Caley Collins

Do you add hot sauce and chilli flakes to your food when you dine out? Or ask for extra-spicy ’nduja on your sourdough pizza? Could you (honestly) handle ghost peppers on your cereal? Whether you are a spice lover or not, all Londoners could do with a bit more red-hot zest in their lives. Aside from traditional curries and fiery Mexican restaurants, there are some unusual (and unexpected) combinations out there. Just make sure you order a glass of cold milk to subdue the flames afterwards.    Photograph: Lateef photography   Spicy cauliflower wings Everyone has had hot chicken wings, but did you know that you can now try a veggie version? Roasted in paprika and deep fried in breadcrumbs, cauliflower wings might be the hottest veggie alternative to ease you into food beyond meat. Try some cauli wings at https://randyswingbar.co.uk/   Photograph: Oystermen   Spicy oysters Seafood and spice? We’d usually say: absolutely not. But then we heard about Oystermen’s Buffalo oysters. Turns out the salty, vinegary taste of oysters meshes well with a strong, tangy spice, giving these molluscs a fiery edge. Check out the oysters at oystermen.co.uk. Spicy jackfruit wings If cauliflower wings aren’t for you, why not try the jackfruit version? Biff’s vegan crispy fried jackfruit wings come on the bone, to make it feel even more like the real deal. The swings are hand-crafted with young green jackfruit and natural sugarcane. There’s no soy or GMO here, just pure spice and jackfruit. Taste

Back in the summer, it was announced that a terrifying new interactive experience based on the ‘SAW’ films would be opening in London come Halloween. Now ‘SAW: The Experience’ is nearly here, and more details of this bloodcurdling night of team-building fun and games have been revealed.  The headline news is that Tobin Bell – who plays serial killer Jigsaw in the films – will be returning to the role in pre-recorded form, lending that horribly recognisable voice to the action.  It’s also been announced that there’s a bar at the end called The Traproom, at which ‘survivors’ – we’re assuming everybody does in fact survive – can kick back with a cocktail and pose for a photo with some of the Insta-friendly torture equipment that will be strewn throughout the room.  Finally, the location is no longer a secret: it will take place at 1 America Square, a former office building close to Tower Hill tube.  Created by The Path Entertainment Group, Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures in collaboration, the show merges theatricality and gameplay, including difficult puzzles, tests of intelligence and multiple escape rooms that will challenge both your principles and your courage, much like the original films did. It also promises to be extremely scary. For horror fans that have always wanted to be the main character of their favourite films, this experience is a dream come true, even if the film franchise it is based on is more like a nightmare. ‘SAW: The Experience’ is booking Oct 27-Mar 26 20

There’s nothing quite as stressful as buying your first home (apart from divorce, potentially). Later purchases don’t actually get less stressful, which is why Londoners rely on experts to name the best, most economically secure places to live. After analysing millions of points of data, Proportunity, a company attempting to make homeownership more accessible, has named Kingston-upon-Thames the top location for recession-busting houses across England and Wales. With a recent survey by Deloitte finding that 63 percent of finance heads believe that there will be a recession next year and 68 percent of business consultants expect that inflation will continue and exceed economists’ expectations, many homeowners are worried about their properties becoming less valuable than the mortgages they have taken out to buy them. In the event of an economic decline, mortgages will become much more costly and difficult to secure.  Proportunity’s list is based on characteristics shared by neighbourhoods which have fared well in past recessions, such as low housing supply in affluent areas, high numbers of older properties, greater proportion of millennials, homes that are larger than average size, and frequently used train stations. The top three locations are Kingston upon Thames, Haringey and Harrow: all in London. The three areas share qualities like good schools for both primary- and secondary-school-age children, convenient commute times into London, and green spaces. Crime rates and aff

