‘Stand in a corner and cry softly’ (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Finding someone you fancy spending the rest of your life with is tricky.
Tinder is an endless pit of disappointment, despair, and dick pics. Every decent person you know is already coupled up. You tried going speed-dating but you’d already had a go with 60% of the attendees.
Why not give up all the faff of modern dating, and follow a 1958 magazine’s advice for landing a husband?
An article from a 1958 edition of American magazine McCall’s has been shared and laughed at thousands of times after a woman named Kim shared photos of its wisdom on Facebook.
(Picture: McCall’s) Caption: Mag page 2.jpg
The article has a load of tips and tricks for finding a husband, letting him know you exist, and snaring his undying love and affection, with the help of 16 people selected for their ‘good minds, lively ideas, and mature experience’.
The advice is a little… unconventional.
(Picture: McCall’s)
To find a husband we’re advised to ‘associate with more attractive girls [as] they may have some leftovers’, to ‘get lost at football games’, and to ‘get a government job overseas’ – all of which sound like rather more effort than just making eyes with that guy you see on the Tube each morning.
Under the ‘How to let him know you’re there’ section, things get weirder.
Apparently the way to get a man’s attention is to ‘stand in a corner and cry softly’, ‘carry a hatbox’, and ‘wear a bandaid’. We shall be trying all of these, obviously.
(Picture: McCall’s)
(Picture: McCall’s)
Once you get his attention and land a date, it’s important to order your steak rare, ‘send his mother a birthday card’ (how did you get my parents’ address, miss?), and ‘learn to scale and clean fish’.
The magazine seems to care little for your personal wellbeing in your mission to get a man, advising you to ‘get a sunburn’, ‘use an ashtray’, and refuse to tell your date about any allergies.
(Picture: McCall’s)
(Picture: McCall’s)
But aside from that, the tips all seem fairly doable.
We can definitely wear a sweater on every third date, practice drinking with our female friends, and buy a convertible. Easy.
Farewell, dating apps. We’re off to ask potential dates’ mums for their recipes, sit on a park bench and feed the pigeons, and read the obituaries to find eligible widows.
Whether you’re out and about this Halloween or staying home to hand out sweets to well-costumed kiddos, you might spot a blue pumpkin today – whether it’s a plastic version used as a sweets-holder or carved and sitting outside someone’s home.
This isn’t just a fun style choice.
A blue pumpkin is used to symbolise autism, and will be carried by trick or treaters to signal that they may have certain needs.
One mum shared her decision to use a blue pumpkin this Halloween on Facebook, explaining that her 21-year-old son, BJ, has autism and absolutely loves Halloween.
‘Please help us keep his spirit alive & happy,’ wrote Alicia Plumer. ‘So when you see the blue bucket share a piece of candy. Spread awareness! These precious people are not “too big” to trick or treat.’
Trick or Treat….the BLUE BUCKET…if you see someone who appears to be an adult dressed up to trick or treat this year…
Others have picked up on Alicia’s idea, and will have blue pumpkins outside their homes, or give their children blue buckets, to raise awareness of autism and make sure everyone can go trick or treating safely.
If you spot a trick or treater with a blue bucket, show them kindness and understanding, and appreciate that they may not enjoy a scare or loud noises.
Some children with autism may struggle to respond verbally, so don’t judge if they take a while to say ‘trick or treat’, don’t respond to your Halloween-themed puns, or struggle to make eye contact.
You can make your Halloween decorations more autism-friendly by avoiding bright flashing lights, loud noises, and scares that jump out and startle.
The blue bucket is a similar scheme to the Teal Pumpkin Project, which encourages people to put teal pumpkins outside their homes to show that they’re offering allergy friendly treats, such as stickers and toys.
How to make Halloween more accessible
If you have stairs leading to your house, make sure to walk down them when offering treats, or put a bucket of treats at the bottom of steps. It can be difficult for those with disabilities to navigate stairs, which may mean they don’t get any sweets.
Create a clear path to your door. It might seem very Halloween-y to create scary obstacles people have to surpass to get to their treats, but it makes trick of treating difficult for those with physical disabilities
Avoid bright lights, loud noises, and startle scares
Have allergy-friendly treats ready, such as stickers, play-doh, small toys, and colouring pencils
Don’t put nuts in your bowl of treats
Put out a sign or blue or teal pumpkin to show that your home is accessible for all trick or treaters
Oh, hey. We’re Ellen and Chris, two classic Brits uncomfortable being naked and talking openly about sex stuff.
So when we were offered a holiday to Hedonism II, ‘the sexiest place on earth’, ‘an all-inclusive paradise’, and an ‘iconic adult playground’, we had to say yes.
Hedonism II is, essentially, a sex resort. There are nude beaches, classes on fetishes, and necklaces that declare your sexual interests to other guests.
While we’re here, we’ll be writing daily diary posts about what it’s like at Hedonism II’s Young Swingers Week, culminating in a final article about what we discovered at the end of the week.
Here’s our recap of day two.
Chris
Here’s Chris fully clothed for the final time on this holiday (Picture: Ellen Scott/Metro.co.uk)
Today I pretend to fall asleep on a sun lounger so that a man will stop asking me about the sounds I make when I ejaculate.
Today is also the day we’re split into factions in a sort of horny(ier) Hunger Games. There are three necklace colours – green, red and blue – and then additional coloured beads – white, pink, black, purple – denoting your likes and kinks in plain sight around your neck.
Green is for the open-minded. It is the absolute baseline of comfort for Young Swingers Week, because why else would you go? Red says that you’d be willing to swap partners with the right couple at the right time. Blue simply means you are DTF as much as possible. I opt for green, and breathe a sigh of relief when Ellen does too.
‘I like your tattoos,’ a Red says behind me. In one single glance I know that she’s into BDSM, able to play solo without her partner, willing to get involved in our sex life if we can impress her, and her name – also spelt out in beads.
The whole system is very efficient and I wish it could translate into real life.
‘Can my mate join us at the pub?’ Rather not, as I can see Pete’s a Millwall-supporting Scorpio who voted Brexit and doesn’t get the round in. Nice try.
Today is the day I get naked in public for the first time. The resort and beaches are split into a self-proclaimed prude side and nude side, but I can see the prude side tumbleweeds blowing across the shore from my room window. We head there first but soon realise the error of our ways.
Plus, I’m here to do things the Hedo way. Balls-in here means balls out.
I’ve lived a sheltered life sheltering my penis in gyms, saunas and almost every single room or function I’ve ever entered. I’d assumed that being stark naked in front of everyone would carry the same humiliation as being pantsed in PE but I’d assumed very, very wrong.
It was anti-climactic once my swimming trunks left my ankles but it’s been difficult to revert back to clothed life.
