New homes: Our pick of the new builds going on sale in London this weekend June 22, 2018 New developments on the market this week Aurora Point, Surrey Quays From £126,000 for a 30 per cent share of a one bed apartment Get onto the property ladder with 18 homes that are on the market to part-buy, part-rent through Shared Ownership. One, two and three bedroom apartments and duplexes are on offer, most [...]
Escape to Tea Country: With over 150 years of tea making heritage, Sri Lanka is a brew-lover’s paradise June 18, 2018 Sri Lanka, the teardrop shaped island in the Indian Ocean, is the size of Ireland, yet it’s home to an incredible diversity of wildlife. In the deep waters off the southern cape, blue whales, the largest animal on earth, come to breed. Herds of the largest land animal, the elephant, freely crisscross the island. Leopards [...]
Machinal at the Almeida review: Sophie Treadwell’s play is a wild, expressionistic ride through the Kafkaesque production-line of life June 15, 2018 Machinal opens in a loud and lairy 1920s office. Overlapping conversations about sex and romance are given a staccato rhythm by the clack and ding of a dozen typewriters. The question on everyone’s lips is: who’s sleeping with who? The juiciest gossip focuses on the girl who’s missing, her empty desk made all the [...]
Here are the nine biggest new game announcements from E3 2018 June 13, 2018 This year's E3 conference in Los Angeles ushered in some fresh announcements alongside a raft of previously revealed games. As the show draws to a close, here's a selection of the biggest trailers from E3 2018. CyberPunk 2077 Release date: 2019 on PS4, XBO and PC Polish studio CD Projekt Red is best known [...]
Translations at the National Theatre review – a smart look at British imperialism on the island of Ireland June 8, 2018 Calling on the fearsome technical resources of the National Theatre, Ian Rickson’s new production of Brian Friel’s Translations is accomplished if not revolutionary. Set in Ireland’s County Donegal in 1833, it deals with the overwriting of landscapes by empire and the entwining of language with identity. It’s the tale of a “hedge-school” in the community [...]
For King and Country: As Swaziland celebrates 50 years of independence, the king took to the stage to make an astonishing announcement June 8, 2018 Portraits of the Lion and the Great She Elephant — King Mswati III and his mother — stare down from the wall of the immigration office. The animal print pattern of the king’s tribal dress seems a world away from the border-bureaucracy of entry stamps and customs forms, but it’s part of the dichotomy of [...]
Barsham Barns review: These luxury cottages in North Norfolk raise the bar for self-catering getaways June 4, 2018 When it comes to travelling with my entourage of beautiful friends, I’m finished with hotels. I’m done with hanging around near a cheese plant in the lobby as the last stragglers check in. I’m tired of resorting to £6 cocktails in empty hotel bars, and of “let’s freshen up and meet downstairs in 15 minutes”. [...]
These are the seven best fish and chips in London, and I’ll hear no more on the matter June 1, 2018 1. Golden Union 38 Poland St, London W1F 7LY Fish are basically the potatoes of the ocean. And potatoes are just a kind of fish that lives in the dirt. When these two edible stewards of the underworld come together we call it fish and chips, and nowhere is the pairing better exemplified than [...]
Irvine Welsh interview: Growing old disgracefully May 3, 2018 The image of a former enfant terrible growing up, moving to a big house by the ocean and living a life of manicured leisure is hardly novel. Even so, hearing Irvine Welsh – former heroin addict, guitarist with punk band The Pubic Lice, and author of Trainspotting – talk about his Miami pilates regime is [...]
Ferrari Portofino review: The replacement for the California T is a special and surprisingly easy drive March 26, 2018 Ferrari would never admit its California was a car marketed at women. Back when it was launched in 2008, just four per cent of the Italian manufacturer’s customers were female. With the California, a softer sports car with a folding metal roof and lower price tag, it said it intended to reach an audience it [...]