Londoners love public transport. Tourists? Not so popular. However, a new tax proposal suggests that London visitors should be levied to help fund Transport for London (TfL), which is in desperate need of more income following the loss of revenue during the last two years.  On Wednesday July 13, Professor Tony Travers of the London School of Economics told the London Assembly that a tourism tax, such as ones operated in several other major cities, would be worth ‘hundreds of millions of pounds’ a year and could be used to finance TfL. During the pandemic, TfL’s income fare collapsed and it has still not recovered, leading to multiple short-term government bailouts being given while City Hall lobbies for proper long-term funding. A 2017 report estimated that 82 percent of bed nights spent in London were accounted for by overseas visits, and so a £2.50 rate per night for a hotel or tourism tax would produce about £102 million per year. The tax may also impact cruise ships, Airbnb, and other similar rental websites.  Tourism levies are common in other major cities, including Paris, Berlin, Rome, Amsterdam and New York. Paris’s tax is based on hotel ratings and could produce about £140 million per year if used in London, while Berlin’s is 5 percent of the room rate per night and could generate around £240 million.  Mayor Sadiq Khan, Chair of TfL, has repeatedly stated that ‘Without a long term funding deal, TfL will have to prepare to make further painful cuts to London’s transpo

Every Londoner knows that when the sun comes out, so do the barbecues. The arrival of ‘proper summer’ is always accompanied by the smell of sizzling meat, but to the delight of many vegans, this is no longer allowed. Sadiq Khan has temporarily banned barbecuing after the London Fire Brigade (LFB) declared a major incident in the capital yesterday. Over the weekend, the Met Office issued a level four extreme heat warning for Monday and Tuesday, with temperatures soaring to over 40C and Tuesday being the UK’s hottest day ever. Fears for public safety continue to increase as wildfires have left the LFB under enormous strain, having to respond to seven times the amount of calls they usually receive. To support their efforts, the Mayor of London has asked people not to have barbecues in private gardens, in parks or on balconies, to avoid leaving any kind of glass on grass, and to safely dispose of cigarettes to reduce the risk of fires. According to the LFB Twitter account, although Londoners have been urged not to call 999 unless there is ‘a genuine emergency or if there’s an immediate risk to life’, they should not hesitate to call the emergency number if they see a fire, as ‘the sooner we know about a fire, the sooner we can bring it under control’. An unprecedented number of wildfires occurred in the capital yesterday in areas including City of London, Erith, Dagenham, Chadwell Heath, Kenton, Southgate, Wembley, Wennington, Uxbridge, Upminster, Croydon and Eltham. Although yes

Thanks to the shockingly high temperatures this week, we’ve all been searching for ways to keep cool. Ice cream, air con, several fans, paddling pools, cold showers and iced drinks have been the traditional favourites, but some people have been chilling out by hugging a wall. Confused? White Claw Hard Seltzer has unveiled a cooling wall in Shoreditch that absorbs body heat.  The drinks brand installed the six-metre mural overnight on Redchurch Street, just in time for the hottest day of the year. Executed in heat-proof paint, which is often described as ‘frost-fuelled’, the board has a thermometer and is covered by specially designed cooling mats with touch-activated gel centres, keeping the wall icy cold. Roasting Londoners simply have to give the wall a hug or press their forehead or hand on it to receive a refreshing, cooling sensation that will lower their body temperature. Michael Dean, Head of Marketing at White Claw UK, said: ‘With record-breaking temperatures, we wanted to give Londoners a much-needed moment of light refreshment on this scorching day.’ The structure, according to the White Claw UK Twitter account, is the ‘coolest wall in east London’, and will be up for two weeks. While next week is not set to reach the same intense temperatures as this one, sweaty locals might still need a chilly cool down in the warm weather. We’ll definitely be using the frosty wall to beat the heat this summer. Find the ‘Cool Wall’ billboard at 83 Redchurch Street in Shoreditch. C