I am a nudist now. Don’t mind my wang, just getting the piña coladas in. Yes, I’m really enjoying these nachos – how can you tell?
Ellen
Genuine question: Why did I pack so many outfits for this trip? (Picture: Ellen Scott/Metro.co.uk)
It takes us a while to realise we’ve fully stripped off on the prude side of the beach. It’s the lack of people and the closed bar that gives it away.
We return our bodies to swimsuits and cover-ups, then make the long stroll across the threshold.
There are signs every few paces warning us that we must take off our clothes, reminding us that this is a nude beach and thus we will see people who are nude, and scolding us for daring to bring a phone in our Young Swingers Week branded backpacks (no photography allowed).
The difference is stark. Everyone’s naked. Music blares from the pool where entertainers are instructing women to twerk and judging which man has the best hat.
It turns out that once you strip clothes away, all our awkward social boundaries get chucked away with them. Strangers wish us good morning, compliment my hair, ask us how we’re doing, and for once I don’t have the typical London reaction of ‘what’s wrong with them? Why are they talking to someone they don’t know?’.
We have a chat with a man who compliments our eyes while taking not at all furtive glances at Chris’s penis and my breasts. Yes, that chat does start off strangely, with Chris quizzed on how he would say ‘fuck, I’m coming’ in a British accent, but then we’re talking about Stormzy and the book I’m reading and it’s shockingly easy to forget we’re naked.
Getting in the sea is dreamy, naturally, and it’s so hot that the idea of putting on any clothes is not at all appealing.
Every few hours I poke Chris and ponder how weird this all is. We’re naked. There are couples here who’d quite like to do a switcharound.
But then I’m reading, and drinking a piña colada, and dozing off in the sun, and I can feel any lingering awkwardness melt away.
Oh, look. A cat on the beach! A massive bird with one leg! Fish jumping above the surface!
Oh. Now a couple is having sex on the shore, her on top, thrusting, and splashing.
There’s a lot to see here.
The Sex Resort Diaries will be running all week. You can read day one here, and check back tomorrow to read about us dipping our toe in the literal pool of swinging and group sex.
A little girl called Maya was branded the ‘winner’ of Halloween for wearing an astonishing costume that makes it look like she is headless.
The youngster’s mother Krystel Hwang put Maya in a specially-constructed dress with fake arms whose neckline sits well above Maya’s head.
She then added a collar that looks like a plate, making it look as if the youngster is actually carrying around her own dismembered head.
Maya’s face was made-up with pale white makeup and dark circles under her eyes, to complete the zombified look.
Hwang, fro Southbay Village in the Philippines then shared snaps of Maya out trick or treating – with hundreds of fans branding it the most creative Halloween costume they’d ever seen.
Halloween is yet another excellent excuse to drink (Picture: Getty)
Happy Halloween! Millions will be enjoying parties tonight and at the weekend, meaning it is time to get the drinks in.
Sure you can turn up to a party with a four-pack of bitter from the corner shop, but everyone will think you’re a cretin, and your rubbish sexy cat outfit won’t help matters.
To be the Halloween host with the most, or party guest with the best, you should consider rustling up one of these 14 delicious and fiendish cocktails.
But make sure you make enough, you don’t want to be dressed as a ghost and run out of booos.
You can do a better pumpkin than these ladies (Picture: Getty)
1) Rump-Kin 43
(Picture: Pussers)
Ingredients:
25ml Pussers spiced rum
25ml Licor 43
25ml double cream
25ml Re’al Pumpkin puree
Optional dashes of chocolate bitters
Method:
Mix all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and serve in a martini glass.
Grate nutmeg over to garnish.
2) Apricot Martini
(Picture: Rocket)
Ingredients:
2 scoops of apricot jam
25ml apricot brandy
25ml Absolut mandarin
12.5ml lemon juice
25ml apple juice
Black food colouring
Method:
Shake or stir all the ingredient vigorously, then strain into a glass.
To garnish, draw circles of black food colouring on top then use a toothpick or single prong of a fork to make the accents.
50ml pumkin puree
50ml apple juice
50ml Bacardi oakheart (or another spiced rum)
25ml apricot brandy
15ml fresh lemon juice
Add some simple syrup (if the puree is unsweet)
Method:
Grated nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla sugar for aroma
Add all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake and strain into a small, carved pumpkin.
50ml Crown Royal Canadian Whisky
25ml apple schnapps
15ml Buckwud Canadian Maple Syrup
15ml lemon juice
1 egg white
2 tsp maraschino syrup (from maraschino cherry jar)
Method:
Shake over ice, double strain and serve in a champagne coupe.
Garnish with apple, a maraschino cherry on top and a cherry with syrup dropped to the bottom of the glass.
2 135g packs lime jelly
4 kiwi fruit
Juice of 2 limes
2 ltrs lemonade
Method:
Make up both packs lime jelly, pour into shallow trays and place in the fridge for an hour to set.
When the jelly has set, peel the kiwis fruit then cut them into large chunks, removing the white pith.
Reserve a few slices and place the rest in a blender with the lime juice and 750ml lemonade.
Whizz for 30 secs or until the kiwi has blended well.
Cut the jelly into small cubes and place in the bottom of a punch bowl.
Pour the kiwi mixture over, adding the rest of the lemonade.
Garnish with the reserved kiwi slices.
Add Morrisons M Signature Vodka to make this mocktail a cocktail.
10) Halloween’s Queen Punch
(Picture: Home House)
Ingredients:
150ml Woodford Reserve Whiskey
100ml Mandarine Napoleon brandy
75ml pumpkin purée
50ml lemon juice
35ml pumpkin syrup
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
Pinch of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger
Pear cider to top
Pear, orange and apple
Method:
Slice the apples, pears and oranges lengthways and place into a large bowl.
Coat with lemon juice to prevent browning.
Add honey, brown sugar, whiskey, brandy, pumpkin purée, pumpkin syrup and all spices.
Stir gently, cover and then refrigerate for two-four hours or overnight.
25ml Goslings Dark Seal Rum
10ml gingerbread syrup
10ml cinnamon syrup
10ml Pimento Dram
20ml apple juice
15ml orange juice
10ml egg white
10ml lemon juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Espelette pepper
Method:
Pour all ingredients into a Boston tin, dry shake to emulsify the egg whites.
Add cubed ice and shake vigorously.
Double strain into a chilled viitta coupette glass and garnish with a light dusting of espelette pepper.
Our lessons of Black History Month at school featured Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman and sometimes Mary Seacole if we were lucky.
A lot was left out, especially when it comes to Black British history. 24-year-old Varaidzo has taken matters into her own hands.
Across the month of October, the writer and editor has been sharing her illustrations of relatively unknown Black people alongside their histories and contributions to British society.
