Lost Village festival review: is this posher than Wilderness? September 1, 2026 Wilderness in the Cotswolds boasts a nanny service. You won’t be surprised to hear that it is the only music festival in the country to offer such a luxury. Admittedly, there is no such thing at Lost Village, although festival insiders refer to the Lincolnshire based event as the “Wilderness of the north” owing to [...]
Barts North Wing would be a worthy Toast Award winner August 27, 2026 Barts North Wing houses the restored Hogarth Stair and Great Hall, a free City landmark up for Toast the City Awards. The public voting for the Toast the City Awards is over but the judges have yet to cast their votes for their favourite bars, restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, cultural venues and more. As the [...]
Wine to buy this week: The very best Pinot Noir on the shelves August 27, 2026 Last week it was Pinot Noir Day and, though I am sorry not to have forewarned you, I can reassure you that I thoroughly celebrated and am able to recommend the best to buy right now. Pinot Noir is known as the ‘Heartbreak Grape’. It is stubborn, unpredictable, sensitive and tantrum-inducingly difficult to grow. Yet [...]
Why The Outer Hebrides is Scotland’s ultimate wellness escape August 26, 2026 Exquisite silence and beautiful beaches in The Outer Hebrides, Scotland’s wildest part I’m floating above luminous purple coral and brilliant white starfish. The water below me is so clear that I can see individual grains of sand and the scales on the fish. One giveaway that I’m not somewhere exotic? I’m wearing a wetsuit and [...]
The way Dolly Parton announced her death is an inspiration to us all August 25, 2026 “Sadness lies with us, not with Dolly,” says Dolly Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver in an Instagram video to announce the death of the country music star. It’s an obvious thing to say about someone who has passed, but nonetheless, an idea that isn’t often thought about directly. When someone passes we tend to focus on [...]
A love letter to Sweetings, the City’s oldest restaurant August 25, 2026 Ahead of our Toast the City Awards this October, we pay homage to Sweetings, the City’s oldest restaurant Britain is a country steeped in tradition and often too wedded to the past, but it also proved itself capable of great innovation. We should never forget that the Square Mile is a perfect example of world-changing [...]
Beyond your 9-5: things to explore in the Square Mile August 20, 2026 For most, the City of London is defined by the rhythm of the working week. Offices fill from Monday to Friday, and the streets fall quiet at the weekend. But since the pandemic that pace has changed, and incredibly the Square Mile offers so much beyond the traditional 9-5. A weekend in the City of [...]
Boomtown 2026 review: Surely the best party in the world August 17, 2026 Boomtown 2026 review and star rating: ★★★★★ Pirates are squaring up to one another, clenching their jaws as they prepare to strike blows. Hundreds are jeering around the ring, where the crowd have been whipped into a feverish mob. Villagers are peering from the rooftops to get a glimpse of the fight. But before long, [...]
Cats musical review, Regent’s Park: Purrrfectly exquisite nonsense August 7, 2026 Cats review and star rating: ★★★★ The unnervingly bad 2019 movie did nothing to dispel the creeping sense that perhaps Cats is a little too strange. We were willing to suspend our disbelief for all sorts of nonsense in the 1990s, including this, a musical with loose at best narrative direction that spends 80 per [...]
What’s on in London August August 5, 2026 | Sponsored August in London offers countless ways to make the most of the city. It’s a great chance to experience workshops, join in on some sport activations, discover a new cuisine, use exclusive offers, and embrace all London has to offer. This guide highlights some of this month’s top picks, suitable for all ages. Activities and [...]