Admit it, we’ve all wanted to own a private helicopter and commute through the skies. Although you may not be able to afford your own, the government has just given a £9m grant to test flying electric taxis that could transport people to airports in the future. In the midst of some of the worst public transport and airport staff shortages and strikes that the UK has ever seen, the government has decided to fund the UK Research and Innovation agency’s Future Flight Challenge consortium so that it can conduct test flights on Vertical Aerospace’s ‘VX4 eVTOL’ aircraft, controlled by Virgin Atlantic, between Heathrow and London City airports, plus other as-yet-unannounced locations.  With around half of passengers arriving at airports in private vehicles, these ‘electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles’ could offer a more sustainable alternative mode of transportation, seating up to four passengers, and might even replace private helicopters altogether. The flying electric taxis will undergo one virtual and two physical tests and if successful these planes could be implemented in transportation to and from airports very soon.  The Future Flight Challenge includes many prominent air travel companies, like Vertical Aerospace and Virgin Atlantic, plus Cranfield and Warwick universities, NATS, and Heathrow and London City airports. It aims to implement zero-emission air travel in and around British cities by 2030 by investing in technology and ‘creating the aviation system of th

If you feel like you’ve been melting during this heatwave, you aren’t the only one. Luton Airport’s tarmac actually liquefied yesterday due to the record temperatures of 39.1C, with all flights having to be cancelled for several hours.  The London airport, used by airlines like Ryanair, EasyJet, TUI and Wizz Air, only has one runway, which had to be closed as, according to the airfield’s Twitter account, ‘high surface temperatures caused a small section to lift’. The last known flight to leave was at 3.07pm before departures were suspended at 3.22pm and all inbound flights were diverted while engineers worked to fix the issue. Airport officials reopened the runway to departing flights at 5.40pm, announcing it at 6pm. However, inbound flights are still suspended until further notice, with at least 14 flights scheduled to land at Luton having to be rerouted to other airports, including Gatwick and Stansted, according to FlightRadar24.   The airport has apologised for any inconveniences caused, but passengers are still furious. One angry customer replied to Luton’s tweet with ‘Worst airport ever’ and another called the country ‘a joke’. It's really hot in here - not just from the heat but because there are so many people! Luton Airport, flights cancelled as runway melted due to extreme heat pic.twitter.com/pFlKRihsvA — Alison Cybe (@AlisonCybe) July 18, 2022 The RAF also had to halt flights at Brize Norton, its largest UK air base, as its runway also melted. Experts warn tha

What comes to mind when you think of watching the latest athletic events with others? Probably a noisy, sweaty sports bar packed full of drunk people. Not ideal in the current climate. Well, Hackney Bridge wants to challenge your assumptions. Its new outdoor cinema provides plenty of space for fans to spread out and relax in the fresh air while watching all the major sporting events of the summer, plus some family-friendly movies. The two-by-four-metre screen overlooks Hackney Bridge Gardens, allowing patrons to chill out on the grassy area in front while the cinema shows the Women’s Euros, the Commonwealth Games and a diverse selection of films for all ages. Food and drink vendors offer beverages from local Hackney suppliers at both the screen’s own shipping container bar and the Hangar Bar inside the venue, and there’s food from various global cuisines, such as Italian at Made in Puglia, and Japanese at Rainbo.  Hackney Bridge is a new canalside community in east London near Hackney Wick. It boasts studios, workspaces, restaurants, bars, community gardens, shops and even a – you guessed it – street-food market. The area hopes to use its diverse range of amenities to promote local creativity and talent while bringing the community closer together, and this outdoor screen is its latest effort to do this.  So grab some friends and family and head down to the Hackney Bridge cinema for a football match, some track and field, or a movie night. You can still tip beer over yourself

There are many Great British things. The Great British Bake Off, The Great British Sewing Bee, and now a new addition, The Great British Slurp Off, which is being hosted by London's Marugame Udon, this summer. The Japanese noodle and tempura restaurant is searching for the ‘longest, loudest and most interesting slurp in all of Britain’. From July 19 - September 12, you could win a trip to Japan by posting a photo or video on Instagram or TikTok of you slurping udon with the hashtag #SlurpOff and following and tagging the eatery. The winner will receive a week-long, all-inclusive trip to Tokyo for two with a choice of excursions in Japan, while the first runner up will receive a year’s supply of free udon and the second runner up will win a £50 Marugame Udon voucher. Weekly prizes, like free bowls of udon, will also be up for grabs, with members of the Marugame Club even earning double ‘bowl stamps’ on their purchases throughout the course of the campaign. In the western world, slurping is seen as impolite, but in Japan it is a sign of appreciation and gratitude to the chef. For the person eating, it also allegedly highlights the different flavours of each individual ingredient, making the practice tasty too. Participants in this slurping competition can enter up to ten times, and will be judged by the restaurant’s udon master, Ko san, based on their noodle slurping technique, the artistic merit of their submission, and the loudness of their slurp. So, think you have what it t