‘I started this series because I had been researching the 1930s for something I was writing and I was surprised to find enter networks of Black people who had been living, working, and studying in Britain,’ Varaidzo tells Metro.co.uk.
‘They didn’t seem to be living these harsh, miserable lives totally defined by racism, which is sometimes the impression I get when I think of Black people from British history.’
(Picture: Varaidzo)
She was struck by the fact that these Black people were club owners, restaurant owners, activists, musicians, entertainers and more – a side of Black British history that we’re rarely shown.
Varaidzo says: ‘Most of Black British history focuses on the Windrush era, their descendants, and the Black communities that migrated after.
‘But Black people have always been here. We’re not a new demographic on this island.
‘Considering the British empire was built off the slave labour of Black people, you can’t actually separate British history from Black people.’
(Picture: Varaidzo)
Varaidzo concluded that if she had never heard about these communities who had existed before Windrush, chances were that not a lot of other people had either.
She decided to try to find out about as many pre-Windrush Black people as possible and document the notable mark they had on this country.
‘The illustrations are quick doodles so they take between 10-30 minutes, however, the research is the difficult bit,’ she says.
‘Most of the people I’ve focused on haven’t had their lives of achievements well-recorded and they haven’t been written into our modern digital history. It just contributes to their erasure.’
(Picture: Varaidzo)
She sifts through online resources as well as books and public archives to find out what she can about these people, but information is hard to come by.
‘I think I spent about six hours trying to research Kathleen Wrasama, a founder of the Stepney Coloured People’s Society – there is just nothing about her on the internet,’ says Varaidzo.
‘I ended up reading a biography of a white socialist priest she’d been neighbours with just in the hope that her name would come up so I could add more context.’
The response to Varaidzo’s series has been overwhelmingly positive. She didn’t expect that so many people would share her work.
‘I think people have been receptive to this series because they’re actually learning something new, or having it affirmed that the Black figures they have heard of are just as important as Black figures from recent history too,’ she tells us.
(Picture: Varaidzo)
‘I think that the fact that the drawings are colourful and not too serious or stern helps too. I’m not trying to shame anyone for not knowing who these people are because I didn’t know a lot of them either.
‘I think the more colourful the drawings, the more people feel like it’s information they deserve access to. This knowledge is not just reserved for old, educated historians.’
Varaidzo notes that access to information is a key obstacle to wider knowledge around historical figures: ‘When it comes to history, you can’t rush that kind of research. It takes time.
‘If people aren’t invested in taking that time, I can understand why everyone highlights the same people over and over again, particularly during Black History Month.
‘I think most of us can think of topics or subjects we’d love to know more about but research is hard and if you don’t know where to start looking in the first place, it’s going to be a giant task.
‘On Instagram, I can just put everything in the same place. All the necessary info is in the captions and you can take it all in one go as you scroll, instead of having to become your own personal historian.’
KFC have given $11,000 to a couple who named their daughter after the chain’s founder Colonel Sanders.
The fried chicken outlet donated the money towards baby Harland Rose’s college tuition after her parents deliberately gave her the same first name as the iconic Colonel.
KFC announced the little girl’s win on Twitter Tuesday.
Baby Harland Rose won $11,000 towards her tuition fees after her parents agreed to name her after KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders to try and revive the popularity of his Christian name (Picture: KFC/Twitter)
KFC handed over $11,000 in a nod to the number of herbs and spices they coat their chicken in before frying (Picture: Getty)
They had earlier stipulated that the prize would go to the first baby named Harland who was born on September 9 – the same day Sanders was born, in 1890.
Harland, who weighed in at 8-pounds one-ounce, and whose parents plan to call her Harley, was awarded the $11,000 in a nod to the 11 different herbs and spices KFC coat their chicken in.
KFC began the contest in a bit to revive the popularity of the name Harland, which was the 5,477th most chosen name for newborns in 2018.
Announcing the win on Twitter under the guise of the Colonel, who died in 1980, KFC said: ‘I’m as pleased as pumpkin punch to announce the winner of our Baby Harland Naming Contest and the Harland who will be ushering in an all-new generation of Harlands, little Harland Rose.’
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry just wrapped up their 14-day tour of New Zealand and on their last stop to Rotorua, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were gifted a Maori cloak called a Korowai.
Meghan and Harry wore the traditional robes during a powhiri – a welcoming ceremony which involves speeches, dancing, and singing.
The Korowai worn by the royal couple were made by the Ngāti Whakaue tribe elder, Norma Sturley.
Meghan’s was made to protect her during pregnancy, to envelop her in ‘strength, warmth and aroha (love)’.
(Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Each Korowai is personalised and the Duke and Duchess were given one with gold and blue representing the couple’s coat of arms.
Korowai are finely woven cloaks covered with flax tassels. There are many different types of Korowai that are named depending on the type of tassel used as the decoration. Some cloaks have unraveling tassels, others undyed, or in the style of pompoms.
The first image of a Korowai dates back to 1844, when George French Angas painted historical accounts of early New Zealand.
Nowadays, if you wanted to own one, you’d have to have it especially made and that will require a lot of time and money.
The feathers-sewn-on-fabric type of Korowai will set you back from several hundred to several thousand dollars, according to the Hemet School of Maori Art.
The real deal – a Korowai woven from muka using the traditional whatu technique – should cost anything upwards of $12,000/£6,152.
And the price reflects the amount of work put into it as it takes at least 4-6 months of weaving constantly for a minimum of 40 hours a week to put it altogether.
The Korowai is a rich part of Maori culture which has great respect for strong women.
(Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA)
(Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA)
New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern also donned the traditional attire when she visited Buckingham palace earlier in the year.
Like Meghan, she was also pregnant when she wore the Korowai to meet the queen.
Both Meghan and Jacinda got a lot of love for wearing the indigenous inspired garment.
‘Aww I love this! Meghan looks so elegant and regal in the Korowai and I love that she’s wearing a pounamu necklace too. I am just loving this tour,’ wrote one Twitter user.
Writing about Jacinda, another user wrote: ‘Got a tad emotional seeing the prime minister’s outfit. I think it’s the symbolism of the korowai. It’s like a blanket providing warmth and comfort for her and her baby. That connection to the land. So special’.
The annual Adelaide Festival in Australia is thought to be one of the biggest celebrations of art. It’s known for pushing boundaries.
This year they’ve made something that even made the festival board members ‘cringe’ – a bar of soap made out of human fat, taken from liposuction patients.
It is the brainchild of Dutch installation artist Julian Hetzel who came up with the concept, called Schuldfabrik, to talk about the guilt and debt of modern-day society.
The excess fat is supposed to represent that guilt, which he’s turned into a useful resource; soap.
