
They like to hide near where you sleep, so under your mattress, along the headboard of your bed or in the edges of the carpet near your bed are perfect bedbug hotspots.
Unfortunately, bedbug infestations are pretty hard to get rid of.
You should probably call in the professionals.
This bedbug is ready for his closeup. (Picture: DC Photo)
They will inspect your property and treat it either with insecticide, a steamer or rapid freeze system.
You might be advised to throw away any heavily infested furniture, wash clothes and bedding at 60 degrees and vacuum thoroughly before disposing of the vacuum contents in a sealed bag.
Although bedbugs aren’t attracted to dirt, keeping your home decluttered can reduce the number of places bedbugs have to hide.
It’s tricky to avoid bringing bedbugs home on your clothes or luggage, but you can reduce your chances of having a severe infestation by checking your mattress regularly and avoiding bringing second hand furniture home, at least unless you’ve checked it super-thoroughly.
It’s a sad time for dogs (Picture: Stuart Heath/CC)
Your canine companion is no longer welcome in ‘Spoons.
It’s the home of the comfortingly cheap full English, the classic Curry Club and the place where you can start downing pints at 9am in a completely judgement-free atmosphere but dogs are going to be banned in Wetherspoon pubs and hotels across the country.
JD Wetherspoon will be strictly enforcing their no dogs rule across almost 1,000 pubs by 10 September.
According to Wetherspoon, a policy of not allowing dogs in their pubs or outdoor gardens has been in place since 1979, but ‘a few exceptions’ have been allowed.
After ‘much consultation’, they’re going to be cracking down on all dogs in their establishments (except for assistance animals like guide dogs).
A Wetherspoon spokesperson told Metro.co.uk that the beloved pub chain had come to their decision because ‘even well behaved dogs can be unpredictable’.
And the company is not one to do things by halves:
‘Every dog owner thinks their dog is perfect,’ the spokesperson wrote.
‘We welcome a lot of children and families (younger children in particular can be unpredictable around dogs and many are scared of dogs) and we serve a lot of food.’
The ‘Spoons website confirms that they are still ‘fond of dogs’, despite the ban.
It remains to be seen whether the popular pub chain will lose out on business because of the new rules.
It might make dog owners think twice about choosing the ubiquitous chain for their lunchtime burger and chips or Friday night pints.
While Game of Thrones mega fans might still be suffering from the trauma of knowing the HBO behemoth will be winding up in 2019, at least there’s consolation on the horizon.
And it’s one set to appeal to more than just the show’s devotees.
HBO have partnered with New York brewery Ommegang to launch a new beer called King in the North, inspired by Jon Snow.
You’ll have to wait a bit to try it though, as the limited edition beer will only be available from this coming Black Friday (23 November) for $13 (£10.12) a bottle.
It’s not the only GOT inspired tall boy on the market, with another three also in the works to complete the set of Game of Thrones-inspired Royal Reserve Collection, each one a homage to characters pillaging each other throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
Previous editions have included a barleywine called Hand of the Queen, a sour blonde blend called Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, and a smoked porter and kriek blend called Mother of Dragons.
‘Inspired by Jon Snow, this barrel-aged imperial stout is brewed to sustain a leader through a long, dark night,’ says the product description.
‘The beer pours jet black with a thick tan head, and has aromas of roasted malt, coffee, and chocolate blend with those of oak, bourbon, and vanilla.’
Well, it’s enough to keep you lightly sozzled until Season 8 gallops up to take over the last vestiges of your social life.
It’s a condition we usually associate with the very young, full of the first flush of excitement and enthusiasm.
The start of the 2010s brought us the Beliebers, while the latter years of the decade have witnessed a new wave of pop star ‘stans’ (super fans, for those not clued up in current millennial speak) attached to the likes of Ariana Grande and Cardi B. But that doesn’t mean the older generation aren’t at it with equal force.
In fact, judging by these photos of devoted Cliff Richard fans taken outside of his iconic ‘Fabulous Rock n’ Roll’ gig in Greenwich, south east London – it seems like the youngsters could take a few tips from an ever so slightly more venerable bunch of enthusiasts.
Captured by Robin Mellor, the images are like staring into a multicolored, intricately embroidered whirlwind of all things Cliff.
Handbags, T-shirts, jumpers – each more outrageously loud than the last. A vivid tribute to one of the most enduring, and enduringly odd, musical figures this country has ever produced.
You’ve already chosen your outfit (we hope. It needs to look fire but also allow for a full range of movement. Please choose comfy shoes), you’ve planned your route, noted your food options, and decided who you’re heading over with, so now it’s time for the final piece: the makeup.
A Notting Hill beauty look is something special.
It’s about flawless skin that puts up with heat, sweat, and booze, a bold lip, and all kinds of sparkle.
If you usually keep things minimal, now’s the time to step out of your comfort zone.
Here are some basic rules to make sure your beauty look hits the mark.
(Picture: Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images)
Set a strong base
You’re going to be eating, dancing, drinking, blowing whistles, posing for pics, flirting, and a lot more. You need a foundation you can trust to stay put and look incredible all day.
Now’s not the time to experiment. If you’ve found a foundation you know works, stick with it. The last thing you want is to try a new longwear type and find yourself all clogged up and streaked with a too-light foundation.
But if you are on the lookout for a new one, we can safely recommend Fenty Beauty’s Pro Filt’r foundation. It’s just the right amount of matte that stops your skin from looking dead but gets rid of shine. Top with Fenty Invisimatte powder and pack blotting papers in your bumbag to maintain the look through sweat and booze.
Bold lips are essential
Go for a classic red (another Fenty product’s your best bet here, as the Stunna Lip Paint magically suits everyone and manages to stay put whatever you put it through) or experiment with something bright and bold.
Now’s the time to finally try a matte lip in blue, green, or purple. Now’s when you should try a sparkly holographic lip. This is the time to be extra.
Stick ’em around your eye area to look instantly carnival-ready. Try to choose gems in a mix of shapes and complementing colours to add interest, and pack a few spare ones in your bag to fill noticeable gaps throughout the day.
Glitter helps too
Glitter’s always a good idea. Try matching the colour to your lips or your outfit to pull everything together, or just go for gold to add a load of sparkle.
Use as part of your eye makeup with a sparkling cream shadow, or apply glitter wherever you’d like some extra shine – try mixing in with your face gems.
There are a few tricks of the trade to make glitter stay put. Use a glitter gel or standard hair gel as your base, using a setting spray, and make sure the non-glittered parts of your face are set with powder, so any stray sparkles can be swept off.
To remove at the end of the day, use an oil based cleanser and go slow and gentle. Scrubbing plus scratchy glitter is a terrible combo for your skin.
(Picture: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)
Highlight, highlight, highlight
A great carnival look is all about the glow. Sweep a shimmering highlighter over your cheekbones, down the centre of your nose, and on top of your cupid’s bow.
Throw some highlighter on your body, too, or make a shimmer spray to spritz on your collarbones, legs, and anywhere else you fancy by mixing a body oil and glitter in a spray bottle.