Londoners love the River Thames. What they don’t love is the idea of actually getting in it due to its infamously filthy water, often filled with sewage. However, this is set to change with the introduction of London’s new ‘Super Sewer’, which stretches 15 miles and has cost £4.2 billion so far. The London sewers were designed in the Victorian era to cater for the, um, ‘needs’ of its 4 million inhabitants. But with 9 million now living in the capital, the system is under enormous strain. Untreated sewage overflows into the Thames every time it rains, making human waste the last significant source of pollution in the river. Gross.  However, the new Thames Tideway Tunnel, aka the Super Sewer, is hoping to fix this. Stretching from Acton in west London to east London’s Abbey Mills Pumping Station, the 15-mile-long tube is the width of three buses at its thickest point, and will intercept at least 94 percent of the millions of tonnes of annual overflow sewage, treating it and returning clean water to the environment. It should also reduce the sewage spills per year from the 50 currently occurring to just three or four. It’s set to be completed in 2025, although tunnelling was finished earlier this year. Due to rising real estate prices, the treatment plants have been built out over the river, although the unattractive industrial sites will allegedly be turned into new ‘beautiful’ public spaces.  When it was announced in 2014, the estimated cost of the tunnel was £3.52 billion, bu

When you think of opera, what storylines come to mind? Revenge, probably. Extreme melodrama, for sure. A lot of passionate and loud declarations of love, certainly. Beer? Less so. Although it seems unlikely, a new event coming to London this summer will combine both opera and beer. The mini opera trilogy Besse: Water, Rye and Hops is the first ever opera about beer and will be performed at Anspach & Hobday’s The Arch House on August 24 2022 from 7pm. The story centres on Besse, a medieval brewster in 1348 AD following the traditions established by brewsters and goddesses who lived 5000 years before her. However, accusations of witchcraft and murder threaten her independence while the Black Death terrorises the population.  Created by Infinite Opera and performed as part of Tête à Tête’s ‘The Opera Festival’, the comedic production intends to highlight the role of women in fermentation, especially as beer was almost exclusively made by women in the time period. The Arch House, located on the infamous Bermondsey Beer Mile, hopes to introduce its customers to opera and lovers of the art form to its vegan friendly beer, valuing the passion and creativity shown in both industries. Anspach & Hobday have even brewed a new beer, Besse, specially for the occasion, and the 4% pale ale will be pouring during and after the production. With tickets priced at only £15, what could be better than a summer evening filled with rhyming couplets, expressive music, and beer? To book your tickets,

If you feel like you’re melting in the recent heatwave, you’re not alone. Unfortunately (if you’re heat-phobic) it looks like London is set to sweat even more. Due to the soaring temperatures, Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced a severe weather emergency response to help rough sleepers stay cool. As the Met Office has extended its Level Three Heat Alert, indicating life-threatening danger, the Mayor is increasing support for rough sleepers, enacting the pan-London Severe Weather Emergency Protocols (SWEP), which are usually only activated when temperatures drop to below freezing in the winter.  Khan stated that City Hall are working to ‘prioritise support for some of our most vulnerable Londoners’. Rough sleepers are particularly vulnerable to the heat, with many suffering from chronic health conditions, mental illnesses and issues with substance abuse. Due to this, City Hall has written to all rough sleeping services and London boroughs, requesting them to conduct more frequent welfare checks, provide advice, sunscreen and water to clients and outreach teams, and ensure that everyone knows where the nearest cool spaces and water fountains are. Outreach teams are also learning the symptoms of heat distress to guarantee that the population stays as risk-free as possible. When will the heatwave in London end? The extreme heat warning is in place from Sunday until the end of Tuesday, with the heatwave expected to peak on Monday or Tuesday as temperatures rocket up to 40°C, which is