(Picture: Ben and Martin Photography)
Schuldfabrik will appear in a pop-up shop and factory allowing audiences to wash themselves with the bar which they can then buy. The installation will also show the actual removal of fat from a patient and its processing through the soap.
Designer Julian worked with plastic surgeons in the Netherlands and convinced lipsocution patients to donate the fat taken out during surgery.
He ended up with 300kg of ‘soap’.
‘It’s not 100% human fat,’ he said. ‘We collaborated with a soap maker and she advised us to make a mixture of different fats and oils to have like a really high-quality product that is also moisturising and has all the components of a real good soap.
‘There were other dilemmas to resolve, legally and ethically, while health factors also had to be factored in.
(Picture: Ben and Martin Photography)
‘We collaborated with a hygiene institute and they advised us how to purify the material, because we had to make sure that there is no bacteria or a virus in the material, in the fat, so we had to process it at a very high temperature for a certain time and to kill all the viruses.
‘We decided to work with fat as a material that represents guilt or that contains guilt and to understand, can this be used as a resource? Can we use guilt as something productive? Can we profit from our own guilt? How to make money with guilt.’
‘It looks like soap, it functions like soap, but it is an artwork,’ Julian added.
The money made from the soaps, which $32/£17.78 a pop, will be donated to building wells in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Adelaide Festival will run through 1 March to 17 March.
Pumpkins – with their little backlit faces – are the cutest part of Halloween.
Carving with family and friends and placing them on the porch to tell trick or treaters you’ve got a bag full of sweets ready and waiting – adorable.
Have you ever actually done anything with the goop inside your spooky gourd, though? Unlikely.
Instead of scooping the seeds straight into the bin, there are a few recipes you can use to make the most of your pumpkin, and reduce waste this All Hallow’s Eve.
And, no, reusing the pumpkin doesn’t mean as a hat as this girl did…
First thing’s first, you want to clean and roast the seeds.
Put all the pumpkin’s insides into a colander and pull away as much of the flesh as you can.
Give the seeds a good wash, and then shake to remove the majority of the water and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Then you can roast them by tossing in a little olive oil and seasoning, popping them on a baking tray, and putting them in the oven until golden brown.
Throw some seeds on a winter salad (Picture: Getty)
This will take up to 25 minutes.
If savoury flavours aren’t for you, coating the seeds with brown sugar and a bit of cinammon before roasting (and obviously removing the salt) gives them a lovely caramel crunch.
Pumpkin seeds can be used as a crunchy salad or soup topper, or as a healthy snack to munch on throughout the day.
The sweet variety are perfect sprinkled over your morning porridge or yoghurt.
They’ve created what they’re calling the Holloweenie.
It’s not actually very scary.
The Holloweenie is a sex toy that looks like a hollowed out penis. You stick your dick inside. Easy.
The toy is fitted with teledildonics technology, which essentially means it’s a smart toy, linked to connected dildos. When someone else uses the paired dildo, the sensation is matched with the Holloweenie, which replicates the feeling on your penis. Get it?
(Picture: CamSoda)
There’s also a ‘ghost’ mode, which allows people to remotely control the sex toy anonymously. So you can casually go about your day with your penis in a Holloweenie, enjoying all kinds of treats without anyone being the wiser.
Or you can turn off all the stimulation and just wear the Holloweenie as a penis sheath. Lovely.
To be clear, what makes this sex toy Halloween themed is the name, the ‘ghost’ mode, and the fact that it’s been announced on Halloween… that’s about it.
Other than that it sounds like a delightful year-round thing to pop your peep in.
It’ll take a while to arrive, though, so if you’re desperate to get sexy in a Halloween themed way, we’d recommend using fake blood as lube, using your costume for some roleplay, or just going all out and putting your dick in a pumpkin. Fun.
It has survived plagues, a great fire, outrageous monarchs and two World Wars, and stands today as one of the world’s greatest cities.
But hidden beneath parks and the modern streets of the capital lies a dark and unknown history.
From plague pits to a murderer’s pub, we found the spookiest spots in London and the history behind them.
Cross Bones graveyard
Just a short walk from the Shard is a 16th century graveyard with more than 15,000 people buried there.
An informal group, the Friends of Cross Bones, have decorated the gates with ribbons and flowers and hold a memorial ceremony on the 23rd of each month to remember those buried at the site.
Highgate cemetery
There is no better place to get lost in Victorian Gothic architecture and macabre surroundings.
If you’re visiting, look out for the resident cat.
St Dunstan in the East
The church was designed by famed 17th century architecture and then pretty much blown to pieces during the Blitz.
But now its overgrown garden is stunning to visit.
Temple Church
With more than 800 years of history this church has seen a lot of change in the capital.
Don’t just visit because you read the Da Vinci Code.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
Whether you’re looking for literary inspiration or an Instagram-able pub, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is the best place for a pint.
King Alfred the Great
Why was he great? Well he took on loads of Vikings and kept them out of his kingdom so of course he deserves a statue.
Aldwych Station
The London Underground wasn’t just used as bomb shelters for people during the Second World War.
Charterhouse Square
Our apologies to anyone who uses this spot for a peaceful lunchbreak.
William Wallace Memorial
Freedom! A chance to never forget the brutal way in which many rebels were dispatched by the Crown in the 15th century.
Texas Embassy
To be independent or not to be.
It may have only been open for nine years but there is still a bit of Texan and American history in central London.
Tower of London
It is a lot spookier than you think.
If visiting make sure you jump on a tour with one of the Yeoman Warders for full gory details.
Watch out for the ravens.
Downing Street
One of the world’s most famous front doors but there’s history beneath Number 10.
Postman’s Park
Just a reminder that some times there is good in the world and the people who put their own lives at risk to save others.
It is just opposite the Barbican.
The Spaniards Inn
London Wall
You can follow us at @Metro.co.uk, where we regularly post the best pictures from London using #MetroLDN.
Want to show off the best of your home county, we also like the occasional weekend away using #MetroRoadTrip so don’t forget to tag us.
Well, summer is gone and although it seemed to last an age and gave us a magnificent few months of sunshine, the leaves on the trees are turning brown, yellow and gold.
It can only mean one thing: Autumn is here. But panic not! Although it brings the winds of change outside, it’s inside where a little seasonal tweak here and there can refresh your home.
Whether you’ve had your house for decades, only recently moved or are renting, you will know how important it is to have the right balance in a space you see and live in practically everyday. It’s your place, the area that’s meant to calm and soothe you, but most importantly during the dark and cold months – make you feel warm and cosy!
So what better time to make changes than the transition to a new season? It’s the perfect moment to reset and try something different to give your home a fresh feel.
