Beth Leslie

In a city as cool as London, serving drinks in ordinary cocktail glasses is so passé. After a thorough (and slightly tipsy) sleuthing mission, we've found five weird, crazy and quirky drink containers in town.   The Ice Block at  Icebar, Mayfair   A photo posted by ICEBAR London (@icebarlondon) on May 27, 2016 at 6:43am PDT If you want to be seen in the coolest bar in London, head down to the -5c Icebar. Their gambit is that everything you touch will be made from real ice, and they keep this promise right down to the cocktail glasses. Just remember to wear gloves. The Wellington Boot at Rabbit, Chelsea   A photo posted by Rabbit Restaurant (@rabbit_resto) on Sep 23, 2016 at 7:53am PDT Missed out on Glastonbury tickets this year? You can still get your welly-boot fix (mud free) at Rabbit, a restaurant that is all about good ol’ Britishness. Be sure to check out their farm-fresh tapas too. The Skull at Nightjar, Shoreditch   A photo posted by Nightjar (@nightjar) on Dec 4, 2015 at 8:17am PST Not one for the faint-hearted, NightJar’s creepiest creation comes with tequila, chilli wine and mealworms. Yes, as in the bug. Bottoms up!  The Chinese Takeaway Box at The Cocktail Trading Company, Brick Lane   A photo posted by The Cocktail Trading Co. (@the_cocktail_trading_co) on Jun 19, 2014 at 11:27am PDT Why wait until after a drinking session to tuck into a box of Chinese? Now you can have a little gin with your noodles at one of the most innovative cockt

The city of London is over 2,000 years old. That’s a heck of a lot of history to pack under its pavements, so it’s hardly surprising that some of this past is somewhat strange, unsavoury, or just a bit bonkers. Top of the list for weirdo factor are some of London’s old laws. It turns out that those Ye Olde Londoners were really easily offended. From fancy clothing to Christmas carols, being a notorious felon 500 years ago required little more than enjoying one too many mulled wines down the pub. Here are some of the things you’d be hard-pushed to get away with, back in the day:     pixabay / 2977540   Be a fashionista Most of us like to express our personality through our clothing, so spare a thought for those poor Tudors who were expressly forbidden to be fabulous. For a brief period from 1562, courtiers who wore clothing of ‘monstrous and outrageous greatness’ could be prosecuted for breaking the law. On the plus side, it was probably a lot harder to behead someone encased in ‘outrageous double ruffs’.   pixabay / claus_indesign   Skip archery practice  From 1540, all Englishmen between 17 and 60 were required by law to both own a longbow and to practise their archery skills for two hours every week. (Women were off the hook.)   Despite the fact that the adoption of firearms in the sixteenth century (literally) blew the longbow out of the water, this law was only repealed in 1960. So, if your gramps once stunned you by hitting every bullseye during the last family trip

After all the glitz and glam of Christmas and New Year's Eve, the first month of the year usually finds us fat, hungover, bummed and broke. But now that we're a few weeks in, it's time to pull on our boots and brave the winter chill. There's still a whole heap of fun to be had in this town to get you in a cheery mood and it'll hardly cost you anything. Check out this frugal fivesome.    A photo posted by southbankcentre (@southbankcentre) on Nov 16, 2016 at 9:03am PST If you're not ready to let go of Christmas yet, try the Southbank Winter Festival  Ladies and gentlemen, there is such a thing as a cider lodge. Get excited. Roaring fires and riverside views make this free pop-up the place to be for those wanting to ward off any winter chills. If that’s not enough to get you hot-footing down to the South Bank, there’s also a roller disco, a circus, a cacophony of Christmas lights and some gnome-like-things called Gonks which you can hunt out and take photos with. Endless fun. 10am–11pm until January 25.   A video posted by Canary Wharf (@canarywharflondon) on Jan 9, 2017 at 5:36am PST   If you want to add some sparkle to your day, try the Winter Lights at Canary Wharf, until January 27 Everyone knows it’s mandatory to spend at least one winter day falling repeatedly on your arse via an ice rink, so why not do the honours on one that’s illuminated by a multi-coloured light show extravaganza? The free Canary Wharf Winter Lights show has got it all: light-up benches,

Eaten all the mince pies and ended up on Santa’s naughty list? Bored of your little round belly shaking like a bowlful of jelly? Just because it’s winter, doesn’t mean you can’t burn off those pre-Christmas carbs. Sprint into the holiday spirit with one of these very festive fun runs. Santa Dash, December 4   A photo posted by GOSH (@greatormondst) on Oct 6, 2016 at 12:09pm PDT   Santa Claus is coming to Clapham Common this Christmas, and he’s bringing along 3,000 doppelgängers. Runners are kitted out in a Santa suit to tackle the 5km or 10km course, while on-site snow machines mean this may be the closest you can get to a white Christmas. There's even the promise of mulled wine at the end, which should get you over the finish line. Plus, it’s all to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, so you’ll get a warm glow from do-gooding as well as from puffing through the December air.  Reindeer Run, December 10   A photo posted by Innovation Sports (@innovationsport) on Dec 13, 2015 at 7:48am PST Fancy yourself as a bit of a Dasher or a Comet on the race course? The Reindeer Run at Battersea Park should be right up your street. Don your race antlers and gallop 5km or 10km accompanied by your favourite Christmas tunes. Teams of elves will be on hand to help out and mince pies will be handed out to all finishers, ensuring any calories you burn off are swiftly topped up. Santa Search & Rescue, December 17    A photo posted by DEADDROPFITNESS (@deaddropfitness)