(Credit: IKEA)
IKEA believe that a more wonderful everyday starts with life at home and it is this longstanding philosophy that has inspired the release of four seasonal launches throughout the year, exhibiting hundreds of stylish new products and ranges.
The problem for many is that it can be overwhelming deciding what to change, what to introduce and knowing how much of an impact it can have in the place you call home.
But keeping it simple and using soft tones and clever contrasts – a staple of this Autumn – will bring a subtle warmth to your home. If you’re still lacking a bit of inspiration though – you’ve come to the right place. Here are our top tips for giving your home a stylish Autumn refresh:
(Credit: IKEA)
The GRADVIS vase proves that you don’t always need bold and brash colours to set off your room. Pastel shades are back in a big way this autumn and this dusky pink vase provides a beautiful touch to your home that’s fully on trend this season.
It’s perfect either as a standalone vase or with flowers, so it’s versatile enough as a centrepiece on a table or sitting pretty on a shelf.
At just £8, it provides a stylish touch at an extremely affordable price.
(Credit: IKEA)
It seems funny to think about switching your lighting arrangements with the seasons but introducing something like the ÄPPELVIKEN chandelier can make all the difference to the mood in your dining or living room.
As the days get shorter, giving some care and attention to the lighting in your home takes on a greater level of importance. Make the room more cosy by adding the ÄPPELVIKEN, £30, in a dark corner, and use only the candle holders for candlesticks or tealights when you want to create a romantic atmosphere.
Practicality aside, the ÄPPELVIKEN has also been designed with a clear Autumnal theme in mind. The dark grey galvanised steel coating will offset warm pinks and base tones in your home, providing a lovely contrast.
(Credit: IKEA)
Starting at a cost-effective £2 the pastel FORMIDABEL range of dishes and bowls is an extremely simple way to give your dinnerware sets an Autumnal vibe. Touching on the soft colour palette already mentioned, the dusky pink FORMIDABEL plate, £3, is a prime example of how a subtle change can make a big difference to your home. With its subtle colour the range can easily mix with other dinnerware to change the mood of your dinner table, from more casual everyday meal to dinner party.
You don’t need to do anything drastic, a fun and simple change like this can be much more impactful and really impress your dinner guests. With the price being what it is too, it might be smart to invest in a couple of contrasting dinner sets to really up the presentation on your home cooked meals.
(Credit: IKEA)
When the rainy season arrives we spend more time indoors, so make sure to add some comfort to your seating area with the ELDTÖREL cushion cover to help you to find the most comfortable position while watching your favourite series.
It is the perfect way to inject a dash of colour into your home this autumn, with the predominantly pink design giving off a mellow, setting-sun vibe as the nights draw in.
The real selling point with the ELDTÖREL, though, is that it has two sides which allow you to switch between a splash of colour on one side, or a deeper navy on the other, so you can easily vary the look and feel of your bedroom or living room with the simple turn of a pillow.
At just £4.50, it’s an effective way to create a designer look on a shoestring budget.
(Credit: IKEA)
Ah the humble rug. A blessing for your feet. The ultimate distraction from those god-awful drapes you bought months ago.
A good rug can completely transform a room. You can get away with something bold or a little out there, while also knowing it can help connect aspects of your home that you’re maybe unsure about.
But why stop at one rug? Why not join two, three or even four rugs? They also are really helpful in keeping the room warmer in the cold season by reducing the heat dispersion.
The SKOVEN comes in at a reasonable £55, and at almost two metres long can really turn any room into a cosy den. Part of the GRATULERA collection, designed to celebrate IKEA’s first 75 years, the SKOVEN’s high pile (30mm) means you can join numerous rugs together without a visible seam. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, of course.
Attention, plant-based pals. If you move swiftly, you can pick up a free burger from Gourmet Burger Kitchen today, 1 November.
GBK is handing out free vegan burgers today to celebrate World Vegan Day, offering up 900 burgers around the UK today.
Be warned: That’s 900 burgers in total, so there are just 10 free vegan burgers available in each restaurant. You’ll need to move fast if you’re peckish and hate spending money.
The burger on offer is the brand’s new Jack-in-a-bun. It’s made up of a butternut squash and quinoa patty, beetroot mayo, Korean-style pulled jackfruit, pickled onions, and rocket, all tucked in a sourdough bun. Sounds tasty.
As we’ve mentioned, said burger is vegan, hence them giving it away on World Vegan Day.
To get a free Jack-in-a-bun today you just need to head up to the till at a Gourmet Burger Kitchen restaurant and say ‘Jack on the house’. The offer is first come, first served, and once the ten free burgers have been snatched, the offer’s done.
The deal is available from the moment the restaurants open today, which is usually around 11am. So you might want an early lunch.
If you don’t manage to grab a freebie, you can still buy the burger for £8.95.
In she’s kind of like the plant-based BFF we all need – someone who knows every last thing about the local vegan scene and who has the ability to knock up a cheaper, possibly healthier version at home.
She’s as far away from the white, middle class, yoga-pant-clad, I-just-came-back-from-a-like-really-spiritual-experience-in-Sri-Lanka-yah? influencers you see on the ‘gram.
Having been vegan for four years, she set up her YouTube channel last year and she’s now blown up on Instagram too (23k followers and rising).
Rachel’s food is a fusion of London taste, influences from her travels and flavours from her Caribbean and African roots – really paying homage to just how broad a church the vegan community is.
So who better to celebrate World Vegan Day with?
Rachel turned vegan four years ago, after years of struggling with digestive problems.
‘I found out I’m extremely lactose intolerant, so I cut out dairy for that reason,’ she tells Metro.co.uk.
‘I saw how the meat and fish ended up on my plate. I was heartbroken. I’ve always considered myself an animal lover, having had pets all my life, but I hadn’t made the association and when I did, I went vegan the next day. I couldn’t bear the thought of eating animals.
‘After that, knowing that I can contribute to helping our environment and my health, it was a no-brainer,’ she says.
In four years, this country has gone from one barely able to accommodate vegetarians to one packed the brim with exciting plant-based options and new supermarket suppers coming out every week.
‘The innovation of plant-based foods to create so many different textures and flavours is incredible,’ says Rachel, who used to struggle being dairy-free a decade ago.
‘I can go to cafe and see labels marked vegan and not have to quiz staff members. If I want a nostalgic KFC experience that’s vegan I can actually get one, and it bangs.
‘And it just keeps getting easier.’
But are we so optimistic here among the chattering classes because we are in London and we’re millennials? Is it really reaching beyond these golden gates?
Rachel seems optimistic.
(Picture: Rachel Ama)
‘It’s more widespread than that.
‘I think it can appear like it’s just a middle-class thing through the media, but that’s not a realistic representation of different communities and ways of living around the world. Veganism isn’t new, it’s new to mainstream media because the rate at which it’s growing is incredible. Eating meat was a luxury, it’s only in the last 60 odd years that meat consumption has become more easily accessible and drastically increased.
‘When I went vegan I found it really hard to find vegans I could completely relate too.
‘So in creating my channel I wanted to show people that there’s more than just the really stereotypical vegan out there. And you don’t have to be that stereotype to be vegan.’
And part of that no doubt is in being a vegan woman of colour.
The term ‘vegan’ was coined in 1944 by Donald Watson (a Yorkshireman), the founder of the Vegan Society.
And while plant-based living only became a proper movement in the UK and US in the 19th century, veganism and vegetarianism can trace its roots back to the Indus valley civilisation in 3300-1300 BCE in Ancient India – the same as yoga.
(Picture: Rachel Ama)
The earliest known vegan is thought to have been the Arab poet Al-Ma’arri (973-1057AD) who apparently argued that if humans deserve justice, animals do too.
In the West Indies, the Nyabinghi Mansion of Rastafari follows Ital – a culinary movement that dictates followers only eat unmodified food grown from the earth around them.
The name’s derived from ‘vital’ and the primary goal of the Ital diet is to increase Livity, or life energy.
There are quite a few famous black vegans. Erykah Badu, Vanessa Williams, Andre 3000, John Salley and Salim Stoudamire are just a few of the actors, singers and athletes who subscribe to plant-based living.
Rachel tells us that when people find out she’s vegan, they’re surprised, but that’s starting to wear off now.
‘None of my friends or family were vegan so I was constantly explaining. I was the awkward one at the family gathering, with no food on my plate, that everyone wanted to feed me meat.
‘With anything we do to evolve, we should learn about our history and roots, and that goes with veganism too.
(Picture: Rachel Ama)
‘Learning and understanding where veganism exists and has existed before can help us understand it more as a realistic lifestyle, not just a “fad”.
‘There was, and is, a reason for this lifestyle choice and it has worked, so let’s work towards this common goal but understand its roots too.’
As for Rachel’s cooking, well, her food looks amazing but also hearty and healthy because her philosophy revolves around cooking with whole, plant-based foods.
‘My mum studied nutrition so I grew up in a house that was very anti-processed foods and fizzy drinks so I naturally love to cook with real plant-based foods.
‘I like to look at my plate of food and see a variety of colours from different vegetables and fruits, because not only do they represent different flavours and textures, but also nutrients and vitamins. That’s my favourite way to cook and eat. It’s delicious, flavourful and not unhealthy.’
One thing lots of us can’t agree on is whether to make mock-versions of meat and fish.
Some vegans think its great, others believe we should be moving away from the idea of animal products entirely.
Rachel, whose most interesting recipe is called ‘chuna’, believes that we’ll develop a new culinary language and taste in time.
‘But we have to get there, and if people struggle to go vegan because they still want the remembrance of a fish-like flavour, and they can do it in a way that doesn’t involve killing and eating fish, then I’m down for alternatives.
‘In time the language will change as the association becomes more distant.’
As 2018 seems to be the year we all woke up to the reality of our plastic problem, how does veganism impact Rachel’s life in other ways?
‘I think when opening yourself up to veganism, you can become more mindful and conscious of what you’re investing your money in.
‘Like, what you do on a daily basis that could be harming the environment and isn’t actually necessary. So definitely, I certainly don’t want skin care products containing animal by-products, or ones that are tested on animals in laboratories.
‘Sustainable fashion is really important too.’
Can you be a vegan if you just don’t eat or drink animal products?
‘If you were to look at the original definition of the term vegan then no, but I don’t think that’s something to get too hung up on.
‘It’s more important to be mindful of the things we’ve been accustomed to doing that are actually really damaging to ourselves, the environment and animals and to begin to take action and make changes.
‘Even if you decide to eat no meat on Mondays as a starting point and then go from there, it all counts and it all makes a huge difference.’
I’ve always considered myself to be an animal lover.
As a child I cared for two chinchillas, Tina and Tessa, whom I’d let roam around my room all day to the point where they’d literally eat half-way through my books and homework.
I adored my grandparents’ dog, Aga, and spent my entire childhood hand-writing over 200 mini ‘newspapers’ about our adventures hanging out together.
At the same time, three times a day I sat down to what I saw as a meal – eating a chicken, a cow or a pig, animals so much like the ones I’d been playing with. I was a hypocrite.
My books and cartoons were full of cute, happy animals but my plate was full of the very same animals I admired.
Dominika went vegan at 16 (Picture: Metro.co.uk/Sofia Bouzidi)
I felt different right away. Lighter, with a sense of relief, as if the person I’ve always been deep inside finally came out. I wanted to tell everyone about my new-found passion and label.
But when I excitedly told people about my decision and the reasons behind it, no one seemed to care about animals as much as I do.
I couldn’t understand why, when we can live happy, healthy lives without contributing to the suffering of others, people wouldn’t choose so.
While I believe that most people already hold vegan values in their hearts (no one wants to make animals suffer), people are reluctant to make the move.
Sadly, we’ve grown up in a world that conditions us to eat some animals (pigs, cows, chickens) and love others (cats, dogs, horses), and few of us question this.
‘I don’t want to be a person who is content with how things are’ (Picture: Metro.co.uk/Sofia Bouzidi)
We are all hypocrites in how we favour some animals just because of their species.
Being vegan has completely shaped my identity. It’s present in every decision I make and every product I buy – it’s impossible not to talk about it at some point.
It has also pushed me out of my comfort zone and I have found a community where I feel completely supported by like-minded people around me.
I couldn’t be prouder of my label, and find it extremely empowering, but as vegans we are constantly confronted with the stereotypes that seem inextricably attached to the word.
Our need to speak up for those without a voice and our anger at a world that treats animals as commodities should not be seen as being preachy or aggressive.
She now works for The Vegan Society (Picture: Metro.co.uk/Sofia Bouzidi)
Yes, I am angry. There aren’t words to describe how I feel knowing that animals are abused in nearly all areas of life.
I can’t understand why taking calves away from their mothers so we can drink the milk that’s meant for them or gassing one-day old male chicks to death because they don’t lay eggs ever became common practice.
But I channel that anger into a passionate fight for animal rights.
I don’t want to be a person who is content with how things are. To be frank, there aren’t many things in life that truly move me but animal suffering has always been one of them.
Please know that my choice doesn’t come from a desire to be difficult, or a need to be noticed, but from a deep-seated belief that this lifestyle is the only way forward for future generations.
We vegans are just trying to do some good in a society where otherwise kind and caring people continue to participate in needless violence against animals.
It may be difficult to see the neatly packaged piece of meat as the sentient living being it once was but there’s a much deeper story behind it that vegans have discovered.
Once you open your heart to animal suffering, it’s hard to watch everyone else biting into their hamburgers and drinking dairy lattes without feeling you should say something.
You can find out more about The Vegan Society here. VeGuide is free to download and available on the App Store and Google Play now.
Labels
Labels is an exclusive series that hears from individuals who have been labelled – whether that be by society, a job title, or a diagnosis. Throughout the project, writers will share how having these words ascribed to them shaped their identity — positively or negatively — and what the label means to them.
That’s a brilliant thing. There are many people who will be helped by treatments using CBD oil, from young children with epilepsy to those with chronic pain.
But it’s crucial that while we celebrate access to these treatments, we don’t crow too loudly about cannabis products as a glorious solution for all mental health ills.
I started experiencing panic attacks and depression in my teens, followed by OCD symptoms in my twenties. I’ve had a decade of dealing with mental health issues, and a bit of well-meaning advice that’s popped up again and again is to ‘just try weed’.
People reckon that because weed is natural, it’s the ideal way to remedy all my worries – much better than those pills prescribed by a doctor that – according to everyone who’s warned me off taking fluoxetine – are addictive, numbing, unnatural, and could ‘turn you into a killer’.
In my teens most of these recommendations came from Facebook commenters and other young people as lacking in knowledge as I was about SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a common type of antidepressant). As the conversation around CBD oil has grown, the idea that I should just use cannabis has been legitimised – now everyone from coworkers to psychologists has cheerfully suggested I pack in the antidepressants and just drink some cannaboid milk or drop some oil in my morning porridge.
Let me say now that none of these people are being rude or mean – apart from anyone who tweets me to say that fluoxetine is evil, I’m supporting the corrupt pharamaceutical industry and I should fix my depression and OCD by going for a run or getting out in nature, you can piss right off. It’s an entirely well-intentioned attempt to help.
(Picture: Ella Byworth)
And the fact is, CBD oil will help a lot of people deal with exactly the same problems I’m dealing with – anxiety, depression, and obsessive thoughts.
But I’ve noticed a trend of cannabis being held up as a magic cure-all for mental illness, and that’s simply not the case.
I’ve tried smoking weed. It made me dazed, sleepy, and on constant edge that I might wet myself (I have no idea why, but that was a constant worry ever single time). The day after I had massive weed hangovers where nothing felt like it was really happening and I was completely disconnected, bringing depressive thoughts back to the front of my mind.
I’ve tried CBD oil products. I felt calmer, sure, but I also lost all my focus and energy.
You know what does work for me? Chemical, unnatural fluoxetine (better known as Prozac).
Fluoxetine lifts my mood, eases the stream of obsessive thoughts, and makes the lows a lot easier to get out of it.
It hasn’t made me numb, it hasn’t killed off my sex drive, and it hasn’t changed who I am.
There were some side-effects in the beginning – shakes for the first few weeks and an adjustment to my sleeping patterns – but now it’s smooth-sailing.
(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)
Fluoxetine works for me pretty brilliantly. It won’t work for everyone by any means, but it’s a legitimate option that I wish anyone with depression would be able to consider without the weight of the stigma and antidepressant bashing by people on the internet and nosy relatives.
Just because something is ‘natural’, doesn’t make it better. A chemical is not always a scary, evil thing.
Just as some people have negative reactions to SSRIs, some will have dangerous responses to cannabis. Smoking weed can trigger paranoia and psychosis, it can worsen your memory, and it can increase feelings of anxiety.
The legalisation of cannabis-based treatments is a good thing – it’ll make sure products are regulated, kept safe, and given to people who could benefit from them. But in our rush to celebrate, let’s not dismiss the benefits of traditional antidepressants.
Cannabis products sound more appealing, sure. They’re natural, they’re used recreationally (so there’s not that same shame and awkwardness that there is around taking antidepressants), and they don’t play into the hands of big pharma.
But they’re far from perfect, and they don’t work for everyone.
If someone says they’re using medication that works for them, let’s not rush to recommend they swap their pills for CBD oil or suggest cannabis is some morally superior choice.
I repeat: ‘natural’ is not always better, and it doesn’t mean something is free of any risk of harm.
Yes, I have tried weed. It didn’t work. Can I get back to taking my pills now?
Umm, happy bloody World Vegan Day – the day we revel in free food and feel good news.
Although it’s been an international thing since 1994, you’re probably not alone in only really becoming properly conscious of it this year.
And that’s because, friends, the plant-based revolution has been televised.
Here we are, in 2018, surrounded by vegan innovation and cruelty-free entrepreneurship.
Full-time spawn or seitan or just vega-curious, why not treat yourself today to some epic vegan food, cruelty-free skincare or some pre-loved clothing?
For one day only (for now), the high street is offering more vegan chow than you could ever chomp.
So if you want some ideas, here’s what’s been going down this week in vegan news:
GBK is giving away 900 free vegan burgers today
You know the one thing more tasty than jackfruit burgers? Free jackfruit burgers (Picture: GBK)
There are 10 per restaurant so you’ve got to be super quick.
All you need to do is say ‘Jack on the house’ at the till to claim your free burger of vegan deliciousness. The giveaway is on a first come, first serve basis, one per customer. Once all 10 have gone, they’re gone!
ICYMI, the latest plant-based addition to the burger menu at GBK features the ingredient of the moment, jackfruit. The Jack-in-a-bun includes a homemade butternut squash and quinoa patty, beetroot mayo Korean pulled jackfruit, pickled onions and rocket, all piled up in a sourdough bun.
Jay James, Head of Marketing at GBK says: ‘We want everyone to be able to enjoy incredible burgers at GBK, meat-eaters, veggies and vegans alike. With our giveaway today we want burger-lovers to unite and head down to our restaurants to enjoy a “jack-in-a-bun-on-the-house”‘
Vegan diet found to be more environmentally friendly than eating locally
(Picture: Ella Byworth/ Metro.co.uk)
This will be a ‘no sh*t Sherlock’ moment for most of you, but a new study has found that going vegan is one of the biggest things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint – more so than eating locally.
It looked at greenhouse gas emissions from EU diets and concluded that eating meat and dairy were responsible for most of them.
The average EU citizen has a food footprint of 1070kg of CO2 per year when you take into account emissions from production, land use and transportation. That’s the equivalent of someone driving 6,000km.
Meat and dairy accounted for more than 75% of the impact from EU diets.
‘People tend to think that consuming locally will be the solution to climate change, but it turns out that the type of product we eat is much more important for the overall impact,’ says IIASA researcher Hugo Valin, a study co-author and Sandström’s YSSP advisor.
‘Europeans are culturally attached to meat and dairy product consumption. Reducing our climate footprint does not necessarily require stopping eating these food products, but rather diversifying further our diets to reduce the share of these.’
So there’s your answer, next time someone starts chastising you about air miles.
Ben & Jerry’s expands their plant-based menu
Ice cream sandwich *drools* (Picture: Ben & Jerry’s)
Our lives were improved immeasurably when B&Js introduced vegan flavours to eat at home. And now, it’s expanding its Soho Scoop shop menu to include four new items.
The four-piece menu includes Ben & Jerry’s mouth-watering favourites such as Cookie Sandwich and Brownie Sundae but with a vegan twist using the ice cream idols Non-Dairy flavours. The vegan baked goods nestled into the new menu are provided by Luminary Bakery, where baking scrumptious cookies and brownies supports disadvantaged women in London.
Choose from Brownie Special Sunday (three types of ice cream with cream and chocolate sauce), Cookie Cookie Sundae (all of the cookies, and all of the peanut butter and cookies ice cream), Very Vegan Shake (brownies with almost milk and layers of whipped cream and chocolate sauce) or Cookie Sandwich (your choice of non-dairy ice cream with a chunky maple & chocolate chip cookie).
Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop Guru, Zara Hall said: “Our flavour fans dared us to go dairyless — and we did. Now, we’ve taken our Non-Dairy flavour creations and whipped them into menu items for our fans to dig into. We hope people love the magnificent vegan cookies, brownies, and ice cream chunks and swirls we’ve loaded into our delicious desserts just in time for World Vegan Month.”
Petition to get Papa John’s using vegan pizza is VERY CLOSE, PEOPLE
In our first vegan news round-up, we reported that people were petitioning for Papa John’s to get with the programme and start using vegan cheese.
Friends, that petition is SO CLOSE at 16,656 – it needs 17,000.
Pizza Express is offering a portion of free dough balls to everyone – vegan or not
Free dough balls to all! (PIcture: Pizza Express)
But you know who IS doing great vegan cheese? Pizza Express, who’s finally launched a frozen Vegan Giardiniera packed with artichokes, spinach and mozzarella cheeze.
Of course, it’s had our backs covered in-store for ages but now you can just whip up some genuinely tasty, non-synthetic tasting pizza at home. It’s available at Waitrose (we’re looking at your pizzas now, M&S).
In-house, Pizza Express is offering a free portion of vegan dough balls – whether you’re vegan or not.
PizzaExpress has developed its very own vegan pestorissa dip, a vegan pesto, which is available as a delicious dairy-free dipping alternative for Dough Balls.
Tibits launches its new Autumn menu…
Hands down the best buffet in town (Picture: Tibits)
Everyone’s favourite buffet, Tibits, has just launched their new Autumn menu.
We’re talking seitan bourguignon, vegan shakshuka, barley stews, chestnut and pumpkin soup. Basically, all the things to warm the cockles.
Just so long as that delicious chocolate cake is still there…
…and Rum Kitchen launches a plant-based menu too
(Picture: Rum Kitchen)
We may be creeping towards winter but at Rum Kitchen, things are definitely heating up. It’s teamed up with ‘Queen of Contemporary Caribbean Cooking’ Shivi Ramoutar to come up with a whole load of West Indies-inspired vegan bits.
KFC – Krispy Fried Cauliflower anyone? Or perhaps a jerk spiced jackfruit & pineapple black-eyed bean rice, Creole Squash with Molasses Sugar Chickpeas and Coconut Kale Crisps is more up your street.
Dishes are between £4.50 and £11, and are available at all three venues in Brixton, Soho and Notting Hill.
YO! Sushi dedicates a third of its menu to vegan dishes
A third of the menu is now vegan (Picture: YO! Sushi)
Sushi may predominantly involve fish, but not today.
Because YO! has set aside a third of its menu to free-from dishes.
A third of the new menu features free-from dishes, such as the Shitake Mushroom Ramen, Pumpkin Katsu Curry and Inari Tofu Taco as well as mouth-watering vegan-friendly desserts including a miso and vanilla infused Chocolate Pot and salted caramel Japanese Cheesecake.
YO! has simplified their plate prices to six options, removing their most expensive plate, with prices now starting at £2.30. You’ll also notice an extra sushi piece on every two-roll plate – so what are you waiting for?
Halloween is over and done with, which means we’re now allowed to talk about Christmas. Those are the rules.
We’ll kick things off with Christmas jumpers, because these are a festive delight you can wear long before 25 December.
While you could go for a classic alpine design or opt for a cutesy reindeer knit, TFL recommends a far more elegant option: A Christmas jumper dedicated to public transport.
Yes, friends. You can now show off your love for buses and the Bakerloo line in TFL’s range of festive jumpers.
TFL teamed up with Paul James Knitwear to create a range of jumpers, scarves, and hats, all sold through the London Transport Museum’s shop.
(Picture: TFL)
The proceeds go straight to the museum’s charity work, so they do some good beyond promoting hopping on the Tube rather than driving to a destination.
Sadly, there are not yet knits to represent each line, but we hope that by writing our interest in this concept here, we’ll get TFL’s attention and give us the festive Victoria line jumper we’ve all been craving.
Luckily going veggie or vegan doesn’t just mean leaves (Picture: Getty)
Today is World Vegan Day, which is a perfect time to have a think about how much meat we eat.
But, it turns out plenty of Brits are already doing so, and have been actively reducing the animal products they’re consuming.
According to a recent study by Waitrose, one in eight people in Britain are now completely vegan or vegetarian, and even more consider themselves ‘flexitarian’.
21% of the people asked gave themselves the flexi title, meaning they eat a mostly vegetarian diet, with a few meat products thrown in now and again.
More than 33% overall said they were cutting down on or cutting out meat entirely.
The supermarket’s 2018-19 food and drink report is calling it the ‘era of the mindful consumer’, as more and more people are becoming conscious of the environmental and wellbeing consequences of what they eat.
60% of those who answered that they were vegan or vegetarian have adopted their new lifestyle in the last five years, showing that the tide really is turning when it comes to plant-based.
More than half of those people put their choice down to animal rights concerns, 45% had their health as a reason, and 38% factored the environment in their decision.
Natalie Mitchell, head of brand development for the company said, ‘‘This year, we’ve seen vegan food go mainstream. Whether cooking at home, buying prepared food or trying the many newly vegan-friendly restaurants, people are discovering that it tastes amazing.’
The irony isn’t lost on us that it’s Waitrose championing veganism and vegetarianism.
Their in-house magazine editor William Sitwell resigned yesterday after making a ‘joke’ to a pitching freelancer about killing vegans and exposing their ‘hypocrisy.’
Waitrose Magazine did release a statement, however, saying it was the ‘right and proper move’ for Sitwell to step down, and given they recently launched a new vegan range, it’s likely they don’t agree with him.
